Aaaaccckkkkk!!!!

Plunk 'em down here? Out in the open for all to see?

That's so crazy it just might work! I have played exactly one game, just to give them a quick run through, and I enjoyed it. Naturally, being an old-time gamer (and an experienced playtester, hint, hint you Wormhole guys) I was thinking about a few options/enhancements to increase replay value.

I shall collect my thoughts, peruse my notes, and as General Douglas MacArthur said "I shall return ... once I have a fresh army and an entire fleet and air corps to back me up as I wade ashore on an unopposed beach for a rather cool looking photo-op" (or something like that).

Steve

Zombie Manor

Here are my notes concerning possible optional rules and/or rule revisions to the simple yet elegant Zombie Manor. Note that some rules are grouped together (such as A1-A2 or D1-D4). This is used to indicate a combination of new rules which are designed to be incorporated or excluded as a package.

A1 – New Weapon Counters
New counters are needed to indicate the equipment carried by the Hunters. This includes:
4 Revolver counters
4 Shotgun counters
4 Hunting Knife counters

A2 - Hunter Equipment Choices
Hunters start the game with their choice of firearm and any one of the following items:
~ Hunting Knife,
~ Ahnk of Ramostep,
~ Bottle of Ol’ Granny’s Sherry, or
~ Can of Dr Murphy’s All-Purpose Solvent.

Pistols function like the firearms described in the current rules, but may now fire TWO shots per turn (the Hunter must surrender two ammo counters to do so). The Hunter can determine the results of the first shot before firing the second.

Shotguns function like the firearms described in the current rules, except they add +1 to their shooting attack roll (effectively making it a little easier to hit something with a shotgun).

Hunting Knives add +1 to melee attack rolls.

B - New Ammo Counters
Players can treat the existing ammo counters as universal, and thus usable in both pistols and shotguns, OR they can use new ammo counters to indicate shotgun ammo.

C – Collecting Ammo from Cultists
When a Cultist is killed, roll 2d10 to determine the types of ammo carried by the cultist. For each die, if the result is odd the ammo is for a Pistol, if the result is even the ammo is for a Shotgun. Place the two ammo counters on the square where the cultist was killed. The ammo is retrieved only if a hunter moves onto (or through the square).

D1 – Green & Red Spiders
Note that the spider miniatures included with the game have either a green or red skull pattern on their backs. When placing spiders as the result of an exploration, roll 1d10 for each one. If the result is odd, the spider is Green, if even, the spider is Red.

D2 – Green Spiders
Green Spiders do not actually bite but spray their prey with a toxin that causes partial paralysis in creatures as large as humans. If a Green Spider wins a melee combat, instead of losing a health point the Hunter is reduced to half movement rate for the remainder of the game, or until they consume some of Ol’Granny’s Sherry or forfeit a Phoenix Crystal. Being sprayed again while already suffering from the partial paralysis has no effect.

D3 – Red Spiders
Red Spider bites are not so bad … it’s the poison that kills you! If a Red Spider wins a melee combat the Hunter does not immediately lose a health point. Instead he takes one poison counter and places it near his other equipment and item counters. At the start of each of his turns he takes another. If a hunter ends his turn with three poison markers, he is dead. Drinking some of Ol’Granny’s Sherry or surrendering a Phoenix Crystal will negate the poison (discard the item and any poison counters accumulated). Being poisoned again while already suffering from being poisoned has no additional effect.

Note that you CAN suffer the effects of paralysis AND poison at the same time!

D4 - New Poison Counters
In order to use the Red Spider rule you will need new markers to indicate poison.

E – The Hunger
A Hunter that has been killed is not out of the game just yet. The fast-acting bacteria that causes the dead to rise is present in the manor, and it’s only a matter of time before the freshly dead will rise again.

Once a Hunter has been killed, at the start of EVERY player turn (including his own) he rolls 1d10. On a roll of 10 the Hunter enters the game as a zombie! Place him anywhere in the room or hallway where he died. He is NOT confined to that location however, and may move 3 squares whenever it is his turn, and journey to any other location within the manor. Any Hunter who has become a zombie can continue to resurrect from death in this way until the game is over.

That's it! Feedback welcomed. Also, I am almost done with the new counters if anyone is interested

Steve

Awesome, great ideas Steve!

Bear in mind one and all ... these are simply ideas that popped into my head as I was playing my one test game, and thinking about small changes that could add a little more detail without compromising simplicity or the smooth flow of the game.

I toyed with this idea (made a few notes on my paper):

F - The More The Merrier
Cultists that have been killed may be down but they're not out! When a Cultist is killed place a marker in their square. At the start of every Hunter turn roll 1d10 for every Cultist marker. On a result of 10 the Cultist has risen as a Zombie! These new Zombies are restricted to the room or hallway where they resurrected.

However, after the game I started thinking that's a bunch more die rolls (every turn) just so the few cultists you encounter and kill can come back. And since they are restricted to the room where they were originally encountered, unless hunters need to go back the way they came, these new zombies may not be encountered.

So as usual, sometimes a good idea doesn't hold up in playtesting. I suspect this one won't play out as fun as it sounds. However, if there were a dedicated player running the Manor ... that could changte things

Steve

Do you have room for zombie dogs? Not like I saw this in a play station game or in a movie.

It's not off topic at all, this thread is the litmus test for the future of mini-games!

If possible, please include the rules expansion with the counters in the kitbash. I know the rules will be available on the forum too, but it'd be really nice to have it all packaged in a single download.

Arabin

If there's new tokens, there had better be instructions for their use!