Whether any of the stuff available can be spe- cialized anti-zombie gear is a matter of forewarn- ing and character knowledge. The usual answer is “no” unless the PCs are a fantasy party, conspiracy biohazard-containment crew, sci-fi marine squad, etc. that’s specifically parachuted onto the scene (perhaps literally!) to deal with zombies. Even the most prepared survivalist rarely expects zombies, although the GM might allow this in return for a Delusion. Again, post-apocalyptic survivors are an exception, because they do expect zombies, and will be ready for them. Of course, actually know- ing what works calls for special training; see Discovering Zombie Flaws (p. 35).
Ringing It Up
Whatever gear is allowed, it must be obtained in the usual way. Anything carried or stashed must be paid for out of starting money, even if the world is about to go to Hell. Issue gear is issued – the PCs get whatever their employer or Patron feels they need, not the keys to the armory. And if they want to start stealing things once the rule of law breaks down, game it out, whether this means subtle Pickpocket rolls, straight-up Forced Entry, or winning battles and looting bodies.
Logistics
Whether to count bullets, beans, and bandages, or to ignore that in favor of action, is up to the GM. It’s difficult to build ten- sion in a survival-horror campaign – or to motivate survivors in a post-apocalyptic one – if you don’t watch resources. Scarcity is as fundamental as the zombies here. Thus, in horror and apocalyptic games, it’s a good idea to mark off ammo, power cells, and doses of penicillin, and to keep track of how much gas remains in the tank (chainsaw or pickup truck).
This is also true in fantasy or high-powered sci-fi games – but now because it’s a genre convention. Resource manage- ment is a respected art among both adventurers who venture down dark holes miles from town and spacemen who have to bring everything with them in their tin can. It may still lead to tension and motivate the PCs, but it’s mainly a matter of stan- dard operating procedure; zombies change nothing.
However, it’s mostly annoying to force action heroes, fearless zombie-killers, and supers to worry about this stuff. Supple- ments such as GURPS Action and GURPS Monster Hunters hand-wave the issue of supply lines because in those genres, peo- ple just blaze away – it’s about the Rule of Cool. Supers, too, mostly just blast and whoosh and smash; unless a super specifi- cally has a hard limit on some gadget or resource, it works. Again, these are the ground rules; zombies change nothing.
There’s lots of zombie fiction out there. Zombies are so visual that we’ll begin with films, which outnumber other sources, and use a more honest title than “Bibliography.”
Films
Zombie cinema tends to put the freak-out or the gross- out ahead of the story – which is fine, because zombies are meant to be startling and disgusting. But a consequence of this is that good sources often aren’t what most people would deem good films. This list is offered as a guide to movies to hunt down and tear open for tasty campaign ideas, and pussy-foots around the question of whether they’re fine viewing!
28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002). Among the best of the “infected zombies” genre – ordinary folks survive in a biohazard apocalypse. Sequel 28 Weeks Later (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007) shows that even an apocalypse has long- term campaign possibilities.
Braindead (Peter Jackson, 1992). Also known as Dead Alive, this campy film adds the disease-like transmissible curse to the mix – and the lawnmower to the armory.
Cast a Deadly Spell (Martin Campbell, 1991). Not a zom- bie flick, but one of the rare non-RPG sources where zom- bies are a background element, used as cheap labor, and not especially freaky to the setting’s denizens.
Corpse Bride (Tim Burton, 2005). You can argue about whether Emily is a zombie, but the original Jewish folktale was about a dead woman reanimated by theurgy, her will bound by holy law.
Crazies, The (George A. Romero, 1973). A mili- tary plane carrying a weapon of mass zombifi- cation crashes and poisons a town’s water supply, turning the locals into psycho killers and leading to a disturbing quarantine. Breck Eisner’s 2010 remake is superior as a zombie movie, as it evokes ideas and imagery from an extra 35 years of zombie fiction, while Romero saves zombie tropes for his walking dead.
Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978). Survival-horror classic pits survivors in a shopping mall against the undead – some the first infectious zombies in cinema, in fact – as well as a violent gang. Two SWAT-officer protagonists are classic PCs.
Dawn of the Dead (Zack Snyder, 2004). This remake’s plot differs radically from the original. Portrays survival (and betrayal) among ordinary folks, illustrates why living in a gun shop won’t guarantee survival, and shows how to rig anti-zombie vehicles.
Day of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1985). More Romero survival horror, this time depicting military survivalists in a fortress . . .
and survivor-vs.-survivor desperation. Famously introduces a “tame” zombie, Bub, who learns (or remembers). Day of the Dead 2: Contagium (Ana Clavell and James Glenn Dudelson, 2005) isn’t a sequel, and appears here only to warn of its awfulness.
Dellamorte Dellamore (Michele Soavi, 1994). Also called Cemetery Man, this story treats killing undead zombies as a casual, low-key job, and illustrates the complications of liv- ing-undead relationships. The entire situation is a com- mentary on existence.
Diary of the Dead (George A. Romero, 2007). So-so Romero flick shows that even people who “know” about zombies – film students making a horror movie – might freak out in an outbreak. Make the students gamers for an amusing take on screaming victims.
Død Snø (Tommy Wirkola, 2009). Nazi zombies – driven by hate, vengeance, or pure evil – show that zombie survival horror doesn’t need an apocalypse or contagion, just seri- ous isolation, like the Norwegian wilderness. Often found under the title Dead Snow.
Doom (Andrzej Bartkowiak, 2005). Researchers unwisely restore ancient alien bio-tech, creating zombies. The point- of-view characters, definitely PC material, are tools of a sin- ister corporation, carrying out death sentences on the “infected.” Also: chainsaw!
Evil Dead, The (Sam Raimi, 1981). This and sequels Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992) are utter camp, most famous for introducing the chainsaw as a zombie- killing weapon. Still, they nicely illustrate demonic posses- sion as a zombie origin.
Fido (Andrew Currie, 2006). Smart film puts two twists on classic undead zombies: First, the apocalypse came and humanity won. Second, the zombies aren’t monsters but servants and slave labor – the work of Atomic Age science, not the occult.
Flight of the Living Dead (Scott Thomas, 2007). Despite low production values, this film is fun because it builds survival-horror tension by putting contagious zombies on a plane. One of count- less flicks where “super- soldier program” is code for “zombies.”
Horde, La (Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher, 2009). Dark, unrelenting humans- vs.-zombies violence, where survivors confined in a building want to kill each other as much as the zombies. Features gruesome hand-to-hand combat against zombies. Also known as The Horde.
I Am Legend (Francis Lawrence, 2007). Tale of a bio- logical zombie apocalypse is inter- esting because it centers on a quest for a cure. A loose remake of The Omega Man
(Boris Sagal, 1971), which is worth a look but which doesn’t have mindless zombies.
Juan de los Muertos (Alejandro Brugués, 2011). When zombies strike Cuba, ordinary folks become fearless zom- bie-killers, not screaming victims. Mixes humor, scares, and social criticism (both communism and capitalism get stung). Also called Juan of the Dead.
Land of the Dead (George A. Romero, 2005). A mediocre film with lots to harvest: undead which evolve and learn, a dedicated anti-zombie vehicle (Dead Reckoning), an impressive post-apocalyptic fortress, and social decay to rival the zombie plague.
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (Jorge Grau, 1974). This film focuses on hippies more than zombies, but includes walk- ing dead who receive their wake-up call from an experi- ment with acoustic radiation.
Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968). The genesis of cinematic zombies that congregate in hordes, eat flesh, are vulnerable to headshots, and have a pseudoscien- tific explanation (as opposed to the supernatural ones of earlier films).
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003). The pirate crew might not look like zombies, but that’s an illusion. Despite their wit, they’re rot- ting, supernatural undead bound by a curse that dictates their actions.
Plague of the Zombies, The (John Gilling, 1966). While there is a plague and there are zombies, the first doesn’t
cause the second – that calls for Vodou. This Hammer classic is an example of pre-Romero cinema with tradi- tional zombies, not apocalyptic ghouls.
Plan 9 from Outer Space (Edward D. Wood Jr., 1959). “Unspeakable Horrors From Outer Space Paralyze The Living And Resurrect The Dead!” The aliens’ plot appears to involve conquering the world with an army of ultra-tech
undead zombies.
Planet Terror (Robert Rodriguez, 2007). In this genre send-up, a bio-weapon (or is it a super-soldier experi- ment?) creates flesh-eating zombies (or are they mutants?), and a PC-like group of unlikely heroes must save the day with
extreme violence. Pontypool (Bruce McDonald, 2008). Survival horror at a radio station features the first cinematic zombie plague that’s memetic in nature. While not 100% serious, this story is clever,
definitely has its creepy moments, and offers fresh fodder for gaming.
Prince of Darkness (John Carpenter, 1987). Not a zombie movie as such, but a rarity among horror flicks for featuring several zombie types: street people mind-controlled by satanic energies, dead bodies possessed by The Devil, and a corpse animated by an insect swarm.
[Rec] (Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, 2007). Survival horror set in a quarantined building, where contagion – perhaps biohazard, maybe transmissible curse – zombifies people, including children (rarely seen as zombies). Followed by two sequels, and remade as Quarantine (John Erick Dowdle, 2008).
Resident Evil (Paul W.S. Anderson, 2002). Fans of “tra- ditional” zombie flicks love to disagree, but RE and sequels RE: Apocalypse (Alexander Witt, 2004), RE: Extinction (Russell Mulcahy, 2007), RE: Afterlife (Anderson, 2010), and RE: Retribution (Anderson, 2012) cover all the bases: bio- tech zombies (living and undead), zombie animals, an evil corporation, fearless zombie-killers, hordes, contagion, and utter apocalypse. They offer an up-to-date genre summary for zombie gaming, especially for long-running apocalypse campaigns.
Return of the Living Dead, The (Dan O’Bannon, 1985). Campy, but also the origin of toxic-waste zombies (these ones undead) and that timeless utterance, “Brains!” Spawned at least four sequels of uneven quality.
Revenants, Les (Robin Campillo, 2004). Are they zom- bies? They’re supposed to be dead and they seem to have a mindless side, but they’re not that different from us. Watch it for ideas for “friendly” or “tame” zombies. Also known as They Came Back.
Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004). Despite being deliberately goofy, this film offers tributes to many of the genre’s greats, as well as stinging social criticism. One of the rare flicks that ends with humanity beating the zombie apocalypse and “taming” the zombies.
Shock Waves (Ken Wiederhorn, 1977). Nazi zombies again, these ones super-soldiers made by weird science. Not a great film (despite having Peter Cushing), but worthy for its use of non-flesh-eating undead that are as scary underwater as on land.
Silent Rage (Michael Miller, 1982). Chuck Norris meets his match in an undead killer reanimated by an ill-advised experiment. Rarely identified as a zombie movie because it lacks hordes and flesh-eating, but worth a look for fans of weird-science zombies.
Undead or Alive (Glasgow Phillips, 2007). This cow- boys-and-Indians-with-zombies flick is dorky, but inspira- tional for those interested in TL5 zombie stories or old Apache curses.
Universal Soldier (Roland Emmerich, 1992). They’re black-ops science experiments rather than “classic” zom- bies, but the UniSols are definitely reanimated, hunting down people, and (mostly) in thrall to their masters.
Versus (Ryûhei Kitamura, 2000). The zombies here come from the cursed (or at least supernatural) Forest of Resurrection that brings back the dead . . . which just hap- pens to be where the Yakuza have been dumping murder victims. Ridiculous violence ensues.
White Zombie (Victor Halperin, 1932). This is the first zombie movie, and draws on Vodou beliefs. There are no ghouls, hordes, or plagues here, just enslaved victims.
Zombie Diaries, The (Michael Bartlett and Kevin Gates, 2006). Poor entertainment, but a serviceable point-of-view piece showing a zombie apocalypse unfolding through the eyes of ordinary folks.
Zombie Strippers! (Jay Lee, 2008). Funnier and less lewd than it sounds, this movie offers yet another secret govern- ment super-soldier project and a unique take on zombies as characters (they aren’t half as bad as most of the non- zombies).
Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer, 2009). Tongue-in-cheek look at a zombie apocalypse, best watched for the humor, the ordinary guy-turned-born-zombie-killer, and a nice set of rules for surviving against zombies.