GENERATION ZED

At one stage, before I started travelling, I had envisaged that I’d run a series of single player campaigns of Better Dead than Zed using some of my modern figures and terrain.

I also love photography and some of the challenges of getting good shots of miniature figures and terrain without showing background, non-gaming elements. You can see how I’ve angled some of the shots to get that effect.

In the Zombie apocalypse a new generation has emerged. One not defined by age but rather by its will to survive. These are the stories of Generation Zed.

Zed Day 1: 5:45pm – Stephen Briers

“Thank god that’s over!”

It had been a long day. Reports had been coming in over the net about outbreaks of violence across the city.

“Friggin crazies, summer heat always brings them out.”

Stephen Briers. Steve had always wanted to be part of something big. Upon finishing school he had enrolled to join the Army – special forces would be his way. But he failed the psych tests. He also failed the psych tests for the Secret Service, FBI and Miami PD. He worked for a while as a night club bouncer but they let him go…..too “determined” to enforce the rules they said. What did they know? Frigging slackers.

But he found his place. A security guard at the Circle K. Sure it wasn’t the special forces, but it had its perks. Plenty of juves to be brought into line.

“Well I think I’d better take my girls with me tonight…..just to be sure.”

His ‘girls’ were, of course, his ‘personal protection’ firearms. A Mac 10 45mm high capacity submachine gun, a Colt 45 semi-automatic pistol (he thanks his grandfather every day for that gift of love) and a Ruger SP101 32 ACP revolver.

Changing into his para military attire Steve phones Falk “Hey Falk, you seen all this crazy $h1t on the TV? What you doin tonight? How about we get some grub and hang out at my joint? Make some bullets and go target shooting on the weekend. I’ll get my car and pick you up.”

Falk was Steves only and best friend. The two shared a mutual love of martial arts, weight lifting and firearms and a hatred of everyone they didn’t know, especially authority figures. Falk is a giant of a man standing 6’ 8” and weighing 250 pounds.

Leaving the centre Steve ventured onto the street. Looking to his right a shambling man starts to stagger towards Steve.

As the man move closer Steve shouts out a warning “Back off man!!!”

As the man continues to lumber towards him Steve shouts “Last warning man, get out of my way or I’ll put you down….”

The man begins to moan and shuffles faster.

“Frigging hell!!!” Steve exclaims as he pulls the trigger. The Mac 10 bucks into life sending 45 caliber rounds towards its victim.

Steve feels an inner satisfaction as the rounds impacts into the man, one of them bursting his head like a grapefruit. “Hehehe, installing the firing range back at the pad has really paid off” Steve muses to himself.

“I told you man, back off.”

Looking around him Steve notices that more crazies emerge, attracted to the gun fire.

 “$heeeit”. Steve begins to run.

Firing as he runs Steve ‘kills’ another two crazies. Incredibly one of them gets up. “It can’t be” Steve thinks to himself, “I put half a dozen rounds into you”. Drawing down again Steve presses the trigger…..CLICK….”Ohh great”. Slinging the Mac 10, Steve unholsters his Colt 45 and picks up the pace.

He can see his Hummer now. Only one crazy between him and his escape. Aiming with the 45 he releases a round, head shooting the crazy.

As Steve approaches the Hummer he can hear the wailing of police sirens in the distance. “Man I gotta get out of here. Knowing the cops they’ll probably arrest me as the ‘bad guy’”.

Turning the key the engine growls.

Looking out the window Steve can see that crazies are coming from everywhere and they are starting to surround the Hummer.

As the engine fires, Steve punches the petal, the wheels begin to spin and the car takes off.

The crazies just keep coming. One launches itself at the car but falls and is run over. Another is crushed by the bonnet.

Steve keeps the pedal to the floor and roars towards home.

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Well that was one tense game. I always figured that Steve would be a true survivor. With his ‘survivalist background’, weapons and high starting reputation (rep 4) I thought that he would easily make it through the initial day. The combination of more than anticipated zeds turning up, the SMG running out of ammo early and being on his own really tested that theory however and within a very short period he was in peril real of being overwhelmed.

I’ve decided that the citizens don’t know that noise attracts the zeds until they see some evidence of it. That didn’t help Steve much. Being in an urban landscape, firing a SMG and starting a car all contributed to a lot of zeds turning up in a very short period of time.

My theory with Steve is that I wanted to see how a loner and a survivalist would fair in the apocalypse. Even though I’ve given him a friend, they are separated in the initial encounters. It’ll be interesting to see how he makes it through day one.

Steve’s stats are as follows:

·        Rep 4

·        Rage (+1d6 in melee, +1d6 for charge into melee tests)

·        Loner (-1d6 when taking a people challenge)

·        Bigot (-1d6 when taking a people challenge)

·        Occupation: security guard

·        Initial equipment: SMG, BAP, Pistol, Knife

DEW