Aberrant: Dead Rising - What You Can Expect and Gathered Creation Rules

[Dawn OOC]

Feel of the Game

This game is about rebuilding a world ravaged by a plague. Character themes should focus on creation, support of human life or the defense of human life. Due to the horror factor from it being a Zombie game as well, loss and death will continue to impact any gains made toward a new life, leaving room for personal angst as well as hope.

Character Creation

The PCs should be "Average Joes" from sensible walks of life; while PC staples like security will be needed, players should also consider occupations like cook, horticulturalist and scientist. Other good choices will be engineer, carpenter and doctor.

Resources will indicate how much stuff you are able to bring with you or collect when you get there. Someone with a five Resources will have access to just about anything, while someone with a Resources zero will have a blanket, a gun, some ammo, some rations and a canteen.

Game Organization

The game will have concurrent threads as needed. I am willing to run multiple stories at once so that the PCs don't feel that they have to herd together to get in on the action. That will take coordination and a willingness to respect the flow of time on the PCs part. I will track time when necessary, and put time changes in the posts.

Abandonment and Rolls

Should a PC stop posting, they will fade into the background; if a direct fade is impossible, I'll write them out in a brief post that shows that they simply stepped back from the action. Should a character die, the player may remake another at 90% of earned xp. This is to encourage "smart play." Not metagaming, but the character who checks doors before opening them, and knows when to keep his mouth shut is engaging in smart play. Should someone decide that they want to reitre their character and remake it, they can remake it at 80% earned xp. This may not be an issue, but I've had players that get bored and want to remake new characters every few months. If you're not satisfied with your character, we can talk about it and figure out a way for you to enjoy it. That's the point to the game: fun.

Rolling often gets in the way of role-playing, but there will be times it is necessary. I emphasize story over mechanics, but dice will roll when necessary. Die rolling will be done when necessary through Invisible Castle Die roller or the beta chat roller; players may do their own rolls, but the links should be in an OOC quote tag. Please make notes about what the roll is for in the "Note" box. If a player is caught re-rolling until they get a favorable roll, my Boot of Dire Wrath will connect with their Cheating Ass, and propel them right out of my game.

Metagaming Policy

Metagaming is one of the most annoying things to deal with in a game. Metagaming is any situation where a PC uses OOC knowledge to gain an IC advantage. You'll lose xp when you metagame, as much as I feel is appropriate. And since I'll likely be pissed when it happens, 'appropriate' will vary.

[Dawn OOC]

House Rules here.

Character creation

20 Nova points. Regular number of bonus points, starting Willpower, etc.

Experience based on:

Started in Chapter 2: 5

Started in Chapter 3: 13

Started in Chapter 4: 18

Started in Chapter 5: 23

Started in Chapter 6: 29

Started in Chapter 7: 31

Started in Chapter 8: 32

Started in Chapter 9: 35

Started in Chapter 10: 37

Started in Chapter 11: 42

Started in Chapter 12: 47

Started in the Interludes: 50

Started in Chapter 13: 55

No Quantum Power or Mega-Attribute over 1 at character creation. Later in the game as you gain Experience is fine.

No Quantum 6 at character creation. And no Taint over 5 either, but both these can increase in-game (Quantum only to 6). Keep in mind the lack of a Teragen or Chrysalis.

Upon gaining Quantum 6, you may not take the "Mastery" extra or Level 4 powers - Q-6 isn't that great anymore. Everything else is unrestricted.

No Eufiber.

Setting

It's pretty much what you know. N-Day hasn't really occured as such, but as the zombies spread throughout the globe a few people, well under a hundred, began erupting.*

It's 2007 in Oklahoma of the United States, which is no longer united or....er, stately. In fact, the U.S. Government doesn't really exist in any form at all. There are a few solitary branches, either totalitarian, idealistic, or simply rather ruthless, but their influence is purely local. There is a military, but it is mostly renegade or highly corrupt and answering to one charismatic chieftan. A few still serve the aforementioned remnants of the United States government, but they are few and far between.

We start in Oklahoma, whichever part you would prefer. *I* would prefer that at least a few character backgrounds be connected, but a wanderer who falls in with the group or whatever is okay too.

Zombies are slow and shambling, and about as physically strong as they were in life. However, they are extremely durable and can survive great bodily trauma, the only exception being extensive damage to the head or near-complete incineration, which will send them to their "final death". Their sense are especially keen (excepting the sense of touch, which they lack); each zombie has Perception 5. They also possess the innate abilities to navigate in the dark and sense human flesh. Also, disregard the hydrophobia. Zombies have no problems with water.

Zombies are unaffected by Animal Mastery, Mirage, Telepathy, Emotion Manipulation, Biomanipulation, or Shapeshift with the Extra "Affect Other". Holo works normally but will have little practical use; the zombie will simply ignore everything except the...sense, of human flesh.

It's been six months since the zombie "plague" really began to spring up, and everyone's become more or less - often less - organized. Pretty much all governments have collapsed, except maybe some isolated Polynesian tribes or whatever, but small communities of survivors have sprung up. Not in the cities - those are awash with zombies - but maybe a few miles from 'em, outside the burbs in the backwoods and small towns.

City-raiding is also a profitable enterprise.

*Note: Novas are immune to the zombie-causing "virus".

Backgrounds

Backing will be more limited given the post-apocalyptic nature of the game. Being backed by the remnants of the military will be most common, but at low levels I could see a local government or whatever.

Cipher will be rather...superfluous, but feel free to take it if you want.

Influence - see "Backing"

Node's the same.

Followers are the same, and given the apocalypse and the small number of novas, it has strong possibilities.

For Resources, think the quality of your ride, the gas mileage, gas itself, gold and jewels, ammo, medical supplies etc.

Contacts is the same.

Attunement is the same.

Dormancy is the same.

No Eufiber.

EDIT: As of 06/10/2009:

I'm officially raising the caps on stuff, with the following notes:

Taint can rise to 7 now.

Dots on Megas and powers can rise to 3 now.*

Quantum can rise to 6**, with appropriate effort, and Taint from Quantum at 6+ always causes the social penalty and an aberration, no matter how much taint your character actually has (if you're below four, it will be a -1 and a Low aberration, respectively). Additionally, these Aberrations also have to be special, as noted below.

Please confer with me before planning out your next aberration on your taint-bombed character. Taint at 6+ is special, and I have some specific conditions that you'll have to apply to your 6+ Taint.

Questions can be posted in the OOC thread.

*As always, temporary increases that artificially raise your powers and megas above three, such as Boost, are exempt from this. You can reach 4 or 5 with these powers.

**I'm not allowing Mastery. I hate it. All other benefits of Q6 are allowed, where caps don't interfere.