Acquired an "Emergency" Game

1st off, Happy Mother's Day to all the Patrons here at the Tavern, I hope you've been able to celebrate appropriately......

Today I'm supposed to be busy prepping for NTRPG 2023, but I was asked to go on a last-minute business trip to a far-away location in place of a coworker who had a loved one admitted to the ER. Now normally I enjoy travelling, but this trip.....well I'm having a less-than-stellar time in my hotel. I'm not mentioning this to complain here, 'cause 1) why would you care, 2) how would you benefit from that info, and 3) I don't think venting would do me any good.

No, I'm mentioning this because I have learned what I think is a valuable lesson and I'm kind of surprised that I haven't (obviously) learned this lesson before: one should bring some "emergency" gaming supplies while travelling.

Now I did bring a set of dice and a reprint of the D&D B/X rules with me so technically I did bring some gaming supplies, but we weren't having an online game while I was travelling and even if we did, the bandwidth here at this hotel would preclude me from taking part in the game if we did have one. Ugh.....

Luckily for me there is one decent FLGS here in this city and I was able to pickup a copy of EPIC Zombies.....which is odd, because I think I have a copy of EPIC Dungeons at home that I definitely should have picked, and probably definitely will in the future. This boring Sunday morning I'm fixing to open up this game and I'm kind of stoked because it seems like an ideal, even better than the EPIC Dungeons I already had (and mentioned a year or so ago). Small footprint (for packing) game, 1-5 players? So I can run this solo or with a small group.....

....but there's ALSO like five different game modes? Wait...what?

Fortunately there is an EPIC Zombies entry in the Dized app and there is even a YouTube video showing how to play the basic Humans vs. Zombies cooperative mode.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some mothers to call and some zombies to kill.....

Kickstarter - TROPES: Zombie Edition (Small Niche Games)

I am not "All OSR, All the Time" even if I am heavily weighted towards the OSR. Then again, even some of the more prolific small press OSR publishers aren't "All OSR, All the Time." Variety is good.

edit - it would help if i refreshed the page over the last day or so - it is now funded and closed ;)

TROPES: Zombie Edition is a light RPG about the Zombie Apocalypse by +Pete Spahn under his Small Niche Games label (which is fairly well know for publisher OSR / LL compatible adventures and setting material.) So yeah, it's an OSR guy doing a non-OSR game that is made to play quickly and pull out for a change of pace or when some members of the group can't show but y'all still wish to play.

It's funding goal is low ($500 and it's already met) and there are about 3 days left in it's funding period. Pete is know for putting out his Kickstarters on time and I expect nothing different this time around.

Here's some more info from the Kickstarter page:

Ever wanted to play a game that explores the deep personal horror of the zombie apocalypse? Where the choices you make in times of crisis define who you are? Where zombies are only a backdrop and humans are responsible for the true evils in the world? 

Well, go find another game! This game is about killing zombies, so you can forget all that touchy feely crap! 

TROPES: Zombie Edition (TZE) is a game of post-apocalyptic zombie survival horror. TZE is about surviving the zombie apocalypse for one more night. It is designed for one-shot play and should be cinematic and action packed! 

Picture this: You're minding your own business on your way to work or school. You've had your nose buried in Facebook all morning, so you don't really know what's going on in the real world outside of who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, what type of coffee your friends are drinking, and who got the highest score on Candy Crush last night. The light turns green, but traffic is gridlocked and no one is moving. Suddenly, there's a commotion up ahead and a bunch of people start screaming and running towards you. Close behind them, you see a mob of freshly risen zombies shambling in your direction. What do you do? 

That's the start of a typical zombie Outbreak in TROPES: Zombie Edition (TZE). TZE is the culmination of many years of gameplay and "rules light" game design. The system is easy to learn and fast in play. Task Resolution uses a d6 dice pool which counts successes, making it a breeze to teach newcomers. Veteran gamers will appreciate not having to learn a whole new set of complex rules just for a one-off game. TZE is especially great for when players cancel at the last minute, you've been too busy with "real world" stuff to prepare for your next adventure, or you just need a change of pace from your weekly campaign. 

Zombie Apocalypse Preparation From the CDC

Today's your last chance to prep for the end of the world. If you haven't marked your calendar yet, May 21st, 2011 is the latest date for the Rapture.

Now, if you're like me, earthquakes aren't the fear, its the Zombie Apocalypse. Have no fears tho', the CDC has an emergency plan tailored just for us.

Good to know the government has all the bases covered.

Zombies I can handle. A tsunami may leave me fucked.