-For Extra !!FUN!! Zombie Culture never became a thing, the Zombies were a total surprise, and People don't call them Zombies, because that's no !!FUN!!
-After the Dead overran the Major Cities, the Government Nuked them in a final bid to Survive as a Nation. It didn't work as well as they'd hoped, and the Dead don't seem to mind Radioactive Fallout. It should lighten up after a few decades, so don't worry.
-It's the kind of Radiation that gives You cancer, not the kind that gives You cool Mutations.
-It's been about Two Months Since the Fall Of Civilization.
-The Dead seem to congregate in Hordes and Packs, but every now and then You can find a Solitary Biter.
-Pockets of Civilization do exist, but they are Rare and far in between. Nomadic Tribes and Individual Wanderers are more common.
-Other People are one of the Biggest Threats out there, stay vigilant.
-Money is useful only as kindling and toilet paper nowadays.
-There's No Cure, but there are a lot of Pipe Dreams out there.
-Nobody knows where the Zombies came from, but there's a Lot of Theories out there.
-Lots of Religious Cults popped up after the Collapse.
-Everybody in the Group has known each other for about two weeks.
-Note: Zombies aren't the only Threat in a Dying World such as this.
ZR
Each Character has a Zombie Ratio, (ZR), the ZR determines how many Zombies the Character can take on by themselves, with no weapons. Weapons, and Stats provide a Bonus to the ZR depending on their quality. For Example, Mary Sue has a Baseball Bat, a Clubs Skill of 2 and a Strength Stat of 12, instead of the default ZR of 1, Mary Sue has a ZR of 1+2(Baseball Bat)+2(Relevant Stat for Weapon)+2(Relevant Skill for Weapon) giving Her a ZR of 7, instead of 1.
If Mary Sue wanted to Fight exactly 7 Zombies at once, She would receive no Penalties or Bonuses. If Mary Sue wanted to Fight 1 Zombie with a ZR of 7, She would receive a +6 Bonus to Her Combat Rolls, because Her ZR exceeds the number of Zombies by 6. If Mary Sue was feeling suicidal wanted to Fight 50 Zombies at once, She would receive a -43 Penalty to Her Combat Rolls, because the Number of Zombies exceeds Her ZR by 43. However, If Mary Sue used Tactics and forced the Horde through a Bottleneck where only 2 could pass at once, She would only have to fight all 50 in repetitive groups of 2, giving Her a Bonus, but after a while, She would have to roll a Constitution Check each Turn to avoid becoming Tired, and getting a Penalty, and one of the two Zombies might get lucky and land a glancing cut on Mary Sue's Forehead, making Her Infected, essentially Ending Her Life.
If Mary Sue was assisted by Frank, and Frank had a ZR of 12, their combined Efforts would have a ZR of 19 against the Zombie Horde, improving their chances significantly. If Mary and Frank both had AK-47's, giving them a +4 to their ZR, they could roll to Combat Zombies from a distance, with no chance of being harmed by the Zombies, in exchange for Ammunition and a Lot of Noise. Some Skills and Clever Tactics provide Bonuses to ZR, if Properly Applied.
Stats
There are Six Stats: Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Strength: How Strong a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Hitting Things, Moving Things, and other Actions requiring Brute Force.
Agility: How Agile a Character is, Provides Bonuses to being Sneaky, Dodging, and other Actions requiring Finesse.
Constitution: How Tough a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Pain Resistance, Fighting off Diseases, and other Actions requiring Macho Manliness.
Intelligence: How Smart a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Reading, Crafting, and other Actions requiring Smarts.
Wisdom: How much Common Sense a Character has, Doesn't Provide Bonuses, but can Provide Information the Character might not have otherwise.
Charisma: How Charismatic a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Smooth Talking, Intimidation, and other Actions requiring Suaveness.
Each Stat, (Barring Wisdom, which is incredibly Helpful) provides a Bonus to certain Skills and Actions if Higher than average, or provides a Penalty to certain Skills and Actions if lower than average. The Average for a Stat is 8, a Stat of 8 Provides no Bonuses or Penalties. For every point below 8, a -1 stacking Penalty is applied, once it's lower than 4, it becomes a +2 stacking Penalty, For Bonuses, every point above 8, a +1 stacking Bonus is applied, once it's Higher than 12 it becomes a +2 stacking Bonus. Min-maxing, is not a good idea, as many situations require versatility, but specialization can be helpful in some cases.
Skills
There are many Skills. Each Point in a Skill provides a +1 Bonus towards the Use of certain Tools, and/or towards performing certain Actions. With some Actions or Tools, a lack of Skill will provide a Penalty. For Example, If Chuck wanted to escape several Hundred Zombies by swimming across a River, and Chuck had no Swimming Skill and an Agility stat of 6, He would receive a -4(Lack of Skill)-2(Lack of Agility) -4(Chuck Is Fricken' Terrified) Penalties, giving Chuck a -10 Penalty to His Swimming Roll. Needless to say, Chuck drowns. If Chuck needed to make a Burger, however, his Burger Flipping Skill of 8, would give Chuck a +8 Bonus, resulting in a great Burger, that sadly, he couldn't taste, being Dead at the bottom of a River and all.
If Danny, Chuck's Surgeon Friend, was trying to Amputate Gertrude's Bitten Left Arm, and Danny had a Surgery Skill of 5, an Intelligence Stat of 10, and a Wisdom Stat of 10, He would get a +5(Surgery Skill)+2(Intelligence)+2(Wisdom) resulting in a Bonus of +9. Meaning that Gertrude didn't die until a normal Flesh-rotting Disease set up because of Gertrude's Abysmal Constitution Stat.
Being Bitten Or Scratched
DON'T LET IT HAPPEN, OR YOU'LL DIE HORRIBLY!!! Wearing Armor or certain Skills can give a Zombie a Penalty to It's Biting/Scratching Roll, giving You a Higher Chance to not get Bitten or Scratched. If You are, well... Good Luck with that. Armor Threshold, (AT) is how much a Bonus Your Armor gives You to block Attacks.
Name:((What People call You, it doesn't have to be serious, and can be a False name or a Nickname.))
Age:((How old are You? For RPing reasons, and if this Forum Game goes on long enough, how long you have until Death comes a knockin'.))
Gender:((Male or Female are the only options here, I'm sorry if that's not your Thing.))
Job:((What did You do for a living before the Apocalypse? Bonus Internet Cookies if it relates to Your Skills.))
Personality:((Whatever You feel about everything, and Your general Outlook, or, in simpler terms, Your Personality. Bonus Internet Cookies if You actually follow this IC.))
Undead Philosophy:((How do You view the Walking Dead? Totally not a reference to anything...))
Backstory:((How was Your Life before the Apocalypse began? When the Undead Hordes consumed Society, what were You doing? How did You survive for Two Months? And How did You meet the Group?))
Motivation:((What keeps You going now that there's nothing left to live for?))
Stats:((All Stats Start at 8 Points, You have 2 Free Stat Points You can Put in without removing Points from another Stat. You can reallocate those Points however You see fit, but keep in mind, Minmaxing is a bad idea.))
Strength: How Strong a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Hitting Things, Moving Things, and other Actions requiring Brute Force.
Agility: How Agile a Character is, Provides Bonuses to being Sneaky, Dodging, and other Actions requiring Finesse.
Constitution: How Tough a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Pain Resistance, Fighting off Diseases, and other Actions requiring Macho Manliness.
Intelligence: How Smart a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Reading, Crafting, and other Actions requiring Smarts.
Wisdom: How much Common Sense a Character has, Doesn't Provide Bonuses, but can Provide Information the Character might not have otherwise.
Charisma: How Charismatic a Character is, Provides Bonuses to Smooth Talking, Intimidation, and other Actions requiring Suaveness.
Traits:((Things that make You unique, like a missing Eye, constant Fidgeting, or a nicotine addiction, for example. Most of these are for RP reasons, but some provide Bonuses and Penalties. For every Positive Trait there must be an equally Negative Trait, and a Character can have only 4 Traits to begin with.))
Skills:((You have 4 Skill Points by Default, for every 2 Points in Intelligence above 8, You get 1 Bonus Skill Point. You do not, however, lose Skill Points over Low Intelligence.))
Equipment:((Your starting Equipment will depend on Your Job, Your Skills, Your Traits, and a Few Secret Background Rolls.))
Your Keepsake:((One small item, large enough to fit in a small pocket, that You are guaranteed to start with, an old wedding ring, your old Cellphone, or a trusty penknife, for example.))
ZR:((I'll determine this at the start))
AT:((I'll determine this at the start))
Well, There You have it. Get to Posting.