Cheddarrius's Monster Defense was a blast, and Wolfchild's Paranatural one had promise. But both games are on hiatus, and have been for over a month. I'm not sure what took me so long, but here I am, launching a new version.
Originally I was going to use Cheddarrius's clearly effective system which we all loved. Then I decided not too, because I guess I'm crazy. The main differences are:
No money, no experience system The players are a professional squad with the full support of the remnants of civilization. Just don't fail.
Almost No random chance Didn't seem necessary really, and makes teamwork complicated.
Your emergency sidearms have a chance to miss. Changed my mind, but the AP cost is up to indicate you shoot several times.
Incomplete intelligence You can only identify targets in LOS. Hidden targets do show up due to "thermal imaging" (a bit of a handwave, but you would have some clue about the shape of the horde even if you couldn't see it clearly). One or more special types will be cold-blooded.
No HP Well, maybe certain specials. Commons are meant to fall in droves, and it feels off when a zombie nibbles your feet while you mow down his buddies. Don't get bit, period. What exactly happens when a player goes down will be determined case-by-case.
So, pretty different huh? But it's still a squad of PCs on a tile grid mowing down swarms of nasty monsters. I thought about simultaneous turns, but... eh. Doesn't seem like it would work well.
As with any new game, the first round will be horribly broken while the kinks are worked out. Please don't hold back with ideas or criticism.
Note: For cone effects, a tile is affected if it's center is within the cone.
Everybody has 10AP and a sidearm, and one other item from this list. I do think I'll add classes later, to help people generalize (an engineer carrying a shotgun for example).
Sidearm
Target: 1 tile within 3 units (LOS)
AP cost: 5
This isn't going to cut it. Still, no plan survives contact with the enemy. When your team goes down guns blazing, it'll probably be these guns.
Flamer
Target: 1 tile within 5 units (LOS)
AP cost: 4
The target tile becomes an inferno for 3 turns, instantly killing any common that enter it. Commons will not avoid fire. Specials get one turn of being on fire where they have 50% more AP, then they die. Fire essentially doesn't spread, at least not enough to ignite foes or threaten your squad. You're coating that one square with napalm.
Shotgun
Target: 45 degree cone, range 4 tiles
AP cost: 3
A short-range weapon, but penetrates, and has the advantage of killing specials as well as commons.
Chaingun
Target: 20 degree cone, range 12 tiles
AP cost: 8 on turns it actually shoots.
This weapon is powerful but tricky. You choose a direction, then next turn the bullets come out in that direction (and you spend 8AP). You can continue firing for multiple turns, there's just an aiming delay. It also gains a heat point every turn you fire it, and loses one heat point for a turn it's not fired, and if it reaches 3 heat points it's slagged at the end of your turn. Note: specials will die if in the cone, but they will move intelligently to avoid the cone. Really, you probably won't hit them.
Long Rifle
Target: First 8 commons touched by a line, or 1 target in LOS (any range).
AP cost: 8
Not nearly as good as the chaingun against commons, though far better than a pistol. This weapon's purpose is to eliminate specials whose cover is blown.
Entrenchment tool(supershovel)
Target: Adjacent tile.
Special equipment. Before the battle you may place:
5 ditches: Common will fall in, and it takes one full turn to move one tile out of ditch. They can't be targetted at range while they're down there, but they will still block commons behind them.
5 walls: Block LOS, commons will not walk around intelligently. They can bust through in a few turns though.
1 window: Upgrades a wall into a DF-style fortification. Anyone adjacent can shoot through. It has bars, so common have to break it down like a wall.
1 tower, identifies zeds in a range of 10 tiles. Doesn't block the tile or LOS (it's a camera on a pole).
During the battle you can SPANG an adjacent zed for 4 AP, slightly faster (and much cooler) than the sidearm. If they move next to you you'll still be grabbed and unable to act, though.
I have lots of ideas but I'd like to try things out first. For now:
Common
AP: 5
Attacks:
Grab for 0AP, the player can't act next turn.
Bite for 5AP, effect to be determined.
Hit for 5AP, damages a wall.
These things are pitiful, and not just because they used to be normal people. They will walk straight towards the nearest player, at a meager 5 tiles per turn. They will walk straight into any ditches or flames in the way. If a single segment of wall is between them and their target, they'll start punching the wall. They are reliably brainless. If they do manage to reach a human, though, they will grab hold and force the soldier to struggle for his or her life. Unless slain by other soldiers, the common will bite their prey on the next turn. It's not clear what this does, since it has only happened in the direst of situations, where recovering wounded was out of the question.
Runner
AP: 7
Attacks:
Grab for 0AP, the player can't act next turn.
Bite for 5AP, effect to be determined.
Hit for 5AP, damages a wall.
The rumors are true: some infected are intelligent. This example, the "Runner", has mostly the same stats as a common, but is many times more dangerous. Like most specials he is capable of ducking sniper rounds, avoiding chaingun fire, and moving past common. He uses this last ability to hide within the advancing horde, sprinting out at the second to catch his prey by surprise. Towers were developed to spot runners hiding behind their common bodyshields.
Author
Topic: Determined Monster Defense (Read 15106 times)