[Unisystem][Band of Zombies] Using your AFMBE books to play games without zombies?

[Rated Aargh]

It took an embarrassingly long time for me to pick up on what Eden Studios was doing when they started releasing scads of supplements for All Flesh Must Be Eaten. At first, it seemed unusual, particularly with their chosen genres, but I found it brilliant when I realized what was happening. They were building a GURPS-style line of setting books using zombies as the delivery mechanism. As a result, we have ways to apply Unisystem in various worlds.

I recently started a thread reading through GURPS WWII because it's an appropriate choice for a North Africa-based campaign I plan to run. As I reach the finish line and minor skirmishes break out over the ruleset — what belongs, what doesn't, and when exactly everything went downhill — my mind wanders to other potential systems.

If GURPS is a hard sell, and it is a hard sell with a significant chunk of the roleplaying audience, pitching Unisystem might be even more difficult since there's no generic "core rulebook" I can point to. Explaining that players must obtain a game about zombies to get the rules for a game without zombies could get a little weird. I feel as if I'll spend half my time apologizing for the presence of the flesh-eating dead in the text. Moreover, no one would believe me when I tell them there aren't any supernatural elements.

And then there's the efficacy of the system for my purposes. Band of Zombies appears to have everything I'd need to handle the specific needs of a WWII game, from individual soldiers to B-17 Flying Fortresses. There are even mass-combat rules, which GURPS WWII doesn't have, though I don't know that I'd have that much use for them in my game.

One of the great things about this forum is that there are experienced players and GMs for almost any system you care to name, so I'm calling on the Unisystem folks to tell me if I'm on the right track.

 

[AsenRG]

I've always believed that yes, the Unisystem games can provide support for a broad range of games!


OTOH, it's not that easy to remove zombies from the supplements, as they reference some abilities that would look mightily weird on a not-undead PC, IIRC, so you'd have to cherry-pick carefully.
I mean, you can definitely do it, but I'm not sure that was so much of a plan as a by-product of the ability of RPG players and Referees to hack systems...

Regardless of whether it was planned, what do you care?
Also, hint, if you copy the relevant rules-only passages from books and paste them in a document for your table's use...well, nobody is likely to care if you're not planning to sell it. In fact, you might well spark a resurgence of Unisystem fans, for all we know!

 

[Rated Aargh]

For all we know, you might well spark a resurgence of Unisystem fans!

That would be pretty cool. It's a beloved system, but the longer Eden Studios remains functionally dead, the more it retreats in people's rearview mirrors.

 

[AsenRG]

That would be pretty cool. It's a beloved system, but the longer Eden Studios remains functionally dead, the more it retreats in people's rearview mirrors.

Then I must also note that I don't see this as a very likely option...but again, not fully impossible, especially if you happen to also sneeze on a Wednesday against the full moon while being on one foot due to making a step!

 

[Rated Aargh]

 

[Undeadhost]

So, WitchCraft is free and uses the same rules set AFMBE. So, your players could go download the rules set for WitchCraft, which includes magic rules. Then, if you have the Band of Zombies book, you/they have access to the setting specifics.

AFMBE is likely a little more updated in terms of rules clarifications and maybe gear, but then Armageddon and Conspiracy X are more updated than AFMBE. It's all due to publication date. If your players were to buy a book, I'd recommend Armageddon or Conspiracy X and not AFMBE, even though it's my favorite. All are available digitally through DTRPG. Best of luck finding print copies. They are out there, but I believe you will need to find them in second hand shops.

 

[AsenRG]

So, WitchCraft is free and uses the same rules set AFMBE. So, your players could go download the rules set for WitchCraft, which includes magic rules. Then, if you have the Band of Zombies book, you/they have access to the setting specifics.

AFMBE is likely a little more updated in terms of rules clarifications and maybe gear, but then Armageddon and Conspiracy X are more updated than AFMBE. It's all due to publication date. If your players were to buy a book, I'd recommend Armageddon or Conspiracy X and not AFMBE, even though it's my favorite. All are available digitally through DTRPG. Best of luck finding print copies. They are out there, but I believe you will need to find them in second hand shops.

But if he makes his own file, he can print it as POD, too...

 

[urbwar]

That would be pretty cool. It's a beloved system, but the longer Eden Studios remains functionally dead, the more it retreats in people's rearview mirrors.

There's still a decent community of players, going by the Discord I admin. You just have to know where to look

 

[urbwar]

OTOH, it's not that easy to remove zombies from the supplements, as they reference some abilities that would look mightily weird on a not-undead PC, IIRC, so you'd have to cherry-pick carefully.

Actually, it's very easy to ignore the zombie stuff, because that material doesn't pertain to the player characters (unless you were running a game where they play intelligent zombies). That's the point of the genre books; they're designed to run AFMBE in other settings besides the modern day, but the material on the zombies is easy to simply ignore if you want to run the genre without the zombies. Even though everything is better with zombies

 

[urbwar]

It took an embarrassingly long time for me to pick up on what Eden Studios was doing when they started releasing scads of supplements for All Flesh Must Be Eaten. At first, it seemed unusual, particularly with their chosen genres, but I found it brilliant when I realized what was happening. They were building a GURPS-style line of setting books using zombies as the delivery mechanism. As a result, we have ways to apply Unisystem in various worlds.

I recently started a thread reading through GURPS WWII because it's an appropriate choice for a North Africa-based campaign I plan to run. As I reach the finish line and minor skirmishes break out over the ruleset — what belongs, what doesn't, and when exactly everything went downhill — my mind wanders to other potential systems.

If GURPS is a hard sell, and it is a hard sell with a significant chunk of the roleplaying audience, pitching Unisystem might be even more difficult since there's no generic "core rulebook" I can point to. Explaining that players must obtain a game about zombies to get the rules for a game without zombies could get a little weird. I feel as if I'll spend half my time apologizing for the presence of the flesh-eating dead in the text. Moreover, no one would believe me when I tell them there aren't any supernatural elements.

And then there's the efficacy of the system for my purposes. Band of Zombies appears to have everything I'd need to handle the specific needs of a WWII game, from individual soldiers to B-17 Flying Fortresses. There are even mass-combat rules, which GURPS WWII doesn't have, though I don't know that I'd have that much use for them in my game.

One of the great things about this forum is that there are experienced players and GMs for almost any system you care to name, so I'm calling on the Unisystem folks to tell me if I'm on the right track.

My suggestion would be to get the free witchcraft book, and extract the pages with the base mechanics into a separate pdf file, and give that to your players. I don't think telling them about AFMBE would really matter much, given how often gamers use a system for something other than it's designed for. But that seems the best way to get them the rules without worrying about the supernatural and other elements you're not using

 

[Rated Aargh]

There's still a decent community of players, going by the Discord I admin. You just have to know where to look

A Unisystem Discord server? If you're accepting new members, I'd love to have a look-see at your discussion there.

 

[Rated Aargh]

My suggestion would be to get the free witchcraft book, and extract the pages with the base mechanics into a separate pdf file, and give that to your players

Repurposing WitchCraft seems to be the advice of almost everyone, so I think I'll give that a shot.

 

[Godfather Punk]

Was the latest edition of Conspiracy-X regular Unisystem, or Cinematic? If the former then that could be an entry point too.

 

[Rated Aargh]

Was the latest edition of Conspiracy-X regular Unisystem, or Cinematic?

According to this review, it's the straight-up Unisystem.

 

[AsenRG]

Actually, it's very easy to ignore the zombie stuff, because that material doesn't pertain to the player characters (unless you were running a game where they play intelligent zombies). That's the point of the genre books; they're designed to run AFMBE in other settings besides the modern day, but the material on the zombies is easy to simply ignore if you want to run the genre without the zombies.

Yes, but I'm referring to the mechanical parts in that post.

And those parts sometimes offer abilities that seem pretty out of place for a non-zombie PC, i.e. are pretty useless if you don't want intelligent zombies as PCs (and in my case, that's a hard line I'm unlikely to budge from).

I mean, sure I can rewrite them, but if I wanted to do extra work, I could as well write them to begin with...

Even though everything is better with zombies

Not really!

 

[The Mad Hatter]

A Unisystem Discord server? If you're accepting new members, I'd love to have a look-see at your discussion there.

Others have already given the advice I would.

I don't know if this Discord server is the one urbwar is admin for, but it's one for Unisystem.
Unisystem Discord Server

 

[Rated Aargh]

I don't if this Discord server is the one urbwar is admin for, but it's one for Unisystem.

Ah, excellent, thanks!

 

[Imaginos]

Using classic Unisystem for a WW2 game would be great. Maybe trim or limit the skills a bit.

 

[urbwar]

And those parts sometimes offer abilities that seem pretty out of place for a non-zombie PC, i.e. are pretty useless if you don't

want intelligent zombies as PCs

The zombie stuff is normally designed for NPC's. There are no rules for zombie players in Band of Zombies. There was some weird super soldier archetype, but no intelligent zombies. The only books I remember having rules for zombie pc's was Enter the Zombies, Arrgh! Thar Be Zombies, and Zombie Smackdown. So like I said, that material can be ignored without any issues. Most of the books don't have a lot of new zombie material in them (outside of those 3).

Not really!

Heretic!

 

[urbwar]

Others have already given the advice I would.

I don't know if this Discord server is the one urbwar is admin for, but it's one for Unisystem.
Unisystem Discord Server

Yup, that's the one. I go by Soultaker_Studios there, which is my publishing imprint on Drivethru

 

[AsenRG]

The zombie stuff is normally designed for NPC's. There are no rules for zombie players in Band of Zombies. There was some weird super soldier archetype, but no intelligent zombies.

Admittedly, I ain't got all of the AMFBE books...

The only books I remember having rules for zombie pc's was Enter the Zombies, Arrgh! Thar Be Zombies, and Zombie Smackdown.

But now guess which one I was referring to... you have three attempts!

It also happens to add material that other PCs might want to learn. That is, if they're in the same school as someone who's got access to said powers!

Heretic!

Dude, look at my location...now: ever heard the word "Catharism"?