At our Zombie Fests, there will always be a major part where you play a character, different to yourself, this part of the event is known as Live Action Role-Playing or LARP. The kind of bloody event you will be attending is a Horror LARP, if you are not sure what this means then in the context of a Terror4fun Zombie Fest, there will be about 8 hours of Horror LARP going on, with a heavy Zombie theme... So remember that even if you die, it won't necessarily be the end.... Also outside of the LARP there will be plenty of zombie things to do, like zombie make up lessons (a really good chance to get messy AND learn something), and this is something to take back to your own systems, the living dead being one of the few omni-present 'baddies' from High Fanstasy to Lovecraft LARP, from Vampire to Science Fiction.... On top of this prizes to be won, food, booze, an archery range and shooting gallery.... All in all, a quality weekend to had by all...
For more info about the Larp aspects of this event, please read on...
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The system is in a few easy to digest parts...
2) The Basics.
3) Who you are: Character Creation.
4) Bigger Guns: The Combat System.
5) Ah, ah, Staying Alive: The Health System.
6) What you can do: The Skill System.
The B.A.G. Game System (Version 1.1)
A large part of Terror4fun's events fall into the category of Live Role-playing (LRP) or Live Action Role-playing (LARP). It has been described in many different ways from ‘interactive-theatre' to ‘cross-country pantomime', but the essential aspects at one of our events is that you ‘play' a character that you have created and along with the other characters you try to survive through the blood soaked horror that may or may not occur when things turn really bad… Think of it as becoming a character in a film, you just never know who, or what, is waiting just around the corner… usually with a big chainsaw or dead looking eyes… Read on and you should get an idea of exactly what this Horror LARP is all about.
The Blood and Guts (B.A.G.) game system described below has been written to enable characters to do things that the players might not be able to do and also to represent how people get involved in combat and are subsequently injured, etc in this horrible world of Blood and Guts and the Living Dead. There are no stats and only a few skills as the system is designed to encourage role-playing and interaction and a general sense of fear amongst everyone getting involved, that this fight might be their last one. Enabling the Horror of this Zombie LARP to build over the day…
SAFETY:
Safety is our first priority and therefore, all weapons to be used during the event will be provided by us, after being safety checked. No-one is to bring any other firearm props or weapon props to the event without prior discussion with the organisers (See Character Sheets). We want everyone to have fun (be terrified) but to also remember that everyone else is there to enjoy the weekend too, so please act accordingly and responsibly when it comes to your own safety and the safety of others.
GAME CALLS:
There are certain conventions in LRP that tend to go without saying. Because they can so often be taken for granted it is always worth a recap.
Time In – (Only useable by a ref). The game has started and you are in character, act accordingly.
Time Out – (Only useable by a ref). The game has been suspended, you are out of character and should not discuss in character matters. Unless it is the final TIME OUT at the end of the event a ref will ask every one to return to the position they were in prior to the time out call before they call TIME IN again.
Time Freeze – (Only useable by a ref). Freeze in position and close your eyes. The end of the effect will be indicated by a TIME IN call after which you should continue with the activity you were performing prior to the call. No time has passed for your character!
Man Down – (Useable by anyone). This call must only be used to indicate a real, out of game, injury. It is not to be used in character to indicate a character has been injured. If you hear the call every one immediately goes to TIME OUT. Seek a ref or qualified first-aider. If you are not involved in the incident please stay where you are and stay calm until advised by a ref what to do. Qualified first-aiders will be indicated prior to the start of the event by the refs.
Being a bloody combat system, there are just three more calls you need to aware of, and these involve nasty people pointing guns at you…
BANG. - If someone points a gun at you and it goes off, then act like you have been shot, anywhere you like but a little overacting always goes along way in a fire fight… You have received 1 Wound.
BANG…'A LOCATION' – If someone points a gun at you, it goes off and then they shout out ‘ HEAD , BODY , RIGHT ARM , or LEFT LEG , etc.” then act as if you have been shot in that location, fall to the floor or drop anything you're carrying in the wounded arm, just react accordingly. You have received 1 Wound. This person obviously has the Firearms Skill and is a competent marksman.
BANG…' MISS ' – If someone near to you points a gun at you, it goes off and they shout ‘MISS', act a little bemused, but of course they have wounded nothing but their own prides. This person obviously does not have the Firearms Skill and shouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors, let alone a gun.
N.B. No one knows that zombies or monsters exist, so ‘if' the dead walk, then act suitably disturbed…
In essence B.A.G. is role-play based, with the rules put in place to ensure the players stay in and enjoy the genre, but they are not likely to survive. This is part of the game, so expect to be tooled and mangled. Plan your ironic last words now.
Thanks, and enjoy the system and get bloody…
There are two things you should do when creating a character:
1) Create Mentally:
So you decide who you are, what your name is, what your character does for a living, what skills or quirks he may have, etc, etc… and you act as this character for the duration of the game, you act as your character through the situations you encounter… In reality you might be John Smith, computer programmer, but if you want to create a heroic character, you might decide to be Trent Steel, ex-marine demolitions expert and ladies man… Also think about any quirks you may have, you may decide that Trent is afraid of mice and the dark, so when you are playing the character you should act accordingly… Jot all this down on a piece of paper and then fill out the character sheet.
2) Create Physically:
You have come up with your characters concept, from name, occupation, skills, etc, but if you are playing Trent Steel and you turn up in your jeans and T-shirt then the chances of anyone looking at you and thinking, ‘Hey, he looks like a dangerous ex-military guy!' is slim, so you need to think about what sort of costume you are going to wear, what sort of props your character might have and anything else that you might need. For Trent you might want to buy some Army Surplus clothes to give you a military look and with the Zombie Fests being set in the 1970s, you might want to invest in a huge porn star moustache from a Fancy Dress shop… So think about props, costumes and any extra bits that you think your character might own or bring with them…
Characters for the LRP bits of Zombie Fest are from all walks of life, it's the 70's and any reason is good enough for your chracter to be there... 1974 there was a mass disappearance of its guests, then in 1975 the Army ‘accidentally' napalmed the valley after a chemical spillage, but this year, it's bound to be different… 1976 was a Nuclear training 'incident and the Zombie Nuns of 1977 will not be forgotten for a long time....
Your characters can be from any walk of life, American, English or something more exotic… You could be related to one of the people who has disappeared here or a PI hunting for one of them, you could be a tourist, you could be passing through or a local TV celebrity, a resident or big game hunter, a group from a travelling circus… Anything or anyone… The Character Sheet has a few bizarre sections on it, so here's an explanation…
Character Name: Think of something snappy and yet dated !!!
Characters Occupation: What does your character do for a living?
Characters Background: What have you done, where have you lived and why are you at Willard Valley…
A Reason to Live: Everyone has a driving goal, something more than just self-preservation, but a reason to go on… This could be you are getting married in a weeks time, you are going to Climb Mount Everest, your family needs you, you are going to sign with a major football team on Monday Morning, you never told someone that you loved them, etc, etc, etc. Tell anyone you can abut your reason to live…
A Reason to Die: Everyone has done something they regret, be it burning ants with a magnifying glass aged 4 or killing a college buddy during a poker game with a shovel, you might have ignored a friend in need to save yourself or fraudulently gained a degree, this doesn't have to be a major thing, just something that karma might decide to call in when the going gets tough… In Horror films, it's always the womanising, drunken, dope smokers that get it first… What has your character done wrong to deserve a really sticky end?
Skill 1: Pick anyone of the skills from the list.
Skill 2: Pick a completely different skill from the list.
Expertise: Decide on what your character knows a hell of a lot about.
Please Sir, I would like some more: If the above does not float your boat enough then jot any suggestions down in here and we will stick something in the plot for your character… If you are government spy it could be assassinating another PC, if you are a college professor, it might be finding out the source of some mysterious local phenomena, it could be just finding traces of a relative that is already missing in the valley… We will write some extra bits just for you to try to solve, but you won't necessarily get what you ask for, and of course… you can decide to leave this box blank and just focus on the business at hand and not die!
My Characters 70s style Catchphrase is: When the shit/blood hits the fan, it's always good to have one of these babies ready to go… “Mother!' ‘Dudes, it's only a Flashback,' “May the Power of Disco protect us,' ‘Gazooks,' ‘Whoooooaaaaaa,' ‘What would Shaft do?' etc, etc…
I have a Prop I HAVE TO Bring: If you cannot live without your LARP safe cricket bat or walking stick, or your favourite ‘cap' gun then write about it here and we'll be in touch.
This is not a system for the faint of heart there is no mercy here, you get bloody and you get dead, real fast… But of course death is not an end in this game. The game is based on trust and honesty, not rules, so combat is simple but deadly.
FIREARMS:
The firearms system is designed to get maximum carnage and role-playing out of a fire fight, without being tied down to Laser Tag or Air Soft equipment… and hopefully you will be shooting the undead slightly more than you are shooting other characters.
Shooting: Pull the trigger, point the gun and if the ‘cap' goes off you have successfully shot your opponent, alive or dead, they have taken a wound. Of course, this means that if you are shooting someone in the back, the sound of the cap going off will alert them to your presence, so make sure they know they've been wounded. This will cause 1 wound.
With the Firearms Skill: If you have the Firearms skill, you can also call out a location and the person being shot should act accordingly when wounded, I.E. falling to the ground clutching the leg and screaming if knee-capped, clutching your stomach and screaming if gut shot and generally screaming and writhing … Shout a ‘LOCATION' once the gun has gone off, head, right leg etc… This still causes 1 wound.
Without the Firearms Skill: If you do not have the firearms skill, every other shot you take will miss, simple as that, so you will end up wasting precious ammunition. Shout ‘MISS' once the gun has gone off, to let people know you are a bit useless and that no-one has been injured. You will always miss with your first shot.
Ammo: Each gun will be supplied with a certain amount of ammunition (caps), when this has run out, unlucky, and remember it can be a pain trying to reload when you are having your legs eaten…
Point Blank: Anyone within six feet of anyone else can shoot a location, so when the ‘enemy' are baring down on you, or just twitching on the floor, you won't miss that coup de grace.
MELEE:
Mixing It Up!: If you are using a LRP weapon, then you can strike other players, safely, this could be with a cricket bat, hunting knife, hatchet or walking stick. No matter what the weapon it will cause 1 wound.
PLEASE NOTE: All fighting must done safely. If you have LARPED before you should know how to fight safely with the melee weapons, if this is your first event then someone will demonstrate how to fight safely and make sure that you know what you are doing before letting you loose with anything. If anyone is deemed to fighting in a dangerous manner, they will be asked to refrain from further combat by one of the organisers.
NO Head shots are allowed with melee weapons.
ZOMBIE:
Zombies are the only ‘people' in the game allowed to touch people in combat. IE. If a zombie touches you and whispers ‘paralyse' then FREEZE, you cannot move, all you can do is scream! You may not be infected, you do not know what zombie is or what it can do but all will become clear at the event…
(This method is simply being used to make this event safe, not the most film coherent, most realistic system possible, but firstly it is safe and secondly, just like in all those films, you do not want to be torn at or bitten into by a zommer….)
There are only four stages of health that a character can find themselves in, regarding their physical state, they are… A,B,C and D…
AOK. Wounds - 0
This means you are fine, you have not even worn uncomfortable shoes, or cut yourself shaving this morning…
You are in Perfect Health – No negative effects.
BRUISED. Wounds - 1
You have been shot, stabbed, run over by a lawnmower, but in the words of the Black Knight, ‘It's only a Flesh Wound.' It's bad but nowhere near fatal.
You are injured – You cannot run anymore and should act accordingly to your injury, lots of limping for leg wounds, not using arms, etc.
Medical Attention - You become AOK, but cannot benefit from medical attention for the rest of the day.
CRIPPLED. Wounds – 2
You have been royally messed up by someone or something, you are bleeding or haemorrhaging badly and if you don't get medical attention within half an hour of becoming CRIPPLED, then you become DEAD.
You are badly injured – You cannot move from where you lay and all you can do is call for aid, defend yourself and go about the business of dying… and pray that you see a medic in time…
Medical Attention – You become BRUISED, but cannot benefit from medical attention for the rest of the day.
DEAD. Wounds – 3 (Or 30 minutes of being crippled)
You have no life left in you… You are history…
You are Dead – So take a deep breath and find the ‘crew…' Death might not be the end of you in this event…
Medical Attention – No use here… Bit too late… Just dig a big hole and lie in it….
Everything bad at a Terror4fun event causes 1 wound, be it a bullet, a stab wound, a bite, a burst of machine gun fire, etc. It may sound lenient, but this is a high body-count, bloody system and you should be able to see that being injured is not good in any way, shape or form. This is to keep combat simple and flowing, without worrying too much about keeping track of armour and locations. If you are AOK and you get shot, you become BRUISED, etc, if you are CRIPPLED and you get bitten, you become DEAD, etc.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of every skill someone could have, but as this is a survival horror event, it would be pretty irrelevant if someone had ‘swimming' or ‘accounting.' The skills listed below cover the main areas of relevance, some skills may be more useful than others, some might provide a bit of background info, some might be the keys to survival, you won't know until you get there…
They are broken down into a Title and description, a Method that describes how the skill fits into the game, Props are items you could bring to the event to add a bit of dimension to your character and you never know, what you bring as a prop could save you all… well some of you at least… and finally Possessed by which describes the kind of people that might have the skill, but remember the characters and skills are completely up to you…
Firearms: Can choose a location when shooting someone due to your familiarity with guns.
Method: When shooting a foe, shout out a location after the gun has gone off, which of course is good for disarming foes and head-shots.
Props: Firearms, all props for guns will be supplied at the event.
Possessed by: Soldiers, farmers, paranoid survivalists, Vietnam veterans….
Luck (Endurance): You may ignore the first wound you receive on any given day due to the fact that people keep shooting your ‘fro' or cigarette case, just not you…or it might be due to your enormous constitution and ability to ignore pain.
Method: Ignore the first wound you receive at an event. Once used you get wounded like a normal person. To show people you are using your luck, please state ‘ Phew, that was Lucky' to the person that just wounded you. Remember this is once a day only.
Props: None.
Possessed by: Huge people, lottery winners, poker players, tiny people, people who eat spinach, PCP addicts, long distance runners or masochists, Disco Dancers, the Irish…
Medicine/First Aid: You can, after 5 minutes of attention, reduce the wound level of someone by 1. I.E. From Wounded to Healthy or Maimed to Wounded. Each person can only be treated once per day, so when one wound on a person is ‘healed' they cannot have any more wounds treated.
Method: To treat a wound, the person with this skill must give the casualty 5 minutes of uninterrupted attention, wrapping bandages, giving them injections, stitching them up and generally acting all medical on them.
Props: Some form of first aid kit or medical equipment, blood soaked bandages…
Possessed by: Ambulance Crews, Doctors, Military Medics, nurses, vets, Spiritual Healers, etc.
Demolitions: You are skilled and experienced in the use and abuse of explosives, be it military, agricultural or geological. Almost anyone can light a stick of dynamite and run away, but to do anything requiring just a little more delicacy, like blowing a door open without levelling the building requires this skill.
Method: To perform anything subtle with explosives, other than just blowing something up, requires 5 minutes of thought, explosive placement, testing, wiring and general faffing, otherwise there might be ‘a Terrible Accident.'
Props: Possibly a small tool kit with wire cutters/strippers, insulating tape and crocodile clips, or even just a box of matches….
Possessed by: Miners, soldiers, safe crackers, gofer hating farmers and survivalists..
Rich: One of your major personality traits is the fact you are rich beyond a lot of peoples wildest dreams, they drive cars, you are chauffeured, they save up, you spend… you get the idea…
Method: You can have anything you want, so long as it's not going to be that useful in a life or death situation, stocks and shares, expensive bottles of wine, cigars, gold watches, fur coats, royal blood running in your veins, briefcases full of cash… You name it you can have it….
Props: See above
Possessed by: The rich, the well heeled, members of aristocratic families, gun runners, drug dealers, very successful train robbers….
Subterfuge: You are dodgy, you know how to pick a lock, break a security code, hot wire cars and generally do the kinds of things that honest members of the public would not really want to be involved with… Want to break through a locked door, trying to see if the building is alarmed, then this is certainly the skills for you…
Method: For most tasks, like picking a lock, hot wiring a car or checking for alarms, it takes 5 minutes of feeling around, bending bits of metal and generally being a bit shady to perform the action.
Props: Lock picks, tin snips, pliers, spare bits of wire, dentist mirrors and feeler gauges…
Possessed by: Career criminals, car thieves, people raised on the streets, high class burglars…
Historian: You are well educated in the history of people, places and events throughout the world, this may be just from an interest in all things old or from scholarly candlelit research as part of your career…
Method: You will be supplied with information prior to the event for your eyes only. Some of it will be very useful and relevant to the plot and possibly your survival, some of it may be rubbish… You decide!
Props: History books, manuscripts, artefacts, archaeological finds or just big pork chop sideburns.
Possessed by: Egyptologists, Archaeologists, OAPs, librarians…
Well Travelled: You have travelled the world and the country and have an excellent idea of just what is going on, where, when and why. You have a natural aptitude for languages and you are a font of general knowledge
Method: You will be supplied with information prior to the event for your eyes only. Some of it will be very useful and relevant to the plot and possibly your survival, some of it may be rubbish… You decide!
Props: Trinkets from your travels, compass and binoculars, pith helmet, khaki safari suit?
Possessed by: Big Game Hunters, explorers, Geography teachers, international businessmen, gentlemen of the roads…
Occult: You have always been interested in all things supernatural, maybe you saw a ghost as a child or maybe you work for the Vatican seeking out all things evil, the truth of the matter is you believe and have studied the occult and this enables you to interpret occult symbols and writings and simply approach the unexplainable with a more open mind than most.
Method: You will be supplied with information prior to the event for your eyes only. Some of it will be very useful and relevant to the plot and possibly your survival, some of it may be rubbish… You decide!
Props: Suspicious medallions, black eye shadow, big tomes, psychic compasses, shrunken heads, tea leaves, impressive eyebrows…
Possessed by: New-agers, ghost hunters, charlatans, hippy cult leaders, palm readers, Exorcists…
Mathematics: Some people are just plain geeky, others are just plain talented, but what ever category you fall into you have a great ability to shuffle numbers and come up with the right results. Maths is your thang and you love it…
Method: Whenever there is an amount of maths or logic required, be it calculations, code breaking or just counting change at the bar, you will be supplied with extra information giving you ‘the appearance of' super-numeracy' and the ability to perform these actions quicker than normal.
Props: Big 70s style calculator, slide rule, abacus, note pad and 3 pens in your top pocket, etc, etc…
Possessed by: Mathematicians, Log table compilers, criminal accountants, poker players and the strangely gifted.
Military/Law Enforcement: You are either a member of the armed forces or a law enforcer of some description. Either way, by taking this skill you gain benefits and there are drawbacks. The main benefit, is that you may well be armed and if the military/police shows up during a ‘situation' you will be amongst the first to be armed, BUT you are also at the beck and call of your superiors… They might just order you to stay behind and protect the civvies!
Method: This skill works differently for different careers but covers and benefits Military, law enforcement, private dicks, international super spies, government hit men, Vietnam veterans, etc.
Props: Relevant uniform, undercover cop raincoat and hat, police badges, army warrant cards, dinner jacket/ball gown (for spies), camouflage face paint, a tank…
Possessed by: Army, Navy and Air force personnel, the police, private detectives, spies…
Expertise: Everyone has something that they are good at or know a hell of a lot more about than the average Joe… So this is a skill that represents that and will just help flesh out the character you are playing. Try to think of what you might talk about with other characters in quieter periods, what you might obsess about in times of stress or simply what the character thinks about in everyday life…
Method: Depending on the skill, we will try and incorporate somewhere within the plot, a place where these might be relevant….
Props: Once again depends on the skill…
Example Skills: Disco Ball design, collecting Ford Cortina/Capris, the films of John Wayne, Hula - Hooping, hackie sacking, baseball, receiving parking tickets, Disco Dancing, inventing a Black Orchid, the life and works of Shakespeare/Van Gogh/JRR Tolkien/Babe Ruth, breeding show dogs, collecting hunting knives, creating rocket-powered jet pants, drinking Irish Whiskeys, playing poker, playing Russian Roulette, the list is endless…
The Blood and Guts (B.A.G.) System was written by Zombie Ed Thurlow. Please feel free to use this system, but if you choose to do so, please credit Zombie Ed and Terror4fun. The system was inspired in part by Alex Hill and The ‘Howl' Team and Alex if you're out there, will see you at another wedding soon or get in touch. Permission is granted to freely distribute this document, provided that it is distributed intact, with no modifications. Where these rules are used as the basis of any other rules system, do credit us with anything you've used from here. Finally, The authors or distributors of these rules shall not be held liable for any damages, injuries or other problems, be they legal, medical or otherwise, arising out of the use of these rules. It's your responsibility how they are used.
