starting gear

[Zamion138]

So we are going to play a new game tonight and the gm wanted it basicly to be us on the run so he made it what ever you got in your house is your starting gear.

Poor gm, me and two of the other players basicly have the gear of a sherped of the damned a regular person and a military char.

It came down to what we were going to leave behind, we went with everyone having the same caliber guns and as much food and water as we could feasible fit in cars.

The other guy is into middle ages weaponary so we all ended up. Ak's broad swords and maces some body armor and plenty of food and ammo and coms gear.

Ohh and two dogs, 3 cars and a dirt bike.
I sense a culling of our stash early on.

[kaid]

Fun thing about dead reign is I usually when I start a campaign have people roll their characters up when they get there and have them have the starting gear of what they are currently wearing/brought with them. Many zombies have been bonked in the heads by RPG books.

[Zamion138]

Fun thing about dead reign is I usually when I start a campaign have people roll their characters up when they get there and have them have the starting gear of what they are currently wearing/brought with them. Many zombies have been bonked in the heads by RPG books.

None of your players have ccw's?? Hahaha

[Icefalcon]

I could outfit a good size group with archaic weaponry. That would include things from multiple knives per person up to a sword for up to 25 people, axes, nunchaku, snap batons and other nasty weapons. Guns, now those are a bit more limited but still present. As far as mundane gear, being a hunter/outdoorsman has its advantages.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

at my house...hmmmm Everyone starts with a Yorkie! lol Or 3, so.... many ....dogs

[Zamion138]

Indont agree with the dead reign rules on bows, if a cross bow can hurt a zombie a bow should be able to hurt a zombie.
Also dead reign yorkies have supernatrual strength right??

[Icefalcon]

Indont agree with the dead reign rules on bows, if a cross bow can hurt a zombie a bow should be able to hurt a zombie.

I have redone all of the rules concerning bows. I thought the ones present in the book were crap. I changed range, damage and damage to zombies. I'm sorry, if the arrow can slide right through kevlar body armor, a zombie is no problem.

[Zamion138]

Not to mention if i can drop a moose with a bow you can drop a zombie.

I nerf the zombies vs the book when we play, its to hard to kill them.

[Icefalcon]

I don't nerf the zombies so much as I "fix" the problems with weapons. Once weapons actually have the correct range, damage and other features then the zombies are not so bad. I also did away with the zombies AR which solves most problems to start with.

[Zamion138]

I don't nerf the zombies so much as I "fix" the problems with weapons. Once weapons actually have the correct range, damage and other features then the zombies are not so bad. I also did away with the zombies AR which solves most problems to start with.

Doing away with zombie AR is the nerfing i was refering too.

If i shoot a zomie with a riot shot gun 3 times it should die, most any non armored target should die hahaha.

[Icefalcon]

I don't nerf the zombies so much as I "fix" the problems with weapons. Once weapons actually have the correct range, damage and other features then the zombies are not so bad. I also did away with the zombies AR which solves most problems to start with.

Doing away with zombie AR is the nerfing i was refering too.

If i shoot a zombie with a riot shot gun 3 times it should die, most any non armored target should die hahaha.

Agreed.

[ArmySGT.]

I don't think of the AR for Zombies being resistance to damage, rather that the damage was inconsequential to the operation of the living corpse.

Above the AR, damage is taken and the structure of the Zombie is coming apart.

Below the AR and the Zombie takes damage but, the damage goes to pulping internal organs, shreds veins and arteries.....things the undead no longer need.

For dramatic story telling purposes....... You describe in morbid and disgusting detail the black thick blood sprayed onto the wall, and the gaping whole where a kidney is visible and the mangled liver drips out...... The PCs shouldn't know how much damage the Zombie has taken, only that it is attacking or down permanently.

[Zamion138]

The problem is that with the average pc having a +1 to strike with a pistol, a zombie having 30ish sdc on its body and 18 hp's if they have a 4d6 sdc pistol, the average number of shots to kill the sloucher base zombie is well over 13 shots.
To me thats not fun for me as a gm when if i put them up against more than 3 zombies its run away time.

I perfer my zobies to take 2 to 4 hits and drop, and make the challenge come from being a hoard not how hard it is to hurt them.


If a player wants to sneek up on a zombie and bash it in the head they have to roll a nat 17 as written and. then. Do more than 30 point of damedge, or its first action is going to be a howling and bring more down.

[Icefalcon]

I don't like the fact that you have to dump a load of ammunition on just one zombie either. I agree that anywhere between 1-4 shots/hits should be able to drop one with a minimum fuss. What makes zombies dangerous is the hordes. To simulate this, I increase the entangle modifier by +1 for every two extra zombies trying to grab a person.

[flatline]

Fun thing about dead reign is I usually when I start a campaign have people roll their characters up when they get there and have them have the starting gear of what they are currently wearing/brought with them. Many zombies have been bonked in the heads by RPG books.

That would be totally unfair to the other players. I have on my person at all times 2, sometimes 3 flashlights, a spare battery, one multi-tool, a knife, a small swiss army knife on my keychain, a pen, a pencil, a notebook, and a cell phone.

The only thing that wouldn't be useful would be the cell phone although I guess it could function as a poor flashlight for a week or so before the battery died.

--flatline

[Icefalcon]

Fun thing about dead reign is I usually when I start a campaign have people roll their characters up when they get there and have them have the starting gear of what they are currently wearing/brought with them. Many zombies have been bonked in the heads by RPG books.

That would be totally unfair to the other players. I have on my person at all times 2, sometimes 3 flashlights, a spare battery, one multi-tool, a knife, a small swiss army knife on my keychain, a pen, a pencil, a notebook, and a cell phone.

The only thing that wouldn't be useful would be the cell phone although I guess it could function as a poor flashlight for a week or so before the battery died.

--flatline

And some people carry more than that.

[Icefalcon]

I don't nerf the zombies so much as I "fix" the problems with weapons. Once weapons actually have the correct range, damage and other features then the zombies are not so bad. I also did away with the zombies AR which solves most problems to start with.

We get rid of AR with ranged weapons, but keep it with melee weapons. We also thought the rules for bows are stupid and got rid of them to.

I really hate the rules with the bows.

[Razzinold]

Fun thing about dead reign is I usually when I start a campaign have people roll their characters up when they get there and have them have the starting gear of what they are currently wearing/brought with them. Many zombies have been bonked in the heads by RPG books.

That would be totally unfair to the other players. I have on my person at all times 2, sometimes 3 flashlights, a spare battery, one multi-tool, a knife, a small swiss army knife on my keychain, a pen, a pencil, a notebook, and a cell phone.

The only thing that wouldn't be useful would be the cell phone although I guess it could function as a poor flashlight for a week or so before the battery died.

--flatline

Man I'd be screwed. I have some cheap folding knives, maybe one good hunting wife. No guns, heck I don't even have a baseball bat anymore. From the swords I do own, probably only two could be sharpened at actually used. The best things I have is an old army bayonet (it's real not some fake knock off from a store) and my machete, same thing for this it's a real one, I brought it back from Puerto Rico like 20+ years ago. It's one solid piece of metal and then the handle is attached to either side of it. It's not like those cheap fake ones were the blade snaps off and you're left holding a handle.

[CarCrasher]

I pre-make all the characters for my games. I then give them starting equipment based on occupation cuz its what they have on hand. Also from certain hobbies like character collected archaic weapons or was a handyman in his off time and what is generally available in the average home. I then make several survival kits for each character and the players choose one of those kits.

[cawest]

I pre-make all the characters for my games. I then give them starting equipment based on occupation cuz its what they have on hand. Also from certain hobbies like character collected archaic weapons or was a handyman in his off time and what is generally available in the average home. I then make several survival kits for each character and the players choose one of those kits.

those kits? can you post a copy what was in the kits they could chose. thanks

[Icefalcon]

Fun thing about dead reign is I usually when I start a campaign have people roll their characters up when they get there and have them have the starting gear of what they are currently wearing/brought with them. Many zombies have been bonked in the heads by RPG books.

That would be totally unfair to the other players. I have on my person at all times 2, sometimes 3 flashlights, a spare battery, one multi-tool, a knife, a small swiss army knife on my keychain, a pen, a pencil, a notebook, and a cell phone.

The only thing that wouldn't be useful would be the cell phone although I guess it could function as a poor flashlight for a week or so before the battery died.

--flatline

Man I'd be screwed. I have some cheap folding knives, maybe one good hunting wife. No guns, heck I don't even have a baseball bat anymore. From the swords I do own, probably only two could be sharpened at actually used. The best things I have is an old army bayonet (it's real not some fake knock off from a store) and my machete, same thing for this it's a real one, I brought it back from Puerto Rico like 20+ years ago. It's one solid piece of metal and then the handle is attached to either side of it. It's not like those cheap fake ones were the blade snaps off and you're left holding a handle.

If you have tools (like a hacksaw) you could turn street signs and other various common items into weapons.

[Wooly]

A lot of folks have acess to pretty good firearms. I think it is worth nothing many people don't have a lot of magazines and ammunition on their person. You can also only carry so much. Ammo, particularly rifle rounds get heavy quick.

Most police officers for example are carrying a full size semi-auto service pistol like a Glock 22 with one magazine and two spare mags in a pouch on their duty belt. For 17+1, 17, 17 respectively. For a total of 52 rounds of .40 S&W JHP on their person.

I always carried a backup gun on duty. A Glock 27 (also in .40 S&W for magazine compatibility) with a +2 extended magazine base plate. Giving me 11+1 in the chamber. A total of 64 pistol rounds.

A Remington 870P shotgun in the cruiser 7+1 with a side saddle carrier and 3 spare boxes of (25) shells 00 buck and slug. 83 rnds total.

An AR-15 with one magazine inserted and 6 spare magazines loaded with 28 rnds per mag to ensure the magazine feeds properly and is easy to insert on a chamber with the bolt forward. 196 rnds of 5.56 62 gr M855.

395 rounds isn't going to last long against a zombie horde. That is also alot of heavy guns and ammo to schelp around!

[Icefalcon]

A lot of folks have acess to pretty good firearms. I think it is worth nothing many people don't have a lot of magazines and ammunition on their person. You can also only carry so much. Ammo, particularly rifle rounds get heavy quick.

Most police officers for example are carrying a full size semi-auto service pistol like a Glock 22 with one magazine and two spare mags in a pouch on their duty belt. For 17+1, 17, 17 respectively. For a total of 52 rounds of .40 S&W JHP on their person.

I always carried a backup gun on duty. A Glock 27 (also in .40 S&W for magazine compatibility) with a +2 extended magazine base plate. Giving me 11+1 in the chamber. A total of 64 pistol rounds.

A Remington 870P shotgun in the cruiser 7+1 with a side saddle carrier and 3 spare boxes of (25) shells 00 buck and slug. 83 rnds total.

An AR-15 with one magazine inserted and 6 spare magazines loaded with 28 rnds per mag to ensure the magazine feeds properly and is easy to insert on a chamber with the bolt forward. 196 rnds of 5.56 62 gr M855.

395 rounds isn't going to last long against a zombie horde. That is also alot of heavy guns and ammo to schelp around!

You are absolutely correct. This is the reason you create various ammo caches around your area that make it easy for you to stock back up when you need to.

[Wooly]

I attended a zombie themed 3-gun shooting match this past weekend. Remember that unlike the Zombie Apocalypse this was a scheduled event people had time to prepare for.

Amongst the newer shooters I noticed that they had inadequate, cheap holster and magazine pouches. Regular leather belts will sag badly as they are not stiff enough to support heavy holstered pistols and loaded mags. Long arms did not have slings (try climbing a ladder or moving a heavy box with a rifle in your hand). Spare rifle magazines were carried in back pockets.

Most of the newer folks just had a few magazines per weapon, particularly pistols. If the pistol came with 3 magazines, then that was all they had. I loaned out my UpLULA universal pistol speed loader several times to people with sore thumbs.

We also had an experienced shooter and class III owner who brought (legal) full auto UZI and M16, which he generously let everyone shoot. He was having a great deal of trouble getting his Saiga 12 semi auto shotgun to reliably cycle low brass bird shot. It was painful to watch him frantically work the charging handle as the zombie targets (on rope pulled wheeled carriages) move in on him as he desperately tried to get headshots off.

From a skills perspective many people who are otherwise experienced with firearms have very minimal experience drawing and shooting from a holster (many ranges prohibit this). Moving and shooting (use to stationary shooting on range “lanes”, speed reloading, and rapid target acquisition between multiple targets.

The finale was clearing a faux house made out of tarps and 2x4s. Most shooters exhibited complete ignorance of even basic room clearing tactics like “slicing the pie” on door ways and keeping out of the “fatal funnel” while reloading or clearing weapon malfunctions.

What does this all mean in game terms? It means unless characters have some sort of formal training that they will probably be woefully unprepared in mindset, training and equipment.

The aforementioned "medieval" melee weapons some folks display in their home? Well many are pot metal display pieces only.

The Ak-47? A good weapon but how much ammo and mags do the characters have for it? Futhermore do they have a way to realistically carry those magazines as part of a fighting load that can be rapidly accessed in combat?

[Wooly]

A lot of folks have acess to pretty good firearms. I think it is worth nothing many people don't have a lot of magazines and ammunition on their person. You can also only carry so much. Ammo, particularly rifle rounds get heavy quick.

Most police officers for example are carrying a full size semi-auto service pistol like a Glock 22 with one magazine and two spare mags in a pouch on their duty belt. For 17+1, 17, 17 respectively. For a total of 52 rounds of .40 S&W JHP on their person.

I always carried a backup gun on duty. A Glock 27 (also in .40 S&W for magazine compatibility) with a +2 extended magazine base plate. Giving me 11+1 in the chamber. A total of 64 pistol rounds.

A Remington 870P shotgun in the cruiser 7+1 with a side saddle carrier and 3 spare boxes of (25) shells 00 buck and slug. 83 rnds total.

An AR-15 with one magazine inserted and 6 spare magazines loaded with 28 rnds per mag to ensure the magazine feeds properly and is easy to insert on a chamber with the bolt forward. 196 rnds of 5.56 62 gr M855.

395 rounds isn't going to last long against a zombie horde. That is also alot of heavy guns and ammo to schelp around!

You are absolutely correct. This is the reason you create various ammo caches around your area that make it easy for you to stock back up when you need to.

I don't think most characters have ammo caches around town when they are just starting out.

[Zamion138]

I attended a zombie themed 3-gun shooting match this past weekend. Remember that unlike the Zombie Apocalypse this was a scheduled event people had time to prepare for.

Amongst the newer shooters I noticed that they had inadequate, cheap holster and magazine pouches. Regular leather belts will sag badly as they are not stiff enough to support heavy holstered pistols and loaded mags. Long arms did not have slings (try climbing a ladder or moving a heavy box with a rifle in your hand). Spare rifle magazines were carried in back pockets.

Most of the newer folks just had a few magazines per weapon, particularly pistols. If the pistol came with 3 magazines, then that was all they had. I loaned out my UpLULA universal pistol speed loader several times to people with sore thumbs.

We also had an experienced shooter and class III owner who brought (legal) full auto UZI and M16, which he generously let everyone shoot. He was having a great deal of trouble getting his Saiga 12 semi auto shotgun to reliably cycle low brass bird shot. It was painful to watch him frantically work the charging handle as the zombie targets (on rope pulled wheeled carriages) move in on him as he desperately tried to get headshots off.

From a skills perspective many people who are otherwise experienced with firearms have very minimal experience drawing and shooting from a holster (many ranges prohibit this). Moving and shooting (use to stationary shooting on range “lanes”, speed reloading, and rapid target acquisition between multiple targets.

The finale was clearing a faux house made out of tarps and 2x4s. Most shooters exhibited complete ignorance of even basic room clearing tactics like “slicing the pie” on door ways and keeping out of the “fatal funnel” while reloading or clearing weapon malfunctions.

What does this all mean in game terms? It means unless characters have some sort of formal training that they will probably be woefully unprepared in mindset, training and equipment.

The aforementioned "medieval" melee weapons some folks display in their home? Well many are pot metal display pieces only.

The Ak-47? A good weapon but how much ammo and mags do the characters have for it? Futhermore do they have a way to realistically carry those magazines as part of a fighting load that can be rapidly accessed in combat?

Well for an ak47 luckly decent quality mags are only 10 to 20 bucks these days and. used to be only 5 to 10 dollars. Magazine pouches that hold 4 for hips and chest carry rigs are very reasonably priced.
10 magazines and 1 drum is a easy load for a combat load, not a track about but "assault " mode. And even still not that bad for a treck wich gives you 375 rounds for both cover fire and in case of zombies per dead reign the insain amount of followup shots youll need.
And as a use for thoose that did not have them before the zombie apocolypse drop pouches are going to be the best thing for you. If you take thoose reusable grocery bags and put the on your belt with full mags on one side and droping your empties in anouther on the other side.
Its not "tacticool" but it works and doing a mag change with retention is important as droping your empties is fine for an emergency and police in a fire fight as if they live through they can go retrive them but in a warzone or dead reign apocolypse the magizes should not be left behind.

[flatline]

AK47 ammo is heavy. One of the primary advantages of the M16 is that the soldier can carry more ammo for the same weight.

--flatline

[Zamion138]

True, but you need fewer hits to make it lethal. And their is always the compromise.
If you want ak47 ruggedness and ar/m16 lightness and high speed rounds. Get an ak74! They are less common in the states but currently the ammo is cheaper than. 223/556 and 7.62x39.

[victor15065]

I think the zombies are way to tuff I get rid of the at and add tissue damage to guns

[whassupman03]

Hello...

True, but you need fewer hits to make it lethal. And their is always the compromise.
If you want ak47 ruggedness and ar/m16 lightness and high speed rounds. Get an ak74! They are less common in the states but currently the ammo is cheaper than. 223/556 and 7.62x39.

Yeah, the AK-74 takes a 5.45x39mm round, which is not common around them there hills...

...but anyway, one thing that not many people have mentioned is barter goods. People in a Dead Reign are best to start out with goods that you keep for use and goods that you trade off to get what you need in the future. Some people can also tend to maintain a reserve of common-caliber ammunition and magazines (And a smaller quantity of uncommon materials as such...) to trade off to prospective buyers for goods in return.

Common caliber ammunition includes 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .357 Magnum and .38 Special for pistols; .50 Browning, .308/7.62x51mm, .223/5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm and the aforementioned 5.45x39mm for your AK-74s and other rifles; and 2.75" 12-gauge rounds for shotguns (When you find a box of shells in the ruins of the world, chances are they will be 2.75" 12-gauge, so having a 12-gauge shotgun is a good idea, rather than a 20-gauge or something else.). Not to mention, we must not forget the good ol' .22LR!. Other ideas can include the local favorites for hunting, which can vary depending on where you are in the world, and perhaps even those that are used by the local police and sheriff's departments (Earning brownie points with the authorities by providing ammunition and magazines that their issued guns can use may be useful...).

There are differing viewpoints for such an idea, because some people don't advocate this. Unfortunately, some people don't want their barter goods to be sent back to them at high velocity. But still, one could go into the arms trade with more benevolent buyers (Rather than corrupt warlords and cultists) by trading magazines and ammunition, and perhaps even weapons, to people who need it, among other essential survival-esque goods. I have to go now, so please take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good day.

whassupman03

[SittingBull]

Least your not a character who has carried his gear on his back, literally for 20 years, while traveling on foot and had to ditch his gear because slow zombies were after you.......

[Deadboy Dakka]

While I get that this may draw some ire, I have really only seen starting gear to be an issue when comes down to the Dead Reign O.C.C.s. Knowing that this is not the main focus of discussion, you would be surprised at how easily the starting gear in Fantasy can solve all your Zed problems. When it comes down to Dead Reign, the biggest issue I see is when people have no way to transport all those trade goods, because some of them can get over the top like our friendly Scrounger with an average of $14,000 worth and a bicycle. Then again, any character with Auto Mechanics can solve this problem in a jiffy. Gotta love that Hot Wiring .

[SittingBull]

But this was an outdoorsman who lived with what he could carry and had carried for 20 years.