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Find the Fabled Settlement to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
Your zombie apocalypse safe house was raided, and you barely made it out alive. Will you make it to the fabled North Star settlement, or die trying?
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Friday - 5:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
Campaign Length / 6–8 Sessions
1 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Your safehouse has been raided. Many of your people died and you barely made it out alive. You and the other survivors gather what little you have left and head towards your only hope: The North Star, a fabled settlement, free from zombies and raiders. You are not sure where it is, or even if it exists -- nonetheless, it is your highest chance of survival. The journey will not be easy. The walking dead are just one of the many dangers of this doomed world. You will have to scrap for resources, fight -- or stealth -- your way through danger, decide whether to collaborate or compete with other groups, and ultimately decide how to live through the collapse of society. - This is a somber, realistic, and custom-made campaign about surviving the journey to a fabled safe haven. Expect a narrative-focused game built around tough and significant choices. Combat will be grounded and high-stakes -- in this world violence is not taken lightly and characters are never safe. Role-play will focus on how the difficult decisions impact you, your group and other people. The world and its fiction will be built collaboratively as we play. As society crumbles, ethics become more flexible and people become more individualistic. How will your morals change when resources dwindle, zombie hordes grow and ruthless raider gangs pillage everything? If these questions pique your interest, this game is for you.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Beginner Friendly, Storytelling, Inclusive
About me
I like GM-ing (and playing) narrative- and character-driven games, mostly exploring themes such as heroism, sacrifice, morality, the meaning of violence and how people change when faced with hardship. So expect serious adventures with deep themes (which does not mean we will not have a few laughs along the way). System-wise, I enjoy the ones that are narrative-focused, like FATE, Daggerheart and Powered by the Apocalypse games. I am a supporter of systems that serve and elevate the storytelling, although I understand the appeal of more simulationist games. I fell in love with TTRPGs when I was 11 years old, because it is the mixture of two things I loved (and still love): gaming and social interaction. After that, I absolutely devoured every book and magazine I could find about it. Soon, at 12, I began GM-ing for friends and family. At 14 I GM-ed a year-long campaign (in which we saved the world from impending doom, obviously) and since then TTRPGs have been a constant in my life. Growing up, it was hard to find RPG-related material in the late 90s and early 2000s in Brazil, so I got used to home-brewing monsters, adventures, rules and even systems. To this day I prefer (and quite enjoy) writing my own adventures, although I also enjoy running things made by other developers. Nowadays, I mostly run one-shots and short campaigns, focusing on introducing new people to the hobby I love the most. I believe TTRPGs are one of the best ways of having fun playing games while connecting with other people, and this is what I want to provide to my players.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will create your survivors during session 0. We will use FATE-style guiding questions to decide on their background, motivation, connections, skills, aspects, and stunts: - How did you survive this long in the zombie apocalypse? - What was your biggest loss? - How has the apocalypse changed you? - What single skill you rely the most to stay alive? - Why do you choose to keep fighting in this doomed world?
What to expect
Preparing for the session
1. Have an free account on Discord, we will use that for communication before and during the game. 2. We will use FoundryVTT as table top platform, no installation or purchase is required. Links to Foundry will be made available via discord. 3. Reading through the rules is a plus. You can legally read the rules for free here: https://fate-srd.com/fate-condensed/introduction
What Mateus Matuca brings to the table
What to Expect - Realistic and somber setting, with meaningful player choices. - Grounded and dangerous combat. - I respect the rules, but often rule based on the "rule of doom" when the drama requires it. - Ambient Music, functional battle maps and tokens. What NOT to expect - Map or hex based exploration - Highly crunchy and tactical combat - Performative voice-acting ("Critical role" style)
Homebrew rules
- The resources skill determines 3 novel resources tracks: ammunition, food and water, and supplies. It represents the resources you gathered in a scarce world. - Stress = 3 + relevant skill. The relevant skill for physical stress "Physique" and for mental stress is "Will". If stress is > 6, the amount of stress exceeding 6 becomes extra minor consequence boxes.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Mateus Matuca creates a safe table
- Before the start of the campaign: Lines and Veils will be made available previously to the game on a dedicated discord channel (suggestions are accepted). We will have a session-0 to refine the lines and veils and to decide on other possible safety tools to use. - During sessions: The X card can be used during the game (either digital, messaged, or held up on video). I always do a bio/refocusing break in the middle of the sessions. - At the end of the session: we do a quick stars and wishes chat to help reflect on what we liked and what we would have liked to see. One-on-one aftercare via video/voice will be provided when requested.
Content warnings
Safety tools used