Zombie Mondays
We had a chat with Palladium's Kevin Siembieda about "Hell Followed' -- the forthcoming supplement to the Dead Reign® pen-and-paper role-playing game about zombies.
Q: Judging by the title, Hell Followed, it sounds like demonic plot elements will figure into the new supplement. Will this tie in to similar elements in the Rifts storyline? Answer: Actually, no. With the exception of the zombies themselves, we are keeping the supernatural and magic out of Dead Reign®. A world infested with, and dominated by, zombies, it is hell on Earth. This supplement explores more about the survivors, the hell they go through to survive and more logical, variant types of zombies. If there are “demonic plot elements” it’s how demonic and hellish people can become. Q: Will the other possible causes for the zombie outbreak receive their own material? Answer: Maybe. I have considered it. But what caused the zombies, at least right now, does not really matter. Survivors have to deal with the here and now of the day to day struggle for survival. And not just against the zombies. Some people are becoming more aggressively territorial, violent and predatory. Q: What will be some of the other supplements coming out for the game? Answer: Even more wild, post-apocalyptic sourcebooks are going to follow. Adventure sourcebooks that start to focus more on specific people, places, villains and danger in the post-apocalyptic world. I have a inner-city survival sourcebook with life on the rooftops and highrises planned as well as a Road Warrior type setting with gangs, good and bad, taking over the roads. Q: Will there be any particular direct connection to other Palladium games? I am assuming that Robotech Dead is straight out (kidding). Answer: Hmmm, Robotech Dead, eh? No, that’s not a likely one, but I wouldn’t rule anything out completely. We did an unconnected zombie invasion for Rifts® Chaos Earth last winter entitled Chaos Earth® Resurrection. Those zombies were something unique and Mega-Damage. The author, Taylor White, created a zombie menace with that Rifts flare and a few cool twists. It is a very fun campaign to run and can be brought into Rifts® or Phase World®/the Three Galaxies if the G.M. would like to do so. With some modification, the mechanism in Chaos Earth® Resurrection could work in any Palladium setting. Q: When does Hell Followed come out? Answer: October this year. Most of the artwork is done and we are doing the final edit on it right now. It is a fun book. And the largest Dead Reign® sourcebook, topping out at 160 pages.
