Introduction
What does a zombie do when there is no one left to eat? It is a question that has not really been answered yet, but this mini-LARP takes a stab at it. Usually, when zombies appear in media, art, and culture, they are the relentless force hunting down the protagonists. Eating humans is their one and only goal. With this larp however, we want to explore zombies and their behavior without any interaction with their favorite food. This is meant as a fun exercise in between all the bleedy games we usually crave.
Once the scenario is introduced, the game master can join the zombie horde, as there is no need for active moderation during play beyond starting the game and setting the alarm.
Participants: At least 5, or as many as fit into the room
Play time: As long as you all agree. Around 10 minutes seems to work well.
Needed props: Something to set an alarm for the “bomb”. Beneficial: physical objects to interact with, from tools and clothes to furniture.
Scenario
A human flees from a group of zombies into a room with only one door. Sadly for the human, the zombies manage to enter the room as well. The door closes behind them—forever. Obviously, the human gets eaten and resurrects as a zombie. Now there are only zombies, and no way to escape.
The last thing the human manages to accomplish is starting a time bomb that will explode in X minutes. What will this horde of mindless zombies do until the bomb explodes?
Pro tip: The beginning is most fun if you actually hunt down the human instead of starting in the room.
Rules of Play
- Zombies hunt, eat, and kill humans furiously (mind the order of actions).
- Zombies cannot talk or otherwise communicate. Breathing and moaning is welcome!
- Zombies can only perform basic movements and physical actions, and they do so in a slow and calm way when no human is present.
- Zombies have no feelings and cannot feel anything.
- Zombies cannot think or make sense of things. It is all about basic instincts and reflexes.
- Zombies have a shallow and meaningless memory of the regular practices of their former human lives. It is more like a kind of mechanical body memory.
- Besides these limitations, it is free play.
- When the agreed play time is over, the time bomb explodes—everybody is terminated, and the game is over.
- Optional rule: If you want, you can present the room the play happens in as a boiler room with a large furnace. If a zombie happens to fall or stumble into the furnace, it is exterminated immediately. This is meant as an exit option for players who want to leave the game early, but it can also be a fun feature. Exterminated zombies are allowed to lie around as corpses or leave the room.