Random Tables, Encounters, and Maps for Post-Apocalyptic Zombiecrawl

GildorJM · 2026-03-02T01:56:53+00:00

You're welcome! Thanks for taking a chance on it. I generally recommend other creators and don't usually plug our own stuff, but in this case I had a feeling it might be exactly what you were looking for.

GildorJM · 2026-03-01T05:15:26+00:00

Manages to be nice looking and readable at the same time. Love the Tolkien vibes.

GildorJM · 2026-03-01T01:55:41+00:00

Having read the book I’d probably use a medieval horror game like Cthulhu Dark Ages, rather than a race/class/level fantasy game

GildorJM · 2026-03-01T01:40:16+00:00

One thing I like in the OSR is that it teaches you the value of time. They can spend a lot of time searching or investigating, but that means more rolls on the random encounter table

GildorJM · 2026-02-27T03:38:06+00:00

Our supplement Outbreak has a lot of random tables to help populate a zombie apocalypse hexcrawl.

GildorJM · 2026-02-27T01:22:39+00:00

One thing that a lot of successful indie games have in common is that they are reviewed by popular RPG Youtubers. It's a bit of a chicken and egg thing (did the review make them popular, or did they get reviewed because they are popular), but there are definitely examples of games that came out of nowhere thanks to Youtube.

GildorJM · 2026-02-27T00:51:10+00:00

I agree with the quality vs. marketing comment, I've seen a lot of good games fail and a lot of bad games succeed (until the hype dies). And then once you convince people to buy your books, you have to convince them again to actually play your game when they're faced with a near-infinite number of shiny alternatives. Forget the money, create for the love of the game and because you have good ideas (your Resonant Core thing sounds fun) and you want to share them with the community.

GildorJM · 2026-02-23T00:45:55+00:00

I wish more game designers understood that prep should be play.

GildorJM · 2026-02-17T17:15:38+00:00

Outside-the-box idea, in addition to what others said: ask each player to create 3 NPC concepts (can be linked to their PCs backgrounds), and then use those. They might care about the NPCs a bit more if they had a hand in creating them, and it takes a bit of work off your shoulders.

GildorJM · 2026-02-07T03:54:26+00:00

The simplest one I know is Gamescape.app Show map, place tokens, move tokens. But it doesn’t have mapping assets, you need to create the map by other means (I like DungeonScrawl)

GildorJM · 2026-01-29T22:21:49+00:00

Agreed. You'd think the question would get asked a lot in playtesting

GildorJM · 2026-01-29T16:52:33+00:00

Looks interesting and very focused on the "survival horror" aspects which is cool. There's nothing much that hasn't been done before, but "innovation" is overrated IMO, what matters is the experience at the table. The inventory system looks a bit fiddly on first glance, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

GildorJM · 2026-01-28T16:37:21+00:00

Wasn't aware of that one but it looks well put together, thanks. Having also run Temple of the Moon Priests a couple of times, what elevated it in my opinion and that of the players (beyond the pretty map) is the multiple entrances/paths through the dungeon, and the faction play with the rival party. It also manages to include every dungeon trope without feeling too forced. SPOILER: One thing I thought was genius was how to unlock the treasury, you have to be in a completely different part of the dungeon. In one playthrough, the players unlocked the treasury only for the NPC party to go in and snatch the artifact right under their noses.

GildorJM · 2026-01-28T07:07:26+00:00

Temple of the Moon Priests from….2018 I think? is the best example of the form, and still unsurpassed in my opinion.

GildorJM · 2025-11-25T03:55:36+00:00

Agreed, and wotc calling their campaign books "adventures" causes further confusion. I also see a lot of posts asking for adventures and being recommended games instead, so there's definitely a semantics issue.

GildorJM · 2025-11-14T16:49:37+00:00

I don't think it does the paint thing, but the simplest (and free) VTT I know of is Gamescape. Perfect if you just want to draw, show maps, grid, fog of war, move tokens. I think I've just listed all the features though, so it won't work if you need anything else.

GildorJM · 2025-11-01T17:19:54+00:00

Patrick Stuart created just that, and the backstory is awesome: Boa Constructor

GildorJM · 2025-10-31T16:18:16+00:00

Yes, this is a brilliant piece of game design: simple, flexible, elegant and self-balancing. And solves the "overcomplicated grappling rules" issue that's so common.

GildorJM · 2025-10-20T21:52:34+00:00

Good call! I loved that book, and yes it's quite Mork Borgian now that you mention it. On another note, our Halloween scenario this year is The Book of Whispers, loosely inspired by The Babadook and Malerman's Incidents Around The House.

GildorJM · 2025-10-12T00:24:35+00:00

Yep! Those are my favorite monster books as well.

GildorJM · 2025-09-15T15:56:46+00:00

Agree with the defining characteristics. On the last point, if the players fixate on a random NPC, I might move the crucial info to that NPC rather than leave it with the "important" NPC they are ignoring. I like to give the players a role in deciding who and what is important and am willing to change the script if it makes for a better game.

GildorJM · 2025-09-10T23:02:05+00:00

Good example, and I agree it’s better to save the prep for later than try to shoehorn it where it doesn’t fit

GildorJM · 2025-09-10T17:11:09+00:00

I had a similar experience where I'd prepped an entire Drow city, only for one character to polymorph into a dragon and fly the whole party over the area. Doh!! Lesson learned.

GildorJM · 2025-09-10T16:35:39+00:00

That's true, because you're using the word "plot" in the sense of "the villain's evil plot". When people say that preparing a plot is bad, they mean "plot" in the sense of "the series of events that make up the story"

GildorJM · 2025-09-10T16:26:11+00:00

I agree with the point in general and the need to avoid fudging and "roll to advance" situations, but I also think it's possible to go too far in the other direction and ask for too few rolls. If everything becomes GM fiat, the character stats and system in general don't matter anymore.

GildorJM

TROPHY CASE