Firebreathing Kittens

How To Play Mall Zombies

Hi everyone, this is a special episode of Firebreathing Kittens. I’m the game master for an upcoming session using the rules for Mall Zombies by W.H Arthur. In this episode, I’ll share my thoughts after reading the rule book. Hopefully this episode will be a handy guide for how to play for my players, will help me organize myself, and will be useful for you listeners, too, who are looking to play Mall Zombies yourselves.
Set up
Get a deck of cards, preferable a zombie themed deck for that extra narrative spark
Separate the cards into three piles, all of the number cards, the court cards (aka, j, q k), and the two jokers.
We now shuffle the number cards together and create 7 face down piles of 3 cards by drawing from this deck.
Once we have these 7 face down piles, we turn over the top card in each pile.
Each pile should now have 1 faceup card and two face down cards underneath.
We’ve just created our shops for the players to scavenge from.
The top card number tells us what the Prompt is for that shop. This is a list of names given in the rules. Such as, Wisdom, Luxury, Power, etc. You can come up with the rest of the name of the shop yourself. If one of the piles has 6 as the top visible card the Prompt indicates it is an Eletrical store, so we could call it, Roberts Bits and Bobs. So we know what type of items might be in that store. (We will go into what our players want later on).
We take the remaining cards we didn’t draw and shuffle the two jokers into it that pile to create the “main deck”. The players will be drawing from this Main deck during the game when scavenging through the shops.
The court cards are shuffled and set aside as the Zombie Deck. We draw from this deck when the players are attacked by the zombies.
This completes the set up!
Before we go on, let’s discuss what our players are looking for during the game.
The group first discuss what things the colony needs to survive. (e.g. food, batteries, heating, clothes, medicine, entertainment).
Once they have decided on 5 needs this will be the basis for your players to focus on what they are scavenging for. So lets look now at how to scavenge the mall!
Scavenging examples
During the game the players will be scavenging for supplies by looking through the shops. Mechanically this is by searching through the piles of cards one after another.
Example. Rosie, a widowed survivor of the colony has spotted Roberts Bits and Bobs and decides to scavenge through the shop to find some useful tools for the colony.
Rosie describes how she would find her husband, Barry in the shop every time they went to the mall together thumbing through the bargain bins looking for a great deal on hammers. It would annoy her at the time, but now it just makes her miss him even more.
The more narrative detail the better in this game, encourage your players to really go ham in their descriptions taking as long as they want.
The GM now turns over the related pile of cards with the number 6 on and shows the group what they have found with their initial scavenge.
The cards turned over now read the following. 6 hearts, 6 of spades, and 10 of spades.
So, what are we looking for here?
The players are trying to find one of three outcomes related to a poker hand. This being a “three of a kind”, aka 3x3, or 3, 10’s, etc. A straight flush, aka, 123 of hearts. If this outcome is reached the players “You find more than what you need. Describe how the item fulfils one of the needs, and how it's better than what you expected.” Or, a Straight or flush, this is 123, in any suit or 3 cards all hearts, spades, etc. If they get this outcome, “You find what you need. Describe how the item fulfils one of the needs.” and lastly, a pair, aka, 2x2’s or 2,10s, etc. If this is the outcome, “You find something, but it is either defective or of an inferior quality. Elaborate on the details.”
If none of these outcomes happen, they find nothing of use, aka, it doesn’t match any of the groups needs for the colony.
Push your luck
Now, what happens if the first three cards don’t give them what they want? Well, they can push their luck and draw from the main deck, (the ones with now jokes, aka zombies in..oooooo).
Rosie draws “6 hearts, 6 of spades, and 10 of spades” That’s two spades, with is close to a flush, and two 6’s which is close to a three of kind.
Rosie decides to draw from the main deck and “pushes her luck”.
When a player pushes their luck, they must describe what they’re doing to do this. e.g. breaking down a locked door, removing rubble from a blocked corridor, etc).Rosie breaks through the employees only door at the back of the shop.
The GM draws this card from the main deck and adds it to the pile. It’s a 6 of clubs.
This gives Rosie 3, 6’s and a three of a kind. This means “You find more than what you need. Describe how the item fulfils one of the needs, and how it's better than what you expected”.
Rosie describes finding a pile of brand-new tools from saws, hammers, and hand drills, perfect for fixing and building a better shelter for the colony.
These cards are not placed back into the main deck once an area has been scavenged, they stay out in their respective shop piles.
Zombies!
What if Rosie drew a Joker card from the main deck. Well, this is where the brutality of the game comes into play.
Rosie draws a Joker and the GM indicates she stumbled into a zombie attack!
The gm draws a card from the “zombie deck” aka the deck of court cards and tells Rosie what she is facing.
J : You survive by fighting or escaping from the zombies. How did you do it?
Q : You are attacked by an infected survivor (an NPC). Tell us whether you noticed their strange behaviours recently. You are dead.
K: You are attacked by a swarm of zombies. Tell us how you die.
The zombie deck is reshuffled afterwards with the court card being placed back, and the joker is then shuffled back into the main deck.
So how can you mitigate these effects? To have a little more sway or edge over the randomness of the decks?
Character creation:
Creating a character is very simple, each player takes control of a survivor in the zombie apocalypse giving their name, pronouns, and choosing one “special ability”.
These special abilities give the players tools to look through the main deck before drawing from it.
Careful : Look at the top card of the main deck in secret. You may put it at the bottom of the deck.
Daring : Look at the top two cards of the main deck in secret. You may shuffle the deck.
Wise : Look at the top three cards of the main deck in secret. You may put them back in any order.
Scavenging with Special abilities.
Let’s now rewind time and figure out how Rosie could have mitigated the zombie attack!
Rosie has the ability “wise” which means, Look at the top three cards of the main deck in secret. You may put them back in any order.”
She enters Robers bits and bobs, does her description, looks at the cards, “6 hearts, 6 of spades, and 10 of spades”.
She can now use her special ability to look at the top three cards of the main deck in secret. She draws three cards in order, Joker, 6 clubs, 8 spades.
It’s a good thing she checked as she would have drawn a joker. She now puts them back in this order, joker, 8 spades, 6 clubs. So, the next card drawn will be the 6 of clubs.
Escaping
Once the PCs have found all they need, it is time to leave the mall.
Or, if they are dying out too quickly, it’s time to escape and take what they can with them.
Of the remaining surviving characters, a leader is chosen from them who will be drawing from a new set of cards created by the gm.
The leader and push their luck as normal and if a joker is revealed standard zombie attack rules proceed.
Three of a kind / Straight Flush : All remaining PCs escape. Describe how the group outsmart the zombie horde.
Straight / Flush : One PC sacrifices themselves to allow the others to escape. Narrate their sacrifice.
Pair (Only works if you have 1+ remaining PC): The leader can choose a single PC to escape. Describe what happens. (The remaining PCs can find an alternative exit by drawing a new set of three cards.)
None of the above: You cannot escape.
The ending
If the scavenged supplies fulfil all of your needs (with less than half of them defective), and at least one PC is alive. : Your colony thrives. Describe how the living condition improves.
If the scavenged supplies fulfil only some of your needs, and at least one PC is alive: Your colony survives. Describe how the colony aces setbacks from the unfulfilled needs.
If all PCs are dead: Decide as a group if the scavenged supplies reach back to the colony. If so, apply the above ending that fits. If not, apply the ending below.
If you fail to scavenge any items: Your colony collapses. Is there anything left?
and epilogues
surviving players now describe what happened after in the colony, and dead players can describe their after life as a zombie.
Get this game for “pay what you want” on drivethru RPG.

Jan 2024 Rules Feedback Chat

We discuss our thoughts about the rules for the tabletop roleplaying games we played in the past few weeks:  Resolute 2e, Root Quick Start, Christmas Capers, The Witch Is Dead, Adventure Dice, LURPS, Desperado Quickdraw Edition, Dicing With Death, and New Edo.

Rolls Off The Tongue (New Edo)

Zidane, now slightly seasoned, leads newcomers Nugh and Sadie through an alternate version of Niqamui to save reality. Rolls off the Tongue is an actual play podcast of the system "New Edo". 

Trailer for Rolls Off The Tongue

Zidane, now slightly seasoned, leads newcomers Nugh and Sadie through an alternate version of Niqamui to save reality. Rolls off the Tongue is an actual play podcast of the system "New Edo". 

Nugh The Silent Interview

Nugh The Silent Interview

There Can Be Only One (New Edo)

There Can Be Only One is an actual play podcast using the New Edo system. Legends and Godhood are born within Arby, and a Highlander style clash unfolds as Guvo faces his alternate self in New Niqamui. 

Trailer for There Can Be Only One

There Can Be Only One is an actual play podcast using the New Edo system. Legends and Godhood are born within Arby, and a Highlander style clash unfolds as Guvo faces his alternate self in New Niqamui. 

How To Play New Edo

How To Play New Edo, a tabletop roleplaying game. Transcript: Hello! I'm the GM for an upcoming episode of Firebreathing Kittens. I'll be running using the gameplay mechanics from a game called NewEdo, a Neon Samurai role-playing game. This is a rules discussion episode meant to help teach my players and any listeners the basic mechanics of NewEdo so it's easier to begin playing. I'll be going over two main topics. The first topic is character creation, where I'll discuss Paths, Lineages, and the Priority Buy System, that’s B-U-Y buy, with its five associated Priority Abilities. I’ll explain starting equipment and cash at the end of this topic. The second topic is gameplay mechanics. Since NewEdo is a 300 page rulebook, I won't have time to go over every single mechanic, but I will go over mechanics that pertain to some of the characters playing in my upcoming episode, as well as common mechanics used in most TRPGs. I'll also discuss Legend and Fate, two important mechanics that are exclusive to NewEdo.
 
With that said, I'll begin discussing character creation, starting with Paths and Lineages.
 
Paths
 
A Path is similar to a class, but instead of defining your character's archetype going forward, it sets up your character's purpose with some starting features and equipment, allowing you to build yourself however you want. You can decide which Path best suits you and what it provides starting on page 72.
 
Lineages
 
A Lineage is what would be considered a race in other TRPGs. With the exception of Hisanaka, you have unrestricted access to all Lineages, each with two Cultures to choose from, providing unique gameplay differences. Hisanaka is a special Lineage only available with a Priority A Ranking in Augmentations, and has no special Culture. Lineages are found starting on page 132.
 
The Priority Buy System
 
After deciding your Path and Lineage, you need to decide what order you prioritize your Priority Abilities. You have five Priority Abilities to consider:
 
● Backgrounds
 
● Magic
 
● Augmentations
 
● Skills
 
● and Core Traits
 
You must assign Ranks A through E (highest to lowest) between these five Priority Abilities in order to determine your character building resources. Refer to the Priority Buy Resource Allocation Table on page 58 to know what you get at each Rank.
 
Backgrounds
 
Backgrounds are associated with your character's backstory and grant certain benefits. There are five Backgrounds you can invest points into:
 
● Contacts
 
● Followers
 
● Soul
 
● Status
 
● and Wealth
 
You can study up on what each Background provides at each Rank starting on page 144. Refer to the Background Score to Rank table on the same page to know how many points are needed to increase your Rank. All Backgrounds begin with 1 point each, and no Background may be higher than 61 at character creation.
 
Magic
 
Depending on your Path, Lineage, and Priority Rank, you can gain access to Magic. If you’re looking for a Path with access to multiple spells, called Rotes in this system, choose Shugonshi. If you just need a single Rote, such as an attack or heal, look through TIer Zero through Three for an appropriate Rote, then choose D through A for a Magic Priority Rank that gives you access to the Rote you chose. Keep in mind the Casting Skill associated with each Rote, as you need to roll that Skill plus Shinpi Rank to cast.
 
When you gain access to Magic through methods mentioned earlier, you should receive a bonus amount of Shinpi. Shinpi is a special Core Trait that, unlike other Core Traits, begins at zero instead of ten. You’ll need to raise your Shinpi Rank through bonuses mentioned previously and Trait points received from Priority Buy in order to cast Magic effectively.
 
If you happen to choose the Shugonshi Path, Awakened Kitsune Lineage, or Priority A Magic, you gain access to a Mikata Kami. You can choose any Kami you have access to and gain the associated Mikata Kami bonus. A Mikata Kami is also a pet with its own character sheet. For more details, read pg. 268 through 274.
 
Augmentations
 
Each Augmentation, or Aug, has a Noise Rating and Biofeedback Percentage. The points from the Priority Buy System are spent on the combined Noise Ratings of each Aug you get. If you increase an Aug’s Rank, you multiply the Noise cost by the Aug’s Rank. You need to have enough Core Trait points to install any Augs. If the combined Noise of a single Trait from all Augs exceeds the associated Trait, you can’t install anymore with that Trait.
 
For any leftover points, you can spend four points for a permanent 1d4 bonus to any Skill. This doesn’t count as a Skill Rank; rather it’s an external bonus to those Skill rolls. Any other leftover points may be added to the Wealth Background one for one.
 
Biofeedback Percentage is added to the Fate Card for each Aug you gain. Keep in mind the percentage does not multiply with each Aug Rank. So if you install a Rank 5 Aug with 1% Biofeedback, it’s still 1%.
 
Skills
 
The list of Skills starts on pg. 191. You have a certain amount of dice to spend on Skills called Focus. You’re limited to three Focus per Skill at character creation. Each Focus you put into a Skill increases that Skill’s Rank, which may grant a bonus. Bonuses can be found under each Skill’s description.
 
Traits
 
There are seven Core Traits to choose from:
 
● Heart
 
● Power
 
● Reflex
 
● Presence
 
● Perception
 
● Savvy
 
● and Shinpi
 
Each of them, except Shinpi, begin with ten points. Shinpi begins with zero. For every ten points in a Trait, you gain a d10 to all associated checks. You can only invest up to 15 points in any Trait, though bonuses from things like Lineage and Backgrounds don’t count towards this limit. At the end of character creation, your highest Trait becomes your starting Legend Score. There are also four Derived Traits that are affected by the previously mentioned Core Traits:
 
● Resolve
 
● Move
 
● Initiative
 
● and Defence
 
Starting Equipment and Cash
 
You gain basic starting equipment from your Path. The Path descriptions each include a note on starting equipment, and all of them grant at least one weapon. That weapon, and any other items, will be described only by its Quality rating. You can look up item qualities on the tables in Chapter 13 starting on pg. 233. In addition, you start with cash equal to a Wealth roll, 1d10 per Rank in the Background, times 100.
 
That wraps up Character Creation. I’ll now begin going over various combat mechanics that my players and I will be using in our upcoming session. Again, this won’t be a list of every mechanic in the 300 page rulebook, but I’ll be going over some universal actions and their mechanics in NewEdo. I’ll end with an explanation of this system’s unique Legend and Fate mechanics.
 
Movement
 
One of the first things everyone needs to understand in any TRPG is movement. In NewEdo, your Move determines how many metres you can shift per turn. Move is equal to your Reflex and Heart Trait divided by your Size rounded up.
 
Moving takes up a Move Action, which is one of three types of actions a character can make on their turn. The three types of actions are:
 
● Move Action
 
● Quick Action
 
● and Full Action
 
You can make one of each of these actions per turn. As I mentioned earlier, moving uses up a Move Action, however there may be other actions that specify using a Move Action other than just moving, such as Taking Aim or driving a vehicle.
 
Attacking
 
Another common mechanic in any TRPG is attacking. An attack is usually a Full Action, but can also be a Quick Action in some cases. Two common types of attacks are Melee and Projectile. I’ll explain the mechanics of each.
 
● Melee Attacks are made by rolling Power plus the appropriate weapon Skill, and your
 
Target Number is your opponent’s Defence.
 
● Projectile Attacks are made by rolling Perception plus the appropriate weapon Skill, and
 
your Target Number is your opponent’s Size multiplied by your weapon’s Range Modifier.
 
○ You may call Raises before attacking to increase damage. Each Raise adds five
 
to your Target Number, but increases the weapon’s damage by 1d10. After hitting with an attack, you need to roll for damage. Here’s what you need to roll:
 
● For Melee, roll Power plus the weapon’s damage dice.
 
● For Projectile, roll the weapon’s damage dice. Remember to add any d10’s from Raises.
 
Taking Aim, Advantages, and Disadvantages
 
When setting up for a Projectile Attack, you can use your Move Action to Take Aim in order to gain an Advantage. An Advantage is simply an extra d10 added to a roll, one that can explode like a Trait dice. A Disadvantage is the opposite, removing a d10 from a roll. If there are no d10’s remaining, you remove the highest dice instead. Advantages and Disadvantages come up in many different scenarios, and can cancel each other out if both are present. Taking Aim is one of the most common ways to gain an advantage in combat.
 
Rolling Skill Checks
 
To determine what dice you roll during an attack or skill check, you need to check the appropriate Trait and Skill. For your Trait, the tens place of your Trait determines how many d10 you can roll for the check. Keep in mind that d10’s explode, meaning that if you roll a ten, you can re-roll that dice and add the next result to the total. After determining how many d10’s from your Trait, add the Focus Dice from the appropriate Skill. These dice can range from a d4 to d12, but they don’t explode on rolling max. The Target Number of non combat related skill checks is determined by the GM based on the difficulty. A Sample Contest Target Number table can be found on pg. 212.
 
Casting Magic
 
Similar to attacks and skill checks, casting magic also uses a Trait and Skill. All Rotes use Shinpi as its Trait, and with the exception of the four Common Rotes, all Rotes have an associated Skill that is rolled when casting. For example, the Soothe Rote uses the Meditation Skill, so if you plan on using Soothe, it's recommended you also have training in Meditation. You can find a list of all Rotes starting on pg. 158. Each Rote lists the following:
 
● Name
 
● Action
 
● Target Number
 
● Legend Cost
 
● Range
 
● Duration
 
● Casting Skill
 
● and a Description
 
Restoring Legend
 
If you find yourself casting a lot of magic and running out of Temporary Legend, you can use your Followers Background to restore some lost Legend Points. Rolling for Followers takes a Full Action, and you roll d10’s equal to your Followers Rank. You can roll Followers once per session.
 
Stealth
 
To make an attempt at Stealth, there must be some reasonable chance of you not being seen: darkness, fog, a distraction, someone or something blocking sight of you. You don’t necessarily need to know where your (potential) observers are to attempt Stealth, but if you’re able to scout out all observers (guards, cameras, etc.) prior to or during your Stealth attempt, you gain Advantage on subsequent Stealth rolls.
 
A Stealth roll is made as an Opposed Contest, where the character attempting Stealth rolls Reflex plus the Stealth Skill against any opponent’s passive or active Perception. Passive Perception is a Free Action, rolled using only Perception, and is for situations where no one’s actively watching. Active Perception is a Quick Action Interrupt, rolled using either Perception plus Survival or Perception plus Investigation.
 
While in Stealth, you may only move at half your Move speed and must end your turn obscured or hidden in some way, or you immediately lose Stealth. If you dash across an open space while in Stealth, you may become Exposed if any observers catch sight of you.
 
Cover
 
Cover can only protect you from Ranged attacks. There are three types of Cover:
 
● No Cover: Protects less than 30% of your body. Provides no bonuses.
 
● Half Cover: Protects between 30 to 95% of your body. Ranged Attacks against you have
 
Disadvantage.
 
● Full Cover: Only 5% of your body is exposed. You can’t be targeted by Ranged Attacks
 
barring a few exceptions.
 
With some of the basic mechanics out of the way, I’d like to focus on some specific Skills that certain players for my upcoming game have chosen. There are 37 different Skills to choose in NewEdo, so this is only a small fraction of what’s available.
 
Dodge
 
Dodge is a unique Skill that adds to a character’s Defence against Melee Attacks. An invaluable Skill for an up close and personal fighter. At Rank 3, you can start Dodging Projectile Attacks. Dodging is a Quick Action Interrupt, so it’s useful in conjunction with moving and acting while being attacked. Perfect for a martial fighter or ninja.
 
Banter
 
A fun social Skill that uses the Reflex Trait. Banter is used to steer a conversation with multiple people, helping or hindering others. At Ranks 2 and 3, you gain the Abilities Chime In and Burn, which allow you to make a Quick Action Interrupt to either add or subtract your Banter Roll from someone else’s Social Roll.
 
Athletics
 
Like in most TRPG’s, Athletics is your physical prowess in running, jumping, climbing, swimming, etc. In NewEdo, you unlock some special bonuses at later Ranks. At Rank 2, your Climb, Swim, and Lifting modifiers all increased. At Rank 3, you gain Tumble, an ability that allows you to reduce falling damage by the amount rolled from an Athletics Check.
 
Unarmed
 
Unarmed is your ability to fight without a weapon. It increases your ability to Grapple, and quickly increases damage to unarmed attack early on at Ranks 1 and 2. At Rank 3, you gain the ability to call Raises with unarmed attacks, a mechanic usually reserved to Projectile Attacks.
 
Tactics
 
Tactics checks are made right before the beginning of a fight. The leaders of both squads roll Savvy plus Tactics plus 1d10 for every active teammate to determine who’s superior. The losing team begins combat Demoralized, a status condition that reduces their Initiative and Resolve by 5 each, and they can no longer take Quick Action Interrupt Attacks against Exposed targets.
 
If you need to look up other Skills and what bonuses you get at each rank, begin on pg. 191. I’ll finish things up by going over two of NewEdo’s unique mechanics: Legend and Fate.
 
Legend
 
Legend is your character’s overall power level, and measures how “Legendary” you are in the world. At a certain Legend ranking, your Path is increased, giving you new abilities. In addition to acting as your power level, it also fuels a resource known as Temporary Legend. Your Temporary Legend is restored between sessions, and it’s used to cast Rotes and activate certain abilities, usually from Skill Ranks. It also acts as a last ditch HP Pool, known as Burning Legend. If you take damage past zero, you begin burning through Temporary Legend. Once all of your HP and Temporary Legend are depleted, you die for good.
 
Fate
 
Every character has a Fate Card, which acts as a personal random d100 roll chart. There are many things you can add to your Fate Card that come from character creation. You can roll for Fate once per turn, unless otherwise specified, to gamble for good fortune versus bad luck. When rolling for Fate, it’s important to remember you can only roll when there are stakes, and only before you roll for a normal check. If you roll a Critical Success, you automatically succeed. Rolling a Botch means you automatically fail.
 
And that concludes this episode of Rules Explanation for NewEdo! I hope that my players can use this to help prepare them for their upcoming game, but it should be noted that there’s much more to learn than what was mentioned here. I encourage my players and anyone else listening to read up on more of the rules, especially those that pertain to your character. This is a large game, so it’ll require a lot of trial and error, even for veterans like myself, however this system holds a lot of potential for detailed character development, tactical combat, and immersive storytelling. If you haven’t picked this game up yet, and it sounds interesting, please consider buying it from Salty dash Games dot com. That’s Salty, HYPHEN, Games dot com. If you still aren’t convinced, please listen to my upcoming episode, listen in on our game, and decide then! Thank you, and goodbye!

Dead Ringers (Dicing With Death)

Dead Ringers is an actual play podcast using the Dicing with Death TTRPG system. Join Arby, Bo, and Mary as they navigate through the Land of the Dead, meeting old faces and working to return home. 

Trailer for Dead Ringers

Dead Ringers is an actual play podcast using the Dicing with Death TTRPG system. Join Arby, Bo, and Mary as they navigate through the Land of the Dead, meeting old faces and working to return home.