[Other] AFMBE: The Knox Event (Zombie Apocalypse)

[Skryptik]

July 4th, 1993 - Muldraugh, Kentucky... It was a day like any other... except of course for it being the biggest holiday of the summer. Much like the rest of the country there was a celebration planned for the residents of this small northern Kentucky town. It was Independence Day after all, a time for all Americans to come together and wave flags while watching parades and stuffing their faces with beer and barbecue. The holiday held special significance for the residents of Muldraugh however as the entire town sits right on the outskirts of the Fort Knox military base. The parade started early with a small convoy of vehicles and floats gathered on the Dixie Interstate leading out of town to Louisville. Nearly everyone in town - both locals and out of towners - gathered along both sides of Main Street as the first group of marching veterans emerged from the billowy mid-morning fog. The tune of patriotic drums and pipes resounded clearly above the chorus of applause and cheers from the crowd. Directly behind them came the mechanical clatter of a tracked vehicle surging forward along the pavement. The M1 Abrams tank in all of it's majesty, escorted by a single file procession of younger heavy armored infantry soldiers on each side. Children pointed and clapped excitedly and the cheers from the crowd grew even louder. The procession continued in much the same fashion with a variety of military vehicles and uniformed soldiers marching beside. Scattered amongst them were floats decorated and operated by most of the local businesses. The Spiffos mascot, a giant bear, was always a local favorite and he danced merrily in front of a coasting vehicle that was remodeled into a giant hamburger. Employees dressed in green aprons and wearing paper hats waved to the crowd as they walked beside it. No doubt plenty of the gathered found themselves craving a Double Spiffo with Cheese as the living commercial passed by. Eventually the parade line would progress further along the road and start advancing into the deeper parts of the base where most of the enlisted and their families waited. Many from the little town of Muldraugh would trail behind to meet up with friends or join the parade themselves. The rest of the crowd would soon disperse, each headed to some other festivity planned for the day. Columns of grill smoke wafted into the air all over the scattered neighborhoods and a fireworks show was being set up on nearly every block. As the holiday moved from mid afternoon to early evening, the music and laughter from the distant parade still carried from the distance. Strange that noone heard the screams... or if they did, they thought nothing of it.

The outbreak started late in the day on July 4th by all available evidence. Further details than that are all speculative as everyone has a different story. The news reports were broadcasting on emergency signals well throughout the night. The few facts they were able to piece together came from a scattering of reports coming in both from their field crews covering the parade and regular citizens calling in to provide eye witness accounts. What most people seemed to agree on was that someone or something just started attacking people in the crowd as the parade was approaching the air field. Then it was more then just one... and then it was just chaos. The entire gathering turned frantic with people screaming and running, carrying children, leaping or trampling over those who had fallen in the panic. Some reports said that there were also people who didn't look like they were running away but actually chasing people that were. Covered in blood and looking half crazed. The military personnel both in the parade and in the audience quickly marshalled together to try and secure the scene but many witnesses claimed most of the first responders were overpowered quickly. What they said next is where the true horror begins. Nearly all of them would claim with an unquestionable shake in their voices that each and every one of the soldiers who fell would get back up and start attacking people with the rest of the crazies. This had to be some kind of infection or disease that was spreading on immediate contact. At this point in time there were more questions than answers but the anchors on the broadcast would all repeat the same instructions over and over. The main theme being that everyone should stay indoors, do not leave the house and wait for the military to lock things down. Fortunately for those who didn't have the supplies to hold out long the military was able to get things somewhat under control within 36 hours. A large section of the town had been blocked off into a makeshift "quarantine zone" and fire teams were beginning the arduous process of evacuating all of the nearby homes. Out of a population of 940, not counting visitors, there were maybe 120 or so people left in the quarantine zone. Many of these survivors were showing signs of fever and flue like symptoms filling up the field tents propped up as an impromptu infirmary. On the morning of July 7th, the first of the patients in the infirmary succumbed to infection. In a matter of minutes the entire camp was overrun. Small pocket groups were able to make it out and scattered in all directions. You are the survivors in one of these groups.

You don't have to own the book to play but the digital copy is fairly cheap and on sale I believe still through the end of the month at DrivethruRPG. As I said though, the book is not required. The dice system overall is pretty simplistic and I prefer to only use the rules as a framework for combat and some skill based challenges. If you are particular about the meta and character building the book is highly suggested however. The character type for this game will be Survivor. I'm looking for a more realistic and gritty style so no Inspired for this run at least. Starting points as follows: Attributes: 20 points Qualities: 15 points Drawbacks: Can take up to 10 points worth Skills: 35 points Note: Starting equipment will be limited at game start due to the urgency of the situation. At best, 1 common melee weapon and a scattering of survival gear that was scrounged together in the rush to flee the overwhelmed quarantine zone. The resources quality and some skill checks might come into play similar to an acquisitions check in other systems.

1	The game is set in 1993 so the technology level will be treated as such. No pulling up google maps on the Iphone or anything.
2	Muldraugh is a real town on the outskirts of the Fort Knox military base. I am not going to try to make it super true to life but real world places and history relative to the time period are free to rely on for character narratives. Just remember a lot of places that exist today would not have existed in 1993.
3	I plan to run this game fairly sandboxy. The opening scene will be described in lots of detail with a fairly specific circumstance and it will be up to the players to decide what their best course of action is. From there, the narrative is intended to be player driven. I have some events and story points prepared depending on what actions are taken in the general area of the town as well.
4	I will be timekeeping as best makes sense to what is taking place in character and there will be time sensitive events. I will have examples of this when the game board is set up.
5	Lastly, I don't know if I want this to be a super long term game. I've been itching to run AFMBE so there might be an end goal of getting to a safe zone and bracketing a happily ever after on the end. I doubt it goes that well though, it will still be a decent chunk of time to get anywhere significant in terms of a story.

Please don't submit a finished character or character sheet when applying. I will be putting together more information for that on the game board as it gets set up. Just give me a fairly specific idea of what kind of character you want to play in this. You can mention an archetype you want to use or a particular skillset/qualities/drawbacks you might be considering if it helps flesh things out. The Basics: Name: Age: Personality: Description: The Narrative Points: You can write these all out in one long narrative response or hit them all in similar bullet points in maybe a paragraph or two each Why are you in Muldraugh for the 4th of July? What are you doing when the attacks start happening and everyone is told to get indoors to safety? What role do you play in helping other survivors and/or the military in establishing and securing a quarantine zone in the middle of downtown? How do you escape when the zone is overrun and what do you do next? The Plot Drivers - Name up to three goals your character might have both long term or short term. We can assume surviving is a given. What are the deeper drivers for your character's motivation? Some examples: Trying to find lost loved ones Curiosity drives you to find out what exactly is going on Your scientific mind wants to study the infection in hopes of finding a cure Get as many people to safety as possible The dead are cursed, kill them all Spiritual or Religious motivations Just doing anything and everything to hold on to hope I will be on a long vacation for the first half of August and be ready to roll the day I get back. Ideally hoping for 4 people so if there's 4 apps by then I'm happy. If there is more than 4 I will pick what I think makes the best group. I'm sure I'll take way more than 4 if there's enough interest but I'll cross that bridge when it comes. Feel free to hit me up with any questions, theories, ideas or whatnot in the meantime. Regular Guy Thomas Neede 32 year old male paramedic OneDarkness Tia Malone 11 year old female survivor Stormhammer Ryan Cardinale 21 year old male bowling alley attendant psuedenim Ray McKinney 41 year old male scout Leader In the Mix Felicity DeMott 18 year old female college hopeful Palliven Barry Ellison 17 year old male high school band member Silver Priest Sonja Reynolds 28 year old female reporter Posted Interest

[OneDarkness]

I know absolutely nothing about the game system but I have always liked this theme (walking dead, world War z, resident evil, etc) so mark me down as interested.

[Skryptik]

Originally Posted by OneDarkness

I know absolutely nothing about the game system but I have always liked this theme (walking dead, world War z, resident evil, etc) so mark me down as interested.

Awsome, thanks for the interest!

It's a somewhate straight forward system with some tangibles that correlate to what you have already probably seen in others. I have played this system as a card game with friends before and it's really fun.

I'll share this review with you to give a decent breakdown of it. Direct quote below:

All tasks are resolved by someone rolling 1d10 + attribute + skill + relevant modifiers and aiming for a total of 9 or better, with benefits for additional levels of success every few points beyond 9. Weapons inflict damage multiplied by the strength of the attacker, for hand-to-hand combat, or by a fixed number, for ranged weapons. Life points track lasting physical damage, endurance points track fatigue that doesn't involve real wounds, and essence points track magical energy for those with supernatural power and overall morale and determination for others.

I'm not going for a supernatural game which is where a lot of the more intricate meta comes into play which is why I don't think it's super necessary to have the book. All of the mechanics can be done by me if needed and it translates decently to PbP. I can provide an archetype sheet for those new to the system and work with you on moving points around or replacing things that don't fit well. The narrative aspect is the focus.

[zevonian]

Moderator Note- Thread title edited.

[Regular Guy]

Love to join. I've been reading up on AFMBE this summer and was hoping to run a game this fall.

Originally Posted by Skryptik

I can provide an archetype sheet for those new to the system and work with you on moving points around or replacing things that don't fit well. The narrative aspect is the focus.

This would be outstanding. Much appreciated!

Literally off the top of my head: I'm thinking my character would be a paramedic or a police officer. Someone from nearby Radcliff, Ky who was in town to help staff the parade for Emergency Services and then thrown into service. Open to any and all criticism:

The Basics:

• Name: Thomas Neede
• Age: 32
• Personality: Helpful, funny
• Description: 5'11', 195lbs; Brown hair, perfectly trimmed mustache

The Narrative Points: You can write these all out in one long narrative response or hit them all in similar bullet points in maybe a paragraph or two each

• Why are you in Muldraugh for the 4th of July? Thomas is a paramedic from the nearby town of Radcliff. He was stationed along the parade route as supplemental emergency services
• What are you doing when the attacks start happening and everyone is told to get indoors to safety? Thomas would be in the street trying prevent panic and funneling people into safe areas. He would be assisting the injured.
• What role do you play in helping other survivors and/or the military in establishing and securing a quarantine zone in the middle of downtown? He would be embedded with a team as a medic to go in and help find survivors or tend to the military wounded.
• How do you escape when the zone is overrun and what do you do next? Thomas would probably be on a military transport or in an ambulance and would try to help out with the wounded.

The Plot Drivers - Name up to three goals your character might have both long term or short term. We can assume surviving is a given. What are the deeper drivers for your character's motivation? Some examples:

• Curiosity drives you to find out what exactly is going on
• Get as many people to safety as possible
• Just doing anything and everything to hold on to hope

I will be on a long vacation for the first half of August and be ready to roll the day I get back. Ideally hoping for 4 people so if there's 4 apps by then I'm happy. If there is more than 4 I will pick what I think makes the best group. I'm sure I'll take way more than 4 if there's enough interest but I'll cross that bridge when it comes. Feel free to hit me up with any questions, theories, ideas or whatnot in the meantime.

Same. I'll be out of town 8/2-8/9.

[psuedenim]

Take this as a placeholder of interest as I have some other games I applied to but I dont want to over-promise on my commitments.

I can see a lot of questions being thrown your way about the local geography and what may or may not be in the area or do you have maps from the time that we can access (going by what I saw in TWD - an orienteering show with Zombies).

Basics Name: Ray McKinney Age: 41 Personality: Outwardly confident but inside he is full of doubts. Feels like he has a good sense of humour and a generally decent nature. Still coming to terms with his divorce 5 years ago. Description: Middle aged man with light brown hair, brown eyes and a goatee beard. Works as a mid-manager in the local bank and volunteers as a scout leader. He got involved with scouts to make up for his Divorce. The divorce impacted his sense of manliness and usefulness as a typical breadwinner so he thought volunteering would redeem some of that and outdoorsy stuff is always seen as a a macho activity. He's been doing this for about 4 years and its become his main sense of 'identity' to the point that he believes he could survive anywhere with the skills he's learnt and shares with the scouts. Unfortunately this isnt entirely accurate as they still require a vehicle to haul a lot of their gear and has never actually hunted or cooked without gas.

The Narrative Points: Why are you in Muldraugh Ray has lived in Muldraugh for over 12 years, moving there to be closer to his wifes family when they had their first child, they have 2 kids now but got divorced leaving Ray in a bit of a mess. Why are you in Muldraugh for the 4th of July Ray had spent most of the prior weekend helping set up for the Scouts part in the celebrations. He was manning the promotions and sign up tent and was pretty please with the posters he had ordered and the camping kit samples he had out on the tables. Getting real photos from past activities had been a pain as every parent had to consent and that had turned out to be a minefield so he asked the more arty scout kids to draw some 'stuff'. Still it was looking good and they had a good spot near the end of parade before it hit the base so he was expecting a lot of interest What are you doing when the attacks start happening and everyone is told to get indoors to safety? It was the end of the day and Ray had seen a lot of folks (over half of them being half-cut on warm beer) and was pleased that he had run out of signup cards. He suspected most would be forgotten about but Ray was of the opinion that scouts worked best with smaller groups. He felt it was more tactical and found he couldn't manage games of red vs blue when there more than 6 kids per team - never mind all that cooking and cleaning up as well. It was time for Ray to get some beers in and thankfully one of the scout dads had turned up to haul all the gear back to the container they rented at the back of the local hardware store. As they were trying to take down the main tent they could hear a change in the crowds and started seeing people heading back from the base, then it turned into a larger group and they were running. Quite a few fell into Ray, the tent and his friend and they just backed off and climbed into his friends truck. The tent could be reclaimed later when the crowd had settled down. Ray reckoned some idiot had set off some fireworks in the base and the military had got over excited and were moving folks out. Then things got bad, real bad! Good job they were in the truck as Rays friend managed to drive him home in one piece (physically at least) but some things Ray was still struggling to process. Ray never found out if his friend got home safe as the phone lines weren't working and the local radio was telling everyone to stay home and then later to get What role do you play in helping other survivors and/or the military in establishing and securing a quarantine zone in the middle of downtown? None - Ray barricaded himself at home and spent all night trying to figure out what he had at home to help him survive. He was looking at that survivalist situation he thought he was ready for and realised that his fantasies had been crushed by reality. How do you escape when the zone is overrun and what do you do next? Ray had run out of decent food after the first day and knew he should find more before he became hungry and dehydrated as his judgement would be worse. He also wanted to get at the scouts gear, pick up some basic camping gear and get out of town, the sights and sounds recently had been horrifying and Ray was sure he would die if he stayed here any longer. He also understood a little more about the divorce as he had realised how selfish he was about his own survival and hadn't tried to contact to his ex wife. Fortunately both kids had been sent to stay with grandparent up-state and for now Ray thought this problem was confined to his town. He headed over to the hardware store on his bike with his backpack, hoping that if he stuck to the edge of town he would miss most of the terror. When he got there the container was locked up and the store seemed to have burnt down. Desperation and what might be panic were slowly filling up Ray's mind when he saw a bunch of other people heading out of the zone, they were moving normally as in fast and scared and Ray decided this was the time to make his break.

The Plot Drivers Ray wants to get to his kids and make sure they're safe Ray needs to understand what is going so he can rationalise it all and pretend there is a way to fix everything Ray needs to find himself again after losing his confidence etc. after his divorce

[Stormhammer]

WIP…

Name: Ryan Cardinale
Age: 21
Occupation: Bowling alley attendant

Appearance: Ryan is tall and lanky, with a toned musculature. His black hair is styled into a devilock, a hairstyle made popular by the Misfits; he also wears a cross earring in his left ear. He typically wears a leather jacket, with skinny jeans and black combat boots. He always carries a switchblade in his pocket.

Personality: Ryan is cocky and brash. He is not easily intimidated — even when he is intimidated, he is good at maintaining a cool, confident demeanor.

Background: Ryan was born in 1965 in Santa Monica, California. His father, Benjamin Callahan, was a respected detective (sergeant) in the Santa Monica Police Department. Due to extraneous work hours, Ryan did not see his father much and grew resentful of the man, as well as the police as a whole. As a teenager, he started wearing a leather jacket, with his black hair styled into a devilock.

Ryan spent his nights at various underground hardcore scenes in Los Angeles. At the age of 19, he had already been arrested twice, once for weapon charges (carrying a switchblade) and once for aggravated assault. His family decided to get a fresh start in Kentucky, far from the chaos of Los Angeles. He got a job as an attendant at a small bowling alley.

RP Sample: It had been a crappy night at work. Ryan had been a few minutes late and had gotten reamed out. Then the machine on 19 started broke down every couple of frames. It was a total piece of s***! When his shift finally ended, Ryan barged out of the backdoor. He was in a hurry to get home and relax. Firing up his old motorcycle, Ryan peeled out of the parking lot. The rear tire protested, squealing and smoking against the pavement. As he sped off towards home, he began to notice that the streets around him were beginning to grow quiet. Too quiet! There was something almost surreal about the silence. On a Friday night, the city should have been bustling. But there wasn't so much as a living soul in sight! Finally arriving at the apartment complex where he lived, Ryan stolled carelessly into the foyer. That was when his nightmare truly began! Laying crumpled on the floor was one of his neighbors, a young girl named Samantha. Crouched overtop of her was a young man whose clothes were saturated with the girl's blood. The murderer quickly stood up, stumbling drunkenly towards Ryan. The smell of rotting flesh assaulted Ryan’s nostrils. Ryan backed off and ran for his bike. Starting it up, he sped off towards town. On his way down the road, several shadowy figures reached out with rotting hands, trying to grasp the passing motorist...

[Skryptik]

Originally Posted by psuedenim

Take this as a placeholder of interest as I have some other games I applied to but I dont want to over-promise on my commitments.

Perfectly understandable.

Originally Posted by psuedenim

I can see a lot of questions being thrown your way about the local geography and what may or may not be in the area or do you have maps from the time that we can access (going by what I saw in TWD - an orienteering show with Zombies).

There will be maps available at game start and throughout. I love making maps. Also, always receptive to questions that help flesh out the play, dice willing that is.

[OneDarkness]

Character App Tia Malone Female, Afro Latino, Age 11 Description Tia, or T, is a bit on the skinny side with thick black hair that she keeps pulled back in a pony tail so it doesnt get in her way. Dark of skin certainly made most people think african american but as soon as she starts taking you can hear the latino in her. She wears basic clothing, nothing special or designer, just what ever should get out of the charity bins or acquire when things were left unattended. She lacks any truly distinguishing features, and while she is certainly young, she comes across with a sense of confidence that makes you think she may be a couple years older. Narrative Points A native of Muldraugh, Tia's mom grew up here and took server or bartender jobs to put food on the table and clothes on Tia's back, she was hard working but not without her flaws which included a well hidden drug problem. Tia's dad was one of the service men who went a little further than most from base and caught the eye of Tia's mom, they had just one weekend between them but it was enough to conceive Tia. Tia has a well worn picture of her father and mother that was taken in one of those coin operated photo booths and is one of her prized possessions, as unfortunately her mother overdosed on a bad batch of something and Tia's father shipped out never knowing he had a daughter. 4th of July always hit kind of hard for Tia as it was about friends, family and food which were things that were in short supply in her life. This 4th of July was no different she had stuck with the crowds looking to steal some food or something unattended that might be of interest, she had just scored a small cooler bag of snacks that was unattended when the small hairs on arms stood upright at attention and something just felt off. She had already started moving away from the crowds when she heard the screaming, and before she even knew what was happening she was down an alley, up a drain pipe and on the roof of one of the downtown shops overlooking the parade. Things got quickly out of hand and what unfolded still causes Tia to shake a little, the things she saw were just not right. Needless to say she stayed on the high ground for a time, and even helped a few others come up by letting down a service ladder, though they kept pulling the ladder back up to be on the safe side. Tia was quick to help other secure food and even picked the lock to gain access to the store below, where she found food and water for those hiding out with her. As the military moved in with others to set up a safe zone she followed along with them, and happily helped scout ahead and scavenge for items of use for those that needed it. When the safe zone collapsed Tia was one of the first to get that bump of trouble, and she tried to warn anybody who would listen but when the screams started happening she was focused on getting somewhere safe and high where she could get a better view of what was going down. Some others had broken away and were making a break for it so she slipped in with them with the hopes that added numbers might give her a better shot at surviving whatever this was. Plot Drivers 1) If she could have anything in the world she would love to find her Dad who she hopes would love and protect her, but she knows little more than his first name and what he looked like almost twelve years ago. 2) Protect her pet cat mittens who rides around in her backpack, its the one constant thing in her life after the death of her Mother. 3) Save as many people as possible and find a new home, the world is a lonely place and even though being in the quarantine zone was a necessary evil it was nice to have all the people around and some even took the time to learn her name.   wip

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[Regular Guy]

WIP...

Character App Thomas Neede Male, Caucasian, Age 32 Description Thomas Neede is the consummate character. Joking, funny, and a bit of gallows humor helps keep him sane. Thomas is taller than average, but thin. Working late nights doesn't allow him to keep as healthy a diet as he wants, but he tries to stay away from the heart attack in a sack and rely on energy or granola bars. Neede keeps his stethoscope around his neck, lightly velcroed to his collar. His uniform of the local Radcliff EMS has some wear and fade to it but he is impeccably clean, close shaved, and his hair is neatly slicked back. Always with a smile, Thomas is disarming and comforting to all of his patients and partners alike. Narrative Points Some might call him brash, or unprofessional, but even at his age he's seen it all. Starting in Emergency Services at 18 as a volunteer firefighter, he wasn't able to 'officially' become a paramedic until he turned 21. He spent the later years of his teens working odd jobs in Radcliff and eventually working his way into Muldraugh. It was there he befriended many of the first responders there and usually was the ambulance team that provided mutual assistance to Muldraugh stations. It was July 4th that found Thomas in town again assisting the residents and professionals of Muldraugh. He always favored the DQ there over the one in Radcliff. Maybe it was Emily, maybe it was the ice cream. Either way, he made it a point to stop there whenever he could. He had just arrived in the parking lot when he heard the call go out over the radio. Thomas could only manage a slight wave to Emily before he flipped on the lights and siren and headed in the direction of the call. Once on sight, Thomas still couldn't believe what he saw. People covered in blood, some stumbling, some crawling. He initially called it in as a mass casualty event, but as soon as he depressed the button on his radio, he knew that something wasn't right. Running up the street he began screaming for everyone to get inside and lock their doors. Clearing the street as best he could, he returned to the ambulance and piled in who he could before heading to Muldraugh's Fire Station. Neede spent the better part of that day with other first responders and the National Guard on rescue runs further into town. It was only when he was received strict orders to rest, was when he stopped. Thomas spent his downtime setting up triage areas and resupplying the casualty care centers along with the ambulances and Humvee's that had been put into rescue service. It had been some time before he was able to sit and think about Emily, wondering if she ever got out safely. As soon as the call went out that the safe zone had collapsed, Neede immediately grabbed one of the protective vests the military had been using. Now embedded with military search-and-rescue teams, Thomas found himself with whomever was heading back in to look for survivors. He didn't know what was out there, but he had seen the damage inflicted by whoever or whatever was out there. Thomas didn't want to be under-prepared especially since his job was to be prepared for anything. What was going on out there? As much as he wanted to know, he was still unsure if this little town could stand up to it. With his trauma kit on his back, he listened to the radio and waited for his team to be called into action. Plot Drivers 1) Curiosity drives you to find out what exactly is going on. He'd never seen wounds and injuries like this before. He'd heard stories of 'zombie bath salts' or a bad batch of Meth going around, but nothing like this. 2) Get as many people to safety as possible. Bordering on burnout, Thomas feels the need to help clear the town of all survivors. 3) Just doing anything and everything to hold on to hope. Was Emily still out there? She had to be. Thomas had to stay busy to see if he could find her.

[In the Mix]

Sounds interesting. I like zombie apocalypse stories will enough. App will be written by the end of next week, at the latest.

[Palliven]

Sounds real interesting. Love some gritty rpg and who can say no to a zombie apocalypse? I'll be working on something to post shortly.

[Skryptik]

Fantastic submissions so far and super stoked to see more coming. I have added a survivor list at the bottom of the original post with a very concise breakdown of who might be fighting for their lives together when this kicks off.

[In the Mix]

Name: Felicity DeMott
Age: 18

Personality: Felicity is quiet and shy. But she longs to be wild and outgoing, like her best friend Louisa. Instead, she hides behind books, telling herself that she'll be bold later, after she gets away to college, and away from her family.

But for those who have gotten past her defenses, they will find a friendly young woman who will do anything for her friends.

Description: Felicity has strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin with a light sprinkling of freckles over her nose. At 5'4", she has an athletic body, due to playing basketball with with her brothers and father, and swimming when she's not studying for her doctorate.

Why are you in Muldraugh for the 4th of July? Felicity is in Muldraugh on a week long tour of three universities she's been accepted into; the University of Louisville, Campbellsville University, and Western Kentucky University. Her father and her are staying in a cheap motel there, for the weekend. They had intended to enjoy the parade and the fireworks, then Monday morning, they were to begin the tours. Things obviously didn't go as planned.

What are you doing when the attacks start happening and everyone is told to get indoors to safety? What could Felicity do? Dad had gone to get her an elephant ear and a sweet tea (a new discovery for her that she had fallen in love with. So much better than the sweetened tea she'd grown up with, in Michigan), when the screaming had started. She had started to run toward the direction she had last seen him heading, but the surge of the crowd forced her to move in the opposite direction. She had no choice but to go with the flow.

She moved through the crowd, knowing that her best chance was to get closer to the outside of the tidal wave of humanity.

What role do you play in helping other survivors and/or the military in establishing and securing a quarantine zone in the middle of downtown? As she went, she helped where she could, keeping people from getting crushed under the feet of panicked civilians. Once she had gotten herself and a few others to safety, she found her way to a makeshift search and rescue tent. Where she volunteered to help, in any capacity they needed her.

Having some basic first aid training, as well as being a lifeguard at her local lake during her summers, she was able to help people in those first few hours and days after the initial attack.

How do you escape when the zone is overrun and what do you do next? Felicity had fallen asleep on one of the cots, sometime during the 6th of July. Or was it the morning of the 7th? Who knew. Who cared? All that matters is that when the screaming began in what, at the time, had seemed to be the calm after the storm, Felicity found herself in the arms of one of the firemen she'd been working with. Which jolted her wide awake in an instant, causing the man to nearly drop her as she shoved away from him in a panic. "Run!" Was all he said, after letting her down. The fact that he didn't wait around to see if she would begin running, and the fear she could clearly hear in his voice told her not to argue, but to just run. And she did, finding herself in an increasingly smaller group as people would either veer away, finding their own path or stopping to hide someplace.

But Felicity stayed with the larger group, not wanting to find herself alone and at the mercy of whatever it was that was following after them. No, not whatever it was. She'd seen enough dumb movies with her brothers to know exactly what it was she was running from; zombies!

The Plot Drivers

1} Felicity is still holding out hope that her father is alive and out there, looking for her. But until then...
2} Felicity will do whatever she can to help as many people survive. As mentioned before, she knows first aid. She's been learning and taking classes intent on becoming a doctor one day. And she's healthy and athletic.
3} When she survives this, she is going home and telling Louisa Montgomery the truth. That she loves her. That she has been in love with her since Miss Milligan's eighth grade English class; when she read the first two lines of Sappho's 'A Hymn to Venus', before Miss Milligan interrupted her and sent her to the principal's office.

[Palliven]

Thanks for the posting the advert for the game. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Barry Ellison, Marching Band Survivor Name: Barry Ellison Age: 17 (in October) Personality: A quiet but friendly teenager, Barry is helpful, polite, and responsible. He doesn’t care for people that are obnoxious or arrogant and tends to associate with the underdog. He’s passionate about his music and will always talk about it if asked but doesn’t share much else easily. Never thinking of himself as aggressive or violent, his time in Muldraugh has revealed a hard side of his personality he did not know he had. Description: Barry stands 5’11” and is lean, almost gangly of frame. He has long brown hair that he is always brushing from his forehead which is irritated with a rash of acne. He has scrounged clothes to replace his ripped and stained ones - a pair of jeans, torn at the knee, a Nickelodeon logo t-shirt and a pair of Nike Air Max sneakers. He keeps his red parade jacket rolled up in his backpack, a reminder of things before hell broke loose. Why are you in Muldraugh for the 4th of July? High School was hard on Barry but then again, he supposed it was hard on everyone. It wasn’t that he didn’t fit in, or that he struggled with his grades. He didn’t have a problem with being bullied or with teachers that were too hard on him. No, Barry’s difficulty was that during school he couldn’t play music. Not the hard, heavy music most people would think of when they first looked at him, though he did have Anthrax’s new cassette in his Walkman Sport. No, for Barry the music that fed his soul was what he could play on his baritone while marching. Marching band was his passion, so much so that high school marching band wasn’t enough. Over the past two summers he had joined The Cadets, a competitive drum corp marching band. The Cadets were at a whole new level and he loved it. Working with his team to make the music come alive in a dynamic visual experience. The order and discipline of where to step and when to move. And it was hard. Twelve-hour practices, touring from state to state and learning an entire routine in days. That’s why everyone loved Parade Days. There was no practice on Parade Day. He would get to sleep in and all he had to think of was playing a patriotic song and walking straight. After five straight days of practice, Barry was looking forward to the Muldraugh parade. He didn’t even mind the six-hour bus ride to get there on the night before. What are you doing when the attacks start happening and everyone is told to get indoors to safety? Dressed in his uniform (a square-shouldered, gold-buttoned red parade jacket; crisp seamed grey slacks, highly polished black shoes; red shako hat with a long white plume) Barry was sweating as he neared the end of the parade route. Ignoring the sweat in your eyes was a skill that marching band had taught him. He didn’t hear the first shouts and screams over the sound of Neil Diamond’s “America” as played by trumpet, baritone, snare drum and flute. When people began running, the music began faltering. When they began pushing each other out of the way and tripping over chairs and coolers, it died out completely. The next day he would wonder why he didn’t drop his instrument or why he ran for the bus instead of the school gym where they were camped out (sleeping on gym floors and buses was another skillset marching band had given him). What role do you play in helping other survivors and/or the military in establishing and securing a quarantine zone in the middle of downtown? Seeing the chaos, Barry tried to get the attention of anyone he could to get on the bus with him. It was hard, so many people were panicking and just running wild through the streets. Twice he had to open the doors and leave the safety of the bus to grab someone and lead them to the bus. The first was a brother and sister, holding hands and who had been separated from their parents. Not older than eight or nine, they were getting knocked over and crying. The second was a man in military uniform who was walking with the aid of a cane. Probably in his thirties and with a chest decorated with medals, he looked confused and was just turning in circles. Once the bus was full Barry had the idea that staying where they were was going to be dangerous. He didn’t have his license yet, being away all summer he didn’t really need it, and he had never tried driving something as big as a bus but that didn’t deter him. Finding the spare key in the visor, he started it up and headed into town hoping the police would know what to do. More than a few gears were ground under his less-than-gentle administrations by the time the bus pulled to a stop downtown. Seeing the disorganized chaos at the town’s center, he caught sight of people piling park benches, trashcans and anything they could get a hold of to make barricades. Not sure what was really happening but knowing he had a big blue bus at his disposal, Barry drove it to block an alley between two storefronts. Stepping out with as many backpacks as he could carry, he tossed them under the bus to fill the space underneath it and block the alley even more. Running back into the bus, he grabbed more backpacks before heading off to help a group of people at the next alley to block that one off too. How do you escape when the zone is overrun and what do you do next? Not knowing the town, not having any friends or relatives here and having lost most of his fellow Cadets in the madness Barry helped where he could but found himself spending most of his time alone in Big Blue. With the windows open and his shirt off the heat wasn’t too bad and there were enough backpacks and bags left for him to pass the time searching through them and organizing what might be useful. When people started getting sick and the infirmary filled up Barry decided to stay in Big Blue. There were jugs of water that had been left on the bus and enough Slim Jims to snap into and Dunkaroos to dip that he didn’t need to leave for food. When the screams began again Barry was ready. He grabbed the backpack he had prepared ahead of time, opened the emergency window and headed down the alley. He put Big Blue there to keep things out but now he was hoping that it would keep them inside. At least long enough for him to find help. If there was any left. If not, he’d need to find a place to hide as he figured out just what to do next. The Plot Drivers - Name up to three goals your character might have both long term or short term. 1. Get word to his parents that he is alive. He had put his name on a survivor list but wasn’t given the chance to call them. He didn’t even know if the authorities had sent word before things went to hell. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he also wanted to know they were alive, and this thing hadn’t spread back home. 2. Help anyone truly in need.. He saw so many scared or confused people that day and was surprised how he had done so much to help them. Reflecting on this, he found part of it was to help others, but an equal part was to help himself. He was afraid and when he helped others, he was able to ignore his fear for a little while. 3. Find Batteries for his Walkman. The ones he had are dead and none of the backpacks he kept on the bus had any. He can’t play his baritone (which he had to leave on the bus) and not having music is making him nervous and irritable. Batteries would let him play his Sound of White Noise cassette and maybe get radio reception to hear any news about what is going on out there.