This post will serve to kick start the Suvivors of the Dead large group story.  I have provided a little background and settled on a setting that I think will work.  Although nothing is written in stone yet, so if folks would prefer something else let me know.<br/><br/>This OOC thread and the actual story itself may contain a good amount of gore associated with any good zombie movie which is why it is in this category.  I don't expect much other 'extreme' content, but if you have a question about whether to include something or not, please post it in this thread first.<br/><br/>I would like to set the story in the small Missouri town of Potosi.  I haven’t lived there; I just picked it off Google Maps and checked it against Wikipedia.  It has a population around 2500 and some businesses that could be looted.  I would also like for folks to be able to use the Google Maps satellite shots as a point of reference.  I think it gives a little realism and provides a common base for people to work with.  (IE there is a water tower next to the church, so I can take a position there as a lookout, etc)  From what I can tell the town has a few ‘big box’ stores, a lead mine and a prison nearby.  In the introduction thread I will use street names to give a good point of reference.<br/><br/>I am going to assume that none of the characters know each other before the start of the game, but if you want to talk with someone else before starting and establish a common back story I am good with that too.  I am going to try to set it up so that multiple characters, from different directions might arrive at the town around the same time.<br/><br/>Due to the format of play-by-post I may also make some assumptions about what the group may do to speed things along.  IE if I was running a table top game and said “You enter an empty room with footprints leading into a closet,” I would wait for the group to decide to open the closet, but I think that may get cumbersome so I would say “You enter an empty room with footprints leading into a closet.  You open it and find….”  I realize this is power posting but I am not sure how else to handle it without laborious back and forth interaction.  Let’s see how it works, and if it is a problem please let me know and we will try to figure something out.<br/><br/>Unless otherwise mentioned, the "zombie rules" will be those set forth in Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide".  If you don't have the book and have questions about how things work please shoot me a PM or post a question here.<br/><br/><br/>*** start intro ***<br/>In brief, the story will be set after the fall of civilization due to a class IV zombie uprising.  Government has collapsed and you haven’t even heard an emergency radio broadcast for about a month.  You have left your current sanctuary in search of other living humans or remnants of civilization.  Quickly you find that large roads and freeways are clogged with traffic and the walking dead, so you stick to small country roads that avoid large cities.<br/><br/>While traveling through rural Missouri, you hear what sounds like music drifting on the wind one afternoon.  You head towards the general direction of the sound the next day, keenly aware that Zack might have heard the noise as well.  While traveling west on Route 8 you see an interesting sight at the intersection with Route 21.  There are a few abandoned cars on the side of the road, and a large tractor trailer blocking the road north.  There is a large dent in the side of the trailer and approximately 80 destroyed zombies radiating out from the dent.  The stench of rotting flesh is nearly overwhelming in the summer heat, but you approach closer to investigate.<br/><br/>Most of the zombies’ heads are completely missing or heavily damaged.  In addition, some of the bodies have been cut in half or had large sections torn out.  You find hundreds of brass casings near the trailer, and they are larger than anything that you have ever shot; maybe half an inch wide and about 4 inches long.<br/><br/>Whatever impacted the trailer is gone now, but you can see the bright green anti-freeze drips that proceed down Route 8 into town.<br/><br/>As you follow the drips into town, you don’t see a single zombie among the houses and shops.  Several blocks later, (intersection of high street and Missouri) you see an Army humvee parked near the front door of what appears to be a church or town hall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Potossi-courthouse.jpg).  The land in front of the building is covered with between two and three hundred dispatched zombies.<br/><br/>One of the top windows of the building has been knocked out and you can see a thin man with a rifle waving at you.<br/><br/>*** end intro ***<br/><br/><br/>I guess the best way to move forward would be to have participants post a little blurb about their character here.  Once enough folks are ready, I will post the above intro in a game thread and get moving.<br/><br/>Comments and criticism is always welcome.  This is my first shot GM'ing a play by post role play so I know I will mess something up; just let me know and I will try to fix it.