Zombie Outbreak

Day three of the outbreak. The town is lost, the roads are blocked, and the last radio message promised one evacuation flight. The survivors have to scavenge parts for a field radio, call the helicopter and hold the landing zone until it touches down.

The infected never shoot. They walk, they hunt in packs and they go for the cloth flag every survivor wears on the belt: lose it and you turn. A BB only knocks a zombie down for a few seconds, ammunition is scarce, and every survivor who turns adds another pair of hands to the horde. The day ends with a short, fast hunt in which the infected finally pick up pistols.

Why it works

• Asymmetric and easy to explain in five minutes.
• Nobody sits out: a bitten survivor gets up as a zombie on the spot, a downed zombie is back on its feet in seconds.
• Flag pulls instead of grabbing: tense close encounters without body contact and without arguments about who touched whom.
• Great for mixed groups: newcomers enjoy the horde as much as veterans enjoy the last stand.
• Works in daylight and is even better at night.

Game day at a glance

At the briefing the players are split into two halves, Group A and Group B. Keep squads and friends together.

1. Phase 1 – Outbreak (30–45 min). Patient zero is drawn from Group A, everyone else starts as a survivor.
2. Phase 2 – Outbreak (30–45 min). Patient zero is drawn from Group B. Supply crates and radio parts are moved to new spots.
3. Phase 3 – Last Light (15–20 min). The radio is dead and the infected pick up pistols for a final hunt.

Take a 10–15 minute break between phases for water, batteries and reloading. With the briefing the whole game takes about 2.5 hours.

Sides

Survivors

• Wear one infection flag (see Infection) and carry a red armband in a pocket for the moment they turn.
• Any replica allowed by the field, but ammunition is scarce: one magazine of up to 120 BBs in the primary (no hi-caps, drums or box magazines) plus a pistol with one magazine. No spare BBs on the body.
• BBs are refilled only from supply crates (see Supply).
• In the Outbreak phases a BB never takes a survivor out. Survivors turn only when they lose the flag.

Zombies (the horde)

• The game starts with about one zombie for every four survivors, at least 3 (see Scaling).
• No replicas, no pyrotechnics. Hands only.
• Red armband on both arms and red tape across the back, so they are visible from every side.
• The horde walks. Jogging is allowed only during a Frenzy (see Tempo).
• A zombie hit by a BB anywhere, gear included, is Down: it calls "Down!", kneels with one hand raised and counts 15 seconds out loud, then gets up and keeps hunting from the same spot. Nobody shoots a zombie that is Down, and a zombie that is Down cannot pull flags.
• Grenades, mines and other pyrotechnics have no effect on the infected and are not used in this scenario.

Alphas (special infected)

Alphas are played by the field's marshals: a high-visibility vest plus the red armbands, one Alpha per 15–20 players from 20 players up. They:

• lead the packs and set the tempo of the horde (see Tempo);
• take three hits before going Down and call each one out ("One!", "Two!", "Down!");
• may pull flags like any other zombie;
• remain marshals: they stop the game for safety and help with disputes, but the game master has the final word.

Infection

The flag. Every survivor wears one cloth flag, about 5 × 40 cm, tucked into the back of the belt or at the hip with at least 30 cm hanging free. It is not tied or knotted and is never covered by a jacket, a pouch or a dump bag.

1. A zombie infects a survivor by pulling the flag out. The zombie drops it at once and the survivor picks it up.
2. The survivor calls "Bitten!", takes the magazine out, clears the chamber, puts the safety on, slings the replica on the back and turns for 30 seconds, kneeling with one hand raised. Nobody touches or shoots a turning player.
3. During those 30 seconds a teammate can save them with an antidote card: the card is used up, the flag goes back on the belt and the survivor reloads. One card, one cure.
4. Without a cure the survivor puts on the red armband and joins the horde right there. No walk to a respawn point, no waiting.

Protect the flag by moving, dodging and shooting. Blocking a zombie's hands with your hands, your replica or your body is not allowed, and neither is hiding the flag by sitting on it or pressing your back against a wall.

Supply

• Before each Outbreak phase the game master hides supply crates (ammo cans, painted boxes or marked bags) around the field.
• Crates hold sealed bags of about 100 BBs each, roughly one refill. Some crates also hold an antidote card.
• Crates are not restocked during a phase. Leave an emptied crate open so others can see it is done.
• Survivors may share BBs and magazines freely. Zombies cannot open or move crates, but they may wait around them.
• The BBs come from the organiser and follow the field's rules on weight and type. Players do not bring their own BBs into play.
• At the start of every phase each survivor goes back to the starting allowance.

Tempo

The horde is slow on purpose. The game master and the Alphas decide when the pressure rises.

• Shamble – the default: every zombie walks.
• Frenzy – an Alpha shouts "Frenzy!" and for 60 seconds the zombies who can see that Alpha may jog in open terrain. Never inside buildings and never at night. Each Alpha may call a Frenzy at most once every 10 minutes; without Alphas the game master calls it.
• Swarm – when the evacuation timer starts, the whole horde learns where the Landing zone is and closes in, still walking.

Objective and victory

Outbreak (Phases 1 and 2)

1. Three radio parts (marked boxes or canisters) are hidden around the field, four with 45 or more players.
2. Survivors bring all parts to the Radio point. When the last part arrives, the game master starts the evacuation timer (10 minutes) with three short horn blasts and a radio call.
3. When the timer ends, every survivor standing inside the Landing zone is evacuated.

Survivors win the phase if at least one survivor is evacuated.

Zombies win the phase if every survivor is infected, or if the phase time runs out before the last radio part is delivered. Once started, the evacuation timer always runs to the end, even past the phase time.

Survivors evacuated in Phase 1 or Phase 2 start Last Light with one extra magazine.

Last Light (Phase 3)

A short, fast hunt for a compact or CQB part of the field.

• The new patient zero group comes from players who have not started as zombies today, at the same ratio as before.
• Zombies now carry pistols only, within the field's pistol limit (loaner pistols for those without one), and may still pull flags. Survivors keep their full kit and the Outbreak ammunition rules.
• A survivor hit by a BB or with the flag pulled is infected at once: no turning time and no antidotes. They switch to the pistol with the primary unloaded and slung, put on the red armband and join the hunt immediately. Without a pistol they play as a hands-only zombie.
• A zombie that is hit is out: it raises a hand, walks back to the Nest, touches the marker and comes straight back into the game.

Survivors win Last Light if at least one survivor is still standing when the timer ends. Zombies win if everybody turns before that.

Game master

One neutral game master, two from 45 players up, wearing an orange vest and carrying a radio, a horn and a timer.

• Draws patient zero for every phase and moves crates, antidote cards and radio parts between phases.
• Horn signals: one long blast starts and ends a phase, three short blasts start the evacuation timer. The field's stop call overrides everything.
• Watches the Radio point and the Landing zone during the evacuation and counts the evacuated survivors.
• Settles disputed flag pulls and hits on the spot: their call is final.
• Keeps the game balanced: if the survivors fall within the first 10 minutes, start the next phase with fewer zombies or without Frenzy; if the horde cannot catch anyone, add a zombie or allow more Frenzies.
• Can stop the game at any moment.

Safety

• The field's FPS limits, minimum engagement distance (MED) and protective equipment rules apply to everyone, zombies included.
• Full-seal eye protection for every player. Lower face protection is mandatory for zombies and strongly recommended for survivors: zombies take hits at close range all day.
• Inside the MED nobody shoots a primary: use a pistol within the field's pistol limit or tap the zombie's arm or torso with a safe foam knife. Aim at the body and never shoot a zombie that is Down or a player who is turning.
• Zombies touch only the flag. No grabbing clothes, gear or bodies, no pushing, tackling, tripping or holding, and never touching the head or the face. Survivors never push, strike or block a zombie: they get away instead.
• A replica carried by a turned player stays slung on the back, unloaded, with the safety on. Zombies never use replicas in the Outbreak phases.
• No running inside buildings, on stairs or in the dark, for anyone.
• Zombie make-up must be skin-safe and kept away from the eyes. Masks or costumes that limit vision or cover the goggles are not allowed.
• The field's stop call ("Blind man" or the local equivalent) freezes everyone, zombies included.
• The horde walks a lot: keep water and shade at the Nest, especially in summer.

Night variant

Nobody should spend the night waiting on a dead zone, and these rules already keep everyone in play. On top of them:

• Walk the whole area in daylight first, including the Nest, the Radio point, the Landing zone and the crate spots. Use only the buildings that were checked for trip hazards.
• Survivors tie a green chemlight to the flag: when the flag is pulled the light goes with it and everybody sees a survivor turning. Turned survivors switch on the red light they carry in a pocket.
• Zombies wear a red light on the chest and on the back. Game master and Alphas wear a white headlamp. Lights stay on for the whole phase.
• Weapon lights and torches are allowed, strobes and lights or lasers aimed at faces are not. Tracer units are recommended.
• Increase the MED by 50%. No Frenzy: everybody walks, survivors included.
• Survivors move at least in pairs. The Nest and the Landing zone are marked with a steady light.
• Shorter Outbreak phases of 25–30 minutes. Play Last Light in daylight only, or replace it with a third Outbreak phase.

Scaling

• 12–19 players: 3 zombies at the start, 1 game master, no Alphas, 3 radio parts, 5 crates, 2 antidote cards, 25–30 min phases on a compact area.
• 20–29 players: 4–5 zombies, 1 game master and 1 Alpha, 3 radio parts, 6 crates, 3 antidote cards, 30–35 min phases.
• 30–44 players: 6–8 zombies, 1 game master and 2 Alphas, 3 radio parts, 8 crates, 4 antidote cards, 40 min phases.
• 45–60 players: 9–12 zombies, 2 game masters and 3 Alphas, 4 radio parts, 10–12 crates, 5 antidote cards, 45 min phases. The second game master stays at the Radio point and the Landing zone.

Props checklist

• Infection flags: one per player plus about 10 spares, in one bright colour.
• Red armbands: two per starting zombie and one per survivor, plus red tape.
• High-visibility vests for the Alphas and an orange vest for the game master.
• 3–4 radio parts, 5–12 supply crates and 2–5 antidote cards per phase.
• BB bags of about 100 BBs: plan two per survivor per phase, spread over the crates.
• Marked Nest, Radio point and Landing zone.
• Loaner pistols for Last Light.
• Horn, timers and radios for the game master and the Alphas.
• Night: green chemlights (one per survivor per phase), red lights (two per zombie and one spare in every survivor's pocket), white headlamps.

Field

Mixed terrain of medium size with a few buildings or ruins, plenty of cover and a compact CQB area for Last Light. The Landing zone should be open and at least 100 m from the Nest (60 m on a small field). Put the Nest at the edge of the field, with water.