The Inside Scoop on Gaming

As other reviewers have had to do, I must admit: I am a zombie fan. I love the damn things! From their awful stench to their mildly annoying habit of eating people alive, zombies are my favorite monsters. That aside, I do have some issues with this game. I'll use a standard format to lay down my ideas: "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly".

The Good -------- 1) All Flesh Must Be Eaten (All Flesh, or AFMBE) is run by what's called the Unisystem, which looks like a modification of the WW Storyteller system, but with a few twists of its own. The system (see also "The Bad") basically runs smoothly, and does well with combat, social situations and most other tests. Character creation is quick and pretty easy to accomplish.

2) There is no one setting for the game; you can play a Romero-esque game of ammo conservation and food-finding, or you can play a post-apocalyptic game of hide-and-seek. You can even play a fantasy game gone wrong, if you so choose! The beautiful thing about this game is the range of personalization the Zombie Master (Game Master) has in designing scenarios and campaigns. The book gives enough sample worlds to get the ball rolling for you, ranging from modern games to World War II, to a medieval setting.

3) Following-up on the last point, there are nearly infinite combinations of zombie-abilities and powers you can make to create vastly differing zombies for each new adventure or campaign! If your players get bored of the Romero-zombie, BLAM! Out pops a fast zombie that spits acid and can climb walls!

4) As I've said, character creation is quick and easy, but it's also personalized. If you've ever played Vampire or Mage, or another White Wolf game, you know basically what I'm talking about (though particulars are different). Also, there are three different levels of character, depending upon the campaign. If you want a horror game, most people will be Norms; that is, normal people with no really outlandish abilities. There are also Survivors for action-based games, and Inspired for those rare psychics, magicians and the like amongst the zombie-trifled.

The Bad ------- 1) The system is a just a bit clunky, in places, and takes some getting used-to. For example, it's not only possible, but not altogether uncommon for certain creatures to have -2 in certain major attributes, thus providing a range of -2 to 7 in primary stats. Well...

2) Sometimes players do get bored of the zombie thing, so try to come up with something else to keep them entertained! That's not an essential problem with the game; just a friendly word of caution to those of us who (*ahem* of course I'M not guilty!) REALLY LOVE zombies.

The Ugly -------- 1) Nothing but the zombies! Enjoy!

All Flesh Must Be Eaten
All Flesh Must Be Eaten Playtest Review by Nicholas Scheman on 12/03/02 Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) Simple, albiet imperfect, system; great diversity and ability to personalize; potential for tons of variety in genre and mood. Product: All Flesh Must Be Eaten Author: Al Bruno III, CJ Carella, Richard Dakan, Jack Emmert, M. Alexander Jurkat & George Vasilakos Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Eden Studios, Inc. Line: Cost: $30.00 (US) Page count: 227 (Approx. 207 material) Year published: 1999 ISBN: 1-891153-80-3 SKU: EDN8000 Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Nicholas Scheman on 12/03/02 Genre tags: Horror	As other reviewers have had to do, I must admit: I am a zombie fan. I love the damn things! From their awful stench to their mildly annoying habit of eating people alive, zombies are my favorite monsters. That aside, I do have some issues with this game. I'll use a standard format to lay down my ideas: "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly". The Good -------- 1) All Flesh Must Be Eaten (All Flesh, or AFMBE) is run by what's called the Unisystem, which looks like a modification of the WW Storyteller system, but with a few twists of its own. The system (see also "The Bad") basically runs smoothly, and does well with combat, social situations and most other tests. Character creation is quick and pretty easy to accomplish. 2) There is no one setting for the game; you can play a Romero-esque game of ammo conservation and food-finding, or you can play a post-apocalyptic game of hide-and-seek. You can even play a fantasy game gone wrong, if you so choose! The beautiful thing about this game is the range of personalization the Zombie Master (Game Master) has in designing scenarios and campaigns. The book gives enough sample worlds to get the ball rolling for you, ranging from modern games to World War II, to a medieval setting. 3) Following-up on the last point, there are nearly infinite combinations of zombie-abilities and powers you can make to create vastly differing zombies for each new adventure or campaign! If your players get bored of the Romero-zombie, BLAM! Out pops a fast zombie that spits acid and can climb walls! 4) As I've said, character creation is quick and easy, but it's also personalized. If you've ever played Vampire or Mage, or another White Wolf game, you know basically what I'm talking about (though particulars are different). Also, there are three different levels of character, depending upon the campaign. If you want a horror game, most people will be Norms; that is, normal people with no really outlandish abilities. There are also Survivors for action-based games, and Inspired for those rare psychics, magicians and the like amongst the zombie-trifled. The Bad ------- 1) The system is a just a bit clunky, in places, and takes some getting used-to. For example, it's not only possible, but not altogether uncommon for certain creatures to have -2 in certain major attributes, thus providing a range of -2 to 7 in primary stats. Well... 2) Sometimes players do get bored of the zombie thing, so try to come up with something else to keep them entertained! That's not an essential problem with the game; just a friendly word of caution to those of us who (ahem of course I'M not guilty!) REALLY LOVE zombies. The Ugly -------- 1) Nothing but the zombies! Enjoy!