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Saturday, June 18th is Free RPG Day ‘11 and with it comes a slew of new and interesting little releases. They can usually be divided between tasters for new games that will be released at Gen Con this forthcoming August and support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera. In general, the tasters for the new, “hot” games are highly anticipated and on the day itself, in high demand, but come the day, it would be remiss of us to ignore the less-in-demand titles. Many of these it should be made clear, are worth your time and effort to make it to your friendly, local gaming store to get hold of a copy. One such title is The Waking Dead: An Introduction for All Flesh Must Be Eaten, one of the more surprising entries for Free RPG Day ’11.

Written for what is still the gaming hobby’s premier RPG of “Zombie Survival Horror,” The Waking Dead is designed to introduce up to six players to a post-apocalypse world in which the dead have risen and are walking again. It comes complete with a streamlined version of the UniSystem rules used in All Flesh Must Be Eaten, six ready-to-play Archetypes or player characters, and a complete scenario that can be played in one or two sessions, or developed into a longer campaign by the GM or Zombie Master.

The rules cover the basics in just six pages, including the core mechanic, fear and getting frightened, combat, and taking damage. The one thing that they do not cover is healing, which is odd given that one of the included Archetypes is a Doctor. Otherwise, the rules are straightforward and tend towards a grittier style of play that befits the setting. The other five Archetypes are an F.B.I. Agent, a Gang Banger, a Good Ol’ Boy, a Soccer Mom, and a U.S. Marine. All are designed as “Survivor” character types, which according to the All Flesh Must Be Eaten rules means that they each better than normal people and are designed for more action orientated play. The given sextet is quite detailed, coming with complete backgrounds and a wide array of Qualities and Drawbacks – the game’s equivalent of Advantages and Disadvantages. As suggested by the term Archetype, the six characters for the most part conform to their types, but one or two of them, in particular, the Good Ol’ Boy and Soccer Mom are written with a certain sly humour to them.

The given scenario, “The Waking Dead,” begins with a very knowing opening: the six Archetypes wake to find themselves on the coma ward of their local hospital. Exploring further, they find the hospital abandoned and in a shambles, whilst beyond, the streets of the city are a wasteland, populated by members of the corpse cortege. As they explore this strange new world, the Cast Members are guided by strange dreams, some of which promise sanctuary, others ruin. Their aim then is to survive and then make sense of the dreams… The whole affair is written as a detailed outline rather the traditional detailed location upon location, which means that the Zombie Master will create various elements as play proceeds.

Physically, The Waking Dead: An Introduction for All Flesh Must Be Eaten is up to the same standards as other titles in the range. It is neat and tidy, and the writing is clear and easy to grasp. As befitting its genre, the artwork in The Waking Dead is grim and gritty.

The Waking Dead: An Introduction for All Flesh Must Be Eaten is a very nice addition for Free RPG Day ’11. For experienced players of the game, it might be all a little too familiar, but barring the rules omission about healing, it is otherwise a well done Introductory Game Kit.

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