Like the first goal, your PCs are trying to get somewhere, but this time they’re also trying to get back. A group that can barely defend themselves isn’t likely to stick their necks out for someone else. It also requires that your PCs be decently equipped. This goal has a built-in time limit, which is great for creating drama. This time, the PCs are undertaking a journey for someone else’s sake rather than their own. A tiny group of scientists have a vaccine against the Z-virus, but they’re trapped in their labs and can’t get out. The remnants of a school trip are holed up in someone’s basement, and they need extraction before the undead get in. Keep things flexible, or the PCs will feel railroaded. Once you’ve prepared the wrecked gas station, zombie-infested school, and suspiciously unoccupied office building, they can show up anywhere in the city. That way you can use them on whatever route your PCs take. Ideally, these are locations that could show up anywhere. Prepare several locations you can slot in as needed, because this goal requires travel by definition. If the journey seems like more trouble than it’s worth, they might just give up and wander off. Players will try a lot harder to reach a rocket launcher depot than a grocery store. The less information they have, the more compelling their reason for going needs to be. The PCs need not know exactly where their goal is, but they should have a general idea, enough to start the journey. Or it could be a supply cache, vehicle depot, hospital, etc. Often it’s a place of safety: a shelter or walled town. You have a lot of options for what that place is. This goal is useful for games that take place as the dead first rise your characters are trying desperately to reach… somewhere. Goals need not be set in stone, but you should have one ready when the game starts to give your PCs some direction. This is something the characters can work towards over several sessions. What are your PCs doing, and what’s their main adventure hook? There has to be something more than “fight zombies” or “survive” to maintain a campaign. Define a Goal Getting to the plane can’t be that hard, right? Lay some groundwork in advance, and you’re set for success. You can get away with winging it in a one-shot, but campaigns need planning. Many factors go into creating the perfect undead playground, even when they seem simple from the outside. Everyone loves to talk about their zombie plan, but who actually needs one? Game masters, that’s who! The zombie apocalypse is ever popular for roleplaying games, but it’s also challenging.
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