Interview: Zombie Apocalypse 2
Zombies as a genre are extremely popular, in films and especially videos games. They’re multi faceted and can appeal to wide audiences all who might like something different about the genre. It suits horror fans, as zombie movies promise buckets of gore and blood, and it also appeals to people on a deeper level when you start to think about Human survival and the downfall of society. Each zombie film take a different approach and shows us a different angle to zombies and the way that Humankind is trying to save themselves from them.
So I’m surprised it’s been this long before I’ve seen a play-by-post roleplaying game about zombies. There really is a lot of scope for character building, great storylines and great worldbuilding in a story all about a zombie invasion.
Zombie Apocalypse [2] is a roleplaying game created in March 2011 and has developed a decent story since, despite currently only having two members. I’ve interviewed the game’s creator Lilka, see what she has to say about the game below.
What is Zombie Apocalypse [2] all about?
Lilka: I have always loved zombies, and was inspired one day to share that love with the world. I was rather sad when the other Zombie game died, so I created mine. So far, it is about two girls, Brooklyn and Citadel, who have found refuge in Brooklyn’s secret hideaway amidst a worldwide pandemic of zombies. It’s a bit slow now, but I’m hoping that the action really takes off soon.
Where is your story set?
Lilka: No real city is given as to where they are, but both characters have given their hometowns (Brooklyn-New York, Citadel- England) I hope to think up a place (Such as Chicago or L.A.) where the zombies have not touched, and that will be the final sequence of the story, our two heroic characters making it to their final destination.
How do you get people to join your game?
Lilka: There are so far only two members in the game, and I have tried advertising, but I haven’t really done much. I’m excited about this interview because it may bring new people. I check every day for pending members and tell many of my friends and co-workers about my strange hobby.
When you get people interested in joining, how do you filter out the time wasters?
Lilka: So far, none have proved to be time wasters, but I usually nip that problem in the bud by adding certain “rules” at the end of the description. Rules such as “Proper grammar” and “No ‘txt tlk'”. Usually people will get the hint that certain tools should be used. I have found a few who do not meet my standards, and I usually try to email them and ask them to edit their previous post.
Why did you think starting a play-by-post game about Zombies was a good idea?
Lilka: I found that so many games on the site were based off of vampires, witches, or space. I wanted to mix it up a little by adding something new. I was excited to see that there was already a zombie game, but then learned it was no longer in action. That is one of the reasons I added the [2], was because it was technically the second game under that title. I have many friends who love zombies, and hoped that I could appeal to them on the site as well, with hopes of expanding the site.
What made you choose OngoingWorlds as a place to create your roleplaying game?
Lilka: I was drawn to the site by a friend and I always loved roleplaying, but had never done a post by post. I tried it, and upon learning you could create your own game, the possibilities became endless. Since starting, I have created many games, wanting to expand the range from vampires and witches. While these games are fun, I found others more appealing. I added ZA[2] because it was different and I grew tired of the same old games.
Check out the game, or if this article has inspired you to create your own roleplaying game, check out the features of OngoingWorlds here.
