Someone is the Referee, responsible for guiding the other players through the game, adjudicating rules and playing every other character they encounter including zombies.
7.1 - Referee Principles
When refereeing, remember the following principles:
Make the World Dangerous
The world has—sort of—ended. There are flesh eating zombies and desperate people that won’t hesitate taking other survivors’ things. Illustrate signs of these dangers whenever possible, reminding them they’re always in danger.
Be The Survivors’ Senses
You are the PCs’ eyes and ears—and all other sensory organs. Provide all the necessary information and, when in doubt, more than you think they need.
Describe the situation using more than what they see or hear, answering their questions generously. The game can have surprises, but players should have a chance of uncovering them with the right questions.
Telegraph Danger
This is a deadly game: provide plentiful warnings of the dangers ahead. Make deadly traps visible and show signs of zombies ahead. For example, for a tribe of cannibal bikers show tire marks and gnawed bones.
Present Choices
Use all the information to present them with interesting and significant choices. Figuring out the risk and reward equation is essential gameplay (and really fun), so make sure the possible risks and rewards are understood and remember: easy choices are boring!
Show Consequences
No matter what players choose to do, the game continues. Make their choices impact the current and future scenarios. When making a Save, both success and failure should provide interesting results.
Be Fair
You don’t play against nor to benefit the players. You’re an impartial arbiter of the game (and table)’s rules. Let the dice fall. Let antagonists’ goals and actions follow their logical conclusion. Don’t pull punches.
The only way for the game to be meaningful is if failure is a meaningful outcome. When the players face dangerous situations do not shy away from the consequences. For weal or woe.
Reward Good Ideas
When the players have good ideas and act with courage and determination they earn rewards. Don’t be stingy when they’ve risked so much.
7.2 - Understanding Attributes
Survivors (and other people) usually have Attribute scores from 5 - 15. Scores of 1 and 18 are the extremes of human capacity. When no score is specified assume it’s 10.
7.3 - Using Saves
You should only request Saves as a direct result of a player’s choice. Normally, they can do most of their actions without one (if it sounds reasonable and safe) but, when attempting something dangerous with potentially interesting results regardless of outcome, ask for a Save to avoid bad consequences.
STR Saves test physical prowess and endurance.
DEX Saves test quick reflexes, nimbleness and agility.
WIL Saves test force of will and strongth of personality.
Consequences
You should make a failed Save’s consequences obvious by telegraphing it. When making a Save the players should know what they are avoiding.
Some potential consequences are:
Damage: d4 - d20 depending on severity: d4 is minor, d6 is dangerous, d8 wounds most survivors, d12 can be fatal and d20 is certainly deadly.
Conditions: Make them Exhausted or Injured if it fits or another sensible condition.
Lost Time: Depending on what’s attempted, they can spend a lot of time and Resources and risk a Random Encounter.
Losing an Item: They lose an item (determined randomly, including Resource units) which fell, broke or simply disappeared.
Mark Durability: Mark 1 - 3 “*”, depending how bad the situation was.
7.4 - Luck Rolls
Use Luck Rolls for events whose outcome is outside survivors’ control. Roll a d6 where a high result is in the survivor’s favor and low result in problems. 6 is a great outcome. 1 is pretty terrible.
7.5 Rulings Over Rules
This game’s rules were not written to comprehensively cover every situation you might come across. Some parts are intentionally vague. In these cases adapt an existing rule or create a new one, noting the ruling for future consistency.