Quest Line · Original Adventure · End of the World: Zombie Apocalypse
One-shot
For three weeks, the emergency broadcast has been a lifeline of hope and instructions. Tonight, it changes. The voice cracks, admits there's no evacuation plan, no cure coming. Then it gives an address—just three miles away—before going silent. The players must decide whether to brave the darkness and the dead to discover what waits at that location, and whether the truth is worth the journey.
Players portray themselves or characters similar to themselves in a world where the dead have risen. The game uses the End of the World system where characters have limited resources and every encounter is dangerous. This adventure contains themes of hopelessness, difficult moral choices, and body horror. Discuss comfort levels with player death, as survival is not guaranteed. The adventure assumes players begin as a group sheltering together in a residential area. Session will take approximately 3-4 hours.
Choose the approach that best fits your group:
Standard Hook: The players have been sheltering together, rationing supplies and listening to the emergency broadcast on a battery-powered radio. They hear the final broadcast together and must collectively decide whether to investigate.
Desperate Hook: The players' shelter is running out of food and water. The broadcast address might be their only chance at finding a safe zone or supplies before they're forced into the streets anyway.
Personal Hook: One player recognizes the address from the broadcast—it's a residential street where someone they knew once lived. The broadcast voice sounds eerily familiar, making the mystery deeply personal.
The radio crackles to life at 9:47 PM, as it has every night. But tonight, the composed female voice that's guided survivors for weeks sounds different. Tired. Defeated.
"This is Emergency Broadcast Station Seven. I'm... I'm done lying to you. There's no evacuation. No military coming. No cure." A long pause. Papers rustling. "But there's something you should know. Come to 1247 Ashwood Terrace. Come tonight. Come armed." Static. Silence.
The players must decide whether to venture out. Their current shelter—a two-story house in a suburban neighborhood—has enough supplies for maybe three more days. The windows are barricaded with furniture. Through gaps, they can see shambling figures in the street—at least four visible from the front windows, maybe more around back.
Navigation Check (Positive Difficulty): Players who check a map or know the area realize Ashwood Terrace is 3.2 miles northeast, cutting through a commercial district and a park. Players who succeed with a negative die recall that district has a pharmacy, gas station, and grocery store—all likely picked over, but possibly holding supplies.
If players choose to stay, allow them to discuss for a few minutes, then describe fresh sounds: breaking glass two houses down, multiple groaning voices, approaching footsteps. Something is driving the dead toward this neighborhood. Staying is no longer safe.
The journey to Ashwood Terrace tests the players' resourcefulness and unity. The night is overcast, almost no moon. Streetlights are dark. Every sound feels amplified.
Key Locations En Route:
The Commercial Strip (Mile 1): A stretch of storefronts, many with shattered windows. The players spot movement inside a pharmacy—but it's human. A woman, late 40s, methodically loading pills into a backpack. She freezes when she sees them, hand moving to a crowbar at her belt. This is Rachel (see NPCs). She's paranoid but not hostile. If players approach peacefully, she warns them about "the horde" moving through the residential areas behind them—confirms their shelter would've been overrun. She heard the broadcast too but decided supplies are more valuable than mysteries. She'll trade medical supplies for weapons or food, or join the group if they convince her (Charisma check, Neutral Difficulty).
Dead Count: 6-8 zombies scattered through this area. Players can sneak past (Physical check, Positive Difficulty to move quietly) or fight. Combat should feel desperate—2-3 zombies are manageable for a group, but more risks injury and noise attracts others.
Zombie Stats: Physical 2, Mental 1, Social 0. Resistance +2, Hit Points 5-7. Attacks deal 1d6+2 damage and risk infection on a negative result.
Riverside Park (Mile 2): The shorter route cuts through a dark park along the river. An alternative route adds 20 minutes but stays on lit streets near the water treatment plant—still operational, still humming, still lit. The park is faster but players hear splashing and groaning from the riverside. Motion-activated lights suddenly blaze on near the treatment plant if they take that route, attracting distant undead. The choice matters:
The Residential Approach (Mile 3): Ashwood Terrace is a quiet cul-de-sac of modest homes. 1247 is the last house, a ranch-style with a finished basement. Every window shows dim candlelight. Someone's home. Someone's waiting.
The front door is unlocked. Inside, candles create flickering shadows. A stairway leads down to voices—multiple people talking quietly. The broadcast equipment sits on the dining room table: a ham radio, microphone, notes written in neat handwriting.
In the basement, the players find Diane Rothman (the broadcast voice) and four other survivors: Marcus, Corinne, Yuki, and James (see NPCs). They've set up a triage area with medical supplies, sleeping bags, and food—enough for maybe twenty people for a week.
Diane stands when the players arrive. "You came. Good. How many of you are there?" She's evaluating, not welcoming.
The Revelation: Diane explains they've been monitoring radio channels and survivor movements. The "horde" pushing through the city isn't random—it's being driven by survivors using noise and fire to clear areas, pushing the dead toward other neighborhoods to claim resources. Marcus and his group barely escaped. Diane ended the broadcasts because she was tired of guiding people to "safe zones" that other survivors had already fortified and weaponized against newcomers.
She offers a choice: "We have supplies to reach a rural area forty miles north. My brother has a farm, solar power, wells. But we need more people—for security, labor, sustainability. Or you can take supplies and go your own way. I won't stop you."
Possible Endings:
Ending 1 — Together: Players join Diane's group. This requires trust (Social check, Neutral Difficulty, to read their sincerity). The adventure ends with planning the journey north, establishing watch schedules, and the fragile hope of building something sustainable. Diane shares everything she knows about safe routes.
Ending 2 — Betrayal: Players (or NPCs if players seem trusting) reveal ulterior motives. Perhaps Marcus is actually scouting for a larger, hostile group. Perhaps players decide to take the supplies by force. This triggers a confrontation—potentially violent, potentially resolved through intimidation or negotiation. The adventure ends darker, with players on their own but better supplied.
Ending 3 — The Breach: During the conversation, zombies break through a basement window—either following players or drawn by the gathered humans. The group must evacuate immediately, grabbing what they can. In chaos, choices define character: who helps the injured, who grabs supplies, who covers the retreat. The adventure ends mid-flight, with Diane's group scattered but players having formed bonds with whoever they saved. The farm is still an option, but the journey will be harder.
Diane Rothman: The emergency broadcast voice, early 50s, former amateur radio operator and nurse. Exhausted and cynical but still trying to save people. Wants to create a sustainable community far from the dead and the desperate.
Rachel Kemp: Pharmacy looter, late 40s, combat medic veteran. Trusts actions over words. Motivated by preparation and survival. Will respect competence and honest dealing.
Marcus Webb: Young man, mid-20s, haunted eyes. Claims his family was killed by other survivors. Seeking safety in numbers but deeply traumatized. May be honest, may be a scout for hostile group (GM's choice).
Corinne Bautista: Teenager, 17, tech-savvy. Maintained the radio equipment. Desperately wants to believe people can cooperate. Motivated by hope and protecting Diane who saved her.
Yuki Tanaka: Middle-aged accountant who sheltered with Diane. Methodical, keeps inventories, plans routes. Motivated by order and control in a chaotic world. Suspicious of newcomers.
Supplies: Players who reach Ashwood Terrace gain access to medical supplies (enough to heal 2d6 HP distributed as needed), three days of food and water, and choice of one weapon upgrade (hunting rifle, machete, or crowbar).
Information: Knowledge of safe routes north, understanding of survivor group tactics, radio frequencies for potential future contact.
Relationships: Alliance with Diane's group provides ongoing support network—valuable in extended campaigns. Trust with Rachel or other NPCs creates potential future allies.
Story Progression: This adventure works as a standalone or campaign starting point. Players now know the outbreak's human element—survivors are as dangerous as the dead.
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