Left 4:16 Dead

Left 4:16 Dead is the unholy and unofficial and unendorsed union of Left 4 Dead by Valve and 3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars by Gregor Hutton. No challenge is intended to the rightful owners of either of those games.

Stop. Watch this trailer now.

In 3:16 there's quite a bit about gung-ho killing and the slow realisation that something is seriously wrong. But in Left 4:16 Dead, what's seriously wrong is really pretty obvious already. So, the focus is on folks banding together for survival in the midst of a bloody zombie hell, and how they handle that. It's about regular joes and janes hefting serious firepower in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and trying to survive while they race towards a supposed rescue point. There might be some personal stuff along the way, maybe some tension within the group and perhaps some exploration of the hows and whys of the zombie apocalypse, but all that is up to the players. Left 4:16 Dead is aimed at single session play.

The rules remain as per 3:16, except of course for anything in this text that explicitly changes or adds to those rules. Owning 3:16 is necessary to play this game. Owning Left 4 Dead is not required. It really is a great game though, so not rushing out to buy it would be a damn shame.

_edit whole_ _show edit section buttons_

Todos

• reorder sections so that terms are not used before they are introduced.
• Create prepped character sheets for the sample characters.
• Draw stuff! PDF the text. Promote this pastiche.
• add a 'how to RP' and description details for the Infected and Survivors. So, what the Special Infected sound like, how to make narrating yet another zombie attack interesting, pacing, lulls in the action, survivors doing other things, survivors doing things as well as shooting, etc
• Ooh! Ooh! Cut out and fold miniatures! Fuckin' A!

Game plan

• Sod this toolkit shit. All that gets appendixed/supplemented.
• Each player has a player sheet, A4, with achievements, rules summary, play guide, space for character notes.
• Each player also has a character sheet. These are all pregenerated (blank ones are available). Say, A5, folded like a table name card. One side has a picture and name, the other has stats.
• The picture and name corresponds to a specific paper model.
• The main rules text is short and sweet and non-duplicated.
• Everything is on government warning posters and information leaflets, etc.
• Go go go!

Glossary

Term	3:16 Equivalent	Description
Campaign	-	A single complete story lasting until the Survivors get rescued, and designed to fill one 3-4 hour session of play.
Mission	-	A discrete sub-goal that works towards Rescue. The Mission ends when the Infected player runs out of Infected Tokens. There will be approximately 3-5 Missions per Campaign.
Infected Player	GM	A player with the role of the Infected and world as a whole
Survivor Player	Player	A player with the role of a Survivor
Survivor	Trooper	The Player Characters (PCs)
Horde Ability (HA)	Alien Ability (AA)	The Infected's current ability to hurt the Survivors.
Take a hit	Take a kill	Cross off a Survivor's health box
Safe House	-	A location that is safe from Infected attack, at least for a little while. Every Mission begins and ends in a Safe House.
Special Infected	-	An Infected with Special Abilities that must be targeted separately.
Fight	Encounter	That thing where you put things on the range map and roll dice and kill stuff.
Infected Tokens	Threat / Threat Tokens	A 'group' of Infected. A measure of how many times you need to inflict kills in a Fight or Mission.
Go	Turn	Your go to act in the Combat Round.
Revelation	Weakness	A short freely-narrated monologue that sets up why the Survivor is about to abandon his friends

Survivor's Section

Creating Survivors

Survivor creation is as per 3:16 unless noted otherwise. See pages 10-14 of that game.

All Survivors are immune to the Infection itself. Unfortunately that doesn't mean much against the constant attacks of all the people who weren't immune. So, it's taken as given that all Survivors are capable of defending themselves to some degree. It's fine that they might not be comfortable with it though, not everyone is a natural zombie hunter.

Each Survivor has a Name and Concept, plus some Other Stuff which might include a description, a signature quote and some of their backstory. They also have a Personal Goal, 11 points to divide between their Ability scores and some Starting Equipment.

Name

"Name's Earp, with an 'E'. Ain't what ma momma called me, but I always liked the name, an' ain't no one left gonna tell me different now, eh?"

This is what other people call you when they need your help because they're being beaten to death. So, keep it reasonable and short. A single first name or a last name or a nickname is usually appropriate. You can make a longer name if you like, but, put that in brackets or something.

Concept

"Also, dude, 'chinaman' is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian American, please"

Reputation is replaced with Concept; a short snappy statement that sums up everything that's obvious and distinctive about the Survivor. It is broken into two parts. The first part is one or two adjectives about a Survivor's personality, mannerisms or something. The second part is the Survivors role or occupation before Infection.

Examples:

• Smartass Lawyer
• Determined Housewife
• Naive Soldier
• Arrogant Gangster
• Friendly Nurse
• Optimistic Stoner

The Survivors in Left 4:16 Dead have been thrown together by the zombie apocalypse and they only stick together because that's the best way to survive. Back in the real world before it collapsed around them, they'd very likely have nothing to do with each other. Bearing this in mind, you might want to create Survivors that are total opposites. For example, a brash City Trader is forced to team up with a Youthful Offender from some rundown council project. This sets up some nice tension and roleplay opportunities.

Other Stuff

"Hey! Has anyone seen my hat? C'mon guys! It's a limited edition, worth over a hundred dollars!"

This is the place where you summarise anything you find interesting about the Survivor. During character creation you probably want some idea what the Survivor speaks like, where they come from, what they look like, and so on. Discuss these things with the other players and then write a couple of them here so you don't forget to describe and use them during play. This can be pretty much anything, but it has to be something interesting and it has to fit in the space on the sheet. We don't want your life story now.

Personal Goal

"Of course, all this was way back when we were married… Man, she was tough, I always wondered if she got out okey"

Every Survivor wants to get rescued, that's a given. But they might want something else too, and they might want it even more than being rescued. It might be a small and symbolic action related to their life before the apocalypse, or it could be a grand quest that they've taken upon themselves. Whatever you find most interesting.

Either way, the Personal Goal should be one or at most two sentences long. It should be enough to motivate the Survivor into direct action during play, but still leave room for some exploration and discovery through play. So, your Survivor might want to rescue her daughter she told to hide in a safe place, but where she is right now and what state she is in might only be discovered through play.

And, most importantly, the Goal has to be accomplishable in the space of the Campaign. If the Survivor really tries for it, and they can get past a few risks, then it will happen, whatever it is.

Personal Goals should be openly declared to all Players at the gaming table, but they probably common knowledge amongst the Survivors. So, feel free to discuss them while you are making them, and drop hints about your Survivor's motivations and foreshadow any betrayal or deceit.

Don't be reticent about making possibly disruptive Personal Goals. Having your Goal stopped by the other Survivors or choosing not to follow it can still be good drama if you play it out that way. And even if you succeed, well, you just won, didn't you? Who can blame you for that?

Examples:

• I can't stand my family being Infected. I must lay them to rest!
• Why did all this happen? Where did Infection come from?
• I've got a stash of drugs and money that's gonna come in real handy once society starts up again.
• I must cure an Infected. I have to believe they can be saved!
• It can't just be us, can it? I must rescue another Survivor!
• It's time to enjoy all those things society didn't let us! Let's live it large in a big hotel!
• Me and Louis need to be together. Life's really too short for anything else now.
• Why do Witches cry? It's driving me mad! I've got to shut them up!

FA and NFA

Survivors are slightly more competent than the average Trooper in 3:16. They have 11 points to split between Fighting Ability and Non-Fighting Ability, giving each a value between 3 and 8.

Starting Equipment

Every Survivor starts play with the following equipment:

• A First Aid Kit
• A 'Whatever' Hand to Hand weapon
• A Pistol

Every Survivor also starts play with a Main weapon. Pick one:

• An Uzi
• A Shotgun

A blank Survivor sheet can be found here. If that one is too messy for you, here's a cleaner one.

Note that there are no Ranks or Orders in Left 4:16 Dead.

Sample Survivors

"Do you see that house? I used to know a kid who lived there, he had the biggest tongue in the world."

Here are four sample Survivors that you can use to begin playing Left 4:16 Dead immediately. These Survivors are taken directly from the playable characters in the Left 4 Dead videogame.

Louis, Optimistic Code Jockey

"Humanity's gonna bounce right back from this, you watch!"

Louis had been working up the courage to quit his job as Junior Systems Analyst at his company's IT department when a virus showed up and downsized the world. Now Louis has a new set of goals (live long enough to succeed) and a new set of tools (guns, sharp objects) to help him achieve them. With any luck, he'll figure out how the new management operates before they get a chance to murder him.

Zoey, Geeky Student

"Oh, nice. A cabin in the middle of nowhere… I know how this movie ends"

After spending her first semester holed up in a dorm room watching old horror movies, Zoey was given a choice: stop fooling around and get her grades up, or drop out. Now that the planet's overrun with murderous zombies, and all of her professors are dead, Zoey at least has the cold comfort that she's been studying up on the right subject after all.

Bill, Surly Veteran

"I'll see peace back on Earth if I gotta murder every one of these bastards with my bare goddamn hands!"

It took two eventful tours in Vietnam, a handful of medals, a knee full of shrapnel, and an honorable discharge before the unthinkable happened: Bill ran out of wars. But now an army of infected undead has declared war on humanity. After decades of aimless drifting and dead-end jobs, Bill's finally gotten back the only thing he ever wanted: an enemy to fight.

Francis, Badass Biker

"Everyone but us is either a zombie or an asshole"

Cocky, loud, and pretty sure he's indestructible, Francis acts like the zombie apocalypse is the world's biggest bar fight. When the virus hit, everybody else stockpiled food and looked for a place to hide. Francis found a gun and had some fun. No cops, no laws, no order—if it wasn't for all the zombies, he could almost get used to life like this.

Health

• Fine (no ticks)
• Bruised
• Battered
• Messed up
• Crippled
• Dead

As in 3:16, the differences between Health levels, except the bottom one, makes no mechanical difference, but your Survivor certainly cares about them! Feel free to

Incapacitated

During Fights, certain Special Infected can make a Survivor Incapacitated. While Incapacitated, a Survivor does not get a go during a Combat Round until the Incapacitated state is removed. (The specific rules for removing the Incapacitated state are detailed in the Infected section.)

While Incapacitated, the Survivor can still announce what they are trying to do, and roll a die. But, until one of their buddies frees them, it just isn't gonna happen.

So why bother? Because if and when the Survivor does get free, they might be able to have a go that round. For example, if they were freed on someone rolling and passing on a 4, then they can still act this round if they rolled and passed on a 1, 2, 3 or 4 since those numbers can still act this round as per the normal rules. But if the freed Survivor had passed on a higher number, or they had failed, then, tough cookie.

If all Survivors are Incapacitated at the end of a Round in a Fight, then the Campaign is over because the Horde rip them to pieces. Watch each other's backs!

Death

If a Survivor dies, the player is encouraged to create a new Survivor, and the other Survivors can find the new guy or gal whenever it makes in-game sense. This can involve rescuing them from the Horde or whatever else seems cool and dramatic and reasonable. This replacement Survivor enters play with the same number of used Revelations as the dead Survivor, and only starting equipment.

Louis is left to die at the brutal hands and feet of a crazed zombie Horde. Kev creates a new Survivor called Meg, and enters play when the remaining Survivors stumble into an inner city school and find Meg hiding inside. Louis had used all of his Revelations earlier in the game, so Meg starts the game with no Revelations. Meg is clutching a First Aid Kit and is armed with an Uzi and a Pistol that she scavenged from some kids locker.

But what about if all the Survivors die at once, or they're whittled down to nothing before replacements can be found? That's Game Over. You might want to restart the action from the beginning of the Mission. Also, if a Survivor dies, then any Achievement that involves 'Surviving a Campaign' cannot be completed.

Revelations

Each Survivor only has two Revelations, and they are both Weaknesses as per the 3:16 rules, with the following differences.

Isolated or Disarmed

Using a Revelation means that the Survivor leaves the Fight immediately. The player then has a choice, either the Survivor is also immediately isolated from the others, or they're disarmed in some way and their Main Weapon becomes useless. Either way, this must be narrated after the Revelation scene.

If isolated, the Survivor has ran off, got caught or trapped, went the wrong way or something else. After the Fight is over they can try to rejoin the others, but doing so is a Dangerous Action and requires an NFA check. If the isolated Survivor becomes caught up in a Fight, the other Survivors can run towards the Fight on successful NFA checks and rush to the rescue. They're free not to bother though.

If disarmed, the Survivor's current Main Weapon is removed from their character sheet. It runs out of ammunition, or it's dropped or abandoned in the melee or it just plain breaks. The Survivor may hunt for another one, but this is probably going to be Dangerous. Or they can use someone else's weapon, of course.

Mick is playing Bill, the gung-ho Vietnam veteran. During a brutal Fight with the Horde, Bill uses a Revelation to save his skin and narrates an escape into the sewers beneath the city. After a few minutes the sound of the raging battle overhead is replaced by the gurgle of running water and a low guttural howl that echoes scarily through the sewers. Mick decides that Bill is now Isolated.

If a Hunter jumps him now, he is toast. But Bill's buddies didn't die face down in 'Nam dirt just for him to die in a pestilent sewer, no way! Bills flicks on his flashlight, and slowly wades his way through filthy hip-high water eastwards in the direction of the In and Out Burger on Calhoon and 7th. The Survivors had previously agreed to meet up there if they ever got split up. Bills rolls NFA… and fails! The GM scoops up another Infected Token, but decides to cut Bill a break for the moment and doesn't start a Fight. In a few minutes Bill sticks his head up from a manhole and sees Francis and Zoey crouched inside the burger joint, but they've been waiting a while and the Infected are gathering…

Abandoning a Personal Goal

You may gain a new Revelation by abandoning your Personal Goal in a significant way. Cross it off the sheet, and you don't get a new one. This Revelation can then be used immediately or it can be saved until later. When it is used, be sure to relate it to the Personal Goal that was abandoned.

Narrating a Revelation

A Revelation is narrated much the same as a Weakness in 3:16, but it should always be something secret, shameful or compromising, and not necessarily a flashback to something that happened before the game. Not only that, in using the Revelation it will be revealed to all the other Survivors present. It's expected that this will probably create some tension in the group.

Important things to describe might be:

• The death or turning of a loved one
• Your first kill
• The event that gave you the resolve to survive at all costs
• How you survived before meeting up with the other Survivors
• How you first met up with the other Survivors
• Your most shameful act of cowardice
• When you didn't or couldn't save someone you knew
• When you didn't or couldn't kill someone you once knew
• Some horrible act you did that helped you survive
• Something you cannot forget from before the apocalypse
• How you were involved in creating the apocalypse or making it worse
• How you've secretly compromised the group since joining
• How you've secretly felt towards another Survivor
• What dangerous thing you've kept hidden thus far

"Get outta here!"

But, it's not all about self-serving cowards! Rather than using it to save themselves, a Survivor can use one of their own Revelations to help a Survivor in need by passing an NFA test OR by taking a hit on their behalf. The Revelation is effectively passed over to someone else to be used immediately.

With the NFA test, this can be opposed by the target using their own NFA if they don't actually want to run away. If the saving doesn't actually go ahead, either because the saviour failed their NFA check or the Survivor-in-need passed better than them, then the Revelation isn't actually used.

With taking the hit though, there's no arguing. It's automatic and it can be done whenever the Survivor in need would've taken a hit. The hit is transferred to the saviour immediately, just as the Revelation is transferred the other way.

In either case, if it's successful, then the saviour must narrate something like jumping into danger or pushing the target out the way, and saying "Go on! Get out of here! I'll cover you!" or something similar. The Survivor-in-need must then narrate using a Revelation as normal, referencing why exactly they are about to run away rather than face the Infected with their buddies.

For the purpose of Achievements, the saviour doesn't count as using a Revelation, while their target does. This could be gamed to deny another player an Achievement, so play nice.

Equipment

Armour

There is no Armour in Left 4:16 Dead. Sucks to be them. First Aid does kinda take its place though.

Weapons

A Survivor can only ever carry a Hand to Hand weapon, a Pistol, a Main weapon, and a Grenade. That's right, only one of each. But unlike 3:16, Survivors can switch between any of their weapons during a Fight without using NFA.

Francis kicks down the door to a sporting goods store. There are numerous guns on display, including an Uzi, Automatic Shotgun, and Sniper Rifle. Francis is currently carrying an Uzi. If he wanted to have the Automatic Shotgun as his Main weapon, he'd have to drop the Uzi. Francis tosses the Uzi and cradles the shiny Automatic Shotgun. He's gonna explode some zombie brains tonight with this badboy!

Hand-to-Hand weapons

You don't really have to call the Hand to Hand weapon anything. It covers all kinds of circumstances where the Survivor beats up some Infected at Close Range. It will usually be by pistol-whipping them or swinging a rifle-butt into their faces, but using nearby improvised weapons or your own bare hands is also fine.

Since the common Horde Infected aren't super strong or resilient, beating them up close is fairly reasonable. Well, reasonable if you like wading through crowds of angry psychopaths. It takes a special kind of idiot to prefer melee weapons, but instinctively clubbing someone to death with something that doesn't break or need ammunition has saved every Survivor at least once or twice.

Name	Close	Near	Far
Whatever	1	-	-
Crowbar	d6	-	-

Pistols

Useful if you can't use your Main weapon for whatever reason, or you don't have one, or you want to show off how badass you are. Puh-lease. It takes a lot of skill and a pair of very decent pistols to even approach the kill potential of a Main Weapon.

Most Survivors only rely on Pistols only when they have no other option besides Hand-to-Hand.

Name	Close	Near	Far
Pistol	1	1	-
Dual Pistols	d6	1	-

Main weapons

These are the weapons that Survivors will use most often. Since the Infected have no sense of self-preservation, they will run at you in large groups. Suffice to say, all these weapons are capable of mowing down dozens of these tightly-packed and unarmoured idiots. But unfortunately, there're are always dozens more right behind them, just when you need to reload.

Name	Close	Near	Far
Shotgun	d10	d6	-
Uzi	d6	d10	0
Auto-Shotgun	2d6	d6	-
Assault Rifle	d6	2d6	0
Sniper Rifle	-	1	d6

Grenades

All grenades are one use only. Cross them off your sheet when used.

Grenades are usually home-made improvised explosives customised for use against the Infected. The Molotov contains the Horde and limits the number that can get through, while the Pipe Bomb emits a loud beeping noise that attracts their attention before exploding.

Name	Rules
Molotov	Reduce HA to 3 from now until the fight is over. At the start of each Combat Round, any Survivors at Close take a Hit.
Pipe Bomb	Reduce HA to 0. At the end of the next round, the bomb detonates and HA returns to normal. Then remove an Infected Token and inflict 3d10 kills. Every Survivor at Close takes a Hit.

Improving Weapons

Weapons can improved as per the standard 3:16 rules at the end of a Mission when the Survivors are holed up in a Safe House.

Improving is limited to improving only one range of one weapon. This represents modifying the weapon with targeting aids or a bigger clip, or replacing it with a bigger and better version of the same type of weapon. So, a single pistol can become a pair of dual-wielded pistols, or it could become a machine pistol. The pump-action shotgun might become an semi-automatic shotgun or a sawn-off version.

If you examine the stats for similar weapons in the Main Weapons section above, you'll see that improvements are the difference between similar weapons. For example, the Auto-Shotgun is an improved Shotgun. An improvement must be represented by changing the name of the weapon, even if only slightly.

Gaining New Weapons

The basic weaponry presented above is limited initially for fidelity to the Left 4 Dead computer game. Besides simply improving the weapons that the Survivors start with, Survivors are free to seek out better weapons during Missions.

If the weapon cannot be made or found on the move, then it is a Dangerous Action. For example, picking up an Assault Rifle on the body of a dead soldier you stumbled across requires no roll. But, searching for a working Assault Rifle amongst a pile of bodies, or assembling a makeshift flamethrower from scavenged parts would require an NFA check because it is Dangerous.

Long range weaponry is deliberately scarce and underpowered for game balance reasons. Long range is fairly safe for Survivors because it avoids quite a few sources of damage and it allows them to escape from a Fight easier. The Sniper rifle, shown above, should be about as powerful as it gets.

Some hastily sprayed graffiti on the back wall of Hartman's Grocery reads 'Chansaws r gud at killing THEm!' Perhaps a detour to the hardware store on 5th and Vermont is in order?

Find below stats for weapons that are often improvised or discovered in games of Left 4:16 Dead.

Name	Close	Near	Far	Type
Chainsaw	d10	-	-	Hand to Hand
Big Pistol	1	d6	-	Pistol
Flamethrower	2d10	1	-	Main
Fragmentation Grenades	Remove an Infected Token and inflict 2d10 kills. Every Survivor at Close takes a Hit.			Grenade

Fixed Weapons

Sometimes the Survivors will come across a weapon that is just too big to take with them, but can be used to readily defend whatever place they're currently in. Machine guns, a wrecking ball on a crane, whatever. We'll call such weapons Fixed Weapons.

All Fixed Weapons require a successful NFA check which represents the weapon being 'warmed up', turned on, figured out, or the like. Fixed Weapons can be 'warmed up' by a Survivor either directly before the Fight, or by using a go to roll NFA to do so during the Fight. After being warmed up, the Survivor using the Fixed Weapon uses FA to attack with it as normal. Repeated attempts to 'warm up' a Fixed Weapon outside of a Fight beyond the initial attempt is considered Dangerous.

Ric is playing Francis, and the tattooed biker hauls a blood-spattered tarpaulin to one side and discovers that some kind soul has very thoughtfully mounted a minigun atop the roof of Mercy Hospital. The Survivors are not in a Fight. Ric successfully rolls NFA for Francis. Francis grabs a hold of the twin handles of the minigun and soon the barrel starts rotating with a high pitched whine. Francis is ready for the Horde!

However, Fixed Weapons will remain at one Range for the duration of a Fight and cannot be carried from Fight to Fight. The starting Range for the Fixed Weapon is determined at the start of the Fight by whoever won to set the Range for the Survivors. They're free to put the Fixed Weapon at a different range to the Survivors however.

The Survivor using a Fixed Weapon will immediately stop using it once they change range for whatever reason. Whenever a Fixed Weapon is not being used by someone, a Survivor can move to it and warm it up with NFA.

Fixed Weapons always have the same dice at all ranges.

Name	Close	Near	Far
Fixed Weapon	2d10	2d10	2d10

First Aid

There are only two First Aid items, Pain Pills and First Aid Kits. Both items are single use only, so cross them off your character sheet as soon as they are used successfully. A Survivor can only ever carry one of each at a time. You might find some more if you look for them, but the GM is liable to consider that a Dangerous Action.

Pain Pills

When Pain Pills are used, the Survivor unticks their last filled in Health box. Pain Pills can be used at any time. When used in a Fight, swallowing the Pain Pills counts as the Survivors go.

Francis is Messed Up. He swallows some Pain Pills. His Health improves by one level to Battered.

You can easily give your Pain Pills to another Survivor at the same Range as you, but they cannot take them until it is their go.

First Aid Kit

First Aid Kits can only be used on another Survivor. Using a First Aid Kit requires a successful NFA check. This immediately sets the Health of the target Survivor back up to Bruised.

If the NFA check is failed, the First Aid Kit is not lost so don't cross it off. The Survivor can try again if they are able, or someone else can help. Failing an NFA check to use a First Aid Kit outside of a Fight is a Dangerous Action.

During a Fight, a Survivor can use a First Aid Kit on someone at the same Range as them. Also during a Fight, passing a First Aid Kit to someone else at the same Range can only be accomplished by passing an NFA check.

The Survivors are safely hold up for the moment in an abandoned fishmongers. Francis is bleeding heavily from his guts and is Crippled. Zoey has a First Aid Kit, which she attempts to use on Francis. Zoey fails an NFA check, and so despite her tender ministrations Francis is not healed and stays Crippled. The GM scoops up An Infected Token because of the failed NFA check.

The First Aid Kit is not crossed off because it was not used successfully. Zoey could attempt to use the First Aid Kit again, but that would require another NFA check. It would also mean lingering in the same place and if the GM is feeling particularly cruel he or she might consider that to be yet another Dangerous Action.

Other Equipment

Often the Survivors might come across or hunt for something useful that isn't a weapon. The Survivors might want to find items to set booby-traps, or barricades, a vehicle, or some drugs to keep a Survivor going.

Searching for such stuff always a Dangerous Action. To keep things simple, the GM is encouraged to simple give the Survivors benefiting from it +1 to one of their rolls. For example, the barricades would give the Survivors +1 to FA in the first Round of the next Fight. For stuff where a simple +1 doesn't seem quite right, the GM and the players should chat about what seems fair and then just improvise. The GM has the final say.

For example, getting in a car might absorb two hits for the Survivors inside before it breaks down. Or perhaps the Survivors will have to operate some kind of equipment to clear the path ahead of them before they can proceed. If the machine is big, bright and noisy, using it might automatically attract the Horde, because that's always Dangerous. Even if it normally isn't noisy, using it might require a Dangerous NFA test to use properly, so the Survivor doesn't waste too much time. Operating such equipment in a Fight is covered in Fixed Weapons.

Goals in Play

Survive and Get Rescued!

The Collective Goal of all Survivors is to reach a place where they believe they will be rescued and carried away to a safe place away from the Infected. This might not be what they spend all their time doing, but it's what keeps them together and hopeful.

If it makes sense, 'where' and 'how' the Survivors will be rescued can change through play. So, when one point of rescue doesn't work, another one becomes possible. Most importantly though, the Rescue should always seem possible, even if unlikely, and there should always be some obvious action that will take the Survivors towards it. If your Survivors are ever stuck on where to go, make it obvious again really soon.

Ideally all of the Survivors will live to be rescued, but the Campaign can be considered a success if even just one Survivor makes it. So, of course, the Campaign is a failure if all of the Survivors die.

Personal Goals

Survivors can choose to pursue their own Personal Goals during the game. A Personal Goal is allowed to be at odds with succeeding at the Collective Goal and in fact, creating such conflicting Goals is encouraged! But bear in mind that any significant action that works towards accomplishing a Personal Goal to the detriment of getting rescued is Dangerous.

Ric is playing Louis. Louis has the Personal Goal of 'I need to get retrieve the photo of my wife and children from my office cubicle'.

Louis' Player could then be sneaky and have Louis 'guide' the Survivors to the place of rescue at Mercy Hospital. Of course, Louis is really leading them the long way round so that he can visit his office and succeed in his Personal Goal.

This selfishness puts the Survivors at risk. Is it worth it? Louis may think so, but the others may not be so forgiving if they find out that he is not leading them directly to Mercy Hospital.

Abandoning a Personal Goal

If a Survivor wishes, they can confess their Personal Goal to the rest of the Survivors, and this means that the Survivor is publicly abandoning their Personal Goal, and instead gains access to another Revelation. They're just not strong enough to do anything other than survive and now they know it. Narrating the abandonment of the Personal Goal can be weepy, dismissive, casual, or anything else, but the other Survivors will know that they've given up something important. It can be done in the present, even in the middle of a Fight, or in a flashback to when the Survivors were back at a Safe House. Whatever works.

Once this is done, accomplishing the Personal Goal becomes completely impossible. Not even another Survivor can do it on their behalf. It just won't happen, and everyone knows it.

Completing a Personal Goal

However, if a Survivor accomplishes their Personal Goal then they gain a bit of hope, and immediately gain a 'reroll'. This can be used at any time to reroll any one die that they don't like, even if the roll originated from another player or the GM. The player may choose to accept either the original or the rerolled result. When using the reroll, describe the Survivor taking a fresh spurt of confidence or willpower from their completed Goal, and then using it to do whatever it is they are trying to do.

Louis is getting pretty messed up by the relentless attacks of the Horde. He's cracking up! Mechanically, Louis is also out of Revelations, having used them both earlier in the Campaign.

Ric decides that Louis is abandoning his Personal Goal. He frames a flashback on the rooftop of a licquor store, and it plays out where Louis drinks away a half bottle of single malt and tells Francis about his family. Louis' hope of doing anything other than surviving the night fades out of his body as he talks. Francis just sits on the edge of the building, smoking and not saying a word. Finally, stinking of booze, Louis tosses the bottle into the street below and staggers down the stairs.

Ric crosses off the Personal Goal. Ric also adds a third empty Revelation slot below the two used up ones on the character sheet. Louis now has only the Collective Goal left: survive and get rescued! With one free Revelation to play with, he might just succeed!

Modifiers

Whenever this text refers to a modifier, usually +1 or -1, this applies to the Stat used and/or the final roll. For example, a Survivor with FA 6 who rolled a 7 may apply the modifier to his FA only, meaning that they pass. While if they had rolled a 6, which would normally pass anyway, they may use it to boost that roll and their stat to a 7 and still also pass, but slightly better.

Using the Abilities

In general, the possible uses for Fighting Ability and Non-Fighting Ability can be broken down into a few vague catagories with specific affects. These aren't set in stone though, so just do whatever fits best.

Uses for Fighting Ability in or outside a Fight

• Attack something, whether it is an Infected, a Survivor or a gas canister or anything else.
• Operate a fixed weapon, or any other kind of weapon, to attack something as above.

Uses for Non-Fighting Ability in a Fight

• Move one range, plus another action from this list.
• Use a First Aid kit on another Survivor at the same range as you
• Use a machine, computer, vehicle, etc to do something, including killing, isolating or distracting the Infected (Which may give them a -1) or clearing the path ahead
• Free an incapacitated Survivor from the clutches of a Special Infected
• Help or support a Survivor in whatever it is they are doing (Give them a +1)

Uses for Non-Fighting Ability outside a Fight

Note that any of the following are Dangerous Actions as detailed below.

• Creating, modifying or finding a weapon or some other item
• Using a First Aid kit
• Using a machine, computer, vehicle, etc to do something, when you don't really know how to do it or it takes time to do
• Doing something normal and easy, but under pressure or with limited time

Dangerous Actions

Constantly shooting and moving towards the place of rescue is a damn fine plan. Sadly, things don't go to plan, and either because they want to or they need to, Survivors will attempt Dangerous Actions.

Dangerous Actions from failing NFA outside a Fight

Chiefly, whenever a Survivor fails an NFA check outside of a Fight, the GM is immediately given an Infected Token because the Survivor is wasting too much time or attracting too much attention. Note, that the task itself might actually be completed, but, the Infected arrive too early for it to matter yet.

Mick is playing Vanessa, a diabetic barrister. She has taken a detour to her office to grab her insulin kit. Mick duly rolls NFA to find and use the insulin, and fails.

Vanessa does not find her insulin kit yet. The GM also receives 1 additional Infected Token and the Infected start to gather around her. She reflects that life sure is tough in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

However, to avert this, another Survivor can help out. If someone has failed an NFA roll then one of the available Survivors nearby may, if they choose, roll their own NFA. If they do so and pass, then the crisis is averted and the GM doesn't receive any extra Infected Tokens. If they fail too however, then the GM is given two extra Infected Tokens, and should probably start a Fight immediately. No other Survivors may help after the first.

Ric is playing Louis, Jez is playing Zoey. The two Survivors are at a gas station, trying to assemble a makeshift flame-thrower.

Ric makes an NFA roll to succeed in creating the flame-thrower. He fails. Jez decides to risk making a helping NFA roll because the flamethrower would be a potent weapon. Sadly, he fails too. The GM greedily scoops up 2 additional Infected Tokens, and narrates a horde of Infected suddenly sprinting across the forecourt as the Survivors fuss and fiddle.

Deliberately Dangerous Actions

In addition to all of the above, any significant action that isn't leading the Survivors towards their rescue is also Dangerous. Also, any action that will attract the zombies in some other way, for example, with loud noises and flashing lights, will also give the GM an Infected Token or two, depending on how blatant it is.

This is entirely up to the GM's discretion, but, usually the Survivors should be made aware of whether or not an action is Dangerous before they do it. Pursuing a Personal Goal away from the Rescue point is almost always Dangerous.

Achievements

In 3:16, characters can earn medals. In Left 4:16 Dead, players can earn Achievements.

Achievements are rewards for meeting requirements through play. Achievements are always rewarded straight away. For example, the 'Twisted Firestarter' Achievement is awarded as soon as the Player has a Survivor under their control lob their fifth Molotov. This immediate reward drives play forward, as Players aggressively seek to earn ever more Achievements.

Note that it is the Player and not the Survivor that earns the Achievement. Any progress made towards an Achievement is carried over from Survivor to Survivor, and from Campaign to Campaign. Achievements are recorded in the Achievements section of the character sheet. Accompanying the award of an AM with a holler is encouraged.

Francis tosses a Pipe Bomb and is soon showered in gore from the resulting explosion of 30 Infected. Francis is immediately rewarded the 'Pyrotechnician' Achievement. Pete literally leaps up from the gaming table and cries 'Wootabasco!'. The other players direct withering looks at him.

Achievement	Requirements
You Are Weak	Survive a Campaign having used all of your Revelations during that Campaign.
Hardcore	Survive a Campaign having not used even a single Revelation.
Cakewalk	No Survivor uses even a single Revelation in a successful Campaign.
Got your back!	Save 4 Survivors by giving each of them one of your Revelations.
We Have All The Time In The World	Succeed in your Personal Goal.
I Got Your Back	Survive a Campaign having only used your Revelations to help others.
Unbreakable	Survive a Campaign without ever having a First Aid Kit used on you.
Zombie Genocidest	Kill 416 Infected.
Dead Giveaway	Use a First Aid Kit on a fellow Survivor when you are Crippled yourself.
Twisted Firestarter	Use 5 Molotovs.
Pyrotechnician	Blow up 25 Infected in a single Pipe Bomb explosion.
Akimbo Assassin	Survive a Campaign using no weapon other than Pistol weapons.
Brawler	Survive a Campaign using no weapon other than Hand to Hand weapons.
Blind Luck	No Survivor takes any further hits after being vomited on by a Boomer.
Field Medic	Heal 4 Survivors with a First Aid Kit.
Pharm-assist	Give Pain Pills to 4 Survivors.
Helping Hand	Help 4 Incapacitated Survivors.
No Smoking Section	Kill 7 Smokers.
Hunter Punter	Kill 7 Hunters.
Tankbusters	Kill a Tank without it dealing even a single hit to a Survivor.
Witch Hunter	Kill a Witch without it dealing even a single hit to a Survivor.
Stomach Upset	All Survivors complete a Campaign without being spewed on by a Boomer.

Achievements are a totally optional part of Left 4:16 Dead, and some of the Achievements do require some small amount of bookkeeping. The bookkeeping is minimal, and you can tally it up right there on the sheet, but it might still annoy some players who don't care about this kind of thing and just want to get on with the game. So, it's up to each player track or ignore each Achievement, or just ignore Achievements as a whole. Those players who do get Achievements are encouraged to boast about how awesome they are though.

GM's Section

The Infected

Crazed zombies. Mindless psychos. Vampires? You can call 'em what you like. In Left 4:16 Dead, they are simply called the Infected.

Yep, they are mindless creatures that hate everything that ain't Infected. Sure, they exhibit no outward semblance of the person they used to be. And yeah, their flesh is pale and waxy and they stink to high heaven. But they ain't zombies like you might have seen in the flicks before the world went crazy. These Infected don't want to eat living flesh. They just want to beat the heck out of you. And keep on kicking and punching and tearing and stamping until you're dead.

These Infected were regular folks with regular jobs and regular families. They have been changed into zombie-like creatures by some virus or substance. At least that was what the news was saying before the airwaves went dead. Discovering the cause of the Infection can be a goal of play. It might literally cost your Survivor an arm and leg to find out the truth though. Maybe your Survivor just wants to get the hell out. Or carve out an empire from the ashes. Whatever.

One thing's for sure, there ain't no talking to the Infected. Or is there?

The Horde

The Infected horde: crazy, lickety-split fast, sensitive to loud noises and movement, and able to attack in ravenous waves. They might not notice you right away, but when they do, watch out! They'll be on you before you know it, pounding and gouging and biting and scratching!

The threat the Horde currently pose is defined by Horde Ability. HA is mostly the same as AA in 3:16, with the following changes:

• The Horde start with an HA equal to 5.
• If only one Survivor is targeting the Horde, then the HA increases to 6 for that Round.
• If no one is targeting the Horde, then the HA increases to 7 for that Round.
• At any time, the GM can spend an Infected Token to trigger a Rampage! This modifies all current Horde and Special Infected rolls by one, and/or adds 1 to HA for that Round.

This gives a final value for HA between 5 and 8, and it will change during a Fight. This will mean that sometimes the Horde may suddenly fail or pass their roll. Always determine the current HA whenever you need to check it, which is whenever the Horde or a Special Infected has a go.

Special Infected

Most Infected in the Horde are mindless and predictable and they only become really dangerous in large numbers. However, there are a number of Special Infected in Left 4:16 Dead and they have abilities which set them apart from the rest.

• Each Special Infected (except the Witch) rolls their own die separately from the Horde's die. This die must be distinct for each Special Infected. Using a different colour die or rolling on a different place on the table is fine.
• Each Special Infected must be targeted separately from each other and from the Horde. It is never possible to hit both a Special Infected and something else at once.
• Only one of each Special Infected can appear at the same time. So, if a Boomer is in a Fight, another Boomer cannot show up until the first one is dealt with.
• Only so many of each Special Infected can show up per Mission, depending on the current number of Survivors. For example, a Witch may show up for every two Survivors. So in a game with five Survivors, only two Witches can be used per Mission. Whenever a Special Infected is used, the GM should tally it off from their allotment for this mission.
• Special Infected may appear at the start of any Round when the GM spends the appropriate amount of Infected Tokens.
• Do not roll for kills against the Boomer, Smoker and Hunter, since even a single kill will do the job. The Witch and the Tank are tougher however.
• At the end of the Fight, if the Survivors have left some Special Infected alive, then unlike the other Infected Tokens still remaining, the GM may not recycle Infected Tokens spent on Special Infected back into the Mission's Remaining Infected Tokens.
• To indicate which range or Survivor a Special Infected is Targetting, place its counter or model next to it.

Boomer

The fat, slow Boomer spews a thick bile with two side effects: it blinds Survivors, and it attracts the Horde. To make matters worse, when a Boomer is killed they explode, showering bile on anyone nearby.

Costs 1 Infected Token. May be used once per Mission per player.

At the start of the round, the Boomer must select a Range. On the Boomer's go, if it succeeds in its roll, then every Survivor at that Range is spewed on. Survivors at all other Ranges are unaffected. For each Survivor spewed on, immediately add one Infected Token to the Fight. In addition, each Survivor spewed gets -1 to their next roll. And they smell bad. Sucks to be them. When a Boomer is killed, any Survivors at Close Range are immediately hit with more bile, with the same effect.

Note that the additional Infected Tokens that result from being spewed on do not come from the GMs Remaining Infected Tokens for the Mission, they are just extra. This is very nasty. The lesson to be learned is: don't get spewed on by a Boomer!

When introducing the Boomer, make a waddling motion and retching noises to give its presence some weight. Adding realistic spewing noises when it attacks are also encouraged.

Smoker

A gruesome and spluttering Infected that ensnares Survivors at a distance with its long tongue and pulls them into its clutches. Upon death, it explodes with a great cloud of noxious smoke that obscures vision and induces coughing fits.

Costs 1 Infected Token. May be used once per Mission per player.

At the start of each Combat Round, the Smoker must nominate a single Survivor as its Target. If the Smoker succeeds in its roll, then its Target is immediately Incapacitated. From now on, at the start of each round the target Survivor is moved one range towards Close. If they are already at Close Range then they take a hit instead.

An NFA roll from someone in the same range as the target will free them, but otherwise the Smoker must be killed before the attack will end. However, if a Smoker's target is currently Incapacitated at Close range, then shots against the Smoker that fail their FA roll will hit the Smoker's target instead. You missed and hit your buddy!

When a Smoker is killed, any Survivors at Close suffer a -1 to both FA and NFA for their next go.

Smokers can be roleplayed with wheezes, hacking coughs and spluttering while your tongue is lolling out. A successful tongue grab is often accompanied by a sticky 'shthwip' noise, followed by a victorious gargle!

Hunter

Hunters are a fiercely mutated breed of Infected — faster, stronger and far more dangerous than common Horde. Keep your ears perked — a shriek from the darkness means a Hunter is near, and ready to pounce in for the kill.

Costs 1 Infected Token. May be used once per Mission per player.

The Hunter always passes its roll, but how high it rolled makes a big difference.

At the start of each Combat Round, the Hunter must nominate a single Survivor as its Target. On the Hunters go, if it rolled equal to or higher than its Target's roll, then it will pounce on them. A Target that has been pounced on is immediately Incapacitated. From now on, the Target will remain Incapacitated and will be hit each time the Hunter has a go. This will continue until the Hunter is pushed off with an NFA roll at the same range as the Target, or the Hunter is killed.

While the Hunter is not currently pounced on a target, it may only be hit by attacks which roll equal or higher than its own roll. This simulates the Hunters unnatural ability to dodge and evade fire. While a Hunter is pounced on a Target they may be shot at and killed normally, but if an attacker fails their FA roll then the Hunter's target takes a hit instead.

While stalking their prey, Hunters make menacing low growls. When they strike though, make a piercing scream and rip at the midsection of the playyer controlling the targeted Survivor!

Witch

Witches only want to be left alone so that they can wallow in their misery. They hate flashlights and loud noises, but what they hate more than anything is being shot at. They express this with such focused aggression with barbed claws and gnashing teeth that no Survivor can hold her off for long.

Costs 2 Infected Tokens. May be used once per Mission per two players.

The GM can attempt to bring the Witch into play at the start of a Fight and ask for NFA tests. Those who decline the test will not take part in the next Fight. If everyone who took the test passed, then the Witch is avoided and won't fight. If someone failed, or someone wants to wake her on purpose, then the Witch gets mad and will rip apart whoever disturbed her!

The first Survivor to wake her is the first to announce that they will do it on purpose, or the highest failing roll. In the Fight, this Survivor is the Witch's Target.

The Witch never has to roll dice. However:

• At the end of the first round, she will inflict two hits on her Target if they are at Close range. They should've at least tried to run away!
• At the end of the second round, she will inflict two hits on her Target if they are at Close or Near range.
• At the end of the third and any subsequent rounds, she will inflict two hits on her Target regardless of what range they are at. No one can escape the Witch for long!

Once her Target is Dead, the Witch will leave the Fight at the end of the next round. Her work is done! When the Witch is hit, roll for kills as normal. It takes a combined total of 8 kills to make a Witch go down.

The two Infected Tokens spent to use the Witch are sacrificed regardless of whether or not the Witch actually Fights. And each use still counts as a use per Mission! The threat of her is bad enough!

While the Witch is dormant she merely holds her head and sobs mournfully. But when she attacks this turns into frenzied howls and screams!

Ric says: We could let the Witch come in at the start of any round? Just require NFA checks from everyone right there and then. Dunno. Don't see how we can capture that hesitation and tension fighting around a dormant Witch. Maybe if a player ever rolls a 10 then she wakes up?

Tank

Twisted beyond recognition through Infection, the Tank is a raging monster with horrifically brutal strength and inhuman toughness. It rampages towards the Survivors and pummels them to death with thrown bits of debris and its fists.

Costs 3 Infected Tokens. May be used once per Mission per three players.

At the start of the round, the Tank must nominate a single Survivor as its Target. On its go, if it succeeds in its roll, then the Target misses their next go because they are too busy trying to evade the Tank or they have been stunned by its attacks. If the Tank also rolled equal or higher than their Target, then they takes a hit too.

When the Tank is hit, roll for kills as normal. It takes a combined total of 30 kills before a Tank will go down. These guys are tough, so bring a big gun.

When playing the Tank, roar! Frustrated growls, howls and yells are also good when the Tank misses or gets shot, but make sure attacks are always accompanied by a good loud roar!

Starting a Campaign

Games of Left 4:16 Dead have the following structure:

• A Campaign is 3-4 hours in length.
• A Campaign is composed of 3-4 Missions.
• So, each Mission is roughly an hour of play.
• Each Mission starts and ends with the Survivors holed up in a Safe House.
• A Campaign ends when the Survivors are either all dead or they get rescued. (See below)

As with 3:16, the meta-goal of each Mission is to remove all the GM's Infected Tokens. All of the advice from pages 28-31 of the Missions Chapter from 3:16 applies here.

Missions in Left 4:16 Dead are smaller than those of 3:16 though. A number of Missions will play out over the course of a single-session Campaign. Each Mission has its Infected Token allotment calculated separately:

Number of Survivors x 3

Don't worry about the GM running out of Infected Tokens too early though. The Dangerous Actions of the Survivors will often provide ample additional Infected Tokens with which to batter them, and during Fights, Boomers can also add to the Horde available in that Fight.

Setting the Elements of the Campaign

The Games Master has a sheet with the start of a spider diagram on it. This summarises some of the possible places, people, conditions or anything else that will be important in the Campaign. In short, it describes what kind of situation the Survivors are in.

There are no rules attached to this though, it is purely for inspiration and reference for when describing things or framing scenes.

At the start of the Campaign the GM may have already filled this in, but usually everyone can contribute and complete it quickly just before play begins.

Adding or changing the diagram during play is of course fine if the situation demands it.

Setting the Collective Goal

The ultimate place of rescue must be chosen at the start of a Campaign. Everyone at the gaming table can collaboratively decide on it, or the GM can decide prior to play and just announce it, or the GM can determine the place of rescue randomly using the following list. This list uses the four iconic places of rescue from Left 4 Dead, plus a couple of others.

Usually, Rescue takes the form of other Survivors getting on a transport vehicle from some landmark.

1. Rescue by chopper from the rooftop of the City's Hospital.
2. Rescue by train from a suburban train station, next to a school.
3. Rescue by army patrol carrier from a remote farmstead.
4. Rescue by trawler from the edge of the National Park.
5. Rescue by aeroplane from the City's Airport.
6. Rescue by convoy from one of the City's bombed out freeways.

Don't worry about filling in the details about the Rescue just yet though, it can be discovered when it's appropriate. The exact 'where' and 'how' may well change during play anyway.

Setting the goal of a Mission

At the end of each Mission, ideally, the Survivors will have gotten one important step closer to Rescue. This allows them to rest for a moment in a Safe House and plan their next move.

This can be anything reasonable, and here it is definitely encouraged that the players will take the lead here. The Survivors will also be planning their next move, so players should feel free to describe their discussion about it.

This information will shape some of what will appear in the next Mission, so the GM will have to adapt to that. So, for example, the players could decide they want to sneak through the sewers to the old power station to see if they can get the trains running. Obviously, the GM will now have to frame the Survivors getting to the sewers and go from there.

An Example Mission

The Survivors are standing on top of a downtown rootop. It is raining. Far way on the other side of the city, the tall spire of Mercy City Hospital is just visible. On the streets below the Survivors, the Infected mill around aimlessly. Even the slightest sound will set the zombies off on a frenzied rampage, but the noise of a passing chopper blaring out a message is welcomed. They're rescuing people from the top of Mercy Hospital! This is the Collective Goal for the Campaign.

The Survivors decide that staying off the streets is a damn fine idea. If they can get to a nearby subway they'll be able to follow the tracks to the hospital. So, the goal of the first Mission is to make it to the nearest subway station alive. The Survivors grip their firearms tightly and move quietly and cautiously down the fire escape. However, Francis has a Personal Goal of his own: he is sure that his motorbike is only three or so streets away. A quick detour to get his bike is surely worth it?

There are four Survivors, and so the GM has 12 Infected Tokens with which to throw adversity in the face of the Survivors. She aims to blow the majority of the Infected Tokens on standard Infected fodder. She will keep some Infected Tokens in reserve because she plans to have a Witch sitting and crying right outside the only entrance to the subway.

This is only the first Mission in the Campaign. There is no time to rest. The rescue craft might miss the Survivors unless they get a move on!

Game Mods

Where all the bullets at?

Of course, even if Survivors were willing to pool their firepower and leave generous caches of supplies, they would start to run thin in very short order. Like in Left 4 Dead and 3:16, we would rather the game didn't get bogged down in bean counting, but here's an easy rule to represent scarce supplies in your game.

Whenever a player rolls a 10 on FA, the GM may spend an Infected Token to force that weapon to run out of ammunition. The Survivor will have to hunt for more ammo or use another weapon. Time to get the ol' Pistol out.

Similarly, whenever a 10 is rolled on NFA, the GM may spend a Token to reveal that whatever was being used is in fact unusable. This includes First Aid, machines and vehicles and anything else that makes sense. Either it's broken and needs fixing, or it hasn't got fuel or bandages or whatever else makes it go.

It was the other left!

Take an actual map of an actual place, probably a city, and play on that. The Survivors may use it to mark down Safe Houses or other points of interest as they go, and an arrow to indicate the rough direction towards Rescue.

Focusing the game on an actual artifact can add to the immersion and give the setting a bit more 'weight'. Just make sure the map is actually interesting with varied environments to fight in and get chased through. And don't forget to actually describe the surroundings too and fill in those blanks. Especially if the area on the map is known to some of the players, it might become tempting to skip over description, but don't. The zombie apocalypse changes everything, not just with power-cuts, fire damage and decay, but also how the Survivors would view their city.

What? No Left 4 Dead?

Instead of playing a straight game in the style of Left 4 Dead, where getting to the rescue point is the Collective Goal, feel free to mix things up.

Perhaps the Survivors are a group of special forces soldiers ordered into the Infection Zone to wipe out anything that moves like in Half-Life. Or, I've heard that bunkering down in a shopping mall or pub is a good strategy in a zombie apocalypse. Anything that keeps the Survivors together and doing dangerous things is appropriate. Hell, if you want, rename the weapons and set the game on an alien world, with the Survivors viciously mowing down poor helpless Infected, uh, no, wait, actually, that's a dumb idea.

Hard Mode

So you think you're tough? Try these little rules adjustments:

• Cross off the Bruised Health box. It doesn't exist. First Aid kits only heal you up to Battered.
• HA now starts at 5. Each normal Horde token in a Fight after the first pushes that up by 1, to a maximum of 10.
• The Tank now takes 40 kills to bring down, and the Witch takes 10.

So why bother? For the bragging rights of course! Write these Achievements in big bold letters across your sheet, and the GM has to buy everyone a beer or something.

Achievement	Requirements
I Am Rock Hard!	Survive a Campaign on Hard Mode.
Unstoppable!	Complete a Personal Goal in a Campaign on Hard Mode
We Are The Champions!	Every Survivor survives a Campaign on Hard Mode

Round Robin GMing

Though everyone is welcome to play the game in the traditional style used by 3:16, it's pretty fun if you change GM every Mission. Like Versus mode in Left 4 Dead it gives each player the chance to play as the Infected and beat on the Survivors rather than doling that responsibility to just one person.

Simply put, as soon as the Survivors have made it to the Safe House and the Mission is over, then the next player clockwise becomes the GM, while the previous GM takes on the role of a Survivor.

Since each Mission is discrete, there shouldn't be any mechanical complications with the change over. And since the plot of the Campaign is largely decided by the actions of the players and the reactions of the GM at the time, there shouldn't be any major problems to the story either. We've included a nice single-page GM guide anyway though.

However, although the GM is essentially interchangeable between Missions, this will also mean players dropping in and out, and this can be more of a problem. A GM can't control a Survivor and the Infected at once without issues. There's a couple of ways of handling this.

The Survivor Shuffle

The retiring GM takes on the role of the new GM's Survivor. This is the easiest option if you aren't too attached to your Survivors, because it will mean everyone swaps Survivors at some point. Entirely your call here whether that's fun.

Ensemble Cast

The GMs write out the old Survivor and write in a new one. As in, the old Survivor just fades into the background or splits away from the rest, and a new Survivor is found. Either GM can do this or they can do it between them, but it might feel more natural if each GM writes in or out their own Survivor. Whether the GM wishes to resume control of their old Survivor when they hand over the reins is up to them, but it can be a bit tricky to make it seem plausible.

• Writing-in is easier, since new Survivors can just be found at the end or beginning of a Mission because they're trying to get to Safe Houses too. Or you know, they're just there, like any other replacement Survivor.
• Writing-out a Survivor believably is harder if you want to be able write them back in again. Possible options: Being unconscious, splitting off to do something personal, catching a one-person transport to the next Safe House, staying back to fix a transport or something, scouting ahead or getting isolated accidentally. If you don't care so much whether they can rejoin the Survivors later, then going out in a blaze of glory or a moment of weakness is traditional.

This is our preferred method of playing the game. But, though it isn't difficult to GM a game, it is a bit different, so make sure this is what people want. And of course, any particular player should feel free to pass the buck along to the next player in line if they'd rather. Either way, the new GM should be given a couple of minutes to read the GM sheet and get some ideas together, but aside from that, just go. There shouldn't be any secrets or plots or ideas to carry over that can't be discussed openly with the players anyway, so don't overthink it.

The new GM doesn't even have to be a rules expert either. Hopefully someone who knows the game ran the first Mission anyway and taught everyone else the basics, but there's no big secrets with the system either, so, don't worry about that.

Go go go!