User Summary:
Age of the Dead is a rules-light zombie-themed roleplaying game. The setting is somewhat atypical inasmuch as it occurs one year after a zombie plague has overcome the world. Characters survive in a world of zombies, depleted resources, and established power centers that vie for control.
Characters have Willpower (beginning with 10 Will Points); two Motivations (narrative tags); and three Skills (narrative tags). When characters encounter opposition (of any type, zombie or otherwise) the GM provides a Threat Rating (usually about 10) so the players can evaluate the situation. Players may use dice to attempt to reduce the Threat Rating; if the rating is reduced the player must provide a reasonable narrative rationale. Melee weapons are narrative elements that reduce the Threat Rating. Likewise, Vehicles are narrative elements that may reduce the Threat Rating, primarily by enabling rapid escape.
Because being wounded is fatal, characters do not sustain wounds. Instead, they sustain mental damage to their Willpower score. When Willpower is reduced to zero, the character reaches their Freakout Point which severely limits their options and likely leads to death-by-zombie.