55615 zombie apocalypse debate conversation role play

Zombie Apocalypse!
A conversation/debate roleplaying game of survival horror!
How long can you make it through? Can you escape?

“Every human being we save, is one less to fight.” –
World War Z

1


You have seen there is a virus spreading all over the world. You
are lucky enough to be in this school, on the third floor, right
now when it all is happening. We have locked the doors, we
have water, some medicine and a little food but the food will
only last a day or so. The television broadcasts nothing but
static. Out the window you can see groups of people wandering
around…wait! They’re all zombies! The ones running you
guess are still human…but they might not be for long.
Good time for the question…What’s your zombie knowledge?
From books, movies and games, what do you actually think you
know about zombies?

2


Divide into groups. Each group will draw up a plan for the best
course of action. You will need to consider the following:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Choose a leader: How should you pick the leaders of your
group? Should you hold a quick election? Draw straws?
Why not talk amongst yourselves and just allow someone
to volunteer. Be aware though, for the rest of the game you
will take orders from that person until there is a revolt or
they get eaten by zombies.

Labour: Will there be a division of labour? Will each
person have a specific job to do or will you all share duties
equally? For example should someone carry supplies and
others fight? Who cooks?
Wealth: Should members of your group divide possessions
communally or do individuals get to keep their own things?
Shelter: If we barricade ourselves in should we allow other
survivors to join our group?
Responsibility: Is it even our duty to fight the zombies?
Surely the military must have set up a base somewhere,
right?
Laws: Do we have any laws as a group? If so, what are
they? What are the punishments for breaking these laws?

Infection: What do we do if one of us becomes infected?
3


Once you have decided on this and written down some kind
of constitution for your group compare your constitution
with other ones from different groups. Re-negotiate and
debate specific points. Come to some kind of compromise.
At the end have everyone ratify the agreement by signing
it.
All groups become one group under a single leader.

Zombie Apocalypse Treaty
4


Look at the map.
5


There are 12 locations. You should consider the values that
visiting each one of these places may hold. You should consider
the potential danger too.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The hospital. A very important place during a zombie
apocalypse. The hospital will definitely hold enough
medical supplies to keep your team healthy for a long time.
Think though, how many people came to the hospital
complaining of a sickness only to become a zombie. There
are surely plenty of zombies walking around the wards.
The supermarket. We all have to eat. So do zombies.
Only zombies aren’t there for the cans of tuna and bottles
of water. They’re probably feasting on other survivors who
have flocked to this place looking for supplies.
The prison. The prison would be an impenetrable fortress.
Surely a good place to hold out until the zombie hoards
were dealt with. Only where is more dangerous? Inside
the prison or out on the streets?
The train station. Large open areas, last minute travelers.
Zombie commuters. Can anyone here even drive a train?
The park. I used to always walk through the park on my
way to the supermarket. It has playgrounds, lots of trees
and lots of open space.
The bar. The place that took people and turned them into
zombies before the zombie apocalypse took place. There
was a movie about people who took shelter in a bar during
a zombie apocalypse. It didn’t work out too well for them.

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The cinema. Large building with no windows. All the
popcorn you can eat. What movie do you think is playing
now?
8. The restaurant. One thing for sure is they will have food.
What has the clientele become though?
9. The library. The largest stone building in the area. This
place is very big. It might be a good hideout.
10. The post office. We could mail a letter asking for help but
I’m not sure when the next pick up is.
11. The church. It’s a sturdy old building with a massive oak
door. It is home to the town’s graveyard however.
12. The school. Where our adventure begins. There are 3
levels to the school. We are all on the top floor. We are
safe…for now. There are noises coming from below. You
hear screams and tables and chairs being thrown around. It
is time to start making some decisions.
7.

Teacher’s Notes

7


This worksheet is aimed at higher level students who have an
interest in debate and role playing. They start off at a school in
the corner of the map and will have to debate and negotiate the
best course of action and try to survive for as long as they can.
Let them watch the trailer for World War Z if you like to give

them an idea of what a zombie apocalypse looks like.
– World War Z Trailer

•

•

•

Have them think about first how to even create a
group. The point of this part is to frame the situation.
Try and make it real for them. You could pop your
head out the door and then close it again and tell them
to hurry up because something is coming.
The group must decide the best way to deal with the
situation. Do they just run for the train station and
hope there is a survivor? Do they move as a group or
individually? Do some people scout ahead?
My group really had fun with the crime and
punishment part of the treaty. To be honest the treaty
could be done over an hour or two depending on how
much detail you want.

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Now because this is a role play and a debate/discussion the
possibilities are infinite. I can only give conversation cards for
the encounters that you will deal with on the way. You’ll have
to use your imagination for the rest. Also there are some rules I

have made up for moving. You will need a 6-sided die and a
counter for each member of the team. You will also need 6
counters for the zombies (included…not the die!)
Rules:
The players roll the dice and move as a team (in which case you
only need one counter) or as individuals (multiple counters).
Each time they move, the teacher then rolls the dice to see what
they encounter.
Zombies! Roll the dice again to see how many will attack.
2- Nothing. The group can continue.
3- Discover a random item. Teacher can choose a weapon or
supply.
4- Another group. Roll the dice to see how big the group is.
Then roll again to see how hostile they are. Go to the
appropriate conversation card to roleplay the situation.
5- Nothing. The group can roll again.
ZOMBIE HOARD! Group must enter the closest building if
they can. There may already be people inside who just aren’t
too keen on letting in strangers. There are pre-made
conversation cards for groups that occupy certain buildings.
1-

6-

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You can change the odds for these to suit your taste. You can
even just decide for yourself that there will be a set number of
encounters per game and they don’t need to roll at all just

move from building to building…your call.
The group should move as a whole for sake of ease. They roll
a die and move that many squares. Each time they roll,
teacher should roll for an encounter. The group can roll twice
a day. If they get really unlucky and end up caught outside in
the dark (which shouldn’t really happen but it might) teacher
may roll for 3 encounters through the night.

Characters:
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Zombie – Roll die to
determine how many
Health-3

Zombie hoard
Health – Infinite. You
need to run!

Nice group – if you
roll a 1-4. Roll die to
determine how many
are in the group
Health – 5 per person
Friendly. Can be
robbed.

Bad group –if
you roll a 5 –

6. Roll die to
determine
how many
are in the
group.
Health – 6
per person
They will try
to rob you. If
group has no
weapons
they must
surrender. If
they have
weapons
they can
chance their
luck.

Conversation cards: Nice groups
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Group 1: These guys were at the hospital dropping off a sick friend when all hell broke
loose. They warn the group of a few things. There is a ladder leading up to the roof of the
hospital which is much safer than going through any of the main entrances which are
swarming with undead. There is a security post on each northwest corner on all 4 floors.
There are probably guns and ammo there.
If group is intimidated first they will reveal some of this information to escape.
If group is not intimidated they can be bartered with for medical supplies. They may even

give some for free if asked nicely!
Group 2: These survivors come from the post office. They are a bunch of old grannies who
have been hardened by an age of customer abuse. They are firm but fair. They respond to
manners and kindness.
If spoken to politely they will reveal the post office was secure until the man at the sweets
counter was bitten by a little six-year-old. The old ladies ran but locked the guy in the shop.
They have the key to the post office and will give it to the group if the group can tell them
where the bar is. They want to have a final skinful before the end of their days.
If group is intimidated they will give up the key to the post office but will not tell about the
zombie locked inside.

Group 3: These teenagers have run away from the park. They warn that going through
there is a death trap. It’s easy to get lost. It’s easy to be ambushed. All in all it’s to be
avoided if possible.
If spoken to (informally? If you wish) they will reveal the above information and have stolen
a bunch of gardening tools (weapons) from the tool shed in the park. The will barter for
these and maybe even give one or two away for free.
If intimidated they will lie and say the park is the safest place to hide as all the zombies
seem to be drawn to the sound and lights of the town.

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Group 4: A group of supermarket cashiers. They escaped the supermarket which they saw
become ‘zombie central’. Looters in hope of stacking up enough food and water to survive
for a few months barricaded in were surrounded by zombies who flocked to the
supermarket like a feeding trough.
If the group is treated with respect they will inform the group that there is a sky walkway
that connects the train station to the supermarket. That was how they escaped and it was
zombie free. They have food supplies. How many is up to the teacher.

Conversation cards: Bad Groups

Group
Escaped
convicts. These
criminals
took
advantage
of the
unlocked
If the1:group
is intimidated
they will
say they
escaped
out the
front
door. gates when the
prison guards took their chances and ran away from the zombies. Depending on how the
player group reacts they may attack or not. They WILL try to steal all the items the players
have though so it is up to them if they will fight to defend their stuff.
If the group is overpowered/killed they will tell you that the prison is on lockdown. It will
be nearly impossible to get back in. The main power has been shut down though so it will
be possible to cut through the electric fence and access the guard towers.

Group 2: A group of doctors and librarians who are smart enough to know what they have
treated in the ER and what they have read in books means that the end of days are coming.
They are armed with scalpels and bits of metal shelving sharpened into blades. One of
them is an avid train enthusiast and seems to think he can drive a train so they are heading

to the station. They have no interest in new party members but they could be convinced or
bought off perhaps.
If the group is overpowered/killed they will reveal who the train driver is and that he could
be your ticket out of here. They also have an assortment of medical supplies and
weapons.

Now of course the students could end up rolling the same
group twice. You can have them bump back into the same
group if you want or you can add a new element to the
game...NEW MEMBERS.
New members could be one of 2 things. Cannon fodder for
the group. They will come as a standard human with 5
health who will help fight for your team but must be fed
and given water.
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OR
The new member is secretly infected and turns into a
zombie by morning and attacks the group. This could
introduce a moral dilemma about picking up strangers in
the future.

Combat rules:
I have tried to keep it simple. Each player gets to roll 1 die
to attack. If they are unarmed then:
1= you miss completely
2-3= 1 point
4-5= 2 points
6= 3 points

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If players are armed then:
1= you miss completely
2=1 point
3=2 points
4=3 points
5=4 points
6=5 points
(So essentially a 4, 5 or 6 would be a headshot instant kill
on a zombie)
Same goes for human players attacking our team.
Zombies on the other hand do unarmed damage but you
need to roll the dice to check for infection.
1-5 = No infection
6= Bad news, you will become a zombie soon. The team
must decide what to do with you. Depending on what was
agreed upon before they might be exiled or executed on the
spot. The infected will become a zombie after a night’s
sleep.
Locations and loot:
For sake of ease 1 person can carry one weapon, one ration
of food, one ration of water, one ration of medical supplies.
Weapons are used in combat, food and water needs to be
consumed every day (you may decide to keep track of food
and apply penalties to teams that do not have enough food
and water such as lowering their health every day they go
without.) Medical supplies will cure a zombie infection.
Medical supplies can also bring back lost health but

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CANNOT be used for both. Every time the group enters a
building we assume they camp there for the night and
teacher rolls once for any encounters that may happen
during the night.
WEAPONS: After an encounter with zombies we will
assume all weapons are lost. The gun clip is empty, the
makeshift axe is broken etc.
FOOD: Food must be consumed at the end of the day
when the team camps in a building for the night. If they
don’t eat they lose a health point the following morning.
WATER: Same rules apply to water as food.
MEDICINE: Medicine can be used at any time.
1.

2.

The hospital. There are two entrances to the hospital.
The front door which is littered with zombie paramedics
and patients. Teacher rolls for encounters. There is also
a ladder to the roof which can be scouted for or learned
about through a random encounter with one of the nice
groups. Inside the hospital you can scavenge 1 medical
supply each and an assortment of weapons in the form of
scalpels etc. There are also security guard areas where 1
gun can be found at each station on each floor.
The supermarket. Has two ways of access. A bridge that
is safe that links the railway and the supermarket. Or the

front door which is swarming with zombies. Inside the
players can replenish all food, water and medical
supplies. It is possible to camp here up in the manager’s
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3.

4.

5.

office but the team will find the manager a zombie. If
killed the manager will also be found to have a shotgun
on his desk.
The prison. A possible death trap. The inmates have
been almost totally unaffected. Any zombies have been
killed or locked in cells. The inmates now control most
of the block. Outside though is a different matter zombie
police can be killed for weapons. 1 weapon for every
zombie killed. Players could climb the guard towers for a
place to camp but on the ground would be suicide. If the
players try to enter the main block they will have to give
up all possessions and the game will end. They will
never be allowed to leave and wait out the end until help
arrives…if it ever does. Up to the teacher if a morbid
ending is what you fancy.
The train station. This is where the end of the game
points to. For the entire time you will be looking for the
‘train driver’ from the library. It is a hack and slash to

get through here. Teacher should roll for multiple
encounters to get to the train. If the group dares to
scavenge you will find total replenishment of food and
water rations and medical supplies.
The park. Zombie haven. You cannot camp here. Every
step the group takes through the park the teacher must
roll for encounters. If a zombie hoard finds you here, the
teacher can decide if it is game over or if the group can
escape by climbing a tree or something. Either way it is
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6.

going to take some pretty interesting ideas to get through
this place. Perhaps a self-sacrifice?
The pub. The pub is locked down tight. There is no way
to enter. Unless they decide to smash the windows. The
teacher will roll for any encounters caused by the
commotion. The bar may or may not be occupied.
The occupants are up to you. Depending on your class you may want to make
them a bunch of obnoxious drunks who have been on happy hour since the
start of this apocalypse. If you don’t want alcohol being used then you could
make them the kind old folks that the post office people are trying to hook up
with. In this case you can decide on the entrance fee if applicable.

7.

8.

9.

The cinema. This is one of the worst places hit. Zombies
came pouring through the doors and devoured the
cinema viewers like cattle. At first they thought it was
REALLY good 3-D. The teacher could make them fight
their way to a safe zone where they could camp for the
night like a toilet where they can lock the door or a hatch
to the roof of the building. If they have the guts to
scavenge for supplies they will find 1 weapon on the
floor, presumably from a security guard and enough food
and water for 1 ration each.
The restaurant. This place is empty. The huge glass front
has been smashed and the curtains wave in and out of the
frame. Inside there are 4 zombie chefs in the pantry and
cooking area. The menu tonight is fresh brains!
The library. There is a bonfire of books burning in the
entrance of the library. Someone has been keeping it
stoked. The team must use their entire water rations to
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put out the fire so they can gain entrance. Inside there is
a couple. 2 students. They are harmless enough but they
suggest that we rebuild the bonfire to keep out zombies.
If the fire is left out zombie might wander in. If re-lit
again it might attract unwanted attention. Have the
group discuss what to do and roll for encounters during
the night. The library can replenish lost water rations and
there is a packed lunch in the fridge in the staff room

amounting to 1 food ration. Also the couple say they
heard one of the library staff mentioning he could drive a
train and was heading to the train station after he found
his wife.
10. The post office. The post office is locked. The group
could smash the window but that might attract attention.
Inside there is a zombie worker to combat. Other than
that, the post office is a safe, little base. The sweets
might not be a filling meal but there are enough food
rations for 1 day of hyperglycemia each.
11. The church. There is nothing in the church really apart
from security. Once inside they realize they are standing
in a fortress. Players could hole up here but they would
need to take frequent trips to the supermarket or the
school’s cafeteria. Cafeteria food will go bad soon
though so they can’t stock up.
If you decide, the church could already be occupied. The team will need to persuade
the people inside to let them in. The church group won’t allow any weapons in the
church and demand they throw them down a nearby well. They also need 1 medical
supply to treat a member of their group. If the players comply they will be allowed
access but unfortunately gain nothing but a safe night’s sleep. Roll for encounters. If
zombies, no problem, if human groups the team can decide whether or not to let
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them in.


12.

The school. Your starting point. They will find tons of
stationary. They could get creative and build pencil axes

out of sharpened pencils taped to broom handles. There
are 2 heavy textbooks which could be used as weapons.
They will find a bunch of baseball bats if they think to go
to the gymnasium. Water fountains all around can be
used to collect 1 ration of water per person. The
cafeteria can be entered to find 1 ration of food per
person. There will be a nurses room here too where they
will find 2 medical supplies.

Game counters and character sheets for playing.

Zombie survivor

Zombie
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Zombie Apocalypse Character Sheet

Name:______________
Age:_______________
Health ______________
Weapon

Food

Water

Medicine

Other

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Notes from conversations/information gathered:
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Notes:
Now obviously I haven’t thought of everything. I have
tried to keep this as simple as possible to keep it open to
more a conversation/debate style lesson, not so much a
game. So there will be things missing and loopholes. The
entire team but one might die on the first encounter from
very unlucky dice rolls but the teacher could bring back all
the ‘dead’ players as a random encounter where they bump
into a new team wandering the town.
You might want to cut out the locations and lay them on a
board game like snakes and ladders or a Scrabble board so
you can see the moving squares better.
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As it stands I hope you enjoy this and your students do too.

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