When We Die - Beta Playtest

This is a beta playtest ruleset, version 2.0, for When We Die! You’ll find here all you need to test the game’s core mechanics, as well as a raft of expanded rules and an overview of the When We Die world. Right now this document is aimed at experienced gamers, so you won’t find all the “introduction to roleplaying” information the final version will contain. If you’d like to provide feedback, please use the QR code at the front of the book. And thank you for helping out—we’re very grateful! 

If you took part in the previous When We Die alpha (version 1.1), you’ll find a lot of changes here! 

WHEN WE DIE

The world changed forever when LPS-B22 arrived. A bacterial infection that swept across the globe and killed 4 out of 5 of the world’s population. Any of those infected who didn’t die straight away were left in a mindless, shambling state, terrifyingly similar to the classic “zombie” of folkore. The media, and those survivors who avoided infection, called these zombies “vectors” (after the term “infection vector”), but quickly they became known just as vecks. Before long, people were calling LPS-B22 the Vector Plague. 

The Vector Plague was the deadliest pandemic in human history. Despite all the government efforts to contain the outbreak, every measure they took failed. Nobody did what they were supposed to do. Total denial, refusal to take it seriously. Panic and chaos. Law and order vanished overnight. 

GAME MECHANICS