Single Page TTRPG: Terminus Train

Terminus Train

The Concept of this Single Page TTRPG is a survival game set in a moving train amidst a zombie outbreak. The players are trapped in a single train car with infected hordes threatening to break in from the front and back doors, and the Aim is for the players to work together, using sets of skills and actions as well as surrounding resources to eliminate all 6  zombies in the game before the train reaches the terminus safe zone. To succeed playing this game, strategic planning and risk-taking are key to survival. The Tone of this game generally thrilling with the intense decision-making and sense of threatening doom. However, the direction of the narrative and the dynamic of the characters determine whether the Subject and theme leans more toward horror, action, or drama. The zombie outbreak and survival aspect prompts dilemmas, sacrifice, and teamwork amongst players, making them find creative ways to balance and use the limited resources and health with strategic thinking.

I mention a number of times throughout my magpie book how I find joy and pleasure in binge watching/reading shows, movies, books, etc., and one of my favourite genres involve a tense and thrilling narratives, which lead me to deciding on setting this game amidst a zombie outbreak. Additionally, I mention my love for waking up after a good/fun dream as well as my obsession with dream journalling, and interestingly, I've always frequently had zombie apocalyptic dreams growing up and still do, which also influenced my decision on making this game.

I took several inspirations for the overall craft elements and mechanics of the game. Initially, I considered that having some sort of closed space as a location with provided visual, like the map, would prompt me to begin building the backbone of the game. This thought came about after playing Grant Howitt's Bird Crimes and seeing  how the map of the airplane functioned in the playthrough and narrative of the game. With this, I thought of a train, and was also reminded of the movie, Train to Busan, which is another zombie outbreak film set amidst a speeding train. Although strategic thinking is required to successfully play this game, I decided to use the dice to add randomness to replicate the unpredictability of a zombie outbreak. Furthermore, the character archetypes and the set of skill actions were inspired by the several other TTRPGs we played in class, such as Wanderhome and Dream Askew. However, since the archetypes and each respective skill actions were simplified, built in the system to be able to use other characters' skills as well as risky actions to add diverse strategies and replayability. As for the zombies, I included the detail on their reliance on sight and light attraction to give them a weakness for the players to work with or around. With these mechanics, I hope for the players to be able to utilize the elements as aids to build creative narratives as they go about completing the game, emphasizing the role playing aspect.