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I’m not a big zombie fan. Seriously, I’ve seen some Walking Dead and own both Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland. I played a lot of Resident Evil and Left 4 Dead, but I’m not a zombie addict. Mostly, I think they’re scary, but a little odd at the same time. They get you with the swarm, so running makes the most amount of sense. I’m not hear to discuss tactics though.
A common complaint I hear from some of my zombie-loving friends . . . that didn’t sound right. Anyway, people seem to get angry when you alter a zombie. Give them the ability to run and some fans will lose their freaking minds. Slow, shambling, groaning, feeling no pain mobs is all they want. It is a little ridiculous to me, but I come from a different area than most.
Rewind to March, a few days after I published Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero. I started getting messages about how it was cool that I used zombies in my fantasy book. WUH!? Remember that I played Dungeons & Dragons where zombies are the next level of undead you start fighting after skeletons become easy. They’re the bread and butter of necromancers, so I thought they were a fantasy standard. Apparently, they’re not even though I swear I’ve seen them in others.
I messed with my zombies from the beginning too. Immune to holy magic, keep on coming after being set on fire, and then there are the vast zombie species I came up with for Legends of Windemere: Allure of the Gypsies. I went wild with my necromantic creations when our heroes enter Kalam’s lair. I’m excited to see what people think of them when they debut. I’m not even talking zombies of various species, which opens up new abilities too. Grafting, magical enhancements, and the sky really is the limit if you can give even a mild explanation.
Magic is key here, of course. If you put zombies in a non-magical setting then you have limitations to worry about. So, keep the technology/magic/realism of the world in mind if you go away from shambling swarm. Though, it’s best to keep the swarm because that’s the core of the zombie fear. Imagine getting surrounded by an unstoppable wave of flesh-eating creatures instead of having to battle one quick one. This is a mentality to take into account too. Will people be afraid of zombies or are there scarier things out there. Could there be others reasons zombies are so feared even in a world with dragons and vampires? This quirks can change and deepen your zombies mythos to bring you away from the pack.
I think we’ve come to a point where zombies can be altered and you can have fun with the idea. Vampires and werewolves are there. The original has been done so much or slightly altered that you’ll really have to twist to get praise for being highly unique. I think many authors aim for the unique origin or use the zombies as background. It’s the human struggle that’s important these days. Still, have some fun with zombie types if you can find a way to do so. Although, you will probably have to deal with a few vocal traditionalists, so prepare for criticism. People really love their zombies . . . okay, I see why that doesn’t sound right this time.
Legends of Windemere 
I don’t know why but I was never a fan of undead, or undead quests when I played D&D… great when you are a cleric or a paladin but not so great for the other classes…Clerics and paladins are very restrictive so not as many of my friends played those characters… also the disease factor with the undead… they are worst than rats that way… No Zombies as of yet in store for my Nano effort… I think I am going to stick with five races… there are many ways to add more races at a later date… still I think I will stay away from zombies and the undead in general…
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I started with a goofball hack and slash group, so we had a lot of fun with undead. Challenging zombies to foot races, stealing the skull off skeletons, and confusing a vampire by accusing each other of being ‘the virgin’. Maybe those are bad examples of handling undead and just how stupid we were.
I think undead make decent dungeon creatures when the ruins are ancient. Powerful magic and centuries passing make me think such monsters are viable.
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when I played the people I played with were sticklers for the rules… Silly stunts normally meant who ever was the DM would just kill you… D&D was some pretty serious shit for us… lol… to be honest it was rare that we ever completed a quest successfully…. thus why we gave up modules and began random campaigns… everything created by dice and the imagination of whoever’s turn it was to be DM… there are fewer encounters with undead with random encounters of creatures…
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I was in a game like that and I hated it. I always played for fun and laughs even when I had a serious character. I was never a player who memorized the rules, so I didn’t last long in that game.
Did your characters typically die in those unfinished campaigns? I’ve always wondered how long a character can last in games where it’s strict rules.
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our basic slogan was “Death is inevitable” tops quests lasted a weekend and that was with god intervention and reincarnation… our party got wiped out once in a bar fight in the tavern before the adventure even got started… we did have some higher level adventures but the characters were created and groomed in that they were given the skills and spells of as well as stats for the higher level… The highest level I ever got a character naturally playing by strict rules was a level twelve elf assassin who couldn’t pick a lock to save his life but was very adept to hiding in the shadows and not being seen… he got thrown into a prison cell he couldn’t get out of and the party couldn’t break into so after a weekend of turns trying to break out I gave up on him…
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Level twelve is impressive. Sucks that he went out that way. Maybe he’s still there ruling the cell block.
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easy to rule the cellblock when you are the only one in the cell and special precaution has been taken to so you don’t escape… sentenced to rot for conspiracy against a King…
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He’ll always have the rats and cockroaches to keep him company. Until they eat him.
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I like the idea of changing it up a little – keeps it interesting and adds new dynamics.
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This is why I like necromancers. They can do so many fun things with these critters.
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I have read lots about vampires but not much at all about zombies, so you are introducing me to a new species.
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There’s a lot out there. Zombiephreak would know about it than me. Surprised he hasn’t appeared yet.
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You have introduced me to most fantasy characters. I will never look at Santa’s elves in quite the same way.
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I forgot about them. They remind me of Fritz, but with less explosions.
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Although I love the idea of changing it up I do love me some zombies (yes, it does sound wierd..lol) That being said, I was not happy with the fast moving World War Z zombies in the Brad Pitt movie. Just keep them slow moving and I’m happy!
Great post.
Jennifer
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Thanks. I like the slow moving, but I have to admit to not being scared of those types. There is something to say about the classics.
I think one of the fun things about putting zombies into a world of magic is that you can make a few special types. Necromancers are the mad scientists of the fantasy realm. So, I’m looking forward to seeing how people take to those zombies.
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Hey Charles! For a long, long time I hated zombies. I mean, I really, really hated zombies. They were useless slugs anyone can beat. Of course, I thought this before I saw 28 Days Later where the zombies had freakish powers of assembling as one body. In a group, that’s where their power lies. And I fell for their power, hook, line and sinker. One zombie? Meh, I can beat it. One hundred? Therein lies the rub!
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Very true. I avoided zombies because I’m easily scared and can’t get into gore. It was Shaun of the Dead that helped me get over most of my fear. I still think I’d freak out even with one zombie. Probably because when you see one, others have to be around somewhere.
It is interesting how zombies have slipped into the mainstream somehow. Is it because of The Walking Dead?
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The balance in Horror shifts in popularity between vampires and zombies depending on a number of factors. For instance, studies have shown (you can check my sight for the stats) the vampire genre does well whenever the economy booms. However, whenever there’s a bear market and folks have to work harder and longer for their pay, zombies seem to maintain their reign of power over Horror. The Walking Dead has indeed brought zombies in the spotlight as a great show, but remember, Shaun of the Dead was around much earlier as was many of the other zombie flicks. It’s anyone’s guess where it all will end up!
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Zombieland!
That’s really interesting how it comes down to the two big undead and the economy is a factor. I would have never made that connection. I wonder if ghosts factor into any of this or if they’re always around. Honestly, has there ever been a year in recent history where a ghost movie did NOT come out?
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I’m not sure. Ghost movies have been around forever and I’m fairly certain these babies won’t go away anytime soon.
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Kind of ironic (I think) that in the end, ghost movies won’t go away. They’ll out last all the other monsters.
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I get zombie ideas from observing my coworkers.
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Brains and coffee.
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