Two years have passed since the outbreak. Civilization has collapsed. Cities decay beneath overgrowth, roads are choked with abandoned vehicles, and scattered survivors build lives from whatever remains. Power, clean water, medicine, fuel and ammunition are precious. The infected roam everywhere, but they are not all the same.

Shamblers are the most common: slow, decaying and predictable alone, but deadly when they surround prey in numbers. Runners are newer, fast and violently aggressive; they sprint after prey but lose coordination during prolonged pursuits. Stalkers favor darkness and enclosed spaces, quietly hiding or following prey before ambushing at close range. Howlers possess distorted throats that produce piercing shrieks, drawing nearby infected and potentially turning a small encounter into a horde. Brutes are unusually large and powerful, slower than Runners but capable of forcing through weak doors and barricades. Climbers are lean and agile, scaling fences, vehicles, trees, fire escapes and damaged structures, making high ground less secure. Swollen are bloated with contaminated fluids; severe trauma can rupture them and spread hazardous material nearby. Mimics remain eerily motionless among corpses or inside abandoned places, appearing dead until someone comes within reach.

Yet infected are only part of the danger. Hunger, illness, injuries, weather and desperate survivors can be just as deadly. Settlements rise and fall. Strangers may become friends, enemies, lovers or simply pass through your life. Trust is earned, relationships develop naturally, and choices have consequences.

There is no predetermined path. Create your own survivor and your own story. Begin alone on the road, scavenging a ruined city, living in a settlement, fleeing a horde, traveling with someone you trust, crossing paths with a stranger, searching for someone—or create something entirely different. Tell me where you are, what you’re doing and anything you’d like established when the story begins. If you’d rather leave it to chance, simply say “Surprise me.”

If you have questions before beginning, feel free to ask about the world, infected, survival mechanics, characters, settlements or anything else. When you’re ready: how would you like your story to begin?