"RAGE 'Zombies': The Only Zombies I Care For" Topic

I liked the "zombies" in the 2007 "I Am Legend", and the 2002 film "28 Days Later".

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Except for those fast rage virus "zombies" (yes, I know they are simply sick people), I don't quite care for zombies at all (the decomposing kind).

I also think that the rage "zombies" are more like ravenous Ghouls too, like the ones in the 2005 film "The Descent".**

zombie.wikia.com/wiki/Rage_virus
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zombiemall.com/zblog/?p=19

QUESTION: Am I the only one that feels this way???

CC
** TMP link
TMP link

You're not the only one, CC. If I were to a zombie game, it would be with 28mm Rage zombies.

Pity there's only one manufacturer.

Regards,
Keith F.

Keith,

For 28mm, this is the only one I can think of:

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For 15mm, I actually think these Ghouls are perfect (half way down page):

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TMP link

CC

Rage zombies are a bit less scary to me.

1. They are much easier to kill. The same stuff that will kill a normaly person will kill a rage zombies.

2. Its not exactly clear what they are DOING, at least in 28 Days later. They don't actually eat people. They just tackle you and give you a vigorous shaking. As an unintended side-effect, they'll probably spray you with infected blood as result, spreading the infection. But this just isn't quite a horrifying as ravenous zombies.

I personally find the Rage Zombies much more terrifying. They can infect you much easier and they can run.

I'm not a big fan of the lumbering zombie as I believe they have done everything with them that you really can. Hell, when even Romero movies begin to stink you can tell it's time to move on a little.

I personally have always found mentally derranged people much more horrible than any zombie ever coul be. They are not an easy spot and some people not right in the head end up with the strength of a horse and you can't tell their sanity threshold.

I don't comment much on these boards because at least 3 out of every 5 posts are zombie related. I believe horror has much more to offer than shambeling, rotting corpses who's weakness is known to all.

Well you'll be able to compare the two in the same gaming system (apples to apples) early July when the second ATZ supplement comes out.
The Lazarus Project

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The first one, Haven, will be out in a couple of weeks.

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"I personally find the Rage Zombies much more terrifying. They can infect you much easier and they can run . . .
I personally have always found mentally derranged people much more horrible than any zombie ever coul be. They are not an easy spot and some people not right in the head end up with the strength of a horse and you can't tell their sanity threshold."

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to find them a lot more unsettling than the lumbering decomposing zombies.

CC

1. They are much easier to kill. The same stuff that will kill a normaly person will kill a rage zombies.

Everyone (even my wife who hates horror movies) knows a slow moving zombies weakness (shot to the head.) Shoot the classic zombie in the knees and he won't be able to walk just the same as a Rage zombie or a human.
Thing about Rage is you contract in and become one in under a minute, classic zombies bite you and you can wait hours for the transformation (depending on who's film you are in.)

As an unintended side-effect, they'll probably spray you with infected blood as result, spreading the infection.

Maybe not as unintentional as you may think. Isn't the most base instinct of any life form (virus to large mammal) to reproduce/replicate?

I feel the complete opposite I like my Zombies to be dead and walking around trying to eat you

i like the rage ones only as well, and wish there were some available for 28-32mm.

in his new comic "crossed", warren ellis makes a new rage zombie: one that can use weapons and vehicles. They are just maniacs.

i prefer rage zombies infected after chemical leaks.
theres something about undead zombies that i really dislike.
(the concept, not the chomping on the brains bit – though i doubt that'll appeal either.)

Personally like the slant taken in the Morningstar Strain series of books. In them, if you get infected while alive you be come a "rage zombie" or what is called a "Sprinter" in the books. Once the "Sprinter" is killed (unless by a shot to the head, decapitation, etc.) the body will then rise as a "Shambler," which are you more classic slow zombies.

I like this spin. I plan on using it in my Ambush Z games in 28mm.

What I don't like are the zombies that can use tools, drive cars, conduct complicated communication, or control other zombies. I like the idea of uncontrolled masses instead of a "zombie master" at the head of the pack controlling the hordes with some sort of psychic ability.

But hey, that is just my opinion…

CC, they have been suggested at Wargames Factory but have not been posted yet so I would keep my eyes open there.

Classic, lumbering Romero-esque zombies for me, thank you.

If you want to see what rage zombies are like, go to a Canes game, and watch a stadium become infected when they honor Donna Shalala every halftime.

;)

I like the Ragers more. The Ragers live to attack and they do it with thier bare hands or by biting. Thats why it spreads so quickly.

I am not a great fan of the undead zombies. My mind doesnt like things that are dead wandering about aimlessly. I do not mind classic Zombies, who are dug up by a necromancer or Voodoo priest/ess and sent off on errands.

How do people feel about living zombies? I like living people slowly rotting and mutating when exposed to some sort of plauge? Similar to Doomsday.

I dont mind tool using ragers such as the Reavers in Serenity or the possessed miners in Ghosts of Mars. I think its good to have hordes of weapon wielding mad men for your heros to mow down.

I like both.
Slow and Fast.

I also think that Master Zombies with gear and weapons are very cool.

Michael

I like them all, but one-on-one the rage ones would be scarier.

I like slow zombies, and fast rage-infected humans that are still alive".

The movie "Quarantine" also features fast almost-zombies, if that's what you like.

For scientific reasons I much prefer the living infected rage types. I have a friend who loves the dead slow type of zombies. I love asking him all sorts of physiology questions about exactly how a zombie moves or sees or hears. Then when he tries to explain them, I give him medical reasons that doesnt work. Guess that is why I like Left4dead so much.

I think it is funny you like rage zombies because you find them more realistic… :p

Reminds me of a quote I heard at the game store one day, "40K is the most historical sci-fi game out there…"

"I like both.
Slow and Fast."

Are we still talkin zombies here?

"I think it is funny you like rage zombies because you find them more realistic… :p"

Dude. Rabies. Maybe you've heard of it. It's a virus that makes you want to bite or hump every living thing you meet, thus spreading the virus.

Dude. Rabies. Maybe you've heard of it. It's a virus that makes you want to bite or hump every living thing you meet, thus spreading the virus.

I think you may have hit on why I prefer Rage Zombies. I like werewolves and such as much (maybe a little more) than most do, but I find the closer you get to reality with the supernatural the creepier it all is. Rage is basically a super excellerated version of Rabis just like Michael Myeres or Jason Voorhese is a super exagerated version of a determined killer.

I still remember watching Night of the living dead when the guy ran to the truck out back. He was able to run through the shambeling zombies, shoving them aside. Of courtse he was hitting sparse areas of the zombie crowd (unlike Day of the Dead where there were mobs stuffed into the hallways.) After I saw the bikers sitting around in the field, drinking and shooting zombies for fun. How deadly can they really be when a bunch of drunk bikers go camping and shooting them for fun?

Spoiler alert:

Rabies is what the "zeds" are infected with in the movies "Rec" and "Quarentine".

YouTube link
YouTube link

I never used the term rage zombie. I dont like using undead. having worked int he medical field for over 20 years now, dead is dead. The dead dont get up and walk or shamble around. Now then I have no problem with a virus or nanotech turning my neighbor into a mad beast wanting to kill me.

I also dont like monster movies where the monster is shot full of lead and it has no effect. After seeing what a little lead does to a body, it gets rather stupid to see them have no effect. One thing I always enjoyed about the alien movies is that lead would put down an alien just fine. Of course there were always more aliens coming at you. That is what makes rage humans so scary, there is always more of them and they come at you at a run. No time to think or plan, you either run or shot.

Running zombies are so much more terrifying in my opinion. they run fast and are very determined to kill or infect you.

much better than slow Romero zombies that can be played with or ridiculed.

and those Ghouls CC posted a link to are pretty cool.

I want fast rage zombies!

Otto
noizehive.blogspot.com

"RAGE 'Zombies': The Only Zombies I Care For"

I'm very disappointed in you Cacique. That is a very narrow and petty view.

You should care for all zombies. They need love too. And brains.

The only good zombie is a dead zombie!

"The only good zombie is a dead zombie!"

Aren't they all?

JJ

You would think, JJ, but this "28 Days Later" "rage" stuff begs otherwise. :(

Nice play Smokey! Bravo!

They're both appealing. The fast zombies are more deadly by themselves, but I also like the relentless slow zombies. They just keep on coming, and eventually they will get you Barbara.

Uesugi,

Thanks for those video links!!!

So are these the only Rage (infected, live human) zombie films out there?

"I Am Legend"
"28 Days Later"
"28 Weeks Later"
"Rec"
"Quarantine"

Or have I missed any others???

CC

I think that most of those films meet the interesting rage "zombie" criteria listed here, in the "Zombie Survival And Defense Wiki":

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There are spoilers in these links . . .

"I Am Legend" (2007)
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"28 Days Later" (2002)
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"28 Weeks Later" (2007)
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"Rec" (2007)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REC_(film)

"Quarantine" (2008)
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Are there any other "recent" rage-zombie films???

Thanks.

CC

Cacique, what about "Lifeforce" (that English sci fi movie about this hot, nekkid space vampire girl who infects London.)

:)

"Are there any other "recent" rage-zombie films???"

The Signal is a twist on the "Rage Zombie" trend/theme. Great movie with superb acting (and funny!):
YouTube link

Gentlemen, please!
'Ragers' & 'Shamblers'…. like they're all that's out there?

Now, in the basement here, I've got some U.S. army canisters! For your consideration…. Trioxin 2-4-5 zombies! (from 'Return of the Living Dead')
They're fast, way smarter than the average zombie ("sseeend mooore copss…") and they're the guys who eat 'BRAAAAAIINSSS!' What's not to like?
They aren't vunerable to headshots – you have to totally destroy the body to stop it. Even then, the residue is toxic. Powerful electrical shock is the only thing that will safely de-animate a T. 2-4-5 zombie.

If that's just too much zombie for you, there's a tamer version: Trioxin 5.
This is from the later, inferior RotLD sequels, but still interesting from a gamer's point of view. T.5 is a much less potent toxin, which can be used as a recreational narcotic. Too much T.5, or too prolonged use, will 'turn' the addict!
T.5 zombies are much less formidable… newly 'turned' ones are not truly undead at all, merely blood-crazed, and can be killed like normal humans.

Alternatively, there's a forgotten classic: C.H.U.D.
Cannibal Humanoid Underground Dwellers! Very cool 1984 movie based on urban legends of feral indigents in the NY subway tunnels.
In the movie, CHUD's are the end-result of Contaminant-Hazard Urban Disposal…. which results in toxic zombies! Because they're mutant creatures, individual CHUDs can have varying abilities… you can have shamblers AND sprinters. I recall night-vision and elongated limbs from the movie. (must find that again!)
C.H.U.D. II treats them as more conventional zombies, but does have one nice twist: the military are training them up! "Team Zombie, **** YEAH!" Now, seriously…. are you telling me your Zombie game doesn't NEED that?!
Plus… C.H.U.D. are real. Ask any New Yorker.

Here's a site that does a fun tongue-in-cheek walkthrough review of the original C.H.U.D:

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I still like the concept of the very fast and alive (yet mortal) Ragers . . .

"What is a Rage Zombie
First off Rage Zombies are not really Zombies at all, They are infected humans, and they are killed the same way a Human is. They are also tethered to life by the same things we humans are. They can't breath underwater or survive without drinking it. They don't require a head-shot to kill either. You really just have to shoot them in a place that a regular person would die. They also show signs of the ability to think clearly and make informed decisions. They usually attack and roam in groups. They are also very quick and agile compared to their cousin, the Classic Zombie…"
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The way I see it, with Ragers you either think fast or you die. Excellent test of how you react under extreme stress. That would make the game feel like a real life or death situation, I think.

CC

More great info on Ragers here:

"Aside from the obvious speed differences, one needs to realize that "Ragers" are NOT in fact zombies, they are still human beings who are overwhelmed with anger and fury setting them off on a violent rampage, they aren't trying to eat us, they just want to kill us for no reason other than the carnal instinct to kill that the Rage virus has infected them with. Because "Ragers" are still alive, their hearts still beat, they still need air, food and water but the Rage virus according to films prevents them from acting on this instinct for eating and drinking. Because of this they should* die naturally in a short undetermined length of time where the "Moaners" will last FAR longer …
Speed is also a noticeable difference, "Ragers" seem to move as freely as any other Human Being. That is to say, if the Rager was an athlete, it can be determined that it will be in top physical condition. Because the "Rage" virus brings out all the anger and hate in the person, there is a good possibility that the infected is on a constant adrenaline high with an over active adrenal gland, this theory could lead to assume their energy speed and strength will surpass the way they were prior to infection, and with the Rage virus taking away the concept of pain, their endurance could also be enhanced …
"Ragers" have their motor functions and have their human knowledge behind them, their human logic would be jaded by the Rage virus leaving them with primal instincts but understanding and awareness of their environment. This means, if you climb a ladder, they would pursue. Jumping, climbing, crawling, digging; all of it could be possible to expect from a "Rager""
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CC

There is also the blending of the two that you can get with the likes of Resident Evil/Biohazard. In those video games/movies, the zombies are quite diverse and take many forms as they are the product of not just a virus, but a virus with mutagenic properties.

Honestly, I try not to think too much about the science of my zombies because they really are just zombies and I feel that any PSB is as good as any other when dealing with the walking dead.

I do tend to like my zombies a bit more fun than the shamblers, even though they have their place too. I like to use them together, with the shamblers being the norm and the quicker rage zombies being the exception that can catch the survivors off guard. I also tend to blend in other types of zombies and horrific freaks.

This keeps the game on its toes.

-Eli

KMFrye: "If I were to a zombie game, it would be with 28mm Rage zombies. Pity there's only one manufacturer."

I guess you could do with your 28mm like what I'm about to do with my 15mm . . . go with "Ghoul" types like these, and use them as Ragers:

TMP link
TMP link

CC

OK, there's one more "Rage" zombie movie, coming down hard on the "still human, still alive" side of the line: Serenity.

Yep. The Reavers seem to fit the description alright.

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CC
PS. The Serenity Reavers definitely behave very much like the possessed humans in Ghosts of Mars: link

Our soon-to-be-available minis might be useful:

TMP link

I just finished reading WWZ, which is about the slow zombies. Great book – it actually woke me up with nightmares one night, and books or movies rarely do that to me!

But despite that, I still prefer "ragers". As has been mentioned, they're fast and relentless. That makes them so much scarier than the shuffling kind. They may also be slightly more conscious, which would make a big difference if you ever had to fight them.

Another reason is I just find them much more plausible, and plausible = scary. A piece of dead flesh is just not going to rise up and walk around, I don't care what it's infected with. It's nothing more than human flesh. Cut it off from a blood supply and subject it to constant damage from the elements, etc, and all it's going to do is just decay. Broken bones will no longer support weight, cut nerves no longer transmit messages, starved cells die and lose their cohesion. All you'd really have to do is wait them out, which would be easy if all they can do is shuffle. My 78-year-old mother-in-law could outrun them. Do a little damage to the zombie's body and let nature handle the rest.

But a rage zombie is just a person with brain damage. Something like that is much more believable. There are actually organisms in nature that can control a host animal. I remember reading about a type of worm that burrows into the brains of grasshoppers and causes them to drown themselves in bodies of water because the worms need the water to mate in. There is also a kind of fungus that infects the brains of ants and makes them crawl to the tops of plants. Once there, they clamp their jaws on to the plants and die. I think it's so the fungus can release spores into the wind to infect other ants. I probably have the details wrong about those.

So what if there was some sort of fungus or virus that survived by controling the brains of human hosts, causing them to go spread the infection? That's more or less what was in 28 Days Later, with the hosts biting or vomiting on victims to spread it. To me, that seems much more likely, and that makes it much more scary.

MeroMero,

You'll have even more nightmares when you read about some of the "zombie" parasites in this old thread:

TMP link

Enjoy!

CC

Dude, that thread is already a legend. I get the creeps just thinking about it.

I like them both… and they both terrify me.

They both can turn you into a zombie.

Their both hard to kill. Shamblers because they're already dead. Ragers because their adrenalin dump allows them to survive wounds that would kill a normal person (limb loss, etc…).

I had a lot of fun doing this…

My players are used to Shamblers in our zombie runs. They move 8 inches a turn where the players move 10. The zombies were special this time around… they shambled at speed 8 until 10 inches from a player. Then they accelerated to attack speed – able to cover 10 inches a turn, just like the players. To escape the players had to break visual contact from the zombies. The zombies continued at speed 10 until they reached the point where contact was lost. If the players were still in sight at that point the zombies continued after them at speed 10.

Freaked my players out!

I do have a question though…

Why didn't the Ragers attack each other?

Heck..just got reading that thread and felt I needed to add my own two cents. I hate when I miss a good thread.

Rage zombies do not frighten me anymore than crack heads or PCP ragers. There is nothing haunting or mystifying about a person so out of their mind that they fly into fits of blind rage.

Work a graveyard shift doing security work in a downtown area and you will face a fair share of Rage Zombies.

-Eli

Crack heads or PCP ragers don't make crack heads or PCP ragers out of you when they bite you.

They might be HIV+ tho…