Playing the Game
From Humans vs. Zombies Wiki
Finally, the main event that we have been leading up to, your own game of Humans vs. Zombies. A great place to get an idea of what a typical game looks like is the 2007 Goucher documentary.
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Mod Self-Care
It's important that you take care of yourself during the game! As much as possible, get on top of all homework beforehand, and take off work if you can, or do as much as possible to lighten the load of your other obligations for the duration of the game. Make sure people close to you know that you might be incommunicado for a while - this will avoid unnecessary drama and frustration for you and allow you to have fun moderating. Bank up on sleep and snacks. Wear layered clothes (do laundry before the game!) so you can keep comfortable during missions.
Executing Missions
The bread and butter of game moderation is running missions for your players; it's the most obvious job you have and maybe the most fun. There's only so much you can do to prepare in advance, but we do have some tricks that can help you give the best experience to your players.
Preparation and Set-Up
Props, materials, maps, puzzles, and other items you need for your missions should be prepared in advance. Loosely schedule each day of the game, and always give yourself more time than you think you'll need to set up for missions so that everything is ready when players arrive. If the mods are doing their job properly, their work is invisible to the players.
Before a mission begins, all the mods should be entirely on the same page about the mission's rules, mechanics, and planned outcomes to avoid confusion and frustration among the players. All mods should understand what the goals of the mission are, what the contingency plans are for emergencies, and the conditions for any mission-specific rules. Mods should also delegate jobs ahead of time - who will be with the zombies, who will be with the horde, who will keep track of time for a timed mission or act as an NPC, etc.
Once your mission begins, moderators should be stationed anywhere you expect players to go. If there are epic battles, moderators can help clear up confusion by directing stunned zombies to stand off to the side and help monitor their stun times. Moderators should also be available to give the humans their mission reward afterwards, and in cases of low zombie morale, throw an awesome zombie party to get them fired up.
It is also a good idea to have a set plan for communicating with each other when separated during missions in case any unexpected questions arise, and to keep everyone in the loop while the mission progresses. Group-text lists or apps work especially well for this.
Make Players' Choices Meaningful
When developing a ruleset and designing missions, try to anticipate and preemptively avoid these problems, and make a note of any small issues with your game to work on for next game. But no matter how well you plan, your players will outsmart your missions and exploit loopholes. It can be very tempting to suddenly change the rules in these circumstances, but we think that weakens the game.
Your players depend on you to be unbiased, trusted sources of information. If players feel like the choices they make aren't meaningful or don't have an impact on the outcome of the game, they will become frustrated. If players develop a strategy that works they should be rewarded with a mission win. Unexpected strategic choices on the part of the humans or zombies can make a game memorable and keep the excitement high among both sides. Mods give should players opportunities to be creative and clever, and be prepared to work with the constantly changing game.
Obviously this is different if either side finds an exploit that they can use repeatedly or that "breaks the game." In such a case you are expected to keep the game fair and fix the rules. Give players plenty of notice of a rule change and explain your reasoning. The same goes for changes due to safety. In one game at Goucher College, the rules were amended mid-game to ban cars after an accident was narrowly averted.
Information Control
The humans aren't the only people who can benefit from a bit of HvZ paranoia. As a mod, you'll have to bring your spy skills to the table to plan good surprises for your players. This is true during planning but even more important during game time.
If your players are clever, they will follow you around to find out where you're going and how you're setting up missions. They will press their ears against the door of your room and spy on you. Respond with extreme secrecy. Get your friends who are not playing the game to help you set up missions. The less everyone knows, the more fun the missions will be.
Communication
Player Communication
The HvZ SOURCE software allows you to e-mail only human players or only zombie players, which is a great way to get information out about the game. Other schools have used phone calls, tv ads, websites, and campus radio announcements to launch missions.
Mods should be accessible to the players, but not so much so that it becomes impossible to handle. It is up to you whether to give out your personal phone numbers to the players - some mod teams find that this helps resolve small problems quickly, others find that it is more inconvenient than not. It is a good idea to set up a central mod email where players and school administrators can contact you, and you may require that all game-related questions be sent to that email.
At least one mod should also be personally available to players during missions and at other places/times the game is being played. If there is a "base" or "HQ" where humans or zombies are congregating, mods should know where those places are and make appearances there if necessary.
Mod Communication
Constant communication between mods during the game is key. Frequent meetings during the game, both scheduled and informal, will keep things running smoothly. All mods should have access to the central email and be aware of what's going on there. Mods should have each other's phone numbers and may consider using a group-text list or app to stay in contact. Some mod teams also find it helpful to have short written outlines for each mission or day, so everyone is literally on the same page when it comes to rules, scheduling, jobs, etc.
Communication With Administrators
As the game is running, be especially tuned-in to sentiment surrounding the game. If players are causing disruptions, if faculty members are upset, or if curious non-players are trying to get involved, you should know about it and respond accordingly. Make sure that the administration or local law enforcement know how to get in touch with you during the game, and check in with them after any problematic or publicized incidents.
Dealing With Players
No matter how frequently you repeat the "Don't Be a Douchebag" rule to your players, they will still bicker over stuns and tags, and you will need to step in and resolve these disputes.
The first draft of the HvZ rules had a clause that read:
Crying: You will probably die at some point and become a zombie. Some people look forward to this. Some people don’t. For those that don’t, you’ll probably have to get over it.
It's important that you stay objective, listen to the facts from both sides, and be a fair judge - players will notice and resent favoritism (either taking the side of a particular player or particular team) and then continue to argue your judgment.
Moderating Disputes
Unless both sides agree on the facts and there is an obvious course of action, we suggest adopting a standard method of settling arguments such as a coin flip.
In terms of a "contested tag" (a zombie says they stunned a human, the human denies it) or a "contested stun" (a human says they stunned a zombie, the zombie denies it), some moderators will give the benefit of the doubt to a human (because they can only be tagged once, whereas zombies will have many more chances to tag) only in their FIRST complaint, with the understanding that the next time there is a dispute involving them, they will not dispute it.
Note: This probably won't work if you tell humans about it in advance - they will abuse the system. Just pull them aside quietly and offer them the deal - if they continue to complain, use a coin flip.
That said, all situations are different, and it is up to each individual moderating team to come up with policies for dealing with player disputes. These policies should be exercised consistently but not arbitrarily. Not all disputes are simply contested tags or stuns - players may accuse each other of breaking the rules, accuse mods of bias, bring personal conflicts into the game, or any combination of the above. Whenever possible, get more than one mod involved, make sure all the players involved feel heard, and do your best to be fair, be firm, and keep the game fun.
Banning Players
In extreme cases you will have to ban a player from the game. If they ruin gameplay for other players, knowingly break the safety rules, or break school rules or the law, pull them aside and tell them that you are making them "deceased" and removing them from the game. Make it clear up front (at safety meetings) that mods have the power to ban players and that it can and will happen in cases of egregious rule violations.
If you do this, you should mention it the next time you meet with school administrators - it's an example of how serious you are about protecting the school.
Use The Mod Email Address
Some moderators force players to email disputes to the shared moderator email address. This gives the moderators time to make decisions as a team, and respond with one voice. If a player gets a decision from "The Moderators" as opposed to a single person, it is much harder for them to claim that there was some kind of bias.
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