On October 1, 1968, George A. Romero released the film Night of the Living Dead. Today it is viewed as the beginning of zombies on the big screen, but what if that’s not all it inspired? What if scientists used the movie as inspiration to create an actual zombie virus?
That's the scenario behind Night of the Living Alternate History
, a map game on AlternateHistory.com. As the apocalypse rages on, the United States splinters to pieces. Entire nations fall to the Zombie Horde and millions die. A world very different from ours evolves, seeing the end of the Cold War in 1984, the resurgence of fascism, and the threat of human extinction at every corner.
The map game was created by a user known as Mscoree and has proven to be reasonably popular.
Night of the Living Alternate History contains examples of:
- The Alliance:
- The Collective Security Treaty Organization has expanded far beyond what it is in Real Life, with over 28 member states, including such nations as Germany, Australia, and even Texas. By 1996, Russia had even left the organization.
- The Southwest League forms as an alliance between New Mexican city-states under the threat of an invasion by Texas.
- The Collective Security Treaty Organization
- Apocalypse Anarchy: Many regions of the world, including the Southwestern United States and much of Central Europe, collapsed completely. As time goes on, more and more survivor states emerge and order is restored to larger parts of the globe.
- Balkanize Me: This happens to almost every country. For example, the United States initially splits into the Republic of Texas, New England, Northern California, Florida, Confederate Arkansas, Manhattan, the York Confederation (New York minus Manhattan), the Bay Republic (San Francisco), Forgottonia (western Illinois), Chicago, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Alaska. Germany was divided into small city-states that resemble the old Holy Roman Empire until the reunification in the 1990's.
- Bold Explorer: Jeb Bush, who discovered Northern California for Texas.
- Different World, Different Movies:
- A New Hope has become a completely different movie. For example, Luke Skywalker is played by Sylvester Stallone, Samuel L. Jackson is Han Solo, Darth Vader is a suitless admiral unrelated to Luke, and Leia Johnson is the First Lady of an already existing Republic.
- The sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, is directed by Sam Raimi, introduces Boba the Hutt, a "big, furry guy", and Han Solo dies.
- Fallen States of America: America, temporarily, when Russia invaded Washington, D.C. and drained the U.S. Treasury.
- Fun with Acronyms: TACO, the Treaty of Allied Cooperation Organization
- Invaded States of America: Russia, Korea, Vietnam, and others invaded the United States in the heat of World War III. Needless to say, the American people were not happy.
- Not Using the "Z" Word: Averted, "zombie" is almost the only term used.
- Nuke 'em: The Republic of New Mexico manages to level San Antonio, El Paso, and Tulsa with nuclear weapons against Texas.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: The Republic of Susquehanna, while it was only a few landlocked counties in Pennsylvania, gained a naval base in the Indian Ocean and possessed nuclear weapons! They later disarmed their stockpile, but the base is still theirs.
- Suicidal Overconfidence: Texas stood up to Russia, a military superpower, while their former greatest ally betrayed the Republic, after Texas was attacked with nuclear weapons. And they won.
- Technically-Living Zombie: The zombies are still alive and often die from starvation.
- Western Terrorists: The Rezurrectionists, a cult in North America that uses all means necessary to spread the zombie virus and stop any sort of cure research. They've become significant threats in Texas, Florida, and California, with a presence all across the former United States.
