First time Game Master for Dead Reign Suggestions welcome :)

[The Dark Elf]

You dont really need much in the way of plot for dead reign but you do need one very important factor - a goal.

Ok so the goal is to survive so I'll rephrase the factor - objectives.

The objective IS the plot, the H,L & S, the quest, the mission and every other story arc rolled into one.

As mentioned above Dead Reign NEEDS to be a free running campaign for the players to feel like they are trying to survive and are not heroes on a quest.

Use the random tables in all the books for ideas on interesting encounters and scenarios and let the interaction create the action.

for an example objective:
Maybe the store clerk knows of a warehouse close by that may be a haven for supplies. Its a bit dangerous but if the mechanic could get a car working it would be a quick journey.
Oh - and I would so make the 4 year old get turned into a half living. IT's one reason they'd keep it around and it will be really dramatic when the kid attacks them later.

[Epically]

Few things:

When during the apocalypse is your campaign set? At the start? Six months in? Three years in? Need to know when so I can give tips.

You mentioned your players "will befriend a half-living". What makes you so sure they will? Don't plan for things to happen the way you want them to in DR. Any GM will tell you that no matter what you plan, players will almost certainly go in the other direction. And when you tell them they can't go in that direction, they have to go in this direction and this direction only, they get ****. Hint? You want them to go to a town to finish off what you had planned. They decide not to go to the town. No problem. Whatever town they decide to go to next, have the events happen there instead.

The death cultist thing. Why is he hellbent on destroying all safe havens? Is he following orders? Is he rogue and just despises the living? Has he encountered the group before? Ask yourself these questions, because your players certainly will.

Once I know the time period, I should be able to help a little more.

[Illendaver]

I suggest.... you don't forget that your players sometimes get on these forums. lol. I won't tell any of the other guys, they don't get on here. Keep a running commentary of what happened in the game... or do you want me to do that?

[Alrik Vas]

Another good move is have people compete with them for resources. The zombies are in the way, an death cultists can be a real pain...but nothing says difficulty like other survivors getting in your way, trying to lure you into traps and kill you for your stuff.

[filo_clarke]

I also like the "fight for resources" angle, but from another direction. It is far too easy to somply lump NPCs into either "Good" or "Bad" categories. Like having "Bad" survivors ambush the PCs for their supplies. Or having "Good" survivors help out with food or aid.

Instead, think about a competing group of survivors not as a threat but as other desperate people who LEGITIMATELY need the things that the PCs might have. Perhaps the PCs have managed to find a bottle of Azithromycin liquid, and they encounter a group with sick members that are desperated for the precious antibiotic. The NPCs might try to take it by force, or through subtlety, but they aren't "Bad" people, just desperate and afraid.

Then, reverse the situation. Have the PCs stumble upon an NPC group (lightly armed) that has an item of value to the PCs; a box of an exotic ammunition caliber the PCs need, a jerry-can of gasoline, a fully-stocked medical bag... Make the item precious to both the PCs and the NPC group alike. A moral choice to see if your PCs will rob/beat-up/murder just to get a better chance at survival.

I have found that an X-Caliber Shotgun Gauge Adapter System in a MOLLE pouch proved to be a VERY effective carrot for these kinds of encounters. Maybe the NPC group only has one, or two firearms (both shotguns), but they have a Barrel Adapter System, so they can shoot almost ANY ammunition that they come across. Taking it form the group still leaves them with the shotguns (unless the PCs take those as well), but significantly weakens the NPCs chances for survival.

Another resource to compete for is security. Maybe a rival NPC group has found a secure spot to hole-up in, but space is VERY limited. Maybe it is a secure building, or even a vehicle. Imagine a group of 7 or 8 NPCs crammed into a armored Humvee, or similar all-terrain vehicle. The PCs could use a better transport, but there isn't room for all of them. Do they take the vehicle and strand the NPCs? Do they offer to take a few of them along?

The idea is to push the PCs to succeed, but see if they are willing to cripple other survivors to do it. Moral choices in a world of survival of the fittest.