As you can see from the image above, the cast will be varied both in gender and ethnicity.  Let’s see all the characters now.

Name: Caroline

Background: Growing up on a farm, Caroline is used to working with her hands and has a basic understanding of machinery and weapons. The remoteness of her farm means she and her family were kept out of the worst troubles, digging in until the viral outbreak cleared up. It was on a trip into town for supplies that the military commandeered her vehicle and Caroline was left stranded. She is keen to get back and make sure everyone is okay.

Player can have a romance with Caroline.

Name: Eric

Background: Eric is a former bouncer and body builder, eventually finding a talent for fixing machines and training as a mechanic. Bullied in his youth for his skin color, Eric took an intense interest in becoming stronger in order to defend himself and those around him. Despite his large frame, he is a gentle person with a spiritual side. However, he feels strongly about racism and has ended up in trouble more than once by reacting to it.

Player can have a romance with Eric.

Name: Jenny

Background: Jenny is a student from Germany, visiting Bournemouth for a couple of months on a work placement programme. Warm and friendly by nature, Jenny is always pleased to talk to people, and not just to practice her English. With no news about the rest of the world, Jenny chooses to believe her family are safe from the Zeds and that help from abroad is on the way.

Player can have a romance with Jenny.

Name: Lucy

Background: Lucy joined the UK police force just a couple of months back, despite the disapproval of her parents. She strongly believes in justice and morality, even in the face of the apocalypse. While fighting the zombie uprising, she was separated from her unit and managed to escape – the fate of her fellow officers remains unknown. Lucy dislikes killing the Zeds unless absolutely necessary – they were once people, and she still hopes there might be a way to cure them.

Player can have a romance with Lucy.

Name: Gerald

Background: Gerald is a retired NHS doctor. Long before SHTF he lost his wife to an illness he failed to diagnose, for which he is still blaming himself. They had a daughter, who is now living in Leeds. He has not heard from her since the SHTF and is not sure he could take losing the last of his family.

Name: Renate

Background: Renate is a retired teacher and widow. She moved to Bournemouth from France twenty years ago to marry her husband, Bernard, and has remained here ever since. She has no desire to remarry, happy in the company of her friends and neighbours, always willing to help those in need. Her charm hides a sharp wit and she is not afraid to stand up for herself.

Name: Steve

Background: Steve served in the British military, but was dishonorably discharged due to a couple of racist incidents. Outside of the military, he has mostly been unemployed. He can be difficult to deal with and tends to speak his mind. While his attitude frequently gets him in trouble, his combat training and sense of self preservation just as frequently get him out of it again.

Name: Tom

Background: Tom is a former police officer with experience using a range of firearms. When the SHTF he left his unit to look for his family, but unfortunately he arrived too late. His mother was turned before he could get back and attacked his wife and children. Finding them turned and having to put them down has left him traumatized. His recent behavior has become more aggressive, a cause of some concern for those around him.

Name: Alex

Background: An art student at Bournemouth University, Alex has no career aspirations and no idea what to do with his life. Aside from sketching and drawing, his main interests are video games and circuit training. Alex would much prefer shooting at zombies on his console rather than in real life, but he is coping better with the apocalypse than he realises.

Name: Nicky

Background: The middle child of three, Nicky often feels unnoticed by his parents as they focus on his teenage older brother and his baby sister. This has left him with a tendency to go off on his own, and frequently gets into trouble. Separated from his family when SHTF, he is anxious to find them again – assuming they made it to safety.

Name: Mike

Background: A former gulf veteran, Mike knows how to handle himself. Since returning from the Middle East, he’s found ordinary life quite dull and misses the camaraderie of his unit. Since the SHTF, Mike has rediscovered some meaning in his life – he almost enjoys the danger, though he tends to bond better with those around him with combat experience.

Name: Carl

Background: Carl is a former professional ranger, employed by a local landlord to manage the hunting on the estates and lead tourists who paid a lot of money to shoot roe deer. He has a vast knowledge of hunting and guns, which makes him a valuable addition to any team. However, his antisocial tendencies make him hard to work with and frequently cause friction between him and his team mates.

Name: Emily

Background: The main character’s teenage daughter. Their relationship is somewhat strained since the accidental death of her mother some seven years ago, but she can keep a cool head in a crisis. Some of her parent’s military organisational skills have rubbed off on her and she tries to be prepared for anything.

Before you complain there are more romanceable women than men: we know it, but we’re trying something new this time. We want to add two missing male romances during the beta, depending on the choice of the community. So once the beta is out, expect a poll to vote for the two male romances.

The “candidates” are Steve, Tom, Mike & Carl. Before making the poll, we’ll do another post describing the kind of romance you’d play with each one!