On Orcs, Nazis, & Zombies

Here is my theory about why roleplaying games with zombies are so popular these days.

Back in the olden days of roleplaying, when D&D became AD&D and Uncle EGG taught us all how to play, it was perfectly fine to slaughter orcs. After all, orcs were there to be killed en masse by heroic PCs. Of course, it need not have been orcs as kobolds, hobgoblins, bugbears, et al were all in the same category and it was just a matter of what level you were. Though some did question the morality of genocide against these evil (it says so right in the Monster Manual!) demi-humans, orcs were pretty much free for the killin'.

If you move away from classic, pseudo-Tolkien fantasy and want to do something in a more modern, civilized time, you lose your orcs. With mostly (or only) humans to fight, the slaughter of tens, hundreds, or thousands is not so palatable. In and around World War II, you at least have Nazis, who have been fair game for decades in the genre fiction. Few people complain or object if you knock off a platoon of Nazi's on your way to the maguffin.

Zombies are the ultimate guilt-free foes because you can slaughter them like orcs without any remorse. Plus, you rarely have to worry about zombie politics, infrastructure, ecology, etc. in the way you might with a living, breathing, sentient hordes. Zombies are self-propagating, mindless, damage sponges that can be played with deadly seriousness or slapstick humor. And how can you top that? Zombie Nazis, of course.