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loose the round with 1+ mess ups = GM picks two options, but that doesn't change the fact that a mess up (be it during a won or lost round) already causes a Single Attack, right? In the "losing to the dead" section, it doesn't reiterate the specific fact that PCs get Single Attacked for Messing up. But the "Even" (three lines up, in the winning the round section) seems to indicate that the PC get Single Attacked on a Mess up no matter if it is during a won or lost round...

do you get single attacked on mess ups in a lost round INDEPENDENTLY from the GM picking TWO options? or do mess ups in lost rounds NOT cause single attacks but simply give the GM the opportunity to pick two options?

Hey there,

I did not played yet, but here is my "vision" on that.

I would focus on the one(s) who messed up first, as kind of "priority target".

As the Rules mentionned that you choose 2 options from Losing to the Dead.
I will use one to Attack the one who messed up and another to Increase Threat level (making dead closers)

To me, the Fighting the Dead system seems Lethal, so I wouldn't add an extra mess up (which is, I think already included in the rule above) .
The three options grants enough "stress" to the party I think.

Based on your question, my answer is : do mess ups in lost rounds NOT cause single attacks but simply give the GM the opportunity to pick two options.

And remember, in Winning the Round, if a character mess up, he suffer a single attack, without increasing Threat Level.
This is just a "mess" in the process. But we won after all

I agree with that, and want to add that when you mess up in a Fight with the Swarm it is not necessarily you who gets attacked. Who suffers the Single Attack/ Mass Attack is decided by everyone rolling a random die (page 13).
Overview for Fighting the Swarm, paste from a previous post:

1. Set the Threat Level (how close are they?)
2. Decide how many they are (Swarm Size)
3. Add Swarm Size and Threat Level = Swarm Threat number
4. Resolve the conflict in turns. Each turn three characters might roll for skills, + one character who can roll Leadership.
• Leadership means that the character can hand out 1 extra die per success on the skill roll.
• If there are more PCs and NPCs, they can hand out Help dice.
5. Compare the added number of successes with the Swarm Threat number.
• If the characters get less successes than the Swarm Threat, they lose the round.
• If the characters get the same number of successes or more than the Swarm Threat number, they win the round. If Swarm Size is 3 or less this ends the Fight. The characters make it out alive. Should Swarm Size be more than 3, a win means that Swarm Size is reduced by 1.
• If the characters lose but gets at least half the numbers of successes as the Swarm Threat, they get a free success the next round.
6. If the characters lose a round, the swarm can either: increase Threat Level by 1, increase Swarm Size by 1, or make a Swarm Attack.
• Increasing Threat Level or increasing Swarm size, increases Swarm Threat accordingly.
• If one or several of the characters messed up on their skill roll, the swarm gets to make one additional Swarm Attack. (potentially two attacks in one round)
7. If the swarm choses a Swarm Attack, they can only choose from the options corresponding to the current Threat level, (see table page 83 in the Core Rules).
• Each Swarm Attack reduces the Swarm Threat number by 1.
• Single attack means one of the PCs or NPCs is attacked. Everyone rolls a random die to see who gets attacked (page 13 in the Core Rules). The PC/ NPC makes a skill roll to avoid the attack. A failed skill roll means that the GM rolls on the Walker Attack table (page 81).
• Block means the swarm blocks escape routes, increasing difficulty levels for Mobility and Stealth by 1 for the rest of the fight. This option can only be chosen once per fight.
• Mass attack can only be chosen when the Threat Level is 6. Use random dice to see who gets attacked. The Character or the NPC cannot roll to avoid the attack. Roll on the Walker Attack table to see what happens.

The Swarm should not increase Swarm Size more than once during a fight, unless the situation is really extreme, for example when the characters try to handle more or less endless numbers of walkers.

If the PCs face 1 to 4 walkers it is not considered to be a swarm and should not be handled with these rules. Instead use the rules for Single Attack (one skill roll solves the situation), described on page 80 in the Core Rules.

yes, I think your understaing of the rule makes for a more balanced encounter. Thanks for your reply.