I figure I will ask this here. Do torches have an effect on the way Zombies act at night? I have read yes and I have read no. I have also read that forges and campfires affect they way they act and not torches. This would include spawning moving and overall toughness.

Anyone have any real world (well as real world as you can get in a game) experience they would like to share?

I confirmed last weekend that campfires do indeed slow the Zeds down to walking. I had three of them set up in front of my house (one works as well). Managed to draw some Zeds in and ran back to my campfires. They followed running and as soon as they hit the light "perimeter", they started to walk.

Another time in my house, I opened the door so, what I though was one Zed, would stopping trying to break it. Of course it was six of them. I had a forge and campfire burning in the same room and they all were walking. They continued to walk after I failed miserably at crowd control too. 

Wisenclan's experience has been that huddling around a blazing campfire slows the zombies enough for us to survive a night with shelter. And that torches don't have the same effect.