I like board games. They are great for a group of people that want to sit and play something, and can't commit to either an absurdly overpriced wargame or at time-consuming RPG. So, I asked around and today I dropped some money on this game, 'Zombicide'. I heard nothing but good things about it, for the most part- and I had a little extra pocket money. So here goes, the best review I can offer.
There are currently 3 different 'starter boxes': Each one titled 'Season X' with the corresponding number. There are cosmetic and mission differences in each of them, but mechanically they all play the same.
There are also 2 add-ons: "Angry Neighbors" and "Toxic City Mall". These have different survivor characters, new rules, and items to add into either of the three starter boxes.
There are also packs to add more survivors, more zombies, and even companions like dogs.
Then there's one set in a fantasy/dark ages setting- 'Black Plague'.
Holy shit there's a lot for this game. (UPDATE: I'll break down the components for what I have).
One of the things worth mentioning is that there are different 'classes' and 'races' of zombies.
Walker, runner, fatty, and abomination are the 'classes'. Runners get an extra action per zombie phase to represent their speed. Fatties require more firepower to put down, and Abominations can only be killed with specific weapons.
'Regular', Skinner, Berserker, Seeker, and Toxic are the 'races'. The Skinners can turn into crawlers if you roll a 1, because they're older or something- they have walkers, runners, fatties, abominations, and crawlers. Berserkers are bulletproof so you have to kill them in melee combat or with fire- they have walkers, runners, fatties, and abominations. Seekers urge one another to move and get extra actions the more of them there are on the board, and they come in walker and runner only. Toxic zombies will wound you if you kill them in melee combat, and their abomination can turn regular zombies into toxic zombies- they come in walkers, runners, fatties, and abomination.
Core Game: Season 1- Comes with 6 survivors, 40 Walkers, 16 Runners, 8 Fatties and 1 Abomination. These are the basic 'breed' of zombies, the game is in its basic format here. Honestly, not sure what it's worth to get it when the other seasons offer more, but I may pick it up later.
Core Game: Season 2 (Prison Outbreak)- 12 Survivor miniatures (6 base Survivors and their 6 alternate Zombivor versions) and 78 Zombie miniatures (Walkers, Fatties, Runners, and Abominations, coming in standard and berserker types). Aside from the new types of zombies and the map tiles, this is about all that makes this game awesome.
Core Game: Season 3 (Rue Morgue)- 12 Survivors, 40 Skinner Walkers, 8 Skinner Fatties, 16 Skinner Runners, 15 Crawlers, 1 A-Bomb Abomination. This version of the game does not include cars, but does include the Helicopter and landing pad. The skinner mechanic and fast-roping rules are fun.
Expansion: Toxic City Mall- 14 Survivor miniatures (4 base survivors and their 4 alternate Zombivor versions, 6 Zombivor versions of the Zombicide Season 1 Survivors), and 29 Zombie miniatures (Toxic Walkers, Toxic Fatties, Toxic Runners, and a Toxic Abomination). The map comes with 3 map tiles- hardly enough to consider a 'mall'. However, a lot of miniatures and more survivors is a good thing.
Expansion: Angry Neighbors- 34 minis (32mm scale): 4 Survivors, 4 Zombivors, 8 Companions, 18 Seekers. Also comes with 3 tiles, this time with damaged rooms- adds an interesting gameplay twist.
Any and all of these games can be combined to create a clusterfuck of zombie apocalypse that would make 'The Walking Dead' look like a Bollywood knock-off 'Thriller' video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x81iip6psks).
This is a game for 1-6 players, and if there's anything more fun than playing with yourself, it's playing with your friends. And then everyone can play with themselves.
You move around 1-6 survivors in a team, or if you're ballsy and have some buddies- pick a character and each person plays 1 survivor. I warn you now, though- if you -really- want to see what humanity is all about? "Last man standing doesn't have to throw in for pizza". Say this, and you'll have a hint of what the zombie apocalypse does to humanity. Negan seems like a rude schoolyard bully in comparison.
So, now to cover the basics of what I think is important:
Price point: $100.00 for the main starter box. If you're not sure how much this is going to be worth to you, I suggest finding a demo game. If you enjoy it, then you and some friends can invest in the game.
Fun factor: This is certainly a good beer and pretzels game for several friends. In good spirits, with a drink in hand- this game could be a hell of a lot more amusing than most people have on a Saturday night. We were laughing our asses off and talking smack at one another for quite a while today.
Model Quality: The models are not as sharp as they appear on the site. However, since these models aren't really my 40k models I've customized and converted, and they're just one solid piece- I can forgive that. They're made of a softer plastic, too- so that makes me worry less about breaking one of the HOLY FUCKING SHITLOAD of zombies this game comes with. Seriously- if you need zombie minis, this thing has a ton of them.
Other Components: Do you want to run an urban setting in another miniatures game? Here- you can either play an early apocalyptic setting or modern-day Detroit. Do you want to play Mordheim on a modular board and can't afford big, sophisticated terrain? The Black Plague version. This game has a shitload of possibilities for a variety of miniature and RPG games.
Learning curve: It does take a minute to learn the game. I recommend going and watching some playthrough videos on Youtube.
The worst part: Repacking all the shit in the box. Honestly.
Cool note: You CAN make your own Zombie Survivor, as blank cards are on the website and can be printed on card stock. Want to play that paramilitary commando badass? YOU CAN. Wanna make Lord Buttsmasher the Anti-Paladin in Black Plague? Knock yourself out. And anyone who knows how or where to get custom minis made- please message me.
Note: I now also have Black Plague and its expansion. I'll add more on that later. Thank you for your patience.
What did you think of the complexity and how the turn flow worked? When my wife and I started playing D&D's Temple of Elemental Evil, it took use a while to get the flow of the turns. We did feel we were always forgetting stuff--too many if/then/else switches in the flow.
BTW, for those considering it, the rules are available for free from the publisher. https://zombicide.com/dl/rulebook-zombicide-season-1.pdf
Quote from: Tod13;931659What did you think of the complexity and how the turn flow worked? When my wife and I started playing D&D's Temple of Elemental Evil, it took use a while to get the flow of the turns. We did feel we were always forgetting stuff--too many if/then/else switches in the flow.
It didn't seem too complex until the zombies started popping out. Then you have to start considering not only what you're going to do, but you have to start working as a team.
As I see it now, somebody's always gonna die. And then you have people taking a wound as a 'noble sacrifice'.
Quote from: Crüesader;931660It didn't seem too complex until the zombies started popping out. Then you have to start considering not only what you're going to do, but you have to start working as a team.
As I see it now, somebody's always gonna die. And then you have people taking a wound as a 'noble sacrifice'.
Sorry, I meant complex as in: how complicated are the rules in actual play? Some rules I read, and I know they are too complex for what I want. But some, like Zombicide are kind of borderline for me.
Played this about four or five times now. Great game. Lots of fun. Captures the feel of the genre well.
I've played the base set several times.
I found the tone very swingy. Scenarios that don't have vehicles are grim survival fests full of careful tactical maneuvering. Scenarios with vehicles are cartoonish zombie slaughter games with little chance of losing.
I've got Season 1, Season 2, and Black Plague. I think I like Black Plague the best, primarily due to aesthetics.
The Walking Dead: All Out War is also pretty good, and a completely different flavor of zombie gaming.
Quote from: daniel_ream;931789I've played the base set several times.
I found the tone very swingy. Scenarios that don't have vehicles are grim survival fests full of careful tactical maneuvering. Scenarios with vehicles are cartoonish zombie slaughter games with little chance of losing.
Mine is season 3. I only have the Helicopter vehicle.
Also, I'm not a huge fan of the 'Zombivor' mode. I kind of prefer the standard mode. However, if you wanna go small group solo- then use the 5 wound method instead of 2.
Quote from: Crüesader;931826Mine is season 3. I only have the Helicopter vehicle.
Also, I'm not a huge fan of the 'Zombivor' mode. I kind of prefer the standard mode. However, if you wanna go small group solo- then use the 5 wound method instead of 2.
There a cars in the base set; they're zombie lawnmowers, basically.
The game is certainly extremely hackable. I don't mean to criticize it, as there's a lot of gameplay even in the base set, but the tone is definitely uneven.
Quote from: daniel_ream;931874There a cars in the base set; they're zombie lawnmowers, basically.
The game is certainly extremely hackable. I don't mean to criticize it, as there's a lot of gameplay even in the base set, but the tone is definitely uneven.
Criticism is good. This game is a hoot, regardless. I ran a solo game today and had a little fun with it.
If nothing else, 'cars' can be ignored or left out. I intend to do that, as well as not use the Zombivor mode. And I don't have helpers yet, but they seem like a game-breaker.
I'd like to see where they can take this game in the future. I'd love to have a 'beefed up' version where you're a trained elite paramilitary squad- but the zombies have guns and can shoot back.
And I can't recommend the game's tiles enough. They have tons of potential. I might be using some of it for Kill-Team games. And the whole 'Zombies' thing is now a part of 40k, so I'm going to try and figure out a system to incorporate zombies into Kill-Team.
Quote from: daniel_ream;931789I've played the base set several times.
I found the tone very swingy. Scenarios that don't have vehicles are grim survival fests full of careful tactical maneuvering. Scenarios with vehicles are cartoonish zombie slaughter games with little chance of losing.
One of the things I enjoyed about it was how swingy it could be. It comes down many times to what comes up for zombies. Something about the surprise is what I found exciting (it might be a cakewalk, but you could suddenly find yourself in a shit storm of undead).
I've been out for a few weeks, no internet access. Father had a high-risk heart surgery, leaking valve and ended up having 3 bypasses. Fortunately, he's alive but he gave us quite a scare.
Going to update the original post to give folks a better idea of what is in the game.
I've got all the various boxed sets for the games, plus backed the Black Plague kickstarter for an impressive amount of add-ons. :)
Now I need to start working on painting some of it.
That said, I really enjoy playing Black Plague. I haven't had a lot of chances to play, but it's a lot of fun.
I purchased Zombicide early this year, and spent a few months in late Spring painting everything up. Had a blast doing it. (Though I probably didn't have to be as accurate painting zombie clothing when I ended up splashing lots of blood-red paint over them).
I've only had the opportunity to play a couple of games so far, but enjoyed some of the initial scenarios. I'm hoping to get some more play in over the Xmas holiday.
Quote from: K Peterson;934702I purchased Zombicide early this year, and spent a few months in late Spring painting everything up. Had a blast doing it. (Though I probably didn't have to be as accurate painting zombie clothing when I ended up splashing lots of blood-red paint over them).
Well, that's the joy for a new painter - screw up something on the zombie? Cover it with blood!
Is there an alternate rule for the Danger Level scaling with survivor experience?
Quote from: Skarg;934725Is there an alternate rule for the Danger Level scaling with survivor experience?
Why are you looking for an alternate rule?
Oh, just because I like things to be connected for a reason, and I'm thinking about a meta-game with stakes and reward/benefit that operates on a larger level than one scenario.
That is, for what reason would things get more dangerous as a direct relation to the experience level of the survivors?
And, it means that getting better makes things worse, automatically. That's a negative side-effect of a goal which doesn't have a reason that seems logical to me. There's also a weird effect where if someone experienced dies and leaves less experienced people, that would lower the danger level, again for no reason other than game balance or something.
I wouldn't mind, and it could be effectively a similar thing, if it was just about the level of damage/alert generated, but I'd rather in not be an artificial balance mechanic or movie genre-expectation thing.
So I'm already thinking of the possibility of running a multi-scenario campaign (do they already have a system for that?) where characters who survived a scenario would be able to start with the experience they earned in earlier scenarios, and then it would make even less sense for that to increase the danger level, especially if the campaign is designed to challenge players to keep characters alive and make decisions about what to do based on logical consequences rather than an automatic balance mechanic. That is, it would make sense to try to keep experienced people alive and use them where needed, but it'd be a strange counter-mechanic (even in a single scenario) if there's a downside to getting experience. e.g. "Don't have Bob kill those zombies - let Marge do it because otherwise he'll get us to Orange Danger Level..."
Quote from: Skarg;934735Oh, just because I like things to be connected for a reason, and I'm thinking about a meta-game with stakes and reward/benefit that operates on a larger level than one scenario.
That is, for what reason would things get more dangerous as a direct relation to the experience level of the survivors?
And, it means that getting better makes things worse, automatically. That's a negative side-effect of a goal which doesn't have a reason that seems logical to me.
Eh, killing zombies isn't a goal - it's a means to an end. See, on my end I see it as reproducing the rising tide of zombies in a story - at first you've got a few zombies coming on you in a movie, but as you get used to killing them more zombies appear to keep the tension high. Sure, in theory you should have one mechanic for growing more experienced (the more zombies you kill the better you are works fine as it is) and a second mechanic for slowly ratcheting up the tension - although I'm not sure what. Drawing tokens out of a bag? A timer of some sort? N turns and you switch from Blue to whatever the next color is?
But the current rule actually works pretty well. It's hard to not kill zombies, and eventually someone's going to go up to the next level, and then everyone's got to push forward to get up to speed or get left behind. It doesn't require any extra tracking - it's something you're already tracking for your characters. Sure, it's not a logical pairing - but it's not the only game, and even on Blue level you still have the chance of things you're not ready for being spawned - Black Plague has a blue-level Abomination, for instance.
That's what I figured, but it's not what I'd want. I don't like things happening merely to keep the tension high either in stories or in games. If a scenario is designed to keep the tension high, I at least prefer there to be a reason which makes sense, rather than being directly tied to something that doesn't have an in-fictional-universe reason to be linked. Even moreso when it can generate weird decisions based on that OOC weirdness. Not just who to have kill a zombie, but whether even to let someone die or go do something other than fight in order to avoid the weird side-effect of a specific character gaining a certain level of combat experience.
I'd look for a mechanic that makes sense for the scenario, or add some concept to the zombie behavior. A timer could make sense, or could events that would stir things up. Starting up a vehicle, causing a big stimulation somehow (alarm, explosion, musak...). It could just be that the more zombies that die, the more the population gets agitated, and as long as the Danger Level is based on that and doesn't have weird effects that also don't make sense (like if it makes you find different things or trip more often or something), I'd be happy.
I'm happy making my own replacement rules - I just thought I'd ask in case there already were some optional rules, before I think about inventing something.
Quote from: Skarg;935036That's what I figured, but it's not what I'd want. I don't like things happening merely to keep the tension high either in stories or in games. If a scenario is designed to keep the tension high, I at least prefer there to be a reason which makes sense, rather than being directly tied to something that doesn't have an in-fictional-universe reason to be linked. Even moreso when it can generate weird decisions based on that OOC weirdness. Not just who to have kill a zombie, but whether even to let someone die or go do something other than fight in order to avoid the weird side-effect of a specific character gaining a certain level of combat experience.
I'd look for a mechanic that makes sense for the scenario, or add some concept to the zombie behavior. A timer could make sense, or could events that would stir things up. Starting up a vehicle, causing a big stimulation somehow (alarm, explosion, musak...). It could just be that the more zombies that die, the more the population gets agitated, and as long as the Danger Level is based on that and doesn't have weird effects that also don't make sense (like if it makes you find different things or trip more often or something), I'd be happy.
I'm happy making my own replacement rules - I just thought I'd ask in case there already were some optional rules, before I think about inventing something.
Fair enough.
I'd hunt around http://boardgamegeek.com/ - there's pages for the various Zombicide games which may well have variant rules there. I think there's also forums on CMON's site, but I never go there, so I wouldn't know where to look.
But y'know, Zombies are usually magic of some kind anyway. (Or science so stupid that they might as well be magic.) Maybe experienced people's souls just smell better and draw the zombies in faster. :)