Board Game Review – Zombies!!!

As we are wont to do on a regular basis, loyal reader, the b’ys and I gathered together tonight for a good game of cards. But rather than our usual poker, Andrew had a different sort of card game in store for us. He had bought a zombies-themed board-and-cards game called, well, Zombies!!!

A product of Twilight Creations (no relation to sparkly vampires), Zombies!!! is a turn-based strategy game that plays like a cross between Carcassonne and Hero Quest. Players take turns laying down tiles that gradually create a series of streets and buildings in a zombie-infested town. The ultimate goal of the game is to be the first player to either kill 25 zombies or make it to the final tile placed, the helicopter pad.

When a player lays a tile with a building in it zombies, bullets and life hearts must be placed. A certain number of zombies (determined by a roll of the die) move one square each for every player’s turn. The player also rolls a die to move his token across the board. If a player meets a zombie, he must fight the undead menace by rolling a die. If he rolls a 4, 5, or 6, the zombie is vanquished. Otherwise, the player either loses one life heart (of the three he started with), or spend enough of his limited bullets (again, starting with three) to add to the number on the die enough to bring it to at least 4.

To throw a wrench into things, each player also draws and keeps up to three special cards that can be played at any time to various effect. A Skateboard card, for example, allows the player to add 2 to the number rolled when moving. Another lets you temporarily take control of another player during their turn. Some of those are real game-changers, let me tell you!

Like, say, Magic: The Gathering, the rules of the game take a bit of getting used to, as each turn is comprised of several steps that must be played in order. But once you get the hang of it, it’s a great pastime for zombie nerds such as ourselves. A good deal of strategy and luck are required. I do need to warn you that if you play with three or four people, you will need to set aside a few hours. We were four and it took us 5 hours or so to play one game.

So if you’re a fan of both zombies and strategy board games, I greatly recommend this little gem, loyal reader. Zombies!!!, ask for it by name!

 

 

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