The Zombies Game Phenomenon

Zombies is a strategy board game where two to six players are forced to fight hordes of the undead together. Not only noticed by genre fans, but winning awards for both the original version as well as a subsequent expansion pack. Fans of the zombie genre, especially those fans of writer and director George Romero, will be especially attracted to the Zombies board game. That is not to say there is not going to be fun for all who decide to take on the undead.

You can look at the goal of Zombies a few different ways. You can be the first player to reach the helipad or you can be the first player to kill and collect twenty-five zombies. A twist to these rules added by fans is to attempt to re-enact your favorite movie or scene.

The Game Play

When players first start a game of Zombies, they must set up the town square and map tile in the middle of the playing area. This is where players will be building the city they will be running from the undead in. The players' shotgun men '" their tokens '" are placed in the town square, which is the starting point for Zombies.

Players will then shuffle the rest of the map tiles, except for the heliport tile. That tile is placed underneath the rest of the map tiles. The players are then dealt three action cards, which will dictate the players' movements. They are also given three bullets and three life tokens each. These will be their way of survival in the game, aside from their brains. Now while the turns are basic in structure, this is where strategy comes in, as there are certain rules that must be followed. Map tiles consisting of roads, intersections, buildings, and other town pieces, must be laid next to similar tiles. Some of the buildings may contain extra bullet or life tokens. Players must also place two zombies on the board at this time.

Players then roll a six sided-die to see how far they will move their token. Players can choose to use all, some, or none of their available moves. If a player's Shotgun Guy moves into a square with a zombie, a battle occurs. Defeating a zombie requires a roll of four or greater on the six sided die. If a player does not roll a four or greater, they can decide to try and improve their roll. This does involve using up a player's bullet cards, though.

If they do not defeat the zombie, they lose one life point. The player again attempts to defeat the zombie. This continues until either the player or his undead foe is killed. When players defeat zombies, they hold on that zombie's figure. This shows who killed the zombies, and can determine a winner using the twenty five dead method. On the chance a player loses the fight, he starts back at the town square with three life tokens and three bullet tokens, but no more available moves.

Squares that have no zombies may contain some sort of helpful item. Players have the choice to pick these up, but they can only have a limited number of bullet and life tokens. Players then roll the six sided die to move the zombies. Zombies are only allowed to move one space, but players must move as many zombies as the die shows. The challenge here comes in when many zombies are closing in at once. Players' turns end by discarding an event card, if they wish.

Review

All in all, this is a very fun and addictive game. This is especially true if you are a fan of the genre. The aspect of building the town with tiles does lend to a randomization factor, making every game different. The official rules of Zombies list two ways to win; one way being to reach the helipad, and the second being to kill twenty five zombies. After awhile, the game does become a little repetitious, but only choosing one way or the other will spice this up a little. Recreating your favorite zombie movie or scene is more of a fan favorite, but definitely adds to the excitement.

Expansions

The popularity of Zombies has spawned a series of expansions. Some of these need the original Zombies to play, while others are stand alone games. There has also been a Windows 7 game created, based on the same game play of the Zombies board game. There have also been a line of 'second edition' sets made of the first five games. These versions include better artwork and wording, and are mostly just cosmetic changes.

Other articles from Joshua Cook on the Yahoo! Contributor Network:
Zombies Ate My Internet!
The Return of the Zombies That Ate My Internet
No Body Knows: A Zombie A.C.R.E.S. Story