Zombies!!!
Encyclopedia
Zombies!!! is a tile-based
strategy board game
for two to six players. Zombies!!! won the 2001 Origins Award
for Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game, and Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers won 2003's Origins Award for Best Board Game Expansion.
and Sam Raimi
. The shambling movement of the zombies as compared to the players and the relative ease with which they are dispatched makes them weak enemies individually, but (as in the films) they are strong in large numbers.
Players must decide whether to avoid combat and allow the other players to dispose of the zombies for them, or to strike out and collect the various items that the board and event cards provide. Once the Helipad tile is placed, the players can choose between racing to the helicopter (which will often result in death); holding back and hoping to rush in when another player dies; or ignoring the helipad entirely and trying to kill 25 zombies.
The event cards and the zombie movement phase also provide opportunities to hinder the progress of other players, and there is scope for diplomacy.
The game can take up to three hours to complete, which was a complaint of some reviewers -- for shorter games, the publishers recommend that the Helipad tile be shuffled in amongst the other town tiles.
with 15 new tiles and 30 event cards, as well as government-enhanced "super zombies" (represented by six glow-in-the-dark zombie figures). A number of additional rule variations are introduced into the base Zombies game through the use of this expansion and the insertion of special tiles. For example, when the “Top Secret Lab” tile is drawn glow-in-the-dark zombies are placed instead of the normal zombies. These new zombies are considered to be “Government Enhanced” zombies and as such require the defending player to roll a 5 or 6 to kill them. In addition to this, these new zombies can also move 2 spaces during the zombie movement stage instead of the standard 1 space. The “Motor Pool” also introduces a rule which means that as soon as a player moves beyond a certain point on that tile then they get a jeep. Players with this jeep are effectively allowed to move up to double their movement dice roll while on a road. However, as soon as a player enters a building they lose their jeep and the ability it affords. A second edition was released in 2007.
Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers: This expansion adds a mall
containing 16 new tiles and 32 event cards and air vent movement rules while in the mall. A second edition was released in 2007.
Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet: An all event card expansion. Features 50 new event cards and optional deck construction rules for building customized community or individual player decks.
Zombies!!! 4: The End: You've escaped the zombie ravaged streets of the city, but now, the real terror begins. Up in the mountains lies a cabin, and in the cabin and the surrounding forests, lie the pages of the Book of the Dead. If you can gather enough pages together, you could end this entire zombie mess for good. Includes 30 map tiles, 50 event cards, 100 zombie-dogs, 6 human figures and life & ammunition tokens. A second edition was released March 2008.
Zombies!!! 5: School's Out Forever!: This expansion adds a school containing 16 map tiles, 32 new event cards and "Guts" tokens. A second edition was released January 2009.
Zombies!!! 6: Six Feet Under: This expansion takes players into the sewers and subways. It offers 16 new map tiles, 32 event cards, 24 sewer tokens, and new sewer rules that can be played with any set. Unlike the other expansions, all of the new map tiles are shuffled into the main tile deck.
Zombies!!! 6.66: Fill in the ____: Players can create their own map tiles and event cards using the blanks provided by this set.
Zombies!!! 7: Send in the Clowns: Now players must deal with zombified clowns
in a circus. Adds 15 new map tiles, 32 new event cards, 25 zombie clown figures and is one of two expansions designed as an alternate starting location opposed to the base set's "Town Square" (usage of the base set tiles or as a starting location are optional).
Zombies!!! 8: Jailbreak: Set in a penitentiary
. Players must face the hardships of prison-rules zombie combat and dropping the soap. Adds 16 new map tiles, 32 new event cards, introduces new universal "Dodge" rules and is one of two expansions designed as an alternate starting location opposed to the base set's "Town Square" (usage of the base set tiles or as a starting location are optional).
Zombies!!! 9: Ashes to Ashes: This expansion adds a cemetery
to be explored by the players, including a crematory
. It can be played as part of the original game or on its own. If played on its own the goal is to kill the last zombie on the board.
Zombies!!! X: Feeding the Addiction: This expansion came out in 2011. It can be played with the first game. It comes with new city tiles, and new event cards. The newest add-on, is the "addiction cards" which when played, give the player better abilities, but also limit some.
Zombies!!! 4: The End: A stand-alone game, though also backwards compatible with any (and all) of the previous games, in which the players must battle zombie dogs through woodland while collecting pages from the Book of the Undead
to undo the spell that is making the dead rise. A second edition was released March 2008.
Humans!!!. This game is playable by itself but also allow you to incorporate it into a game of Zombies!!!. The game is played from the perspective of the zombies where your goal is to eat humans. These humans can also be other players.
MidEvil: Another stand-alone game in which the players must battle skeletons in medieval times (see Army of Darkness
). This game also has an expansion (Castle Chaos), with another (Subterranean Homesick Blues) released in December 2007. The tiles are marked as in other expansions of Zombies!!!, but there are no listed rules on how to combine it into the original game
Zombies!!! 9: Ashes to Ashes: Can be played by itself or integrated with the original Zombies!!!. The object is to kill the last zombie of the board.
versions for each aforementioned Bag O' are also available. Bag O' sets contain 100 figures each.
for the Xbox Live Arcade
and Windows Phone 7
.
Tile-based game
A tile-based game is a game that uses tiles as one of the fundamental elements of play. Traditional tile-based games use small tiles as playing pieces for gambling or entertainment games...
strategy board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
for two to six players. Zombies!!! won the 2001 Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game, and Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers won 2003's Origins Award for Best Board Game Expansion.
Game interest
Zombies!!! is an homage to zombies in fiction, particularly the zombie films of George A. RomeroGeorge A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
and Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
. The shambling movement of the zombies as compared to the players and the relative ease with which they are dispatched makes them weak enemies individually, but (as in the films) they are strong in large numbers.
Players must decide whether to avoid combat and allow the other players to dispose of the zombies for them, or to strike out and collect the various items that the board and event cards provide. Once the Helipad tile is placed, the players can choose between racing to the helicopter (which will often result in death); holding back and hoping to rush in when another player dies; or ignoring the helipad entirely and trying to kill 25 zombies.
The event cards and the zombie movement phase also provide opportunities to hinder the progress of other players, and there is scope for diplomacy.
The game can take up to three hours to complete, which was a complaint of some reviewers -- for shorter games, the publishers recommend that the Helipad tile be shuffled in amongst the other town tiles.
Expansions
Zombies!!! 2: Zombie Corps(e): This expansion adds a military baseMilitary base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
with 15 new tiles and 30 event cards, as well as government-enhanced "super zombies" (represented by six glow-in-the-dark zombie figures). A number of additional rule variations are introduced into the base Zombies game through the use of this expansion and the insertion of special tiles. For example, when the “Top Secret Lab” tile is drawn glow-in-the-dark zombies are placed instead of the normal zombies. These new zombies are considered to be “Government Enhanced” zombies and as such require the defending player to roll a 5 or 6 to kill them. In addition to this, these new zombies can also move 2 spaces during the zombie movement stage instead of the standard 1 space. The “Motor Pool” also introduces a rule which means that as soon as a player moves beyond a certain point on that tile then they get a jeep. Players with this jeep are effectively allowed to move up to double their movement dice roll while on a road. However, as soon as a player enters a building they lose their jeep and the ability it affords. A second edition was released in 2007.
Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers: This expansion adds a mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
containing 16 new tiles and 32 event cards and air vent movement rules while in the mall. A second edition was released in 2007.
Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet: An all event card expansion. Features 50 new event cards and optional deck construction rules for building customized community or individual player decks.
Zombies!!! 4: The End: You've escaped the zombie ravaged streets of the city, but now, the real terror begins. Up in the mountains lies a cabin, and in the cabin and the surrounding forests, lie the pages of the Book of the Dead. If you can gather enough pages together, you could end this entire zombie mess for good. Includes 30 map tiles, 50 event cards, 100 zombie-dogs, 6 human figures and life & ammunition tokens. A second edition was released March 2008.
Zombies!!! 5: School's Out Forever!: This expansion adds a school containing 16 map tiles, 32 new event cards and "Guts" tokens. A second edition was released January 2009.
Zombies!!! 6: Six Feet Under: This expansion takes players into the sewers and subways. It offers 16 new map tiles, 32 event cards, 24 sewer tokens, and new sewer rules that can be played with any set. Unlike the other expansions, all of the new map tiles are shuffled into the main tile deck.
Zombies!!! 6.66: Fill in the ____: Players can create their own map tiles and event cards using the blanks provided by this set.
Zombies!!! 7: Send in the Clowns: Now players must deal with zombified clowns
Evil clown
The image of the evil clown is a development in popular culture, in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.-Background:...
in a circus. Adds 15 new map tiles, 32 new event cards, 25 zombie clown figures and is one of two expansions designed as an alternate starting location opposed to the base set's "Town Square" (usage of the base set tiles or as a starting location are optional).
Zombies!!! 8: Jailbreak: Set in a penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. Players must face the hardships of prison-rules zombie combat and dropping the soap. Adds 16 new map tiles, 32 new event cards, introduces new universal "Dodge" rules and is one of two expansions designed as an alternate starting location opposed to the base set's "Town Square" (usage of the base set tiles or as a starting location are optional).
Zombies!!! 9: Ashes to Ashes: This expansion adds a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
to be explored by the players, including a crematory
Crematory
A crematory is a machine in which cremation takes place. Crematories are usually found in funeral homes, cemeteries, or in stand-alone facilities. A facility which houses the actual cremator units is referred to as a crematorium.-History:Prior to the Industrial Revolution, any cremation which took...
. It can be played as part of the original game or on its own. If played on its own the goal is to kill the last zombie on the board.
Zombies!!! X: Feeding the Addiction: This expansion came out in 2011. It can be played with the first game. It comes with new city tiles, and new event cards. The newest add-on, is the "addiction cards" which when played, give the player better abilities, but also limit some.
Spinoffs
The following are all fully stand-alone games spin off from the original game. Core game play elements are shared, so they can be integrated with Zombies!!!.Zombies!!! 4: The End: A stand-alone game, though also backwards compatible with any (and all) of the previous games, in which the players must battle zombie dogs through woodland while collecting pages from the Book of the Undead
Necronomicon
The Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire appearing in the stories by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft's 1924 short story "The Hound", written in 1922, though its purported author, the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, had been quoted a year earlier in...
to undo the spell that is making the dead rise. A second edition was released March 2008.
Humans!!!. This game is playable by itself but also allow you to incorporate it into a game of Zombies!!!. The game is played from the perspective of the zombies where your goal is to eat humans. These humans can also be other players.
MidEvil: Another stand-alone game in which the players must battle skeletons in medieval times (see Army of Darkness
Army of Darkness
Army of Darkness, also known as Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness or simply Evil Dead III, is a 1992 horror comedy fantasy action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is the third and final installment in The Evil Dead trilogy. The film was written by Raimi and his brother Ivan, produced by Robert Tapert,...
). This game also has an expansion (Castle Chaos), with another (Subterranean Homesick Blues) released in December 2007. The tiles are marked as in other expansions of Zombies!!!, but there are no listed rules on how to combine it into the original game
Zombies!!! 9: Ashes to Ashes: Can be played by itself or integrated with the original Zombies!!!. The object is to kill the last zombie of the board.
Second edition
The Zombies!!! core set and expansions 2, 3, 4 and 5 have been refreshed with second editions. Typical changes found in all of these second editions include improved tile and event card artwork & graphics and refined wording for both event cards & rules. The core set received the most drastic update and has been appropriately denoted as the "Director's Cut" in box cover art. In addition to the general second edition updates, the heart tokens now have a red background opposed to the black background that both heart and bullet tokens shared in the original edition; female zombie figures have been added among the original male zombie figures; and the entire set is supplied in a deeper box designed to hold additional components from expansions. The core set second edition was released June 2006. A second edition for Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet has never been released likely due to it being an "event card" only expansion. All expansions and spinoffs released after Zombies!!! 5: School's Out Forever! contain artwork and graphics in the "second edition" style.Paraphernalia
Bag O: A line of figurine expansions that includes the Bag O' Zombies, Babes and Dogs. Glow-in-the-darkPhosphorescence
Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with "forbidden" energy state transitions in quantum...
versions for each aforementioned Bag O' are also available. Bag O' sets contain 100 figures each.
Video game
Twilight Creations will be publishing a video game adaptation of the board game with developer Babaroga (game company)Babaroga (game company)
babaroga is a Chicago, Illinois-based video game developer specializing in mobile games. They have created licensed games for publishers such as Electronic Arts, and Disney Interactive. They are also known to work with Jamdat, Gameloft, and Microsoft among others.Babaroga, LLC., provides...
for the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
.
External links
- Twilight Creations' Zombies!!! homepage
- Podcast Interview with Creator Todd Breitenstein A3UPodcast