Monday, November 10, 2014

Fun with Zombicide

As a big fan of all things zombie apocalypse related last month I finally purchased Zombicide. After one or two playtests of the game I was instantly hooked. The price always deterred me when I picked up the huge box in the game store but I finally found a discounted deal. That being said, the game tiles are beautiful and the box is crammed packed with detailed plastic miniatures. The former was a big selling point for me since the game pieces are reusable in other games and RPGs.

Zombicide uses a collaborative system which remains my favorite type of board game since it makes the experience team based. Sure elimination games have their place but who really thinks going broke in Monopoly and sitting out while the game grinds on is fun? Another great aspect of Zombicide is everyone gets to play a survivor character with their own individual themes and abilities. This makes the game edge up on the periphery of an RPG without getting overly detailed. 


The rule set is very simple to learn (cake for gaming veterans) and the actual play is very fast paced.
Granted certain scenarios can take several hours but you never really feel bogged down. Instead you feel a sense of urgency as the hordes of zombies grow and the threat level increases. The season 1 base game comes with 6 unique survivor characters. Since the release of Zombicide (2012) there have been tons of new characters created for season 2, 3 and various expansions. Additionally you can find many fan created characters on boardgamegeek.com or with a simple Google search.


With so many miniatures and game pieces I decided to take a cantilever toolbox and create a DIY storage system. The theme is obviously based on a traveling medic kit that has been heavily used during the zombie apocalypse. After ordering the season 2 game box and several expansions I now need another storage system. I think my next DIY project will be some sort of olive drab US ARMY ammo box theme. I then plan to use one toolbox for game parts and the other for miniature storage.






I love the Walking Dead so I decided to create my own version of some of the iconic characters from the TV series. I plan to also write some of my own scenarios based on the show and comics to run the characters through. The scenarios will be difficult so my Zombicide versions of the Walking Dead survivors are a tad buffed up with that caveat in mind. Please find them below and feel free to download, print and take out some walkers!







"Team up, gear up, level up, and take 'em down!" is the tagline of Zombicide and I can say the game really delivers that experience. Check it out if you think you have the BRAINS to survive!