Zombicide

2012

Zombicide is a thrilling, cooperative board game. Play as survivors, use unique abilities, and team up against unending zombie hordes. Strategy, skill, and suspense await!

60
minutes

1 - 6
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

Welcome to the thrilling world of Zombicide, a cooperative board game that transports you into a post-apocalyptic universe infested by unrelenting hordes of zombies. This game submerges you into an immersive setting that’s fraught with danger, adrenaline, and strategic decision-making.

The theme of Zombicide is deeply rooted in iconic zombie horror cinema. You and your teammates are survivors in a zombie apocalypse, each with unique abilities that contribute to the team’s survival. The setting is a deserted city, with modular game tiles that represent streets and buildings, creating a different game board every time for an unpredictable and exciting experience.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Zombicide is a popular board game filled with thrilling survival horror themes. Here are the components of the game, along with a brief description of each and their role in the game:

1. Game Tiles: Zombicide comes with nine double-sided game tiles. These tiles are used to create the game board, which represents different areas of a city infested with zombies. Each scenario in the game manual tells the players how to arrange the tiles.

2. Miniatures: The game includes 71 miniatures, which represent the survivors and zombies. Each survivor has a unique miniature, while zombies are represented by several miniatures of the same type (Walkers, Fatties, and Runners).

3. Survivor Identity Cards: Each player chooses one of the six provided Survivor Identity Cards. These cards display the survivor’s special abilities, hit points, and experience track.

4. Dice: The game includes six-sided dice. The dice are used to resolve combat and other random elements in the game.

5. Tokens: There are various types of tokens used in the game, including noise tokens, objective tokens, and door tokens. Noise tokens track the noise level, which affects zombie movement. Objective tokens are used to mark objectives that survivors must reach. Door tokens represent doors that can be opened or shattered.

6. Equipment Cards: These cards represent weapons, gear, and other items that survivors can find and use in the game. Each card has specific rules and conditions for use.

7. Zombie Cards: These cards are used to spawn zombies on the game board. The type and number of zombies spawned depend on the current danger level of the most experienced survivor.

8. Car Tokens: There are two car tokens used in the game. Survivors can use these cars to travel faster and run over zombies.

9. Experience Trackers: Each survivor card has an experience tracker. As survivors kill zombies and achieve objectives, they gain experience points, which are tracked here. Gaining experience allows survivors to level up and gain new abilities.

10. Wound Markers: These markers are used to track the damage a survivor has taken. If a survivor accumulates too many wound markers, they die and are out of the game.

11. Noise Markers: These markers are used to track the noise made by survivors. More noise attracts more zombies.

12. Colored Bases: These bases are clipped to the survivor miniatures to help players identify their characters on the game board.

By understanding these components and their functions, players can fully enjoy the strategic and immersive gameplay that Zombicide provides.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Zombicide is a cooperative board game where players take on the role of survivors in a zombie apocalypse, each with unique abilities, and harness both their skills and the power of teamwork against hordes of unthinking undead! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the Zombicide game.

Step 1: Player Roles

Each player selects a Survivor from the available characters. Each Survivor has a unique identity and special abilities. Remember, the object of the game is not to become the most powerful, but to survive as a team. Once everyone has chosen, place the corresponding miniature on the starting zone, as indicated by the scenario.

Step 2: Board Placement

Choose a scenario from the Zombicide rulebook or online. Replicate the map layout using the game tiles. The scenario describes the map layout, objectives, special rules, and where to place the zombies, doors, cars, and other game elements. Make sure to place the game tiles in the correct orientation.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each Survivor starts the game with one piece of equipment. The starting equipment is indicated on the Survivor’s identity card. Find these cards in the deck and distribute them accordingly. The rest of the equipment cards should be shuffled and placed face down to form the equipment deck.

Step 4: Zombie Spawn Cards

Shuffle all the Zombie cards together to form a Zombie deck. This deck will be used to spawn new Zombies on the board. Place this deck face down beside the game board.

Step 5: Objective Tokens and Noise Tokens

Place the Objective tokens and Noise tokens beside the board within easy reach of all players. They will be used throughout the game as players complete objectives and make noise that may attract more zombies.

Step 6: Random Elements

Some scenarios include random elements. These may be random zombie spawns, random objective locations, or random equipment. If your scenario includes these, set them up as described in the scenario. Random zombie spawns are determined using the Zombie deck, while random objective locations and equipment are determined by dice roll.

Once all these steps are completed, you’re ready to start playing. Remember, communication and cooperation are vital to survive in Zombicide. Good luck!

Game flow Round and round we go

Zombicide is a cooperative board game where players embody survivors of a zombie apocalypse, each with unique abilities, and harness both their skills and the power of teamwork against hordes of unthinking undead! A typical game of Zombicide follows a standard structure, which is divided into rounds and phases.

The Game Round

A game of Zombicide is played in rounds. Each round is split into two main phases:

Players’ Phase
Zombies’ Phase

Players’ Phase

During the Players’ Phase, each player, in the order of their choice, takes their turn and can perform various actions. Each player starts with three actions per turn, but this number may increase as the player’s survivor gains experience. The available actions are:

Move: The player moves their survivor to an adjacent space.
Search: The player draws a card from the Equipment deck. This action can only be performed once per turn and only in a building zone that does not contain any zombies.
Open/Close a door: The player uses a weapon to open a door, or closes a door if they are in a building zone without zombies.
Reorganize/Trade: The player can rearrange the items in their inventory or trade with another survivor in the same zone.
Combat: The player can attack a zombie in their zone or in an adjacent zone, depending on their weapon.

Zombies’ Phase

After all players have taken their turns, the Zombies’ Phase begins. During this phase, the following steps are undertaken:

Activation: Each zombie performs one action, which can be either moving towards the noisiest zone or attacking a survivor in their zone.
Spawning: New zombies are added to the board. The number and type of zombies that spawn depend on the survivor with the highest experience level and the corresponding spawn card drawn.

The game continues in this way, alternating between the Players’ Phase and the Zombies’ Phase, until the players either achieve the mission objective, or all survivors are eliminated, which results in a loss.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Zombicide is a popular cooperative board game where players work together to fend off zombies and complete various objectives. Each player’s turn is divided into three steps: Player’s Phase, Zombie’s Phase, and End Phase.

During the Player’s Phase, the player can take up to three actions, from the following options:

Move: The character can move one space on the board.
Search: If the player is in a building, they can draw a card from the equipment deck. However, this action can only be performed once per turn.
Open a Door: The player can open a door if they have the necessary equipment or skills. Opening a door may spawn zombies.
Kill a Zombie: The player can attack a zombie in their space or in an adjacent space, depending on the weapon they use.
Make Noise: The player can make noise intentionally to attract zombies to their location.
Trade: The player can trade equipment with another player in the same space.
Take or Activate an Objective: If the player is on a space with an objective, they can take it or activate it, depending on the scenario.

During the Zombie’s Phase, all zombies on the board get to act. They will move towards the nearest player or the loudest noise. If they are on the same space as a player, they will attack instead of moving. After all zombies have acted, new zombies are spawned at each of the zombie spawn points on the board.

During the End Phase, players check for any end-of-turn effects, move the first player token to the next player, and then start a new turn.

Strategic choices can greatly affect the game. For example, choosing when to make noise can be crucial. Making noise can draw zombies away from vulnerable players or objectives, but it can also attract more zombies to the player making the noise. Similarly, choosing when to open doors or take objectives can be key, as these actions can spawn more zombies.

Equipment and skills also play a big role in strategy. Some equipment, like the chainsaw, is very effective at killing zombies, but it also makes a lot of noise. Skills can give players a variety of benefits, like extra actions, better combat abilities, or even the ability to control zombies.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Zombicide is a cooperative board game where players work together to complete a specific mission while fending off hordes of zombies. The game ends when either the players have achieved the mission objectives or all players are eliminated.

Victory Conditions:

Completion of Mission Objectives: Each game of Zombicide has a specific mission with unique objectives. Objectives can vary from game to game but may include tasks such as collecting certain items, reaching a specific location on the game board, or eliminating a certain number of zombies. When all objectives are fulfilled, the players win the game.
Player Survival: The players must also keep their characters alive to win. Each player starts with a specific number of hit points, and when these are depleted due to zombie attacks, the player’s character dies. If all players’ characters die, the game ends in defeat.

Before the final scoring, players need to perform these actions:

Resolve Remaining Zombie Moves: All remaining zombies on the board get one final chance to move or attack. This can potentially change the game outcome if a player’s character is killed during this phase.
Check Mission Objectives: Players need to ensure that all mission objectives have been fully achieved. If any objectives are not completed, the game cannot end in victory.
Count Experience Points: Players count up their experience points gained during the game from killing zombies and achieving objectives. While experience points do not directly correlate to winning the game, they can be used to break ties and for bragging rights.

Once all these steps have been completed, the game can be scored. The players win if they have successfully completed all mission objectives and at least one player’s character is still alive. Otherwise, the game ends in defeat.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In Zombicide, players do not score points in a traditional sense. Instead, they progress through the game by accumulating experience points (XP) for each zombie they kill and for accomplishing mission objectives. However, the game uses these XP to determine a player’s level, which in turn affects the difficulty of the game.

Here’s how the scoring system works:

Zombie Kills: Each time a player kills a zombie, they earn 1 XP. The type of zombie doesn’t matter, be it a Walker, Runner, Fatty, or Abomination, each kill is worth 1 XP.
Accomplishing Objectives: Players can also earn XP by accomplishing specific objectives. These objectives are usually defined in the mission scenario and may vary in XP value based on their difficulty or importance.

As a player accumulates XP, their level increases, which is indicated on their character’s ID card. Each level-up provides the player with new abilities or bonuses, but it also increases the difficulty of the game as more powerful zombies begin to appear.

Since Zombicide is a cooperative game, the aim is not to score the most points but to survive and complete the mission. Therefore, there is not a traditional winner or loser. However, if players wish to add a competitive element, they could compare their total XP at the end of a mission to see who contributed most to the fight.

If there is a tie in XP at the end of the game, there are no official tie-breaking rules in Zombicide. As it’s a cooperative game, a tie could be considered a shared victory. But if players insist on determining a single winner, they could consider factors such as who achieved the most objectives, who killed the most of a specific type of zombie, or who used the least amount of equipment or resources.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Zombicide is a cooperative board game where players take on the roles of survivors in a zombie apocalypse, attempting to complete various objectives while fighting off hordes of the undead. While the basic rules of the game are quite straightforward, there are several special rules and exceptions that players should be aware of.

Friendly Fire: This is a notable exception in Zombicide. In most scenarios, when players are shooting or throwing molotovs into a zone with both zombies and survivors, survivors are not hit. However, in the case of ranged attacks, if there are survivors in the targeted zone, they are hit before zombies unless you’re using a weapon with the Sniper skill. This is an important rule to remember, as it can greatly affect your strategy during the game.

Extra Activations: Whenever a zombie card is drawn and there are no zombies of that type left to place on the board, instead of spawning new zombies, every zombie of that type on the board immediately gets an extra activation. This means they can potentially move and/or attack immediately, which can lead to some unexpected challenges.

Car Rules: Cars can be searched, driven, and can run over zombies. However, only the Driver miniature may use weapons (except Molotov). Also, when a car moves, it creates Noise at its departure and arrival Zones.

Moving through Zombies: Survivors can’t normally move through zombies, but there are exceptions. A survivor with the “Slippery” skill can move through a zone with zombies without spending extra actions. Similarly, a survivor driving a car can move through zones with zombies, killing them in the process.
Fatties and Abominations: These types of zombies always come with walkers. Fatties come with two walkers, while Abominations come with a variable number depending on the game version. It’s important to remember this rule when placing new zombies on the board.
Noise: Noise markers are placed on the board whenever a survivor makes a noise, such as by shooting a gun or opening a door. At the end of each game turn, all zombies move towards the noisiest zone. However, if there’s a survivor in sight, zombies will ignore noise and go towards the visible survivor.
Doors: Doors can be opened with either a melee weapon or a specific door opening action. Once a door is opened, it cannot be closed again. Opening a door also triggers a zombie spawn in every room of the building it’s connected to.

Keep these special rules and exceptions in mind to enhance your Zombicide gameplay experience. Happy zombie hunting!

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Zombicide is a cooperative board game that immerses you and your friends in a post-apocalyptic city filled with zombies. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize your gameplay in Zombicide.

Advanced Strategies:

It’s important to manage noise levels in the game. Making too much noise attracts zombies, so make sure you’re only making noise when it’s strategically beneficial.
Keep an eye on the zombie spawn cards. Understanding the spawn patterns can help you predict and plan for future zombie waves.
Use the ‘splitting rule’ to your advantage. When there’s a tie for the most noise or the most players, the zombies split up, which can help you control the zombie population.

Beginner Tips:

Always stick together. It’s tempting to split up and cover more ground, but that often leads to characters getting overwhelmed by zombies.
Manage your equipment wisely. Make sure the right characters have the right equipment for their skills.
Don’t rush to achieve objectives. It’s better to take your time and ensure your team’s survival than to rush ahead and get caught unprepared.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Don’t ignore the zombies. They might seem manageable at first, but they can quickly overwhelm you if not dealt with.
Avoid getting too comfortable. The game changes quickly, so always be prepared for a sudden onslaught of zombies.
Don’t forget about the objective. It’s easy to get caught up in surviving, but remember that you’re also trying to achieve a specific goal.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Communicate with your team. Good communication is key to formulating strategies and coordinating moves.
Use your characters’ skills to their fullest. Each character has unique skills that can give you an advantage in certain situations.
Plan your moves ahead of time. This helps you stay one step ahead of the zombies and can make the difference between life and death.