Zombies!!!
Tile-based zombie board game with multiple expansions and spinoffs.
Zombies!!! is a tile-based strategy board game for two to six players. In 2001, it received the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game, and the expansion *Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers* won the 2003 Origins Award for Best Board Game Expansion. The game pays tribute to zombie fiction, especially the films of George A. Romero and Sam Raimi.
Zombies move slowly compared to players and are easy to take down alone, but they become dangerous in large groups, just like in the movies. Players can choose to avoid fighting, letting others clear the zombies, or go after items found on the board and through event cards. When the Helipad tile appears, players may race to the helicopter, wait for another player to die and then rush in, or ignore the helipad entirely and aim to kill 25 zombies. Event cards and the zombie movement phase let players slow down opponents, and there is room for negotiation. Some reviewers complained that the game can take up to three hours; for shorter sessions, the publishers suggest shuffling the Helipad tile into the regular town tiles. The base set includes 30 map tiles, a 50-card event deck, 6 human figures, life and ammunition tokens, and 100 plastic zombies in various poses.
The game has many expansions. *Zombies!!! 2: Zombie Corps(e)* adds a military base with 15 new tiles and 30 event cards, plus six glow-in-the-dark "super zombies" that are harder to kill, along with new rule variations. A second edition came out in 2007. *Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers* adds a mall with 16 tiles and 32 event cards, plus air vent movement rules inside the mall; a second edition was also released in 2007. *Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet* is an all-event-card expansion with 50 new cards and optional deck construction rules for custom community or individual player decks. *Zombies!!! 4: The End* works as a standalone game or an expansion, featuring a forested mountain range with pages to the Book of the Dead; players can try to collect all pages to stop the zombies. It includes 30 map tiles, 50 event cards, 100 zombie-dogs, 6 human figures, and life and ammunition tokens. A second edition came out in March 2008. *Zombies!!! 5: School's Out Forever!* adds a school with 16 map tiles, 32 event cards, and "Guts" tokens; a second edition was released in January 2009. *Zombies!!! 6: Six Feet Under* takes players into sewers and subways, offering
- field
- Board game design
- known_for
- Tile-based zombie strategy game with multiple expansions and spinoffs
- awards
- 2001 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game; 2003 Origins Award for Best Board Game Expansion (Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers)
Quick Facts
- Subject Name
- Zombies!!! Board Game
- Designer
- Todd Breitenstein
- Publisher
- Journeyman Press / Twilight Creations
- Date
- -present
- Players
- 2–6
- Ages
- 12+ years
- Setup Time
- 10 minutes
- Playing Time
- 60+ minutes
- Random Chance
- High
- Skills
- Strategic thought
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Zombies!!! features 30 map tiles, a 50 card event deck, 6 humans, life and ammunition tokens, and 100 plastic zombies in different poses. Players must decide whether to avoid combat and allow other players to dispose of zombies, or to collect items from the board and event cards. Once the Helipad tile is placed, players can race to the helicopter, hold back to rush in when another player dies, or ignore the helipad and try to kill 25 zombies. Event cards and the zombie movement phase provide opportunities to hinder 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 shuffling the Helipad tile among the other town tiles.
Reader's Guide
The Zombies!!! series has expanded significantly with numerous expansions and spinoffs. Expansions include Zombies!!! 2: Zombie Corps(e) (adding a military base and super zombies), Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers (adding a mall and air vent movement), Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet (an all event card expansion), Zombies!!! 4: The End (a standalone or expansion featuring a forested mountain range and the Book of the Dead), Zombies!!! 5: School's Out Forever! (adding a school and Guts tokens), Zombies!!! 6: Six Feet Under (sewers and subways), Zombies!!! 6.66: Fill in the ____ (blank tiles and cards for player creation), Zombies!!! 7: Send in the Clowns (zombified clowns in a circus), Zombies!!! 8: Jailbreak (a penitentiary setting with Dodge rules), Zombies!!! 9: Ashes to Ashes (a cemetery with a crematory), Zombies!!! X: Feeding the Addiction (addiction cards), Zombies!!! 11: Death Inc. (a standalone or expansion with office worker zombies), Zombies!!! 12: Zombie Zoo (zombie animals), Zombies!!! 13: Defcon Z (standalone or expansion), Zombies!!! 14: Space Bites (standalone set in a space station), Zombies!!! 15: Another One Bites The Dust (desert tiles and thirst rules), Zombies!!! - Deadtime Stories (story-driven expansion), Zombies!!!: Vegas (mini-game rules), and Zombies!!!: Museum of Weird (conveyor and brain tokens). Spinoffs include Humans!!! (played from the zombie perspective), Martians!!! (alien invasion), and MidEvil (medieval skeletons). The core set and expansions 2, 3, 4, and 5 have second editions with improved artwork and refined rules; the core set also has a third edition with new rules for competitive, cooperative, team, and scenario play, and new door and survivor tokens.
Did You Know?
- Zombies!!! won the 2001 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game.
- Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers won 2003's Origins Award for Best Board Game Expansion.
- The game can take up to three hours to complete, which was a complaint of some reviewers.
- The core set second edition was released June 2006 and includes female zombie figures among the original male zombie figures.
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