Being a gamer, I know how arguments over rules work! When I designed this game, I aimed to have all of the instructions that players need to be on the cards, and most confusion can be sorted out by reading the words on the cards carefully. Just imagine that an English teacher wrote them (because one did!), and if you have questions, send 'em in! Here are some questions we've been asked so far:
How many Wounds before Survivors die?
It takes three wounds for most survivors to die. There are of course things that can change that number, such as being the Bouncer or a Settings card, but it's usually three Wounds to die.
How does trading Equipment cards work?
Survivors can trade cards or give cards away freely any time, except during combat, or when dying. Cards from Survivor's hands aren't traded in secret - they can be shown and inspected, though players can feel free to trade their cards however they'd like to. If a Firearm with Ammo tokens on it is traded or given away, the Ammo tokens go with it.
How many Weapons does each Ammo count as?
|
The number of Weapons each Ammo counts as will be on the Equipment card. Most count as one.
|
|
How do Firearms without Ammo work?
Firearms are a type of Weapon, that's all. Most of them use Ammo, but not all - for examples, the crossbow is simply a Firearm that counts as a Weapon, or the flare gun is a Firearm Weapon with one use.
Do you keep Broken Equipment cards?
When an Equipment card Breaks it is discarded, unless something is done to save it - for example, if a Ducktape card is played, or if the Mechanic uses their special ability.
When a Flip is re-Flipped or overridden, how does it work out?
As cards are played that overwrite each other, they take place backwards from the final card played.
So, for example, imagine a player named Leeloo needs to Flip for being Bitten. She Flips Tails, which according to the card means she's going to die and become a Zombie, so she plays a Lucky Rabbit's Foot to re-Flip, and gets a Heads. But then, a Zombie player plays Bad Luck - then she would need to re-Flip once again. If other Lucky Rabbits Foot cards or Bad Luck or Evil Luck, or anything that causes a re-Flip, then the series of re-Flipping would continue.
A couple of cards come up in questions, such as Evil Luck. With Evil Luck, the Zombie player can determine the value of a Flip. If someone plays a card or uses an ability to cause more re-Flipping or to change the value of the Flip, then they would do just that.
Weak Blood is another card that might cause questions - it reads, "For the rest of the game, each time that player needs to Flip for being Bitten, the first card Flipped is automatically Tails." This means that if a player Flips for being Bitten, or re-Flips, or for any reason Flips for being Bitten, the FIRST Flip is always Tails. If someone plays a card such as Evil Luck or if the Gambler uses their ability, those don't cause re-Flipping, so the first Flip could be changed.
The Gambler's ability states on the card that it supersedes any cards played before or after it concerning the Flip.
So, for example, imagine a player named Leeloo needs to Flip for being Bitten. She Flips Tails, which according to the card means she's going to die and become a Zombie, so she plays a Lucky Rabbit's Foot to re-Flip, and gets a Heads. But then, a Zombie player plays Bad Luck - then she would need to re-Flip once again. If other Lucky Rabbits Foot cards or Bad Luck or Evil Luck, or anything that causes a re-Flip, then the series of re-Flipping would continue.
A couple of cards come up in questions, such as Evil Luck. With Evil Luck, the Zombie player can determine the value of a Flip. If someone plays a card or uses an ability to cause more re-Flipping or to change the value of the Flip, then they would do just that.
Weak Blood is another card that might cause questions - it reads, "For the rest of the game, each time that player needs to Flip for being Bitten, the first card Flipped is automatically Tails." This means that if a player Flips for being Bitten, or re-Flips, or for any reason Flips for being Bitten, the FIRST Flip is always Tails. If someone plays a card such as Evil Luck or if the Gambler uses their ability, those don't cause re-Flipping, so the first Flip could be changed.
The Gambler's ability states on the card that it supersedes any cards played before or after it concerning the Flip.
Do Equipment cards played down on the table in front of a Survivor count towards the card hand limit?
Yes they do! Playing Equipment cards down on the table really only matters for Equipment cards with Ammo, as a way of keeping track of which tokens apply to which card.
What about blue keywords on cards that aren't in the glossary?
The most common blue keywords like these are probably Fear and Run!!!, but there are others. If you see a red keyword that isn't in the glossary, then it's the name of a card in the game. The three types of blue keywords are rules keywords (Flip, Heads, Tails, Break, Weapons, Bitten, Pet, Firearm, Ammo, Wound, Zombie Power-Up, Hideout, Light, Rope, and Vote), player roles (Survivor or Zombie), card types (such as Character, Event, Zombie, or Equipment), or words from card titles (such as Rifle, Saw, Fear, Infected Blood, Sheriff, or Run!!!).
Can the game be played with two players, or solitaire?
Yes! However, the game is definitely designed to be a social game with more players. That said, it can be tough to get people together, so here's how to play with two or one player!
Two players - Each player begins with two "Core" Characters, and plays both of them as two separate people. Imagine them as your "lives" - your goal is to have at least one of them survive! Select one character to go first, then one of your opponent's Characters, then the other one of yours, and then the final one of your opponents, and THAT is a full round. All Event cards, including any "do not read out loud" Event cards, are resolved from the perspective of the Character who's turn it is. As Characters die, however, they do NOT become zombies - they are simply dead and out of the game (though they could be returned with something like the Antidote). The game lasts twelve rounds, at the end of which, any surviving Characters win (modified by any rules that have come up along the way, as usual). Equipment cards are assigned to each Character, so players must be careful to not mix them (though, when not in combat, they can trade cards between their own Characters freely). Voting works as usual, with each Character counting as having one Vote, unless there are other rules in play. In this version, the two players may choose to work together to try to sabotage each other, whatever they think will help their characters survive!
Solitaire - This method is more of a zombie horror simulator, and pits you against the game! Deal out four "Core" Character cards on the table, and the correct number of Equipment cards to each. All of the cards can of course be face up. Play the game as usual, drawing an Event card for each Character one at a time and resolving them from that Character's perspective. "do not read out loud" cards can be tricky - but simply play them from that Character's perspective! You'll of course know what each one is, but the goal in this game is to get as many of your 4 Characters to survive until morning as possible! As they die, they do not become zombies - they're simply dead and out of the game, though they could be revived with something such as the Antidote. The game lasts five rounds to begin with, but once you manage to beat a game with all four Characters alive, bump the game up to six rounds and try again! With this method, I would suggest even giving the Character's names, and really weave the story in your mind - it will feel like you're watching your very own choose-your-own-adventure zombie movie!
If you play one of these methods, I would love to hear how it goes for you, and if you have any tweaks that you use for how you play, so that I can share them with everyone else!
Two players - Each player begins with two "Core" Characters, and plays both of them as two separate people. Imagine them as your "lives" - your goal is to have at least one of them survive! Select one character to go first, then one of your opponent's Characters, then the other one of yours, and then the final one of your opponents, and THAT is a full round. All Event cards, including any "do not read out loud" Event cards, are resolved from the perspective of the Character who's turn it is. As Characters die, however, they do NOT become zombies - they are simply dead and out of the game (though they could be returned with something like the Antidote). The game lasts twelve rounds, at the end of which, any surviving Characters win (modified by any rules that have come up along the way, as usual). Equipment cards are assigned to each Character, so players must be careful to not mix them (though, when not in combat, they can trade cards between their own Characters freely). Voting works as usual, with each Character counting as having one Vote, unless there are other rules in play. In this version, the two players may choose to work together to try to sabotage each other, whatever they think will help their characters survive!
Solitaire - This method is more of a zombie horror simulator, and pits you against the game! Deal out four "Core" Character cards on the table, and the correct number of Equipment cards to each. All of the cards can of course be face up. Play the game as usual, drawing an Event card for each Character one at a time and resolving them from that Character's perspective. "do not read out loud" cards can be tricky - but simply play them from that Character's perspective! You'll of course know what each one is, but the goal in this game is to get as many of your 4 Characters to survive until morning as possible! As they die, they do not become zombies - they're simply dead and out of the game, though they could be revived with something such as the Antidote. The game lasts five rounds to begin with, but once you manage to beat a game with all four Characters alive, bump the game up to six rounds and try again! With this method, I would suggest even giving the Character's names, and really weave the story in your mind - it will feel like you're watching your very own choose-your-own-adventure zombie movie!
If you play one of these methods, I would love to hear how it goes for you, and if you have any tweaks that you use for how you play, so that I can share them with everyone else!