Zombicide: A Survivor’s Guide to Slaying the Undead – Rules, Strategy, Tips

Introduction

Zombicide is a cooperative board game where players work together to fight off zombies and complete missions. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where zombies have taken over, and the survivors must use their wits and weapons to stay alive. The game was created by Guillotine Games and first released in 2012, and, for me, it definitely hits in that Zombie pop culture sweet spot we were all a part of in the early 10s. Since then, it has become really popular and highly rated on community sites like BGG, with several expansions and new editions that add more characters, zombies, and game modes.

The game is known for its cool miniatures, modular game tiles that create different layouts, and easy-to-learn rules that still offer a lot of depth. Each player controls one or more survivors, and the goal is to complete specific objectives while fighting off hordes of zombies. The game is a mix of strategy and luck, with dice rolls determining combat outcomes and cards that can change the game state. It’s a blast to play, especially with friends, and each game can be quite different because of the tile-based system that changes the game’s layout.

Rules for playing Zombicide

Understanding the rules of Zombicide is key to enjoying the game. The game is played over a series of rounds, with each round having three phases: the Players’ Phase, the Zombies’ Phase, and the End Phase. During the Players’ Phase, each survivor can perform three actions, such as moving, searching for equipment, opening doors, making noise to distract zombies, or attacking. The Zombies’ Phase is when the zombies move towards the noisiest areas and attack survivors if they can. The End Phase is for housekeeping stuff, like moving the round tracker and spawning new zombies.

Combat is simple: you roll dice to see if you hit the zombies and how much damage you do. Different weapons have different stats, like how many dice you roll and what number you need to hit. Survivors can get better at fighting as they gain experience, but be careful—more experience also means more zombies will appear.

There are different types of zombies, each with its own rules. For example, Runners move faster, and Fatties are harder to kill. You also have to deal with zombie spawns, which can suddenly flood an area with zombies if you’re not careful.

One of the most important rules is the priority order for zombie attacks. Zombies will go after the noisiest spot, but if there’s a tie, they follow a specific order: Line of Sight, then distance, and finally, if there’s still a tie, they go left from the zombie’s perspective.

Equipment and Setup for Zombicide

To play Zombicide, you need the game box, which comes with a bunch of stuff. You get miniatures for survivors and zombies, modular tiles to build the game board, dice, cards for equipment and zombie spawns, and tokens for various things like noise and objectives. You can also make your own tokens or use apps to track things if you want.

Setting up the game involves choosing a mission from the rulebook, which will tell you how to arrange the tiles and where to place objectives, doors, cars, and zombie spawn points. Each player then picks a survivor and takes the corresponding miniature and character card. You place the survivors on the starting zone, shuffle the decks for equipment and zombie spawns, and you’re ready to go.

The tiles in Zombicide are double-sided and can be combined in different ways to create the layout for your mission. Some tiles represent streets, while others are rooms inside buildings. Doors and walls on the tiles affect movement and line of sight, which are important for strategy.

How to Play Zombicide and Game Mechanics

Playing Zombicide involves a few key mechanics:

1. Survivor Actions: Each survivor can move, search, open/close doors, reorganize or trade equipment, make noise, or perform a combat action.
2. Zombie Movement: Zombies move towards noise or within their line of sight. If they can’t see or hear anything, they move towards the noisiest area on the board.
3. Combat: When attacking, you roll dice based on your weapon’s stats. You need to roll equal to or higher than the weapon’s hit threshold to score a hit.
4. Experience and Skills: Survivors gain experience by killing zombies or completing objectives. With more experience, they level up and can choose new skills.
5. Equipment: Items found by searching can be weapons, helpful tools, or special items that give you an advantage.

Here’s a quick rundown of the gameplay phases:

1. Players’ Phase: Each survivor takes their actions.
2. Zombies’ Phase: Zombies move and attack. New zombies spawn at the end of this phase.
3. End Phase: Players perform any end-of-round actions, and the first player token moves to the next player.

How to Win at Zombicide

To win at Zombicide, you need to complete the mission objectives. This could be anything from collecting certain items, rescuing other survivors, or just killing a lot of zombies. The key is to work together with the other players. You need to plan your moves, share equipment, and cover each other.

As you play, you’ll learn how to balance making noise with staying quiet, when to fight and when to run, and how to use the environment to your advantage. For example, you can barricade doors to slow down zombies or use cars to make a quick getaway.

It’s also important to manage the danger level, which goes up as survivors gain experience. A higher danger level means tougher zombies, so sometimes it’s better to let someone else get the zombie-killing glory while you focus on objectives.

Best Strategies for playing Zombicide game

Here are some strategies to help you win at Zombicide:

• Stick together. It’s tempting to split up to cover more ground, but that’s a good way to get overwhelmed by zombies.
• Plan your turns. Talk with the other players about who should do what before you start moving miniatures around.
• Manage your inventory. Make sure the right weapons and items are in the hands of the survivors who can use them best.
• Know when to be loud. Sometimes making noise is good if it draws zombies away from a survivor in trouble.
• Level up smartly. Be aware of who is close to leveling up and what new zombies that will bring into play.

Scenarios

Good scenarios might be finding a cache of weapons or clearing a room without attracting a horde. Bad scenarios could be getting cornered or having a zombie spawn point activate right next to you. To turn these around, use your equipment wisely and always have an escape route planned.

Frequently Asked Questions about playing Zombicide game

Here are some common questions and answers:

Q: What happens if a survivor dies? A: The game continues, but if all survivors die, the game is over.

Q: Can you attack other survivors? A: No, Zombicide is a cooperative game, so you’re all working together.

Q: How do you deal with lots of zombies? A: Use weapons with high damage or area effects, and try to funnel zombies into choke points where you can fight them one at a time.

Q: Can zombies move through walls? A: No, zombies follow the same movement rules as survivors and can’t move through walls or closed doors.

Q: What’s the best weapon? A: It depends on the situation. Guns are good for range, but they make noise. Melee weapons are quiet but require you to be close to the zombies.

External Links

For more information on Zombicide, check out the official website and rulebooks:

Zombicide Official Website
Zombicide Official Rulebooks