All Things Zombie

This one just went up for prepublication on Lock And Load's website. I think it looks very intriguing--has anyone played the minis system it is based on?

www.locknloadgame.com/Section_Cat_Conten...SID=33&SCAT=84&ID=81

Has the potential to be pretty cool IMHO, though I'd have to know more to preorder it.

Cartoon zombies are like Illinois nazi's.

Gary Sax wrote:

This one just went up for prepublication on Lock And Load's website. I think it looks very intriguing--has anyone played the minis system it is based on?

www.locknloadgame.com/Section_Cat_Conten...SID=33&SCAT=84&ID=81

Has the potential to be pretty cool IMHO, though I'd have to know more to preorder it.

I just popped over here to post this same question. I'm somewhat torn on preordering this one: the $10 savings isn't so significant a figure to drive me to it without knowing anything about it.

That being said, I've got *plenty* of Zombies!!!!!! bits that look to be easily subbed in for those counters--because, as Ken will attest, "all games are better with plastic!"

Here are some brief comments about the system for the minis that this is based on from a wargamer I trust, this was the best I could find:

Peter Bogdasarian

Hardware and the Art of Running away from It

I’ll admit it – I get nervous whenever I see aspersions get cast on modelling military hardware. Now, I’m aware of the excesses of the micro armor community (*), and have little love for long discussions of the angles of glacis plates, but when I see a system where a .50 caliber heavy machinegun can shoot through tank armor(**), I have to shake my head.

If I had to boil it down to a sentence: I want a game, in modelling hardware, to show why different tanks/guns/etc. get used.

Ironically, man to man miniatures games are a frequent source of irritation for me in this regard. In most games, the assault rifle is the supreme personal arm, far superior to the pistol or submachinegun in every regard. To be fair, it does bring a lot to the table, but there are still situations where the other weapons are to be preferred – primarily at short distances in close quarters where their compact size makes them more pointable. (ironically, the original edition of Warhammer 40K (of all games) did a nice job of this, in that it gave pistol-like weapons (**) a large bonus to hit at very short range and a penalty everywhere else)

Same thing goes for armor. If a Tiger gets the same treatment as other World War II tanks, then I get antsy. (Memoir ’44, I’m glaring at you) Now, obviously there’s a scale where these factors start to collapse together, but I’d still like to see more games think about the why of different types of equipment.

So I’ll continue to stick up for hardware, insofar as I think it still has a place in game design. But there’s another part to this story and it’s over at the other end of the spectrum…

If you haven’t seen a product by Two Hour Wargames www.angelfire.com/az3/twohourwargames/ you owe yourself a look. They do miniatures games (keep reading!) built around the concept of a “reaction system” where players generally decide what they want to do and then roll to see if their models agree with the plan. Models also test reaction as things happen around them – for example, first contact with the enemy or when fired upon. The “received fire” check is particularly amusing as it examines whether the model taking fire is outgunned. If a model passes a check but has a smaller weapon, then he “ducks back” – if he’s kept up with the Joneses, then he gets to return fire. A very different approach to man-to-man combat than what you find in most systems, particularly when you get to some of the scenario and campaign mechanics.

MG-42 (free demo for THW’s World War II rules)
www.angelfire.com/az3/twohourwargames/files/mg42.pdf

(*) – picked on here purely because I’ve had to play a couple of those games at conventions.

(**) – referencing a recent post in out of the wrapper by Matt Foster about Fields of Honor. (Pinnacle) Apparently the .50 cal on a jeep has a (remote) chance to kill a Panzer IV.

Incidentally, the .50 has to be the most pain in the ass weapon ever inflicted on tactical games. Just high caliber enough to shoot through light armor (there’s a really impressive photo from Ap Bac (1963) showing an M113 with big holes from one), but still firmly on the machinegun end of the spectrum.

(***) – most of which had bores that put the above mentioned .50 caliber machinegun to shame. Though they couldn’t manage to take out tanks.

A couple BGGers really like the minis system as well but there aren't any reviews.

Ok, now I'm really intrigued. I found the website for the original minis system and the idea is really cool. Basically in the minis system you and a group of survivors enter a campaign to try to survive the zombie outbreak. Each individual session is your group entering an area (I think of your choice) to get the food, weapons and supplies you need to survive the campaign.

Where you show up is important--in an urban area there are more zombies but better loot. The time during the outbreak is also important--at the end of the outbreak there are more dangerous survivors and less zombies. There are initial zombie packs that roam around the board, but more zombies are also generated by going into buildings and searching and also can be generated each time you make noise (i.e. gunfire). So you get into situations where you don't want to fire your guns for fear of generating new random zombies, so you try to take them out quietly.

Here's a .pdf of a session from the minis game, the site I linked has a bunch more sessions.

www.angelfire.com/az3/twohourwargames/batreps/atz/ABQATZ01.pdf

It's a wargamers' rule set. ie it's got way too many tables and detail for a quick and fun game. If I remember correctly it identifies over 5 types of vehicles. I like the scenario and campaign side, because you don't want do the same over and over again and this may give you a story.

Jur wrote:

It's a wargamers' rule set. ie it's got way too many tables and detail for a quick and fun game.

Makes sense that a wargame company would make a boardgame adaption of it, I guess.

I'm kinda liking the sound of this game. I like the campaign aspect. The question is is it light enough to replace Last Night on Earth? And the ultimate question is is it deep enough to replace Descent: Road to Legend with my gaming group? I kinda feel like the answer is no. But it does say it's soloable right?

it is not a board game.

Jur wrote:

it is not a board game.

?

The new one that is beginning P500ed is, mounted boards even, though of course the minis rules you described aren't...

Right, it is a miniatures game being converted into a board game. And although I am interested in it, I already have a zombie game and I already have a tactical miniatures game with a campaign (Descent)

Ah, ok, I follow what you guys were getting at.

I decided to preorder this... I'll let everyone know how it is when it comes out.