ALL THINGS ZOMBIE: THE BOARD GAME- BAT REP

By Ed Teixeira Okay folks, you asked for it and here it is. Now be sure and read this disclaimer. Ready? Good. The pictures in this article depict the correct maps. The counters are only roughs. The artwork is correct; the stats on the counters are not! For the purposes of this demo all Survivors are Rep 5 and have 8 movement points. All Zombies have are Rep 4 and have 6 movement points. Now lets get started! This was a solo game and from start to finish took less than one hour.

GETTING STARTED
The first thing I did was to decide what type of area the game would be played on. There are three types. Urban area Lots of buildings, lots of zombies and not so many survivors. Suburbs Fewer buildings and zombies but a bit more survivors. Rural Still fewer buildings and zombies but a better chance of finding survivors.

I decided to use the rural area. And I would go in the daytime. When you go affects what you will find. I started with one NPC (Tonya) and myself. I had a shotgun and she had a submachine gun.

Before the game begins the two survivors move onto the board. Once they are on the board the initial zombies are rolled for and placed on the table eight hexes away in a random direction. The next two turns are spent with the survivors moving into the board. Activation dice are rolled at the start of the turn. The higher score is allowed to move first. But they are only allowed to move counters with a Rep equal to their activation score or higher. Example Activation dice are rolled. A Zombie 5 and a Survivor 3 come up. The Zombies move first but since their rep is lower than the activation score of 5 they cannot move.

Turn three has more zombies appearing to the front of the survivors. Firing from the Survivors on Zeds that had gotten too close triggered this. Bu if the Zeds only move 6 and the Survivors move 8 how did this happen? The initially placed Zombies started 8 hexes from the Survivors. When activation was rolled the Survivors scored a 6 (couldnt move) and the Zeds a 3 (moved 6 hexes and stopped 2 hexes away.) The next activation the Zeds went firstand could charge, which caused a Being Charged Reaction test and the survivors were allowed to fire. Which potentially will generate more zeds.

All the firing attracts more Zombies and they get to within charge reach. Luckily on the following activation the Survivors go first and the Zeds not at all. Back to back turns of that type of activation allows for the Survivors to run away from the Zeds. So far so good.

The next two turns the survivors moved farther into the board towards the buildings. Entering one they were met with two Zeds but these were quickly dispatched by the shotgun and submachine gun.

It should be noted that the SMG and shotgun each have the potential to score three hits. The difference is the shotgun has knock down power where the SMG doesnt. At the cost of attracting twice as many Zeds.

The firing attracts more Zeds as the survivors head east to the next group of buildings. 6d6 + 3d6 each time we fire with a chance of a Zed showing up on a roll of 5 or 6. So far it had been a cakewalk but that was to quickly change. Entering the next building the survivors were confronted with four Zeds. Furthermore, I was allowed to fire but Tonya was surprised (bad die rolling) so she would have to melee without firing first. My melee allowed for me to kill a zed and break of from the other. Tonya wasnt so lucky. She was knocked out of the fight by the surprise attack by the Zeds. Activation dice was rolled. If the Survivors activate first Id have a chance to fire and melee in hopes of rescuing Tonya. The Zeds went first and began to feast on Tonya. By now the other Zombies outside and a few more generated by my firing were closing ground. Sadly it was time to run for it and I fast moved away.

Sticking to the wooded area and with the Zeds being occupied on feasting with Tonya I was able to move south and exit the board. It amazes me that even though I have literally years playing ATZ, first as a

miniatures game and now as a board game, I find myself becoming careless and not thinking two or moves ahead. That and taking unnecessary chances that lead to bad consequences,