All this is to say that if you are looking for a fun, fast-paced co-op that works well with variable player counts and will keep you on your toes then Invader is for you. It is dripping with theme, quality, and the massive missions index will leave you in no want for replayability. It’s an out of this world good time. Firstly, I should point out that I’m a huge fan of Zombicide. Rue Morgue was the game that got me into the board game hobby. It regularly features in my game nights and I’d argue that it’s a great gateway game. I’ve used it to introduce several new people to the hobby whose previous gaming experience was purely videogame based. That said, Zombicide isn’t infallible. I’ll remain impartial for this review… or until CMON send me some freebies (that’s right – I’m totally for sale). What’s in the Box? Also, there are melee weapons that will likely be your best friend when going into the dark and there are some terrific options to choose from including hammers, chainsaws and various mining implements. Another big change from previous Zombicide games is that your characters have multiple life points and armour so they can take more punishment. But it also means a game over if you lose a single character so there is no more room for heroic sacrifices which is fairly common in the existing titles and arguably one of the best bits. Components The zombie spawn cards tell players to spawn what zombie type and how many depending on the highest players level. Occasionally a player may draw an activation card, which can mean all walker types zombies gain an additional one-off action immediately. Or players may draw the newly introduced “Rush” card, which works like a standard spawn, except once the zombie type and numbers have been spawned they immediately activate. This can cause chaos, especially if it happens to be a Runner Rush, as those guys move two spaces at a time.

So, when the board is set, the survivors are selected, it’s time to play. Play always commences with the survivors (players) going first. Each player takes a turn beginning with 3 actions which could be movement, combat, search for gear, swapping kit, opening a door (if you have the right tool), jumping in or moving a vehicle, or perhaps something unique to them based on their individual skill set. You can do combinations of these actions for as many actions that the survivor has available. Play continues round, if a building is opened, that could reveal something unpleasant, and when all players are done the Zombies have a go.Roll virtual dice for any of your equipped weapons, automatically calculating successful hits according to any combat skills you may have (and with sound effects to boot!) Tanks fill out the standard rank and file of the Xenos as the “big boys” of the brigade. Just like the workers, these hulking guys receive only one action but are tough and take two damage to defeat. They serve as the literal meat shield of those behind them to allow those sneaky hunters to close the gap and start dishing out the pain to your team. Tanks do, however, deliver a tasty three exp when bested. The Abomination Xenos Try and avoid finishing a turn in the same space as a zombie as after all players have had their turn those Zombies in play activate, that means they take an action and it is either movement or strike. If they are in the same square as survivors then the survivors are going to get hurt.

The quality of all the miniatures, boards and cards is top draw, as is almost always the case in a premium CMON title. The miniatures are very well done, with lots of detail and really good scaling between the smaller and larger characters. The heroes are all distinct, with three that fit into a soldier class and three that are classed as civilians. The difference in miniatures is obvious from one character to the next even within these classes, but soldiers are clad in huge suits of (Space Marine style) armour, whilst civilians are dressed in more sensible clothing. Zombiecide Invader is a splendid addition to the franchise as it really streamlines some of the tedium of spawning and adds some rules that were needed to balance out combat a bit more. The diversity in player characters, rules about ranged weapons, and mold spawning are all welcome additions that give more choices and make those choices more viable. Take the role of a Survivor, each with unique abilities, and harness both their skills and the power of teamwork against the masses of unthinking, blood-craving Zombies! Unfortunately for you, there are a lot more zombies than you have bullets... Core Sets Throughout the game, survivors may collect better items and gain experience to help them kill more zombies and accomplish their mission.Finally comes the end phase, when tokens are managed, a new first players is determined, and another turn begins. You might be wondering, why kill zombies if that means more spawn as survivors level up? Great question, you would think evade, evade, evade where possible and kill as few zombies as possible. Unfortunately the zombies spawn from the pool. If you spawn zombies, but there are none to add to the board from the pool as they are all out, the zombies gain extra activations when they cannot be spawned and then things get very messy for survivors. There’s very much a balance required of zombie management and completing your mission objectives. Team strategy and tactics are everything. Additional Content Before the beginning of the game, a mission is chosen. The playing area is built with board tiles and features (icons representing cars, doors and objectives) according to the selected mission. Each players chooses one or more survivors to play and everyone places their survivors on the starting area of the board. The box artwork is by the venerable Adrian Smith and has his trademark style. The other aesthetic elements are also in the same vein and it all fits together into a very visually appealing game. Flaherty, Joseph (18 September 2012). "Zombiecide App Digitally Enhances an Elaborate Board Game". Wired.com. Condé Nast . Retrieved 13 June 2015.

I was always a huge fan of Games Workshop and MB Games’ Space Crusade when I was younger, and that was because of how it made me feel, not because of how technically good it was. Zombicide: Invaderis similar in the sense that it is fun, fast paced and simple to setup and play. It looks great and feels like good value when you see the contents of the box, so it’s a strong recommendation for me, and certainly my go to game from this series to date. **** 4/5 It also sets itself apart from the other base game. The regular zombicide invader feels more like Zombicide in Space while Zombicide Dark Side feels more like a tighter knitted alien blasting experience. Despite using the same core rules it is gratifying that they are able to create two very different feeling games. Final Thoughts Choose any of the Survivor characters, including the promos. Up to 24 Survivors can be managed on the same device. TechRaptor stated "The game is fun and challenging if you like cooperative games". [6] An entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction commented on the "complex gameplay" and difficulty. The writer Esther MacCallum-Stewart also praised the digital application that "greatly aids gameplay". [4] Awards [ edit ] The variety of poses is decent and the tooling is also nice with minimal flash lines. The survivors have a solid design of heavily armour and weaponry but a few of the weapons are on the thinner side and warp. Although this can be remedied with hot water and a plunge in an ice bath. The other minis include drones, abominations and runners. These are all good and show their purpose clearly. They also paint up well and have some nice detail that shows up easily.

There are however some new tools to mitigate this. There are skills and item cards that can illuminate areas or grant nightvision. There are also new drones that can be operated via the remote item card or manually by being on the same area. These drones ignore darkness and have some devastating firepower but they are also particularly flimsy and once lost are gone for good. Mowing down various mobs of alien invaders with a big guy in power armour is intrinsically appealing. It scratches an itch and for that reason Dark Side is the good choice for two reasons. It is a good entry point into the franchise but it also stands on its own perfectly well. It is the same zombicide formulae but implemented in a much tighter and rewarding experience. It is that good blend of old and new that might be the best zombicide experience available. The only way to defeat an Abomination is to use a weapon of 3 damage or a Molotov. Previously Survivors would need to search for a bottle and a rag to create a Molotov. Now the Molotov comes ready-made, although you’ll still need to search for it.

Ludo Award Best Board Game Popular Winner | Board Game Honor | BoardGameGeek". boardgamegeek.com . Retrieved 2022-08-24. Next up we have hunters who, while similar in build to the workers, are drastically more deadly…for one simple reason. They receive two actions when they activate, giving them a much greater chance to close the gap on your team and the power to devastate a unit if you’re unable to remove them from the map in time. They also grant a measly one exp when defeated, which is a small reward for how threatening these guys can be. The Tank Xenos Each version of Zombicide has learnt from and built upon its predecessor in terms of rules, mechanics and quality of life adjustments. For the sake of this review, I will be comparing Zombicide: 2nd Edition to the last modern-day setting Zombicide – Zombicide: Rue Morgue.Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-21 . Retrieved 2016-04-03. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link)