Sunday 12 May 2013

Zombicide Zombies - Season 1 Runners 01

In Zombicide, there are four types of zombie. I have already looked at the most common type - the Walkers. The next most common type are the Runners. As their name suggests, these are faster than Walkers. Whereas the other three types of zombie are only allowed one action per turn (attack or movement), Runners are allowed two actions per turn. These actions could be the same (double movement) or a combination (move then attack). Runners are your fast moving zombies as found in the likes of the remake of Dawn of the Dead and the upcoming World War Z films. Just to make sure that you can't be in any doubt that these figures are Runners, they have been sculpted in running gear. Subtle, huh?
The 16 Runners included with the game are split into two poses, with 8 figures in each pose. I gave the Runner at the far left of this group a bullet wound to his upper right chest, which has just missed his shoulder. His hands are covered in the blood of a victim.
The next Runner in line has suffered from a bite wound to his left arm. These Runners are all bald-headed, which nicely gets round my criticism of the Walkers having poorly defined hair.
The third Runner in this group has blood from a victim smeared over his mouth, chin, neck and hands. He is a messy eater!
Finally, is another of my African/American zombies. He has suffered a massive wound to his stomach
I painted the skin tones of my Caucasian Runners with Foundry Cadaverous Green 46, which is the colour I use on the flesh of my ATZ Ragers.
The Runner at the far left of this second group has also been feeding on a victim and he has blood on his hands and blood dribbling from his mouth. Note that the wire seen on his chest belongs to an iPod.
The Runner in green has been bitten/shot/stabbed in the neck and blood has run down his torso.
The third Runner in line is another feeder, with loads of blood around his lower face, neck and chest. Rather surprisingly, he has no blood on his hands.
The last figure in this group is another African/American. He has blood smeared on his hands but nowhere else.
These are very animated figures with a real sense of movement to them. There is no mistaking these for Walkers. Despite their speed, Runners are just as easy to kill as Walkers. One wound is all it takes to kill them.
As with the Walkers, my main criticism of these Runners is the way their fingers have been sculpted. It is no secret that I am not a fan of zombies that can sprint like Olympic athletes. I'm strictly old school and I much prefer the slow-moving Walkers. That said, these Runners do provide an acceptable challenge in the game. The fact that they get an extra action means you have to think tactics when they are nearby. The worst thing that can happen with Runners is when you draw the card from the Zombie Spawning deck that allows them an extra turn. That's usually lethal!

24 comments:

  1. Great job on painting, but I've already told you that :P

    What makes runners harder to kill than shamblers is the shooting priority - put one fatty in a group and runners will probably safely continue towards survivors!

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    1. You're absolutely right, Mathyoo. The best way to shoot a Runner from a distance is to have someone armed with a Rifle and a Scope-sight (a nifty combination). I'll explain shooting priority in more depth when I do my review of the rules.

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  2. I like them Brian. They look very sporty. I really like the stripes on the shorts and trackies!

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    1. Everyone knows that racing stripes make you go faster, Clint! LoL!

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  3. Brilliant painting as usual,I love how you can paint the same figure different every time and make each one look unique and full of character.

    I'm with you on the traditional zombie front, runners don't do it for me. While they are exciting, seeing hundreds of your usual zombies shuffling slowly towards you has a much more menacing effect!

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    1. Thanks, UrbanWulf. The beauty of these Runners is that they add to the appeal of the game. If I were to transfer them to ATZ as Ragers, they'd get very little if any use.

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  4. More Zombicide goodness, this time Zombie Street-crews (street dancers for the uninitiated).

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  5. Nice job Bryan they look so cool in there sports finery. Could well be a mob of zombie chavs :)

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    1. A mob of zombie chavs? All the more reason to kill them, Simon.

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  6. You've got a regular marathon going on here! Good job.

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  7. Very nice! Once again, you've achieved great variety with the same poses.

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    1. Thanks, LJ. Lots of variety just by the paint jobs was the goal.

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  8. Very nice as usual. Mine will not be nearly as detailed.

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    1. As long as you're happy with your results, yhat's all that matters, PS.

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  9. Another fine batch, im allso not a fan of fast zeds in movies, i think they would make great ATZ ragers

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    1. These Runners would indeed make fine Ragers in ATZ, which is why I deliberately painted them in the same skin tomes as my Ragers.

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  10. Very nice again Vampifan, zombies sponsered by Adidas, what else could you ask for, Hehehe nice work.

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    1. Actually, some of them are sponsored by Nike, TE!

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  11. Fantastic work Bryan!

    Today was about the fifth game with a friend, and the first that the two of us have been able to win together. It's amazing to me that a game that can consistently kick our asses is so fun.

    After the game she started talking with me about painting the zombies. She wants to learn to paint, I'll be showing off your work as inspiration.

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    1. Thanks, Jon. When Mathyoo and I were playing we won more games than we lost. We worked together well and kept our party as close together as possible - strength in numbers.

      I really do hope my work can inspire others to have a go at painting. Good luck to your friend.

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  12. Looks like the zombies got in to the gym complex, those poor feckers, do fitter zombies run quicker? Quality work Bryan!

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    1. Thanks, Fran. I'm not sure if fitter zombies do run faster. Personally, I think that zombies shouldn't be able to run at all. But some folk like fast zombies, so sadly, they're here to stay.

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