Wednesday 2 September 2015

Zombicide Barricades

One of the free stretch goals I received for backing season 3 of Zombicide was a set of two barricades. These are, at present, the only scenery items specifically designed for Zombicide. Barricades were introduced to Zombicide in the season 2 expansion set, Toxic City Mall. Barricades are represented in the game by double-sided tokens indicating their two states - "incomplete" and "complete".
To start building a barricade, a single Survivor spends 3 Actions at once. Place a barricade token, with its "incomplete" face showing, over a straight border of the Zone the Survivor stands in. An incomplete barricade has no effect on the game.
To complete a barricade, one Survivor may select an "incomplete" barricade on a border of the Zone he is standing in and spends 3 Actions at once. He then flips the token over to the "complete" side or replaces the token with one of the 3D barricades shown here.
A barricade can be completed in a single Turn if two Survivors spend 3 Actions each. The first Survivor spends 3 Actions to start it, then the second Survivor spends 3 actions to complete it. Note that all survivors who took part in the construction of the barricade earns 5 experience points. Also note that "Free" Actions can't be spent to build or finish a barricade.
Here's how barricades work in Zombicide -
1. Adjacent Zones are set apart if their common border is fully blocked by any combination of walls and barricades. Half street Zones and doors only need one complete barricade to be blocked, but a mall double door and standard street Zones need two complete barricade tokens to be blocked. A single barricade in a Zone that needs two has no effect.
2. Barricades can't be crossed but don't block line of sight. You can shoot over them and Zombies can see over barricades.
3. Complete barricades aren't considered doors for spawning. They don't isolate rooms from the rest of the building.
4. A Survivor can entirely break a barricade in the same way he could open a door. He still needs to have a door-opening weapon (Axe, Chainsaw, etc.) in hand to do so.
5. Whenever Zombies get an extra Activation (because of a card, miniatures lacking or another game  effect), remove all barricade tokens from Zones where at least one Zombie of the indicated type stands. These Zombies spend their entire Activation to destroy the barricade, even if they have several Actions to spend. If a Runner gets an extra Activation that moves him into a Zone with a barricade on his first Activation, he'll use his second Activation to destroy the barricade.
6. The Zombies follow the shortest route to the noisiest Zone or visible Survivor, as if there was no barricade, though complete barricades will still stop them. They pile there until a shorter path is defined or the barricade is destroyed.
I have placed my figure of Vampifan in my two photos to give a sense of scale to the barricades. Both are identical sculpts but have been painted differently. The barricades have been constructed from a wide variety of items including barrels, corrugated metal, girders, jerry cans, metal panels, sand bags, wooden planks, wooden tables, etc. They have been topped by a pair of old mattresses. Sadly, these barricades have not been put on general sale but I have seen a few for sale on eBay. The beauty of these scenery items is that they can be used in so many games, not just Zombicide.

18 comments:

  1. I agree they are very versatile and can fit in with so many types of games.

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  2. Great stuff Bryan, and clearly you've given them a tip top paint-job as I didn't realise they were identical sculpts until you mentioned it. Its a shame they're not on sale as I'd certainly pick up a box, for as you say they seem useful for all sorts of other shenanigans - even as rooftop furniture ;-)

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    1. Thanks, Simon. I only have these two but I certainly wouldn't mind getting some more if they were made available.

      You certainly could use them on your rooftops for your new batreps.

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  3. Nice job on the barricades. I've also picked up some concrete barricade pieces to be used as well in Zombicide & other games.

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    1. Nice to hear from you, Terry. Barricades are useful in so many games.

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  4. Lovely job on these Bryan! I hope I can paint mine as well as you have painted yours. I'm sure I'll find a use for them, especially in ATZ.
    Have you seen the Zpocalypse fortifications Dude, similar yet different, might be worth a look?

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    1. Thanks, Bob. They were fun to paint simply because they were so different to painting figures. I have seen the Zpocalypse stuff but remain undecided about them.

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  5. Very nice, though I think I'd want more variety if I were to field more than a couple of these.

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    1. I agree, so perhaps it is all for the best that I only have these two.

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  6. Nicely painted I didn't know Zombicide had barricades.

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    1. Thanks, Robert. Well, now you know - Zombicide does have barricades.

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  7. Shame you only have these two Bryan.... Hils could churn these out dead easy if she got her hands on one. You`d be hard pressed to tell them apart from the originals.... except, the price lol (mere fraction of the cost). You should see what she`s been making for me lately. She`s getting a dab hand at rubber moulds lately.

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    1. Thanks, Steve. If only I'd thought I could have sent Hils an unpainted barrier to make a mould of. If ever I find any going cheap on eBay I'll send you one.

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  8. ..... mind you, making the moulds themselves is the expensive bit. She tends to make things she knows I need a myriad of duplicates for; such as meallie bag defences, hedge rows and walls.

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