Sunday 20 July 2014

Zombicide Season 1 Survivors and Zombivors 01

I have currently been painting loads of Survivors and Zombivors from the Zombicide board-game. I know I have posted the original six Survivors before, but what you have not seen are their Zombivor versions, What is a Zombivor? It is a cross between a Survivor and a Zombie - essentially a good zombie with intelligence who fights as a player character against the undead menace. Survivors start with two wounds and when they are wounded a second time they are dead. Game over. Now, however, they can come back, but only if their second wound was caused by a Zombie. On the turn after they die, the character is resurrected as a Zombivor. Zombivors keep the equipment cards that the dead survivor had and all their previous experience points. They can choose skills up to their experience level, which may or may not be different from those previously chosen. Best of all, they now have five wounds, making them much harder to kill. Zombivors are great for beginners, campaign-driven players and for super-heroic missions. I like their inclusion in the game.
To start off with, we have Amy Goddard, the Goth Girl. Please note that in Zombicide most characters do not have a surname, so I have had to invent surnames for all my Survivors. Survivor Amy is armed with a katana and a double-barreled sawn-off shotgun tucked into her belt. Zombivor Amy keeps her katana but has lost her shotgun... and her backpack. Bear in mind that the weapons shown on a figure are probably not the weapons you'll use in a game, as weapons and equipment are determined randomly from a deck of cards.
Wanda Jane Ventura was a waitress at a drive-thru restaurant before the zombie apocalypse came. Her roller skates make her one of the fastest characters in the game. Survivor Amy is armed with a chainsaw (a devastatingly effective weapon, even if it is noisy) and a double-barreled sawn-off shotgun tucked into her apron. Like Amy, Zombivor Wanda retains her melee weapon but loses her shotgun.
Doug Michaels was once an officer worker doing a mundane and boring job he hated. Now he kills zombies for a living. Doug is a two-gun specialist and his Survivor version is armed with a pair of 9mm Uzi sub-machine guns and tucked into his belt, a pair of 9mm pistols. Zombivor Doug uses the twin 9mm pistols and has lost his twin Uzis.
Josh Snyder was a street thug growing up in a tough neighbourhood. He finds his street smarts in high demand with other Survivors. Survivor Josh is armed with a pair of 9mm pistols and has a machete hanging on his left leg. Meanwhile, Zombivor Josh has lost the twin pistols and machete but found a pair of double-barreled sawn-off shotguns.
Ned Moore is more often known as "Crazy Ned" because no one believed his predictions about an impending zombie apocalypse. But Ned KNEW! He is a street person skilled in the art of urban survival. He is armed with a hunting rifle with scope-sight, a baseball bat and a frying pan. Yes, a frying pan is a weapon, albeit, not a very good one. Zombivor Ned has a double-barreled sawn-off shotgun and a torch.
Finally, is Phil Walsh, a police patrolman who has sworn to uphold the law, even though the law has virtually ceased to exist. Survivor Phil retains his .357 Magnum service revolver and his 12 gauge pump-action shotgun. Zombivor Phil still has his Magnum revolver but has lost the shotgun.
The level of sculpting on these figures is very high and to be honest, I really like all twelve figures. However, my favourite character out of them all still remains Wanda the waitress. Try to arm her with a chainsaw as soon as possible, even if it means another character finding it then swapping it with her. With her extra movement and chainsaw she is perfect for scouting ahead and killing zombies. All of the characters have their plus points. Both Amy's starts with a free Move action. Both Doug's start with a Matching Set (great if you can find them early on). Survivor and Zombivor Josh begin by being Slippery (he can move freely through zones occupied by Zombies). Both Ned's start with a free Search action, which you should ALWAYS use. Both Phil's start the game with a Pistol. Finally, Survivor Wanda and Zombivor Wanda get to move 2 Zones per Movement action.
Look out for a lot more Zombicide Survivor and Zombivor reviews in the  coming weeks.

21 comments:

  1. I really like the live and undead versions of the characters. Not having played the game I have no Idea if Zombivors are a good idea and fit with the rules or not. My gut reaction is to dislike the idea but if it makes it a better game I guess it's ok. Nice to see them all side by side with their living counterparts.

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    1. Thanks, Clint. I view Zombivors as an optional extra. I know some gamers hate them, whilst others prefer them to their human counterparts. I lie between the two camps. I'd happily use them in a game, but only as replacements if any Survivors die.

      The reason I have photographed each set of Survivor and Zombivor side by side is precisely so you can compare the two versions.

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  2. These look great Bryan.
    I'm just about to start my survivors, so this is great inspiration. Love your skin tones Dude !

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    1. Hi, Bob. I'm glad my work can inspire you. I look forward to seeing your own unique take on these figures.

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  3. Zombivors = "good" zombies? Nah, the only good zombie is a dead zombie! Er, hang on; they're all dead already. Oh, bother...

    I could see these models being used for armed, evil zombies, or even for characters who have been bitten but haven't yet succumbed fully to the effects. Although many books and movies suggest that a badly bitten character is so ill that they can barely move?

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    1. I actually see Zombivors more like Smart Zombies from ATZ-FFO. Smart Zombies can be used as a player characters but I don't know anyone who has gone down that particular road yet.

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  4. Lovely work on these guys. I am loving all the Zombicide love thats about at the moment.
    I'm asking Mrs Brummie very nicely and hinting for zombicide as a birthday come Christmas gift but we'll see how that's works out.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. I hope you do manage to get a copy of Zombicide for your birthday. Be warned however, it is addictive! Horribly so, and you may just end up wanting everything you can get for it. I'll admit it - I am a Zombicide addict.

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  5. I have the human originals painted but their zombie versions are cool, can you still get them?

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    1. Yes, you can, Fran. They come as part of the Toxic City Mall season 2 expansion set. Sadly, unless someone is selling them on evil-Bay, they are not available separately.

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  6. Rockin ! That looks really good! And let me just say this again : Zombicide is a fantastic game!!

    Good job once again Bryan.

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    1. Thanks, Johnny. I absolutely agree with you - Zombicide is a fantastic game!

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  7. The figures are nice but would have painted the zombivors as survivors as I'm not down with the zombivor concept.

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    1. I did say that some people do not like the concept of Zombivors. I disagree but we are all entitled to our opinions.

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  8. Great looking figures, its such a great idea to have two copies of the same figure, one normal and one undead! Cool!

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    1. I thoroughly agree with you, Ray. Cool, indeed!

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  9. Whilst I've never been a great fan of having the zombie versions of characters I can see their amusement value.
    The zombivor idea is an interesting one though - good zombies ? It seems strange to me, but will make for an interesting game I'm sure. It'll be interesting to see if anyone takes the idea forward into table-top games.

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    1. Joe, the closest table-top equivalent to Zombivors that I can think of are Smart Zombies from ATZ. And, yes, Smart Zombies CAN be played as player characters.

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  10. Very nice Bryan. My other half is a big fan of Wanda and loves getting hold of the chainsaw if she can for exactly the reasons you stated!

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    1. Your wife has good taste, Adam. I LOVE Wanda and her chainsaw!

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