All Things Zombie: Reloaded Board-game

Tonya the Rep:5 Star in the thick of the action. Go girl!

This is a game I have been waiting for for a long time - All Things Zombie: Reloaded (or as I shall call it, ATZ:Reloaded). Let's make one thing clear from the start - this is NOT a replacement for ATZ - Final Fade Out. If you want to game with miniatures and 3D scenery then stick with ATZ-FFO*. ATZ:Reloaded is a stand alone board-game played with card counters on a hex map. The game was written and designed by Ed Teixeira as an improved version of the old ATZ board-game, which is now out of print. Gone are the character specific scenarios to be replaced by generic encounters. The rules are more in keeping with those found in ATZ-FFO. Indeed, ATZ:Reloaded would work as a perfect primer for those wanting to get into ATZ-FFO, as it is much more streamlined and less detailed. Also, if you are limited for space, or lack sufficient figures and/or 3D scenery, then this is a worthy substitute.


Inside you'll find:

• A full set of colour counters including Survivors, Gangers, and Militia characters, as well as a wide range of weapons and loot that you can find during your games.
• A set of Event Cards that provide all the info you need at a glance, from friends, enemies, zombies, loot and more.
• Newly designed Player Aid Cards to help you keep track of your characters and their “stuff”.
• An easy to use campaign system that ties all your games together where the results of one affects the results of the next.
• Six 11” x 17” maps that can be laid out in over 50 different ways, making each game unique.
• Specific objectives that provide ways for your characters to increase in skill and ability when they succeed.
• All this and more.

ATZ:Reloaded can be played solitaire, cooperatively with everyone on the same side, or competitively with everyone against one another. It can also be played as a “one off game” or part of an ongoing campaign.
Components consist of:

• 25 Event Cards
• 6 - 11" x 17" Maps (2 Rural, 2 Suburban and 2 Urban)
• 20 Character Cards (11 named and 9 generic)
• 88 Counters
• 3 Rules Reference Sheets (printed double-sided)

I have played this game quite a lot these past couple of weeks and I have mixed views on it. Let's start with the good points. First impressions were highly favourable. Production values are high. The rulebook is in full colour with lots of examples of how the rules work. The Event Cards, Character Cards and Maps are well designed. The Counters are printed on thick card and are very durable. It might be that I am extremely familiar with the ATZ rules but I found the rulebook very easy to understand. Game play is more akin to the tabletop skirmish version than the older board-game version. I'm a huge fan of the whole All Things Zombie franchise and followed the progress of this board-game throughout its production with keen interest. Overall, the game is fine but it is not without its faults.

Most of the bad points about the game are relatively minor. What always annoys me about any book is sloppy proofreading. This rulebook has not been properly proofread. For starters, the right hand column of text on page 6 is repeated on the left hand column of page 7. On page 11 under the heading TURN SEQUENCE it says "if the die scores are the same (doubles) neither side will activate." However, in the glossary under DOUBLES it says "when 2d6 are rolled for Activation and the results are the same both sides activate." I believe the text on  page 11 to be correct. This is how it works in ATZ-FFO.
The Damage Table for Ranged Fire on one of the Reference Sheets is badly worded. It says to roll 1d6 vs Rep and apply the result. Usually when it says this you roll against the Rep of the person making the roll, which in this case should be the Shooter. But this wrong. What it should specify is that you roll against the Rep of the Target! And that makes a HUGE difference! It is explained in one of the combat examples in the Zombie rules section but you could easily miss that. I know I did first time I played the game. This rule really should have been made much clearer, because as written, it is just confusing.
I have a few very minor quibbles regarding the Counters. Quite simply, I'd like to have seen more. You get counters for 3 generic Gangers, 3 generic Militia and 3 generic Survivors. These should have been doubled at the very least. Three of each is just not enough. Your choice of ranged weapons is fine and ditto for equipment. However, your choice of melee weapons is pitiful - a baseball bat or a frying pan. Really?! Is that all? Where are the axes, knives, machetes, swords and most iconic of all, the chainsaw?

I really want to recommend this game to you because Ed is a great bloke and this is a good game he's designed. But, and this important, it could have been a great game if a bit more care had been taken. It felt like it had been rushed into production, which I know was not the case. I did enjoy the games I played of it but it isn't a game I'll be rushing back to. Sadly, there is one more negative comment I have to make.

ATZ:Reloaded costs $59.99 from the Lock n Load webstore. What they fail to mention is that there is a $35.00 international delivery charge on top of that. As if that wasn't bad enough, I had an extra £15.00 customs charge to pay for it. As you can imagine I was well pissed off! Good value for money? No way! If you can find a UK supplier I strongly advise you to buy from them.

ATZ-FFO* Please note that Ed is working on a new version of the ATZ tabletop skirmish rules called All Things Zombie: Fade To Black. This rulebook will also be published by Lock n Load and they will replace ATZ-FFO. RRP is $29.99 but you can pre-order it for $24.99 from the Lock n Load website. Having been stung once I won't be ordering from Lock n Load again. One major change is that the book will be printed in full colour throughout. A big thumbs up for that! I have no idea when this book will be released but I'll let you know as soon as I'm able. I'd expect it to hit the shelves sometime in 2016.

THW - High Moon Rulebook

It seems like a very long time since I last reviewed anything by Two Hour Wargames (THW). That's simply because I haven't bought anything new from them... until recently. One supplement in particular, High Moon: Dead Reckoning had me very excited for a number of reasons. First up, it was both a supplement to the excellent Six Gun Sound Wild West rulebook as well as a stand alone rulebook in itself. Secondly, it introduces Weird West elements to the genre with rules for Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Warlocks and Zombies, either as heroes or villains. Cool!

Wild West gaming in 28mm scale is something I'd love to get into if only I could find the time. I already own a large collection of 28mm scale Wild West figures (most need re-basing and repainting, however) and a load of card model buildings I could use (sadly, all unmade). I had already decided that if I ever succumbed to the urge to take up Wild West gaming seriously then Six Gun Sound would be my "go to" rules. They really are superb and far more detailed than most THW rulebooks. Taking on this challenge, assuming I decide to, will require a large investment in time but fortunately, not in money. Although, having said that, I'm sure I could find plenty of new figures I'd want to buy. That's always the way, isn't it?

High Moon adds a whole new dimension to the Wild West genre and that is, of course, the supernatural. You could use High Moon without referencing the supernatural elements. It is basically a streamlined and simpler version of Six Gun Sound. But that surely misses the point. What makes High Moon stand out are its detailed rules for the creatures of the night. Let's take a closer look at them.

Vampires are fast and very hard to kill. This manifests itself in a number of ways. When rolling for Activation, a Vampire may roll twice if desired and choose the highest result. This Attribute is called Precognition. A Special Ability called Blinding Speed works whenever a Vampire is fired upon by a ranged weapon. The Vampire rolls 1d6 vs. its Rep.  If it passes 1d6, the hit becomes a miss. If it passes 0d6 or rolls a 6, the hit remains. Another Attribute they have is Dread, meaning all Vampires cause Terror, which can affect opponents in a variety of negative ways. As with traditional Vampires they have one special disability - an aversion to sunlight. Prolonged exposure to sunlight will kill them. All damage from normal weapons is reduced in severity against Vampires. Silver bullets or silver tipped weapons may cause normal damage but not always!
If you feel up to a challenge, you can play a Vampire Hunter, a special breed of human, trained to hunt and kill Vampires. They are more attuned to vampire lore than normal humans.

Werewolves (or Were-creatures as you can also encounter Werebears or Werecoyotes) are more pack-oriented creatures than most supernatural beings. A Werewolf's Special Attributes are Causes Terror (as Vampires do) and Leap, which allows the Werewolf to leap onto the roof of a single storey building or move 8" across the ground. They have a Special Attribute called Fast Mover, which allows them to take the Fast Move test with 3d6 instead of 2d6 and counting all results. A Were-creature can transform from human to animal or back again in one complete Turn. As with Vampires, silver bullets or silver-tipped weapons may harm a Werewolf. If hit by a normal bullet when in human form, the Werewolf will transform on the next turn it is active.

Witches (male Witches are called Warlocks) are very rare, secretive and tend to be loners but they are powerful spell casters. A Witch has two Special Attributes. First is Blink which is used if the Witch wins a Draw! or In Sight test. The Witch rolls 1d6 vs her Rep. If successful, the Witch disappears and reappears 6 + 1d6" behind the opponent. Secondly, all Witches possess Casting, the ability to use Magic Spells. Spells take the form of Damage (offensive), Dazzle (distraction) or Defend (protection). The specifics are left up to you to decide. Some Witches may know Speciality Magic which takes two forms - Potions and Challenge Spells (these are spells not covered by the three main categories). Note that if a Witch is carrying any weapon except for a knife, she can not cast spells.

Zombies come in two types - normal mindless flesh-eating Zombies or Smart Zombies, who retain some intelligence and can still use guns. A Zombie's only Attribute is Sanity Check, taken by anyone who sees a Zombie Feast for the first time. Unlike in other settings, Zombies in the Wild West have three interesting quirks. First is called Fear of God. If within 6" and Line of Sight of a Preacher, Zombies stop and take the Charge Into Melee test. If the Preacher wins and remains stationary, the zombie will not approach him. Second is called It's a Lady! Female humans and Witches can have a distracting effect on male Zombies. If within 6" and Line of Sight of a female for the first time, a Zombie will stop in place and forfeit a Turn of Activation. On its next Turn the Zombie sees the female as a meal instead of a Lady. Finally, is Cat Fight! Female Zombies have an uncontrollable dislike of female humans and Witches. If within 6" and Line of Sight to a female, the female Zombie will immediately Charge Into Melee. Male Zombies within 6" and Line of Sight will stop and not move until the fight has been resolved.

Having read this supplement I am very keen to try it out. I like the detailed rules of Six Gun Sound, but I know some folk will be looking for something simpler and quicker to play. High Moon would seem to be the solution. Most of the basic rules have been tweaked to simplify game-play. One major change is that there are now only two Reaction tables to learn - Being Shot At and Man Down, which will please a lot of people. Anyone familiar with any of the THW rulebooks should have no problem in using High Moon.

You can purchase High Moon from the THW webstore - http://www.twohourwargames.com/himodere.html at $17.00 for a PDF version or $20.00 for a printed version. I highly recommend this product to anyone interested in looking for a Weird West setting and I award this book a 9 out of 10 rating. Yes, it is that good. Although I haven't reviewed Six Gun Sound yet, if I had it would score a perfect 10 out of 10.

Castle Ravenloft Gravestorm the Dracolich

And so I come to the final figure in my lengthy review of all of the 28mm scale miniatures from the Castle Ravenloft board-game for 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons. In my opinion, I have kept the best till last because Gravestorm is a truly awesome figure in size, sculpting and abilities.

Gravestorm is the largest figure in this game. He stands on a 75mm diameter base and is 90mm tall by 120mm long (would be longer still if his tail was uncurled). If you were wondering how can such a large creature fit into the rooms and corridors of a castle, he has a special ability called Squeezing, which allows the figure to be placed over walls as long as the centre square that Gravestorm is on is open.

There are only two named Villains in the Castle Ravenloft board-game - Count Strahd Von Zarovich, the vampire lord and ruler of the country of Barovia, and his most prized servant, Gravestorm the Dracolich. Both are formidable opponents capable of wiping out a party of Heroes on their own. Gravestorm is a level 6 Villain and he activates at the start of each Villain phase. His stats are AC14 and he has 20HP (gulp!).

Gravestorm's tactics are -
When Gravestorm is encountered, place the Dragon's Breath token on his stat card.
If the Dragon's Breath token is on his stat card and Gravestorm is within 1 tile of two or more Heroes, remove the token and then Gravestorm attacks each Hero within 1 tile of it with a Blast of Lightning.
If Gravestorm is within 1 tile of a Hero, it attacks the closest hero with a Bite.
If Gravestorm is within 3 tiles of a Hero, it moves 1 tile toward the Hero with the most Hit Points and then attacks each Hero on the closest Hero's tile with a Burst of Lightning.
Otherwise, Gravestorm moves 1 tile toward the Hero with the most Hit Points.
A Blast of Lightning gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 3 damage if it hits or 1 damage if it misses. 
A Bite gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 2 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile in the direction of the arrow of his or her tile's triangle.
A Burst of Lightning gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 1 damage.

Strahd is harder to hit than Gravestorm with Armour Class 19 compared to the Dracolich's AC14 but no one in Castle Ravenloft has as many Hit Points as Gravestorm. With HP20 he can soak up a tremendous amount of damage. In all of the scenarios provided with this game, the Heroes usually have to face only 1 Villain at a time. Just imagine having to face Strahd and Gravestorm together! What a frightening thought!
When you first open the Castle Ravenloft boxed game, Gravestorm just stands out from all the other figures simply because of his size. But look closer at him and you realise what a fantastic figure he is and how amazingly well sculpted he is. This game features some genuinely well sculpted figures, like the Blazing Skeletons, Dracolich, Flesh Golem, Howling Hag and Rat Swarm, as well as a few very badly sculpted figures like Strahd/Young Vampire and the Zombies. The rest are mostly good with a few being average. Ultimately, I am very glad that I bought this set, due to its emphasis on the undead. I enjoy playing it and will continue to play it. What more could I ask for?

Finally, I have created a new page containing all of my Castle Ravenloft posts so far. Just click on the label marked "Dungeons and Dragons" at the top of the page if you want to check them out.

Castle Ravenloft Zombie Dragon

As I draw to a close of my reviews of the figures of the Castle Ravenloft board-game, you will notice that the Villains are getting progressively stronger and tougher. For this penultimate review I'm showcasing the Zombie Dragon.

This is a large creature on the same 50mm diameter base as the Flesh Golem that I reviewed last time. I gave a lot of thought as to how I wanted to paint this monster, as dragons can be painted in many different colour schemes. There is no right or wrong answer here - just what works best for you. With that in mind, I settled on Foundry Cadaverous Green 46 for the skin and Foundry Nipple Pink 16 for the wings. I wanted him to look necrotic, unhealthy and diseased. As with Adam, my Flesh Golem, strips of skin have peeled away to show his bones and muscles but because his heart is no longer working, no blood is being pumped out.
The Zombie Dragon is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. His stats are AC13 and 13HP.

The Zombie Dragon's tactics are -
If the Zombie Dragon is on a tile with a Hero, it attacks each Hero on that tile with Claws, Wings & Tail.
If the Zombie Dragon is within 1 tile of a Hero, it moves adjacent to the closest Hero and attacks with a Bite.
Otherwise, the Zombie Dragon moves 1 tile toward the closest Hero.
A Claws, Wings & Tail attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 1 damage, as well as causing the Hero to be Slowed and placed 1 tile away from his or her tile.
A Bite attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 2 damage.
Whilst the Zombie Dragon is larger than a 28mm tall figure it is, by dragon standards, quite small. That said, it is still a tough opponent - 13HP are a lot when most Heroes only have 5HP. As far as the sculpting goes, I really like this figure. I'm now thinking how I can use it in Zombicide: Black Plague?
Next time, the one you've all been waiting for - Gravestorm the Dracolich.

Castle Ravenloft Flesh Golem & Howling Hag

With just four more Villains to review from the 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons board-game of Castle Ravenloft, here are two of them - the mighty Flesh Golem and the sinister Howling Hag. I wanted to show these side by side to give you a sense of scale for the Flesh Golem, who towers over the 28mm tall Hag.

Strahd's twisted experiments with death created a monster that has a shambling sense of life. The Flesh Golem is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. His stats are AC14 and 10HP.
The Flesh Golem's tactics are -
If the Flesh Golem is adjacent to a Hero, it attacks an adjacent Hero with a brutal Slam.
If the Flesh Golem is on a Start tile, the active Hero takes 1 damage.
Otherwise, the Flesh Golem moves 1 tile in the direction of the tile's triangle.
A Slam attack gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 2 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile deeper into the dungeon. If the attack misses it causes 1 damage. 
In the original Castle Ravenloft RPG, there was a Flesh Golem called Adam. He was the dark-lord of Lamordia. Known as Mordenheim's Monster or the Creature, he was an extremely intelligent and nimble dread Flesh Golem, based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Adam was the most successful creation of Dr. Victor Mordenheim in his research into the creation of life, albeit the one that caused him grief unmeasured. Adam reduced the doctor's wife Elise to a vegetative state and apparently murdered their adopted daughter Eva. The two were inextricably bound together: Dr. Mordenheim had Adam's immortality, and in return Adam shared the doctor's anguish. Usually hidden from sight, Adam was believed to spend most of his time on the Isle of Agony, part of the archipelago known as the Finger.
Now, in this board-game, the Flesh Golem has no name and is a creation of the vampire ruler of Barovia, Count Strahd Von Zarovich. For me, however, I shall still call him Adam. 

The Howling Hag is a mortal woman corrupted by the rituals of Count Strahd Von Zarovich. The Howling Hag is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. Her stats are AC15 and 10HP.
The Howling Hag's tactics are -
If the Hag is within 1 tile of two or more Heroes, she attacks each Hero within 1 tile of her with a horrifying Howl.
If the Hag is on a tile with a Hero, she attacks that Hero with a teleporting Curse.
If the Hag has no path to a Hero, place her on a random Crypt Corner tile. 
Otherwise, the Hag moves 1 tile toward the closest Hero. 
A Howl attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 1 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile away from his or her tile. 
A Curse attack also gives a +7 bonus to hit and also causes 1 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile away from his or her tile. 
Both the Flesh Golem and the Howling hag are mighty fine sculpts and are worthy of their Villain status. They were both a lot of fun to paint.