Dead Men Tales – Design Diary #1

Introduction and Special Zones

Introduction

Dead Men Tales is a fantasy setting for Zombicide, located in the same universe as Black Plague, Green Horde, and White Death.
Players take the role of pirates coming back to their home port after a long voyage, only to discover the whole archipelago they once called home has been overrun by a zombie invasion. As our heroes reclaim the treasure chests they’ve buried across the islands, they find clues about a conspiracy involving the Governor, a fallen noble turned cruel ruler, and the mysterious gods watching over the archipelago. A quest for freedom, gold, and the pirate way of life begins, during which the survivors will make moral choices influencing the game itself: becoming Noble Hearts, or Scallywags.
Pirate tales have long inspired dreams of adventure and freedom, and we leaned into that spirit while creating Dead Men Tales. This is why we took greater liberties to create unique features in Dead Men Tales, while drawing inspiration from classic media, history, literature and pop-culture. From the tiles’ design to the use of talismans, from treasure hunting to drinking Grom, the winds of change are filling our sails.

 

Special Zones

Dead Men Tales may very well take place in the Fantasy universe, but it stands out with a unique setting, inspired by the tropics. Welcome to the pirate paradise!
At first glance, you’ll notice the sea Zones. Did you know most pirates didn’t bother learning to swim? If you fell overboard, they said, swimming only made the suffering longer. Pirate survivors cannot cross sea Zones, but Zombies can. While they are beneath the waves, they cannot be targeted in any way, and can approach Survivors unharmed.
Seasoned Zombicide players will also notice that many buildings are smaller and no longer use doors. There is no Door opening mechanic that triggers Zombie spawns. Instead, Zombies enter the board through numbered Spawn Zones, spawning in ascending order, and through Coffins scattered across the board (more on them in a future diary!).
Dead Men Tales’ tiles come with several new Zones of interest:
  • Governor and Pirate Equipment Zones – Equipment isn’t found in the usual Zombicide manner. It is split between the Governor and Pirate decks. Survivors can draw from each deck when searching in dedicated Zones: Governor Zones and Pirate Zones.
  • Rope Zones – See those masts with flags and ropes? Any Survivor may spend 1 Move Action there to swing up to three Zones in any direction (yes including over buildings, sea Zones, and zombies!), as long as they land in a street Zone. Don’t forget to mutter pirate themes as your Survivors fly across the board in this classic, swashbuckling pirate manner.
  • Treasure Zones – Look closely and you may see a discreet “X” on almost every tile. These mark Treasure Zones! Here, Survivors may locate and unearth Treasure tokens, gaining epic weapons, triggering special events, and facing new threats. Anything could happen when your crew comes across a Treasure Map along the Quest.
  • Tavern tokens turn any Zone they are set in into a pirate hideout. Here, Survivors can reveal secrets, described in the Quest’s special rules, and drink Grom, a fantasy beverage temporarily boosting their attack capabilities. More about Grom in a future article!

We hope this glimpse has satisfied your curiosity just enough to leave you hungry for more – so be sure to stay tuned for more insights from the team and make sure to follow the Zombicide: Dead Men Tales campaign!