Zombie cards’ secrets
Turn after turn, Zombie cards are drawn with apprehension and excitation. What (bad) surprise awaits us? Will undead crawl from the sewers or gain an extra activation?
The Zombie pile is the easiest and more intuitive tool at your disposal to fine-tune your Zombicide games’ challenge. Indeed, Zombies cards were distributed and numbered for just to this purpose! Numbers are at the top right of the cards.
CARD DISTRIBUTION
• Cards #1 to #12, replicated on #13 to #24, are the easy part of Zombicide. No Abomination disturb this steady and growing tide of zombies.
• Cards #25 to #36 are harder. The flow is a little stronger, sometimes unpredictable, and bad surprises are to be expected. Cards #28, #29, #30 and #36 belong to the Abomination.
• Cards #37 to #42 are exceptional events: sewer invasions and extra activations. Please note that Walkers have two extra activations instead of one for Fatties and Runners.
Zombicide’s forthcoming expansions will include their own cards. Card numbers will follow those of already published material!
TUNING THE ZOMBIE PILE’S CHALLENGE
Knowing this, tuning the zombie tide on the board becomes as easy as child’s play. Simply remove the undesired cards to set he preferred difficulty. Here are a few deck customized for different challenges.
• PREDICTABLE: #1 to #12
Anticipating the horde is easy. Just remember which cards have been revealed and which are about to come, because the pile contains few cards and will turn quickly. You will soon grow accustomed to these few cards. Also, there is no extra activation, no sewer invasion and no Abomination. Piece of cake!
• SUNDAY WALK IN ZOMBIELAND: #1 to #24
More cards make the pile less predictable. At this level, though, you still don’t have to fear any extra activations, sewer invasions, or the coming of an Abomination.
• NO SUDDEN DEATH: #1 to #12 + #25 to #36 + #41 and #42
Except for extra activations, anything can happen. And be sure it will.
• ON YOUR GUARD: #1 to #12 + #25 to #36 + #37 to #42
You subtract one “easy” set of cards, making things more challenging than a standard configuration. “Hard” cards are going to be drawn frequently.
• ZOMBIE HELL: cards 25 to 36 + 37 to 42
Congratulations. You have chosen to play really hard. All the easy stuff is gone- you have ketp only the worst cards. The pile will turn quickly, and constantly give you extra activations, sewer invasions and lots of other bad surprises. Good luck. you’ll need it!
WALK OF THE DEAD
Zombicide Kickstarter subscribers received twelve special cards rated #43 to #54, building the Walk Of The Dead pile. These themed cards contain exclusively Walkers.
• Used on their own, these cards create a Walker invasion giving a classic zombie movie atmosphere.
• Mixed in another pile, these cards increase the Walker population on the board.
Don’t be misled. The Walkers can seem to be zombie underdogs but their sheer number makes them the greatest Zombicide threat. The Walk Of The Dead is dangerous. Very dangerous.
