THE RULES THE RULES. The game, in a nutshell. The game, in a nutshell

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1 THE RULES THE RULES Gemma believes in Science. She d love to come up with something one day, like LSD or DDT or PVC. So she spends her time experimenting, and for sure, if she keeps trying, she too will finally end up cracking a new molecule that can blow your mind out, kill or be used for building pipelines. In the meantime, green gas is oozing out of her test tubes. She probably won t get high on it Saturday night though, the smell is so bad it could wake up the dead. The game, in a nutshell The game, in a nutshell The World as we know it has vanished, is torn apart, plagued by a Zombie invasion. Punks, Hippies, Survivalists and Capitalists fight while attempting to impose their vision and lifestyle as the unique way of a new world order. Choose your side and find your way to impose your game in this new World void of all values other than survival. In order to win, be the first to collect 7 Victory Points. Watch out though, Zombies can also collect Victory Points and win the game! To obtain Victory Points, attack other players, slay the Zombies who have invaded Downtown, found Colonies, and/or successfully attract VIP Survivors into your Base Camp. The Survivor cards in your Base Camp will use their Skills to interact on the table. Beware however, the larger your Base Camp is, the more likely you will attract the Horde of Zombies! The World s fate is now in your hands (no pressure!), good luck 1

2 2 Events Rules versions There are two ways to play Zombie A Social Club: the «Casual» version for a quick and easy-toplay game, or the «Regular» version for the more experienced players in need for extra combos and a more of a challenge in terms of gameplay. If you re not used to card games, we recommend that you start with the «Casual» version. In any case, both versions are unpredictable and vicious! Events The Cards The Survivors The Survivors You can place Survivor cards on the table during your turn: these cards will form your «Base Camp». Once placed in your Base Camp, you will be able to use your Survivors Skills: Search, Attack and Manipulation. A Base Camp can only be composed of one faction at a time (but you are free to change during the game). This symbol indicates a VIP Survivor: you will collect an additional Victory Point as long as this card is placed in your Base Camp! (16 events 32 cards) Page 3 - The «Casual» rules Page 7 - The «Regular» rules Page 13 - Alternatives, Glossary and FAQ (12 cards per faction + 16 Neutral Survivors) The game is composed of 4 factions: Punks, Hippies, Survivalists and Capitalists, identified with a symbol in the upper left-hand side of the card. Neutral Survivors can join any faction. Events can be played at any time during the game as long as you can apply its effect. Example: An Event that eliminates all Zombies cannot be played if there are no Zombies on the table. These Event cards can interrupt a player s action. Example: if a player announces an attack against you, you can play «Bite me!» to turn the attacking Survivor into a zombie. The attack the player announced against you will then be lost for his turn! (12 cards) zombies zombies They always group up in a pile (the Horde) Downtown. Note that when a Survivor dies (following a Zombie attack or a player s attack), his card is flipped over revealing its Zombie side, and joins the Horde. Zombies only have one purpose in «life»: attack during the Zombie Interlude (between each player s turn) the most attractive player (i.e. the player that holds the most cards in his hands and in his Base Camp).

3 The Casual Rules The Casual Rules Sassi wasn t all that surprised to see all these people rushing into his bar and he barely noticed that those who had surged up to his counter were being stampeded by those that followed. In this improbable mess, heads seemed to be getting crushed in a tempo that he unconsciously started whistling. He simply was surprised that it was already Friday night happy hour, but when he realized it was 9 am and that it was only Monday, Sassi finally understood something weird was going on. Distribution Distribution Set up Set up Deal 7 cards to each player. Find a place on your table for the Graveyard (discard pile). Downtown Downtown There must always be as many Survivor cards Downtown as there are players around the table. Draw cards one at a time until reaching the right number of Survivors Downtown. Event cards are flipped over to their Zombie side and join the Horde, Zombies join the Horde Downtown as well. This setup applies during the entire game: if Downtown depletes during the course of the game (due to a Manipulation, Event, etc.), repeat the process described above. Note about the first round Note about the first round Zombies do not attack before all players have each played once! Players arrive Downtown progressively. As long as a player has not started his turn, he is considered as «Neutralized»: he cannot suffer losses, be attacked, nor play Events or be affected by them). 3

4 Game round Phases: Phases: 1 Draw one card. 2 If you decide to skip your turn: draw 3 cards. 3 - Engage the following actions as many times as you want and whenever you want during your turn: Send Survivors from your hand to your Base Camp (making sure not to mix factions). If you have Zombies in your hands, you can add them to the Horde (or create a Horde if none Downtown). At any time during your turn, found a Colony with 4 Survivor cards from your Base Camp to obtain a Victory Point. Then discard the 4 Survivors selected (but keep one for your Victory Points deck for keeping track). A Colony can be composed of any Survivor cards (i.e. Neutral and/or from the faction of your Base Camp). 3bis - Use 3 different Skills among those available: A Survivor can only use one Skill (even if he has several one on his card) and you can only use each Skill once. Example: you can carry out a Search AND an Attack AND a Manipulation, but not 2 Searches and 1 Attack. After each player s turn: Zombie Interlude! The Zombie Horde attacks the player(s) that hold(s) the most cards (in his/her hand + in his/her Base Camp). Reminder on Event cards: Event cards can be played any time during your turn, the Zombie Interlude or another player s turn! 4 Survivors Skills Survivors Skills Survivors can use three different Skills: Search, Attack, and Manipulation. A Survivor card can only be played once during a player s turn (to use all 3 Skills you ll therefore need to use 3 different Survivors)! Each Skill can only be used once during a player s turn! In this casual version, consider all symbols of a same Skill as level 1 (non-improved).

5 Search Search Whatcha lookin for?! You talkin to me man?! Attack Draw ONE card. Manipulation Whatcha doin here?! Manipulation enables to move any Survivor that s on the table to anywhere (Graveyard, in your Camp or another player s Base Camp). As always, make sure not to mix factions! Attack with power level ONE. You can choose to attack the Horde OR another player. When attacking the Horde, eliminate ONE Zombie and convert it into a Victory Point. To attack another player, announce your attack and your target will give you a card from his/ her hand or from his/her Base Camp. This card is converted into a Victory Point. If the Attack results in a player losing the last card in his/her hands, the player is neutralized (see Neutralization)! The winner of the combat will be entitled to take an ADDITIONAL Victory Point from the Victory Points deck of the player neutralized. Interlude : Interlude : Zombie Attack Between each player s turn, Zombies will attack the most attractive player (the player that has the most cards in his/her hand and his/her Base Camp). During this phase, all players announce their «attraction score» which will determine the Zombies target. If several players have the same score, they will all be attacked clockwise, one after the other, starting from the last player that has finished his/her turn. How to resolve an Attack from the Horde: the Zombies take one card from each player targeted (chosen by the player from his/her hand or from his/her Base Camp). This card is added to the Horde of Zombies. Warning: if Zombies neutralize a player, they steal a Victory Point from him/her (if he has any of course) which will be added to the Horde of Zombies. 5

6 Neutralization Neutralization If you end up with no cards in your hand during the game, you are neutralized! All the cards placed in your Base Camp are discarded. You however keep your Victory Points. You are considered out of town. At the start of your next turn (after the Zombie Interlude), draw 3 cards + the card that you normally draw at the start of your turn. If you are responsible for this neutralization (Attack, Event, etc ), you can steal a Victory Point from the neutralized player s Victory Points deck. Victory Points Victory Points Warning: Suicide is forbidden when playing your last card (except for Events as they always require drawing a card). You need 7 Victory Points to win the game. Each player builds a separate deck with his/her Victory points, that can be seen by all, to keep track of the number of points accumulated. There are 4 ways to obtain Victory Points: Attack Zombies (one of the Zombies eliminated will be kept as a Victory Point) Attack another player (one Victory Point per successful Attack, an additional Victory Point if the target is neutralized) Found a Colony (discard 4 cards from your Base Camp one of the pilgrims will be kept as a Victory Point) Have VIP Survivors in your Base Camp (Victory In ze Pocket) End of the game The game ends instantly as soon as a player collects 7 Victory Points, or as soon as the last card has been drawn. In this case, the player with the most Victory Points wins. In case of a tie, victory goes to the player ranked 3 rd as the two first factions neutralize each other When do Zombies win? 6 Careful! Zombies can also win: if the Horde reaches 16 cards, the game is over and all players have lost! Zombies will have taken over the World!

7 The Regular Rules The Regular Rules «When Thorfin saw the flow of living dead marching downstairs of his apartment building, he first thought he was witnessing the Zombie Walk. So he put on his best cosplay and mingled with the crowd, thinking that this time he might get Lucky and meet a Japanese tourist. It wasn t really the Zombie Walk, but he did cross paths with a Japanese tourist, she had no arms, no legs either, and crawled towards him with her teeth. He would have done something surely, but his sword was made of plastic, and his arms of foam. So he went into hiding. No one had ever really cared about him, and he has always suffered from it, but today, this may very well in fact be what will make the difference...» Set up Set up Distribution & Draft Distribution & Draft Deal 7 cards to each player. Find a place on your table for the Graveyard. Before starting the game, all players are going to «draft» their cards in order to balance out the chance factor. All players choose one card out of the cards they were dealt, place it in front of them and then hand out the remaining cards to the player to their right. Each player therefore receives from the player to their left the cards left out by the other. Out of the six cards received, each player chooses another card and passes on the remaining five. Repeat the process until all players have seven cards in front of them. The game can now begin. Downtown Downtown There must always be as many Survivor cards Downtown as there are players around the table. Draw cards one at a time until reaching the right number of Survivors Downtown. Event cards are flipped over to their Zombie side and join the Horde, Zombies join the Horde Downtown as well. This setup applies during the entire game: if Downtown depletes during the course of the game (due to a Manipulation, Event, etc.), repeat the process described above. 7

8 Note about the first round Note about the first round During the first round, players arrive in the city progressively. In other words, as long as you have not started your turn, you are considered as «out of town»: you cannot suffer losses, be attacked, nor play Events or be affected by them). If Zombies target you, you will not be found and the Zombie attack will be cancelled. Table setup Table setup 8

9 Game round Game round Prologue - placing Survivors in your Base Camp and using their Skills: if you have Survivor cards in your hand, you can either add them to your Base Camp (making sure not to mix factions) or send them Downtown. The cards are placed standing (in the «Operational» position). If you have Survivor cards in your Base Camp, you can use their Skills, symbolized on the card. When the card s Skill is used, the card is then «exhausted» (turned sideways). Operational Exhausted Phases: Phases: 1 Refresh the cards that are exhausted in your Base Camp (turns the cards upwards in the Operational position). 2 If you decide to skip your turn: draw 3 cards. 3 - Engage the following actions as many times as you want and whenever you want during your turn: Send Survivors that are not exhausted from your Base Camp to Downtown (to change factions for example). Send Survivors from your hand to your Base Camp (making sure not to mix factions). To decrease the number of cards in your hand, you can also send Survivors Downtown, making the cards available to other players. If you have Zombies in your hand, you can add them to the Horde (or create a Horde if none Downtown). At any time during your turn found a Colony with 4 Survivor cards from your Base Camp to obtain a Victory Point. Then discard the 4 Survivors selected (but keep one for your Victory Points deck for keeping track). A Colony can be composed of any Survivor cards (i.e. Neutral and/or from the faction of your Base Camp), whether the cards are Operational or Exhausted. 9

10 3bis - You can use 3 different Skills among those available: Exhaust the cards in your Base Camp once used. A Survivor can only use one Skill (even if he has several ones on his card) and you can only play each Skill once. Example: you can carry out a Search AND an Attack AND a Manipulation, but not 2 Searches and 1 Attack. After each player s turn: Zombie Interlude! The Zombie Horde attacks the player(s) that hold(s) the most cards (in his hand + in his Base Camp). Reminder on Event cards: Event cards can be played any time during your turn, the Zombie Interlude or another player s turn! Survivors Skills Survivors Skills Survivors can use three different Skills: Search, Attack, and Manipulation. A Survivor must be Operational to enable his Skill(s). Each Skill can only be used once during a player s turn! Each Skill has its improved version, represented by a pictogram on the upper right-hand side of the Skill symbol. Attack You talkin to me man?! Search Search Whatcha lookin for?! Draw ONE card. Attack with power level ONE. Improved version - Draw TWO cards. 10 You can choose to attack the Horde OR another player. Improved version - Attack with power level TWO. When attacking the Horde, a Survivor can eliminate one or two Zombies, according to his power level. In either case, you will convert ONE of the Zombies discarded into a Victory Point (whatever the number of Zombies eliminated, you will collect only one Victory Point, but earn the respect and admiration from the other players!). To attack another player, compare the power level of the Survivor engaged (1 or 2) with the defense power of the player attacked. For the player under attack, each Operational Survivor counts as ONE defense power point, whatever the card s Skills. To win combat, the power of the attack needs to be superior to the power of the defense. In this case, the player attacked gives a card from his/her hand (which he/she chooses) to the attacker, which will become a Victory Point for the winner of the combat.

11 If the player under attack had a defense (Operational Survivor), in his Base Camp, he/she will lose one of his a defending Survivor of he/she choice, whatever the result of the combat. This Survivor will turn into a Zombie (card flipped on the Zombie side) and join the Horde. If the Attack results in a player losing the last card in his/her hands, the player is neutralized (see Neutralization)! The winner of the combat will be entitled to take an ADDITIONAL Victory Point from the Victory Points deck of the player neutralized. Warning: Whether the defending Survuvor has pushed back the attack or been stampeded, he will lose one card that has taken part to the defense! Manipulation Whatcha doin here?! Manipulation enables to move any Survivor from Downtown to anywhere (Graveyard, in your Base Camp or another player s Base Camp). The card arrives Operational in the player s Base Camp and again, make sure not to mix factions! Interlude : Interlude : Improved Manipulation enables to either recruit a Survivor from Downtown OR from another player s Base Camp (in which case the card arrives in the position it was when «stolen», i.e. Operational or Exhausted). Zombie Attack Between each player s turn, Zombies will attack the most attractive player (the player that has the most cards in his hand and his Base Camp). During this phase, all players announce their «attraction score» which will determine the Zombies target. If several players have the same score, they will all be attacked clockwise, one after the other, starting from the last player that has finished his turn. How to resolve an Attack from the Horde: the power of the attack is determined by the number of Zombies composing the Horde. The same as for a standard attack between two players: compare the defense power of the target (the number of Operational Survivors). If the Zombies outnumber the defense, they win: the player attacked chooses a card from his/her hand and discards it AND the Zombies win a Victory Point! Also, if the player attacked by the Zombies had a defending Survivor, he/she will lose one of his defending Suvivors (who will join the Horde). Warning: if Zombies neutralize a player, they steal a Victory Point from him (if he has any of course) which will be added to Zombies Victory Points deck. 11

12 Neutralization If you end up with no cards in your hand during the game, you is neutralized! All the cards placed in your Base Camp are discarded. You keeps your Victory Points. You are considered as out of town. At the start of your next turn (after the Zombie Interlude), draw 4 cards. Victory Points Victory Points Warning: Suicide is forbidden when playing your last card (except for Events as they always require drawing a card). You need 7 Victory Points to win the game. Each player builds a separate pile with his Victory Points, that can be seen by all, to keep track of the number of points accumulated. There are 4 ways to obtain Victory Points: Attack Zombies (one of the Zombies eliminated will be kept as a Victory Point) Attack another player (one Victory Point per successful Attack, an additional Victory Point if the target is neutralized) Found a Colony (discard 4 cards from your Base Camp one of the pilgrims will be kept as a Victory Point) Have VIP Survivors in your Base Camp (Victory In ze Pocket) End of the game The game ends instantly as soon as a player collects 7 Victory Points, or as soon as the last card has been drawn. In this case, the player with the most Victory Points wins. In case of a tie, victory will be shared When do Zombies win? 12 Careful! Zombies can also win: each time they win against a player, the card is placed in a pile aside. If Zombies reach 4 X the number of players (i.e. 16 points when 4 players), the game is over and all players have lost Kiss goodbye to New World Order ideals Zombies will have taken over the world!

13 «Hardcore» alternatives «Hardcore» alternatives We enjoy playing these alternative rules and thought you might want to try them out. Apply these alternatives partially, combine them, according to your mood and the people playing with you Do whatever pleases you! Sudden death experience Sudden death experience Players neutralized are eliminated. No mercy, even for the brave! No mercy, even for the brave! In case of Neutralization, all Victory Points are collected (and not just one). May the best man win... When drawing the last card, shuffle the cards from the Graveyard and continue playing.... a little faster please! Adjust the number of Victory Points to collect for a shorter (or longer) game. 13

14 Glossary Glossary In case you re lost, here s a quick reminder of a few terms. Base Camp: Base Camp: Base Camp is where you place your cards on the table, right next to your beer. This Base Camp is composed of Survivors, who, using their particular Skills, will be sent to kick some zombified butts (or their opponents). There can never be more than one Faction at a time in a same Base Camp (Punks and Hippies under the same roof? Really? You can t be serious!). Downtown: Downtown: Messy area in the center of the table composed of a draw pile, empty glasses, the Graveyard, the Survivor cards available (at least as many Survivor cards as the number of players around the table), and the despicable and unavoidable Zombie Horde. Skill: Skill: Skills are symbolized at the bottom of Survivor cards. There are only 3: Search, Attack, and Manipulation. All 3 Skills have an improved version that extends or reinforces their effects. In order to use a Survivor s Skill, exhaust his card (turn it sideways). Zombie Interlude: Zombie Interlude: Moment of sheer musical delight when Zombies, hand in hand, chatter their teeth creating a polyphonic melody as they decide to attack the most attractive player. Out of town: Out of town: Players are considered «out of town» when they have not yet started playing during the first round or after having been neutralized. Note that no one can target you when out of town: Attacks and Events have no effect on you. So, you might as well sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. 14

15 FAQ FAQ When attacking a Zombie with a Survivor that has an improved Attack Skill (power level 2 Attack), can we eliminate 1 or 2 Zombies? Yes, you can slay 1 Zombie, or 2 if you wish so! Does a player have to defend with his Operational Survivors? Yes, all cards standing have to defend the player. If the defender has no Operational Survivors in his Base Camp, does he lose a card? No, the player only loses one of the cards that have defended. Can a player only have Neutral Survivors in his Base Camp? Yes. An Event card refreshes cards in my Base Camp. Can I attack again? No, only one Attack per turn. However, as your cards are now operational, they can be sent Downtown if you wish so. If I lose a card every time I defend my Base Camp, what s the point in defending? Z(A)C is clearly a combat game, defense can indeed be a delicate matter. However, one or two cards defending your Base Camp can be a good message for dissuasion. Draft: do we pass along the card to our left or our right? Your choice really. We tend to let the one that sets his cards on table first choose the direction! 15

16 The Freaky 42, 75 rue de l Egalité, Issy-les-Moulineaux France contact@zombieasocialclub.com Illustrations : Melvin Zed - seriz@seriz.fr