This review continues my series of detailed reviews. I have tried to cover every aspect of the game and as such you may prefer to skip to the bits of most interest.

Summary

Game Type - Board Game
Play Time: 45-70 minutes
Number of Players: 2-6
Mechanics – Co-operative, Combat, Roll & Move, Scenario Based
Difficulty – Moderate (Can be learned in under 30 minutes)
Components - Excellent

Ok this game does have many a review already but sometimes a person just needs to review a game because it is so damn cool. I do it because my review collection needs a review of a game like this.


Image Courtesy of jchill7

The Theme

Welcome to the world of B-Grade Horror Movies, where small towns can suddenly become overrun with hordes of zombies with only one thing on their minds.....BRAINS!

LNoE is a really cool concept that allows a band of regular townsfolk to work co-operatively in order to survive a given scenario. Other player(s) then take on the role of the zombies who stagger their way to brains, brains and more brains in an effort to stop the heroes from achieving success.

In my experience the theme will either grab you or leave you cold. I'm yet to find a gamer at our club that hasn't been drawn to the table when they see what's on offer. Personally I can’t get enough B-Grade Shlock! Then again our club isn't the average Euro haven that some groups are either. That's not a put down, merely a comparison so you know where I'm coming from.


Image Courtesy of zombiegod

The Components

Flying Frog Productions should be congratulated for the quality of the components, in what is, their 1st production. They have obviously taken great pride in their work and it helps make this game all that more engaging.

Boards - LNoE uses a modular board system to create the town featured in each play. A central board represents the town centre. It consists of 9 large squares. The game then comes with 6 L-shaped outer boards and 4 of these are chosen at random and placed around the town centre. Each of these outer boards contain a range of buildings from the Hospital and Bank through to the Diner and High School. Overall the variety of locations is really quite good and they depict many of the places seen in classic Horror Flicks.


Image Courtesy of tallghost

The boards themselves are not mounted but they are suitably thick to stand up to many repeated plays. The artwork is featured using a top down perspective and is rather 'kitsh' in places, which fits the theme beautifully.

Character Templates - In all there are 8 characters to choose from. Each template features the name, gender and type of character. Many of these terms are actually keywords that are used to activate certain cards during the game. The templates also outline the starting position of a character, their skills and how many wounds they can endure before dying.

The most notable feature of the templates however is the character image. Flying Frog decided to use real actors and photographic art throughout the game. This is really a brilliant design decision as it lends the game an added level of realism and invokes memories from your favourite B-Grade horror movies.


Image Courtesy of franklincobb

Scenario Templates - In all there are 5 unique scenarios to play. Each scenario comes with a template that includes all of the specific rules and objectives that are in play. I'll analyse each of these in more detail later.


Image Courtesy of jshill

Figures - Each character comes with a figure and there are also a total of 14 zombies. The figures are made from a soft plastic and stand about 35mm in height. I'm no expert on miniatures but the detail is far superior to that found in Marvel Heroes and Memoir '44.

The zombies come in two colours (brown and green) to allow for 2 zombie players when required. Most cool is the fact that the zombie figures come in 3 different sculpts or poses. This may be a small thing but it is not something that a start up company usually considers. for the effort.


Image Courtesy of ChildeRoland

Hero/Zombie Decks - Each side gets their own deck of cards, which they can draw from in order to influence the scenario. These cards all feature photographic artwork and they really add to the theme and atmosphere of each card and the game as a whole. The cards themselves have a glossy feel (in fact most of the game is high gloss). So far I haven't seen any real wear and tear after 10+ plays.

The cards for both decks offer basic (40) and advanced cards (20). The advanced cards feature a bullet-hole icon and are only used in the advanced scenarios.


Image Courtesy of jshill

Other Bits - The game then features a range of other tiles and templates such as wound tokens, the pick-up truck and other assorted bobs. These are all high quality and don't let the game down in any way.

The game also comes with a Zombie Frog template, which is nothing more than a promo item for the company, but the artwork is really cool. I heard that the company is planning to include some form of Zombie Frog component with every release as a sort of signature item. I think this is really cool and something that true 'Geeks' and fans of the game will appreciate.

I also heard that they had some Zombie Frog mini's at Essen. Man I'd give my frontal lobe for one of those. Fingers crossed it may be included in the 1st expansion.


Image Courtesy of RangerRob

The Sun Track - I need to mention this component as it is key to the game. The sun track is a narrow board that helps keep track of the hours before sunset. If the sun track marker moves from the 1 to the sun image then sunset has arrived and this represents the doom of your little town as it becomes overrun with zombies.

This inclusion is a key factor to making LNoE work as it ensures that the heroes can't delay in achieving their objectives and it keeps the game to a reasonable length.

The CD - You may think I'm 'pulling your chain' now but LNoE actually includes a CD of atmospheric music. The aim is to enhance the experience of playing the game and for this I take my hat off to Flying Frog Productions. It really is a cool idea and I hope it sets the bar for other companies to consider doing the same.


Image Courtesy of Unholy Frog

Does it work? Well not really, which is a bummer. Don't get me wrong, I love the music on offer and play it all the time in the car and at work (some of those tracks just get stuck in your head). But in the final analysis the tempo just doesn't fit the game, especially during the tense moments. The tracks are just a little too slow for that.

I think it's a gutsy move to include a CD as music is so subjective that it will never be to everyone's taste. But I applaud the effort.

Rulebook - This too is a high gloss production, full of photo art and the font is a good size. Plenty of examples help to get the action going in your first game and overall it is pretty good. The Geek does have 20 pages of rule clarifications but these are mainly due to card based effect questions and no rulebook can ever be definitive in this area when 120 cards are involved.

In summary, everything about the components of LNoE suggests that creating this game was a labour of love, rather than just a business decision for Flying Frog Productions. When a company makes that obvious to me, I can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy.

The Set-up

As outlined earlier, the board is randomly created for each game by selecting 4 of the outer boards and placing these around the town centre board. The number of players will determine how many players take on the role of heroes and zombie players. There are always 4 heroes in play and no more than 2 zombie players. Heroes are chosen at random.

Each hero is placed in the building outlined as their starting location. If this building is not in play then the hero is placed in the centre of town and a card is drawn from the hero deck to compensate them.

It's a good idea for each player to be aware of all the skills of the heroes in play as these will need to be used wisely to achieve success. I recommend that each player reads their abilities out loud at the start of play.

Both the hero and zombie decks are shuffled and the zombie player then rolls to see how many zombies start on the board. If there is 1 zombie player, they roll 2D6 zombies and receive 4 zombie cards. If there are 2 zombie players, both roll 1D6 to see how many zombies they receive and draw 2 zombie cards each. In this way the zombie starting strength is always the same, regardless if there are 1 or 2 zombie players.

In all there are 14 zombie figures (7 green and 7 brown). When playing with 2 zombie players, each player gets 7 zombies of one colour.

All zombies are placed on zombie spawning pits, there is 1 pit in each outer board.

The Sun Track is set to the side of the play area and the scenario template is placed in plain view of all players.

All this set-up takes about 5-10 minutes at the most.

The Play

LNoE divides the play into 2 parts, the Zombie Turn and the Hero Turn. Let's take a closer look at each

The Zombie Turn

Move the Sun Track - Moving this marker down one space on the track means time is running out for those pesky townsfolk. If the track is moved from 1 to the sun icon at the bottom of the board, sunset has arrived and the town is doomed. In the zombies 1st turn, the sun track marker is added to the board at a point outlined in the scenario (turn 15-18).

Draw New Zombie Cards - This allows the zombie player to draw cards up to their hand limit of 4 (1 zombie player) or 2 (2 zombie players). In addition the zombie player(s) can discard 1 card before drawing if they so wish.

If any 'Play Immediately' cards are drawn they must be revealed (and you guessed it) played immediately. Most cards can be played at any time and their timing effects are generally obvious. Some cards are allowed to remain in play also.

Roll to Spawn New Zombies - This provides the zombie player(s) with the chance to add new zombies from their supply, onto the board. With 1 zombie player 2D6 are rolled. If this total is more than the number of zombies in play then the Zombie Player can spawn new zombies in Phase 6. With 2 zombie players, each player rolls 1D6 and they compare this result to their own number of coloured zombies in the same way as above (remember that each player only has 7 zombies in this situation).

This is a nice mechanic that helps to maintain are fairly consistent number of zombies in play. This adds to the balance of the game and doesn't see LNoE devolve into the farce of some other games where hundreds of minis are strewn across the board.

Move Zombies - This allows all zombies in play to be moved. Zombies can only move 1 square per turn but they can move in any direction, including diagonal. They can also move through the walls of buildings (simulating a zombies ability to sink into the earth and appear from the ground elsewhere), but generally they are slow moving, brainless hulks.

Should they reach a square containing a hero, a fight ensues.

Fight Heroes - Combat in LNoE is resolved using dice. Zombies get to roll 1 dice and heroes get to roll 2 dice. Be warned though that these numbers and the results of each roll can be greatly affected by cards held by both sides. The cards take the form of events that can take place and equipment/weapons that may be used.

I should also point out that if more than 1 zombie is attacking in a square with more than 1 hero, they must split themselves up as evenly as possible (with the heroes having choice).

Combat adheres to the following rules. Zombies always win ties so a zombie 6 is bad news for those annoying heroes. Heroes can only fend off a zombie by rolling a higher number than a zombie (leaving the zombie in the heroes space). A zombie can only be killed if the hero rolls a double number and at least one of their dice is higher than the highest zombie result.

Example #1 - A zombie roll of 4 and a hero roll of 5 & 6 would result in the hero fending off the zombie.

Example #2 - A zombie roll of 6 and a hero roll of 6 & 6 would result in a wound to the hero as zombies win ties.

Example #3 - A zombie roll of 2 and a hero roll of 1,1 & 5 would result in a zombie kill as the hero rolled a double number and the 5 is higher than the zombie's 2 (best result).

This is an excellent design feature as it can make the zombies very hard to kill if the heroes are not well equipped.

By leaving zombies in play more often than not, the threat to the heroes is always increasing and it allows the zombie player to swarm over time. This can lead to some very tense situations and gives the game a real edge.

If a hero is wounded, they take a wound marker. If they fill their last wound circle, they are dead. Zombies only take the one kill or wound to be vanquished, in which case they are returned to the zombie pool ready for re-spawning in future turns.

Place Spawned Zombies - If the Phase 3 spawn roll was successful the zombie player can roll to see how many zombies are spawned this turn. With 1 Zombie Player a D6 is rolled. With 2 Zombie Players, 1D3 is rolled by each player. Zombies are always placed at spawning pits located in various positions around town. Zombies must always be placed evenly between the spawning pits.

Newly spawned zombies cannot move this turn as they have missed the movement phase. The zombie player(s) turn is now over.

The Hero Turn

Move/Search Action - Each hero rolls 1D6 for movement simultaneously. I recommend placing this dice on your character template, because the order that each hero acts is up to the hero players, so you may end up moving last.

Each character can choose to move up to the maximum of their movement roll or they can stay still. Staying still is useful if a player started their turn in a building as they can choose to search instead. Some buildings allow a player to search for a specific item, like a Pump Action Shotgun, but the named card must be in the discard deck. If so they can take it and add it to their equipment. Characters can also choose to search by drawing a random card from the top of the Hero Deck.

If an item or piece of equipment is drawn, it should be revealed immediately. Event cards can be kept face down until used unless they are Play Immediately cards. Heroes can hold up to 4 different items.

Heroes can move in any direction, including diagonally. The only restriction is that heroes cannot move diagonally when passing through a doorway.

If a hero moves into a square containing a zombie they must stop their turn immediately. This simulates the effects of fear I guess.

Exchange Items - This is often overlooked but can be crucial at various points. It allows 2 or more heroes to swap items and weapons if they are in the same square. Event cards can never be exchanged.

Shoot a Ranged Weapon - If a player has been lucky enough to acquire a Revolver, Shotgun or other ranged weapon they can take aim at any zombie or square containing a zombie(s) within range. Each weapon has a range value and outlines the number needed to score a hit. Most ranged weapons will result in a zombie kill if successful.

Line of Sight must be traceable to the target. LNoE is interesting in that a hero that stands adjacent to a wall is deemed to have line of sight through that wall. This represents the fact that walls have windows, which I think is a good inclusion.

But guns can also run out of ammunition and on a given roll (usually a 1 or 2) the weapon will run out of ammo and the gun must be discarded.

Thankfully ranged weapons can be saved if ammo is also held. Guns can also be recovered if a player searches the right building that names the weapon in question.

Ranged weapons can even be used to shoot a zombie in the same square as the hero doing the shooting. Each square represents a fair amount of space.

Fight Zombies - If any character finds themselves in a square after the ranged combat phase above, they must fight in melee combat. The same rules apply for fighting as those outlined in the Zombie Turn above, however a hero must fight every zombie in their square.

It is certainly possible for zombies and heroes to end a turn in the same square. But it can be risky if the Zombies are next to move.

I may have given a rules overview here but it hardly begins to outline the variety of things that can happen in each game. The cards are really the key and they can interact in any number of ways to create unique situations, hence all those clarifying questions on the Geek I mentioned earlier.

Experienced players can zip through each side's phases in no time at all. After 10 plays our group feels highly competent and can play a game in 45-50 minutes easily.

Strategy

I'll admit that luck plays its fair share in LNoE with dice rolls for movement and combat added to the luck inherent in drawing cards. But I recommend playing through more than 1 or 2 games as experience reveals that a greater level of control is possible.

For the Heroes -

Get Equipped - Without weapons and items, the hero players are all but dead meat. Fending off attacks will only delay the inevitable, kills must be made at some point. Many items can be used to great effect if used in tandem, find those combos. Some items are awesome in the hands of characters with certain skills. Finding these combo’s is a fun experience in itself.

The Art of Movement - Given that searching requires a hero to start their turn in a building and forfeit their movement, it is important to reach buildings that are out of reach of zombies. The further away the better. Search whenever possible, but don't be afraid to move when you need to. Zombies are slow, use it to your advantage.

Watch the Discard Pile Carefully - It is critical that the heroes know what cards have entered the Hero Discard Pile. Many items can be searched for directly in specific buildings, but only taken if they are in the discard pile. Guns, chainsaws and meat cleavers are vital in taking out zombies on a wholesale level.

Know your Team - LNoE can be a very hard game for the heroes if they don't work together. It is vital that all skills are used to their full. Some characters are better at certain things than others. Learn to specialise, co-operate and share gear when it is more lethal in the hands of someone else.

Be Smart - Use any little rule that you can to your advantage. The rule 'Zombie Hunger' is a good example. It requires that a zombie move into the square of a hero if they are adjacent to the zombie. In this way a player can potentially save another hero by deliberately moving adjacent to a zombie, forcing them to change direction.

For the Zombies -

We Swarm, not Think - Attacking in force is the zombie way. Always try to overrun the heroes, even better, always try to target the weakest link. If a hero can only fend off your zombies, then you have a great chance to inflict wounds and eventually kills. In the base scenario only 2 hero deaths are needed for success. In the advanced scenarios it is 4, unless otherwise stated. Every kill counts, who dies exactly is irrelevant.

Easy Come, Easy Go - Don't get too attached to your zombie cards. Sometimes you may be holding a powerful card, but it may be of little use for 5 or 6 turns. Don't be afraid to discard that card in order to draw potentially more useful cards for the situation as it stands now. The zombie deck is reshuffled after being exhausted, those cards will come again.

Zombies don't need to Hold Hands - Be aware of the abilities of the humans. If one of them has a Pump Action Shotgun or Dynamite they are dangerous. Don't stack multiple zombies in any 1 square as they can all be killed in quick time. Spread them out.

Maximise Movement - Sure they are slow, but smart use of those big town centre squares can help a zombie make ground quickly.

Also consider the movement rules for humans. They must stop in any square they enter that contains a zombie. This allows a smart zombie player to move into doorways in order to block quick escape routes from narrow buildings.

Finally be aware of line of sight issues. Heroes can only see through walls that they are adjacent too. Staying away from certain walls may keep your zombies safe from ranged attack for one extra turn and increase the chance of drawing a shamble card to swarm the townsfolk scum.

Watch the Hero Discard Deck - This is vital for the Zombies as well. If a named item (gun, meat cleaver etc) enters the discard pile, then it may be easily located again if a hero searches a certain building. Using cards like, 'They've taken Over' to shut down said buildings is essential (dice roll permitting).

Scenario Overview

In all there are 5 scenarios on offer in LNoE. Each offers a unique experience and demands different things from both sides.

Scenario #1 - Die Zombies, Die!

This is the only Basic Scenario offered and as such is recommended for 1st time players. The heroes must kill 15 zombies within 15 hours (sun track) in order to win. The zombie player can win by killing 2 heroes, exhausting the hero deck or lasting the 15 hours.

Only the basic cards are used for each side's deck and as such this makes for a great introduction to the game. If you are thinking that it must get boring quickly then think again. I must have played this scenario 7 times now with different groups and I've still enjoyed it each time.

Scenario #2 - Escape in the Truck

Here the heroes need to escape town in the Pick-up truck as they realise that their town is doomed. They have 15 hours to find the gasoline and keys needed to get the truck working. The truck is located in the centre of town.

This is an advanced scenario so the advanced cards are added to each deck. Finding the gasoline and keys is no easy task of course as they are located somewhere within the hero deck (2 of each card). Plenty of searching is the key (no pun intended).

To successfully escape, any 2 heroes must be in the truck with the keys and the fuel tank full (which takes another turn). A good zombie tactic can be to surround the truck, therefore slowing that 2nd hero from reaching the truck.

Scenario #3 - Save the Townsfolk

The heroes need to rescue 4 townsfolk from a total of 6 located within the Hero Deck. Once found (by searching) they are placed face up on the table and count towards the total. A townsfolk card's ability can be used in a desperate situation, resulting in the card being discarded and no longer counting towards the 4 needed for victory.

The cards also count as Scenario Search Items, so there are some cards in the deck that allow Townsfolk cards to be retrieved in this scenario.

The Zombie player(s) must kill any 2 Heroes or stop 4 Townsfolk from being rescued at any one time to claim victory.

I'll admit I haven't played this one yet but I think it'll be a hoot.

Scenario #4 - Defend the Manor House

This is one of the more difficult scenarios in the game but it is hardly impossible as some people have suggested. The Heroes must last a total of 17 hours, whilst ensuring that the Manor House is not overrun by zombies (9 or more Zombies inside the house at any one time).

The early game is seriously hectic as the heroes must search like mad to find some useful items. It does help that every hero starts with a card, and those without a start location also get the bonus card.

The heroes really need items like the Pump Action Shotgun, Meat Cleaver and Chainsaw. If you can get these items then it is worth using the Zombie Hunger rule to draw multiple zombies into your space, thus creating the chance for multiple kills.

Another good hero tactic is to move just outside the Manor House in order to lure zombies out of the house thanks to the 'Zombie Hunger' rule (if they are adjacent of course). This can make the difference between success and defeat if zombie numbers have grown to plague proportions.

Naturally the zombie player needs to spread out as much as possible to avoid multiple kills. Try to create new spawning pits in buildings close to the Manor House and if possible hold back on going for the house until you have sufficient numbers to overwhelm the heroes. Once in the house try to stay near the centre so the heroes can't use Zombie Hunger to draw you out.

Scenario #5 - Burn 'Em Out!

This is the other scenario I haven't played but with an 18 hour time limit it looks insane.

The heroes have to destroy 3 Zombie Spawning Pits by sacrificing an entire turn whilst on a pit location and discard an explosive item. If any zombies are on the pit, they must be killed first before the pit can be destroyed.

The Hero Deck contains 6 explosive items (4 dynamite and 2 gasoline) so the initial part of the game will be in searching for these items. Once found though it still won't be a walk in the park. The zombie player would be wise to protect those pits once an explosive item is found.

Even if a single hero kills the zombies on the pit in their turn, it will still allow the zombie player(s) to spawn new zombies in that location on their turn.

Therefore the heroes must work together as a team. Other heroes must take on the responsibility of clearing the pit of zombies so the explosive wielding hero can finish the job. I could see the Fire Extinguisher being very useful here as it allows a player to move zombies!

The zombie player has no easy time either. In the early game they should be trying to make searching hard for the heroes, but they'll need to move to a pit defense strategy once an explosive item is found. They really can't afford to get too many zombies in one space or they'll be open to a 'zombie wholesale' attack.

I'd also avoid spawning new zombie pits unless you have lost a few as this only gives the heroes more options and spreads your zombies thinner.

The Final Word

In short I think LNoE is a brilliant game and I will enjoy playing it for many years to come. I have spent the last 12 months trying to find games that step outside the classic genres of Euro and Ameritrash and for me LNoE is a nice blend of the two. Yes there is plenty of luck here but hopefully I have written enough to support the argument that intelligent players can make important decisions that affect the outcome of games.

Add to that the high quality components, clever design features and excellent production values and I think 'Last Night on Earth, The Zombie Game' is a real winner.

Of course some people just won't like the amount of luck inherent in a game like this.

I have been able to lure many non-gamers into a game of LNoE and they have enjoyed the experience. Any game that helps me slowly convert a few non-believers is fine by me.

The Pros

Engaging theme that hasn't been done to death yet.

Excellent design makes this the premier zombie game on the market for me. Variable town set-ups, original combat system that supports the theme (zombies shouldn't be that easy to kill), plenty of cards to spice up the action and a time constraint to ensure the action is tense.

High quality components that set this game apart from other 1st game companies. Multiple figure sculpts, photo based artwork, CD for atmosphere - what more could they have done.

When both sides are experienced enough to play to their side's strengths, the scenarios can throw up really tense, tight situations. There is nothing more exciting than having 2 hours left to complete your objective, with zombies clambering at your weakest hero and only requiring that last kill. LNoE is an experience game - you remember the moments, the dramatic victories and the gut wrenching last hour failures.

The length of play (roughly 1 hour) is spot on for a game like LNoE. It doesn't outstay its welcome and on almost every one of my 10 plays, the group has been eager to play a 2nd game straight afterwards.

That's what we want from a game, especially if you're the person who bought it.

The fact that hero players generally don't get eliminated from the game is a good thing. If your hero dies then you get to start with another one.

The Cons

There is no denying that luck is highly evident here. Movement rolls, card draws, combat rolls, ammo rolls and breakage rolls. The game will slap you in the face with fate at every turn.

LNoE is a co-operative game and like many of this genre it also requires people to play the zombies. This can really irk some people as they seem to be the one lumped with this role within their gaming group.

I personally don't find it to be that big a deal thanks to the fact that LNoE will only take about 1 hour (instead of 2-5 for Doom or Descent). I quite enjoy playing the zombies actually, if for no other reason than I can say the phrase, "Braaaaaains" about 100 times a game.

LNoE is an experience game, meaning that your enjoyment may be dependent on the people you play it with. Choose your fellow gamers carefully.

It is possible in some scenarios to get extremely lucky with card draws, resulting in absurd results. I had a friend find the gasoline and keys to the Pick-up Truck in 3 turns making the scenario last about 15 minutes. Whilst possible, the laws of probability shouldn't see this happen to often.

Rules contradictions and subsequent 'rules lawyering' are highly likely when it comes to card effects in LNoE. Most of these can be easily rectified with the help of the Geek and Jason from Flying Frog is very proactive in answering questions. But I can see this putting some people off.

LNoE has the potential to throw up one-sided results if one side or the other is vastly superior in experience. Always try to balance out the experience of players on both sides to ensure that the game doesn't descend into farce and leave a bad 1st impression.

I've said enough - go out and get yourself some Zombie goodness. You've got 2-3 months to enjoy the base game before the first expansion comes out to spice things up. For gamers like me expansions are tasty like Braaaaains!

Links

Last Night On Earth: Growing Hunger - A Detailed Review