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Jeremiah
United States
Madison
Wisconsin
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These are some ideas I've had running around in my head about combining the rules to the new D&D boardgame system (Ravenloft and Ashardalon), with the components of Zombies!!! and the tone/theme of The Walking Dead. Please feel free to fly with any of this. If you do though, please release whatever you come up with for the rest of us to enjoy...
Thought #1.
I really like the game system presented in the new Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game and Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon Board Game. These games allow players to go on missions (called "scenarios" or "adventures"), each with a different set of conditions that need to be satisfied in order to "win".
The setup for each of these scenarios combines with a "tile-pull" system in such a way that no two plays of the same scenario will be the same. This not only adds immensely to the game's replay value, but also adds (IMO) a significant feeling of adventure and exploration. It also adds a sense of suspense to the game, as you're usually unsure if the next "tile-pull" will reveal that scenario's big baddy. In total, the tile pull and scenario setup rules combine to make what I feel is a truly excellent system.
Another great idea from the game is how each monster has specific tactics associated with it. This makes it so the game can be played cooperatively, with no game master or overlord.
One thing the combination doesn't do though is give what *I* feel to be "that old school dungeon crawl" feeling. Maybe it's changed in Wrath, but when a party of adventurers goes into Castle Ravenloft they aren't "delving into a dungeon": they're raiding a fortress. The characters are constantly under attack. There is no "push-your-luck" feel of "do we go back to town and cash in now, or do we see what's behind this door?" But this is OK!
Given this, I've been thinking of different settings this system could be applied to. These would be settings where the characters are faced with entering an impossibly harsh environment in order to do something.
Thought #2.
One of the first boardgames I bought after discovering BGG was Zombies!!!, a game I personally think gets a bum rap. I wouldn't call it "great", but we've had a lot of fun playing it. That said, the "shotgun guys" and most of the zombie figs from the game are now being used for Zombie Plague, which I feel is a far superior game (though very, very different).
But Zombies!!! also has a "tile-pull" system, similar to Ravenloft. Hmmm...
Thought #3:
I'm a pretty big fan of the Walking Dead graphic novels (yeah, the TV show's pretty good to), but I haven't been caught up in ages... One of the things I really liked in the beginning of the novels was the sense of how dangerous cities (especially Atlanta) had become. I also liked how each of the characters had come to define themselves by how they helped the group: Glenn being very quick and agile, Rick being a great leader, Michonne being able to kick ass like nobody's business...
And they always seemed to purposely put themselves into impossibly harsh environments in order to do something. Hmmm...
Now, how to combine these thoughts? I've got a bunch of ideas in my head that I hope to flesh out, but not a lot of time to do it... I'll post my ideas later, but this is all the time my lunch hour provides 
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