Revision as of 00:48, 29 May 2018

A board game where a zombie apocolypse overruns a Monopoly game, saving it from traditional end-game tedium

Playable with a regular monopoly set (though additional dice will help - a pair of D4, and an extra D6 (or more, if human teams are played))

3-8 (or more?) players

"Zombies care not for your mindless capitalism"

Gameplay TLDR

• Play normal monopoly first time around the board.
• Become a zombie on snake eyes or go-to-jail, sharing a square with a zombie, or unimproved zombie "owned" property.
• Zombies roll 2D4 and move either direction, and destroy improvements to properties.
• When zombies nearly outnumber humans, no more commerce. Humans now move by choose 2 from 3D6, and can travel in groups
• Win by:
  • all humans simultaneously are on the same human-owned IMPROVED property
  • all zombies, and be first zombie to 'jail' square.

Gameplay detail

The game is divided into three distinct stages.

Stage One: Capitalism (Monopoly)

Being where all players are "human"

• This is played as per normal monopoly rules (with minor houserule tweaks). Basically a capitalism microcosm.
• Players tactics may differ due to knowledge of later Outbreak and Apocalypse stages, but the game *mechanism* at this stage remains essentially unchanged. Common house rules (once around board before purchase, tax->free parking, and so on) are discouraged in favour of genuine Monopoly rules.

Alterations to Monopoly pure are as follows

• House construction does not require the ownership of an entire colour group. However, the requirement that development must be even, remains. Thus the first owner of the first property can immediately build one house, even if the bank owns the rest, but they cannot build a second house till all other properties in the group are owned and have a house also.
• Bankruptcy - homelessness (probably rare, but we cover the possibility anyway)
  • Players who become bankrupt (by normal Monopoly methods) remain in the game as homeless. They now play as follows:
  • They travel at the speed of 1D4, and still adhere to clockwise motion.
  • If they land on an unowned property square, it immediately goes to auction.
  • If they land on an owned property, they do not pay rent. Instead, their next move when the owner of that property has their next move. (prior to the owner rolling their own move - repeating as necessary to no longer be on any property by that owner)
  • If they are on a non-property square, their turn occurs when any other player lands on the same square, or moves past them.
    • (ie, their position in the turn rotation may change)
  • They can collect money via Chance/Chest cards, and passing Go - at which point they're no longer bankrupt/homeless and resume playing normally. (ie, pay rent instead of being force to move on. However, it's expected that a player once homeless, will become homeless again soon)

Becoming a Zombie

• Should a player roll a double-one (ie, total of 2) for any reason (normal roll, escape from jail attempt, as instructed by card), then that player becomes a zombie (due to moving too slowly!). For the purposes of human/zombie interactions, it is considered that they are human at the start of their movement, and arrive (two squares on) as a zombie.
• "Go directly to Jail" Community Chest/Chance cards are instead interpreted as "Stay where you are, but become a zombie"
• "Get out of Jail Free" card are instead interpreted as "Infinite strength immunity to future zombie conversion, single use only" (ie, hold onto card to nullify a single future zombie conversion)
• Each player is immune to zombie conversions (by any method) until they have traveled around the board once.
  • On the first time around the board, normal Monopoly rules regarding double-1 and jail cards apply.
  • immunity ends at the players first arrival at 'Go' space, and thus can become a zombie when they land on "Go", if other zombies are there already
• Because homeless only roll 1D4, they can never roll a double1 to become a zombie. (logic: homeless are adept at living on the streets and being invisible. Thus, they dodge zombies. However, they can become zombies by all other methods (jail square/card, and sharing a space with a player zombie in outbreak mode. (player zombies should be able to hunt homeless humans relatively easily).

The game enters "Stage Two: Outbreak" upon the first conversion.

Stage Two: Outbreak

Being where some players have been converted to zombies, but a majority are still human.

Human players (including the homeless) still play as per Stage One: Capitalism, however zombies operate by new rules, which increase the chances of a human being converted.

• Zombies continue to take their turn as before, however, their operate under new movement principles:
  • Instead of 2D6 dice, zombies move according to 2D4 dice (simulate from D6 with re-rolls as needed if you have only monopoly dice)
  • Zombies may move in either direction around the board, as per the players choosing each roll.
• Human players continue to do commerce with each other and the bank as per usual, but the zombie cares not for your mindless capitalism and do not participate in any normal commerce. Thus, the following apply:
  • Zombies check chance/chest cards, but ignore them.
  • Zombies do not follow "teleport" movement (go to nearest railway, go to jail, etc)
  • Zombies do not get another go on a double dice result
• If a zombie lands on an unowned property it immediately goes to auction
  • Properties owned by zombies (ie, purchased prior to player conversion) are considered infection grounds. Should a human player land on a zombie property with no improvement, they are converted. (This includes mortgaged properties)
  • However, all improvements are safe for humans. So if the zombie property has improvement, the human survives, but at the expense of one level of improvement when the building becomes unoccupied - so over time zombie properties will reduce to being unsafe. Property demolition occurs at the end of a continuous run of human player occupation. (if multiple players occupy the same property at once, then only one demolition occurs, when the property is vacated)
• "free parking" remains as a rest space - humans can never be turned to zombie there
• "in jail" and "just visiting jail" are separate. (Zombies cannot go "in jail", humans can, but only on their first time around the board)
• If a zombie finds themselves on an vacant player property with improvements, then one level of improvement is demolished then the zombie ARRIVES there.
  • note: If a zombie arrives on a property with a human and a property, then the human survives to move on. A house will be demolished only when the zombie has no human opposition protecting it. If another human has arrived at the property in the meantime, it may survive till the zombie leaves.
  • Zombie player landing on an improved zombie property = no demolition. Demolition only occurs on the conflict of human player and zombie house, or zombie player and human house.
• If zombies share a space with humans, then the humans will turn into zombies if the number of zombies is equal or higher than the number of humans
  • Players may pre-pay for a bodyguard. $100/bodyguard/turn. Each bodyguard acts as an extra human for the purposes of counting human/zombie interactions. Bodyguard(s) remain active with the player (protecting them from zombie arrivals) till the players next roll. If they choose to continue with bodyguard, there is no break in guarding.

The game enters Stage Three: Apocalypse, when zombies are one conversion away from equal or outnumbering human players. (2 zombies in a 4 or 5 player game. 3 zombies in a 6 or 7 player game, etc)* For 2 and 3 player games, outbreak mode lasts till a second zombie conversion, OR remaining humans completes a circuit around the board back past their position at the start of the outbreak

Stage Three: Apocalypse

Being where the economy collapses, any remaining humans move to survival mode.

• All commerce and economic-based activity halts. This includes the building of properties (or demolishing for monopoly-rule reasons. Demolition now only occurs for zombie-based reasons), and bodyguard purchasing. (basically, send all the money to the bank, it's no longer needed. Still keep track of property ownership though for zombie conversion ground purposes)
  • Mortgages are ignored - they're just normal unimproved land now.
• Zombies continue as before.
• Humans now move with increased agility - by rolling three 3D6, and choosing two according to their tactical needs, and also choosing direction of movement per roll.
  • this increases the chances that a human can 'choose' a double and get a second roll
  • this also allows for increased chance for a human to 'choose' a double-1 and suicide to zombie
  • humans no longer follow monopoly 'teleport' rules either. "Doubles = another go" can continue without penalty for as long as doubles are rolled.
• Once in apocalypse mode, remaining humans can (and are encouraged to) team up. This is done for the following reasons:
  • A group of humans move simultaneously, and so are less vulnerable to zombies
  • "homeless" (at time of apocalypse) humans permanently regain access to D6 dice once they join a group
  • easier to meet the human winning condition
• A group is formed only if they manage to share a space by normal movement first.
  • Once teamed up, they pool their dice rolls per round, and then sharing them between members of the team. (2 players = 6 dice rolled. 3 players = 9 dice, etc). This increases the chances that a team can continue to move together to outnumber zombies (or alternatively, be able to split up and make it to safe houses).
  • A group may only move together for a maximum of three turns, after which point each player must take their normal turns again (ie, split up) for the next three turns. (players may still aim to land on the same locations - useful for building protection and winning, but move independent)
  • Play mechanic: Because group movement require all humans to move simultaneously, this is achieved by the human(s) already on the location delaying their turn till the normal turn of the most recent arrival. When a group breaks up, players take their original turn position again.
  • If dice rolls cannot be shared (eg, 2 humans, 6 die with values 2,2,2,2,2,1 - and the ONLY safe square is 3 away), then only ONE player could make that safe square. If this dilemma cannot be resolved through internal team negotiation, then the game ultimately rules that the original roller of each dice owns that choice. (in this example, the human who rolled the '2,2,1' would get to use the '1')
• Winning conditions for humans: humans can win as a group when all humans are on an improved human-owned property, and have no zombies also on that location. (humans win solo only if the last human)
  • Humans don't have to be travelling as a group - they can arrive at the property independently.
  • Any humans that remain homeless (homeless at the time of apocalypse stage) have by definition no homes of their own, but can also win as the last human and landing on ANY remaining house (zombie owned by definition), but no zombies also on that location.
  • Homeless humans choose two from a 3D4 roll until they can join a group, at which point they roll 3D6 like other humans. Such "upskilled" homeless humans retain their "last human, but homeless" winning condition option however.
• Winning conditions for zombies: all players are zombies, and be the first to land in 'jail' (justification: the last source of human brains, zombies finally break in)

To consider

These are ideas from after-testing discussions, and need their own testing before considered good or not. Most promising ideas first.

• Roll for zombie conversion
  • Modify the conversion rules so each conversion opportunity is played as a dice roll. Each human/bodyguard/property earns the defence on D6. Each zombie/infection ground earns the attack a D6. Each side rolls, largest wins. re-roll ties.
  • note: new battle between all humans and zombies occur on any *arrival* to a property, but not on departures. (humans sneak out, zombies mindlessly shamble away)
  • I don't think this should include snakeeye/jail conversions. (they are already governed by chance)
• Homeless are "invisible" to houses owned by zombies. ie, after homeless shelter in a zombie-owned house, the house is NOT demolished when they leave. Otoh, they HAVE to leave when passed by another player. (same as if on a non-property square)
  • This would provide good logic for the homeless-human winning condition too
• Once homeless even once, player is granted the "invisible to zombies in houses" skill forever more?
  • This would make ANY house a winning condition for them as last-human. Even in the unlikely event they stop being homeless enough to buy property and build their own!
  • This could create incentives for players to use all their money early (buying houses!) to "earn" this skill
• Should stations/utilities by default provide safe shelter? Existing safe shelters are:
  • Free Parking
  • What about GO?
  • What about Chance/Chest?
  • What about Just Visiting Jail?
• In apocalypse mode: humans that land on their own multi-house property, may then "carry" a house with them, and deposit it on the first empty zombie-land they encounter - the player then claims that property (with the house), meaning it can no longer 'turn' a human. It will nonetheless get demolished should a zombie visit it.
  • Justification: provides a reason for players to build multiple houses in capitalism mode - however the 'demolition' rules added should also provide that motive, so this may just be unneeded complexity

• Fan made alternate board looks insane, but might be fun/insane for a longer/more populated game?
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/8l2r3n/friendship_killer/dzd0cq5/?context=3

• Should houses/hotels be fortified as an enhancement beyond the standard monopoly building code?

Testlog

• 2018 May 27 - "board games and other fun stuff" group playtested with 4 people. Tweaked threshold for outbreak mode (guarantee a period of outbreak before apocalypse), and playtested human group movement rules to great success. (solved the 'when does the group move' issue, and limit on group lifetime was suggested). Bodyguard rule not played.
• 2018 Feb 10 - Playtest with 3 people. Alter threshold for apocalypse mode (zombie count set at half total players, rounding down - so we had no outbreak mode. Capitalism direct to apocalypse), and played with new house building rules. A success (and possibly the first time a human has won?)
• 2017 Nov 25 - Novemberfest game with... 7 people? Generally enjoyed. Speculation about altering house building rules, and roll for zombie conversions - https://www.facebook.com/nemothorx/posts/10156002726323216
• 2016 Dec 25 - Second round of play testing
• 2016 Aug 23 - First play testing (3 person group) - https://www.facebook.com/nemothorx/posts/10154489150088216
• 2014 Jul 02 - Initial writeup - https://www.facebook.com/nemothorx/posts/10152542793653216

Trivia

• Let the record show that the very first roll in the very first playtest was a double-1 and so the game inventor became a zombie. (and so the second game introduced the "once around before zombie possible" rule)