MonopoZombie

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

“	Where is the line between "house rules" of a game, and "new game" anyway?	”
—nemo

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))

"Zombies care not for your mindless capitalism"

Gameplay

The game is divided into three distinct stages.

development alert note: This game is in slow development. The rules here are not yet perfected, and as-yet untested combination of proposed rules may be a far better game than what's already here, so please test the untested, and come up with new variants! Feedback is welcome... nay, encouraged, either direct to me (find me on facebook - see links below) or the Discussion tab to this page, or this page direct!)

--nemo

Stage One: Capitalism

Being where all players are "human"

• This is played as per normal monopoly rules. 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:
  • 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, pure Monopoly rules (regarding double-1 and jail cards) apply.
    • ie: First arrival at 'Go' ends the players immunity, thus can become a zombie when you land on Go, if other zombies are there already

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 still play as per Stage One: Capitalism, however zombies operate by new rules, which increase the chances of a human being converted.
  • 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.
• Zombies continue to take their turn as before, however, their operate under new movement principles:
  • Instead of 2 D6 dice, zombies move according to two D4 dice (simulate from D6 with re-rolls as needed)
  • 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 commerse. In addition, 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 are considered infection grounds - ie, should a human player land on a zombie property with no improvement, they are converted.
  • However, if the zombie property has improvement, the human survives, but at the expense of one level of improvement - so over time zombie properties will reduce to being unsafe. Property demolition occurs at the end of a continuous run of human player occupation, at the END of occupation. (ie, if multiple players occupy the same property at once, then only one demolition occurs, when the property is vacated)
  • 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 + number of improvements.
    • exception: "free parking" remains as a rest space - humans can never be turned to zombie there
    • also note: "in jail" and "just visiting jail" are separate. (Zombies cannot go "in jail")
  • 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.

Stage Three: Apocalypse

• Once zombies equal or outnumber human players, the economy collapses, and 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.
• Zombies continue as before.
• Humans now move with increased agility, by rolling three D6, 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 become zombie
  • humans no longer follow monopoly 'teleport' rules either. "Doubles = another go" can continue without penalty for as long as doubles are rolled.
• Winning conditions for a human: be the last human alive, then land on your own property with a house, and have no zombies also on that location
• 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)

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 ≥ humans, no more commerce. Humans now move by choose 2 from 3D6.
• Win by:
  • last human and on own IMPROVED property
  • all zombies, and be first zombie to 'jail' square.

To consider

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

• A regular problem is that the game descends to Apocalypse before any property trading can occur so improvements prove difficult. Some suggested solutions (in order from most like M rules, to least)
  • Once all properties in a group are purchased, owners may collaborate to improve the colour group within normal Monopoly "improve in sync" rule. (means minimal improvement possible once at least one property in the group is zombie owned)** As per above, but drop the requirement to improve in sync (thus allowing ongoing improvement even after others in the group are zombified)** As per above, but drop the requirement that all properties be purchased (ie, first property owned can begin improvements ... immediately? Though after some delay is probably a good idea.)
• 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
• 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?

The following original ideas were not playtested

• Once in apocalypse mode, remaining humans can choose to team up. They can only do this IF they happen to share a space. They do this by pooling their dice rolls and then sharing them between members of the team, per round. (2 players = 6 dice. 3 players = 9 dice). This increases the chances that a team can continue to move together to outnumber zombies (or more likely be able to split up and make it to safe houses).
  • Play mechanic problem: means all human players need to effectively have a collective turn - which means a change in player order from the original table order. This could be messy.
  • Tactical problem: you only win by being the last human. Should there be a "team of humans win" condition?
  • Also: what 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...

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

Changelog

• 2016 Dec 25 - Second round of play testing
• 2016 Aug 23 - First play testing
• 2014 Jul 02 - Initial writeup

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)

Links

• 2017 FB thread after large (7 person) playtest: https://www.facebook.com/nemothorx/posts/10156002726323216
• 2016 FB thread after initial playtesting: https://www.facebook.com/nemothorx/posts/10154489150088216
• 2014 FB thread where idea first grew: https://www.facebook.com/nemothorx/posts/10152542793653216