Marvel Zombies - A Zombicide Game

Zombie for Hire
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jan 18, 2022 at 11:33:19 PM

Look alive, Heroes!

For our first Stretch Goal, let’s break down an unbreakable hero!

Reaching $2,000k we unlocked the Kickstarter Exclusive living Luke Cage for all backers, including his Super Hero Piece, ID Card for playing him in Hero Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting him in Zombie Mode!

Note the X-Men Resistance core box is needed to play in Hero Mode.

HERO MODE: Iron Skin is a great skill to have when fighting zombies. Luke Cage brings that, as well as his pummeling fists, to the fight. Combine that with Skills that allow him to protect nearby Bystanders and Super Heroes alike and you have a potent force in the Hero for Hire!

ZOMBIE MODE: Iron Skin makes someone tricky to Devour. Zombies will find their ravenous bites ineffectual against Luke Cage, should they have to resort to that. Unfortunately, taking him out via Devour won’t reduce your Hunger!

On this incredible milestone, we've also unlocked the Power Man when he joined the ranks of the undead!

In addition to his living version, we've unlocked zombie Luke Cage for all backers, including his Zombie Hero Piece, ID Card for playing him in Zombie Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting him in Hero Mode!

ZOMBIE MODE: He used to protect people as a Hero for Hire, but now he smashes through any barriers in his way to seek out his next meal. Doors mean little against Luke Cage as he doesn’t need to spend additional actions to open them (he REALLY wants to consume those Bystanders!). And then, well, his strength and toughness are still as great as ever.

HERO MODE: Despite being a self-referred “Street Level Hero for Hire”, Luke Cage can go toe-to-toe with most Super Heroes. Worse, his newfound zombie resilience makes him that much harder to bring down. Attacks that should otherwise be lethal might just end up stunning the zombified Luke Cage, requiring extra hits to take him down for good!

What's coming after that? Hang on in there, time will tell...

Until next time, stay hungry!

We’ve Got a Hairy Situation
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jan 18, 2022 at 11:30:43 PM

Look alive, Heroes!

Another milestone reached, unlocking the good doctor!

Uh-oh, is that a bite on your leg, Hank?

Next up, our monstrous doctor is about to get a lot more monstrous!

When we reach $3,000k we will unlock the Kickstarter Exclusive zombie Beast for all backers, including his Zombie Hero Piece, ID Card for playing him in Zombie Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting him in Hero Mode!

Note the X-Men Resistance core box is needed to play in Hero Mode.

ZOMBIE MODE: While the good doctor is usually a mix of brains and brawn, in his zombie form the hunger has caused him to become far more primal, tapping into his beastly nature to perform devastating feats of acrobatics and agility, all in the pursuit of his next meal.

HERO MODE: Sporting a high toughness, this rampaging threat also has agility to boot. Should Super Heroes wander too close, Beast won’t wait for them to make the first move, instead directly engaging and attacking them first!

Until next time, stay hungry!

Galactus, the Devourer. And the Real McCoy!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jan 18, 2022 at 11:20:28 PM

Look alive, Heroes!

The next Stretch Goal uses brains and brawn to put the zombies in a hairy situation.

When we reach $2,500k we will unlock the Kickstarter Exclusive living Beast for all backers, including his Super Hero Piece, ID Card for playing him in Hero Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting him in Zombie Mode!

Note the X-Men Resistance core box is needed to play in Hero Mode.

HERO MODE: When Dr. Hank McCoy became Beast, he became the perfect combination of brains, brute strength, and agility. It allows him dive into the front line of the battles, taking out swathes of zombies, all the while dodging incoming attacks and staying one step ahead of zombie rushes.

ZOMBIE MODE: With his combined toughness and agility, Beast is a difficult target for players to take down. He’ll often just ignore the hits Zombie Heroes direct at him.

You’re not the only ones who are hungry! Even while living, Galactus’ hunger was already legendary, devouring entire worlds in his inexorable advance through the cosmos. Now in the zombie apocalypse things somehow got even worse. It’s devour or be devoured, as the Silver Surfer heralds the imminent arrival of the World Eater!

The Galactus the Devourer is a very special Kickstarter Exclusive expansion for Marvel Zombies. It introduces several unique mechanics to the game, in extremely challenging missions where the players need to do their best to stop the relentless advance of the colossal Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer. Playable in both Hero Mode and Zombie Mode, with unique features in each of them, this expansion brings much more to the table than just an extremely impressive game piece!

Let’s explore each of the different things this expansion brings to the game.

Beforewe explore the World-Eater himself, we should discuss his herald: The Silver Surfer!

When you and your team are playing the unique Galactus missions, the Silver Surfer comes into play in a variety of ways. Most, if not all, centered around the mission itself. When combating the still-living Galactus and Surfer, the Zombie Heroes’ primary goal will be downing the colossus himself, but one shouldn’t neglect the Surfer! Successfully making a meal of him will imbue the Zombie Heroes with a portion of the Power Cosmic, super-charging them and giving them a means of taking a bite out of the big man himself.

Should you face the threat that is the zombified Galactus, and his undead messenger, then unfortunately you won’t be able to snack on Silver Surfer to gain the Power Cosmic (that would be weird) but that certaintly isn’t going to stop him from showing up as a threat the Super Heroes will need to deal with.

Speaking of additional threats… In addition to mission-specific rules, the Surfer can also be added to any other mission as an Optional Threat, replacing a standard Super Hero/Zombie Hero spawn. Of course, being one of the most powerful beings in the universe means he’s going to be much harder to take down than your standard Super/Zombie Hero, so only add him if you really think you’re up for the challenge!

Finally, the Surfer also comes with his unique Super Hero and Zombie Hero ID Cards, allowing him to be used as a playable character. With a variety of mobility-based moves and attacks (centering around his surfboard) the Silver Surfer can dive and weave among his enemies, or simply slam into them with the full power of his board. As a Super Hero, he will use these effects to take down the zombie hordes, eventually unlocking the full might of the Power Cosmic to fuel himself to greater levels. As a Zombie Hero the ravenous Hunger of the World-Eater is channeled into him, giving him some of the most devastating Devour effects in the game!

As previously mentioned, with Galactus and the Silver Surfer also come the opportunity for zombies to bite off a piece of the Power Cosmic for themselves. These special upgrades function similarly to Bystanders, in that they are a reusable effect that isn’t discarded. However, they are far-and-above much more powerful than a mere Bystander effect, befitting tapping into a power source so vast. With effects ranging from Cosmic Rays to Cosmic Flight, these upgrades are sure to assist when you need a boost and the Hunger threatens to consume you.

On the reverse side, Super Heroes will gain access to Reed Richard’s Lost Tech. Always the genius, Richards has numerous fail-safes in play should the World-Eater come for Earth, and these tools have been scattered across New York. It would be easy to assume that, gameplay-wise, these are just a mirror-version of the Power Cosmic effects, but oh no, not at all! Lost Tech can be gained by completing various Mission Objectives and can sometimes be found across the map. While they are exceedingly powerful in their own right, they also require gathering rare resources to power as well (sorry, your Super Hero’s Power isn’t going to cut it here. Can’t “determination” a Vibranium Power Core into working). Each mission that utilizes these will give specific instructions on how they work, but when facing the threat of Zombie Galactus you’ll want to horde as much as you can!

Finally, let’s talk about the Big Man himself, the centerpiece of this expansion, the eternal hunger (non-zombie virus hunger): Galactus, the Devourer!

What can still be said about this amazing game piece? Standing over 60cm tall (over 23 inches) and with a base diameter of 45cm (almost 18 inches), this is a truly epic game component! Galactus and his world-consuming engine are brought to life in great detail, functioning as a unique play area for the new missions contained in this expansion.

The expansion comes with both living and zombie versions of Galactus’ head and right arm, which can be easily swapped out to face Galactus in either Zombie Mode or Hero Mode.

Galactus brings an entire host of special features with him. Whether its his living or zombie version, Galactus is a titan on the tabletop, moving across the gameboard in special missions, slowly (hopefully slowly) destroying the map as he goes. That’s right, he acts as a pseudo-timer in his own right. If you don’t bring him down before the map is entirely destroyed… Well, can’t be Earth’s mightiest heroes if there’s no Earth!

With both versions of Galactus, the primary mission will see the players on a map of New York that’s 4 by 2 tiles large. Under certain circumstances, Galactus will advance across the map. Should he move entirely over a tile, it is destroyed and removed, thus shrinking the overall play area. Of course, it’s not that simple and there are numerous twists based on the mission, but that should give you a general idea of the scale of destruction we are dealing with!

Taking down Galactus is no easy task, but it is not impossible! When attacking the colossus, players can target numerous areas, ranging from his legs, arms, head, etc. Each area requires a specific number of Hits to dispatch (just like attacking a Super Hero/Zombie Hero) but there is one more critical feature: Galactus has his own Defense Deck, of which a card is flipped each time he is attacked by a player. The effects of this deck can range from No Response to the area being tougher (or maybe even weaker) than anticipated, and a myriad of other surprises as well (careful, you might get Grabbed!).

This ties into another key feature. Recall those sections you’re trying to take down? Well, the order definitely matters, as damaging these limbs will reduce the effects of (some) of Galactus’ Actions. Need to take away his focus? Aim for the head. Don’t like being grabbed (and potentially eaten whole)? Then that hand has got to go!

In addition, you also have the effects of the Galactus Engine to deal with (yeah, it doesn’t get any easier from here)! While not technically a part of Galactus himself, the vast machine DOES aid him in draining the planet of its lifeforce, and leaving it unchecked is a grave (pun!) mistake on the players.

Sporting unique decks for both Zombie and Hero Mode, each time Galactus activates you will flip a card from this deck, which in turn will dictate just what he is doing during the phase. Perhaps this activation he is merely moving forward (which, of course, destroys more of the map), or surprise! He is channeling the power of the Galactus Engine to heal himself (we did warn you to not ignore it)! Or maybe he is calling upon his herald for reinforcement! And this is just what his Living Version can do!

Of course, these effects can be tempered with depending on the sections of Galactus you’ve targeted. But we should probably also mention that there are certain effects that allow him to fix those pesky limitations you’ve been causing him.

Oh… And one final thing…

We DID say it wasn’t going to get any easier…

While ALL the above is going on, there is one final element you, as the players, will need to contend with: In his Living Mode, you will face the wrath of Galactus’ Master Plan. In his Zombie Mode, you will find out exactly what happens when a World Eater goes Ravenous.

The Master Plan advances based on certain cards in Galactus’ Action Deck (with some mitigation possibilities by the players, of course), but should this track reach its pinnacle a card from Galactus’ Master Plan deck will be drawn, causing a devastating (and potentially permanent) effect on the players!

Meanwhile, as the game progresses and Zombie Galactus’ hunger grows, he can become Ravenous, causing a card from that unique deck to be flipped. These effects are not nearly as… let’s say, eloquent… as his Master Plan. No. They represent the insatiable hunger overtaking He-Who-Hungers. We will let your imagination think of how bad that can truly be for a bite-sized Super Hero…

If you want to face the ultimate challenge in your game and add an awe-inspiring game piece to your collection, make sure your base pledge is the Galactus Pledge! This expansion can also be added separately for $180.

Until next time, stay hungry!

THE DAILY BUGLE HAS THE SCOOP ON DAILY REWARDS!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jan 18, 2022 at 10:22:42 PM

Look alive, Heroes!

What an epic start to our campaign! In less time than it takes zombie Hulk to pick a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent clean, the project has been funded. Thank you all so much for your support!

Now, eagle-eyed backers might have noticed this ad on the front page:

Yes, the Daily Bugle always brings you more! They have the scoop on additional Kickstarter Exclusive rewards that will be given out to all backers. Each day of the campaign, with one Morning Edition coming out at 12PM and one Evening Edition coming out at 4PM, the Daily Bugle will reveal on its headline a new reward. You got that right, 2 new exclusive rewards will be added every single day, come rain or shine!

But that’s not all! We will still have occasional exclusive Stretch Goals unlocked when the campaign reaches certain funding milestones. There are lots of surprises ahead of us!

But today is a special day! And in celebration of the amazing launch of the campaign, the Daily Bugle’s Evening Edition is reporting the sighting of not 1, not 2, but a whopping 6 exclusive rewards being added to all pledges!

These are counterparts to characters from the Marvel Zombies core boxes. Meaning if the core box included a Zombie Hero version of the character, the exclusive reward brings a Super Hero version of that same character, or vice-versa! Every version of a hero can be played in both Zombie Mode and Hero Mode, but the role they play depends on the type of character they are:

· A Zombie Hero will be a player character in Zombie Mode or an enemy in Hero Mode.

· A Super Hero will be a player character in Hero Mode or an enemy in Zombie Mode.

Note the X-Men Resistance core box is needed to play in Hero Mode.

Please also note that not necessarily all characters introduced in this campaign will be presented in both versions, due to licensing limitations.

Now let’s read through today’s headlines:

Filling the zombies full of dread, Iron Man lives again!

Today’s Daily Reward is adding the Kickstarter Exclusive living Iron Man for all backers, including his Super Hero Piece, ID Card for playing him in Hero Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting him in Zombie Mode!

HERO MODE: Tony Stark is in full control of his amazing battle suit, using to its full potential. Using his repulsors he can blast zombies away from a distance. His high-tech arsenal allows him to stay at a safe range instead of diving into the thick of things.

ZOMBIE MODE: Iron Man is not one to make the sacrifice play. If players attack him but fail to eliminate him, he automatically falls back, forcing the Zombie Heroes to come to him.

Our next reward proves that size doesn’t matter.

Today’s Daily Reward is adding the Kickstarter Exclusive living Wasp for all backers, including her Super Hero Piece, ID Card for playing her in Hero Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting her in Zombie Mode!

HERO MODE: Able to shrink her body, Wasp can escape most any situation unharmed and get to places otherwise deadly for her allies. She’s able to buzz right through hordes of zombies in order to rescue endangered Bystanders. But don’t think that just because she’s small, she doesn’t pack a powerful sting!

ZOMBIE MODE: Hitting a tiny darting target like Wasp is a feat for even the most skilled Zombie Hero. When attacking her, only very high rolls count as Hits against her, no matter what your attack stats are.

Let’s tear up another reward!

Today’s Daily Reward is adding the Kickstarter Exclusive living Sabretooth for all backers, including his Super Hero Piece, ID Card for playing him in Hero Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting him in Zombie Mode!

HERO MODE: A feral berserker, Sabretooth is simple: point him towards the hordes and soon all that will be left are piles of limbs. His hand-to-hand attacks are devastating, and his hunting instincts allow him to easily close in on his prey.

ZOMBIE MODE: If you’re going to attack Sabretooth, you better bring you’re A-game, as he’ll exploit any opening you leave. Any 1 rolled to attack him means the Zombie Hero takes a Wound.

The next one may not be a Stretch Goal, but is still pretty stretchy.

Today’s Daily Reward is adding the Kickstarter Exclusive zombie Ms. Marvel for all backers, including her Zombie Hero Piece, ID Card for playing her in Zombie Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting her in Hero Mode!

ZOMBIE MODE: Her desire to protect those around her has been replaced by a desire to devour all flesh. Ms. Marvel makes use of her stretchy limbs to snatch even the most well protected Bystanders. By enlarging her hand, she can deal powerful blows against swathes of SHIELD Agents.

HERO MODE: As an Enemy, Ms. Marvel uses her extending limbs to pull Bystanders towards her in order to devour them. She’s not really interested in saving people anymore.

The next reward was having a taste of different heroes even before she became a zombie.

Today’s Daily Reward is adding the Kickstarter Exclusive zombie Rogue for all backers, including her Zombie Hero Piece, ID Card for playing her in Zombie Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting her in Hero Mode!

ZOMBIE MODE: Feeding off of people didn’t come as such a momentous change for Rogue, seeing as her powers already consisted of absorbing power from others, often with dire consequences. Now unleashing her Hunger, she takes all the power she can get her hands on. She can make use of Bystander powers better than most other Zombie Heroes, avoiding tapping into her hunger to do so.

HERO MODE: Engaging with the zombie Rogue is incredibly debilitating, as she can drain the Power from nearby Super Heroes.

Looks like not even his regenerative ability could protect him from the zombie invasion.

Today’s Daily Reward is adding the Kickstarter Exclusive zombie Wolverine for all backers, including his Zombie Hero Piece, ID Card for playing him in Zombie Mode, and Spawn Card for fighting him in Hero Mode!

ZOMBIE MODE: While Logan may have lost most of his healing factor when turned into a zombie, it has been replaced with a raw desire to consume all those around him, fueling his berserker rage to even greater levels. He’s able to channel his Hunger into becoming one of the most brutal killing machines ever seen, slicing, dicing, and biting at anything in front of him.

HERO MODE: Wolverine is one of the deadliest zombies out there. When specific Spawn Cards are drawn he can enter into a berserker rage that should send Super Heroes fleeing for their lives.

J. Jonah Jameson is already in a heated discussion with his staff about tomorrow’s Morning Edition.

Until next time, stay hungry!