Downloaded a copy of these and printed them off and thinking of going this way now with my zombie/apocalypse gaming.I am a rule whore as many gamers are(I use AKULA's AR:SE rules at the moment because they are funand quick and I have a copy of Ambush Z from AMBUSH ALLEY GAMES but not that set upon them) and I have read the bat reps on other blogs like
http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/ and
http://obviouslyzed.blogspot.com/ to name a few and the general consensus is good.
What do you think of them and what supplements do you need and recommend to go with core rules?
Thanks.
I am a big fan of those rules (surprise!), but I have to admit that I've never played Ambush Z or AR:SE, but I do prefer the Chain Reaction 3 rules to Ambush Alley.
ReplyDeleteIt takes some time to get used to CR3 rules. Read, read again, game, read again and game several times is the way to go. The most important part for me was to master the rules for standard situations to be relaxed enough to improvise uncommon occurrences. There will be many situations you won't find governed by the rules.
I think that I, Zombie adds a lot to Better Dead Than Zed if you are ready to adopt, adapt and improve. These rule expansion is very scenario specific, but PEFs, detailed NPC Interaction etc. is to good to ignore.
Good hunting!
Whiteface / Oliver
I haven't played them yet, but I've read them through a couple of times. What I like about them is that when you encounter other humans, they may not be friendly! While zombies are a threat, so are other survivors.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Oliver though, 'I, Zombie' adds some alternate rules which you might want to institute from the word go.
'I, Zombie' also gives you a reason for your band of survivors to be doing what they do, along with some variety of PEFs, depending how far you are playing into the outbreak. It gives a good basis for a campaign and a basic economic element you don't seem to get in other rules.
I can't comment how well the combat works, but if it turns out it's not to your liking, swap them out with another set and keep the rest of the rules to give some 'depth' to your games.
So then Fran, how long till we get a game???
ReplyDeleteWe've got quite a bit of time in the THW trenches, and while they're great, they do take a *lot* of work on your part. The rules aren't the clearest at times, and they are aching for a proper editor, but other than those hiccups, they should be good to go.
ReplyDeleteAnother one to look at might be Ganesha Games' Fear and Faith. It's a much more accessible system that will get you blasting zeds faster, quicker, and probably fun(ner).
I have to second Oliver on I, Zombie. While I was at it I also have to say get Haven. it has some great scenarios in it. The Risk and Rewards Deck will also help speed your games up by eliminating the need to roll to see whats generated each time you enter a building.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest playing a couple of small test games before playing a full game. Stat of with two figures of the same Rep armed with only melee weapons about 18 inches apart to see how movement, charging, being charged and melee works. Then do this again with them being different Reps. Now try it again replacing one fighter with a zombie, then add another zombie to the mix. Once you have a grasp on melee try out ranged combat a couple times. On the last ranged combat with zombies use the zombie generation rules. by this time you should have a good grasp of the main game mechanics. Now Play your first full game, here you can learn the rules for entering buildings and meeting NPCs (Meet and Greet). After a few games most the stuff should come easily so you won't have to refer to the rules as much, though you may need to regularly refer to them for ranged weapon values along with some of the other tables you will be using.
You've made a wise choice in going for ATZ. There's not much I can add that hasn't been covered by Oliver and Doug. If you get into ATZ in as big a way as I have, you'll want everything for it. The Risks and Rewards cards are very useful. The Litko counters less so but I like them and they help define the action when taking photos for my blog.
ReplyDelete