Cold War 1962 and Zombies, how it should have been

Scott Van Essen, designer of Axis & Allies & Zombies provides detailed answers about how the game was created. Part 2 will be available next week.

Click here to see the full blog post

@Midnight_Reaper:

@Caesar:

So in order for me to explain the situation, you have to already understand how to play zombies and this didn’t cross my mind to ask the developers because I just encountered it now.

So here is the situation: Zombies are co existing with Japanese troops, Germany wants to attack the Zombies in Japanese territories. So when Zombies roll for their attack, Germany being the attacker can only be attacked if the Zombie rolls an “A”. What in this situation makes Japanese troopers? I don’t have an answer for this. What I told my buddy and we agreed with is that because Japan is not the aggressor, that technically makes them the defender so Zombies would have to roll a “D” to attack them. However, officially by rule, I am not sure how to actually treat this. I am 99% sure Japanese soldiers can’t attack the zombies with Germany so this is the only way I can see this working.

How would this work if the Germans were attacking into a British-held territory with Zombies in it? It would work like that, only you obviously restrict your hits to the Zombies instead of your fellow-Axis-power Japanese troops. So, from what I understand, the Zombies would roll A to hit the Germans and D to hit the Japanese. Since it’s the German turn, the Japanese troops just kind of hang out until their turn. At which point, if the Japanese attacked the Zombies in their territory with the Germans present, when the Zombies make their roll an A would hit the Japanese (who are doing the attacking at this point) and a D would hit the Germans (who are likewise hanging out while the Japanese troops do their thing).

Make sense?

-Midnight_Reaper

If you engage a territory owned by your enemy, you have to attack the territory. Fortunately because of the dice, you are also attacking zombies.

Yes. There will be.

A Pandemic-style of spreading Zombies was play tested and eliminated because it was overwhelming. But that could be a house rule.

@djensen:

I have another opportunity to interview the game designer of Axis  & Allies & Zombies. So I’d like to extend that to the community and find out, what new questions do you have about the game?

We’re getting close to GenCon and I’m scheduled to play on Saturday morning (Sorry I’m busy all day Thursday with Catan and Friday with A&A) so hopefully we can ask anything at this point. But feel free to ask soft ball and specific questions. Of course, I’ll reserve the right to not include any questions and let’s keep it positive.

I wish I could be there with you djensen.  8-)

Japan can always lend a hand in that battle by opening a second front.

@djensen:

I’m not censoring anything. If you have subjective complaints, put them all here in this thread. If you have constructive criticism, start a new thread.

Again, when the newbies arrive to learn more about AAZ and other A&A games, I want them to see a welcoming community. Seeing a bunch of posts of people hating on zombies, might turn people away.

You got some strong points here, and I want to change my stand.

I voted indifferent because I’m still holding out hope that:

The undesirable zombies can be house ruled out.

The map is a good medium sized map (a la Revised/42SE).

The “1939 Scenario” that the WOTC rep mentioned in his interview with A&A.org a few months back is fresh/worth playing.

I’m still willing to hold out hope because the only objectively terrible A&A games are 1941 and Spring 42, the latter of which is only terrible because the small map made the game unplayable.