"Have Zombies taken over gaming???" Topic

It seems that at Millenium Con every other game was a zombie game. I must admit that they are truly a blast this must drive the hardcore Napoleonic crowd nuts. :)

Aren't there any Napoleonic zombies?

Can you see a Sharpe Practice scenario here?

I don't think so. There were 4 or 5 zombie based games at FALL IN and 2 of those were the comedy game of "corpoate zombies".

I view zombies as an off shoot of Pulp gaming.

I am huge zombie fan.

Everything is better with zeds.

Brian

Zombies! Hah, they may get you but they'll never get me, Ha Ha , He He, they may get you but they'll neve…………………

Actually, there's a supplement for Undead States of America that deals with zombie gaming in different historical periods. I forget the name of the expansion at the moment, but it covers Roman, Nazi, Napoleonic, and other historical groups both fighting against and fighting AS zombies. So muskets vs zombies is certainly possible.

zombies are one of the things that can add some off the core fun and comedy to any war game from cavemen to star troopers, its good to remind players that it a game :) and to have fun..

"Aren't there any Napoleonic zombies?"

Maybe that's Cavalcade's next genre, just to drive the nappy fanboys crazy.

Steve
Cavalcade Wargames
cavalcadewargames.com
nycjadie.wordpress.com

No. It's just that those games make so much noise with everyone laughing and having a good time so you notice them more.
But they are popular, I always end up with more players than those that sign up.

BTW – They are some folks playing ECW zombies with ATZ and Swordplay, the free rules.

Only in the boardroom of GW

In the end, the Zombie games must win, as time is on their side, not ours. Oh, you mean games ABOUT zombies. My bad.

Everything is more fun with zombies in it, even Napoleonics!

Doesn't Flintloque have Napoleonic zombies?

Here's a Bat Rep done years ago with zombies in the French and Indian War time period.

PDF link

Versus French Foreign Legion in 1800's

PDF link

Both use ATZ

Make sure that your Napoleonic zombies have the appropriate colored gore, slobber etc. Each nationality does have its own variation. There are several Osprey Titles, 1813 Imperial Guard Undead, Vol 1; is just one of many.

Better Dead than Zed!!!

Also Battlefront is releasing a three volume supplement and bags of 15mm zombies for Flames of War but no War in Pacific or early war zombies. Although rumor has it…..

If you don't want to get hooked on zombies then do not, repeat do NOT go anywhere near Ed the two hours war games guy. I had more fun watching his zombie game than most other games I played in at M con. He runs a great game and makes it fun to play and watch. His Colonial rules look good too. I think you are going to see a lot more zombie games before something else comes along.

I played Sharpe Practice at MCon and it was fan-fun-tastic! Great scenario, great table, great GM!

There were a large number of historical games and "others".

There were only two Zombie rules played, All Things Zombie run by Ed, "THW Guy", Teixeira and Undead States of America run y Steve, "He's not dead, he's only mostly dead" Metze.

Ed ran ATZ a couple of times and the game grew from 8 players to 20 because Ed just can't turn anyone away. Steve stayed at his booth where he was both selling the rules and demo'ing the rules to anyone who was interested.

I hardly see that as "taking over". Even if you factor in the noise, it's certainly no louder than Mssr, Gomez and chariot races. In both cases, it's a whole lot of people having fun with miniatures…and isn't that the point after all?

As for the current popularity of zeds: I think that we are seeing a happy (if somewhat morbid) confluence of events. The movie "Zombieland" is a hit which spawned (if you'll excuse the term) a host of zombie movies on television around Halloween. This has allowed the "Shawn of the Dead"/"Night of the Living Dead"/"Omega Man" cultists (like me) to stumble out of the darkness and into the mainstream without fearing ridicule. On top of it all there are GREAT zombie rules to be had, Ed Teixeira's "All Things Zombie" Better Dead than Zed" and Steve Metze' "Undead States of America", for example. Did I mention the great zombie figures in 15mm from Rebel Minis and 28mm from Warlord to name just a couple.

There were a large number of historical games and "others".

Well, ok downplay it if you like but there were many walking around that looked like zombies including the vendor by the door called Joe. He was a dead ringer for a zombie. No pun intended.

Not only that, but isn't Austin, Texas the zombie capital and were some kids took over the Motor vehicle department computers and started warning motorists of a zombie attacks on all the road signs which are meant to warn motorists of accidents up ahead???? Sounds like a world gone mad to me. :)

Ed and others raise good points regarding the fun factor.
Serious question: do zombie games and gamers have a lower ratio of uptight rules lawyers than, say, nappies or other historical periods? Many Con games stopped being fun some time ago for that reason…

I dunno, man. If the zombies DO take over gaming, the conventions are going to have even more problem with gamer B.O. than ever before…

If the zombies DO take over gaming, the conventions are going to have even more problem with gamer B.O. than ever before…

walking into the second day of a convention.

"Ugh, what died in here?"

"Braaaaains. Braaains."

"Uh. Looks like everything did."

Phew! There were a couple of instances this weekend in Round Rock when I could have sworn there was decaying flesh in room!

I dunno about zombie players being "less uptight". I see many of the same faces at the zombie table that I see at the other historical tables.

Why do the historicals and zombie games/gamers have to be mutually exclusive? I don't think they have to be. I am a card carrying member of LSHM San Antonio and have been for many years. My experience has been that the same guys playing DBM, play Napoleonics, SYW, ACW, WWII and other historical games. They also play Warmaster, Sky Galleons of Mars, HotT, and whatever else somebody is willing to show up with on a club night tucked under his arm.

I'll grant you that I've met a few, a very few, gamers that turn their noses up at fanasty/horror/sci-fi games. Happily they have been very, very few and far between. Most of the gamers whom I've met who don't play other than historicals simply expressed no interest in the genre, not distain.

Honestly, I think this is a case of an extreme minority of elitists having a disproportionate effect on others.

As to the rules laywer question…in a fast moving convention game with twenty players and a cinematic subject the rules laywers better duck and cover. If a laywer shows up and interupts the game (everyone else's fun), he's in mortal danger of being lynched by the mob. Besides, who in thier right mind (or zombie mind) would argue rules interpretation with a GM who is the author? Besides it's a ZOMBIE game! Who here is an authority on how zombies should "really" act? I thought so.

#1 cardio
#2 double tap
#3 watch out for bathrooms
#4 seatbelts

So who makes Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon zombies in 28mm?

Start stockpiling Tweenkies now!

I bowed out of eds game but watched it as it unfolded 20 peeps actualy excited to play the game…then having a blast while doing so cant be wrong….Im still working on my 10mm zombie figures and terrain and I'll be using AMBUSH Z from AMBUSH ALLEY games but i have "UNDEAD STATES" and will buy ATZ….and Im a historical Snob I turn my nose up at everything espeacialy Nappies and FOW….and sit alone in the corner while everyone plays those games which is all the time…lol but BF is putting out some 15mm Nam yeaaaaaa nice choppers yeaaaaa …I don't care what ya play as long as injoy……….Mikey

Mesozomboic! Zombies in the Age of the Dinosaurs!

A fast-play ruleset dedicated to the only area of gaming that zombies haven't eaten yet. The problem is that dinosaur brains were so small that the zombieraptors can never be satisfied.