Zombies!!! Additional Rules

Zombies!!! Variants and Alternate Rules

Zombies!!! is a pretty fun game series.  I mean, everyone loves killing zombies!  I really like the mechanic of how you build the city as the game progresses.  To me, it simulates being lost in a city you don't really know.  All the different expansions all add something pretty neat to the game.  Whether it's new buildings and weapons, or new game mechanics, or new zombies to kill, it's just a lot of fun.  When you mix Humans!!! into the game, it adds a player vs. player rivalry that just isn't really there in just Zombies!!! alone.

Anyway, Zombies!!! has almost 10 expansions to it.  I think the only reason I haven't gone into a crazed lust to own them all is because each game of Zombies!!! works pretty well to be different.  That being said, I'm glad I own the two that I do have: Zombie Corps(e) and Schools Out Forever.  I got them specifically because they each added something I wanted: Government enhanced zombies and guts tokens.

So, when I play, as I am wont to do, I started modifying the rules and adding new ones.  Listed below are those rules.

Skateboard as a Weapon
The Skateboard can be used to add +2 to any combat roll, after the roll has been made.  Once it is used in this fashion, it is discarded.  Only if the player has already made his movement roll this turn does he get to keep the movement bonus this turn.

Running over Zombies
While using the event card “The Keys Are Still In It” the player may sacrifice one point of movement provided by the card to add to a combat roll, as per the bullet rules.
Ex.  A player using the “Keys” card moves 2 squares and enters combat with a standard zombie.  During combat, he rolls a 2 and decides to use 2 points from the “Keys” card to win the combat.  If he continues moving, he only has 6 squares of movement left.  He may do this as often as he likes this turn, so long as he has the points to do it.

In-store Weaponry
Rather than shuffling any weapon/item cards that require the player to be in a specific building to play into the event deck, place them off to the side.  When a player ends his movement in a building in which a weapon can be found, he may roll a die.  On a 5 or a 6, he finds a weapon of his choice that can be found in the building.  It never enters the players hand and is immediately put into play.  When the weapon/item is used, the card is removed from the game.

Separate Shotgun Shells
The “Hey, Look... A Shotgun” event card can be used whenever the player decides to use it, as normal bullets.  However, Shotgun bullets add +2 to combat for each added.  However, only 1 Shotgun bullet can be used per combat.  These bullets can not be used in conjunction with other event cards that allow players to use their bullets to affect the rolls.

Healthy Movement
For any movement roll, each player adds to their movement half their life tokens, rounded down, to their roll.  Any cards that effect the amount of spaces a player can move, affect the roll after the life tokens are added.  This effect does not happen while the player is using a jeep from the Zombie Corps(e) expansion Motor Pool.
Ex. A player rolls a 4 for movement, and has 5 life tokens.  His movement total is 6.  Another player plays the “Your Shoelaces are Untied” event card on this player.  His movement is now only 3.

Protected Helipad
For any Helipad tile that is placed, a Government Enhanced Zombie is placed on the center square.  Additionally, The “Alternate Food Source” event card has no effect on any Zombie on any Helipad tile.  They must be fought as normal.

Radioactive Zombies
At the end of each Zombie Movement Phase, each Government Enhanced Zombie infects 1 adjacent normal zombie, that zombie is returned to the zombie pool and a Government Enhanced Zombie is put in that zombie’s place.

Exploration
Rather than flip over a tile each turn, anytime the players reach the edge of the map, that player places a tile from the appropriate stack attached to where he stands at the edge.  Players may reveal multiple tiles per turn.  If a tile is revealed that does not fit because of roads leading into buildings, etc, that tile is shuffled into the stack and a new one is drawn.  As normal, though, when a helipad tile is revealed, the player with the lowest number of zombies gets to place it.  The player at the edge of the map draws a new tile.

Creator's Notes
The In-store Weaponry rule is one my friends and I have come to really love.  It's such a hassle to draw a weapon card and have to travel clear across town to use it, especially if it's not that great a weapon.  Plus, this system makes way more sense.  Anyone who wanders around in a store long enough should be able to find something they can use.

I've never actually played with the Radioactive Zombie rule (due to my lack of the Bag o' Glowing Zombies), but I very much want to.  I've always liked rules and mechanics that thrive on players getting into a panic to stop something horrible before it becomes worse.  I can see the Radioactive Zombie rule fitting that to a T.