So I have been working on a rule set to add a zombie dynamic to a standard game of Risk. A couple groups of friends have tried it out and it has resulted in what I am loosely considering to be version 1.5 of the game.
I've had two main goals in this game... first, to simulate how a zombie apocalypse (World War Z-flavored) might effect a world-wide war, and second, to keep the game undeniably Risk, playable out of the standard box with no new pieces required.
The last set of revisions were to make the Zombie Hordes more powerful... in the first version, they were little more than a petty annoyance.
There may very well be another version of this online somewhere... this is the internet, after all, and enough people like Zombies and Risk to have tried this before. But, if you like me enjoy Zombies and Risk and don't yet have a version you like, or are willing to try another, give this a wing sometime and let me know what you think.
If anyone Math savvy has an idea for a formula to calculate the odds of zombie victory depending on opposing strength, I'd appreciate it.
Anyway, here are the rules. If you try it, let me know how it goes, and ideas for tweaks are welcomed as well. I have added notes with the reasons behind various rules, reporting on what has been experienced to this point, in case that helps. Thank you in advance, and I hope you and those who play with you have fun! I certainly have.
==================
Risk: Zombie Edition
For the most part, the game works the same way as standard Risk, with the following changes relating to Zombie Behavior.
Initial Game start:
After starting territories have been assigned to players, all territory cards are returned to main deck, which is shuffled. Two cards are then drawn for each player in the game. This represents the initial Zombie Outbreak. Three zombie armies (pick any unused color) is placed in each territory selected, in addition to the player army already there.
Infected zones-
An infected zone is a zone that has both human and zombie units within it. Such zones still count as belonging to that player, and count towards continents held, armies received, etc. However, if a player ends their turn with infections remaining in their territories, the infection spreads, with the effect that a human army in the infected zone is replaced with a zombie army. Once all human armies have been removed, the zone has been overrun, and is no longer in the possession of that player.
(Allowing Human and Zombie armies to coexist at a penalty is to make it possible for the players, representing the political power in that region, to ignore the Infection in favor of dealing with more pressing issues, IE, other players, that ignoring being an important part of the zombie mythos.)
Overrun Zones-
Overrun Zones are territories with zombie armies but no human armies. After every player has taken a turn, the zombie hordes grow as the zombies feast on civilians hiding in the region. An additional zombie army is placed in each overrun zone for every two bordering nations (with a minimum of 1) at the start of the zombie turn. Once the Zombies have at least four units, They start attacking neighboring territories.
Zombie Hordes will attack the largest concentration of humanity in their proximity. So, if an overrun territory has two neighbors, one with four human armies, the other with two, the zombies will attack the force with four armies. If the forces of bordering nations is even (two neighbors with three human armies each) then the zombies will choose an Infected zone over one without an infection. If numbers are even and all are either Infected or Clean, then the zombies will choose their target randomly.
Taking an Overrun zone does not earn the player a card for conquering a territory.
(The armies of the players do not represent the whole of the population of the planet... this allowed me a dynamic for zombie hordes to slowly grow in strength. The most recent rule change slowed the assault on other zones to allow zombies to build up sufficient attacking strength. The preference for Infected zones as targets is a nod to a zombie following anothers moan.)
Zombie Combat-
The primary change is that any human unit that dies fighting a zombie horde will become itself a zombie horde, which must then be dealt with. As it requires a headshot to kill a zombie, zombies always win ties.
When a horde from an overrun zone attacks a human held stronghold, or when fighting in an infected zone, the human defenders have the advantage, allowed to use up to three dice (assuming they have at least three armies) to defend. Human casualties during this time do not immediately join the invading horde. When the battle has been resolved, assuming the human defenders won, they may then choose to attack the infected units with the same advantages. They do not have to, however. If they choose not to, the new zombie units remain, and their zone has become Infected.
When attacking an Overrun zone, things move even more in the Zombies favor, with Zombie ?defenders? getting to use up to three dice in their defense. Human armies that fall in attack, after being turned, remain in the Overrun zone if the attack is called off.
(This was my first break from my chosen Zombie Theme in favor of gameplay. Originally, defending human players had a bigger advantage, to represent the defensive combat style that is successful in World War Z. This made it difficult for Zombies to make any headway, however, especially given that Zombies always attacked the largest force available. I didn't want to give that up, so the new combat rules were the compromise we made.)
Fighting alongside the Infection:
If a player attacks an Infected Zone held by another player, they must first resolve player-player combat between them normally. However, any armies killed in the process become zombies. This only happens in player vs player fighting within Infected Zones.
If the conquering player takes an Infected Zone and does not then resolve the Infection, they lose an army to the horde at the end of their turn as usual.
(The second major change to this version of the rules, and another break from the zombie theme. Humans dying from bullets, of course, should not reanimate. Maybe this is a GI Joe army where no one dies, their tanks just get blown up, until they are bitten by zombies, of course. Another way to jumpstart the zombie hordes, and another long-term repercussion of ignoring infections in the short term.)
Further Outbreaks:
As the war continues, further outbreaks will occur. Whenever a player plays cards for an army bonus, three zombie armies appear in each named zone. Wild cards allow the player to choose a zone where this occurs. (This is a biological attack by that player.)
(Initially, additional outbreaks only occurred if the zombies were entirely defeated. In testing, the later outbreaks proved to be the most unpredictable part, and increasing their occurrence was recommended. This meant eliminating a refugee dynamic that I quite liked, but oh well. The wild card wrinkle was one of my favorite new dynamics, anyway, and so increasing the times it occurred seemed like a pretty good idea.)
The Size of the Horde:
At the start of the game, total zombie numbers worldwide are limited to the number of armies of their color in play. This changes if a player is eliminated by Zombies, see below.
(This was mainly so that players would not need new pieces to play the game. It turned out to be entirely unnecessary as the zombies were too weak to gain any significant numbers. If the new combat rules work as planned, this could possibly come into play.)
The Infection Spreads:
If an overrun zone is bordered entirely by other overrun zones, its zombie population (leaving the one that must remain in every zone) moves one territory towards the closest human population by territory count. If multiple zones are an equal distance away, the one with the larger population is preferred. If army counts are even, Infected zones are preferred over clean. If infection status is even, choose randomly.
Once an entire continent is overrun by the zombie hordes, the largest zombie force on that continent receives a one-time bonus of that continents army bonus in the last territory to fall. In addition, that continent cannot be used for human army bonuses of any kind (either territory count or full continent bonus) until all zombie units, including those in merely Infested territories, has been destroyed.
If a human player is finished off by zombie attack, their cards are shown immediately. Any overrun zones gain a four zombie army bonus. Wild cards result in every zombie zone receiving and additional two armies. Their color is then also "Infected," and so their color is added to the Zombie numbers. Therefore, the first player to be eliminated by the Zombies doubles the potential strength of the Horde.
(The Zombie Endgame... as the Horde grows to apocalyptic levels, resources to survivors start getting cut off. Losing whole continents until the zombies are destroyed is meant to mimic the end of World War Z... the slow reclamation of lost territory, and I hoped that by losing continents, such a vital part of the Risk system, to give players that feeling.
The "Infected Color" dynamic was added as another long-term consequence to short term convenience. It could be easy to just allow a large zombie horde to wipe out another player, but the burst of outbreaks world wide is meant to represent the panic caused by the loss of a major power, like the final report from Buenos Aires in World War Z. I don't know if the additional zombie numbers will matter at all... not sure how large the zombie army can reasonably get.)
Partial Victory-
Once only one human player remains against the zombie horde, they may declare a partial victory by taking complete control of all infections in the continents they hold a stake in. For example, if Doug is the last human player, with territory held in North and South America, he may declare a partial victory if he is able to take full control of North and South America with no Zombie Infections within his borders. Even if the Zombie hordes drive him out of North America, taking full control of South America can let him claim partial victory.
(This rule is entirely so players don't necessarily have to watch a single player play an NPC for an hour, while having a system in which the player has something to fight for. Of course, fighting the zombies sometimes just makes them stronger, and I wanted a potential total zombie win scenario, so a player couldn't just hope to outlast others.)
Eliminating the Infection-
When the last zombie unit is removed from the board, the player who removed it gets an extra card at the end of their turn as a reward. The zombies will of course return when the next outbreak (cards played) occurs.
(A concession to remove the sting of a lack of victory cards for taking Overrun zones. There should be some game advantage to wiping out the Horde, even if they do keep coming back. This is a double-edged sword, of course, as the additional card only speeds their return.)
I've had two main goals in this game... first, to simulate how a zombie apocalypse (World War Z-flavored) might effect a world-wide war, and second, to keep the game undeniably Risk, playable out of the standard box with no new pieces required.
The last set of revisions were to make the Zombie Hordes more powerful... in the first version, they were little more than a petty annoyance.
There may very well be another version of this online somewhere... this is the internet, after all, and enough people like Zombies and Risk to have tried this before. But, if you like me enjoy Zombies and Risk and don't yet have a version you like, or are willing to try another, give this a wing sometime and let me know what you think.
If anyone Math savvy has an idea for a formula to calculate the odds of zombie victory depending on opposing strength, I'd appreciate it.
Anyway, here are the rules. If you try it, let me know how it goes, and ideas for tweaks are welcomed as well. I have added notes with the reasons behind various rules, reporting on what has been experienced to this point, in case that helps. Thank you in advance, and I hope you and those who play with you have fun! I certainly have.
==================
Risk: Zombie Edition
For the most part, the game works the same way as standard Risk, with the following changes relating to Zombie Behavior.
Initial Game start:
After starting territories have been assigned to players, all territory cards are returned to main deck, which is shuffled. Two cards are then drawn for each player in the game. This represents the initial Zombie Outbreak. Three zombie armies (pick any unused color) is placed in each territory selected, in addition to the player army already there.
Infected zones-
An infected zone is a zone that has both human and zombie units within it. Such zones still count as belonging to that player, and count towards continents held, armies received, etc. However, if a player ends their turn with infections remaining in their territories, the infection spreads, with the effect that a human army in the infected zone is replaced with a zombie army. Once all human armies have been removed, the zone has been overrun, and is no longer in the possession of that player.
(Allowing Human and Zombie armies to coexist at a penalty is to make it possible for the players, representing the political power in that region, to ignore the Infection in favor of dealing with more pressing issues, IE, other players, that ignoring being an important part of the zombie mythos.)
Overrun Zones-
Overrun Zones are territories with zombie armies but no human armies. After every player has taken a turn, the zombie hordes grow as the zombies feast on civilians hiding in the region. An additional zombie army is placed in each overrun zone for every two bordering nations (with a minimum of 1) at the start of the zombie turn. Once the Zombies have at least four units, They start attacking neighboring territories.
Zombie Hordes will attack the largest concentration of humanity in their proximity. So, if an overrun territory has two neighbors, one with four human armies, the other with two, the zombies will attack the force with four armies. If the forces of bordering nations is even (two neighbors with three human armies each) then the zombies will choose an Infected zone over one without an infection. If numbers are even and all are either Infected or Clean, then the zombies will choose their target randomly.
Taking an Overrun zone does not earn the player a card for conquering a territory.
(The armies of the players do not represent the whole of the population of the planet... this allowed me a dynamic for zombie hordes to slowly grow in strength. The most recent rule change slowed the assault on other zones to allow zombies to build up sufficient attacking strength. The preference for Infected zones as targets is a nod to a zombie following anothers moan.)
Zombie Combat-
The primary change is that any human unit that dies fighting a zombie horde will become itself a zombie horde, which must then be dealt with. As it requires a headshot to kill a zombie, zombies always win ties.
When a horde from an overrun zone attacks a human held stronghold, or when fighting in an infected zone, the human defenders have the advantage, allowed to use up to three dice (assuming they have at least three armies) to defend. Human casualties during this time do not immediately join the invading horde. When the battle has been resolved, assuming the human defenders won, they may then choose to attack the infected units with the same advantages. They do not have to, however. If they choose not to, the new zombie units remain, and their zone has become Infected.
When attacking an Overrun zone, things move even more in the Zombies favor, with Zombie ?defenders? getting to use up to three dice in their defense. Human armies that fall in attack, after being turned, remain in the Overrun zone if the attack is called off.
(This was my first break from my chosen Zombie Theme in favor of gameplay. Originally, defending human players had a bigger advantage, to represent the defensive combat style that is successful in World War Z. This made it difficult for Zombies to make any headway, however, especially given that Zombies always attacked the largest force available. I didn't want to give that up, so the new combat rules were the compromise we made.)
Fighting alongside the Infection:
If a player attacks an Infected Zone held by another player, they must first resolve player-player combat between them normally. However, any armies killed in the process become zombies. This only happens in player vs player fighting within Infected Zones.
If the conquering player takes an Infected Zone and does not then resolve the Infection, they lose an army to the horde at the end of their turn as usual.
(The second major change to this version of the rules, and another break from the zombie theme. Humans dying from bullets, of course, should not reanimate. Maybe this is a GI Joe army where no one dies, their tanks just get blown up, until they are bitten by zombies, of course. Another way to jumpstart the zombie hordes, and another long-term repercussion of ignoring infections in the short term.)
Further Outbreaks:
As the war continues, further outbreaks will occur. Whenever a player plays cards for an army bonus, three zombie armies appear in each named zone. Wild cards allow the player to choose a zone where this occurs. (This is a biological attack by that player.)
(Initially, additional outbreaks only occurred if the zombies were entirely defeated. In testing, the later outbreaks proved to be the most unpredictable part, and increasing their occurrence was recommended. This meant eliminating a refugee dynamic that I quite liked, but oh well. The wild card wrinkle was one of my favorite new dynamics, anyway, and so increasing the times it occurred seemed like a pretty good idea.)
The Size of the Horde:
At the start of the game, total zombie numbers worldwide are limited to the number of armies of their color in play. This changes if a player is eliminated by Zombies, see below.
(This was mainly so that players would not need new pieces to play the game. It turned out to be entirely unnecessary as the zombies were too weak to gain any significant numbers. If the new combat rules work as planned, this could possibly come into play.)
The Infection Spreads:
If an overrun zone is bordered entirely by other overrun zones, its zombie population (leaving the one that must remain in every zone) moves one territory towards the closest human population by territory count. If multiple zones are an equal distance away, the one with the larger population is preferred. If army counts are even, Infected zones are preferred over clean. If infection status is even, choose randomly.
Once an entire continent is overrun by the zombie hordes, the largest zombie force on that continent receives a one-time bonus of that continents army bonus in the last territory to fall. In addition, that continent cannot be used for human army bonuses of any kind (either territory count or full continent bonus) until all zombie units, including those in merely Infested territories, has been destroyed.
If a human player is finished off by zombie attack, their cards are shown immediately. Any overrun zones gain a four zombie army bonus. Wild cards result in every zombie zone receiving and additional two armies. Their color is then also "Infected," and so their color is added to the Zombie numbers. Therefore, the first player to be eliminated by the Zombies doubles the potential strength of the Horde.
(The Zombie Endgame... as the Horde grows to apocalyptic levels, resources to survivors start getting cut off. Losing whole continents until the zombies are destroyed is meant to mimic the end of World War Z... the slow reclamation of lost territory, and I hoped that by losing continents, such a vital part of the Risk system, to give players that feeling.
The "Infected Color" dynamic was added as another long-term consequence to short term convenience. It could be easy to just allow a large zombie horde to wipe out another player, but the burst of outbreaks world wide is meant to represent the panic caused by the loss of a major power, like the final report from Buenos Aires in World War Z. I don't know if the additional zombie numbers will matter at all... not sure how large the zombie army can reasonably get.)
Partial Victory-
Once only one human player remains against the zombie horde, they may declare a partial victory by taking complete control of all infections in the continents they hold a stake in. For example, if Doug is the last human player, with territory held in North and South America, he may declare a partial victory if he is able to take full control of North and South America with no Zombie Infections within his borders. Even if the Zombie hordes drive him out of North America, taking full control of South America can let him claim partial victory.
(This rule is entirely so players don't necessarily have to watch a single player play an NPC for an hour, while having a system in which the player has something to fight for. Of course, fighting the zombies sometimes just makes them stronger, and I wanted a potential total zombie win scenario, so a player couldn't just hope to outlast others.)
Eliminating the Infection-
When the last zombie unit is removed from the board, the player who removed it gets an extra card at the end of their turn as a reward. The zombies will of course return when the next outbreak (cards played) occurs.
(A concession to remove the sting of a lack of victory cards for taking Overrun zones. There should be some game advantage to wiping out the Horde, even if they do keep coming back. This is a double-edged sword, of course, as the additional card only speeds their return.)