The Daily Procrastinator

Take note, procrastinators. I’m about to do something I’ve never done before. I’m going to write a review for a board game. Although online game reviewers generally focus on video games, I just can’t resist the urge to spread the word about Last Night On Earth: The Zombie Game.

“What manner of game is this?” you may ask. The game gurus at boardgamegeek.com sum it up as follows:

Last Night on Earth, The Zombie Game is a survival horror board game that pits small-town Heroes head-to-head against a limitless horde of Zombies (players can play on the Hero team or as the Zombies). A modular board randomly determines the layout of the town at the start of each game and there are several different scenarios to play, adding lots of replayability. Fast Paced Game Play with Easy To Learn rules allows players to jump right into the action, while Strategic Depth and Strong Cooperative Play keeps the game interesting. To achieve a horror movie feel, all of the art for the game is photographic and the game comes with a CD Soundtrack of original music.

Basically, LNOE requires at least two players (although it can accommodate as many as six with ease). Some of the players control the aforementioned small-town heroes, while others control the shambling hordes of undead. In each scenario, the heroes have a goal; achieving this goal means that the heroes win. Conversely, the zombies also have a goal, which generally involves thwarting the heroes and/or eating their brains.

The genius of this game is in the design. The board is modular, and the pieces are chosen at random before the beginning of each game. The center piece of the board is square, and it has an empty town square on one side. The other side features an area called The Manor. One of these two sides is the center of the board for every game. Around the edges, players place four randomly selected L-shaped pieces which surround the center and create a much larger square.

In this set-up, the center square is The Manor. The L-shaped pieces around The Manor define the rest of the playing field. There are literally dozens of possible set-ups.

The depth of the game continues as the Hero players select their heroes. The game includes eight heroes, each of whom has individual abilities and powers. The players draw four heroes at random before the game begins, and this is the group that must attempt to defeat the zombie menace. Finally, gameplay is varied because of the Scenario Cards. The game contains a number of scenarios from which the players choose before the game begins. These scenarios set the goal that the heroes must achieve to win the game, how the zombies can thwart them, and how many turns are allowed for the heroes to achieve their goal before the sun goes down and the zombies win by default. With the changeable board, randomly selected heroes, and multiple scenarios, I’m sure that one could play LNOE for months without repeating a game.

Another cool feature of this game is the detailed miniatures. Each hero character (all of whom fit the stereotypical zombie-movie roles: the drifter, the high school quarterback, the girlfriend, the sheriff, etc.) has a matching miniature. Check ‘em out:

Behold: The Heroes!

Likewise, the zombie miniatures are cool and creepy. See?

Urrrrrrgh. Mmmmmmph. Grrrrrrrrmmmmm.

Besides looking cool, the game plays very smoothly. Each turn consists of several steps, and laminated cards are included to remind the players the order in which they should do business. Hero Cards and Zombie Cards that are drawn by the appropriate players can alter the game for one turn or for the remainder of the game. The rulebook makes things sound a bit complicated, but after playing the game for a few turns, it all becomes clear.

Although I haven’t played them, I understand that the manufacturers of Last Night On Earth have created several expansion packs for the game, which contribute additional modular gameboard pieces, additional heroes, additional scenarios, and additional undead mayhem.

Thus far, I’ve played three games of LNOE (I don’t own it personally, but I plan to buy it soon), and I’ve had a blast each time. I prefer to play the zombies, but I’m sure the heroes are fun, too. They certainly have all the cool toys. The $45-$50 cost of the game may seem prohibitive, but the many hours of gameplay that I will get out of LNOE are well worth it, especially since it still costs less than the average XBOX360 game. For any group of friends who enjoy getting together for some drinks, some laughs, and a night of shouting things like “Urrrrgh!” or “Yes! Death by shotgun!” or “Avoid the truck! There’s a zombie in there!”, Last Night On Earth would be a fantastic purchase. I know I’m going to buy it soon.