Oh no... zombies!

Tonight I want to review a board game that I received for Christmas called "Oh no... zombies!"  It's put out by a company called Accoutrements LLC (http://www.accoutrements.com) and is for 2-4 players aged 12+.  I'd like to tell you how much it costs but since I got it for Christmas I'm not going to go find that out.  I'm sure it says the cost on the website.  The description of the game from the back of the box is as follows:

"It's come to this.  You're trapped in the middle of nowhere inside a rundown shack surrounded by zombies.  Your cell phone doesn't get reception and the land lines just emit a constant busy signal.  Your only hope for survival is to get to one of the abandoned stores so you can get a battery for the CB radio in the shack and a shotgun to help you survive the trip back.  Good luck with that..."

I like this game and I think the biggest reason why is that at the start of the game you're outnumbered by zombies even if you're playing with all four players.  The second reason is that you can be turned into a zombie and still win the game which is pretty awesome.  The zombies move on every player's turn and are controlled by the player behind you (the way it's done is actually pretty cool, too) which makes the zombie action pretty good for a board game. 

When you start you don't have any weapons and have to land on a spot with a weapon to get it.  Most of the weapons (like the cricket bat) won't kill a zombie but will allow you to run away from the zombie and the only weapon that will kill a zombie is the shotgun that you find at the store with the batteries.  If you don't have any weapons and you run into a zombie (or one stumbles into you) then there's a pile of cards and you pick one to decide your fate.  This is where you can become a zombie.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "But Tom, if you're turned into a zombie how can you possibly win the game?"  Yes, at first one would think that becoming a zombie is the most obvious way to lose but actually the way the game handles this is rather elegant.  Even if you're a zombie you may still win the game if you prevent any of the human players from getting back to the shack with the batteries.

Let me tell you why I like this.  In zombie media it's fairly rare that the tale of the zombie is told.  Now I know we've all read stories written from the zombie's point of view and there are a few movies that tell a zombie's story.  But let's face it:  the number of stories, books, and games about humans fighting zombies far outweighs the number of such media describing the zombie struggle.  This game is better than either because it gives both sides.  One minute you're fighting for your life against a vicious brain eater and the next you're drooling from the mouth and dreaming of when you'll get your first taste of delicious, delicious brains.

Bottom line:  this game is easy to learn, fun to play and makes you think about the hardships faced by both humans and zombies today.  I recommend you buy this game and play it with your family.