Just got this in the mail and delighted to find you have a rundown of it!! Really enjoyed it. Will make sure to bust this one out when I have a bit of time to get into it.
Dawn of the Zeds is the solo game i spent the most time playing during lockdown. I've played it 12 times now, and only won it twice. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong, or perhaps it is as hard as it looks to me. But it's very much like the ghost stories experience. The difficulty is part of the charm. If you've been playing solo games lately, tell me what they are :)
Thanks for the video. I have been learning/playing This War of Mine, Oracle of Delphi, and Champions of Midgard solo during lockdown. I am not playing a solo variant of Oracle or Midgard, I simply play both players in a 2p game. Peace : ]
With my son, I've mostly been playing a lot of Unmatched, Star Realms, Memoir 44 and Century Golem. I've been taking the opportunity to learn some new games: Nemo's War, The Magnificent, Circadians. Dawn of the Zeds is waiting patiently in line. Also had some fun with Shadows/Gloom of Kilforth. Currently I'm playing Too Many Bones as I still haven't played all the Gearlocs and just received Splice and Dice. Too Many Games more like! Thanks for videos. Really enjoy them.
I noticed that you have the Rails expansion (stickers on the board). Once I incorporated the Rails, my win rate is almost 100% playing on level 4. I use all 4R moves on the trains as it's a much more efficient way to gain supplies, ammo, and the only consistent way to reduce infection. Importantly, they also provide a stackable shift to defense. I always build barricades on each path (leaving the tunnels without one on level 4+ unless I also have the stronghold) with a good hand to hand unit. The Furies are my favorite if you get a choice or luckily draw it. If an above ground path looks rough, I make sure to leave a train in that spot. That gives a triple shift which combined with a good HtH means usually rolling at human times 3 column. If a zed mob is tough, then I unload ammo to take one out but rarely use ammo otherwise. The semi truck hero unit from one of the expansions is also amazing as it has high health and strength and can hold a path on its own pretty much completely with a barricade and/or train. With this strategy I've found the game almost too easy and have considered removing the rails as the stackable shift and the ability to get supplies and ammo without a die roll seems to break some of the key game elements.
Rails are a huge swing to the player, no doubt about it. And yeah, the first game i won was immediately after adding in the rails. In the early game especially, its very easy to just slam those trains back and forth and get Ammo and extra actions. I almost feel like they should be able to do each stop's bonus once only. Still good, but it doesn't allow you to get to 10 ammo in a few turns and spend it like candy.
Dawn of the Zeds is one of my favourites once you get it going, but that setup can be a bit daunting. I also like Mage Knight, Nemo's War and Tainted Grail.
Ha, cheers. Steph and I took the boat over one day and walked the island with her mother. It was a nice day trip and that photo is from then. It was a lovely day and there's not many places nicer than Wellington on a good day
@@3MBG I've been out there 3 or 4 times now. I was one of the first people to use the tent area when they first opened it up to the public. After dinner that night I started hearing very loud bird noises, so I went out to investigate. Suddenly they stopped, and a little while later started up again. But it was different birds this time. Took me 20 minutes to find the source: a speaker they'd set up that was blasting out the sounds. Turns out they were using it to attract birds to the island. It was all very surreal. It's been ages since I've been out there. Probably time to take the whole family on a little outing.
You don't really need to read them all, they're split into 5 for ease of learning. The first one gives you the bare bones of what you need to play a basic game. Then the next one gives you a new set of rules for each new difficulty level. So you can play through each level adding in new rules as you go and by your last playthrough you have a solid understanding of everything. The other books are just for reference/scenario setups.
Yes and no. Yes, a series of terrible rolls will really hurt. But there are enough dice rolls that it all averages out throughout the game. Strategy matters an awful lot though. It is fiddly, but once you get familiar with it, its not so bad. Comparable to other heavy solos like Mage Knight. A bear to learn, but once learned you can play twice as fast
I know you were saying "fate", but my American ears kept hearing "fake" which sounded like a really interesting mechanic added to a game that is already full of betrayal. I wonder how adding fake cards into a real deck would create game play...
VPG have been absorbed by Game Salute, which is still publishing their more sucessful titles like this and Nemos War. As for the other state of siege games and the many many other neat VPG games, no one knows.
3 Minute Board Games I hope they pit Zulu's on the ramparts back out, that was a great game. There were a few games in their catalogue that I wanted to pick up that are gone now.
Small question : would you think, based on the massive list of games you played, that this game is worth the steep price? With the 3 expansions, it is 125USD/165$CAD and it feel that there is not a lot of content to justify the price? Thank you!
This looks interesting. Thank you as always for the amazing reviews. 🙂 Have you tried any of the expansions for it? Looked online and saw three of them. Looks like it's mostly card packs.
Yep, I added them in pretty early. The trains one helps out a lot and makes the game a good deal easier as the trains are just amazingly handy. The other two, one is rumours and events which is pretty cool, and gives you rewards for pushing back out and recapturing areas. And the other one is just mroe characters and cards for lower difficulty, which is great
@@3MBG I just got this with all three expansion packs. Would you recommend just putting them in play from the beginning or going through without first? Also, did you do the step by step game level or jump in a regular game?
Ah yep, and old Combat Resolution tables from SSI games and the like. And yeah, victory point games who designed and published this are a wargaming company. Dawn of the Zeds is part of the "state of siege" series, which was all about historic sieges. So it has its origins firmly in wargaming.
Just got this in the mail and delighted to find you have a rundown of it!! Really enjoyed it. Will make sure to bust this one out when I have a bit of time to get into it.
Just remember to take it slow. It's a massive meal of a game best eaten in small bites
One of my favorite solo games.
It’s coming this week by mail. I can’t wait till it reaches my doorstep!!
Nice score
Thank you for doing a solo mode focus, especially these times. I gotta ask why so many rulebooks ? Are most scenarios?
1.) Intro rules
2.) Scale up rules for each level
3.) Combined rules in one book
4.) Scenario book
5.) reference book for each unit/character
Dawn of the Zeds is the solo game i spent the most time playing during lockdown. I've played it 12 times now, and only won it twice. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong, or perhaps it is as hard as it looks to me. But it's very much like the ghost stories experience. The difficulty is part of the charm. If you've been playing solo games lately, tell me what they are :)
Thanks for the video. I have been learning/playing This War of Mine, Oracle of Delphi, and Champions of Midgard solo during lockdown. I am not playing a solo variant of Oracle or Midgard, I simply play both players in a 2p game. Peace : ]
With my son, I've mostly been playing a lot of Unmatched, Star Realms, Memoir 44 and Century Golem. I've been taking the opportunity to learn some new games: Nemo's War, The Magnificent, Circadians. Dawn of the Zeds is waiting patiently in line.
Also had some fun with Shadows/Gloom of Kilforth. Currently I'm playing Too Many Bones as I still haven't played all the Gearlocs and just received Splice and Dice. Too Many Games more like!
Thanks for videos. Really enjoy them.
I noticed that you have the Rails expansion (stickers on the board). Once I incorporated the Rails, my win rate is almost 100% playing on level 4. I use all 4R moves on the trains as it's a much more efficient way to gain supplies, ammo, and the only consistent way to reduce infection. Importantly, they also provide a stackable shift to defense. I always build barricades on each path (leaving the tunnels without one on level 4+ unless I also have the stronghold) with a good hand to hand unit. The Furies are my favorite if you get a choice or luckily draw it. If an above ground path looks rough, I make sure to leave a train in that spot. That gives a triple shift which combined with a good HtH means usually rolling at human times 3 column. If a zed mob is tough, then I unload ammo to take one out but rarely use ammo otherwise. The semi truck hero unit from one of the expansions is also amazing as it has high health and strength and can hold a path on its own pretty much completely with a barricade and/or train.
With this strategy I've found the game almost too easy and have considered removing the rails as the stackable shift and the ability to get supplies and ammo without a die roll seems to break some of the key game elements.
Rails are a huge swing to the player, no doubt about it. And yeah, the first game i won was immediately after adding in the rails. In the early game especially, its very easy to just slam those trains back and forth and get Ammo and extra actions. I almost feel like they should be able to do each stop's bonus once only. Still good, but it doesn't allow you to get to 10 ammo in a few turns and spend it like candy.
Dawn of the Zeds is one of my favourites once you get it going, but that setup can be a bit daunting. I also like Mage Knight, Nemo's War and Tainted Grail.
Love your videos, but always my favourite part is seeing a shot of Wellington from Somes/Matiu Island at the beginning.
Ha, cheers. Steph and I took the boat over one day and walked the island with her mother. It was a nice day trip and that photo is from then. It was a lovely day and there's not many places nicer than Wellington on a good day
@@3MBG I've been out there 3 or 4 times now. I was one of the first people to use the tent area when they first opened it up to the public. After dinner that night I started hearing very loud bird noises, so I went out to investigate. Suddenly they stopped, and a little while later started up again. But it was different birds this time. Took me 20 minutes to find the source: a speaker they'd set up that was blasting out the sounds. Turns out they were using it to attract birds to the island. It was all very surreal.
It's been ages since I've been out there. Probably time to take the whole family on a little outing.
Just got a notification about this game being available as a DLC for purchase with Tabletop Simulator. Now I have to try it out!
Ha? Wow, awesome. It would work really well on TTS
"Castle Panic" is about the level of tension I can take in my games :) I think I'll avoid this one. Great review as usual!
Ha, cheers. Weirdly, the games have a similar vibe, holding the center against an incoming swarm. Castle Panic is a seriously fun game
5 rule books seems a bit excessive... but hey if you need em you need em. Crammed alot of info in there quite nicely. Thanks for the video!
I think its manageable as they do step you through the difficulty levels, but the "full and final" rulebook is not set out how I would want it
You don't really need to read them all, they're split into 5 for ease of learning. The first one gives you the bare bones of what you need to play a basic game. Then the next one gives you a new set of rules for each new difficulty level. So you can play through each level adding in new rules as you go and by your last playthrough you have a solid understanding of everything. The other books are just for reference/scenario setups.
Great summary
Yet another great video!
Would you say it’s very luck dependent (good/bad dice rolls)? And is it fiddly/ a lot of book keeping?
Yes and no. Yes, a series of terrible rolls will really hurt. But there are enough dice rolls that it all averages out throughout the game. Strategy matters an awful lot though.
It is fiddly, but once you get familiar with it, its not so bad. Comparable to other heavy solos like Mage Knight. A bear to learn, but once learned you can play twice as fast
I know you were saying "fate", but my American ears kept hearing "fake" which sounded like a really interesting mechanic added to a game that is already full of betrayal.
I wonder how adding fake cards into a real deck would create game play...
Ha, weird idea.
With victory point games having gone under is this still available?
VPG have been absorbed by Game Salute, which is still publishing their more sucessful titles like this and Nemos War. As for the other state of siege games and the many many other neat VPG games, no one knows.
But you did spotlight exactly why I didn't give this a Gold Medal despite really enjoying it.
@@3MBG - From what I've heard, the new owners plan to continue selling Dawn of the Zeds, Nemo's War, and Darkest Night at the least.
Yeah, i hope they also redo Healthy Heart Hospital as well. That's a neat game
3 Minute Board Games I hope they pit Zulu's on the ramparts back out, that was a great game. There were a few games in their catalogue that I wanted to pick up that are gone now.
I wont complain about setting up eldrich horror again.
Small question : would you think, based on the massive list of games you played, that this game is worth the steep price? With the 3 expansions, it is 125USD/165$CAD and it feel that there is not a lot of content to justify the price? Thank you!
That seems excessive. The KS was 69US or 79US with all the add ones.
YOU ARE AWESOME! ❤❤❤
Thanks mike
This looks interesting. Thank you as always for the amazing reviews. 🙂
Have you tried any of the expansions for it? Looked online and saw three of them. Looks like it's mostly card packs.
Yep, I added them in pretty early. The trains one helps out a lot and makes the game a good deal easier as the trains are just amazingly handy. The other two, one is rumours and events which is pretty cool, and gives you rewards for pushing back out and recapturing areas. And the other one is just mroe characters and cards for lower difficulty, which is great
@@3MBG I just got this with all three expansion packs. Would you recommend just putting them in play from the beginning or going through without first?
Also, did you do the step by step game level or jump in a regular game?
Good stuff, merciless lol.
Shout out to my fellow Tabletop Simulator players!
Roll dice, then refer to the table.
What is this, a wargame from the 1980s?
Ah yep, and old Combat Resolution tables from SSI games and the like. And yeah, victory point games who designed and published this are a wargaming company. Dawn of the Zeds is part of the "state of siege" series, which was all about historic sieges. So it has its origins firmly in wargaming.
The combat actually works really well. The various characters add different dynamics to how it works. Rerolls, special abilities etc.