ZOMBIE DICE 2: DOUBLE FEATURE

The dice game Zombie Dice is a simple, fun game where the players are zombies, rolling special dice to try to eat brains (and win), see a target flee (not good), or get blasted with a shotgun (bad). So what more could you want? How about two dice representing Hollywood heroes? And one that's Santa Claus? Zombie Dice 2: Double Feature adds three new dice -- and three new ways of playing with them -- to the pursuit of brrrrrrainsssssss...

As one might expect, the Hollywood dice are tougher, while Santa provides gift. The Hunk (black die with white images) has the following sides: 2 feet (to run away), 2 shotguns, 1 double shotgun (which equals two blasts), and 1 double brain (double points). The Hottie (black die with pink images) has these sides: 3 feet, 2 shotguns, and 1 brain. What's worse (for you, not for your intended meals), they can rescue each other: If you scored brains from the Hunk or the Hottie and the other die rolls shotguns, the die that had scored gets put back in the cup. So not only are these two harder to kill, but they're harder to keep.

As for Saint Nick, he's surprisingly generous to the zombies out to kill him. His die sides are: 1 brain, 1 shotgun, 1 feet, 1 double brain -- and two sides with gifts. If you roll the Energy Drink, you're fast -- and any green feet that are rolled for the rest of your turn are turned into brains. And if you roll the Helmet, you're tough and require four shotgun blasts to kill this turn.

These special dice replace certain regular Zombie Dice dice depending on the scenario: Big Summer Action Movie has the Hunk and Hottie; Santa Claus Meets the Zombies has Santa; and The Direct-to-Video Sequel has all three new dice (and they can all rescue each other). Much like the core game, Zombie Dice 2 is simple, oddly twisted, and fun to play. Adding only one-to-three dice means they won't come up every round but will almost certainly appear a few times during a game. They provide bigger rewards, but the Hollywood heroes also pose greater threats. And the new dice (and rules for them) fit nicely in the original Zombie Dice cup.

Zombie Dice 2: Double Feature is a fun, easy-to-learn addition to a fun, easy-to-learn game.

Overall grade: B
Reviewed by James Lynch

ZOMBIE DICE

So, do you like rolling dice and eating brains? Then Zombie Dice is the game for you! This Steve Jackson Games has the players as zombies, competing to eat the most brains first.

The key to Zombie Dice is, well, the zombie dice. These six-sided dice have three symbols: Brain, which you need to win; Shotgun, which can end your turn; and Footprints, which mean your would-be victim got away. Dice come in three colors: green, which have three Brains, two Footprints, and one Shotgun; yellow, with two of each symbol; and red, with three Shotguns, two Footprints and one Brain.

Each turn a player shakes the cup holding the dice, selects three dice at random, and rolls them. If a player gets three Shotgun Blasts their turn ends. If not, they can stop or keep going. A player who stops scores a Brain for each Brain rolled (keeping track of them by something other than the dice), puts all the dice back in the cup, and passes it to the next player for their turn. If a player keeps going they set aside any Brains and Shotguns rolled, then reroll any Footprints, plus more random dice until they have three dice to roll. Players can get more Brains if the keep going -- but if they ever have three Shotguns they lose all the Brains they scored that round and their turn ends.

When a player scores 13 Brains, players finish the round (the rules don't specify exactly what this means; my interpretation is each player gets one more turn) and whoever has the most Brains at the end wins!

Much like Steve Jackson Games' Cthuhu Dice, Zombie Dice is very simple and very quick. I'd give the edge to Zombie Dice for having more strategy. This game does have a big risk-big reward element, and knowing just by color which dice are more potnetially helpful or harmful will influence whether or not a player pushes their luck. Zombie Dice is a fun, easy, diverting little game. Brrrrrrainsssssss...

Overall grade: B
Reviewed by James Lynch