Zombie Dice - Tips & Strategies

It is only briefly mentioned in the rules, (heck EVERYTHING is only briefly mentioned in the rules) but keep in mind just because someone hit 13 doesn’t mean the game is over. Unless the last player to play the round just hit 13, everyone else who has not yet played that round still gets an opportunity to match or beat that score.

So, remember, just because you got your lucky thirteenth brain, you may not want to just quit and score it, because your buddy on the left may end up with more!

This small, inexpensive expansion to Zombie Dice is a must have, especially for fans of the game.

The three dice, when played all at once, add another layer of gameplay and help to keep things fresh/interesting.

The hunk (white die) has a LOT of shotguns (even a DOUBLE shotgun!). But eating his brain is even more yummy! (Double Brain). The hottie (pink die) is somehow fast in those high heel shoes (lots of feet on the die).

Santa (red die) brings you presents! Double Brains, Energy Drinks (change feet to brains), and a Helmet (4 shotguns instead of 3 before “bust”). He also, of course, has his own brain (single), and a shotgun blast.

All of these can work together. A shotgun blast from one of these new dice, can “Free” a brain previously rolled on another (ie, the Hunk frees the Hottie, etc).

This expansion adds enough to the gameplay without GREATLY changing it. It feels like just the right amount of change, and we never play without all 3 expansion dice anymore (You can play with one, two, or all of them). They replace 3 dice from the original game (yellow and green).

I like to shake the dice hard in the cup, so I glued a small circle of felt to the bottom and then glued the bottom to the cup. Now I can shake to my heart’s content without being excessively loud.

I find that this is a great game for kids, but if you find that the idea of your young one eating brains is just too morbid, consider this alternative.

Instead of explaining that the dice are your victims, they represent you and your friends efforts against the bad guys. Feet means you got away, the gun blast indicates you got knocked down and brains mean you outsmarted your adversary.

Not good enough? If the game sounds good but you still can’t get past the zombies, consider another Steve Jackson game called Trophy Buck. Same basic premise with deer. Who doesn’t love Bambi?

http://www.sjgames.com/dice/trophybuck/

It’s nothing deep or anything, but I enjoy rolling these solo to see how many points I can score BEFORE I shotgun (which ends the game in this variant). It’s not the deepest experience, especially solo, but I still find it fun to see how far I can push my luck without shotgunning myself (3 shotgun blasts, as per normal rules). It’s fun and simple enough to kill a few minutes in an airport, pub, doctors office, etc.

To keep it going, one other thing to add is to make the lose condition to accumulate five shotgun blasts, and have them stay around/accumulate for the entire game (like brains). This way it is at least impossible for you to shotgun yourself out of the game with one bad roll, but still not make it go on forever, overstaying it’s welcome.

(If you have an iOS device, you could alternatively just get the free app, which has cool sound effects, a zombie who’s head explodes when he gets shotgunned, and allows for AI players and pass-and-play multiplayer. However, even my wife says it’s just not as fun as rolling the dice yourself. It’s just not the same thing pushing a button and having the dice roll for you, but it’s not horrible by any means if you enjoy Zombie Dice already)

Since this game is ultra casual, losing really isn’t a big deal. Also, if you’re playing with 4 or more players, odds are ONE person is going to get ridiculously lucky. Why not have it be you? Sure, you could lose with 0 points, but you might also roll 13 in a single round! Besides, playing the strategical way is fun at first but becomes dull after awhile.

The stowage/draw cup can be taxing on the hand, since it has hard edges, So replace it with a dice bag for drawing the dice. The bag can easily be stuffed into the stowage container. Keeping the game still portable.

Although I usually stay in and gamble, because what’s the fun of a risk game if you don’t take a risk, if you get a tough draw, with multiple yellow or red dice, consider ending your turn if you successfully catch some brains.

Green dice have 3 brains, and only 1 shotgun blast.

Yellow dice have 2 brains and 2 shotgun blasts.

Red dice have 1 brain and 3 shotgun blasts.

When you start having to roll 2 or more yellows and reds, the odds are not in your favor, and it may be time to hunker down and snack on some tasty gray matter.

Everyone should understand the special rules for when you use up most of the dice in the cup. Your turn does not end just because you ran out of dice. This is important during the final round, after someone has gone over 13. It means that even a brainless (he he) player could catch up and win!

Most of us agree that the shaker cup that comes with the game is a bit small for large hands. So, here’s what I do… If I’m playing the game at home, I generally use my black leather dice cup for rolling since it’s nice and quiet and just plain awesome. And I place the extra dice for rolling (if you dare roll again) in a wide-mouth drawstring bag, big enough to accommodate large hands. I made the bag out of pink sinewy fabric, which I call the “Brain Bag.” It adds a nice little touch to the game and is a big hit with the kids………… and the adults!

If I’m taking the game on the road, I just roll up the Brain Bag, tuck it nice and tight inside the original container, and I’m on my way! Brrrrraaaaaaaiiinnss!