The Gang's All Here |
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The Gang's All Here
by Nate Scheidler
"Dude, the helicopter pilot, where is he?" asked Rick, his voice rising to compete with the ubiquitous moaning and car alarms, and the occasional gunshot, coming from all around them.
Chris glanced from the helicopter cockpit at Rick. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe he had to hit the john, or something."
"Great," Rick muttered. "Just great."
"C'mon," Chris told him, "we'll head back to the house, figure something else out." He had the queerest sense of déjà vu as he spoke these words.
"No way, dude," Rick replied. "That takes us right down Main Street. Its like Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras down there," he said. "We won't make it a block..."
A shot rang out from close by and Rick and Chris dropped instinctively, looking immediately for the source, just in time to see the zombie that had been coming around from behind the chopper drop to his knees, then fall flat and lay still.
A voice called from the ruins of the appliance store at the edge of the park. "You there by the helicopter, you okay?"
Chris waved and rose slowly, Rick following suit a moment later. A lone figure, a male in his early twenties, stepped through the shattered plate glass storefront and sprinted across the open space to the helicopter.
"Nice shot," Chris remarked as the man reached them.
"Yeah, well I've had a little practice over the last two days," the man replied. "I'm Jonas," he said, extending his hand. "Are either of you the pilot?"
"Afraid not," Chris told him. "I'm Chris, this is Rick. We're just looking for a way out here." Jonas nodded, obviously a bit disappointed. "Any idea what happened to the pilot?" Chris asked.
"I just got here a few minutes ago myself. I missed him, but one of the other guys told me that the chopper's fuel tank is bone dry. The pilot made an emergency landing and ran off to find fuel."
"Other guys?" Rick asked.
"Yeah, there have been five or six other people here already. Most of them went off to find the pilot, see if they could help." Jonas grinned. "I figured I'd just wait for him here. I was hoping one of you guys were him." He shrugged.
"Sorry to disappoint," Rick muttered.
Chris was silent as he considered everything Jonas was saying. He glanced back at the helicopter. It had room for four. Pilot one. Chris two. Rick three. Jonas four. Five or six other....
Five or six too many....
Objectives
Welcome to The Gang's All Here, the rule set where pretty much anything goes and the dead just keep on coming...
In The Gang's All Here, the players are survivors of the ongoing zombie outbreak who have been brought together by a singular event - a helicopter landing in the town square. Converging on the scene alone or in small groups, the players find the helicopter intact and as yet undisturbed by the living dead. They also find that the vehicle is out of fuel and the pilot has gone missing (apparently to find said fuel!). So, the race is on to find fuel and the pilot and to return to the helicopter (town square tile) before...well, you know. But be warned, there is only room on the craft for four people and one of those will be the pilot, meaning that only up to three others can escape - and there are currently twelve of you...
The Rules They Are A'Changin'
The rules for The Gang's All Here include several important changes that will significantly impact strategy and game play, namely:
- The "25 kills" rule is gone. Players can kill one zombie or a hundred; it makes no difference with respect to winning the game (though it obviously may be a bit easier to get around with fewer of the living dead on the board).
- There is also a 3 hour time limit to game play. At that point, something grossly unfortunate happens to the surviving players - the pilot is killed or escapes, the helicopter is damaged by looters or the undead, or (my favorite), the government attempts to "sanitize" areas with overwhelming concentrations of the undead (such as the current board) and nukes the site.... Any which way, if someone hasn't escaped within three hours, everyone loses.
- Players can now injure or kill other players. It has been said that the greatest threat to individual survival during a zombie plague will not be the undead, but our fellow human beings, so these rules include provisions for player-on-player combat and consequences.
- It is now possible to have two player pawns or two zombies on a single space. This will allow for "multiples" combat scenarios (detailed later) and adds a bit to that crushing sense of hopelessness you're supposed to feel when literally swarmed by a horde of the undead. There can be no more than two pawns of any type on a single space ever (unless you are stepping over the broken form of a fallen enemy...)
- Finally, players who run out of heart tokens are no longer "re-spawned" at the town square (or front door, or front gate, or bridge), but are actually done playing as survivors. Of course, in a world where the dead walk, this does not mean that these players are necessarily out of the game...
Game Setup
The Gang's All Here can be played with just the core Zombies!!! game, but is intended to be played utilizing the core product and one or more of the game expansions.
The game board is set up as follows:
Core game alone: Place the town square tile in the center of your table as per the standard rules. Then locate the helicopter tile and place this somewhere in the bottom half of tile deck. The object of The Gang's All Here is to locate helicopter fuel and the helicopter pilot. In the core game setting, the helicopter map tile represents the pilot's location and the last tile available is where the player placing it finds the required fuel. Though the pilot is not represented on the board, he is assumed to be traveling with the player(s) who first located him unless or until that player/those players are eliminated. He remains at that location unmolested by the living dead (presumably hiding in a tree or an empty car or building) until recovered by another player or players. He then travels with the player(s) who retrieve him from that new location. The player(s) who place the last map tile is/are the one(s) who have located the fuel for the helicopter. Rules for moving and retaining this fuel are the same as for moving and retaining the pilot.
Core game and one expansion: If you are utilizing the core game and one expansion, place the town square tile and the starting tile for the expansion together in the center of the table so that they are connected, allowing players to pass freely between both "halves" of the board. Keep both map tile decks separate at all times, town tiles can only be played in town, mall tiles can only be played in the mall and so on. Locate the helicopter map tile for the core game and place this in the bottom half of the town tiles. Place the helicopter or cabin tile of the expansion in the bottom half of that set's map tiles. The core game helicopter map tile represents the location of the helicopter pilot and the expansion helicopter or cabin tile represents the location of the fuel
Core game and two or three expansions: Set up the core game and one expansion as described above. Place the starting tile(s) for the remaining expansion(s) in the bottom half of the decks in play in the same manner as you did with the helicopter tiles (please note, only plant one expansion starter tile in each deck in play). If you are only using two expansions, place the starter tile for the second expansion in the bottom half of the town deck. Again, keep each set of map tiles separate at all times.
Event card set-up: In The Gang's All Here, all event card decks are initially kept separate, including the Zombies!!! 3.5 cards if they are being used.
Player and pawn set-up: Each player takes a pawn, 3 bullet tokens, 3 heart tokens and 3 event cards from the same game deck where their pawns start, or the Zombies!!! 3.5 deck (or, heck, mix and match from those two decks if you want!). In a The Gang's All Here game utilizing expansion sets, pawns should start evenly distributed across both starting tiles.
Randomly choose a player to go first and have at it!
Turn Sequence Overview
Follow the turn sequence as outlined in the core game. Please note that players typically must draw map tiles and event cards from the area of the board they are currently in (players in town cannot draw mall or woods tiles or cards and so on). The exception to this rule is that players can elect to draw Zombies!!! 3.5 event cards instead of town, base, mall or woods-specific cards if that accessory is being played.
Placing Map Tiles
Map tile placement is consistent with the rules as detailed in the core game and expansions.
Combat Rules
The Gang's All Here recognizes three separate combat scenarios:
- Individual human-on-zombie combat
- Individual human-on-human combat
- Group combat
Individual human-on-zombie combat: These encounters follow the rules as described in Zombies!!! (for normal zombies), Zombies!!! 2 (for the Government Enhanced) and Zombies!!! 4 (for zombie dogs).
Individual human-on-human combat: In this scenario, one human player has chosen to attack another player, probably to steal the fuel or capture the pilot from that player. The attacking player rolls the d6 and on a roll of 1-2 misses his or her target, on a roll of 3-4 injures said target, and on a roll of 5-6 potentially kills said target; however, the defending player can utilize one bullet token to avoid being injured or may spend one heart or two bullet tokens to survive a "kill" shot. If the defender survives, he or she returns fire as per the above and the attacker may use heart or bullet tokens as needed to survive. In subsequent combat rounds, the players each roll the d6 to determine who gets off the first shot in that round.
At the end of each combat round, the attacker must declare whether he or she is continuing the attack. The defender then declares whether he or she continues the fight, or surrenders. Once a player surrenders, combat immediately ceases (the attacker doesn't get off their next shot) and the victor can strip that player of their bullet tokens and the pilot or fuel as applicable. They cannot claim the defeated player's heart tokens.
During an ongoing combat, if a player is injured twice without deflecting the damage with a bullet token, they are considered "killed" on their second injury as if a 5-6 had been rolled and they must use a heart or two bullet tokens to survive. In any event, combat continues until the attacker quits the attack, the defender surrenders, or one player runs out of heart and bullet tokens. Players who run out of tokens are considered dead. Please see the Spark of Life section of the rules for details on what happens next.
Group combat: As noted, The Gang's All Here allows for two players or zombies to occupy a single space. In this scenario, it is inevitable that two zombies will eventually gang-up on a single human, or two human survivors will be able to work together to eliminate a lone zombie, or two survivors might try to pick off another player running solo. These cases should be handled as follows:
- Two zombies/one human - The player selects one zombie target and roles normally. Standard combat rules apply as per zombie type. If he/she survives that combat, the player rolls the die a second time. On a roll of three or higher, the player successfully evades the second zombie that combat round and is allowed to roll and move normally on their next turn without having to engage the second zombie. On a roll of 1-2, the player must combat the second zombie normally.
- Two humans/one zombie - I try to encourage my kids to work together to get things done, and I will try to do the same here. In this scenario, both players roll the d6 and the player with the lower score must engage the zombie; however, because of the presence or support of the other player, they gain a +1 to their die roll. If the zombie somehow survives this initial combat, the second player then rolls and on a 5-6 destroys the zombie. On a roll of 1-4, nothing happens (the player misses) and combat resumes normally.
- Two humans/one human - In this really unfair scenario and deplorable example of human conduct, the attacker(s) declare the intent to attack the other and all three players take turns rolling the d6. High roll gets of the first shot, next highest gets the 2nd shot and the lowest roll gets the 3rd shot, with ties going to the attacker (yes, it is possible that a defending player may actually fire before one or both of their attackers - reflexes...). Before rolling their attack, each player must identify their target, then attack rolls are handled as per the individual human-on-human combat rules. Please note, if a single player is injured twice in a single combat round, he or she is considered "killed" as per those rules. Combat otherwise continues as per the individual human-on-human combat rules, with the player options to break off combat or surrender.
- Two humans/two humans - Handled separately as per individual human-on-human combat rules until one player is eliminated, at which point switch to two humans/one human rules.
Player Movement Rules
Player movement rules are consistent with the core game except that two players can occupy one space at one time.
Also, while pawns are initially distributed evenly between both starting tiles in games utilizing expansion sets, players have the option of moving back and forth between board sections at any time. In theory, all twelve players could be operating on the same board as of the first roll of the dice, though that certainly is not recommended.
Event Card Rules
Event cards are separated into piles for each set (core cards are not mixed with expansion and so on). Players can only draw cards from the deck associated with the area of the game board they are in at that time (players in town must draw from the town deck and so on), unless Zombies!!! 3.5 is in play. In that case, players may choose to draw from either the appropriate game board deck or the 3.5 deck.
Event cards are typically played one-at-a-time as per standard rules and players can have no more than three event cards at any time. However, players may take area cards with them when they move into a new area (someone going from the town into the woods can retain his/her town event cards). Of course, area specific cards (for example, "Motor Pool" from Zombies!!! 2 and "Lost in the Woods" from Zombies!!! 4) can only be played in their respective areas.
Zombie Movement Rules
The zombies, enhanced zombies and zombie dogs in The Gang's All Here move in same basic manner as described in their respective boxed sets. However, as noted, in The Gang's All Here, there can be two of any zombie combination on a single space. Please note that this does not impact the rules regarding placement of bullet and heart tokens in any way.
Spark of Life
As noted earlier, players who run out of heart tokens are effectively removed from the game as survivors. They do, however retain some small "spark of life" and remain viable players of the game.
Essentially, players who are eliminated (whether by zombies, zombie dogs or other players) skip their next turn. On the second turn after their unfortunate demise, the player returns to the game as a creature known as a revenant.
For game purposes, the revenant is essentially a zombie on a mission. If the player was originally eliminated by a fellow player, he or she returns with the singular goal of tracking down and returning the favor - eliminating that player. The revenant follows its prey unerringly (if a bit slowly) and cannot be turned from its objective unless it is again defeated in combat.
If the player was originally eliminated by a zombie or zombie dog, the revenant's goal is unchanged - they seek to find the pilot and the fuel and to affect an escape. Also, and most unfortunately, the revenant is now given over to the insatiable hunger of the undead and will attack survivors (including the pilot) on sight. In the event that a revenant locates the pilot before a human player, it is assumed that the pilot is able to elude the revenant until a human player arrives on the scene and the human player must defeat the revenant before "claiming" the pilot. Conversely, a revenant finding the fuel will collect this and attempt to return to the helipad
Whatever its goal, the revenant is basically a single-minded undead creature and no longer collects heart or bullet tokens or plays event cards. These things either have no recognizable value to the revenant or its goal (tokens), or are considered too complex (cards) for the revenant's limited faculties.
The revenant generally remains under the player's control and moves three spaces each turn. They can place map tiles normally and, as a member of the undead, they pass freely among any zombies and zombie dogs encountered. In combat between human and revenant, both players roll a d6 and high roll get to make the first combat roll. If the human player attacks first, they roll normally but need a 5-6 to defeat the revenant. The human player may utilize bullet and heart tokens as necessary as per core set rules to defeat this undead. If the revenant attacks first, the player rolls a single d6 and on a roll of 1-2 misses its target, on a 3-4 injures the target and on a 5-6 potentially kills the target. Consult the rules for Individual Human-on-Human combat above for further details. The revenant does not use bullet or heart tokens. If defeated, however, the revenant player loses their next turn, and on the second turn after their defeat, they rise again. However, when they return this time, their goal always reverts to eliminating the player that defeated them.
Winning Conditions
While anything can happen during regular game play, including characters ending the zombie threat by performing the "spell" detailed in Zombies!!! 4, the only way to win The Gang's All Here is to locate the fuel, recover the pilot and return to the town square tile within the three hour time limit.
Clarifications and Random Thoughts
- While up to three players can escape within the time limit and thereby win the game, it is not required that three people escape. If only one or two make it to the helipad, then only one or two win.
- While players are now able to eliminate other players, the introduction of the revenant from wiping each other out too early in the game. Just having one or two of these undead characters active in the game can wreak havoc on the remaining players, so hopefully everyone will think twice before going postal on one another.
- It is a unique confluence of extraordinary human willpower and supernatural forces that create the revenant and, in fact, enable the revenant to form (and reform, as necessary) even if the player takes a head shot or is incinerated.
- Undead never attack other undead. As such, a revenant may eliminate another player as a survivor, but the resulting revenant will not then target its "maker," nor will the original revenant continue to hunt its original prey. Instead, both creatures will turn their attentions on the remaining survivors.
- Players that surrender during combat with another player CANNOT be executed, knocked out, tied up and left naked on the street for the next zombie to find, or have their weapon taken. Conversely, they cannot attack the player they surrendered to for at least three turns.
- For the ultimate undead experience, an alternate version of the The Gang's All Here rules has been created that includes two additional player undead types - the poltergeist and the ghost. Lemme know if you want 'em...
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