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The ancient manuscripts talk about a Leviathan, a huge creature lying on the silt bed of the lagoon on whose back the city has its foundations. All manuscripts agree on its eternal sleep and they all tell that the beast will wake up one day, shaking the city from its muddy roots, smashing the vitrified stilts on which the city stands, and crashing it into the seething sea where the monster will rise. The ancients say, however, that there will be signs; it is written that the Venetians will feel the tremors, that they would therefore save themselves from the monster, who will recover his freedom by plunging into the waves a deserted city.
But there were no signs. What ancients did not know is that the Leviathan is not alive. For centuries, the city lived and prospered on the back of a corpse. That corpse, though, is now awakening – and with it the dead arise from the lagoon...
In the cooperative game Carnival Zombie, players lead a group of characters who are fleeing on terra firma from the terror that has emerged from the lagoon of Venice. This group of characters must make its way through hordes of rotting "Infected" to leave the city, and players need to rush as the Leviathan upon which the foundations of Venice were built is awakening. Thus, it's only a matter of time before the city sinks in the dark waters of the lagoon.
Each game is divided into several nights and days. During the nights, players hide in trenches behind the barricades to resist the attacks of the Infected. During the day, players move through the city, which is shaken by tremors. The Infected are drawn by the groans of the Leviathan in the abyss to help their master free itself from the rotting stilts that nail it to the silt bed.
Players have several ways to get out of town, but little time to do it – and their path is hindered by the bosses, the most implacable servants of the Leviathan. If the players do make it out, they can assess their skills – and set a goal for next time – by counting the points scored during the game.
- Beautiful board with bold art and strong thematic presentation
- Compact one-box Kickstarter format, avoiding sprawling multi-box setups
- Rich, flavorful scenario sheets and flavor text that enhance immersion
- Multiple scenarios allow varied play experiences
- High-quality standees align with the game’s aesthetic and reduce minis necessity
- Not an easy game to learn; potentially steep learning curve for new players
- Back-of-box translation/typography issues noted in the video
- Minis feel unnecessary when standees are provided, which may disappoint mini enthusiasts
- Cooperative zombie survival with a heavy emphasis on scenario-driven exploration and relics/items to aid a party of heroes.
- A sinking city overrun by zombies; the Leviathan lies on the silt bed of the lagoon beneath the city’s foundation, threatening the survivors as the dead rise.
- Flavor-text driven, scenario-based with multiple locations and evolving threats.
- Nemo's War
- Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
- Dawn of the Zeds
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Component choices (standees vs minis) — Standees are provided for heroes with minis for undead bosses; players can opt to use standees instead of minis.
- Cooperative Game — Players work together to survive zombie hordes and complete the scenarios.
- cooperative play — Players work together to survive zombie hordes and complete the scenarios.
- Cube tower — The zombie hordes move toward the players' position while they defend and progress through scenarios.
- Deck-based character systems — Each character has its own deck of items/abilities that players manage and utilize during play.
- Resource gathering and survivor rescue — During the day, players search for useful items and survivors to aid their group.
- Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — Multiple scenarios provide different objectives and event flows, driven by flavor text sheets.
- Scenario-based progression — Multiple scenarios provide different objectives and event flows, driven by flavor text sheets.
- Tower-defense style — The zombie hordes move toward the players' position while they defend and progress through scenarios.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I am super excited to finally have Carnival Zombie
- the board looks absolutely beautiful
- this is a small Kickstarter I just pledged for, I think the base game and it's one box
- theming seemed cool and it seemed a little bit unique
- no need for hundreds of chits to organize
- really nice art and bold, unique aesthetic
References (from this video)
- ambitious production relative to genre
- offers a strong challenge for players who like defense games
- delayed second edition
- availability can be an issue
- tower defense, survival
- Venice, zombie invasion
- grim and tactical
- Castle Panic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — team up to survive a finale
- tower defense — defend streets from hordes of zombies
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "a dice placement game"
- "game-breaking special ability"
- "elevate this game above its competition"
- "dexterity game"
- "timer on an app or on a watch"
- "fantastic dexterity game"
- "left for dead the board game"
- "never lost a game"
- "best played with more players of the six seven players"
References (from this video)
- Gives a chaotic, energetic play experience
- Engaging for larger player counts
- Thematic handling and translation issues in editions
- Can feel messy or chaotic for some players
- Tower defense meets exploration and escape
- Venice streets during a zombie outbreak
- Chaotic, cinematic narrative
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area-based progression — Roam through Venice, handle encounters, and progress toward escapes.
- combat/defense against monsters — Managerial decisions during the day and mini-games during escape phases.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Race for the Galaxy is a fantastic card game
- it's a real pain in the ass to learn/teach because it's got a rather bamboozling icon system
- it's a really rewarding game made even better with a couple of the expansions
- I love Puerto Rico I love the feel of it and it's just a classic game
- Captain Flip is such a simple promise
- Carnival zombie is a rip roaring rolicking romp
- this game is basically chaos in a box
- it's a deck building racer
- Royals is effectively a que pushing game
References (from this video)
- excellent zombie-themed defense experience
- fun night-time siege and evacuation finale
- translations in some editions were imperfect
- older edition may feel dated
- tower defense against hordes at night
- Venice/rooftops or canals during a zombie siege
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Scenario-based progression — planning routes and final escapes via boat or airship
- tower defense — build and reinforce barriers to fend off waves of zombies
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one of the most simple games ever created
- Scythe was a revelation when it was first released
- Katan is without doubt one of the greatest games of all time
- it's chaos in a box. It really doesn't have the right to work as well as it does, but obviously it does
- this is a game called Blood Rage
- Pillars of the Earth... one of the greatest euro games that we have ever played
References (from this video)
- Fun cooperative/competitive blend,
- Accessible and replayable
- Some players may find ruleset heavy or fiddly
- zombie apocalypse and defense against waves
- Tower defense scenario with a zombie outbreak
- Dead of Winter
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- tower defense / cooperative defense — Players defend locations against incoming waves of zombies, coordinating actions.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a wonderful wonderful game
- it's one of our favorite worker placement games of all time
- Carnival Zombie is a fantastic tower defense game
- the turn order bidding system really does elevate the game
- it's the quintessential cooperative zombie experience
- everybody loves this
- if you like these sort of what people like to call point salads then you all love Trajan
- it's a cycling racing game
- we really really like glam Bruges
- it's our Legends of a Drift System
- it's actually a really really good game
- one of his best games of all time