/pic1705435.jpg)
THE BATTLE FOR FARMINGDALE
States of SiegeTM #9
Arising once again from the grave, from designer Hermann Luttmann and lavishly illustrated by Vinh Ha, arises Dawn of the Zeds Second Edition as you've never seen it before. In this States of Siege™ solitaire game of horror and survival, your strategies will be put to the test. The world has gone crazy – a deadly virus has turned ordinary people into vicious, zombie-like killers. The undead, nicknamed "Zeds," are now converging on your corner of the world. You have been left to your own devices to stop them while the National Guard organizes a relief column and fights its way to you – but that could take days, or even weeks, before they arrive.
At the town of Farmingdale and its surrounding villages, you must coordinate its defenses. Regular citizens may emerge as heroes as you work to halt the Zeds' advances by (re)killing them, discovering and implementing a cure to this vile scourge, and preserving the area and its inhabitants as much as possible. In addition to this madness, the crazy Doctor Marteuse has been working in the underground tunnels and unleashing his uber-deadly Super Zeds, a nasty bunch of beasts that give havoc a whole new name. Bring him to justice, destroy the infectious Zeds, and save your city from peril!
In a game that requires the utmost test of skill and nerve, will you survive long enough? Will you be able to fight hordes of Zeds while protecting the townspeople? Test your heroics and unearth Dawn of the Zeds, a game that will keep you on your toes!
What's New in 2nd Edition:
- Contains a Tutorial Scenario for beginners, in addition to Classic and Walking Zeds Scenarios
- Never before seen cards and counters, including the dreadful Super Zeds
- Three different game lengths to choose from: Short, Standard, and Campaign Game
- Four new Heroes: Wright, Kingman, Wilson, and Carter
- An additional 5th track (the Tunnel Track)
- All new and beautiful artwork
- Bigger cards
- A completely new, two-sided map (for each Scenario)
- Several uniquely-shaped, colorful, laser-cut counters
Game Data:
Number of Players: 1 brave soul (with cooperative multi-player play included)
Ages: 13 and up
Playing Time: Approximately 45-90 minutes
Complexity: 4 on a 9 scale (Intro), 6 on a 9 scale (Advanced)
Solitaire Suitability: 9 on a 9 scale
Scale: Each unit represents a single Hero plus their entourage, dozens of citizens, and hundreds of Zeds.
What's In The Box?:
• One 24-page Rules booklet (Extended Example of Play included)
• 123 thick, two-sided, multi-shaped, laser-cut game pieces
• 100 cards
• One 11” x 17” two-sided color game map
• One two-sided 8.5"x11" Player Aid
• One two-sided 8.5"x11" Player Mat
• One 4-page Quick Play booklet
• One Quick Play Set Up sheet
• Two six-sided 12mm dice
• One 11” x 17” mounted, two-sided, jigsaw-cut game map
• One bright red, 9" x 11 7/8" Deluxe cardboard VPG game box
• One beautiful box cover sleeve
• One "Wipes-A-Lot" napkin
• One charcoal dessicant packet
Polybag version has the paper board, not the mounted board.
Newer prints will also include the updated, Tim Allen map spanning 2 11"x17" paper boards.
Dawn of the Zeds | Level 1 | Playthrough
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's been such a joy to read your guesses and your kind messages. It really warmed my board gamer heart.
- my most favorite game ever.
- Did you get them all? Or maybe just a few.
- This channel means so much to me and I truly couldn't have done any of this without all of you, the viewers, the commenters, the silent supporters, the sharers, the likers, just everyone.
- Here's to more great games, more passionately made videos, and more comments from all of you.
- See you in the next video, and don't forget to check your comment.
References (from this video)
- Actually really great game.
- Has six levels of difficulty/complexity.
- Level one is a good starting point.
- A lot of similarities to Plum Island Horror.
- Lots of unique abilities for heroes.
- Fun to utilize hero abilities.
- Well-armed civilians are cool.
- Betty is a favorite character due to her combat abilities.
- Deputy Schmidt has useful abilities like free actions and combat advantages.
- Rulebooks were overwhelming initially.
- Ran out of ammo frequently.
- Difficulty with dice rolls leading to frustration.
- Losing heroes and civilian units.
- Zombie apocalypse
- Farmingdale
- Plum Island Horror
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players manage units across different tracks and locations on the board to defend against advancing zombies.
- Bag Building/Drawing — Regular and super infected zombies are drawn from bags or cups.
- Combat modifiers — Terrain benefits and hero abilities can shift combat advantages and outcomes.
- Deck construction/management — The game uses event decks and fate decks that are shuffled and drawn from, influencing the game's progression and challenges.
- Dice rolling — Dice (specifically d6s) are used frequently for determining starting resources, combat outcomes, scavenging results, and other game events.
- Gunfire attack — A ranged attack that requires spending ammo to deal damage to zombies in adjacent spaces.
- Hand-to-hand combat — A core combat mechanic where player units engage zombies in close quarters, with outcomes determined by strength comparison and dice rolls.
- hero abilities — Each hero character has unique abilities that impact gameplay, such as healing, combat bonuses, or resource generation.
- scavenging — An action taken to find additional supplies or ammo, typically by rolling dice.
- set collection — Collecting resources like supplies and ammo is crucial for survival.
- variable difficulty — The game features multiple levels of difficulty, adding complexity rather than just making it harder.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I've had a copy of this game for a couple of years now, but the amount of rule books overwhelmed me and so I wasn't willing to give it a shot and I'm really bummed that I have lost many years of my enjoyment for this game because it's actually really great.
- The amount of rule books overwhelmed me.
- This is the third edition uh designed by Herman Lutman's.
- We win by going through the entire vent deck and don't lose.
- How we lose is any zed enters the town uh the town center.
- This is going to be a strength of 10 mob.
- This is a really good civilian. He can attack with plus one.
- This zombie is toast.
- You can discharge units for free.
- This infection track can just kill you.
- This is amazing. He is not going to give up.
- This game really makes you feel the pressure with your ammo.
- The melancholy mood left in the wake of your brute survival leaves quiet questions still unanswered, interrupting your reflections comes a ray of sun bursting through the clouds and shining on a small, untrampled patch of flowers.
- We may have lost two heroes and three civilian units, but we actually did quite well.
References (from this video)
- Solid zombie-themed coop
- Good family-friendly play
- Rule clarity can vary
- May not scale well for large groups
- Cooperative survival with episodic play
- Zombie outbreak on a modular board
- Session-based progression
- The Walking Dead: The Board Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative combat — Work with others to defeat zombie threats.
- tile placement — Place tiles to form the map as you play.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- What does Colin know or Time to educate Colin? Whichever way you want to think about it.
- I'm going to learn so much today.
- I'm 0 for three right now.
- The over under is five.
- I ain't got time to bleed.
- I'm at 10.5 points, going into December.
- This is Fight Club.
- Galaxy Quest the best Star Trek movie.
- What does Colin know or Time to educate Colin?
- I'm not on zero.