Braaaains … brraaaaaaains … brr … oh, we better look out for shotguns too. Wouldn’t want to get caught in any crossfire. Hopefully these people aren’t too quick to the draw so we can get some sweet, sweet brains! Let’s get going!*

*This review takes a look at Zombie Dice Deluxe, specifically.

What Is It?

A push your luck game where players roll 3 victim dice per turn, hoping to score brains. The different colors of the dice indicate how difficult it will be to roll brains. Once rolled, the active player banks brains (for potential points) and shotguns (which may trigger the end of their turn), and chooses if they want to roll again; footprints are re-rolled, and players draw more dice to roll a total of 3 per roll. If the player chooses to stop, they score any brains they rolled. If they have 3 or more shotguns after rolling, their turn ends, and they score nothing. Once someone hits 13 points, players finish the round and the most points wins!

Who Is It For?

  • 2 to 6 Players – Game doesn’t really change with more, just makes it a little longer, potentially. Could play with infinite people, if you really wanted to, but the components allow for 6
  • Ages 8 and up – Rules are simple, and kids and adults alike will enjoy just chucking some dice
  • Fans of pushing your luck
3 points!
Lost a turn 🙁
4 points!!

PROS

  • Components – The translucent dice are really nice, dry erase point boards are great, the bag is good quality and roomy enough to reach into
  • Rules – Well-written, streamlined; easy to learn and teach
  • Turns are quick, not a lot of downtime
  • Plays well at any player count

CONS

  • Only one dry erase marker included in the game. Easy enough to pass it around, but would have been nice to have one per player
  • Art is nice, but is the same zombie image on the box, bag, and boards. Would have liked to see some variety
  • Theme doesn’t really contribute to the game at all

Final Thoughts

This one is short, simple, and pretty sweet! There isn’t much to it, but that just makes it quick to learn, easy to teach, and quick to play a few times to pad out a spooky game night!

Of course, it’s possible you can lose a turn on your first roll, if you’re unlucky enough to get 3 shotguns at once, but it’s pretty unlikely most turns. Even if it does happen, the game is quick enough that it’s no big deal to have a few lousy turns – just try again!

While it isn’t a super thematic game by any means, it’s a fun game where you can pretend to be a zombie hungrily hunting some brains, and just have a good time rolling some dice!

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 7/10

Designer – Steve Jackson
Artist – Alex Fernandez
Publisher – Steve Jackson Games
MSRP – $24.95
Website

*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*

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