Overview
Dawn of the Zeds: Third Edition is a cooperative, tower defense board game for 1-6 players in which they play as the citizens of Festeron, a small town beset by an outbreak of a zombie-like plague. The game is set in the world of the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired board game, Arkham Horror, and features artwork by the same artist. The game is played over the course of three days, with each day represented by a game board. Players must work together to defend the town from the hordes of zombies, known as Zeds, while also trying to find a cure for the plague. The game can be won by either finding the cure or by surviving until the military arrives.
Gameplay
Dawn of the Zeds is a cooperative board game for 1-6 players. The game is played over the course of three days, with each day represented by a game board. The game is set in the world of the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired board game, Arkham Horror, and features artwork by the same artist.
Players must work together to defend the town from the hordes of zombies, known as Zeds, while also trying to find a cure for the plague. The game can be won by either finding the cure or by surviving until the military arrives.
Players take on the roles of the citizens of Festeron, a small town beset by an outbreak of a zombie-like plague. Each player has a unique role, such as the Sheriff, the Doctor, or the Reporter, which gives them special abilities.
The game is played in Turns, with each Turn consisting of four phases: the Action phase, the Movement phase, the Encounter phase, and the Upkeep phase.
During the Action phase, players take turns performing one action, such as moving to a new location, searching for supplies, or fighting Zeds.
During the Movement phase, Zeds move towards the town.
During the Encounter phase, players may have to fight Zeds, or may find supplies or clues.
Finally, during the Upkeep phase, players replenish their supplies and draw new cards.
Components
The game includes the following components:
- 1 game board
- 1 rulebook
- 1 first player marker
- 1 day marker
- 6 player markers
- 6 player boards
- 36 Zeds
- 18 event cards
- 18 search cards
- 18 encounter cards
- 12 item cards
- 12 weapon cards
- 6 role cards
- 6 dice
Setup
To set up the game, players choose a role and take the corresponding player board. The game board is placed in the center of the play area, and the day marker is placed on the "1" space of the Day track. The first player marker is given to the player with the most experience with tower defense games. The Zeds are placed on the game board according to the scenario being played. The event cards are shuffled and placed face down on the event card space of the game board. The search cards are shuffled and placed face down on the search card space of the game board. The encounter cards are shuffled and placed face down on the encounter card space of the game board. The item cards are shuffled and placed face down on the item card space of the game board. The weapon cards are shuffled and placed face down on the weapon card space of the game board.
Turn Structure
The game is played in Turns, with each Turn consisting of four phases: the Action phase, the Movement phase, the Encounter phase, and the Upkeep phase.
During the Action phase, players take turns performing one action, such as moving to a new location, searching for supplies, or fighting Zeds.
During the Movement phase, Zeds move towards the town.
During the Encounter phase, players may have to fight Zeds, or may find supplies or clues.
Finally, during the Upkeep phase, players replenish their supplies and draw new cards.
Actions
During the Action phase, players take turns performing one action. The available actions are:
- Move: The player moves their player marker to a adjacent space.
- Search: The player draws a search card and resolves the effect.
- Fight: The player rolls dice to try to kill Zeds.
- barricade: The player places a barricade token on the space they are in.
- Rest: The player draws two cards from the encounter deck.
- Trade: The player trades cards with another player.
- Special: The player performs the special action of their role.
Movement
During the Movement phase, Zeds move towards the town. Zeds move one space per turn, unless they are blocked by a barricade or a Zed. If a Zed moves into a space with a player, that player must fight the Zed.
Encounter
During the Encounter phase, players may have to fight Zeds, or may find supplies or clues. If a player is in a space with a Zed, they must fight that Zed. If a player is in a space with no Zeds, they may draw an encounter card.
Upkeep
During the Upkeep phase, players replenish their supplies and draw new cards. Each player draws two cards from the encounter deck.
End of the Game
The game can be won by either finding the cure or by surviving until the military arrives. If the players find the cure, they win the game. If the players survive until the military arrives, they win the game.
If the players are defeated, they lose the game.