Game Summary:
Kill zombies. Kill more of them than the other players to win.
About the Game:
“Zombinion” is a BGE digital boardgame conversion and complete re-theme of the “Dominion” boardgame, by Donald X. Vaccarino (published by Rio Grande Games in 2008). It is played using the rules from Dominion, which can be downloaded from the Rio Grande Games website (direct download links are provided in the accompanying ReadMe file). “Zombinion” changes the “Dominion” game setting from one of empire-building in a medieval/fantasy world to one of zombie-killing in a post-apocalyptic world, and it does so without changing (or adding) any game rules.
In Zombinion, each player starts with an identical, very small deck of cards. In the center of the table is a selection of other cards the players can “buy” as they can afford them. Through their selection of cards to buy, and how they play their hands as they draw them, the players construct their deck on the fly, striving for the most efficient path to the precious victory points (zombie kills) by game end. Zombinion is not a CCG, but the play of the game is similar to the construction and play of a CCG deck. You select 10 of the 78 Plan card types to include in any given play of the game — leading to immense variety.
This digital conversion covers/supports not only the original “Zombinion” game, but also the follow-on expansions “Zombinion: Entrails” (the re-theme of “Dominion: Intrigue”) and “Zombinion: Genocide” (the re-theme of “Dominion: Seaside”).
Number of Players:
2 to 4
Estimated Playing Time:
About 30 minutes (use of VOIP is highly recommended for online games)
Complexity Level:
Easy
Download:
Zombinion for BGE (39.4 MB)
The above download contains everything needed to play the game if you already have at least one Gamer Client license (BGE v1.5 or higher). For multiplayer games, the extra players will need a Gamer Client of their own, or they can use the free BGE Demo if the person hosting the game has enough free Player Slots available for them to use.
Installation and usage instructions are included in the download.
Enjoy!
Here are some screenshots of what the game looks like in Battlegrounds (they were actually taken in BRPG, but the game looks the same in BGE).
Overview of the game components:
A close-up of some of the cards:
Choosing cards for the Setup:
The following quotes are what some gamers on boardgamegeek.com had to say about this game (in reference to the original Dominion game, of course):
“Probably the most original, inspired and fun family game of the last five years. A landmark design.”
“Everyone I’ve introduced it to rates the game in their top 5!”
“The game, for me, takes some time to get to know. As you play and, and as you try differing strategies and get to know all the cards in the box, that is when the game truly starts to blossom and shine. the first few plays are not likely to make anyone declare it the greatest game ever, but as you play more and the subtle card interactions and tricky plays start to catch hold, well then it really starts to shine.”
“An amazing game in which you build your deck while using it. Fantastic combos and more have me just salivating to play it. Simple, yet very fun.”
“Fresh & unique. Both simple and complex at the same time. Incredible depth & replayability that cannot be seen just by reading the rules.”
“This is my favorite boxed game of all time. The rules are very simple, but the strategy is surprisingly subtle and deep.”
“Excellent game! It hits that magical sweet spot where it’s just short enough to up the replay value, long enough to be interesting, different each time I play it, and clever mechanics moving it along. I really love this game!”
“I’ve never been so jealous. I wish I designed this game. It’s not just the combination of small learning curve, sophisticated decisions, and deep replayability. It’s that once you finish a game, YOU IMMEDIATELY WANT TO PLAY AGAIN.”
“Fun, unique, fast-paced, engaging; Dominion has almost everything I’m looking for in a game and plays in a half-hour. Mind-bogglingly good.”
“This game fires on all cylinders for me: strategy, card play, deck building, replayability, variety, physical enjoyment, everything.”
“One of the cleanest, simplest games I’ve played, but with immense strategy and tactics.”
“This fits the gap that quitting Magic left in my life as a gamer nicely (deck-building! combo-hunting!) while being much more accessible.”
“Outstanding game. This game has certainly revolutionized my gaming group .. we all love it. Worthy of the hype due to its refined gameplay. Shuffling gets tiring after a while. Ideal for online play.”
“This is an amazingly addictive game! You just want to try one more time to do better or try a different strategy.”
“This is the absolute pinnacle of card drafting games.”
“All the fun of CCG deck building without the cash sink.”
“The built in balancing mechanism (everyone drafts from the same pool) allows for great diversity in card actions.”
“Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! Hits the mark on all accounts: easy to learn, spans all tastes, fast to play (mostly), good components, fabulous mechanic, outstanding replayability, good player interaction, and really fun!”
“Great mechanism where you build your deck from a common supply during the game. All the fun of a CCG/TCG but without having to buy rares or encoutering opponents with unbeatable decks.”
“No game has EVER captivated my gaming group (and myself) like this one has. Literally hundreds of plays later, it is STILL the most requested game.”
“The variety of set ups for this game make the replayability amazing. Each game plays completely different, and when you combine that with such a short play time 20-30 mins per game, you get a lot of play out of this game. I like to say that it contains all my favourite elements of MtG without breaking the bank like MtG.”
“It is no surprise that this rocketed into the (BGG) top ten and has stayed there. This appeals to the masses and delivers a fantastic gaming experience. The simplicity of the design and ease of learning coupled with the depth of strategic choices make this well deserving of its’ status.”
“This game has ceased play of all others.”
I wanted to point out a couple of things:
1) An internet connection is required to use and/or play this game conversion.
2) This free game conversion differs from other game conversions I’ve done in that it may not always remain available for download, and even if you already downloaded it, it may cease to work. There is a “kill switch” in place just in case Rio Grande Games has a problem with this game conversion (not very likely, since this is a re-design with all-new artwork, and I am not including the game rules).