Axis & Allies & Zombies

Some die hard AA players didn't like the zombie idea when this game was first announced. Oh well, you can't please everybody. Zombies are a legitimate fantasy element and are thematically consistent with a global war/battlefield setting. As a long time AA player I'm happy to say that Axis and Allies and Zombies is a fun game and a worthy addition to the Axis and Allies family. So if you are at all interested in adding a horror/fantasy element into your wargaming, this game should fit the bill. This AA version is on the simpler side in accordance with its more lighthearted zombie theme. But the game is very affordable and you get a lot of pieces and units for the price you pay. Other reviewers say you can't set up Germany all the way with the included units. This is incorrect, the game comes with (barely) enough pieces to do the complete set up. You might find yourself running short of plastic units if your army gets too big and expansive but this is easily solved with extra markers or pieces of paper or something else to keep track of the units. And of course, to increase the quantity of units included in the game will increase the cost of the game, which will make it less accessible to players and goes against the intended nature of the game as being a more affordable AA option. The zombie mechanic works well and the card deck keeps the action coming fast. The game takes less time to complete than most other AA titles which I think is a good thing. We have enough 10+ hour AA versions available right now, and this one can be completed in 2 - 4 hours if you are familiar with the rules and keep the pace moving.

Awesome take on the typical Axis & Allies strategy with the introduction of the zombie twist. Bought this for my brother (14yrs old) for his birthday and loved it. Family ended up playing twice (they never touched or wanted to play Axis & Allies: 2nd annversary edition) and enjoyed the game due to its friendly easy to learn rules and simplified rules of the original A&A games. Even brought the game to friends who never played A&A game before and ended up playing it twice within one day! Con: Game comes with a small amount of military pieces, so best bet is if you have another A&A game is to provide some pieces to zombie game.

I've just got into Axis and Allies. I've been a WWII gaming enthusiast since the late 1970's and have enjoyed may of Avalon HIll's bookcase games over the years. So when I learned about Axis and Allies I picked up one of the versions and really enjoy the game play. It's pretty easy to pick up, the game mechanics are fun. And It's an enjoyable way to kill some time with friends. Then I saw Axis and Allies and Zombies and had to give it a try. The one criticism is that you really don't get enough of the miniature figures but I have a 3D printer so that's no big deal for me. But depending on your game you may run out of game miniatures. The Zombies add a fun element to the game when you just want to play something that's a bit of ridiculous fun.

I've played a lot of traditional Axis & Allies over the years, especially when I was a teen, so I was very interested when I heard that zombies were coming to the game. I think I pre-ordered the game that same day. So far, my gaming group has played through one full campaign, I've played one full game in a two-player head to head match, and I test played the intro scenario a couple of times to get a feel for the rules. I think I've played enough to give a solid take on the pros and cons of the game. PRO: 1. The zombies turned out to be as fun as I'd anticipated. The zombies enter the board either through cards each player plays at the beginning of their turn, or when infantry units are destroyed. Zombie outbreaks pop up randomly across the board, which can create unexpected problems (for example, troops you were saving for an amphibious assault might suddenly get killed and turned into zombies themselves). The zombies add an element of chaos to the game that upsets plans and strategies, so it's hard for experienced A&A players to dominate the board. It was also interesting to use zombies as a battle tactic -- more than once, I'd attack into a territory and destroy just enough infantry units to create a zombie horde, and then withdrawal, leaving a large problem for the other player to fight. Of course, that can be a double-edged sword -- especially later if you try to drive through those heavily-occupied zombie zones yourself. 2. Having zombies overrunning the board really forces you to carefully manage your resources. With traditional Axis & Allies, my plan was always to push the bulk of my forces to the fronts, as long as home country was defended. You can't do that here -- every territory that isn't defended is at risk of being overrun by zombies (and zombies can "win" with a zombie apocalypse if they control enough territories). Having to fight essentially two wars at once is an interesting challenge. 3. The game forces you to make really desperate decisions. You're racing the clock, because zombies will eventually overrun the world if the game drags on, so my game group had to take big risks in daring attempts to secure a win. As Germany, with my forces largely cut in two in Europe due to massive zombie outbreaks between my main force and Germany, I had to launch my attack on Moscow with less force than I needed ... but it was that or lose the war. The same thing happened in my head-to-head game in the Pacific, where the choice was "defeat Japan now, or risk losing the entire war to the zombies." CONS; 1. The rule book wasn't as clear as it needed to be. Perhaps I just missed important parts, but we had several questions we just had to solve by "house rule." For example, if my troops are wearing anti-zombie suits, that negates a zombie attack. But zombies attack both sides when they're present during a battle -- so do my anti-zombie suits mean they only attack my enemy, or that they don't attack at all? It was easy to make up a house rule on that, but it would have been nice if the rule book had explained it up front. 2. There's a problem with balance in the game, in that when we've played, Europe and Asia quickly get overrun with zombies from all the combat, while the U.S. stays largely unscathed. That leaves the U.S. able to conduct a largely conventional war, while Germany, the USSR and Japan (in mainland Asia), have to fight both their enemies and zombies. In the head-to-head, we were virtually stalemated in Europe, leaving the U.S. and Britain to try to win the war in the Pacific. Perhaps future plays will resolve that problem as we get more accustomed to the zombie mechanic, or perhaps there are cards that create a larger zombie problem for the U.S. than I've seen so far. 3. This not a shorter version of A&A, and you certainly CANNOT finish a game in 90 minutes. Plan for three hours or more. If you were hoping for a quicker version of A&A, I don't think this is it. OVERALL; I do recommend this game, especially if you like the horror theme (which I do) and you want to throw some expected chaos and monkey wrenches into your Axis & Allies experience. Because of the randomness of the zombies, the game won't play the exact same each time, so there's no danger of the game becoming too predictable. I look forward to breaking the game out again with my game group in the near future.

This game is almost exactly as I was expecting. The classic game play of A&A but with a slight twist of the zombies. The zombie directions are a bit confusing at first, but add a nice twist to the game. I would like to see the zombies become more of a nuisance but other than that, great game. If you are a fan of the board game series, go for it.

This product is great if you know what you're buying before you buy it. It is a wonderful game for a true board game person but if you don't know plane axis and allies and if you don't know risk then you definitely will not understand this game at all. For true gamer though is very fun.

Axis & Allies es una serie de juegos de mesa bajo el contexto histórico de la segunda guerra mundial en diversos escenarios y algunos en la primera guerra u otras variantes. Pero donde todas estas versiones coinciden es en que la estrategia es parte fundamental; es un juego que requiere paciencia (ya que son partidas largas), comprensión de las reglas y tiempo para entender todas las mecánicas. Lo anterior es una limitante para encontrar a las personas adecuadas para jugar una partida; ya que en definitiva no es un juego para todos. Sin embargo la idea de implementar Zombies en medio de la Segunda Guerra Mundial es algo que seguramente atraerá a más jugadores que de otra manera no se habían interesado. Esta versión es -desde mi punto de vista- la más divertida y dinámica; esencialmente la versión 1941 (la más simple de todas) con un toque de "muertos vivientes" lo que ayuda a tener partidas rápidas y emocionantes. El objetivo es casi el mismo; Gana el Eje o los Aliados si capturan y retienen las capitales enemigas o ganan los Zombies si alcanzan cierto poderío (ipcs) basado en número y territorios finalizando en un apocalipsis zombie. Las mecánicas y características se mantienen casi intactas, pero evidentemente se añaden algunas por ejemplo convirtiendo en zombies a las unidades de infantería pérdidas en batalla, un dado que elimina el seis por un lado zombie y otro dado para el ataque zombie además de tarjetas con eventos especiales. Para 2 jugadores mínimo. El manual incluye una variante para un juego de introducción, ideal para principiantes. Pros +Dinámico y muy divertido (con el jugador adecuado) +Más dados que otras versiones +La caja tiene una charola con espacio para almacenar las piezas en su propio compartimento. (No es común en A&A) +Buen precio +Viene con un juego de tarjetas adicionales para que en caso de que ya tengas la versión 1942, puedas implementar Zombies en tu tablero. Neutral *Como toda la serie, todo el contenido está en inglés, requiere habilidades medias de lectura para conprender las reglas y básicas para jugar. *Piezas exactas. No las pierdas, no hay repuestos. Negativos No tengo comentarios negativos

Amazing, I own the 1942 version of the game, but when my friends come over they always rather play the zombies version. Having that extra threat and seeing how the zombie infefestion is corrupting the world is super cool. Also in big battles me and my friends would leave huge stacks of zombies in one country, making it almost impossible for anyone to cross adding to the strategy. Every country has its own unique looking units, and is not as complex as the 1942 version. So if you are new, trying to get new players into the game, or just looking for a casual board gaming experience, this is for you.

It is an awesome addition to try a new play style and a spin on axis and allies. It is a lot of fun with friends and the zombies add a new challenge and difficulty for the axis powers and allies. Would recommend to any fans of axis and allies.

Aunque está en inglés sirve perfectamente para entrar en el mundo de A&A, tiene muchísimos componentes de gran calidad (en serio, de las mejores miniaturas que he visto, se entiende la fama que los precede) y mecánicas (eso de la economía me voló la cabeza) para aprender a la vez que se juega, además de que no exige un nivel muy avanzado de inglés, lo de los zombies es divertido y añade una sensación de que se acaba el tiempo, por lo que la partida puede sentirse frenética , compré este juego como primer acercamiento a A&A y solo puedo decir que funciona muy bien y no puedo esperar a tener otras entregas. Recomendado.

Très beau jeu. Une belle amélioration de l'ancienne version avec une touche en plus avec les zombies. Génial pour les amateurs de zombie et de guerre.