Introduction to Army of the Dead
Have you ever gathered a group of buddies around the table, gearing up to fend off wave after wave of the undead? That’s exactly the thrill Army of the Dead brings to your gaming nights. You and up to three friends take on the roles of scrappy survivors in a city overrun, each with their own unique skills—from the sharpshooter who can pick off zombies at range to the medic who patches up wounds before the next horde closes in. The box comes packed with detailed miniatures, sturdy map tiles that build a different city layout every time, and a deck of gear and event cards that keeps each playthrough fresh.
The core of the fun lies in its mix of deck-building and resource management. Early on, you’ll scavenge for weapons, ammo, and medical supplies, tweaking your personal deck so you draw the cards you need when you need them. Dice rolls determine combat outcomes, but clever use of special cards lets you reroll or boost your attack just when that bloated walker is about to munch on your teammate. Between missions, you spend scrap salvaged from downed zombies to upgrade gear, recruit new allies, or shore up barricades for the next onslaught. It’s a delicate balance—overinvest in offense and you might get swarmed; focus too much on defense and you risk running out of stops before the timer runs out.
What really sells Army of the Dead, though, is its sense of story. The campaign mode strings together half a dozen missions, each with branching paths depending on whether you rescue trapped civilians or detour through a military outpost to snag experimental weapons. You’ll unlock secrets about what caused the outbreak and decide as a team which objectives to prioritize: save the stranded scientists or forge ahead to the extraction point? The tension builds each time you flip a new scenario card, wondering if you’re about to get lucky with safehouse supplies or face a boss zombie that chews through armor like it’s paper.
Even after you’ve beaten the base campaign, there’s plenty more to chew on. A couple of small expansions introduce boats and underground tunnels, letting you chase zombies into the flooded parts of the city or duck beneath the streets to set up surprise attacks. And because every survivor has their own upgrade tree, you can mix and match roles—turn a brawler into a demolition expert or a stealthy scout into a zombie-slaying machine. It’s a great pick for anyone who loves teamwork, tense decisions, and just enough randomness to keep you on your toes.