I’ve seen folks occasionally voice that the zombie genre has been pecked to death (pardon the pun)…I am not one of those people. Bring them on, I say. There’s something both frightening and appealing in fantasy no-win scenarios because in 90% of the movies I’ve seen, there’s never a cure. “OMZ!”, a 3-6 player card game that’ll be seeking funding through the Kickstarter process in late May 2019, advertises no such cure either. Rather, players will be attempting to accumulate seven checkpoints in order to escape. It’s important to stress that what I received was a prototype, so everything that you see and read about here is subject to change. I am also required by FCC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however my thoughts and opinions are my own.
While the prototype rulebook is lacking in some places, the general premise seems to be simple enough. For future editions of the digital rulebook I’d recommend both a components listing AND a more detailed instruction in some places. The rulebook simply tells players to draw five cards to form their starting hand and while it might seem obvious to shuffle the deck first, there are PLENTY of games on the market that have players seed decks a certain way beforehand. If you intend to have players shuffle prior to play, then it needs to be clearly stated. I also found the rulebook to be overinflated…large text and empty space led to a twelve page manual when it all could have been listed on maybe two or three pages. The manual also uses terms like “routes” without defining what they are, though I would assume that they are a collection of checkpoints and safe houses. Again, prototypes are subject to change and the developer is free to create their games however they wish. My two cents are simply that.
On their turn, the active player observes the following steps:
1. Check to see if cards effects activate.
2. Draw Phase: Draw one card from the draw pile.
3. Action Phase: Play one card from their hand or draw one more card from the draw pile. If the former, carry out the instructions on the card. If the active player plays a checkpoint card into their route that matches the previous, they perform this action phase step again.
4. Discard down to a hand limit of seven cards.
5. Check to see if cards effects activate.
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With “OMZ!” primarily being a card game, I feel it necessary to include a listing of all the card types in the deck so that you get an idea as to the content you’d be backing.
Checkpoints – Accumulating seven of these into your route wins you the game.
Safe Houses – These protect prior checkpoints.
Zombies – Played on other players’ routes to impede their progress.
Charms – Played on your own routes to help your progress.
Actions – Played for immediate effect.
Instant Actions – Played for immediate effect, on another player’s turn, in response to a card play.
Editor’s Note: The above doesn’t cover all of the rules found in the rulebook, but should give you an idea as to how the game is played.
“OMZ!” is both casual and cutthroat. It doesn’t have the meat that games like “Zombicide” do, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you don’t want a long one to three hour play session. “OMZ!” can be played in around thirty minutes, even less, if folks know what they’re doing and play quickly enough. The art is family-friendly, though with this being a game about the undead I’d still suggest some parental guidance. It would also be a suitable filler for group game nights.
As you folks know, I don’t review prototypes. It wouldn’t be fair to score something that isn’t done yet. That said, I can recommend that folks look into them or steer clear, based on my experiences with the product. Due to its non-violent nature I would recommend this one to gamer families, though there are some “take-that” mechanics that encourage players to target others in order to slow them down. Parents should incorporate a system to prevent multiple kids from ganging up on one, just because. You do you of course, but as a parent who works full-time outside of the gaming hobby, I for one do not want to deal with “DAD!!! THEY WON’T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” or “DAD!!! IT’S NOT FAIR!!!” or “DAAAAADDD!!! DAAAAAAAADDDDDD!!! TOMMY BIT ME!!!” or “DAAAAAAAAAADDDD!!! JESSIE’S BRAINS ARE ON THE FLOOR!!!!” You know, typical parenting stuff.
Since there are a lot of cards with various effects, I felt that including a video would be more effective than writing out samples here. It’ll also give you a chance to see the wonderful art. Enjoy, and be sure to visit the Kickstarter page after you’re done here.
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/omz/omz-oh-my-zombies?ref=pbuild_dashboard#project-preview
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