That’s right save the people! Everyone is waiting and preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse but in this game you have a chance to stop the spread of the disease before that happens! I just love games like this and while this one is meant for ages 12 and up you can teach your little zombie lovers how to play too. It is easy enough to learn and will even help your kids to develop strategy building skills. You just have to make sure your littles ones are ok with zombies and zombie babies.

The game comes with:

• Game board
• 28 cards
• 50 Red immunization chips
• 40 Green infection chips
• 6 zombie chips

Warning if playing with little ones: Small parts. Please be careful.

Ok..I LOVE this commercial…seriously. Hilarious!

Now more about the game! The game board isn’t a board. It is actually a mat similar to a mouse pad. This means that it won’t slip and more importantly the chips don’t slide all over the place when you go to add new ones. Brilliant! It has rows of faces that represent your town and two zombie faces that represent the start of the infection.

How to Play:

Roll out the mat and shuffle the cards. You might also want to separate the colored chips as it makes it easier throughout the game. That isn’t necessary and might just be the OCD in me but it does help. Then place 1 green chip on each of the zombie faces on the board. They are your start of the infection in your town.

You have options of difficulty to decide on before you start. Each level of difficulty is based on the number people allowed to die before you lose. Normal difficulty is when 5 people die you lose the game.

Levels of Difficulty:

• Chicken Soup: 4 Deaths
• Cough Medicine: 3 Deaths
• IV Fluids: 2 Deaths
• Intensive Care: 1 Death
• Miracle: 0 Deaths

I would start with normal and if you are playing with younger kids keep it there for awhile or if you have to up the number to 6 or even 7. This game is very flexible on its rules so you can adjust for younger kids.

Once you have your difficulty level chosen you can begin. The youngest player always goes first and each turn will follow the same order and steps. 

• Draw a card.
• Add green infection chips as directed by the card.
• Check to see if anyone has turned into a zombie.
• Vaccinate or cure as many people as the card allows.

Step one is easy enough, but step two can be a little confusing at first. There are two card types, Spread cards and Outbreak Cards. The Spread cards tell you that the infection has spread and show you which direction and how many people. The center of these cards is the start and the arrow indicates which direction and by how many more people to infect.

The OutBreak cards have one person on them and you have to put an infected chip on a person that matches. The catch is that you cannot place a chip on someone who next to someone who is immunized or already infected. If there is no person that matches and meets the criteria then an outbreak does not occur and you get to vaccinate two people instead of one. Bonus!

If a person on the board is surrounded on all possible sides by infected people they will turn into a zombie. The edges of the board count against you by the way. Also the babies immediately become zombies when infected. Zombies cannot be cured OR vaccinated and you lose if you have too many zombies based on the level of difficulty you chose.

To win you simply have to stop the infection from spreading anywhere. By vaccinating people so that the disease cannot spread anywhere. Not as simple as it sounds but if you are a gamer you won’t much difficulty. Unless you are playing with a 4 year old. Then it becomes more challenging and interesting.

If you are playing with kids learning to or are unable to read then simply show them how to play based on the pictures and arrows. This is a great chance to work on Left and Right, identifying site words (though not so common ones) and counting. My 4 year old son taught one of our friends how to play this game and he is just starting to learn to read.

The only downside to ZombiePox is that is easier to win often and sometimes not challenging at all. If you are playing with younger kids or are letting younger kids play the game is more challenging however a group of adults who already understand strategy will have a pretty easy time winning.

This game is great for adults and kids alike. Especially if you’re a zombie loving family like mine is and you are bored to tears with Candyland or Memory. Since it is a game that everyone either wins or loses it is great in promoting teamwork amongst your kids! They work together and have fun. Which means you get peace and quiet for at least a little while. 

“I don’t think anyone wants to cuddle a zombie.”
~ Norman Reedus