Here’s a list of the latest rules update:
- Zombie Roller Derby Rules
- Zombie Cards
- Action Cards
- Tokens
- Track (2-3 player)
- Track (4-6 player)
- Feedback Sheet
- Document Printing Guide
We’ve decided to put it out there for people to read and critique. Some aspects of the game may not be clear without the pieces, however; we recommend contacting us for information on how to print a play test version.
The decision to publicize comes from our understanding of copyright. Basically, the rules of the game are the most important element right now. They exist as a document, in other words, as a creative piece of writing. By posting them online, we’ve effectively published our work, which means it’s copyrighted. Plus, from what I’ve gathered about designing and marketing a board game, the amount of effort necessary to succeed precludes stealing an idea from someone else, especially if they’ve got a strong legal stance to claim the idea as their own.
On another issue, we’re glad to announce that we’ve had over a hundred artists apply through our job posting at Freelanced.com. This is great, because it gives us a chance to find someone who is excited about the project, self-motivated, and very talented with art and design work. Naturally we don’t expect to find a perfect fit right away; there’ll be some work to figure out our final style. But the more options we have, the harder people will try (ourselves included) to make sure the final product is exactly what we want.
I also found out yesterday that Freelanced.com requires registration (and payment?) to view job postings. So if you aren’t registered with them, don’t worry: check the above link for artists for the information you need.
Warning: Rules rant follows.
For those who have played the game already, there has been a small change to the cards. I had to alter the numbers and redistribute the cards in the deck based on the game’s timing. Initially, the jammer (the zombie that scores points) had a speed of 8, while the others had a speed of 4. This meant that normal movement around the track (without the help of cards) would allow players to score about once or twice a game. That means players have to use their cards for movement just to score in a meaningful way. But about a third of the movement cards gave a bonus to the entire team, which negates the overall bonus of playing a movement card. The other problem lay in the counter cards. There just weren’t enough of them to make the game really interesting; players were relying on (or avoiding) crowd effects, which honestly seemed to slow things down.
So now the cards contain about 2/3 counter effects, 1/3 attack/move team bonuses. Additionally, every card can be used to provide a temporary bonus to attack, defend or move, which gives the players options. Finally, the stats have changed to reflect a faster pace; players can now score about once every three turns, without using cards, which gives everyone a chance to score four times during the game.
‘Course, a lot of this would probably be more interesting if you’ve read the rules first…
[/rant]
–carl
Posted on November 3, 2011 by Simon T. Vesper
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