This semester-long game is going great! I was nervous that students wouldn’t be that interested in playing but so far the opposite has been true. A few student groups have reached the Oracles and others are trying to figure out how to make boats but so far the most popular part of the game have been the Zombie fights.

If you would like an overview of the Zombie game mode I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about Survival Mode which outlines the basic idea. Each of the Times Zombies is a historical figure and each has a unique physical challange characteristic. I have made cards to represent each of the Time Zombies and include 3 of each in my Zombie deck. When the Zombie Outbreak mechanic kicks in (see survival mode) I take the top card off the deck and pin it to our game board.

2 Zombies. 1 in SE Azorious and 1 in SE Gruul.
Our 3rd Zombie (in the Ocean!) Also. Our 4 vanquished Zombies displayed on the side of the map.

Here are the 5 Zombies I have created so far. Their physical challenges are described on the card.

I have had to tweak a couple elements since making these. For example, In Zombie Washington Trashketball I realized that the guild could just keep answering questions so I adjusted the mechanic so that for every question answered incorrectly the group would lose a heart. No penalty for missing a shot but it puts a limit on the number of tries. The number of hearts hasbeen determined by their Nation status which was selected at the start of the year. In others I have had to identify if the students answer individually or as a group. Overall these were minor tweaks the students rolled with.

We have had 5 zombie battles so far and each took about 10 minutes but they were engaging! Only the students in the attacking guild answer review questions but the whole class is allowed to pause, watch, encourage, and cheer! And boy do they! Our first battle saw an all female guild take on Zombie Washignton in a Trashketball challenge. The last shot was made on the last possible throw and the room erupted! It was doubly awesome because the girl that made the shot was awfully shy about participating and left class with a huge victory smile. Just as important – during the review game the rest of the class was taking notes and discussing their answers all without being prompted. It was fantastic.

One big addition I made was the Champion option. If the guild does not want to participate in the physical portion they can hire out that element to another member of the class. The guild still has to answer the questions but I wanted to offer an alternative to those unwilling or unable to complete the physical portion of the activity.

Now my challange is to add new physical challanges to the game! I am also interested in expanding beyond Multiple Choice and ahort answer in the review. If you have any ideas to contribute I would love to hear your suggestions!