I have been messing with a game design that initially proposed to have players who failed in their objective become active forces against the remaining players; a concept that I am told is difficult to implement and has since been stripped from that particular game draft. But I wasn't done with the idea itself and I wanted to find a way to use it in a game of my own, so here it comes.
You and your fellow survivors must build and maintain a safe-house in the center of a city rapidly succumbing to the rising zombie infection. Scout various locations throughout the city to find tools of survival and building materials to strengthen your stronghold. But watch out! Zed's lurk everywhere, and if you accrue too much of an infection, you will join the hoard as it attempts to break the safe-house!
One area of the board represents the safe-house, and all of the space that you have for tools and equipment. An inner track records it's overall strength. The surrounding zones represent various locations to scavenge materials. Along the outer edge of the board runs a progression track that represents the gross strength of the city's hoard of Zeds, and the effect they have upon the dwindling resources.
The game is played in two alternating phases. During the survivor phase, each player either scouts a location for supplies, indicated by placing their token at that site and draws a card (or cards), or performs an action such as building or remodeling the safe-house, installing equipment (such as a power generator), or hunting Zeds. Any unvisited locations continue to burn cards indicating loss to the Zeds or other survivors. Seeded throughout the decks are infection cards that indicate an unlucky encounter with the undead, as well as antiviral serum to battle infections.
Once all the actions have been performed, night falls and the zombies take their turn. The hoard gets stronger as the track advances. If ever the Zeds become stronger than the safe-house, the house is compromised and everyone inside gains infection.
When a survivor gains too much infection they join the hoard, but do not leave the game! During the zombie phase, the track advances faster for each turned player. They also continue to pull cards from the resources, flipping them around to the Zed specific actions such as draining additional resources or even damaging areas of the safe-house. Additionally, each turned player can place their token at one of the salvage sites. During the next survivor phase, a player may still visit that location for resources, but they will assuredly gain infection for their trouble.
If the remaining survivors can last until the hoard reaches the end of its track, they will be rescued from the city and the swarming Zeds. Between the dwindling and already scarce supplies, and the rising zombie threat, will they be able to hold out?
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