CMON Bring Romero’s Classic Night Of The Living Dead To Life
December 12, 2019 by brennon
CMON is back on Kickstarter shortly after their last Zombicide outing with another game, this time set to the theme of George A. Romero’s 1968 horror film Night Of The Living Dead. Take a peek at this one...
This new game brings both the flavour of Romero's old zombie film and also familiar Zombicide mechanics into play. You can choose to set up the game and play it in Romero Mode where the characters are more like their on-screen counterparts, weaker and less skilled, trying desperately to hold off the walking dead as they shamble after them.
You can then upgrade them if you like and play the game in Zombicide Mode where the characters are more skilled, more brutal and maybe even enjoy slaughtering their way through the hordes of Zombies and Ghouls now before them. However, in a twist, if they encounter their now undead relatives they become so shocked and broken that they revert back to their unsure Romero Mode iterations, making it a challenge to try and keep them going.
As you might imagine from a CMON game, there is quite a lot as part of the main pledge...
...and if you're interested in getting more of an overview of how the game plays then CMON also put together a handy video (below) which will run through all that you need to know. So, if you're on the fence about the game you can always jump in and see if this is going to be for you.
One cool thing that these folks have done is shown off ways to paint the models in the greyscale of the original movie. We've done something similar in the past so make sure to let us know if you'll be attempting that look for these characters and ghouls!
Are you tempted by this one?
"This new game brings both the flavour of Romero's old zombie film and also familiar Zombicide mechanics into play..."
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I’d be sorely tempted to go with the suggested greyscale colour scheme for these minis. Zenith fans would love it!
Once again a kickstater go`s live and no full play though… same with 303 squadron as well…. you think they learn by now..!!!
I can’t speak to 303 Squadron, but all CMON projects are about hype, marketing and emotion over the IP.
They will not have the rules, they will not have a good play through, just the basics. But, you are not supposed to look at that because look at all that plastic you are getting! There are plenty of people who go into a CMON project just for the plastic if there is a game hidden behind the plastic, that does not really matter.
WIP rulebook : http://resources.cmon.com/Night-of-the-Living-Dead/Rulebook-WIP.pdf There’s also an overview video. This isn’t Squad Leader, so it’s not like you need anything thorough. I doubt a full playthrough would tell you if the change in mechanics improved the game, that’s for the unpaid reviewers to tell you. With only 10 KSE’s, if you’re on the fence, you can always wait for a sale. If it goes on sale at the OLGS, the base game will often be half the price of a pledge plus shipping. CMON’s done playthroughs, but not necessarily *good* playthroughs. They’re also over 10x their funding goal (whatever that… Read more »
Yeah, CMON posts the “WIP” Rulebooks that is pretty much finished. I think the last time they didn’t post a rulebook was Sedition Wars. It is usually not posted on day 1, but it gets posted before the campaign ends. Maybe they won’t do a play through video for this game, because it is the 8th or 9th version of Zombicide that they’ve made. If you want to know how it plays, check out one of the previous incarnations and have a gander at the new rulebook. They usually just do in-house play through videos (ie, they don’t send them… Read more »
@brennon there are no unlocks with this campaign.
No stretch goals and no add-ons.
Says so part way down the KS page under “PLEASE NOTE”.
It’s almost like I breezed past that bit – thank you for letting me know.
It’s understandable… most cmon games are all about the stretch goals and add-ons. This is the first time they’ve done it to my knowledge.
I see you edited the copy… a more devious person would have deleted my correction…
Yeah. I get the impression that they meant to make this part of the Zombicide 2nd edition Kickstarter (like the alt core box from Invader). But then their licensing deal didn’t allow it, so this is a bit more like a normal pre-order thing than CMON’s usual Kickstarters.
I always wondered why they hadn’t done a licensed version of a famous zombie movie like this one.
OTOH … Zombicide being its own thing has worked so far.
If this works out for them, I could see 28 Days Later Zombicide, Dawn of the Dead Zombicide, High School of the Dead Zombicide, World War Z Zombicide, Zombieland Zombicide, etc.
I think it really depends on whether having the NotLD license makes the game sell to a new audience that isn’t already picking up all things Zombicide.
It could work… but at the same time Zombicide is an established gametype now with its own fanbase (and associated moaning and whining that’s par for the course).
As such fans of the game are not going to want a movie themed version that’s totally different (even if said changes make perfect sense). I saw a few comments of that nature already in the comments for that kickstarter.
Of the movies listed I’d argue that Zombieland is a lot like Zombicide already, except for the over-the-top zombie killing methods.
Hmm. I’ve been reading the occasional backer request for the 90’s remake, or Dead sequels. OTOH, it *is* pretty evident some backers don’t care about the film. MORE SG’S PLEASE. Except that pretty much every character has been tapped out from the film, with Zombicide versions that weren’t in the film (eg. little girl with chainsaw). Maybe an exploding truck or ghoul eating sheep’s intestines, but that’s about it. CMON has games licensed for Trudvang, Kick Ass, Wacky Racers, Godfather and… can’t recall other ones. I think they’ve had more licensed games recently than in earlier years? I’m guessing the… Read more »
CMON has worked as publisher for a long time- so technically most of their games are produced under a license for something (that’s why SPM got to keep Relic Knights and Super Dungeon when the two parted ways).
But I agree that they’ve started tapping more prominent “outside” IPs for their games of late (Song of Fire and Ice is probably the biggest one).
Yes, Zombicide already has an established style, but each new box set introduces some variants to that core.
And with Invader, they left the realm of Zombies altogether for something more akin to Space Hulk or Alien.
I think they could make most of those adaptations of Zombicide with about as many rules changes as they’ve done in every other Z-cide set (maybe fewer for Zombieland).
I could see the Zombicide rules set working with other properties quite well. A Zombicide Serenity (with Reavers in place of Zombies) or Zombicide Alien(s).
Sounds a great twist to the game’s mechanics with the encounter relapse.
Way back when they first announced their deal with Image Ten for the rights, I was really wondering what on earth would make a NotLD Zombicide be different from normal Zombicide.
Lack of Abomination and Runners is a big difference- but I think that the ‘relatives’ zombies are a very large part of Romero’s work.