The Walking Dead: The Dice Game

Ever since The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010, I’ve been captivated. I devoured every episode and spin-off without missing a beat. The Dead-Verse’s premise, storyline, and especially the characters drew me in completely. My wife and I have hosted “Walkers and Wine” viewing parties; we’re hardcore fans. When I heard about The Walking Dead: The Dice Game, I knew I had to try it. With only a handful games set in this universe, I was eager to dive into this one.

In The Walking Dead: The Dice Game, players take on the role of survivors aiming to prove their worth by going on supply runs in a known hot zone infested with Walkers and rival survivor groups. The objective is to collect the most resources, and the player with the largest stash at the end of the game wins.

Mantic Games publishes The Walking Dead: The Dice Game, a push-your-luck dice game for 2-4 players, ages 10+, that plays in under 30 minutes.

Gameplay

The Exploration deck contains two types of cards: Locations and Events. Location cards show the number of supplies, fight value, damage dealt, and sometimes a special effect influencing the player’s attack. Event cards, on the other hand, require the player to complete an action and then discard the card.

The game includes thirteen dice, with four types of attack dice. From least to most powerful there are: six yellow, three orange, two red, and one black die. The black die also has the highest frequency of attack symbols. Finally, the special blue die has various faces that impact each roll, like rerolling a die, a 2x attack multiplier, avoiding a wound, or suffering a bite.

Making a Run

At the start of a turn, flip an Exploration card and choose 1-3 Attack dice to commit to the card and roll along with the special blue die. Next, evaluate the roll: if the Attack dice pips meet or exceed the card’s fight value, stash the card nearby. Pass the used Attack dice to the next player.

Continue drawing new Location cards, committing dice, and rolling to defeat enemies for supply points until you choose to stop. When you stop, sum the supply icons on the stashed cards and write down your points. Discard the stashed Location cards and pass any remaining dice, including the blue die, to the next player. Give that player the rest of your Wound cubes, too.

If you fail to defeat the enemy, place any contributing dice from that roll on the card. Then, pass the other dice from that roll and one of your Wound cubes (which represent your life) to the next player.

Next, select up to three dice and roll them again. Add the damage from the new roll to the dice previously placed on the card. You succeed if the total fight value meets or exceeds the requirement and score the card. After defeating a Location, you may choose to stop and score supplies. Your turn ends when you either run out of dice or suffer three wounds.

Winning the Game

Continue taking turns as described until one player ends their run with 15 or more supplies scored. Everyone else takes one final turn to try and beat them. The player with the most supplies wins!

Impressions

As a diehard fan, The Walking Dead: The Dice Game had me hooked. The only other Walking Dead game I own is The Walking Dead: Something to Fear. Thematically and mechanically The Walking Dead: The Dice Game nails it. I loved that they used artwork from the comic book series in lieu of tv stills; sorry no Daryl Dixon!

Edge of your Seat Action

Each die roll keeps me on the edge of my seat. The varied attack dice offer interesting decisions when facing an Exploration card. A fight value of five will need some strong dice, and the black die can be a game-changer—use it wisely.

Just like in the comics and show, things can turn bad in a split second, too. Bad dice rolls force you to pass dice, endure bites, and if the dice run out, you’re knocked out. On the flip side turns can be epic, with players racking up 7-8 supplies in a single turn, and games often end with close scores.

Family Friendly Zombies?

The Walking Dead: The Dice Game is quick to learn and suitable for all levels of gamers. The magic question you might be wondering: is it family-friendly? That depends on your comfort with zombie content, light gore, and weapons. I have junior high and high school-aged kids, and I had no issues with the artwork. You’ll need to the the judge.

The Walking Dead: The Dice Game plays well at all player counts, but I found it best with two players. Turns come around quickly, allowing for multiple plays in a short time. The two-player competition creates tense moments, and with an end-game trigger of 15 supplies, games fly by.

Final Thoughts

The only thing I found odd about the game was its premise. The idea that “Rick Grimes is recruiting for an open slot in his group of hardy survivors and you are determined to prove your worth” doesn’t fit Rick’s character, as he wouldn’t force people to compete to join his group. It was odd that some cards had me fighting against Rick or other survivors too. That said, I can easily overlook this, as I’m just happy to have a great game in the Walking Dead universe. If you’re not into zombies, Mantic Games offers two alternative IP themes: Invincible and Hellboy.

The Walking Dead: The Dice Game was a smash hit with my family! We adore push-your-luck dice games that keep the excitement rolling. Its compact size makes it perfect for travel too, whether for lunch breaks or dinner table fun. I can’t recommend it enough—this is one game that’s sure to see plenty of action with my son and me for a long time.

Ready to test your grit? Grab your zombie-fighting gear and pick up the game directly from Mantic Games, on Amazon, or at your local game store.

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The Family Gamers received a copy of The Walking Dead: The Dice Game from Flat River Games for this review.

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