
2016 · Fantasy
Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition)
Players coordinate the defense of a small town and surrounding villages under siege by a spreading zombie epidemic. Each player controls districts, recruits and moves survivors, fights advancing undead, secures resources, and conducts research to find a cure. Play alternates between action planning and resolving Zed attacks as the threat escalates across the map. Victory conditions balance eliminating Zeds, protecting population centers, and progressing scientific efforts while managing dwindling time and resources.
- Players
- 1–5 best 1
- Playing time
- 90–120 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 3.8 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Art
- Publisher
Expansions
See them in LudoyaOn Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 567
- Plays logged
- 97
- Players
- 1h 52m
- Average play
- 123
- In collections
- 23
- On wishlists
8.0/10
from 51 Ludoya reviews
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
If any Zeds get into Town Center, do we lose immediately?
Yes — if any Zeds unit enters Town Center, no final combat occurs and the Zeds win instantly (page 7).
What does a Z (Zeds Pressure) icon actually do — how many Zeds move or get added?
Zeds Pressure scales by player count: the total number equals the number of Hero players minus one — for Zeds Movement Pressure you move that many strongest Zeds units/mobs one space, and for Zeds Placement Pressure you add that many new Zeds to Start spaces on the tracks with the fewest Zeds (pages 18–19).
Can I spend my Player Action or an Event Action on units I don't control?
Yes — Player Actions and Event Actions can be spent on any Player unit, not just your own; Event Actions are decided as a group while each player spends their own Player Action (page 9).
If I move a unit into a space with Zeds, can it keep moving after the encounter?
No — moving a Player unit into a space with Zeds immediately ends that unit's movement and begins Hand-to-Hand combat (page 10).
How are Hits applied and what happens when a Hero/Civilian takes their last Hit?
Apply Hits to the Zeds first, then to the Player unit, allocating Hits among Zeds as you choose; when a Player unit takes its last Hit you make a Saving Roll (d6): 1–3 = Cemetery, 4–6 = Town Center (Civilians enter reduced side; Heroes full-strength) (pages 15–15).
If two Player units are stacked defending a space, do their Strengths combine in combat?
No — stacked Player units never combine Strengths; you must select which single unit is fighting before any die roll, use only that unit's Strength and bonuses/terrain shift for the combat, and if that defending unit loses both stacked units must retreat (pages 10 and 11).
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.



