Last Night on Earth Boardgame Review

I've now had a chance to play Last Night on Earth twice. Since both times were with different people, I've only played the basic game where you basically try to kill as many zombies as you can. Bottom line, if you enjoy games involving zombies, you're quite likely to enjoy this. I have to admit, the theme was very important to our enjoyment of the game.

Luck does seem to play a factor, for better or worse, but it does so in a way that seems very true to the theme. In one game, the humans found a chainsaw towards the end and, through a series of good rolls, put it to very good use, winning the game. In the second game, the humans couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and kept breaking their weapons. With all the bad rolls, the zombie players won in a landslide. Both times, it seemed like the kind of stuff that you see in the zombie movies.

This game may be looked down on by some as lacking in strategy, but for us it qualifies as a very entertaining game. It may not be deep, but it sure is fun. I look forward to playing the advanced rules (they don't look complicated at all) and I could definitely see buying the expansion if people continue to find the game entertaining.

I watched a 3 or 4 part video review/overview of this game on YouTube. It looked kinda fun on a rather casual scale. Once summer wraps up and my board game crew gets back together I plan on grabbing this game for a more relax and grab a beer type of game night. We aren't real hardcore or anything, but this game seems a bit less daunting than most.

Once again another post about board games- I still think that if we had a board game forum section we'd see a lot more people gain interest, and it would be a good place to put a nice pile of threads like this.

elewis17 wrote:

Once again another post about board games- I still think that if we had a board game forum section we'd see a lot more people gain interest, and it would be a good place to put a nice pile of threads like this. :)

That's a good idea. I agree.

I've played several games of LNOE and enjoyed it alot. It's definitely a beer & pretzels kind of game that, with the right people, can be a blast. The group I play with is full of actors/writers and we all enjoy creating personas and doing bad accents for the person we're playing. Good times.

Last Night on Earth is a great game if you want something simple that really nails the theme and plays quickly. It is pretty light on mechanics and rules, involves lots of dice rolling and plenty of fun. You can't take it very seriously but it leads to lots of laughter and memorable moments. Really does a good job of making the humans feel like they are fighting off a swarm of slow-moving, hard-to-kill zombies.

Be sure you're playing it right. Courtesy of Kat, the real title of the game is Scotch And Zombies.

McChuck wrote:

Be sure you're playing it right. Courtesy of Kat, the real title of the game is Scotch And Zombies.

I've already started lobbying Flying Frog to change the official name.

KaterinLHC wrote:
McChuck wrote:

Be sure you're playing it right. Courtesy of Kat, the real title of the game is Scotch And Zombies.

I've already started lobbying Flying Frog to change the official name.

Not only is this game a lot of fun, but Flying Frog also has fantastic customer service. When I contacted them because of a water-damaged hero deck, they immediately sent me a new deck free of charge. I've only played the expansion a couple of times, but I'd definitely recommend it once you've played each of the original scenarios a few times each.

Has anyone tried the web-only supplements that they sell? Are they worth it?

Kat and I have played this a ton. The depth of strategy grows as you move beyond the starter campaign, but it never (in my experience) becomes a game you couldn't play while drinking - hence Scotch and Zombies.

It's been quite successful for us as a gateway game for novice board gamers as well.

DrunkenSleipnir wrote:

It's been quite successful for us as a gateway game for novice board gamers as well.

I'll second that. That game got a bunch of my girlfriend's non-geek friends heavily into board games. Now whenever they come over to our place, they always bring along a board game or two of their own.

This is great news! A buddy of mine picked this up last month, and we're going to try it out in a couple of weeks. I was initially skeptical of it, but if the Hivemind gives it good marks, then it deserves a fair shake. Sounds like fun!

I gave it a great review on Funagain Games, but I'm the only reviewer... you guys should put your experiences in the mix!

I've looked at buying this and playing with some friends, looks fun.

My question is this: Has anyone played Zombies!!!, and can you make a "fun-parison"? I've wanted to buy Zombies!!! (and add ons) for a long time, but now with "Scotch & Zombies" on my radar I don't know what to spend the money on.

Edit:

lostlobster wrote:
elewis17 wrote:

Once again another post about board games- I still think that if we had a board game forum section we'd see a lot more people gain interest, and it would be a good place to put a nice pile of threads like this. :)

That's a good idea. I agree.

Seconded.

Big fan. Had a lot of fun with this so far. Almost done re-painting the heroes even.

clever id wrote:

My question is this: Has anyone played Zombies!!!, and can you make a "fun-parison"? I've wanted to buy Zombies!!! (and add ons) for a long time, but now with "Scotch & Zombies" on my radar I don't know what to spend the money on.

Having never played Zombies and played Last Night on Earth, I strongly recommend LNoE Based on the bits I've read about Zombies over at BGG, the game lasts way too long for the amount of fun to be had. Last Night on Earth is great because it plays for a specific number of rounds so you'll never end up with a long, drawn out game.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

Having never played Zombies and played Last Night on Earth, I strongly recommend LNoE Based on the bits I've read about Zombies over at BGG, the game lasts way too long for the amount of fun to be had. Last Night on Earth is great because it plays for a specific number of rounds so you'll never end up with a long, drawn out game.

Coming from the opposite situation (I have Zombies!!! but haven't heard of Last Night on Earth) I have to agree. Any goodness to be had in Zombies!!! comes from the theme alone--like most Steve Jackson games it gets really bogged down after you've played for a while. Of course, it can still be fun if you're drunk and making zombie noises, but I think just about any activity would be fun under those circumstances.

But Last Night sounds good! Thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks for the input, I guess I'll start with LNoE.

I'll also once again support the idea of a dedicated board game section here. That'd be awesome

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

I'll also once again support the idea of a dedicated board game section here. That'd be awesome :)

Maybe after the recent Rabbit-con, and the experiences of the powers that be with the board games, we'll hear less hateful speech on the podcast for em (Rabbit excluded), and more love in the forums.

Ah, but then Elysium 2.0 had to go and beat his Dad at Dominion. We're screwed.

Poppinfresh wrote:

Since both times were with different people, I've only played the basic game where you basically try to kill as many zombies as you can.

Definitely dive into the other scenarios, with explosives, zombie heroes, etc. We found the intro scenario to not be a lot of fun since its main objective--kill zombies--isn't the tactical strength of the game, i.e. it can be frustratingly hard to do. That was a turn-off for Ms. Gravey's and my friends (we bought the game), but once we started playing Escape in the Truck, or Defend the Manor House, the fun came out for heroes and zombies, and the additional rules didn't complicate things.

Don't know about the web supplements, but the expansion is well worth it if you will play LNoE regularly. Sam the Diner Cook armed with a fence post, phew...

lostlobster wrote:
elewis17 wrote:

Once again another post about board games- I still think that if we had a board game forum section we'd see a lot more people gain interest, and it would be a good place to put a nice pile of threads like this. :)

That's a good idea. I agree.

Would it be out of line to start a thread about this to see how many people would be interested in it? A petition, if you will; I don't want to piss off our mods, or have them think I started some sort of angry mob. Just something to show how much interest there truly is in board games around here. But maybe I'd be better off just emailing them.

EDIT: I sent the bigwigs an email.

elewis17 wrote:
lostlobster wrote:
elewis17 wrote:

Once again another post about board games- I still think that if we had a board game forum section we'd see a lot more people gain interest, and it would be a good place to put a nice pile of threads like this. :)

That's a good idea. I agree.

Would it be out of line to start a thread about this to see how many people would be interested in it? A petition, if you will; I don't want to piss off our mods, or have them think I started some sort of angry mob. Just something to show how much interest there truly is in board games around here. But maybe I'd be better off just emailing them.

EDIT: I sent the bigwigs an email.

Man, I was reaching for my pitchfork...

jonstock wrote:
Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

Having never played Zombies and played Last Night on Earth, I strongly recommend LNoE Based on the bits I've read about Zombies over at BGG, the game lasts way too long for the amount of fun to be had. Last Night on Earth is great because it plays for a specific number of rounds so you'll never end up with a long, drawn out game.

Coming from the opposite situation (I have Zombies!!! but haven't heard of Last Night on Earth) I have to agree. Any goodness to be had in Zombies!!! comes from the theme alone--like most Steve Jackson games it gets really bogged down after you've played for a while. Of course, it can still be fun if you're drunk and making zombie noises, but I think just about any activity would be fun under those circumstances.

But Last Night sounds good! Thanks for the recommendation.

I have both Zombies! and Last Night on Earth, and after having played both of them, Last Night on Earth is much, much more fun, at least to me.

Gravey wrote:
Poppinfresh wrote:

Since both times were with different people, I've only played the basic game where you basically try to kill as many zombies as you can.

Definitely dive into the other scenarios, with explosives, zombie heroes, etc. We found the intro scenario to not be a lot of fun since its main objective--kill zombies--isn't the tactical strength of the game, i.e. it can be frustratingly hard to do. That was a turn-off for Ms. Gravey's and my friends (we bought the game), but once we started playing Escape in the Truck, or Defend the Manor House, the fun came out for heroes and zombies, and the additional rules didn't complicate things.

Don't know about the web supplements, but the expansion is well worth it if you will play LNoE regularly. Sam the Diner Cook armed with a fence post, phew...

I agree 100% with Gravey, the "Kill so many zombies" scenario is easily the worst one of the lot. Defend the Manor House and Get to the Truck are much more entertaining, even Find the Zombie Master is better. There is also a free one on the web where you have to go back to town and find canisters to make a cure, where you have to use all parts of the board.

This game is freakin' impossible to find these days. I've looked for 2 weeks now.

According to ThoughtHammer.com, they're expecting restock in March. Unless you can find one in a FLGS, you may be out of luck until then.

Damn, glad I got it when I did. I would like to add the expansion is great, and solves several problems with the base game. The Red Zombies add a much needed strategy element to that side. There was also a decent rule clarification-heroes only have two hands, so they can carry 1 two handed weapon or 2 one handed weapons(No more chainsaws and shotguns). The new heroes are also really cool. I have yet to delve into the new scenarios much. Oh, and more weapons is also good.

Bought this while on holiday. It wins.

This thread has me intrigued. I dont play many boardgames anymore, but maybe this would be a fun zombie filled road back to them... I see they offer the rules as a pdf on their website to check it out.

If zombies aren't your thing, Flying Frog's soon to be released new game, Invastion From Outer Space, is almost completely identical to Last Night on Earth in terms of gameplay. The setting is the biggest change. It's a martian invasion. At a circus. With a dancing bear in a tutu.

People still love to play LNoE over here. A zombie-loving friend has religiously bought every expansion, though to be honest we get a lot of mileage out of the base game, especially if you add in their online extra scenarios.

After hearing it discussed on the conference call multiple times, I picked up a copy of LNoE for cheapski at Bookman's tonight to put into a white elephant gift exchange at a New Year's party. Only now I think I might want to keep it for myself. Thoughts?

For reference, I enjoy board games more than just about anyone I know IRL, but maybe not quite as much as the geekiest of board game geeks you encounter on the Internet. Half the stuff they talk about on the annual Rabbit-con show I've never heard of. I tend to like the sort of co-op / versus board games where you're forced to work with other players in a limited way, but you know that sooner or later you'll wind up at each other's throats. Like dealmaking in Monopoly or alliances in Risk: you can't survive on your own, but you can't win if you don't eventually break your alliances.

For further reference, Risk 2210 is the greatest Risk variant of all time, ever.