Difficultly levels and Apocalypse mode

Out of the box, City of Zombies has 4 difficulty levels. These are shown by the numbers (1 to 4) on each Zombie card.

The icons that appear below these numbers are used in Apocalypse Mode, a mode that makes the Zombies super tough and gives them a number of special abilities!

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Choosing a level to play at

To play at the Beginner level (Level 1) only use Zombies with a difficulty number of 1

For the Advanced level (Level 2) add the Zombie cards with a difficulty number of 2, so you’ll be playing with level 1 and 2 Zombies.

For the Expert level add in all the Zombie cards with the number 3 difficulty, and for the Master level add in the remaining number 4 difficulty cards. (So you’ll be using all the Zombie cards supplied in the game.)

Apocalypse Mode

Apocalypse Mode will make the Zombies much tougher by giving them special abilities. These special abilities are shown in the bottom left of the Zombie card as a blue or green icon.

When playing you can have both the Green and Blue apocalypse icons active or chose only one set to use, for example, the blue icons.

So, how do these icons work?

Green Abilities

Green icons become active when Zombies are spawning and being placed on the board (when dealing out more Zombie cards during STEP 5).

When two Zombies with the same green icon appear next to each other in the same row, (or when a single Zombie that has two identical green icons is placed onto the board) the special ability activates:

Plus Symbol
Spawn an extra Zombie – When you finish adding Zombies, add an extra Zombie, either on an empty space on the same row or if there are no free spaces add it on the row above.
If there are no free spaces on the row or any row above do not add an extra Zombie.

Downward pointing triangle
Immediately move the matching Zombies down one row towards the Barricade.

The next two abilities activate in subsequent rounds if the cards they are on are still in play:

Number (8)
When dealing out Zombies during STEP 5 deal out 8 Zombie cards

Plane icon
The Rescue Plane is caught in an Alien tractor beam! Do not advance the Rescue Plane during STEP 4.

Blue Abilities

Blue icons become activate when players Fight Zombies (STEP 2).
It is recommended that during STEP 2 each player takes two turns instead of one. 

Shield icon
A Zombie that has a blue shield icon is called a ‘Blocker’
You can’t ‘shoot’ through this Zombie, it blocks you from targeting or removing any Zombies behind it, in the same column until the Blocker Zombie is defeated and removed from play.

Bullseye/Target icon
When you tagged and successfully defeat a Zombie with this icon it will absorb all your remaining dice, stopping you from targeting or defeating other Zombies on your turn.

Speech Bubble
If a Zombie with a Speech Bubble icon is in play, then during STEP 2 when players are Fighting Zombies they cannot talk! Any talking results in all Zombies advancing one row.

Hand icon
While a Zombie with this icon is in play any Items that the players have can’t be used!

Zombie Stacks 

In a normal game you only get one Zombie in each space on the board, but Apocalypse Mode can cause Zombies to ‘Stack up’

A Zombie Stack will move as one, when targeting and fighting a Zombie stack the active player can target and defeat any Zombie in the stack (or even multiple Zombies). 

Remember:
You can choose to have both Green and Blue active or only play with one colour active.
You can play using Apocalypse Mode at any difficulty level.