Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition): Expansion Pack #3 – Rumors and Rails
Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition): Expansion Pack #3 – Rumors and Rails Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
New Components
- 3 die-cut sheets (2 freight trains, 16 rumors)
- 1 sticker sheet
Note: before you play for the first time, you may stick the included stickers onto the 4 spaces on the B side of the game board. These are Station spaces. This is not necessary (if you dislike sticking things onto game boards); it is only meant to help you remember the effects.
How to Play with the Expansion
To use the new game elements of this expansion, you must play at least on Level II [Level II symbol]! This expansion consists of 2 modules that you can play independently of each other: Module 1: Freight Trains and Module 2: Rumor Mill.
Module 1: Freight Trains
Setup Changes
Place both trains in Town Center with their orange Departure side facing up.
New Rules
The two freight trains are Vehicles. They count as Player units with no stacking limit. They have 2 sides: the orange Departure side and the blue Arrival side. The orange side shows that the train is currently moving away from Town Center (toward the Start spaces). The blue side shows that the train is currently moving toward Town Center (away from the Start spaces). Each freight train can carry up to 2 possible passengers (see below). Freight trains can restore order.
A Zed that leaves a space with a freight train in order to move toward Town Center (see Rule 4.4) destroys and removes the freight train as its Goodbye effect.
Train Movement
The freight trains may only move along the paths intended for them. The WH-Cargo train can only move on the Forest track and the Highway track. The Express-BV train can only move on the Mountain track and the Suburbs track.
To move a train, you must either use 1 Action (Move) in the Action Phase or spend 1 Refugee Movement for it in the PRFN phase. The chosen train then moves along one of its possible paths, as far as you wish or as far as you can (see Restrictions), but always only in the direction its current side indicates.
You may turn a train:
a) from the orange side to the blue side, …, if it is not in Town Center or on a Zeds-controlled space, …
b) from the blue side to the orange side, …, automatically and for free, when it enters Town Center, …
…, and/or by spending 1 Action in the Action Phase, or by spending 1 Refugee Movement for it in the PRFN phase.
Whenever a freight train on its orange Departure side ends its movement at a Station space, you immediately receive a bonus:
- Farmingdale University: Reduce [skull icon] by 4.
- The Farm: Gain +3 Supplies.
- "Lucky Strike" Mine: Gain +2 Ammo.
- Nuclear Power Plant: Gain 2 extra Actions on the Action track.
Restrictions
In principle, a freight train moves as far along its path as you wish. Nevertheless, when moving a freight train you must observe the following:
- If you enter a space with Zeds, you must end your movement there.
- While Zeds are on its space, a freight train can be neither turned nor moved.
- You may not enter a space with the No Entry marker.
- You do not have to stop on spaces with a Chaos marker.
- You must observe the effect of Destroyed Bridge, but you may ignore the effect of Ferry.
- If you enter Town Center, you must end your movement there, and all passengers must disembark.
Transporting Passengers
You may transport passengers on a freight train from its space. Either 2 Player units (but not other vehicles, drivers or the National Guard) OR 1 Refugee. Passengers must travel from the beginning to the end of the movement. They cannot disembark in the middle of the movement, and they cannot board in the middle of the movement.
- Player units board the train for free.
- To have 1 Refugee board, you must spend 1 Action in the Action Phase, or spend 1 Refugee Movement for it in the PRFN phase.
Freight Trains in Combat
A freight train on a space gives a cumulative defensive Terrain shift of 1. You therefore always receive this in addition, regardless of whether the space already has a Terrain shift. This breaks the base game rule that only the best Terrain shift counts. Trains can never withdraw or retreat.
Module 2: Rumor Mill
Setup Changes
Shuffle all rumors face down (that is, with the side without text facing up). Then place them ready as a loose stack.
New Rules
Whenever a Refugee is placed in the Refugee Camp, draw 1 rumor. Make sure you do not see what its front side shows. Then draw 1 Story card and place the rumor, still face down, on the space of the location with the strongest Zed/Zeds mob that does not yet have a rumor on it (ties: your choice). If there is no such space at that location, or if it is the Start space, you do not place a rumor.
Discovering Rumors
When a Hero, heroic Civilian or special Civilian (except Refugees; in The Basic Game this is only the Red Diamond Security Service) enters a space with a rumor, you may either spend 1 Action to reveal the rumor, or wait. You may only reveal a rumor if no Chaos marker is on the space.
Note: Freight trains, the National Guard, Anti units and ordinary Civilians therefore cannot discover rumors.
Waiting: If you wait, the rumor is revealed automatically and for free at the beginning of the Action Phase of the next round (if the unit that can do so is still on the space).
Effects of Rumors
Rumors come in 3 types: Attach, Place and Secure. Depending on the type, something different happens when you reveal one.
Attach
The rumor is an item that is attached to the unit that revealed it. This item can be given for free to another unit on the same space.
- DARPA Battlesuit: This unit inflicts +2 Hits in every Hand-to-hand combat and is Tenacious: each time you inflict a Hit on it, roll 1 die per Hit. 4/5/6 = Hit prevented. Note: if the unit was already Tenacious, it may now roll 2 dice for each Hit to prevent it.
- Pulsing Green Crystal: Special Action (once per round): This unit receives 1 Action, which you may use only for it.
- Mystic Amulet: Special Action (once per round): After you have rolled a die, turn it to show 5.
- Zeds Siren: As an Action: choose 1 Zed on an adjacent space, then roll 2 dice. If the result is greater than or equal to the Zed's Strength, the Zed must retreat. Additionally, on doubles, the Zed is killed.
Place
The rumor is a location. Place it on the corresponding space as indicated on the rumor. It stays there until the end of the game.
- Ancient Cemetery: When revealed: place on a space without a name of your choice. Effect: When a Zed leaves this space, inflict 2 Hits on it.
- Weapons Control Office: When revealed: place in Town Center. Effect: When Foraging on a Town space, gain +1 Ammo on a result of 1 or 2.
- Secret Air Force Base: When revealed: place on a #1 space of your choice. Effect: If at the end of the Action Phase a Player unit is on this space, gain either 1 free Heal Action for a unit of your choice, OR 1 free Research Action, OR immediately 1 more Action on the Action track (which you must now use).
- Tall-Mart Distribution Center: When revealed: place on this space or an adjacent space (except the Start space). Effect: This space is now a named space. If a Player unit is on this space during the Organization Phase, gain +2 Supplies OR +1 Ammo.
Secure
The rumor works like a Keep Story card. You may use it as indicated. Then it goes back into the box.
- Dr. Marteuse's Diary: Play this rumor in the Action Phase to throw 1 Super-Zed of your choice back into the bag [icon] and choose 1 unused Research card from the box. Place it as the top card of the Research card discard pile and gain its effect!
- Giant Hardware Store: Play this rumor at a time of your choice to gain +7 Supplies.
- Help Arrives!: Play this rumor in the Action Phase to choose 1 new Hero/heroic Civilian from the available ones. That unit is now in play. Place it in Town Center or on a Start space of your choice.
- Police Gun Cabinet: Play this rumor at a time of your choice to gain +5 Ammo.
- Rumors of Our Downfall: Play this rumor in the Action Phase to place 2 units of your choice from the Cemetery, with their reduced-strength side showing, into Town Center.
- The Red Telephone: Play this rumor in the Action Phase to launch a napalm strike on an above-ground space of your choice. Place the No Entry marker on that space and kill every unit/Zed/Looter on it and (optionally) on 1 adjacent space (except the Start space; saving rolls take place). Place 1 Chaos marker on each targeted space.
- Final Thesis: What Have We Learned?: Play this rumor in the Action Phase to gain 3 Keep cards of your choice from the Story card discard pile. You may play them again.
- Battle Plan Code: Black: Play this rumor in the Action Phase to gain +2 Ammo and +1 Supplies. In this round, one unit may add the Strength of all units on its space to its Gunfire attack action. Only units that could themselves conduct a Gunfire attack can contribute here. Then turn this marker upside down to show that you may play this rumor a second time.