Last Night on Earth: Growing Hunger
Last Night on Earth: Growing Hunger Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
- 1 full-colour rulebook
- 2 L-shaped town outskirts board sections
- 4 unique hero miniatures (grey)
- 7 zombie miniatures (red)
- 25 new Hero deck cards
- 25 new Zombie deck cards
- 4 large character sheets
- 3 large scenario cards
- 2 full-colour sheets of tokens (to be punched out)
New Miniatures
Red Zombies
Growing Hunger includes seven red zombie miniatures (grave zombies). They are used for the various purposes specified in the scenarios.
Heroes
Four new hero miniatures are added. Each corresponds to its own character sheet.
New Tokens
Free Search Tokens
Used in some scenarios. They are placed in buildings at the start of the game and give heroes a limited ability to Search even during movement.
Exploration Tokens
An optional rule that may be used in existing scenarios. They work roughly like Free Search tokens, but add an element of danger and a potentially greater reward.
Doors and Locked Doors
These relate to one more optional rule. It allows new doors to be added to the board, and zombies can lock doors for a longer period.
Other Tokens
This expansion also adds tokens that are not described in these rules. They are intended for use with house rules, homemade scenarios, and official scenarios that will be released in the future.
New Card Meanings
Two-Handed Items
Some hero items are marked as two-handed. Two-handed items take up the space of 2 items when the hero's limit is 4 items. If a two-handed item is a weapon (whether melee or ranged), it counts as 2 weapons. This means the hero cannot carry another weapon, because the limit is 2 weapons.
New Buildings
In some buildings of Growing Hunger, Take is carried out under new rules. The Take ability of each new building is unique, and it works differently from a single card that the hero may take. A hero may also perform an ordinary Search when in the corresponding building.
Supermarket
Take: discard 3 cards from the hero deck, then take 2 cards from the hero deck into hand.
This is an excellent way to equip quickly at the cost of a small depletion of the hero deck. Because the 2 cards you keep are drawn from the top of the deck, the hero may use Jake Cartwright's "Resourceful" ability. Also, since Take always includes a Search, the "Flashlight" can be used to discard and draw again.
Antique Shop
Take: shuffle 2 cards from the discard pile into the hero deck. These can be any 2 cards from the hero discard pile.
Library
Take: the hero reveals cards from the top of the hero deck until an event card is found (including townsfolk event cards). The hero takes that event card into hand and shuffles the other revealed cards back into the hero deck.
Jake Cartwright's "Resourceful" ability and the "Flashlight" cannot be used when taking in the library, because the cards are not drawn but revealed.
Special Scenario Conditions
All new Growing Hunger scenarios use some special rules. They are marked in red text at the top of the "Scenario Goals" paragraph on the corresponding card.
Buildings Full of Things (●)
When a hero performs Take in a building, they may take the specified card as usual from the discard pile, or they may find that card in the hero deck and take it from there. If the card is taken from the hero deck, shuffle the deck afterwards.
Heroes Replenish Their Ranks (●●)
When a hero dies (or is turned into a hero-zombie), the player controlling that hero may immediately place a new hero on the board in place of the one who died. This hero enters the game at once, as described on page 19 of the base rulebook.
Note that, unless the scenario states otherwise, the zombies still win by killing four heroes. Also keep in mind that if a player controls only one hero, that hero still turns into a zombie after death.
Starting Hero Card Set (X)
Each hero begins the game with a number of additional cards (shown in brackets), on top of any hero cards they start with under normal conditions (for example, when the hero's starting location is not on the game board). For example, a scenario with the phrase "Starting Hero Card Set (2)" lets each hero draw 2 cards.
These cards are drawn from the top of the hero deck, so Jake Cartwright cannot use his "Resourceful" ability. The "Flashlight" also cannot be used, because this is not a Search action in a building.
Free Search Tokens (●●●)
At the start of the game, after the heroes are placed, place Free Search tokens in each building where there is NO hero. Tokens are placed on the building as a whole, not on any individual zone of the building.
If a hero finishes movement in a building with a Free Search token, they may discard it and immediately perform a Search (take a card from the hero deck) or use the Take ability of that building. A Free Search token may be used only if the hero moved in their movement phase, not if they performed a Search or another action instead of moving.
If the game takes place in the mansion, Free Search tokens are placed in each of the four outer two-zone rooms. Any hero who finishes movement in one of these rooms may discard that room's token and use it. These tokens are always placed, even if the heroes start the game in the mansion building.
The diagram shows the four outer two-zone rooms of the mansion: The Study, The Parlor, Dining Room and Entryway.
Grave Zombies (●●●)
At the start of the game, take 7 red zombies and place them in a separate supply of grave zombies. They are not part of the ordinary zombie supply. Their supply is limited, and they have a dangerous ability drawn from the table below.
When new zombies must be spawned, the zombie player chooses which zombies appear. Instead of 2 ordinary zombies, one grave zombie may be spawned.
Example: a roll of 5 lets you place 3 ordinary zombies and 1 grave zombie, or 1 ordinary zombie and 2 grave zombies.
When a grave zombie is killed, it does not return to the supply. It is removed from the game.
Grave zombies can appear in the game only during the stage of spawning new zombies or during the starting placement. They cannot appear as a result of playing zombie cards, because those do not spawn zombies. Grave zombies do count when rolling to spawn new zombies.
If two players play the zombies, each has their own supply of 7 zombies of their colour, and there is a shared supply of 7 red zombies. Grave zombies on the board are controlled by the two players in turn (for example, the player with the brown zombies controls them on even turns, and the player with the green zombies on odd turns).
In scenarios where the red zombies are already used, the Grave Zombies rule does not apply.
At the start of the game, roll a D6 to determine the ability of your grave zombies. Note that the die is rolled only once, and its result determines the ability of all your grave zombies for the whole game:
- Rotten. Grave zombies ignore a wound on a die roll of 4+ (except Explosives).
- Brain-Hungry. Grave zombies have 2 health points. If one is wounded, place a wound token under its miniature.
- Recently Dead. Grave zombies move D3 instead of their ordinary movement.
- Frenzied. Grave zombies roll an additional combat die.
- Herd Instinct. Grave zombies may appear when spawning in any zone where there is at least one zombie.
- Carriers. When a grave zombie wounds a hero, roll D6. On a roll of 5 or 6 the hero immediately turns into a hero-zombie (its player may take a new hero). This effect can, however, be cancelled even after the roll by hero event cards (in which case the effect counts as a zombie card).
Automatic Zombie Spawning (●●●●)
The zombie player ALWAYS places new zombies at the end of a zombie turn (on a dice roll, according to stage 6, "Placing New Zombies"). Thus, you may skip stage 3, "Rolling Dice for Spawning New Zombies", because it is not needed.
Zombie Horde (21) (●●●●)
The number of zombies in the supply is 21 miniatures, instead of the standard 14. In scenarios where this rule is used, the zombie player may have all 21 zombies (plus hero-zombies) on the board, including grave zombies.
Grave zombies on the board are controlled by the two players in turn (for example, the player with the brown zombies controls them on even turns, and the player with the green zombies on odd turns). Each player has their own supply of 7 zombies of their colour, and there is a shared supply of 7 grave zombies. If a grave zombie is killed, it returns to the shared supply.
When checking for spawning new zombies, roll 3 D6, and when spawning, roll 3D3. If two people play the zombies, the player controlling the red zombies rolls 2 D6 on that turn for the spawn check and 1 D6 for the spawn itself. The second player rolls, respectively, 1 D6 and 1 D3.
Grave zombies in scenarios with the Zombie Horde (21) rule count as ordinary zombies without special abilities. In these scenarios, rules that imply a special use of the red zombies (for example, as grave zombies) cannot be applied. Accordingly, in scenarios where special rules for the red zombies are used, the Zombie Horde (21) rule does not apply.
In most scenarios where the Zombie Horde (21) rule is used, the Automatic Zombie Spawning rule is also present. If it is not, roll 3D6. If the sum of the dice is greater than the total number of zombies on the board, you may place new zombies at the end of the turn. If two people play the zombies, the player who controls the red zombies must roll 2D6 (instead of D6) on their turn to check for spawning new zombies.
Notes on New Scenarios
Plague Carriers
If two players play the zombies, control of the plague carriers is shared between them. The brown player controls the plague carriers on odd turns (moving them using zombie hunger, rolling combat dice when fighting a hero, and so on), and the green player controls them on even turns.
If a plague carrier is wounded, place a wound token under its base. If a plague carrier is killed, it is removed from the game.
The radius of zombie hunger for plague carriers is two zones of the board, and they must always move in the direction of the nearest hero. It is very important to note that plague carriers move ONLY by means of zombie hunger (that is, when a hero is within 2 zones of them).
Zombie Apocalypse
Destroying a building that contains a spawn point may be tempting, because it is usually quite easy. But the zombies should be careful, because it reduces the number of places where they can spawn. If no spawn points remain on the map, and the zombies left over are not enough to destroy the surviving buildings, this means a loss for the zombies (even if they have destroyed 6 buildings).
Burn It to the Ground!
Heroes who enter the game during the scenario cannot be placed in the mansion. Instead, they are placed in a random building. If there is a petrol station on the map, the heroes will probably find it very easy to complete the task of burning down the mansion. In that case you can make the situation harder by allowing the zombie player to use the Grave Zombies rule.
Additional Rules
One or more of these rules may be used in your games, if all players agree.
Hero and Zombie Bonuses
Sometimes you may find that certain players in your group are very good at winning as zombies or as heroes. In that case, to balance the game and give it more interest and intensity, you can activate special scenario rules. The best bonus for heroes is Free Search tokens or the "Starting Hero Card Set (X)" rule. For zombies, the optimal bonuses are the Grave Zombies or Automatic Zombie Spawning rules.
Using Free Search Tokens and the Grave Zombies Rule in Scenarios
These two rules are specially balanced against each other. Therefore you can add both of them to almost any scenario to add spice to the game.
Using New Special Rules in Earlier Scenarios
Sometimes you may want to add a little edge to existing scenarios, just to make things a bit more interesting. A good way to do this is to add new special rules to them (Free Search tokens or the Grave Zombies rule). However, it is very important to keep the balance, so each new rule is given a rating: 1 (●) means the smallest influence on the game, and 4 (●●●●) the greatest.
The value of this rating must match on the heroes' side and the zombies' side. Of course, this is not an exact science, so any changes must be agreed by ALL players.
Example: adding a rule with rating 3 (●●●) for the zombies means the heroes' chances must be balanced. This can be done by introducing one rule rated 3 (●●●), or several rules whose ratings add up to that value.
Also note that the "Starting Hero Card Set (X)" rule has rating X. That is, its rating equals the number of cards. Example: "Starting Hero Card Set (2)" has rating 2 (●●).
You may experiment with this system in any way and try any combination of rules. Just remember that the rating system gives only approximate figures, so rely on your own experience and feelings.
Door / Locked Door Rules
Doors are a very important element of the game's mechanics. By swapping doors around or adding new ones, you can completely change the feel of the scenario you are playing.
A Door token creates a passage in a wall of a building where there was none before. A Locked Door token permanently closes a passage, so it can no longer be used.
You may try the following. At the start of the game, the hero player may place 2 Door tokens on any walls. These doors are permanently open and remain in effect until the end of the game. To balance the options, when the zombie player plays the Locked Door card, that card "Stays in Play". Place a Locked Door token on the chosen passage. Now heroes cannot pass through this door. If the Locked Door card is cancelled, remove the Locked Door token.
Hero items marked as "ignores the effect of the Locked Door card" (for example, "Keys" or "Fire Axe") allow the hero to remove the Locked Door token when passing through that doorway (together with the corresponding card). The hero card "Escape Through Windows" does not remove a Locked Door token. Instead, simply move the hero through the Locked Door token just as through any wall.
Exploration Tokens
Exploration tokens may be used instead of Free Search tokens.
There are 20 tokens in total. Of them, 16 are Free Search, 2 are Surprise Attack x1, and there is one each of Surprise Attack x2 and New Hero Found. You may use them in any scenario where Free Search tokens are not used. Like Free Search tokens, Exploration tokens are quite useful to heroes, but they have an element of danger and a potentially greater reward.
The zombie player shuffles the Exploration tokens face down in a closed box, then places them on the board at random, with the "Exploration" side face up, into all unoccupied buildings. The remaining tokens stay in the box and are not used until the end of the game.
Exploration tokens work the same way as Free Search tokens, with one difference: at the end of the movement stage, a hero in a building with an Exploration token may flip the token and perform the action written on its reverse side before discarding it.
The reverse sides are as follows.
Free Search (reverse)
The hero may perform a Search of this building (take a card from the hero deck) or use the Take ability of this building.
Surprise Attack (reverse)
Place zombies from the supply, in the number shown on the token (1 or 2), into one zone with the hero. This hero has walked straight into the zombies' clutches. If two players play the zombies, the zombies may be taken from both players' supplies by agreement.
New Hero Found (reverse)
You have found another survivor who is ready to join you. Take one of the character sheets and place the new miniature in the zone where the hero who flipped the token is.
This new fifth hero ALWAYS enters the game with a bonus hero card. Being the fifth character, this hero can NEVER be replaced if killed, even if the sun track is in the black zone, or the scenario conditions include "Heroes Replenish Their Ranks".
On the turn the new hero appears, they can do nothing, because they are busy making contacts with the other survivors (and they do not need to fight the zombies in their zone during this turn).
Mini-Game: One in the Dark
"One in the Dark" is a two-player mini-game lasting 10 minutes. In it, a lone hero, cornered in a dead end, is surrounded by hordes of zombies. One player controls the zombies and the other controls the single hero. This scenario can be played on its own or as part of a story. For example, you may play four games of "One in the Dark", then start an ordinary scenario in which only those heroes who survived take part, and only with the items they managed to obtain. Such a sequence of games can be very enjoyable thanks to its cinematic quality, because it is no longer just a main scenario but also the prehistory of the characters.
Turns: 10
Setup
Randomly choose two L-shaped board sections and join them together. Then roll a D6 and determine the location of a random building according to the diagram (left board on 1–3, right board on 4–6).
The hero player randomly chooses a character and places them in a random building. The zombie player has 7 zombie miniatures in reserve and must have only 2 zombie cards in hand. Zombies spawn on a D3. This is half the usual resources of the zombie player.
Scenario Goals
- Starting Hero Card Set (2)
- Free Search tokens
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To survive, the hero must kill 6 zombies before dawn. The scenario card "Die, Zombies, Die!" may be used to keep count of the zombies killed.
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The zombies win by killing the hero, or if the hero fails to kill 6 zombies before dawn.
Optional Scenario Conditions
"One in the Dark" is a short adventure for a single hero, so it has several assumptions designed to vary the game. They are not mandatory, and are introduced only by agreement of all players.
- Nurse Becky may use her "First Aid" ability instead of a movement action, to heal herself on a roll of 4+.
- To the zombie card "Endless Night", add the following text: "Place zombies from the supply on each zombie spawn point. These zombies may move and fight this very turn. Also move the sun track marker back 2 spaces (so the number of remaining turns increases)."
- Any card that says "two or more heroes" (for example, "Needless Sacrifice", "Argument", "Catfight", "Back to Back") is discarded immediately when drawn, and the player who drew it moves the sun track marker 1 space forward or back.
Special Scenario Rules Summary
Zombie Horde (21)
The number of zombies in the supply is 21 miniatures, instead of the standard 14.
Automatic Zombie Spawning
The zombie player always places new zombies at the end of the zombie turn.
Heroes Replenish Their Ranks
If a hero is killed, the player may immediately take a new one.
Buildings Full of Things
Search: you may also take the specified card from the hero deck, after which the deck must be shuffled.
Starting Hero Card Set (X)
Each hero starts the game with an additional set of X cards.
Free Search Tokens
At the start of the game, place Free Search tokens in all buildings where there are no heroes. If a hero ends their movement in a building, they may discard this token and immediately perform a free Search action (or Take).
Grave Zombies
These are special zombies that count as 2 ordinary zombies when spawned. They are red, and there may be 7 of them in the supply. Grave zombies are single-use, and are removed from the game after they are killed. At the start of the game, roll a die to determine the ability of the grave zombies. Only one ability applies for the whole game:
- Rotten. Grave zombies ignore a wound on a die roll of 4+ (except Explosives).
- Brain-Hungry. Grave zombies have 2 health points. If one is wounded, place a wound token under its miniature.
- Recently Dead. Grave zombies move D3 instead of their ordinary movement.
- Frenzied. Grave zombies roll an additional combat die.
- Herd Instinct. Grave zombies may appear when spawning in any zone where there is at least one zombie.
- Carriers. When a grave zombie wounds a hero, roll D6. On a roll of 5 or 6 the hero immediately turns into a hero-zombie (its player may take a new hero). This effect can, however, be cancelled even after the roll by hero event cards (in which case the effect counts as a zombie card).
Rules Notes
"Cannot Be Killed". This rule means that the character cannot be killed, nor turned into a hero-zombie. The character may receive wounds up to the last wound, which cannot be inflicted. A character who "cannot be killed" also cannot inflict on themself a wound that could kill them (example: Father Joseph's ability "Strength of Spirit").
"Killed on the Spot". This means the character immediately receives a number of wound tokens equal to their health value. These wounds can be prevented. If they are not, the character is removed from the fight, and the fight is considered interrupted. If the "Killed on the Spot" result comes from using a weapon (for example, on a roll of 6), the character is immediately removed from the game, and no cards can be played to prevent this effect (rerolling or adding dice, cancelling the fight, and so on).
Two-Handed Items. Two-handed items take up the space of 2 items when the hero's limit is 4 items. If a two-handed item is a weapon (whether melee or ranged), it counts as 2 weapons. This means the hero cannot carry another weapon, because the limit is 2 weapons.
Questions and Answers
Q: Does the effect of the card "Catch!" count as an exchange?
A: No.
Q: What happens if a hero who has the cards "Prayer Beads" and "Faith" in play discards "Prayer Beads" during combat?
A: The effect of the "Faith" card lasts until the end of the combat. After the combat it must be discarded, because the hero no longer has the "Holy" trait.
Q: What happens if a hero already has a heroic card in play and wants to play another one?
A: If a hero has a heroic card in play, another one cannot be played on them.
Q: What happens if the card "Packer, Gym Teacher" is played to return a hero-zombie, a grave zombie or a plague carrier to the supply?
A: Miniatures with the trait "never returns to the supply", such as hero-zombies and plague carriers, remain on the board, but combat with them is cancelled. Grave zombies return to their own supply.
Q: Does the card "Rusty Keys" allow a locked door to be opened?
A: No. The phrase "counts as keys" refers only to the card's name.
Q: Does the effect of the card "Restore Order!" allow a revolver to have infinite ammo? Does it also mean an automatic hit with the card "Flare Gun"?
A: Yes. "Restore Order!" works exactly this way (but the zombie card "Tough" still works). "Flare Gun" hits automatically.
Q: In what zone does combat take place if "Fence Post" is used to attack a zombie in an adjacent zone?
A: Combat takes place in the zone with the zombie.