Description

Endicott Epidemic: The Board Game - an action-packed game of survival and Zombie combat.

Can your band of survivors escape the Zombie-infested village of Endicott before the town falls victim to an eradicating nuclear purge? Or will you become infected by the Undead and turn on your allies? The possibilities are endless in a game that utilizes randomization and custom structure mechanics that immerse players in a completely fresh scenario with every new round of play.

Based on the ENDICOTT EPIDEMIC multi-media series created by filmmaker and author Douglas Harvey, Endicott Epidemic: The Board Game is the first full board game that accompanies the Endicott Epidemic: Infectious Contagion card game. While Infectious Contagion was the condensed, "lite" version of the main game, EE:TBG is an epic battle for survival that offers all of the insane mechanics and suspenseful buildup to destruction that the card game couldn't bring to the table (literally).

Utilizing game boards acting as maps based on primary areas of the Endicott Epidemic story (with fully functional expansion "connections" to mix and match your favorite ares as the game expands), players will drop their chosen characters (each with their own unique abilities that can be used strategically) into the heart of the epidemic and begin battling the Undead using classic roll-and-move mechanics as well as a series of unique "Intrique" cubes that modify gameplay with every roll. A deck of Inquest cards act as side-missions that can be ignored or completed to gain resources used to fight and survive, or to gain special tokens that can be used in many different combinations to unlock new areas of play as the game progresses.

Combat is as simple as choosing your weapon (or brawling unarmed, if you so choose) and rolling the Combat Cubes. Each face of each cube means a different value, giving you numerous combinations of attack to dish out against your chosen enemy. But while rolling the cubes is the simple part, bear in mind that your enemies can (and most of the time *will*) fight back or dodge your attack entirely. Strategize your plan of action before engaging the enemy to give you the best course through the hordes of Undead. Or, if you think you have the stealth abilities to do so, roll the dice to try to evade the groups of enemies and slip through unnoticed and live to fight another turn.

But beware - hidden with the game's deck of cards lay numerous deadly obstacles ranging from stronger than average 'Boss' Zombies, Black Ops agents, and even a handful of mutant Hazard Zombies, which spread MBI's toxic plume everywhere they go. Once these villains begin to appear, the spreading plume is something the Survivors must be extremely wary of. Plume markers begin to build in each area and once they reach their critical mass, deadly chain reactions are caused that could potentially wipe out every living thing on the board. The biggest and most brutal enemy within the deck, however, is the Countdown - eight cards that constantly remind players of the impending nuclear purge. Once the eighth and final card is drawn, the game is over - regardless of whether or not the survivors have completed their mission to find the Hermit, his critical intel, and his escape route.

With all of the chaos going on as each Survivor makes their way through the town to complete their mission, the gameplay could get a little too intense for some people's liking. Endicott Epidemic: The Board Game utilizes a completely customizable experience so that players can create the best scenario that is tailored to how they want to enjoy their game. Removing certain aspects of the game like Hazard Zombies or Plume counters can greatly reduce the amount of suspenseful buildup that could turn players off from a game that could potentially be nearly impossible to win. Inventory management and play deck building are also ways a group of players can ease the difficulty and ensure that the game, if played with all the right moves and strategic plans, can indeed be won without laying at the mercy of the Countdown or the roll of a die.

The board game, at its core, is designed for 2-8 players. However, like Infectious Contagion, the board game also allows a single player to enjoy the game experience as the lone survivor of Endicott’s shift from living to undead. Other game modes include a point-based Survivor mode that removes the Countdown and many other aspects of the game to allow players (or factions/teams of players) to battle waves of Undead, tallying up points at the end of each round and crowning a winner after a set amount of battles. Or, players (or teams) can simply battle each other without the inclusion of Zombies (but with a Countdown) in a vastly customizable VS mode.

A ticking time-bomb's clock, swarms of Undead that will chain themselves together to create deadly hordes, an ever-spreading toxic plume beneath your feet, stealthy Black Ops agents that mark you for execution when you fall within their sights, a limited number of resources that must be used in conjunction with an even more limited inventory system, a constant surge of adrenaline with every roll of the Intrigue cubes, making allies with your fellow Survivors only to find your group surrounded by Zombies with only two bullets and a grenade...all of this and more is what builds your game up from a simple beginning to an all-out epic battle for survival. Think you can handle it?