The Walking Dead Board Game: The Best Defense Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Rules Quick Reference
  • Start of Each Round
  • Leader Turn Sequence
  • Non-Leader Turn Sequence
  • Combat Phase
  • End of Each Round
  • The Dice
• Components
• Object of the Game
• Leading the Survivors
• Setup
• The Cards and Other Components
  • Event Cards
  • Resource Cards
  • The Locations
  • Tokens
  • Hit Points
  • The Dice
• Taking Turns
• Difficulty Levels
• Gameplay
  • Taking Your Turn: Leader
  • Taking Your Turn: Non-Leader
  • The Combat Phase
  • End of Round Procedure
  • Death
• Sample Round
• Variants
  • Ulterior Motives
  • One Leader
  • Leader Last
  • Solo Play
• Specific Card Clarifications
  • The Golden Rule

Rules Quick Reference

Start of Each Round

• Read the new Leader's Ability
• Discuss strategy
• Deal two Event cards face down to each player

Leader Turn Sequence

1. You may move each Survivor one space to an adjacent Location. Any you don't wish to move stay where they are. Move your Survivor first, and then proceed clockwise.
2. You may draw a card from the Resource deck at your Location.
3. You may trade one item with the Survivors at your Location.
4. Play both of your Event cards in the order of your choosing and then discard them.

Non-Leader Turn Sequence

1. You may defy the Leader by discarding 1 Food. If you do, move one space to an adjacent Location.
2. You may draw a card from the Resource deck at your Location.
3. You may trade one item with the Survivors at your Location.
4. Play one of your Event cards and then discard both of them.

Combat Phase

Each player chooses the weapon they wish to use before any player rolls Combat dice. Then roll your white dice and add in any modifiers to determine your total Combat Points. Kill 1 Walker for every 5 Combat Points. Example: If your total is 14, you kill 2 Walkers.

End of Each Round

1. Each Walker deals 1 damage a. Survivors take the damage first. b. If there are no Survivors present, the damage "eats" cards off of the Resource deck at that Location.
2. Each Survivor may discard 1 Food to heal 1 Hit Point.
3. Advance the Round Tracker one space. Pass the Badge of Leadership to the player on your left.

Protect your Resource decks for 12 rounds and you win the game!

The Dice

"1-3" means: Roll the black die. "1-6" means: Roll a white die.

Components

• 100 Resource Cards
• 48 Event Cards
• Over 70 Game Tokens
• 6 Oversized Character Cards
• 6 Character Pawns
• 4 Pawn Bases
• 1 Badge of Leadership
• 4 Oversized Location Tiles
• 9 Ulterior Motive Cards (for advanced players)
• 3 White Six-sided Dice
• 1 Black Three-sided Die
• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Round-Tracking Tile and Token

Object of the Game

Survive through 12 rounds of play while protecting each of your Resource decks. If any Resource deck completely runs out of cards before 12 rounds of play are over, all players immediately lose the game! However, if the players successfully protect the cards in the Resource decks through 12 rounds of play, all players win the game.

Leading the Survivors

A unique feature of this game is that players take turns being the Leader and making decisions that will affect the group. Each Survivor has a unique Leadership Ability. The Badge of Leadership identifies the Survivor as the Leader for the round. That Survivor's Leadership Ability will be in effect for that round. Most Leadership Abilities will generate an effect at the start of the round, but not all. Read yours aloud when you become the new Leader. The Badge of Leadership is passed to the left at the end of each round.

In case of any disagreements amongst the players, like how to divide up damage between two Survivors, the Leader gets to make the final decision. Each player will have the opportunity and responsibility to be the Leader multiple times during a game.

Setup

1. Each player chooses one of the Survivors to play. Grab that Survivor's Character card, pawn, and a base. Place your pawn into the base and then place it onto your Character card.
2. Mix up the four Oversized Location tiles while they are face down and then place them into a four-square pattern.
3. Flip the Location tiles face up without rearranging them.
4. Collect one card from each of the four Resource decks and mix them up behind your back, under the table, or in some other random way. Place one card on the Location nearest you and continue in a clockwise order until each Location has a Resource card on it.
5. Reunite each Resource Card on a Location with the rest of its deck. Shuffle each 25 card deck and place it face down on or next to the Location tile where that card was dealt in step 4.
6. Make 5 piles of tokens (Ammo, Allies, Food, Hit Points, and Walkers) near the board, but not too close to any player.
7. Shuffle the 48-card Event deck.
8. Each player rolls the black die and places that many Walker tokens on the Location closest to them (their "corner" of the board). Only one player rolls per Location. If no one Location is closest to you, randomly choose one of the two closest. So in a 3-player game, only three of the Locations will start with Walker tokens on them.
9. Each player rolls one white die. The high roller grabs the Badge of Leadership and places it in front of his Character card. That player will act as Leader for the very first round of the game.
10. Each Survivor starts with two Allies, two Food, and five Hit Points. Place those tokens onto your Character card in the corresponding slots. Five Hit Points is tracked with one red cross token with a 3, and two with 1's on them.
11. Each Survivor draws one Equipment card from the Equipment deck. If you draw a ranged weapon, it will list a "start of game load." Put that much Ammo on your weapon.
12. Place the Round-Tracker token in the Round 1 space on the Round-Tracking Tile.

The Cards and Other Components

Event Cards

These cards drive the action of the game. They encourage you to move to certain Locations, or avoid other Locations. Sometimes you will be able to evade bad effects by being at the right place at the right time. But other times you can't prevent adding a few more Walkers to the board or suffering some other calamity. Depending on what your role is for the round, you will play one or both of the Event cards you are dealt at the start of each round.

• Leader: You must play both of your Event cards in the order of your choosing.
• Non-Leaders: You must play one of your Event cards and discard the other one.

If an Event card instructs you to do something that you can't do, that's good. However, sometimes the effects are bad and there are penalties if you can't perform an action on a card. (Example: If you don't have 1 Ally and 1 Food to discard, you are in trouble. If you have no Ammo to lose, no problem! If you are at The Highway, congrats on your new Equipment! If you are not at The Highway, some Walkers are going to appear there. If you defy the Leader and move to The Town this turn, you'll turn what could have been a negative into a positive!)

Resource Cards

The Resources are Allies, Ammunition, Food and Equipment. These Resources are found at the Locations, and each deck is placed randomly at the start of each game. As a result, each game will play out a bit differently.

Allies Ally tokens are diamond-shaped and picture Carl on them, with a 1 on one side and a 3 on the other. When you draw an Ally card, it will indicate the number of Allies you have found (and possibly other bonuses), and then you discard the card. When you gain additional Allies, you may flip over one of your current tokens to the 3 side or grab a new token, and then discard the Ally card. You may have any number of Allies. There is no penalty for running out of Allies.

Allies aid your Survivor during the Combat Phase. After rolling your Combat dice, you may discard any number of Allies. Each discarded Ally adds 1 to your roll. You must make a Combat roll in order to use Allies to boost your total.

Ammunition Ammo tokens are hexagonal and picture several bullets on them, with a 1 on one side and a 3 on the other. While the Ammunition tokens are generic, Ammo is specific. When you draw an Ammo card, it will typically name the type of Ammo you have found and the amount.

You have two options when you draw an Ammo card. If the weapon is in front of you, immediately add the gained Ammo to that weapon, and then discard the Ammo card. A weapon may hold any amount of Ammo. If you don't possess the weapon or don't wish to load your weapon of that type, place the Ammo card face up in front of you. Place the appropriate number of Ammo tokens on it. Those tokens only work in the type of weapon indicated on the Ammo card. You're allowed any number of Ammo cards next to your Character card.

If an Event card instructs you to discard Ammo, you may lose it from a loaded weapon or from an Ammo card that you have. Example: You have 2 Ammo on your Handgun Equipment card, and 3 Ammo on your Rifle Ammo card. You are instructed to lose 2 Ammo, therefore you choose to discard it from your Rifle Ammo card. Flip the 3 Ammo tokens to the 1 Ammo side.

Food Food tokens are pentagonal and picture gross looking canned food on them, with a 1 on one side and a 3 on the other. When you draw a Food card, it will indicate the amount of Food you have found. When you gain additional Food, flip over one of your current tokens to the 3 side or grab a new token, and then discard the Food card. You may have any amount of Food. There is no penalty for running out of Food.

Food is used for two purposes:

• A Survivor who is not the Leader may discard 1 Food to "defy" the Leader and move their pawn to an adjacent Location.
• At the end of each round, a Survivor may discard 1 Food to heal 1 Hit Point.

Equipment These cards don't have corresponding tokens as do the rest of the Resources. Instead, when you draw an Equipment card, you place the card face up next to your Character card. You may have any number of Equipment cards next to your Character card. Equipment cards are not discarded after using them.

Most Equipment cards are weapons used to kill Walkers. These cards have a bullet casing with a number in it. That number is how many white dice you roll for that weapon during the Combat Phase, should that be the one weapon you choose to use that round.

Weapons that don't use Ammo are noted on the card. Weapons that do use Ammo will list a "start of game load" which reveals how many Ammo tokens that weapon gets at the start of the game. The start of game load is not given when a weapon is drawn during the game. You have found an unloaded weapon and now must find some Ammo for it.

Equipment cards that don't have a bullet casing are specialized non-weapon items that will aid you in various ways. They are rarer than the weapon cards, and most are unique in the deck. You may use any number of non-weapon items each round.

The Locations

The Farm, The Prison, The Town, and The Highway. These Locations now have a random Resource that is available at that Location. The Prison is unique in that it has an ability listed on the Location tile called "Prison Walls." It reads: Ignore the first 3 Walkers at this Location during the End of Round procedure. That means a Survivor can be at The Prison, and as long as there are 3 or fewer Walkers present, the Survivor will take no damage. He or she is protected by the Prison Walls. If no Survivors are at The Prison, as long as there are 3 or fewer Walkers present, the Resource deck at The Prison will not lose any cards.

Tokens

When you are instructed to discard or gain an Ally, Ammo, or Food, this indicates a 1 value token of that type. If you must discard 1 Ally (for example), and your only token of that type is a 3 value token, you don't lose all 3. Flip the 3 over to a 1, then grab a 1 value token from the pool, so you will end with two 1 value tokens (3 - 1 = 2).

If a pool runs out of certain types of tokens, the players should convert their multiple 1 value tokens into as many 3 value tokens as possible. If you run out of Walker tokens even after converting them to 3's, no new Walkers can be added to the board until some are killed off. However, the game will most likely end that round anyway.

Hit Points

Each Survivor begins the game with 5 Hit Points, which is also the maximum number of Hit Points any Survivor can have. When your Survivor takes damage from Walkers or other effects, reduce your Hit Points accordingly.

The Dice

The white Combat dice generate numbers between 1 and 6. When you roll more than one die at a time, add the results. Example: If you roll 2 Combat dice and roll a 4 and 5, your total is 9.

The black die generates numbers between 1 and 3. This die is often rolled when you are gaining Ammo, Food, Allies, or adding Walkers to the board. When you play a card that generates "1 - 3" Ammo, Food, Allies or Walkers, roll the black die to determine that number.

Taking Turns

During each round of the game, each player will take a turn. The Leader takes the first turn. Other players follow in clockwise order.

Difficulty Levels

The players should come to an agreement about which mode and difficulty level to play before proceeding.

Standard Mode: If your Survivor dies, you get to continue playing, but as a different Survivor.

OR

Hardcore Mode: If any Survivor dies, the game ends immediately and all players lose the game.

Beginner Difficulty: Flip your Event cards face up for all to see. You may look at each player's Event cards and openly talk during each phase of the game. This allows for unlimited co-operative planning.

NOTE: It is highly recommended that you play in Hardcore mode while playing at Beginner difficulty.

OR

Expert Difficulty: Keep your Event cards hidden from the other players until you play them. When you play them, you may read the effects of the card out loud, but without strategic commentary. In addition, once Event cards have been dealt each round, you may not talk to the other players until the start of the Combat Phase each round. Be sure to discuss strategy with your fellow players at the start and end of each round. You cannot comment on your cards, where you want to move, or any other strategic talk once the Event cards are dealt. Head nods, gestures, coughing or similar clues are not allowed. Expert difficulty makes it harder to coordinate efforts with your fellow players, so it is only for advanced players.

NOTE: It is recommended that you play in Standard Mode while playing at the Expert difficulty. For the ultimate challenge, play Expert difficulty and Hardcore mode.

Gameplay

Taking Your Turn: Leader

A Leader's turn consists of four steps which must be taken in order from 1 to 4.

1. Movement As the Leader, it is your responsibility to move each Survivor. If you are the first Leader in the game, you will place each pawn onto the board at the Location of your choosing as their move for the round. When you move a Survivor, you may move their pawn one space to an adjacent Location, but never diagonally. Alternately, you may leave a Survivor at their current Location. Move your pawn first, and then proceed clockwise to move the other Survivors.

Where you move yourself and your fellow Survivors will largely depend on the Event cards each player has. If you are playing at Beginner difficulty, the other Survivors will likely ask you to move them to a particular Location. Negative effects of an Event card may be reduced when played at a certain Location. Sometimes the other Survivors will ask to be moved to a certain Location in order to draw a Resource card there. Ask each Survivor where they want to be moved, if at all.

Since you have to play both of your Event cards, you have more knowledge of where bad things will happen during the round. It is ultimately up to you where you move each Survivor. Sometimes you'll need to clear a Location of Walkers before their numbers become unmanageable. The Survivors might need to go on the offensive to protect any dwindling Resources. Survivors fighting together at the same Location are much more effective than a single Survivor.

If you are playing at Expert difficulty, you will only know what your own Event cards are. You will have to use your best judgment on where each Survivor needs to be. Looking at a fellow Survivor's Character card and Equipment will give you a very good idea of what Resources that Survivor needs to acquire.

2. Draw After moving (or not moving) the Survivors, you may draw one card from the Resource deck at your current Location. If a deck is running low, you may not want to draw from it. This step is always optional.

3. Trade You may give one item to any one Survivor at your Location. One Survivor at your Location may give you one item. You need not give an item in order to receive one. The item that you receive can be from any Survivor at your Location, not just the one you gave an item to. In Expert difficulty, remember you can't talk about what to give or what you need in return, except at the start of the turn. A gifted item cannot be refused. This step is always optional.

Tradable items are: One Equipment card (loaded or unloaded), one Ammo card (with its tokens), one Ally, one Food, or one single Ammo from a loaded weapon.

4. Play Both of Your Event Cards You must play both of the Event cards you were dealt, and then discard them. You may play them in the order of your choosing, which sometimes mitigates the downsides. Since you can't be in two places simultaneously, you will likely be adding some Walkers to the board at a Location you personally can't defend against the Walker hordes.

Play now continues clockwise from the Leader.

Taking Your Turn: Non-Leader

If you are not the Leader, your turn consists of four steps which must be taken in order from 1 to 4.

1. Defy If the Leader has placed you at a Location that will cause much suffering to the group, you may discard 1 Food to defy the Leader and move to an adjacent Location, but never diagonally. You may defy whether or not the Leader moved your pawn. This step is always optional.

2. Draw After defying (or not) you may draw one card from the Resource deck at your current Location. If a deck is running low, you may not want to draw from it. This step is always optional.

3. Trade You may give one item to any one Survivor at your Location. One Survivor at your Location may then give you one item. See the Leader Trade section for additional rules on trades. This step is always optional.

4. Play One of Your Event Cards Since you aren't the current Leader, it's your choice as to which of your Event cards to play. You don't need to decide which one to play until your turn comes up in the sequence. Play one of your Event cards, and then discard them both.

The Combat Phase

When all of the Survivors have completed their turn for the round and played their Event card(s), it's time to fight some Walkers! Each player chooses the weapon they wish to use before any player rolls Combat dice. You may only use one weapon per Combat Phase. If you choose a ranged weapon, remove 1 Ammo from that weapon in order to fire it. You may only expend 1 Ammo per Combat Phase. If you have no Ammo on a ranged weapon, you can't use that weapon. The number of white dice you roll is found on the bullet icon of your weapon card.

Roll your dice (add the dice together if you are rolling multiple dice) and add in any modifiers to determine your total Combat Points. For every 5 Combat Points, kill 1 Walker. So if your total is 10, you kill 2 Walkers.

Survivors with ranged weapons get to work together to kill Walkers. The ranged weapons are Handgun, Crossbow, Rifle, and Shotgun. Each Survivor using a ranged weapon at a Location adds to the group Combat Point total at that Location. Each player adds up their dice and modifiers, and then adds their totals together. For every 5 Combat Points, kill 1 Walker. Adding your Combat dice together greatly improves your effectiveness.

Example: Maggie rolls a 9 with her Rifle, while Daryl rolls a 2 with his Crossbow. Their group Combat Point total is 11, so they kill 2 Walkers.

When using a melee weapon, you fight solo. Your melee weapon does not add to the group total with any other Survivors at your Location. You are face-to-face with the Walkers, and it is too dangerous for your fellow Survivors to fire over your shoulder to help you. The presence of a melee combatant does not mean that the gun-toting Survivors can't fire. The melee weapons are Katana, Metal Pipe, and Machete. Roll your Combat dice to determine your total Combat Points. For every 5 Combat Points, kill 1 Walker.

End of Round Procedure

After all the combat rolls are over and the Walker kills have been removed from the board, it's the end of the round. The end of round procedure consists of three steps which must be taken in order from 1 to 3.

1. At the end of a round, each Walker on the board deals 1 damage.

• Walkers deal damage to Survivors first. If a single Survivor is at a Location, all Walkers at that Location will deal 1 damage to that Survivor until he or she dies. For each damage you take, lose 1 Hit Point. If multiple Survivors are at a Location with Walkers present, the Survivors can divide up the damage between them as they please. Each Walker deals 1 damage total, not 1 damage to each Survivor at the Location.

• Walkers deal damage to Resources. If no Survivors remain at a Location where Walkers are present, each Walker that has not already dealt damage this round deals 1 damage to the Resource deck at that Location. If a Survivor dies at a Location, any Walkers that did not aid in killing the Survivor will deal their damage to the Resource deck there during this step. All damage goes to the Survivors first, then the Resource deck at that Location.

Example: A Survivor is at The Town with 4 Walkers present. During the Combat Phase, he kills 1 Walker, now 3 are left. The Survivor only has 2 Hit Points remaining. The first 2 Walkers each deal 1 damage to the Survivor, killing him. The 3rd Walker doesn't have a Survivor to munch on, so it "eats" one card off of the Resource deck at that Location.

A Walker won't deal damage to the Survivors and the Resource deck in the same round. Walkers do not leave play unless they are killed in combat or by a card effect. They will continue to congregate and eat away at a Resource deck round after round until they are dealt with.

2. Healing Each Survivor who has 4 or fewer Hit Points may discard 1 Food to heal 1 Hit Point. You may only discard 1 Food per round to heal, no matter how low your Hit Points are or how much Food you have.

3. Prepare For the Next Round With the round over, advance the round tracker one space. If the tracker is not now on the "You Win" space, the game continues. The current Leader then passes the Badge of Leadership to the player on his or her left.

Death

If you are playing Hardcore mode and any Survivor runs out of Hit Points, the game ends immediately and all players lose the game. If you are playing in Standard mode, the game continues despite this setback.

When you die in Standard mode, remove your pawn from its current Location and replace it with 1 Walker token. Your Character is now a Walker that the Survivors will now have to deal with! However, this new Walker won't deal any damage during the current round. Discard all of your Food, Allies, Equipment, and Ammo. Then flip your Character card face down and place it off to the side. Find a Character card that has not been used this game and place it in front of you. Take the corresponding pawn and keep it nearby, but not yet on the board. The next Leader will place your new Survivor pawn anywhere on the board during Leader Movement.

Place 5 Hit Points on your replacement Character card, just like at the start of the game. However, you do not get 2 Food and 2 Allies as you do at the start of the game.

Draw one Equipment card. Note that if this card is the last Equipment card in the deck, the game ends immediately and the Survivors lose. Ranged weapons do not get the "start of game load" of Ammo. You must find some Ammo for it before things go from bad to worse.

If you die in Standard mode and there aren't any additional Survivors who have not already been used during the game, the game ends immediately and the Survivors lose. Since the game features six playable Survivors, this means that in a 1-player game there exist five "spare" Survivors, four spare in a 2-player game, three spare in a 3-player game, and two spare in a 4-player game.

Sample Round

It's now round 9 of a 3-player Standard/Expert game. Daryl is the Leader for this round and his Leadership Ability says: "Each Survivor who has no Food gains 1 Food." Since Daryl and Maggie have no Food, they each put a 1 value Food token into the Food slot on their Character card. After some strategy discussion, each player is dealt two Event cards. Maggie is low on Ammo and Hit Points and wishes to be moved to The Highway. Glenn says that he doesn't want to go anywhere too dangerous, as he only has 1 Hit Point remaining.

Daryl looks at his Event cards and sees that he has Accidents Happen and Promise Me. Since they are playing Expert difficulty they can't talk strategy again until the start of the Combat Phase. Daryl decides to move his pawn and Glenn's pawn to The Farm, as they are both adjacent to it. He then leaves Maggie at The Farm, despite her earlier request. He chooses to draw an Ally card, gaining 1 Ally, and then gives Maggie 1 Food (a 1 value Food token). She decides not to give him anything back. Daryl can't ask for anything, as they are playing Expert difficulty.

Daryl then plays the Promise Me card, warning the other Survivors that if they defy him this turn, they will lose all of their Allies. Daryl reads the Accidents Happen card. With all the Survivors at the Leader's Location, no one loses any Hit Points. Daryl is a good Leader! He then discards both of his Event cards.

Glenn, sitting to Daryl's left, goes next. He decides not to defy the Leader, draw a card, or trade. The Ally Resource deck is rather low and Glenn would have told Daryl not to draw an Ally card, but they are playing at Expert difficulty. He'll remind everyone at the start of next round to keep their hands off of it. He then looks at his Event cards again and decides to play A Friend in Need, rolling a 3, so he adds 3 Walkers to The Highway. Glenn figured that the Ammo deck had enough cards to survive a couple of Walkers, but he wasn't expecting to roll a 3! Glenn then discards both of his Event cards.

Now it's Maggie's turn in round 9. The Highway is in danger of losing several precious Ammo Resource cards. Despite the warning, she decides to defy the Leader. Due to Daryl's Promise Me card, she must now discard all of her Ally tokens. She moves her pawn to the adjacent Highway, and then draws an Ammo card. She draws a Lucky Find. She adds 1 Ammo to her Rifle and then discards the Ammo card. There are no Survivors for Maggie to trade with at The Highway. Now she plays her Event card. She plays Barn Walkers Attack, luckily she has moved away from The Farm, so she adds only 1 Walker token to The Farm.

Once each Survivor has taken their turn, the Combat Phase begins. Players may talk to each other again and plan their fighting strategy. Daryl reminds everyone that he has a Motorcycle Equipment card. Glenn says he can handle 1 Walker at The Farm even though he only has 1 Hit Point remaining. Maggie says that she could use the help against 4 Walkers at The Highway, so Daryl discards his Motorcycle and moves to The Highway.

Glenn chooses to use his Machete. Since he is alone, he will add 3 to his roll. Maggie chooses to use her Rifle and discards 1 Ammo from it. Daryl chooses to use his Crossbow and discards 1 Ammo from it.

Now it's the end of round 9. At The Prison are 2 Walkers, which are not enough to overcome the Prison Walls, so no damage happens there. One Walker is at The Town, so they discard one card from the Food deck there. There are 2 Walkers at The Highway. Daryl and Maggie each decide to take 1 damage. Daryl has a Bulletproof Vest, so he ends up taking no damage.

One Walker is at The Farm, and it deals 1 damage to Glenn. Since he had only 1 Hit Point remaining, Glenn is killed. With no additional Walkers there, no damage is dealt to the Ally deck at The Farm. Glenn removes his pawn from the board, and then discards all of his tokens, Ammo cards, and Equipment. A new Walker token is now added to The Farm, but it does no damage this round. Since they are playing Standard mode, the former Glenn player now chooses a new Survivor (Rick) and draws one Equipment card. He draws a Handgun, but it does not get the start of game load of Ammo. Fortunately, Maggie has 2 Ammo tokens on a Handgun Ammo card in front of her, so meeting up soon would be a good idea. Rick starts out with 5 Hit Points, but no Food or Allies.

Now that all the Walker damage has all been dealt, Maggie decides to use her last Food to gain 1 Hit Point, healing back up to 3. Daryl had previously given his last Food to Maggie, so he can't heal. The round tracker is now moved to Round 10, and Daryl passes the Badge of Leadership to his left, Rick, who is not yet on the board.

(Combat results for the round.) Glenn rolls a 1. Despite his +3 giving him 4 Combat Points, he has failed to kill the Walker at The Farm. One Walker is killed for every full 5 Combat Points you roll. Maggie and Daryl are both using ranged weapons, so they get to add their dice together. Maggie rolls a 7, while Daryl rolls a 3, then adds the Crossbow's +1 bonus to make it 4. Daryl decides to discard 1 Ally to increase his roll to a 5, so that he can gain 1 Crossbow Ammo. Their group Combat Point total is now 12, so they kill 2 Walkers at The Highway. The Ally Daryl discarded didn't help enough to earn another kill, but recovering the Crossbow Ammo was important.

Variants

Ulterior Motives

If your group likes a bit of conflict in their co-operative games, then these nine cards are for you. At the start of the game, shuffle and deal one Ulterior Motive card to each player. These are kept hidden from the other players until you complete your mission. If the group wins the game, achieving your Ulterior Motive is of little consequence. But if the group fails and loses the game, if you have completed your mission you can claim a partial victory.

Some Ulterior Motive cards require you to add tokens to them at certain times. Use some extra Ally or Ammo tokens, or some spare change. So that you don't give away what your Ulterior Motive is, you may wait to place a token on the card until the end of the round. That way, the other players won't know exactly why you put a token on your card, just that you are proceeding with your mission. If you die, you keep your card and don't lose any tokens on it. Your new Survivor will continue the mission.

Some Ulterior Motive cards require you to "stockpile" certain Resources. You don't add tokens to the card. Simply collect the required number of Resources and then flip over your Ulterior Motive card face up for all to see. Once you have flipped up the card, you do not need to maintain your stockpile of that Resource any longer.

Example: You have 9 Food on your Character card, so you flip up your "Hoarder" Ulterior Motive card. You have now scored it, so you don't need to maintain your stockpile of 9 Food any longer.

One Leader

In this variant, one Survivor acts as Leader for the entire game. Their Leadership Ability will be the only one that happens during each of the 12 rounds of the game, so use that knowledge to your advantage. The next time the same group plays, a different player and Character should be the Leader for the entire game.

Leader Last

This variant should only be played at Expert difficulty. In this variant, the Leader moves all Survivors, draws and trades, but then waits to play his or her Event cards until after all other Survivors have taken their turns. This adds tension to the decision on whether or not to defy the Leader. Were you moved to a particular Location because several Walkers are going to be arriving soon? Or, were you moved there with the hope that you would defy and move somewhere more important?

Solo Play

If you wish to play the game solo, you act as Leader and non-Leader, but it's your lone Survivor versus the world. Your Survivor's Leadership Ability will be active the entire game (or as long as he or she lives). Move your pawn as if you were the Leader. Then you may "defy" by discarding 1 Food token to move to an adjacent Location. If you defy, you must play both of your Event cards. If you do not defy, you only play one of your Event cards.

Two rule changes in solo play:

1. At the start of game or when a new Survivor enters play, draw two Equipment cards instead of one.
2. When you draw an Ammo card, you may leave it at your current Location, to be later collected by a Survivor as their "Draw" there, if they choose to draw it. Don't roll the dice until the Ammo card is placed next to your Character card. These Ammo cards are never "eaten" by Walkers. It is unwise to pick up Ammo you can't use because there is no one to trade with and you discard everything you are carrying when you die.

Specific Card Clarifications

Bandages: You can save this card to use in a future round if you wish. This cannot be used to save a Survivor from death. It must be used before any potential harm would come to a Survivor. You can't heal a Survivor past the maximum 5 Hit Points.

Crisis at The Prison, A Death in the Family, Hungry Walkers, etc: Make a separate roll for each Location or player. You do not roll a single die and apply it to each Survivor or Location.

Glenn: For his Leadership Ability, you may not give a Survivor an Ammo token for a weapon that he or she does not have. You may choose a Survivor at any Location, even yourself.

A Guinea Pig: This Ally card allows you to take as much damage as you like, but you can't die this round. Even if you take 13 damage, your Hit Points won't drop below 1 this round.

Katana: If you roll a "natural" 4, 5, or 6 (before modifiers), roll an additional Combat die. If you roll another 4, 5, or 6, keep on rolling until you do not roll a 4, 5, or 6. Then add all of your rolls together to determine your total Combat Points.

Maggie: For her Leadership Ability, the item you give another Survivor must be something you have. You may choose a Survivor at any Location. You can give an Ammo from an Ammo card or give the entire card along with its tokens. You may not give a Survivor an Ammo token for a weapon that he or she does not have. If you give Ammo from a loaded weapon, you may only give 1 Ammo.

A Little Help: This Ally card grants you one additional Combat die this round. Even if you have no weapons or Ammo, you may roll this one Combat die. This bonus die adds to the group total, unless you are using a melee weapon this round.

Flashbang Grenade, Silencer: Using one of these Equipment cards does not prevent you from using a weapon that round. You do not need to have a weapon or Ammo to use the Silencer.

Shotgun: If you roll a "natural" 14 or higher (before modifiers), you attract a Walker from an adjacent Location of your choosing. Resolve all combats at these adjacent Locations before moving one. If after the combats have resolved there are no adjacent Walkers, none will be attracted to the loud Shotgun blast. If there is still a Walker in an adjacent Location, it moves to the Shotgun-wielder's Location after the Shotgun (and any other combat rolls there) has been fully resolved. Consequently, you can't kill the newly-arrived Walker this round. It will then deal damage to one of the Survivors at its new Location.

The Golden Rule

If a card contradicts a rule in the rulebook, go with what the card says.