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The next instalment of Zombicide 2nd edition has now been announced by CMON and it will add some humour to what is an intense game. There’s been plenty of additions to the 2nd edition already with Washington Z.C, Fort Hendrix and Rio Ze Janeiro not to mention special packs that include The Boyz, Ghostbusters and Iron Maiden. All of these have been pretty serious to date and make plenty of sense within Zombicide. The comedy legends of John Cleese, Michael Palin and Eric Idle don’t quite align with this inetnsity, but then again, when did they ever align with anything?
For anyone who hasn’t played Zombicide before, it is a cooperative game set in a time where the hordes of undead Zombies have taken over. World War Z and The Walking Dead in a board game if you will. You assemble a team of survivors in an effort to complete a mission and ultimately escape/survive. Along the way you’ll pick up better equipment and gain AP through killing Zombies which allows for a levelling up and gaining new skills. All needed because as you level up, the quantities of Zombies coming in each phase increases. The board gets very busy.
What has the launch of this new Monty Python expansion to pre order shown us?
6 New Survivors
The stellar cast of Monty Python as some of the funniest characters played throughout the series and movies. Here’s who we can expect to see.
- Eric Idle as Arthur Nudge.
- John Cleese as the Fish Slapper.
- Michael Palin as the Lumberjack.
- Terry Jones as Arthur Ewing.
- Graham Chapman as the Colonel.
- And finally, Terry Gilliam as the Knight with a raw chicken.
7 Additional Zombies
This might just be my favourite part of what is to come in the expansion. 7 walkers total but coming along in 2 themes.
- 3 of the walkers sees Michael Palin Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam as the Spanish Inquisition. I’m so happy to see these guys here.
- The other 4 walkers are seeing John Cleese with his Ministry of silly walks, or cleverly titled, “Silly Walkers”. This is just brilliant.
8 New Abominations
It’s truly hard to believe that these packs are coming out with more Abominations than survivors. The 2nd edition kickstarter already came with so many. So, who do we have:
- Hell’s Grannies first of all played by Terry Jones, Eric Idle, John Cleese and Michael Palin.
- Michael Palin as the Fish-Slapping Dancer.
- The Nude organist played by Terry Jones. This just screams terrifying.
- The Foot (this looks brutal in gameplay).
- And finally, the Dead Parrot, or rather ingeniously renamed, Undead Parrot. It really is the simply things in life that can make you laugh a lot.
Some New Eequipment
When taking on the hordes of undead we all know that our equipment is key to survival and getting out the mission alive. So, equipping our team with a Mice-Playing Mallet, 16-ton weight, raw chicken, halibut and the funniest joke in the world, success is absolutely inevitable.
A New Mission(s)?
It’s hard to say here how much is going to be included as only a single mission is noted…? Will there be a full campaign or is it literally just the single 1 mission included within this set? My take on it was just the one mission but I would certainly hope for a few more.
A Pre Order Bonus
Classic CMON behaviour with any item you can pre order with them, they are offering backers a bonus in the form of 2the Gumby’s”. These characters adopting nearly all the famous cast can be played both as an abomination and as a survivor. Although for me this feels a little weak as an extra and I’m not convinced on the worth.
Delivery & Shipping
I’ve contacted CMON directly on their costs and they have replied to me and offered minimal extra advice, even though I was very clear on exactly where I am in the world. They could not commit and give me real assurance. Having been (what I felt) deceived on the shipping costs and then the VAT added when I backed the Marvel United X Men (and I was just about all in with this kickstarter) I was aggrieved at the final number. So far on costs for Monty Python we know it is 50 dollars U.S and that is about £40.00 on todays writing. However, I know there will be a shipping cost, and for myself in the UK I will have to pay 20% VAT on top of this. At £40 I can probably get on board with this, but not at the substantial additional costs that will be there. I can quite happily forgo the Gumby’s. I’ll likely pick up from a popular board game retailer, I wonder who?
Final Thoughts
I love expanding games I already own over picking up new games all the time which require a lot more learning through new rule sets. So, to expand on Zombicide, which I love, is a real easy decision for me. It breathes more life into the game and adds even more replay-ability to an already highly reply-able game.
If you enjoy Zombicide as much as I do then the pre order webpage is well worth a look over and seeing what is available. I’ve not attempted to re create the humour that CMON have on their page, they’ve done a brilliant job of capturing the essence of the Python’s and I would only do that a disservice.
I can easily see this being an expansion I pick up but probably when it hits retailers. There just isn’t enough of a bonus to warrant all of the additional shipping costs that will come. I enjoy Monty Python and I really enjoy Zombicide, it feels an easy set to pick up when it is available.