After the Virus is a lovely game! One of the best solo games! The manual has some gaps in it, but watching the developers playthrough helps and once you've got hang of the basics, it's quite clear as long as you read the wordings on the cards carefully. :) @OnTableTop I watched you play through the first scenario. Noted down some mistakes: * Beginning - The green (zombie colored) token is the Wave counter. The white counts any saved survivors, but is only used in missions where this counts towards winning conditions. It helps keeping Scouted cards and encountered zombie cards in different horisontal files, so Coco should put his playing board closer (check the manual). * 8:29 - Coco accidently puts the discovered Pub in his playing area without paying 2 cards to retrieve it. Clarification: When you prepare the Shotgun you can pay ANY (X) number of cards and use them as Ammo by putting them beneath the Shotgun sideways (they do NOT count as readied cards). After this only the Ammo card can be played, readied and used to reload the already prepared Shotgun. * 11:10 - The Medical Cure gets destroyed after use and can't cure other than a 1-zombie card's zombie. * 12:00 - Nitty picky but it's called Turns, not rounds, and they count weather or not you need to reshuffle. The (green) counter is called the Wave marker (in some missions you need to survive for a specific wave). Tip: It can be a good strategy to let a zombie bite you to use cards better sometimes. You chose when each zombie bites you in between playing cards and using other actions (according to their card texts). * 13:18 - You don't count Ammo (put it sideways beneath the gun) as readied cards. Here you had the options to ready the third Survivor with your Safe house, but prefered here would be to save the two readied Survivors and get two free stuff from the Area deck, also increasing the number of cards in your discard pile, very important. Killed zombies goes to the Zombie pile, not the discard pile. Tip: Don't play too many cards into your play area if not for the winning conditions, important to discard cards to keep the ratio of zombies low and avoid increasing the wave counter too often. * 15:20 - Game changing mistake: The Machete can only be used "Once/turn" (it's a slow weapon), so you could only use it to kill one of yours OR one of your coop player's zombies each Turn. Tip: Use counters or tap it slightly to remember if it's already been used this turn. * 17:20 - Tip: You could destroy the Shotgun to kill one zombie, or let one zombie bite you and then heal that one wound when you played the Safe house (because of the readied Pub). * 25:05 - Coco put the Zombie that the Dog killed in the Discard pile, it should've gone to the Zombie pile. Important clarification: Higher number zombie cards are actually multiple zombies that must be handled separately! So a 2-zombie card is two zombies, each get to attack you and wound you if not handled. You also need to kill ALL zombies on a 2+ zombie card to put it back in the Zombie deck, otherwise it goes to your Discard pile! Tip: Use counters put on head or legs of each zombie in a 2+ zombie card to keep track on how they each were handled until the card is fully handled. * 31:50 - You would've taken two damage here, which would have killed you (game over). Also: Winning conditions are checked at the end of the Turn. It's a really great game but very challenging!
Mistakes during the second scenario: * 33:40 - Start with five Zombie cards, should only be the 1-zombies, no 2-zombie card! No extra zombies added because of number of players! * 36:30 - Still, the Machete can only be used once/turn ;-) * 37:46 - Several mistakes; The Scouted Run card costs one to retrieve AND when you retrieve an Event (red) card it goes directly to your discard pile, not into your hand! Also, even IF you had a Run card in your hand, you could not have used it here, because your leg is wounded! * 42:39 - Can't use Run because you're still wounded in your Leg. * 43:40 - Clarification: You can split and use one Survivor for points and one to retrieve from the Area deck (as mentioned later). * 44:48 - Scouted event cards still need to be paid for to retrieve, and then goes to your discard pile ;-) * 46:46 - Justin forgot to heal one wound using the Pub (corrected later) * 49:08 - Sorry Coco, but using the Machete in the correct way, and not auto-retrieve scouted event cards, would make these two games a lot harder ;-) * 50:30 - The Blockbuster "only" kills all zombies in play and discard pile for ONE player, not both. * 51:38 - Great! As you noticed, you can chose to let the zombie attack you first, THEN save the Survivor and heal one wound from the Pub. This is the correct way to play! :-) * 53:30 - The same error regarding scouted Event cards. * 59:30 - Coco forgot to discard the Flamethrower (corrected off camera) * 1:01:33 - The dog only kills one zombie, NOT one zombie CARD. So it would not get rid of the 2-zombie card. Also, Coco could not use Run, because of the wound to his leg. At the end, if Coco had used his Medkit to heal up at the end of the last turn, he could survive the two Zombies, but the Machete could only kill one of Justin's zombies anyway. If Justin had let one Zombie bite him and played the Entrenchment trap in the turn before, he could kill two Zombies instead of scouting by readying it and using it now, and also shoot one zombie with the Rifle. Coco could then have killed the fifth Zombie with his dog. Barely surviving another Turn. But the last last Turn would've killed you anyway. Good try! Please play some more! :-) The scenarios from 2A and forward gets more difficult! ;-)
I have this game on my Amazon wish list. It will be a nice add to my zombie themed games along side; Dead of Winter, District Z, Tiny Epic Zombies and Zombies!!! All play so different, it would be good to have in my game collection.
After the Virus is a lovely game! One of the best solo games! The manual has some gaps in it, but watching the developers playthrough helps and once you've got hang of the basics, it's quite clear as long as you read the wordings on the cards carefully. :)
@OnTableTop I watched you play through the first scenario. Noted down some mistakes:
* Beginning - The green (zombie colored) token is the Wave counter. The white counts any saved survivors, but is only used in missions where this counts towards winning conditions.
It helps keeping Scouted cards and encountered zombie cards in different horisontal files, so Coco should put his playing board closer (check the manual).
* 8:29 - Coco accidently puts the discovered Pub in his playing area without paying 2 cards to retrieve it.
Clarification: When you prepare the Shotgun you can pay ANY (X) number of cards and use them as Ammo by putting them beneath the Shotgun sideways (they do NOT count as readied cards). After this only the Ammo card can be played, readied and used to reload the already prepared Shotgun.
* 11:10 - The Medical Cure gets destroyed after use and can't cure other than a 1-zombie card's zombie.
* 12:00 - Nitty picky but it's called Turns, not rounds, and they count weather or not you need to reshuffle. The (green) counter is called the Wave marker (in some missions you need to survive for a specific wave).
Tip: It can be a good strategy to let a zombie bite you to use cards better sometimes. You chose when each zombie bites you in between playing cards and using other actions (according to their card texts).
* 13:18 - You don't count Ammo (put it sideways beneath the gun) as readied cards. Here you had the options to ready the third Survivor with your Safe house, but prefered here would be to save the two readied Survivors and get two free stuff from the Area deck, also increasing the number of cards in your discard pile, very important. Killed zombies goes to the Zombie pile, not the discard pile.
Tip: Don't play too many cards into your play area if not for the winning conditions, important to discard cards to keep the ratio of zombies low and avoid increasing the wave counter too often.
* 15:20 - Game changing mistake: The Machete can only be used "Once/turn" (it's a slow weapon), so you could only use it to kill one of yours OR one of your coop player's zombies each Turn.
Tip: Use counters or tap it slightly to remember if it's already been used this turn.
* 17:20 - Tip: You could destroy the Shotgun to kill one zombie, or let one zombie bite you and then heal that one wound when you played the Safe house (because of the readied Pub).
* 25:05 - Coco put the Zombie that the Dog killed in the Discard pile, it should've gone to the Zombie pile.
Important clarification: Higher number zombie cards are actually multiple zombies that must be handled separately! So a 2-zombie card is two zombies, each get to attack you and wound you if not handled. You also need to kill ALL zombies on a 2+ zombie card to put it back in the Zombie deck, otherwise it goes to your Discard pile!
Tip: Use counters put on head or legs of each zombie in a 2+ zombie card to keep track on how they each were handled until the card is fully handled.
* 31:50 - You would've taken two damage here, which would have killed you (game over).
Also: Winning conditions are checked at the end of the Turn.
It's a really great game but very challenging!
Mistakes during the second scenario:
* 33:40 - Start with five Zombie cards, should only be the 1-zombies, no 2-zombie card! No extra zombies added because of number of players!
* 36:30 - Still, the Machete can only be used once/turn ;-)
* 37:46 - Several mistakes; The Scouted Run card costs one to retrieve AND when you retrieve an Event (red) card it goes directly to your discard pile, not into your hand! Also, even IF you had a Run card in your hand, you could not have used it here, because your leg is wounded!
* 42:39 - Can't use Run because you're still wounded in your Leg.
* 43:40 - Clarification: You can split and use one Survivor for points and one to retrieve from the Area deck (as mentioned later).
* 44:48 - Scouted event cards still need to be paid for to retrieve, and then goes to your discard pile ;-)
* 46:46 - Justin forgot to heal one wound using the Pub (corrected later)
* 49:08 - Sorry Coco, but using the Machete in the correct way, and not auto-retrieve scouted event cards, would make these two games a lot harder ;-)
* 50:30 - The Blockbuster "only" kills all zombies in play and discard pile for ONE player, not both.
* 51:38 - Great! As you noticed, you can chose to let the zombie attack you first, THEN save the Survivor and heal one wound from the Pub. This is the correct way to play! :-)
* 53:30 - The same error regarding scouted Event cards.
* 59:30 - Coco forgot to discard the Flamethrower (corrected off camera)
* 1:01:33 - The dog only kills one zombie, NOT one zombie CARD. So it would not get rid of the 2-zombie card. Also, Coco could not use Run, because of the wound to his leg.
At the end, if Coco had used his Medkit to heal up at the end of the last turn, he could survive the two Zombies, but the Machete could only kill one of Justin's zombies anyway. If Justin had let one Zombie bite him and played the Entrenchment trap in the turn before, he could kill two Zombies instead of scouting by readying it and using it now, and also shoot one zombie with the Rifle. Coco could then have killed the fifth Zombie with his dog. Barely surviving another Turn. But the last last Turn would've killed you anyway.
Good try! Please play some more! :-) The scenarios from 2A and forward gets more difficult! ;-)
yes they did lots of mistakes, so no good showcase, but it was worth the try ;)
I have this game on my Amazon wish list. It will be a nice add to my zombie themed games along side; Dead of Winter, District Z, Tiny Epic Zombies and Zombies!!! All play so different, it would be good to have in my game collection.
I don't understand how did you play it no solo.... If everyone is for himself you just play solo cuncurenly and that's it
yikes, the art... a potato was painted green and a face was mapped on it?
The potato was placed on a bratz barbie. The neck was shoved into the potato to give structure. Resulting in the character art having no necks.
And still my favorite game of all time...