Played some more Zafehouse: Diaries, figured I'd detail it some more. I guess the best way to describe it would be a...text based roguelike boardgame? That sorta fits.
There are two scenarios to play: The first one has your survivors in town and word has it a chopper is coming. You don't know where or when, so you will have to explore the town for clues so you can be there. The other scenario has you finding a car that needs repairs, so you search the town for parts so you can all pile in and leave.
I only did the first one so far. You are assigned 5 survivors with random professions and backgrounds. These trails may make them like or dislike others in the group, so when you're making your teams to go scouting its a good idea to make sure they get along. Each day you can start a rumor about one of the survivors which can change how other view them, might get people into fights, etc. Its pretty funny. Last game I only had 2 survivors left that didn't like each other so I started a rumor that they were actually second cousins that were separated when their families moved apart. They warmed up to each other....just before the horde of zombies entered the hospital and killed them both.
The days are split into hour segments, and each hour you can assign tasks to your survivors. Someone might be searching the current location for supplies (which you can either have a generic search for whatever or give specific order like find me some goddamn weapons), someone could be on lookout or clearing bodies, someone might be making traps or building barricades, etc. Plenty to do.
The town map is of course randomly generated and this is the boardgamey part. Survivors have their own "piece" on the map so you move that around to new locations to have them scout it out. You can either have them scout and return with a report, assault which means kill what you can and come back, or breech which means go inside and take over the place. Then you can search this new location for stuff. Houses are fairly safe, but the hospitals and such you will need to assault a couple times before going inside. Which is good to know before you send people in. Like an idiot.
The game is pretty hard, but I guess thats kind of cool. It's almost more about creating to story of these survivors than actually winning. At the end of the game you can export the stories to share with others. I kinda want to read one and see how someone actually won. Just because it seems really hard to do.
Anyway, its cool and super cheap on GOG with the sale going on. I dunno if that sale yesterday is over but they will probably run it again before the summer sale is over.
