Several things encompass a good road-trip. A reliable ride, some pork and beans, and someone who really doesn’t want to be there are typically among them, but all of those pale in comparison to a good set of zombies.
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In Asmodee’s Route 666, you and up to 4 players set out on a road-trip along the infamous American standby, which is now inhabited by hordes of zombies. Your goal is to get to California unscathed, but you might be doing so alone, as along the way your party (who are also your rivals) can meet multiple fates. It all depends on the adventure deck, which dictates what resources you get, special combat effects, zombie encounters, as well as victory points. Game Designer Martin Wallace shared some thoughts on how he tried to integrate narrative into the game.
“My objective was to create an adventure style game with connectivity between actions and encounters, where there are unforeseen consequences to what might seem to be rather mundane events. I am becoming increasingly drawn to designing games that have a stronger ‘narrative’. I think it is an interesting challenge to create ways to tell a story within a game but in a way that the game can be played repeatedly. I also have to congratulate Space Cowboys on amazing development work. They have created a game that looks as if it is part of the world that the story is set in.”
The most interesting part is the bidding system that takes place before each round. To get a leg up on your competition you are able to bid your resources to in an auction to pick your path through. If you win a bid, you might have an easier way through, but you’ve also used up resources, and you can’t see the adventure cards until after you bid (which are shuffled all together at the beginning) so spending too many might leave you just as vulnerable. It’s like some weird mix of The Walking Dead and Cutthroat Kitchen.
Also, am I the only one that loves those zombie meeples? Those are fantastic.
The game is in development now, and is set for release during the third quarter of this year, and will be available at Gen Con. You can find out more about the game here.
