Winning Moves Apocalyptic Picnic

I was looking for a different family game for Christmas and this was great. The whole family can play, it’s fun, easy to learn and it can be played pretty quickly which is good for younger kids. The kids like the zombies and we all have fun with it.

Was told about this while son was in hospital and we were playing exploding kittens. This is equally as fun and not as hard to learn as it looks with all the cards.

With the popularity of games like Exploding Kittens, more card games that riff on that silliness and ease of access were all but inevitable. So how does this one stack up? * It's pretty much pick-up-and-play. Yes, there are expanded instructions included to help with some intricacies and strategy help, but really, you can start playing right away. It should be easy to grasp by most people over the age of 8. * Gameplay. You get 5 family members, 1 is a zombie right away, and 6 action cards. On each turn you take 2 actions: picking up a card and playing a card. The goal is to be the last person with a single healthy family member. there are cards to bite other people, block being bitten, heal from being a zombie and some other cards with varying abilities. * Fun level. It's pretty fun though I admit that sometimes a game can drag. It works best when games are shorter in my humble opinion. * Card quality is good. Cards are printed on high quality cards with some very nice artwork. * Strategy. This isn't the deepest game but there is probably more strategy here than in Exploding Kittens. * Carrying box is also of high quality with a magnetic flap to keep the carrying box closed. In summary, this is a pretty fun game that is easily accessible though strategy wise isn't the deepest and can sometimes overstay it's welcome if the cards fall just right. If you like games like Exploding Kittens and are looking for a change of pace, this is definitely worth checking out in my humble opinion.

So much fun with my 7 and 9 year old boys.

Kids love it!!

TL:DR? This is a sturdy, family fun game that is both addicting and easy to learn; even non-zombie fans will enjoy it! The Technical Factoids: Upon first opening the package, I was immediately impressed by the quality of the product itself. It feels like the company cares about their product, which is something not often seen a lot lately. The Box is very sturdy with a magnetic clasp and has print on both the inside and outside of the box. The card slots are a plastic insert with a groove extending to the base/bottom for easy card removal. Instructions are printed plainly and easy to read with colored picture representations of both cards and play examples on a heavy duty card stock. The cards themselves are very thick and sturdy. They should stand up to multiple shuffling and continued use. They also don’t stick together. The only drawback is that the play cards deck is a little large, which may make it difficult to shuffle with smaller hands. I have very long fingers and it still was a bit finicky for me. I don’t know about their use in a card shuffler. The Gist: The paprika is radioactive and now the potato salad is tainted. Oh no! Starting out, everyone is dealt 5 family member cards. One is already a zombie. These cards have a healthy picture on top and a zombie version on the bottom, making it easy to see what a character’s stats are and eliminating the need for extra tokens (and extra pieces to lose!). Players are dealt six (6) action cards and take turns drawing a card and playing a card. Some cards will let you draw extra cards, still cards from other players, destroy cards, and heal zombies back into healthy people. You can play with up to 6 people, but a game with just 2 (the minimum) is just as exciting. There is an assortment of luck, skill/strategy, and manipulation (trickery) used to play. However, it is simple enough that younger folk (8 or so) and can still enjoy playing. There are a few parts in the instructions that are a tad unclear. This is how we play. The game doesn’t come right out and say you only play one card each turn. It’s more of a single use of “card” versus plural, so this can be a bit confusing if you glance right over it. Secondly, you can play as many bite cards as you have zombies. There has been some trouble remembering this rule. For the most part, all the cards have their instructions plainly written on them, but the “Bite” card doesn’t include this extra bit. It may take a few rounds for it to “sink” (pun intended) in. Lastly, a “Play Now” card is supposed to be drawn like a normal card and forced to be played, eating up a player’s turn. We’ve changed this to when a “Play Now” card appears after the card above it has been drawn, it is automatically played. The player that revealed it loses their ability to play a card, but still gets their draw. It’s resulted in more even hands/fair play. Pros: +Simple game mechanics +Challenging, including both strategy, luck, and slyness +A good assortment of offensive and defensive cards alike +Good quality material +Potential co-op option +Options for longer and shorter play +Ability to customize family members (blank cards to make your own) +Age appropriate content (8+) Cons: -It can be brutal if more than one player gangs up on the same person (if that’s the case, you may need to make it where you can only play against players to your right and/or left) -Cards can be difficult to shuffle and may need to be shuffled in separate, smaller piles resulting in a not even card distribution -It may take a few rounds to get a hang for the game Overall, a very good game! We’re excited to add this to our weekly family game night! 5 out of 5 stars.