[Official] Z. Year One – Game Rules

Overview

All of the core rules in one place. A good reference guide for new players or if you forget how something specific works. These rules can also be brought up any time in-game by pressing TAB on your keyboard, or clicking the “How to Play” button at the top of the Main Menu.

Introduction

Depending on your familiarity with card and board games, Z. Year One may have a steep learning curve. Even when you do know the game inside and out, it’s design to still be quite challenging.

1. READ YOUR CARDS!

If you don’t know what something does, hover your cursor over it to inspect it.

Also, If a card’s text would conflict with any rule listed in this guide, the card text overrules the rules.

Deck-Building

• Each Deck must have 15 units and 15 Instants/Traps.
• Survivors also need 15 Equipment cards.
• You can only have 3 of each card, and 1 of each Hero/Horror.

Tip: As the Fallen, remember to bring some low cost units for Turn 1!

Objectives

• Extermination: Defeat the enemy’s base by reducing its SV to 0.
• If Survivors have no units at the end of their Reinforcement Phase they automatically lose.

Tip: The Survivor Base is called the “Hideout” and the Fallen Base is called the “Hive”.

Golden Rules

• Concealed Units cannot be targeted by Instincts/Tactics, but they can be attacked.
• Survivors cannot attack the Fallen while inside a Barricade and vice versa. The Barricade must be destroyed first!
• “Nearby” means “in play.” So a nearby Survivor means the unit has been played to the location and is not in your Hand, etc.

Phases

Each player’s turn in Z. is made up of four different phases. And like most card games, the first turn of the match works a little differently than all subsequent turns.

• The Fallen always play first.
• Both players start the game by drawing 7 cards, then shuffling 2 back into their decks.
• The Fallen do not draw a new card on their first turn.
• (Fallen Only) Location Units and 0-Cost abilities are disabled until Turn 2. Make sure to pack some low-cost units!

• Automatically gain one primary resource (Supplies for Survivors and Aggro for Fallen).
• Automatically draw one card from the top of your Deck.
• This phase automatically progresses to the Reinforcement Phase.

• Spend resources to play a Location Unit and/or units from your Hand.
• Cards you can play will be highlighted green.
• Limit one Location Unit per player per turn.
• (Survivors Only) Purchase and equip cards from the Equipment Deck.

Tip: Don’t forget to equip Survivors with Equipment BEFORE ending this phase!

• Units can move, use abilities and/or items, search/roam, and/or attack, depending on the unit.
• Units with available actions will be highlighted green.
• Tactics and Instincts may also be played.
• You cannot put new units in play during the Action Phase.

• During the End Turn, Traps and Instincts/Tactics can be played.
• The current player Ends their turn, or the Turn Timer runs out.
• The next player then enters the Draw Phase and begins their turn.

Locations

Check out the official guide to Locations/Searching/Roaming for more information and some tips and tricks!

• Location Decks have approximately 20-30 cards each.
• The cards are split into three Areas and ranked from left to right: Safe, Caution, Danger.
• Search the Location to gain resources and find items, weapons, events, or even new characters!
• More dangerous Areas have greater rewards but also greater risks.
• Once all Areas have been fully searched, the Climax Card is revealed.
• Each Location also has five Location Units.

Tip: Events and Climax Cards usually offer excellent rewards for the Survivors… if they can reach them.

Tip: As the Fallen, keep the pressure on the Survivors so they have to attack instead of searching.

• Each Location has five double-sided Location Units (LUs) shared by both players.
• LUs always cost one resource to purchase ensuring players have something to play no matter what.
• Each player can only purchase one LU per turn.
• LUs have the Rush ability (they can Attack on the same turn they were played).
• Once all five LUs are gone (regardless of who bought them), LUs will no longer be available in that match.

Tip: Use LUs in the earlier turns for cheap, expendable units.

Tip: Buying LUs for no other reason than to potentially take one away from your enemy is a good strategy.

• Survivors can use their turn to Search instead of Attacking.
• The Survivor draws the top card of the target Area, automatically gains +1 Supply, and encounters the location card.
• Equippable items such as weapons, items, and armor that are found by searching can be: equipped to any in-play Survivor, added to your Inventory and their cost reduced to 0, or salvaged for 1 Supply.
• If the Survivor that searched is concealed and discoveres Equipment or another Survivor, that card is not shown to the enemy.
• Enemy units found by searching come into play revealed.

Tip: Seriously, Survivors NEED to search to get Supplies. If you don’t, you will die.

• Roaming is the Fallen equivalent of Searching.
• Fallen will automatically roam the safest area available. If that area has no more cards, they will roam the next one.
• Roaming provides +1 Burst Aggro.
• Fallen can only Roam if there are no revealed Survivors nearby, or if they cannot attack because it is their first turn.
• If a Fallen didn’t attack, it must Roam. All Fallen must act each turn if able.
• Non-Armor Equipment discovered by Fallen are added to that unit’s loot.
• Killing a Fallen with loot will let the Survivors decide what to do with it.
• If a Fallen encounters Armor while roaming, the Armor will be added to the Fallen’s total SV.
• Fallen cannot roam areas where a Sabotage or unresolved Event is the top card.

Resources

• Supplies are the sole resource used to play Survivor cards.
• The Survivors gain 1 Supply at the beginning of each turn.
• The primary method for gaining Supplies is searching.
• Spent Supplies are permanently lost.
• Discarding a card in your hand or an in-play Weapon or Item card will gain 1 Supplies. This is called “Salvaging.”
• Two Supplies can be spent to draw a card. This can be done an unlimited amount of times per turn, as long as you have the Supplies to do it.

• Aggro is the primary resource used to play Fallen cards.
• Fallen players gain +1 max Aggro during the Draw Phase.
• Unlike Supplies, previously spent or unspent Aggro fully replenishes at the beginning of each Draw Phase.

Tip: Over time, Survivors will lose reliable methods for gaining resources, but the Fallen will just keep getting stronger.

• Roaming, as well as weapons and actions with a Loud penalty will provide a temporary secondary resource to the Fallen called Burst Aggro.
• Burst Aggro is gained instantly, so if the Fallen gains it on their turn, they can/must spend it on the same turn or it is lost.
• Burst Aggro is gained on the Survivors’ turn, the Fallen player will have access to it at the start of their next turn.
• Leftover Burst Aggro can be used to draw cards or increase max Aggro at the end of each turn.
• Burst Aggro is permanently lost at the end of the turn whether it was spent or not.

Tip: Aggro builds slowly over time, but Burst Aggro is very helpful in leveling the playing field in the early game. Find ways to get as much as you can!

Card Types

• Pay the cost of a unit card in your Hand to put it in play.
• SV is a unit’s Survivability (similar to Hit Points), while AP (Attack Power) is that unit’s base melee attack power.
• Units come into play concealed, meaning you know what they are but the enemy does not.
• Attacking or being attacked will reveal a concealed unit, as will using certain abilities or items.
• New units can search/roam on their first turn, but they cannot attack until their second turn.
• Units only have one action per turn (attack, search/roam, or interact with Event).
• (Survivors Only) Survivors can be replaced by playing a new Survivor onto them. The original Survivor will be discarded.

• If able, Fallen units must use their turn to attack revealed Survivors.
• Fallen may choose to ignore or attack concealed Survivors (they could roam instead, for example).
• If all Survivors are concealed and a Fallen attacks, a random Survivor will be targeted.
• If a Fallen didn’t attack, it must Roam. All Fallen must act each turn if able.

• Instant cards are played from your Hand and go into effect immediately.
• Instants are NOT interrupts. You can NEVER play a card or take any action on your opponent’s turn.
• Some Instants are Permanent, meaning their effect persists for the rest of the match or until removed by another player.

• Trap cards are played during the End Phase.
• Trap cards are always played concealed and appear underneath your Base.
• Their cost is paid at the time you place them, just like any other card.
• Traps trigger immediately when their activation requirements are met, even (usually) on the other player’s turn.
• You do not get to choose whether or not a Trap triggers.

Tip: You can set up combos to make your traps to trigger on your own turn.

• Sabotage cards are played face-down to a specific Area and must be encountered by Searching.
• Sabotage cards cannot be played on top of an unresolved Event or a revealed Sabotage card.
• Sabotage cards do not give Supplies when Searched.
• “Locate” and similar abilities can circumvent Sabotage cards.

Tip: Fallen will not roam Sabotaged areas, so you can Sabotage the safer areas and then pillage the more valuable areas.

• Survivors may purchase and equip weapons, items, and armor to units during the Reinforcement Phase.
• Survivors can only equip one Ranged OR one Melee Weapon at a time.
• Equipping a Survivor with a second weapon will Salvage the original weapon.
• Survivors can carry unlimited Items and Armor.
• Additional unique weaponry and items can be found and equipped for free by searching Locations.
• Found Equipment can also be stashed in your Inventory and its Cost remains 0.

Tip: Make sure your unit isn’t going to die before they can use their Equipment!

Equipment

• Melee Weapons add their DMG to the Survivor unit’s AP.
• If a target survives an attack from a melee weapon, it will automatically counterattack.

Tip: If you’re just starting out, consider bringing a few Wooden Baseball Bats for free early game weapons.

• Unlike Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons have their own DMG that replaces a Survivor’s melee AP.
• Attacking with a Ranged Weapon prevents counterattacks.
• The Loud penalty on weapons will give +X Burst Aggro. Think before you shoot!
• Ranged Weapons have AMMO which is depleted 1 per attack.
• When a Ranged Weapon has 0 AMMO, it cannot be used to attack or counterattack.
• Ranged Weapons may be reloaded by paying the weapon’s Cost. (Click on the ranged weapon icon under the unit).

• Items can be purchased and equipped to a Survivor when they enter play.
• Items are passive, meaning you don’t need to do anything other than Equip them to use them.
• One-time use Items will say to discard after using, otherwise they are permanent equips.

• Armor is equipped to a Survivor unit during the Reinforcement Phase.
• Armor is different than SV, but works similar.
• Armor must be depleted before a unit’s SV can be diminished.
• “Piercing” attacks ignore Armor.
• Equipped Armor cannot be salvaged, dropped, or looted.
• Armor prevents Corruption from attacks and some Traps/Instants.
• Armor can stack infinitely (Helmet + Gloves + Jacket + Heavy Jacket, etc.).

Attacking

• A unit with at least 1 AP can attack enemy targets.
• The attacking unit deals DMG to the enemy unit first.
• DMG does not automatically recover. If a Survivor takes 2 DMG, it will still be wounded on its next turn, and so on.
• If the DMG dealt is equal to or greater than the receiving unit’s SV, that unit is discarded.
• All Fallen attacks and any Survivor attacks without a Ranged Weapon are considered “melee.”

• If the DMG dealt is not enough to defeat the unit, the target will now automatically counterattack if able to do so.
• Counterattacking units normally deal their AP as DMG to the unit who attacked them.
• Ranged Weapons cannot be counterattacked.

• Survivors can attack their own units, including Barricades.
• This plays out the same as any other combat, meaning counterattacks, abilities, and items/weapons are still applicable.
• Fallen cannot attack other Fallen unless they’re confused or berserk.

Tip: you may wish to kill your own corrupted units before they convert, or……

Special

This section refers to a few common abilities, mechanics, or status effects that all players should know about.

• Stunned units can no longer act until the start of their next turn.
• All abilities, equipments, and counterattacks are also nullified during the effect.
• Stunned units take x2 DMG.

• A “Corrupted” unit is a Survivor that has started to convert into a Fallen.
• At the END of their NEXT turn, that unit will become a 1/1 Roamer in control of the Fallen player who Corrupted them. This is called Conversion.
• The Corruption process is irreversible, unless the unit dies first.
• If only a Corrupted unit remains on the field and the Survivor player cannot play any other units, the Survivors lose.
• Some current methods for becoming Corrupted include taking DMG from a Fallen with Plague, and the Dark Secret Instinct.

Tip: Armor will prevent Plague from corrupting a Survivor.

• Snipers, Lookouts, and Tacticians have the Rooftop ability.
• Rooftop is automatically in effect whenever this Survivor is in play.
• Rooftop units cannot be attacked unless there are no other Survivors nearby.
• Rooftop units can only attack with Sniper Rifles.
• Ravagers can attack Rooftop units directly, regardless of whether other Survivors are in play.

Tip: If you use a lot of Snipers or Tacticians, try also putting a Lookout in play to prevent Ravagers from killing your valuable units.

Questions?

Hopefully with this guide you have a good idea of how the game works or at least a solid reference tool while learning the ropes, but feel free to ask for help if you’re struggling.

Have specific feedback for this guide? Need clarification or found a typo, that sort of thing? Leave a comment!

Need help figuring something out or getting some general tips? Start a thread in the General Discussions forum and I and/or one of our awesome community members will gladly help you out!