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Revisiting: Last Night On Earth

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27 Sep 2015 10:17 #211417 by SuperflyPete
Yeah, defend the manor is hands-down the best scenario.

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27 Sep 2015 13:27 #211429 by engineer Al
LOVED this game when it first came out, but yeah it hasn't been on the table for quite some time. Probably because we were overwhelmed by all the expansion stuff. For some reason, I always loved the scenario where you had to start the truck. We pimped the game with a toy metal pick-up, and the image of Zombies crawling all over it was fantastic.
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27 Sep 2015 13:58 #211431 by SuperflyPete
I like that one as well. I think the only flaw in the game is that the "searching" mechanic kind of sucks. When you have to dig through the deck to find the keys or something, it gets frustrating.

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27 Sep 2015 17:29 #211441 by engineer Al

SuperflyTNT wrote: When you have to dig through the deck to find the keys or something, it gets frustrating.


Yes, but also adds tension. Damn, now I really wanna play this. . .

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27 Sep 2015 17:59 #211443 by SuperflyPete
That's very true. I like the system of items a little more in Zombie 15' but that and the soundtrack are all that game gets right.

Maybe I'll have to come up with a campaign or something. LNOE's real magic is in the sandbox-style system they have .

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28 Sep 2015 10:41 #211465 by Ska_baron
I benefited from Sag's apathy and snagged his copy long ago and LOVED it - getting my whole extended family into this one. It's just so easy to relate to and has such strong narrative.

That said, after Dead of Winter went over so well with the same crowd, I gave LNoE and Growing Hunger to my brother as I was clearing out to move house. I just figured I'd be playing it with him anyway most likely, and still have DoW and Betrayal that fill the gap.

I'd played the Zombies almost every time and largely enjoyed it because I was able to orchestrate a good game experience but sometimes it was a bit to obvious to me that I was pulling punches or running zombies in the opposite direction to "win." Honestly, never used much of the GH content other than new characters/cards - just didnt need it.

Wouldnt turn down a game at all, but didnt feel like I needed to own this one myself.
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28 Sep 2015 22:38 #211538 by RobertB
SuperflyTNT wrote:

I like that one as well. I think the only flaw in the game is that the "searching" mechanic kind of sucks. When you have to dig through the deck to find the keys or something, it gets frustrating.


We were playing the Truck scenario, and on the second turn of the game, one human pulled the keys, and another pulled the gas can. GG. However, talking about it is making me want to play.

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29 Sep 2015 09:33 #211568 by Columbob

RobertB wrote: SuperflyTNT wrote:

I like that one as well. I think the only flaw in the game is that the "searching" mechanic kind of sucks. When you have to dig through the deck to find the keys or something, it gets frustrating.


We were playing the Truck scenario, and on the second turn of the game, one human pulled the keys, and another pulled the gas can. GG. However, talking about it is making me want to play.


Something like that happened to us once, my brother wanted me to sacrifice myself to guarantee us the victory (he ALWAYS plays to win), I said "Screw that, my character wouldn't voluntarily sacrifice him/herself to save YOUR sorry ass", so I didn't do the optimal move to draw away the horde from the truck. He did it on his turn and I think he might have died, good for him.
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29 Sep 2015 10:13 #211575 by Ska_baron
Yeah, this game is all about engendering sub-optimal play, which I loved. My brother in law would discuss with everyone options on what everyone should do, but then go off on some tangent/vendetta at some point that left everyone clutching their heads and screaming - all in good fun, because sometimes he would pull of something amazing. And sometimes he'd end up as zombie chow.

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29 Sep 2015 11:43 #211582 by Egg Shen
I remember when I first heard about Last Night on Earth. I was fairly new to the gaming scene and as a horror fan I had to have it. I remember driving all over Rhode Island trying to find a copy. I finally struck gold at some small comic book store outside of Providence. I went through the same experience with Betrayal at House on the Hill. Hunting them down in the wild and actually finding them really helped me to dive deep into the hobby. Both games were impossible to find online and eBay prices were absurd. Still I have fond memories of tracking down these horror themed games.

Last Night on Earth is a fine game. I played the HELL out of it back in 2007-2009. The reason the game resonated with almost anyone was that it made thematic sense. My family could understand searching the decks for gas and keys for the truck. Or killing 15 zombies. It didn't get weighed down under it's own ruleset. Plus it tended to create some memorable sessions. Also, say what you will about the shitty artwork, but it too helped get the game to the table. People would fight over which human they wanted to be. Folks would naturally slip into character and start psuedo roleplaying. The game was just a really fun and silly time.

I think two things happened that began to sink the game. FFP sort of went crazy with expansions. There were online only supplements, mini expansions, big boxed expansions, web exclusive scenarios etc... It became daunting to keep up. Then the dawn of the hybrid game happened and games with solid mechanics started getting really well implemented themes/settings. Last Night on Earth is firmly entrenched in the "classic ameritrash" camp. The game is all about rolling dice, drawing random cards, rolling more dice...it's big dumb fun. These types of games were the source of contention among gamers in 2004-2005. In 2015, they are really not en vogue with designers or gamers. These simple, easy to play, not overly convoluted games are getting rarer and rarer.

I haven't played LNoE in YEARS. I still own it and the first expansion. I've come close to buying the reboot (Timber Peak), but I've never pulled the trigger. Also, I'll be the dissenting voice and say that I prefer many of the Twilight Creations Inc Zombie games. I like Zombies!!!, Humans!!! and Zombie Survival all more than LNoE. These routinely get played by me and my friends. The games are much meaner and with 2-4 players are a great time. I like my zombie games to be about humans fucking each other over and unable to band together in the face of adversity. The Twilight Creations line really nails that aspect. They make it so the zombies are easy to kill, but the guy sitting next to you is someone to really worry about. LNoE is 1 vs all game, but for the heroes it's basically a co-op. I guess as a fan of classic zombie films it just doesn't sit well with me. The fact that LNoE takes place in a small town and isn't about a Zombie Apocalypse helps a bit and probably why I give it a pass. In my mind shit hasn't really hit the fan yet in the game and that sense of distrust and paranoia hasn't set in. The townsfolk would just be trying to survive and escape together. So I can understand why it's the way it is.

All that being said, I think this is the year that LNoE returns to my table! It has been too long and that bastard needs to RISE FROM ITS GRAVE!
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29 Sep 2015 13:37 - 29 Sep 2015 14:34 #211594 by Mr. White
Two responses to Egg's great post:

Gameplay - IMO, the ease of play is one of LNoE's strengths. I was thinking about something similar the other day in regards to SH:DA and Minion Hunter. Both are great co-ops, but what prevents SH:DA from being as fun as Minion Hunter is that there are mechanics that can take one out of the narrative. Be sure to place a token on a marine, or move the proper genestealers in the proper direction, review the rulebook as you move the marines down the hall and setup the next area, etc. It's not super intuitive. Minion Hunter on the other hand is just a small step above Talisman. Like Talisman you can pretty much just look at the board and figure out how to play. Roll some dice, move, encounter a space/card. It's much easier to get into character and bullshit in games like MH and LNoE when you don't have to worry about proper turn order or various mechanics.

Setting - I actually prefer this small town, rural setting over big apocalypse when it comes to zombies/creatures. I have a hard time believing that a zombie horde will do much against trained military and such, so the idea falls apart for me at that level. Isolated oddballs out in the sticks? Yeah, they'd be terrified. Plus, this setting calls to mind classic creature features like Night of the Living Dead or Tremors.
Last edit: 29 Sep 2015 14:34 by Mr. White.

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