BGG.CON 2015 Announcements: Stronghold Games Picks Up Villages; Split Second Welcomes Patient Zero

Nearly 75% of the U.S. population is infected with an airborne disease: the Z-B13 virus. About a quarter of these people are at Stage 3 of the infection, reduced to shambling husks. The numbers of the "Afflicted" are growing by the day. Cities throughout the U.S. Midwest are emptying as healthier citizens flee for the coasts and roving gangs terrorize the highways. Today on the Internet, a madman released his manifesto, stating that he developed Z-B13 for a reason and will continue his experiment on humanity until his demands are met. He calls himself "Patient Zero".

In the cooperative zombie survival game Patient Zero, players undertake the search for the person responsible for the apocalyptic outbreak. Immune from the effects of the virus, characters band together and travel from city to city, scavenging for the clues and resources that will lead them to a final confrontation against this madman.

Each city in Patient Zero has multiple locations that require a specific combination of dice to be rolled in order to clear them. In some cases, you may have to roll a set of three 5s, others may require a straight, say 2-3-4-5-6. Some locations are actually hazardous and hurt you, but since you must play a die every turn, you may have to take the hit. Every location gives you resources in the form of ammo, food or fuel. Players must also be aware of time since taking too long forces the players into the next city at night, and the nighttime side for each city is more difficult than the daylight side as more afflicted are out and ready to prey on you! Be sure to manage your resources well because even though using ammo and fuel will kill zombies and move you faster, running out means the end of the game, and everyone loses.

The Patient Zero encounter adds a twist to the final location the players encounter, and it is a fight to the death. Who will be victorious?