Zombie Obsession

[Faust23]

Hi,

So maybe I'm the odd man out, but I've noticed a serious trend toward all things Zombie in the miniatures community of late. 

When did this craze take off?  I'm not really a fan, per se, though I hold harmless anyone who digs it.  I have a buddy who is a total zombie lover, and that's fine. 

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone knows what kicked it into high gear?

[uti long smile]

Not sure? I know that the Frothers have a huge Zombie game planned for Salute next year too.

I've always loved the genre and it's one of the only things that still genuinely scares me. I still regularly wake in cold sweat from 'The Zombie Dream'... I may need professional help.

[Commander Vyper]

Hi,

So maybe I'm the odd man out, but I've noticed a serious trend toward all things Zombie in the miniatures community of late. 

When did this craze take off?  I'm not really a fan, per se, though I hold harmless anyone who digs it.  I have a buddy who is a total zombie lover, and that's fine. 

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone knows what kicked it into high gear?

As a big zed head the feeling really is that the more traditional werewolves,mummies and vamps are cool and all that; but somehow not as fresh (if you pardon the pun) as zeds. A good series of movies, books and comics have all helped to solidify the modern zombie firmly buried in today's zietgheist (apologies to our German members for my spelling).

The Walking Dead comics
World war z and the zombie survival guide
Shaun of the Dead
the further George A Romero films
Land and Diary (and loosely Day remake)
28 days and weeks later
Dawn remake
Fido
Resident evil titles
Stubbs the zombie
left 4 dead
Dead rising (xbox 360 game)
Outpost


When there's no more room in hell.... the franchise will walk the earth!

Join uS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





The Commander

[Faust23]

Can't say I've ever had a zombie dream.  I've had plenty of squid/cthulhu/deep ones type dreams though.  I just had a dream the other night that involved a gigantic squid eating John Tesh....

[CPT Shanks]

I would say the craze kicked off with All Things Zombie about four years ago, movie releases and Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide.

[Plynkes]

Doesn't really appeal all that much to me (I always seem to be out of touch with gaming trends, well I was until the Great War thing kick-started this year). I love Shaun of the Dead, but I'm not particularly excited about Zombie gaming. Though I'd happily play in a game run by someone else, it doesn't appeal enough to get me painting.

I prefer your African/Caribbean type Voodoo zombi (less gory but more spooky), but they are probably not even the slightest bit gameable, outside of role-playing games.

[Rhoderic]

In terms of success and popularity, I don't really view it as any different to the other trends lately (pirates, 30's pulp, cavemen etc.). To me, one thing that really defines the current miniature gaming zeitgeist is this collective feeling of optimism, a feeling that we can do anything, which leads to lots of new miniatures being sculpted by lots of companies. Zombies is just one of the numerous genres that have had a great boost thanks to this.

Personally I don't care much for the whole splatter genre (including, but not limited to, zombies). I guess I just find it too garish. That said, even I have started to feel drawn to gaming zombies & survivors in miniature. Despite not caring for it as a genre of fiction, I see its charm as a gaming genre. It has its own special style, having small groups of survivors playing gauntlet-style scenarios against much larger, unstoppable hordes of greeblies.

Also, I agree with Plynkes that the more traditional Voodoo-type zombies are much more interesting. And I do think they're at least somewhat gameable in miniature.

[Faust23]

Rhoderic, I like your point about the 'optimism'.  I'm almost finished with my all periods historical skirmish game that will definitely enhance that sense of optimism and options that players are looking for in today's market.

I'll be doing an expansion for sci-fi, fantasy, and maybe one for pulp.  I'll have rules for zombies in those sets.

[bandit86]

I don't know about gaming but the Zombie crazy for me stated with Dawn of the dead and Night of the living dead(originals) ITs all about survival.  I hear that some of the new board games are fun and was thinking about getting one.  Meeples and miniature did a whole Podcast on zombie gaming you might want to check out that.

[Lowtardog]

I have had a thing/interest and nightmares since watching dawn of the dead etc when I was 12. Once the figures started to be released (see the new generation above) and the miniatures started to appear I was hooked.

[Plynkes]

"Zombie Obsession, the new fragrance from Calvin Klein."

[AKULA]

Zombies are the new black!

Think of it as a game where the following applies:

No one can say that you've "done it wrong" - painting, rules etc etc
No Army list - paint what you want, when you want
You can play a game with as little as half a dozen figures, or as many as you can paint.
No politics
All the players can be on the same side
Great for solo games as zombie actions are fairly predictable.
All that post-apoc stuff you (and everyone else) bought can be used


Why now?

As other posters have already mentioned there have been a real spate of zombie films over the last few years, in turn there are now LOADS of companies producing usable minis (a sculpter can produce one or two if they want, and call it a line - no need for that standard bearer with the different shako for the period march 1806-june 1807....).

Oh....and the frothers game for salute

BRAAAIIINNNSSSSS!

[Orctrader]

Never really inspired me either, but the new Spyglass WWII German's did and I have just finished painting them - pictures will - eventually - follow.

My painting inspiration came from a Comic Strip story I read as a child rather than any of the "new" stuff.  Probably from Weird Tales or somesuch.

[Plynkes]

No one can say that you've "done it wrong" - painting, rules etc etc

Would be nice if that were true, but I have seen a few posts criticising other people's choice of colours for zombie flesh. I don't think non-historical subjects are much more imune to this kind of thing than historical ones. A little, but not much more.

[Herr Direktor]

I quite agree- the ease of painting Zombies is a primary reason why they are so popular. There just is no wrong way to do it.  Also, the quality of the fiction has been extraordinarily well-done.  The movies 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later appeal to a larger base than zombie fans. They are a far cry from the more narrow Dawn of the Dead type. Also, the book World War Z is fantastic. Many non-Zombie types have actually read it.  Makes me wonder if we had a spate of really good caveman movies and books, would caveman gaming be really popular- more than it is already? The movie 10,000B.C. may have helped with that. I don't know-what do you guys think?