Rebuild (Flash Game)

[Stik]

Get past the cheesy intro (which is for the game company rather than the game), and get past the cartoony graphics (which have nothing to do with the actual gameplay) and play Rebuild.

Rebuild is a turn-based strategy game set in a post-zombie-apocalypse city. You are in charge of the survivors, and start with four square blocks of secured area, which you need to expand and defend in order to win the game. There are a variety of block types (suburbs, farms, malls, hospitals, motels, etc.) each of which has different characteristics. You also have a variety of survivor types (soldiers, builders, scavengers, scientists, leaders) each of which has their own specialty.

The game is all about resource, time, and risk management. As time goes on, the zombie threat grows, although you can help to mitigate this by aggressively capturing city blocks and eliminating zombies that you encounter there. You need to recruit survivors to ensure sufficient numbers to defend your fort, but as the population of your fort grows, you will need to provide more food (by building or reclaiming farms, or by scavenging) and dwelling space for them. You also need to manage their morale by providing churches and bars, or throwing an occasional party.

Each turn, you need to assign the right people, and the right number of people, to various missions (Kill Zombies, Reclaim Area, Scavenge Supplies, Scout Area, Build Defenses) then click the button to end your turn. The game will then let you know the outcome of your moves.

There is an element of randomness to the game. Usually you can manage the outcome of an encounter, but not always, and oftentimes you are forced to play the odds ("Do I assign extra soldiers on this run to ensure success, or keep them back to defend the perimeter?").

There are four ways to win the game, but I don't consider it won until I have achieved all four victory conditions.

Try it out. It's fun.

A few pointers: try to secure a school as soon as possible. This will allow you to retrain the survivors to provide the optimal mix of professions. If you wind up with an entire enclave of builders, it will be difficult to defend against the zombie hordes or to capture new areas. But an entire enclave of soldiers will take longer to build defenses, and they aren't as good at finding supplies as the scavengers are. And leaders are better at recruiting new people, and managing morale, but not so good at fighting. And keep an eye on your food situation. Not enough and morale will drop causing people to desert or fight among themselves. Remember to think ahead.

[Stik]

And...there's a Rebuild 2.
More complex characters and flexible gameplay, plus the ability to bring a handful of characters from one city to another. Good times.