# Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition)

Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition) is a board game for 1–5 players. It plays in 90–120 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 1. It is rated 8 out of 10 by 51 Ludoya reviewers.

- **Players:** 1–5 (best with 1)
- **Playing time:** 90–120 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 3.8 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2016
- **Categories:** Fantasy, Zombies, Horror, Wargame
- **Mechanics:** Action Points, Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Dice Rolling, Solo / Solitaire Game, Cooperative Game, Point to Point Movement, Ratio / Combat Results Table, Move Through Deck
- **Ludoya rating:** 8 out of 10, from 51 reviews
- **Owned by:** 123 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 567
- **Unique players:** 97

**Designers:** Hermann Luttmann

**Artists:** Clark Miller

**Publishers:** Victory Point Games

## Expansions

- [Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition): Expansion Pack #2 – New Player Blues Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dawn-of-the-zeds-third-edition-expansion-pack-2-new-player-blues-expansion)
- [Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition): Expansion Pack #1 –  Stepping Forward](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dawn-of-the-zeds-third-edition-expansion-pack-1-stepping-forward)
- [Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition): Expansion Pack #3 – Rumors and Rails](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dawn-of-the-zeds-third-edition-expansion-pack-3-rumors-and-rails)
- [Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition): Ernie "The Geek" Promo](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dawn-of-the-zeds-ernie-the-geek-promo)

## Similar games

- [Dawn of the Zeds (Second Edition)](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dawn-of-the-zeds-second-edition)
- [Day Night Z](https://www.ludoya.com/games/day-night-z)
- [Resident Evil 3: The Board Game](https://www.ludoya.com/games/resident-evil-3-the-board-game)
- [Resident Evil 2: The Board Game](https://www.ludoya.com/games/resident-evil-2-the-board-game)
- [Carnival Zombie: 2nd Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carnival-zombie-2nd-edition)
- [Dawn of Madness](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dawn-of-madness)
- [Cthulhu: Death May Die – Fear of the Unknown](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cthulhu-death-may-die-fear-of-the-unknown)
- [Fallout: Wasteland Warfare](https://www.ludoya.com/games/fallout-wasteland-warfare)
- [Carnival Zombie](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carnival-zombie)
- [Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance](https://www.ludoya.com/games/marvel-zombies-x-men-resistance)
- [Zombicide: White Death](https://www.ludoya.com/games/zombicide-white-death)
- [Zombicide: Undead or Alive](https://www.ludoya.com/games/zombicide-undead-or-alive)

## Rules questions

### If any Zeds get into Town Center, do we lose immediately?

Yes — if any Zeds unit enters Town Center, no final combat occurs and the Zeds win instantly (page 7).

### What does a Z (Zeds Pressure) icon actually do — how many Zeds move or get added?

Zeds Pressure scales by player count: the total number equals the number of Hero players minus one — for Zeds Movement Pressure you move that many strongest Zeds units/mobs one space, and for Zeds Placement Pressure you add that many new Zeds to Start spaces on the tracks with the fewest Zeds (pages 18–19).

### Can I spend my Player Action or an Event Action on units I don't control?

Yes — Player Actions and Event Actions can be spent on any Player unit, not just your own; Event Actions are decided as a group while each player spends their own Player Action (page 9).

### If I move a unit into a space with Zeds, can it keep moving after the encounter?

No — moving a Player unit into a space with Zeds immediately ends that unit's movement and begins Hand-to-Hand combat (page 10).

### How are Hits applied and what happens when a Hero/Civilian takes their last Hit?

Apply Hits to the Zeds first, then to the Player unit, allocating Hits among Zeds as you choose; when a Player unit takes its last Hit you make a Saving Roll (d6): 1–3 = Cemetery, 4–6 = Town Center (Civilians enter reduced side; Heroes full-strength) (pages 15–15).

### If two Player units are stacked defending a space, do their Strengths combine in combat?

No — stacked Player units never combine Strengths; you must select which single unit is fighting before any die roll, use only that unit's Strength and bonuses/terrain shift for the combat, and if that defending unit loses both stacked units must retreat (pages 10 and 11).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dawn-of-the-zeds-third-edition)
- [Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition) in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/dawn-of-the-zeds-third-edition)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175095)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-24. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._