Learn to Play: Zombicide Black Plague

In this video I will teach you how to play Zombicide Black Plague. Covered in this video is setup, Player turns, actions breakdown, and Zombie phase. I will cover most of the new features introduced in black plague including double spawn cards, necromancers, shooting priority with survivors, and Armour.
Zombicide is a 1-6 player game, but with expansions and hero packs can be played with 1-12 or more for epic games
Each game will take 45-180 mins depending on the scenario players pick or create, the number of players, and their experience playing.
Time Stamps
00:15 - Game Description
01:23 - Components
02:30 - Set Up
05:10 - Equipment & Zombie Card Description
07:30 - Survivors
12:50 - Combat
16:20 - Zombie Turn
21:15 - Vault Description
This is a fully cooperative game where the players are working together to complete a mission will holding back a zombie horde. The zombies are controlled by a set of cards and rules that govern there movement and actions as well as their spawning.
I have really enjoyed the changes that Guillotine games have made in Zombicide Black Plague, and you can tell they have been listening to players opinions. Everything in the core set is very balanced and I feel that players have to work together more now than in some of the older games. There are less weapons now that can handle fatties which makes them a much bigger threat than in the older games and there are more of them now as well. Also with the inclusion of necromancers and double spawns the game really keeps you on your toes and stressed about the next spawning round.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments/feedback. If you enjoyed the video please like it and subscribe to my channel it really helps me to stay motivated.
Music by Adrian Von Zeigler.

[@benjaminancel4594]

Well done. Thank you for this description. I normally find people explaining games to either rush or miss so many things but this was spot on.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks, glad you found it helpful. I also really apricate the feedback;)

[@navmachine]

Thanks for making this video! I'm new to the zombicide universe, and a lot of videos reference the first zombicide game, but the different rules get confusing. This video gives all the fundamentals of the new game with the new rules. Got us up and running the tutorial quickly!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Matthew J Van Howe Thanks I am glad it was helpful. I am planning on doing videos for the older zombicides as well and will be doing one for the black plague expansion when it comes in. Let me know if you have any requests as well for videos.

[@navmachine]

+Learn to Play Games star wars rebellion would be a fun one, also centauri saga just came out, a coop space 4x that would also be a great learn to play.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

thanks for the request I will look into those. I would be definitely like to do Rebellion but it might be hard to get a review copy from FFG but I will try. Thanks

[@citizengrogo]

Awesome play through. Very easy to follow along, and detailed.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks so much for the feedback, I am glad it was helpful, please share my video if possible every little bit helps. I will also have a video up covering black plagues first expansion soon.

[@RedBird77]

Super video! Decided to go all in. Thanks Lance!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Your welcome, thanks for posting and watching, Have fun and stay away from the fatties;)

[@jackgibson7151]

Just got this for Christmas. Great, straight forward video. Thank you!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks, its a great game have fun;)

[@Forrestbreathertribe]

Best learn to play that I've come across. Thanks for putting this together!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

thanks glad to hear it was helpful.

[@jackalope70]

Great video! You explain it very clearly and don't get distracted with jokes and such. When I want to learn a game a video like this is perfect. If I wanted a joke fest I'd watch some comedy videos. Thanks!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks so much for the feedback, glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching and posting a comment.

[@Scytale82]

Thanks. First play tomorrow, this sure helps 😊

[@Catweazle00]

Great video. Really clear and concise. Well done.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Catweazle Thanks so much for the kind words. I am glad you liked the video and hope it helps you enjoy the game.

[@Goon94]

This was super helpful to me, thank you.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks so much, I am happy the video was able to help. Black plague is such a great game you will have a ton of fun with it.

[@SugarSeanL]

Concise, clear and to the point. Exactly what I wanted. Thanks

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks for the feedback and for watching my video.

[@SugarSeanL]

Super fantastic. Made learning the game much easier after watching your video :)

[@ProcrastinatinZombie]

Nice. Cant wait to see the next videos.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+ProcrastinatinZombie thanks I will have two more videos coming this week.

[@dognaringundersson1725]

Thank you very much! Such an informative video.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@kodafishing9510]

Best video out there! Short and sweet. Thanks! New sub here for sure.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks for the sub! and for watching stay safe;)

[@Safersephiroth777]

Nice vid man.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks, it is really nice to see that people are finding my videos helpful.

[@lupercal8796]

I absolutely love the way you pronounce spawn(ing)

[@anshuljoshi6149]

Thanks for the tutorial.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Your Welcome, thanks for watching

[@Kahlua_jones]

At 7:45: the chart shown is upside down. I'm playing the game tonight, and I am sure it is in the manual, but since none of the comments thus far has pointed it out, I thought you might like to know. Thanks for posting this video! I have a really good handle on the core concepts now.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+spiffykyote nice catch you are right I am surprised no one else has noticed that, unfortunately I can't fix that one without re rendering and reposting the video. It is in the book and I hope you have a great time with the game tonight, let me know if you have any questions that come up. Thanks for the comment and for letting me know.

[@Janisurai]

Thank you!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Your Welcome, thanks for watching and commenting.

[@xenondoro8573]

The best rules video I´ve seen! Usually people have their cameras focusing on them and their jokes instead of the game. Thank you for this! I was contemplating on getting the new Zombicide but I already have Dead of Winter: Long Night + Arcadia Quest and Zombicide seems like a combination of the two. So it´s a pass for me.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks for the feedback, I have been told by other reviewers that I need to have more time in front of the camera but I disagree and it is good to hear others feel that as well. thanks for taking the time to give feedback and for watching my videos.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks

[@carlosquintanilla3700]

Thank you

[@LearntoPlayGames]

You're welcome, thanks for watching and posting. Hope you enjoy the game;)

[@wannalaughabit82]

I just played the first game of Black Plague and I really like it. One question came up, though and I haven't yet found any answers. If a Necromancer spawns does his spawn token work like a regular one in subsequent zombie phases? i.e. Do I have to spawn zombies there for every zombie phase as long as the Necromancer is still on the board or only after he escaped? The rulebook wasn't too clear about that. It might just be a translation issue, though since I'm playing the German version.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

yes once his spawn token comes out you will draw a spawn card for it during that step in the phase with the rest of the spawn points. when the necromancer escapes that spawn becomes permanent which can lead to a new necromancer spawn point coming out. Hope this clears it up for you. Thanks for the question.

[@jakeharper2226]

If you can dual weapon do you do damage per sword

[@BenSilber]

Question about attack order - if an abomination and a runner are in the same square, obviously you can't kill the abomination with a normal ranged weapon. So would your ranged attack not kill any zombies? Or would it skip over the abomination and kill the runner? Thanks

[@LearntoPlayGames]

So with ranged attacks it is all dependent on the priority chart, so in the situation you are in when you fire into a space with an abomination and a runner all the hits will hit the abomination first as he is higher on the priority track so you would kill no zombies. Basically the abomination will shield the runner. Now if there was a walker or fatty in there as well you would hit the walker first than the fatty as they are higher on the priority track than the abomination is. Hope this helps let me know if you have any other questions and thanks for watching.

[@paulgreer602]

I have a question how does the special Kickstarter items and heroes work with the starter ? when can you introduce them into the game.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

you can use them in any way that you want. so for example you decide to play the third mission from the book you can use any heroes you want in that mission you could also add different abominations or other monsters. It is totally up to you how you use the extra content. Thanks for the question let me know if that helps.

[@markwatson7865]

Can't find the answer to this.Feel this is obvious but haven't found the thing that says "If this happens do this"Necromancer card gets drawn during spawning a room, does his spawn point go in that room?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Mark Watson Good question. I looked it over in the book and it doesn't give a specific example but I have played with the team that made the game and they show it in one of their vids as well. So if you are spawning for a set of rooms and a necromancer card is drawn one of two things will happen. If there is already a necromancer on the board move him one space toward the closest exit and the room you drew for will remain empty. If there is not a necromancer on the board you will add a spawn point to the room you are drawing for and place the necromancer in that room, than draw another spawn card for the new necromancer spawn point just like normal. After that continue spawning the rest of the rooms. Let me know if this helps and if you have any other questions. thanks

[@jamesthefront2246]

+Learn to Play Games been wondering about this for aaaaages!! Thanks

[@cupidoke666]

do u have to split zombies when there are more zones with the same number of noise tokens or not?So if there where like 3 zones with the same noise tokens u have to split zombies in three groups?Like 1 fatty would become 3 fatty's in three directions??

[@LearntoPlayGames]

only if that are all equal distance away from the space where the zombies are which in all the games I have played I have never needed to split a zombie group into 3 separate groups. Thanks for the question and for watching.

[@Exit82guy]

Great instructional video,but u n did not explain the combat turn of the zombies against the survivors... ??????

[@Lugo428]

cut and dry. Lugo likes.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks

[@crazysnipe626]

I have a few questions. 1) what if I’m standing on zone A with a bow, and my friend is standing on zone B, but there are zombies on zone C. What would happen if i shoot into zone C? My shots would need to pass zone B , which has my friend in it. 2) if I’m on zone A, but there are zombies in zone B and C, but I want to shoot the zombies on zone C, would I need to kill the zombies in zone B to be able to shoot the zombies on zone C?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Thanks for watching and for the questions I was actually just filming this in the new Zombicide Invader video I am working on. So as long as your weapon has the range and line of sight you can shoot over spaces with no effect on those spaces so you can shoot at zone c without hitting your friend or enemies in zone b. This is also covered on the first paragraph on page 34.

[@bad1788]

What play mat are you using?! that looks awesome!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

It is a GripMat made by Break From Reality. they work great and will keep pieces from moving around. Thanks for asking.

[@GimmeYoBiscuit]

If you draw a double spawn in a single room that is not connected to another room, do you just spawn more zombies in that one room?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

correct you would just continue to resolve the spawn cards in that room.

[@orkusdorkusmaximus]

are there only the small back of start items for all the add on characters too ?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Ya the starting items don't change with the add on characters if I remember correctly you get a couple more short swords and a couple of the other items in the expansion Wolfsburg which I will have a video up soon covering that. Thanks for the question.

[@graphkid]

We need an ash vs army of darkness zombiecide version. This..is my BOOMSTICK!!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

It's just pillow talk baby;) Ya I would love to see a solid Army of Darkness game.

[@shbenton01]

what if you draw a double spawn after you open a door in a single room?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Stephen B Good question, well just like if you are drawing Spawn cards for multiple rooms if the last card drawn is a double spawn you would spawn again in the first room you populated. So in the situation were you only have one room you would double spawn in that room after you draw the card. So you would draw two additional cards for that room. They have been very careful with the double spawns cards, there really is no situation were you can just discard it without taking the effects. Very Mean cards, almost prefer the extra activation cards now;) Thanks for the question hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions or if this clears it up for you.

[@vanhovannisian1139]

I am a little confused. In the combat example you showed that the survivor could chose to kill any one of the 3 zombies as long as she can do enough . But you have to kill a walker before a fatty, and a fatty before a runner, no?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Van Hovannisian it depends if it is a ranged attack than yes you have a strict kill order. but if it is melee attack than you choose the target, so you could kill a fatty before a walker if you have a weapon that does two damage, or you could kill a runner before a walker. choosing the runner because he is a greater threat. Let me know if this helps if not I will provide page numbers to specific rules in the book to help. thanks for the question.

[@vanhovannisian1139]

+Learn to Play Games thank you that all make sense. also one thing about fatties... if we are melee range and roll 3 succesful hits but they do 1 damage each. can 2 kill a fatty? if not... would a dual wield weapon... each doing 1 damage be able to kill a fatty?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Van Hovannisian no for fatties you must use a weapon (ranged or melee) that does 2 damage or have a survivor that adds one damage to all attacks like the dwarf's red level ability. That is why fatties are so nasty in black plague there are not a lot of weapons that have a base damage of 2. Let me know if you have any other questions I can help with:)

[@adrianjesus4040]

How do you recommend to find people to play these types of games I don’t have friends but I do wish to play this game I already have it I just need people lol

[@LearntoPlayGames]

I wish I know, I have the same problem. If you have any local game shops or maybe even a local college or library you could post about maybe running a game night at might help you get players.

[@kennethjohnsen442]

how can u ignore priority when it states the targeting priority in the manual??

[@kennethjohnsen442]

+Kenneth Johnsen and the dwarf can also kill abominations if he gets to red lvl ;)

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Kenneth Johnsen I am a little unclear about your question. For melee combat for each successful hit you are allowed to kill one zombie of your choose as long as you have a weapon that does enough damage to kill him (Example: you need a weapon that does 2 damage to kill a fatty). With ranged and magical attacks yes you will need to follow the priority track as stated in the manual unless your character has a special rule or weapon that allows you to choose your targets. Let me know if this clears it up for you or let me know what part of the video you think I am incorrect on, thanks for the question.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Kenneth Johnsen yes I choose not to include that fact because most of the time it is hard to hit red level, but he is a great option if you get there and I am sure they will have other characters especially if you are a kickstarter backer. thanks for pointing it out though and happy hunting;P

[@Syko1985]

What happens if you double spawn on the last spawn point?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Hey Paul, thanks for the question so if you are doing the final step of the turn and drawing cards for spawn points if you draw a double spawn for the last one you would skip that spawn point and return to the first one you spawned at and draw two cards for that one. you will never get a free pass from double spawn cards. If you are spawning in a building and it is your last room again you would return to the first room and deal with the spawn. the rule book shows a great example of this on pg. 27

[@rabdpnguin]

There's one major rule I think you missed. Spawn splits. Page 24 of the rule book states: "If there is more than one route of the same length, the Zombies split into groups of equal numbers to follow all possible routes. They also split up if different target Zones contain the same number of Noise tokens. If necessary, add Zombies so that all new groups resulting from a splitting group contain the same number of each Zombie type! Splitting special cases: • Abominations and Necromancers never split; decide which direction they go. • If there aren’t enough Zombie miniatures to add for an even split, decide which Zombie group gets the final reinforcement, and which direction the uneven split groups go. It doesn’t generate extra Activations (see P. 26)."

[@LearntoPlayGames]

You are correct I did forget to include that rule thanks for posting it and for commenting.

[@rabdpnguin]

Learn to Play Games nice vid btw. i just bought the game and wanted to make sure i was paying it correctly :p

[@LearntoPlayGames]

no problem. thanks for watching

[@GamePlaySStuff]

one question, if you have a group of 5 zombies: 1 fatty and 4 walkers. Do they split into 2 groups of 2 walkers 1 fatty or 2 groups of 4 walkers and 1 fatty, do they all duplicate?

[@Lugo428]

GamePlaySStuff in the case of 4 walkers and 1 fatty, the split so that it is two groups of 2 walkers and 1 fatty.

[@HarshFlamingo]

Can Necromancers open doors?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Leonardo Negron Thanks for the question. I went back and checked the instructions again just to make sure but no Necromancers can't open doors they are considered zombies. Only survivors can open doors in the core rules. Now there is nothing stopping you from making a special scenario were the necromancers can open doors or even the zombies if you are looking for a challenge. Hope that clears up your question. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[@lycanoftheunderworldselene]

you forgot to mention that when a fatty is spawned he brings 2 walkers with him.

[@navmachine]

that's one of the confusing differences in black plague from the original. in black plague fatties spawn alone. confused me a lot anyway :)

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+lycan oftheunderworld Matthew is correct, in black plaque fatties no longer come with a pair of walkers. This is due to them reducing the number of weapons that can kill them. Fatties in black plaque are to be feared. Thanks for the comment and please let me know if you have any other questions.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

+Matthew J Van Howe Thanks for answering this question;)

[@chadvader974]

why are there only 3 survivors?

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Because I am just going over the rules and not doing an actual play through of the game;). Also that is a way to make missions more challenging though is by reducing the number of survivors that are playing. In a normal game you can play with any number of survivors you want and each mission has a recommended number of survivors with the level of difficulty.

[@chadvader974]

Ah ok, I played the first mission with 4 and it seemed really easy. Just stay together and kite.

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Glad I was able to help, thanks for the questions.

[@dracus6877]

So many rules

[@LearntoPlayGames]

Just depends on what you are used to and what you are looking for. It does have a good number of rules, but it gets easier after your first couple of games;) Let me know if you have any questions.

[@Just4Adventure]

Speak up please. Speak with confidence!

[@LearntoPlayGames]

I think I am doing much better now in my later videos, but thanks for the feedback and for watching.