Card missions

It's hard to not be drawn to a card game called Chaos Isle.

It's just one of those cool names conjuring thoughts of bad Saturday morning matinees when I was growing up. That the initial release of the game highlighted the 'Zombi Deck' was a bonus, although the whole zombie-themed game is wearing a bit thin with the recent proliferation of the genre.

In terms of theme, Chaos Isle uses a tried and true one.

"It seems the unbalanced scientist, Dr. Zycheck, has gone a little overboard with his experiments in his search for immorality, and the Isle has become overrun with his Zombi monstrosities. Can you escape from the Isle before being added to their menu? Or perhaps you've got just enough nerve to try to create a vaccine to end the madness. Maybe you'll just end up as a Zombi yourself," explains the simple two-sided rule sheet

So let's get the basics out of the way.

"Chaos Isle is a Mission-Based card game (MBCG) that can be played solo or by 2-6 players using just a single deck. The game is played using a deck consisting of 102 cards, including six Missions, six Characters, 20 equipment, and 70 enemy cards consisting of tasks, events and Zombis. Two six-sided dice and approximately 10 tokens per player are also required for play," states the rules.

"Chaos Isle: Zombi Deck places each player in the role of one of the characters, whom attempts to complete his mission before the other players complete theirs, all the while fending off 10 different Zombi enemies."

The game was designed by John J. Perry, Jr. and Josh Pinciaro, releasing in 2008 from RealmsMasters Game Forge.

The art work is more cartoon than dark horror, at least the character cards remind a bit of Scooby Doo.

The enemy cards are a bit darker.

The game plays as a solo, play until you complete your Mission (success!) or are turned into a Zombi (failure!), which is a great aspect to Chaos Isle, offering a way to wile away some time when no one can come out to play.

It can also accommodate up to six players, which is great for a gaming night, so again Chaos Isle shines.

Play time is 30-minutes-plus, depending on the numbers of players, and experience.

And like most card games these days there are a bunch of expansion packs (10-cards), with darkly delightful names as 'Fresh Meat' and 'The Lunatics'.

The game has the theme, the versatility, and simple mechanics to be an enjoyable addition to a gamers collection, so check out the game at www.realmsmastersgameforge.com

If anyone is interested feel free to contact [email protected]