---
title: Zombicide 2E House Rules
tags: zombicide
# ⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅
---
# Zombicide 2nd Edition House Rules
Difficulty modifier legend:
🔵 -- makes the game a lot easier
🟢 -- makes the game a bit easier
🟡 -- changes the game, but does not exactly make it easier or harder in general (it may do that for specific cases though)
🟠 -- makes the game a bit harder
🔴 -- makes the game a lot harder
## 🔵 Flex Actions
* Characters can use their actions at any time. For example, one character can use 1 of their actions, then a second character can use their actions, then the first character can finish their actions.
* Ignore the First Player token.
## 🔵 Silence
:::info
Works great with the **Noisy** rule.
:::
* If there are no Noise tokens on the map when spawning zombies at the end of the turn, one of the spawns at random (roll a 🎲 to decide which one) is ignored.
## 🔵/🟢 Crouching
:::warning
🔵 when combined with the **Flex Actions** rule, 🟢 otherwise.
:::
New character actions:
* **Crouch**: A character starts crouching. This can be represented by placing a character on its side. Crouching characters ignore ranged attack friendly fire (Molotovs are not ignored). A character cannot move or attack when crouching.
* **Stand Up**: A character stops crouching.
### Variant: 🟢 Crouched Move
* New action: **Crouched Move**: Spend 2 actions to move 1 space when crouched.
### Variant: 🟢 Firmly Planted
* Characters can use ranged attacks while crouching.
* A crouching character gets -1 accuracy requirements on ranged attacks.
## 🔵/🟢 Dual-wield Double Damage
* Dual-wielding may double the damage if you choose the same target for two of the successful hits.
## 🟢 Aim
* New action: **Aim**: Your next ranged attack gains the effect of the Sniper skill (choose target, ignore friendly fire).
## 🟢 Damagable Abominations
* Abominations can now be damaged by 2+ damage weapons, but they have 6/7/8/9 health (depending on current Danger Level).
* Keep track of Abomination health by tracking Wounds they received instead.
* When the current Danger Level changes, the Abominations on the field also use the new health values (as you track the wounds, not the health).
* Molotovs can still instantly kill Abominations.
## 🟢 Dropping Items
* Items discarded when reorganizing the inventory can now be picked up at the same space they were dropped at by any character, at the cost of 1 action.
## 🟢 Headshot
* Rolling a ⚅ on an attack results in a headshot, dealing +1 damage. This allows 1-damage weapons to sometimes kill 2-health zombies (Fatties).
* Abominations cannot be headshot in this way.
* This rule is not active when the Dark Rooms / Night Time rule is active for this attack.
## 🟢 Regenerative Food
* New action: **Eat Food**: Spend 3 actions and discard a Food item to heal 1 Wound.
## 🟢 Special Zombie AP
* Special zombies grant 3 AP when killed, instead of 1.
* If an effect states that they reduce AP by 1, they reduce it by 3 instead.
## 🟢/🟡 All-out
* In short: just like the All-out mechanic from the Washington: ZC and Fort Hendrix expansions, but for all weapons.
* Whenever you declare an attack, you may choose to go all-out. You may roll up to double 🎲. First roll for normal hits. Then, even if there are no more targets to hit, roll the declared number of additional 🎲. Those rolls also work as normal hits, including the friendly fire rule.
* After the attack, if any of the additional 🎲 rolls were a ⚀, the weapon is discarded.
* If the attack was a dual-wield, you can choose which weapon to discard.
* You may reorganize your inventory for free after discarding.
* If there were at least 2 ⚀ additional rolls, both weapons are discarded.
## 🟢/🟡 Car Crash
* New car action: **Crash**: Similar to the Fast Move car action. Can only be used to end on a tile with a door. Crashing a car into a door forces it open as if it was broken down with a Fire Axe or a similar equipment.
* The car cannot be driven until the next turn.
* Crashing a car produces 3 Noise.
## 🟢/🟡 Knocking on Doors
* Setup changes: Draw a Zombie spawn card face-down for each dark room on the map that is in a closed building and place it there.
* When a building is opened for the first time, flip the cards placed above and spawn the zombies accordingly, then discard the cards.
* New action: **Knock**: A character may knock on a door when standing next to one from the outside. This causes the face-down cards to move 1 space closer to the interior room containing that door.
## 🟡 Bang
* The Noise mechanic is replaced with a Bang mechanic.
* Characters no longer count as Noise.
* At all points only one space at a time may have Noise tokens.
* If a space is to gain X Noise, if it's the same amount of Noise another space already has or more, place X Noise on this space, including Noise already there. Remove all Noise from other spaces.
* After the turn ends, remove all Noise tokens from the map.
* Updated Zombie targeting:
1. The closest space with Survivors in the Line of Sight (prioritizing stacked Survivors).
2. A space with Noise.
3. The closest space with Survivors (prioritizing stacked Survivors).
### Variant: 🟡 Directional Zombies
* Zombies without any other stimuli now wander in the same direction they did on the previous turns, unless they cannot (hitting a wall / map edge).
* When hitting a wall, they switch direction to a random available direction.
* This means players can choose to make a completely stealthy turn.
* Updated Zombie targeting:
1. The closest space with Survivors in the Line of Sight (prioritizing stacked Survivors).
2. A space with Noise.
3. The space in the direction the Zombie is currently looking at.
## 🟡 Noisier Weapons
* Molotovs now produce 2 Noise.
* RPGs now produce 3 Noise.
## 🟡 Split Edge Zombie Spawns
* Whenever zombies are being spawned at the end of a turn on their respective Zombie Spawn tokens which are on an edge of the map, split those zombie spawns onto adjacent zones which are also on an edge.
## 🟡/🟠 Breaking Down Doors
* Zombies can conditionally choose to path through a closed door, as if it was open.
* Zombies only do so if there are either 8 zombies on the same space, 12 zombies at a 0-1 space range, or 16 zombies at a 0-2 space range.
* When zombies try to move through a closed door, they can do so if there are already 8 of zombies on a space with the door. Otherwise, they stay in place.
* Special objective doors cannot be broken down this way.
### Variant: 🟠 AP-based counting
* Instead of counting the number of zombies, count the sum of AP they grant when killed.
* This means Abominations count as 5 zombies.
* Works great with additional rules like **Special Zombie AP**.
### Variant: 🟠 Powerful Abominations
* Abominations count as infinite zombies.
* This means they can always break down a door by themselves.
* This also means zombies will try to follow an Abomination near doors.
## 🟠 Limited Ammo
* When acquiring a ranged weapon, roll a 🎲. This is how many bullets you get with this weapon.
* Bullets are not tied to their weapons -- they are stored on the character itself instead. Bullets gained with one weapon can be used with another weapon.
* Bullets can be Traded away.
### Variant: 🟢 Plenty of Bullets
* Picking up Plenty of Bullets / Plenty of Shells via Searching also grants ammo in the same way.
### Variant: 🟢/🟡 Ammo Objectives
* If picking up an Objective Crate would result in gaining 5 AP, you may instead choose to roll a 🎲 to get ammo of a specific type of your choice.
## 🟠 Noisy
:::info
Works great with the **Silence** rule.
:::
* If there are 10+ Noise tokens on the map when spawning zombies at the end of the turn, one of the spawns at random (roll a 🎲 to decide which one) is doubled.
## 🟠 Noisy Searching
* Searching rooms causes Noise.
## 🟠 Realistic Searching
* A room can only be Searched once. Two characters cannot Search the same room.
* Mark either searched or unsearched rooms (depending on your preference) with tokens to show this.
### Variant: 🔵/🟢 Multiple Searches
:::warning
🔵 when combined with the **Unwanted Items** variant, 🟢 otherwise.
:::
* Characters can now Search multiple times per turn, but they still cannot Search already searched rooms.
### Variant: 🟢 Unwanted Items
* You can instantly discard the item you got through Searching to not mark the room as searched.
## 🟠 Weapon Durability
* After an attack action, roll a 🎲. On ⚀, discard the weapon.
## 🟠/🔴 Initial Zombie Wave
* Before placing the characters on the map as part of mission setup, spawn zombies on each of the Zombie Spawn tokens, as if a turn just ended.
* An Abomination cannot spawn this way. If it was to spawn, discard the card and draw the next one.
* Ignore any Extra Activation cards -- discard them instead and draw another one.
# Mix-ups
## 🟡/🟠 Breaking Down Doors + Knocking on Doors
* After Knocking on a door, if there are 4/3/2/1 (depending on the current Danger Level) Zombie spawn cards on the other side of the door, the door is instantly broken down. Zombies are spawned accordingly.
* Additionally, if the door was not broken down just yet and the current Danger Level is above Blue, roll a 🎲. If a ⚀ rolled, the door is broken down anyway. Zombies are spawned accordingly.
# Integrations
Rules and elements taken from expansions or other Zombicide games.
## 🟡/🟠 Special Zombies after Leveling Up
* After a turn ends, for each player that leveled up this turn (moved from one Adrenaline Level to a higher one), choose a Zombie Spawn token (roll a 🎲 to decide which one). When spawning zombies on this token, replace one of the zombies with a Special zombie of the same type.
* Special zombies should also be chosen at random, in any way appropriate. If they are already on the board, choose another one. Ideas:
* Idea #1:
* Fatties and Runners: you can roll a 🎲, then choose the n-th one.
* Walkers: roll 4🎲-3, then choose the n-th one.
* Idea #2: Make custom decks for all 3 types of zombies.
* To limit the amount of rules to remember at once, there can only be 2 Special zombies of each type at once on the board. If you were to spawn more, just spawn standard zombies instead.
### Variant: 🟡 Card Skipping
* If a 3rd Special zombie of the same type were to spawn, discard this zombie spawn card and choose another one.
* If there are already 6 Special zombies on the board (2 of each type), just spawn standard zombies instead.
## 🔴 Mold
* See the [Zombicide: Invader manual](https://www.zombicide.com/dl/rulebook-zombicide-invader.pdf), pages 20-21.
* Apply this rule to Abominations.
## 🔴 Night Time
* See the [Zombicide: Washington: ZC manual](https://www.zombicide.com/dl/rulebook-zombicide-Washington-ZC.pdf), pages 8-10.
## 🔴 Shooter Walkers
* See the [Zombicide: Fort Hendrix manual](https://www.zombicide.com/dl/rulebook-zombicide-Fort-Hendrix.pdf), pages 11-13.