Zombicide - Dog Companions: Unboxing & Review

They say a dog is a man's best friend. And what better time to have a good friend by your side than when the Zombie Apocalypse drops. Let's open this sucker up and check out the K9 goodness within...

Front of box. Back of box..

Clockwise from top right: Moog & Gaspard, Lucian & Cherry and Bismuth & Martens... SIT!!!

Let's take a look at the minis. The box contains three different sculpts representing the six possible dog companions available to our survivors. No Chihuahuas or Pugs here, these boys are made of sterner stuff and coming from the hardy breeds of either German Shepherd, American Bulldog or Blue Heeler, they are more than happy to chew on Zombie bones should the need arise...

Bismuth and Moog add their fangs to the fight as our survivors hold back the tide...

The sculpts themselves are characterful, crisp and show a nice level of detail. The minis 'sit' snuggly on a central peg attached to the base. They're not directly glued in or anything and therefore can, if required, be removed from the base. This may come in handy for anyone looking for dog minis to re-base and use in other game systems... For example, how about the German Shepherds mixed in to a Bolt Action Heer Command Group? ;). 

Next up are the cards and as mentioned, there are six cards representing the six different dogs available. The box-set actually comes with a further twelve cards; six repeat cards printed in Spanish and again in French (set these to one side if needs be). The cards are of good quality and match up with the equipment cards found in the core game set...

Finally, we have the rules. Let's summarise the key elements players will need to know:

• Dog Companion cards are Equipment cards and the Survivor owning the card is it's 'Handler'
• The card doesn't have to be 'in hand' to be active
• Like other equipment cards, Dog Companions can be traded between Survivors
• Each Survivor can start the game with a Dog Companion or certain missions and objectives will see them shuffled into the Equipment deck (more on this rule in a minute...)
• Survivors can have multiple Dog Companions in their inventory
• Dog Companions have only one wound
• Dog Companions have the 'Low Profile', 'Slippery' and 3 Zones per Move skills
• Dog Companions add +1 Melee Die to it's handler. This is cumulative based on the number of dogs the Survivor handler has with him
• Dog Companions don't have any actions - The Survivor Handler opts to spend his own actions for the dog to use
• The actions a Dog Companion can use are: 1.) Move 2.) Melee Attack 3.) Make Noise 4.) Get In / Out of Car 5.) Search
• Dog Companions can hold Equipment they find, but not use it 
• Dog Companions can freely exchange Equipment cards with their Survivor Handler when they are in the same zone
• 'Moog' can't search but adds +2 Melee Dice

'Cherry' unearths an automatic shotgun... 'Good boy!'

'Moog' charges in like a hound from hell...

As mentioned earlier, the rules allow for our Survivors to start a mission with a dog companion already in tow, or gain one via achieving mission objectives etc. In the games we've played to date, we've preferred to shuffle all six Dogs into the Equipment deck, regardless. This has provided a really nice surprise for each player when they find one of the dogs and really does create an inseparable bond between man and beast.

In-game, the Dogs themselves have performed admirably; Doing a great job searching for items and with their ability to move 3 zones in 1 turn, acting as 'runners' to help quickly ferry vital equipment between our beleaguered Survivors. The Dog's ability to add additional dice in melee has also proved extremely useful. When a Survivor has picked up more than one Dog, they've become a real force to be reckoned with...

In one game, Grindlock had turned into a 'pack master'...
His three dogs and heavy duty DIY equipment making him a Zombie killing machine...

...And here's Grindlock taking his pups for a spin in the Pimp Mobile... 

In summary, the Dog Companions set is an excellent addition to the Zombicide game. The minis are characterful, well executed and add to the flavour of the post apocalyptic setting. Importantly, the Dog Companion rules really add a new dimension to the game, providing our Survivors with a range of new tactical and strategic options. Players will become really attached to their K9 counterparts and feel genuine sadness (quickly followed by blind rage vengeance!) when their loyal friend is taken down by the foul Zombie horde... NOOOooooo!!!!!  MOOoooog!!

On this note, if your gaming group likes a hard-core challenge, you could then turn your freshly munched pooch back on his former master, in the form of a zombie dog...

Well, hopefully you enjoyed our look at the Dog Companions set for Zombicide. If you're into the game, I highly recommend you put them on your shopping list. At this point, I should also say thanks to my mate Olly who bought me my box for my birthday. Good on ya' mate! :)

Let's round things off with some fan made custom Dog Companion cards. Or in this case, Wolves...

Until next time...