Aargh... brains!
 
Okay, who doesn't enjoy a good zombie movie/show/game? 
 
The person at the back who just put their hand up can leave now. The rest of you... grab a regular pack of cards and some d6 and come with me to the apocalypse.
 
This is a complete gamebook. No other purchase is required to play (well, you need a regular deck of cards and some d6 dice but that's all.)
 
THE GAME
 
Simple, fun and fast... and deadly.
 
Turn a regular playing card, look up in the book what the card means and make choices about how you are dealing with the situation presented by the card.
 
Which weapon do you use to fight the eight zombies who shuffled around the corner? Do you accept the quest from the king? Do you fully explore the temple for supplies or just dash in for a quick look around? 
 
Medical supplies aren't all you need. Everyone is hungry in the apocalypse. Find food or starve. (Starvation reduces your health.)
 
Risk vs. reward is at play throughout the game. 
 
Combat is resolved with a simple d6 based combat system. Whilst simple, it offers player choices such as which weapons to use - loud weapons are powerful but can attract more zombies, do you use your dog companion in combat (they stay safe until you use them in combat), or do you try and flee? (The more injured you are, the harder it is to flee.)  
 
PLAYING
You use a regular deck of cards and turn over one card which is your day card
What suit the day card is determines it's type: Diamonds = Locations to explore, Hearts = People to meet, Spades = Adversaries to fight or hunt, Clubs = Equipment
Look up the card in the game book and make choices about what you do based on the details.
Resolve those choices whether that's combat, interaction, exploration etc
Day ends - rest, repair your armour (if you dare( eat (maybe feed the dog if you've found them), heal
New day dawns, draw a new day card 
 
(Survive for 28 days to win although other win conditions are included as well.)
 
With a simple discard mechanism, surviving the apocalypse  gets harder the longer it goes on!
 
As long time zombie fans we've put in all the classic aspects of the uprising that we could manage:
 Noise is dangerous: Doing something loud  can attract more zombies
Humans can be more dangerous than the undead: Sad but so true!
Moral choices: Do your morals still apply in the undead world? We won't judge you if you don't rescue that trapped family but your friends might...
 Searching for supplies: Food, medical supplies, ammo, weapons
 The perils of going hungry: You really need to eat each day.
 Hunting food: Rabbit stew anyone?
 The dangers of searching locations: Specifically do you search thoroughly (more risk but more rewards) or quickly (less risk but less rewards)?
 It gets worse: The longer the apocalypse goes on the fewer the resources and the more frequent the zombie attacks
 
And new in this edition of Zilight?
 
Lot's of things make this even bigger, better and different from the predecessors:
 
Plague zombies
Plague as a dangerous condition (optional - it can be ignored for a simpler game)
Someone who is alive, then dead, and then comes back
Choice of starting characters
Repairable armour
 
FEEDBACK
 
Here's what the play testers had to say:
 
Loved the original, this is even better!
Blown away by Zilight can't stop playing both the Original and Dark Ages. 
Plague zombies, yuck. 
What? You've made it harder? Do you hate your customers? (The player was refering there to the zombie king...)
My first attempt at a solo rpg/gaming. Thoroughly enjoyed it, great introduction to the genre and exactly what I was looking for.
 
Optional Rules
 
To keep it a slim, easy to play game we kept out some rule options that can add complexity, because we know some gamers like complexity we have included five optional rules that you can choose to add in.
 
SOLO AND WITH COMPANY
 
This has been designed as a solo game. It is perfect for solo journaling or it can be played straight through as a regular game.
 
We also know quite a few people play this with family or friends where they share the decision making and dice rolling. Much fun is had by all - especially when the moral decisions need to be made!
 
Games take roughly 30-40 minutes (assuming you survive that long). 
 
Get stuck surviving the apocalypse? Then we are here to help - drop us an email to hello@thegrinningfrog.com with Zilight or Aargh Brains in the subject line and we will reply and clarify any rules questions you might have.
 
40 pages, A5 Portrait ('Zine size), Black and white art.
Updated format Dec 2024, game content unchanged)