- BGG rating
- 9.4
Good Dog, Bad Zombies: Unlikely Allies
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,349
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Good Dog, Bad Zombie
2018
Rules assistance for Good Dog, Bad Zombie
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Good Dog, Bad Zombie
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Good Dog, Bad Zombie is a board game released in 2018 for 2–4 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Brian Van Slyke and Evan Rowland and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Area Movement.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 9.2
Good Dog, Bad Zombie: Weird Smells
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 2018
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,725
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Aftermath
- 1–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,905
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Windward
- 1–5 players
- 30–90 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,693
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Animal Rescue Team
- 1–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #629
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Mansions of Madness
- 2–5 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,275
- BGG rating
- 6.9
A.D.E.L.E.
- 1–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,651
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Maximum Apocalypse: Wasted Wilds
- 1–4 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,426
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Tiny Epic Zombies
- 1–5 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #33
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
- 1–2 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #80
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Mansions of Madness: Second Edition
- 1–5 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #101
- BGG rating
- 8.6
Arkham Horror: The Card Game (Revised Core Set)
- 1–4 players
- 45–180 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,643
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
- 1–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2026
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,155
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Carnival Zombie
- 1–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2013
About the game
In Good Dog, Bad Zombie, you bark, sniff, and lick your way through the apocalypse to save the hoomans you love. Zombies roam the city, but you and your doggo friends have found refuge in Central Bark. You’ll have to cooperate as a pack of dogs to sniff out hoomans in hiding and bring them back to safety. But beware! The danger of the city could turn your pack feral before you get a chance to build your forever home. GDBZ aims to provide players with an immersive dog's-eye-view of the zombie apocalypse. Track down the hoomans from their smells, lick one another for boosts of energy, and bark at anything and everything! On their turns, each player may take two actions, which can consist of running to different locations, playing energy cards from their hands, sniffing scent tokens, and giving each other licks in order to draw more energy. Each energy card has an ability, such as: Run, Herd, Bark, Chew, and Good Doggo, the last of which allows each dog to perform a unique and powerful ability. Some cards can be chained together for elaborate, tactical turns. At the end of each player's turn they will have to roll the dice in order to add another zombie to the board, which may eat unsuspecting hoomans or get into Central Bark. If too many hoomans are eaten or too many zombies get into Central Bark, the Feral Tracker will reach 10 - and we become wild dogs, forgetting our love of hoomanity. However, if the players rescue enough hoomans (6 on easier difficulties, and 8 on expert modes), we all win the game! —description from the publisher
Designers
Publishers
- The TESA Collective
Questions and answers
Good Dog, Bad Zombie supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Good Dog, Bad Zombie is 60–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Good Dog, Bad Zombie for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Good Dog, Bad Zombie has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Good Dog, Bad Zombie belongs to these categories: Humor, Animals, and Horror. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Area Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Good Dog, Bad Zombie are: Brian Van Slyke and Evan Rowland. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Good Dog, Bad Zombie as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.