
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,219
- BGG rating
- 6.8
They Come Unseen
- 2–5 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2015

1988
Rules assistance for Zomax
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Zomax is a board game released in 1988 for 2 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. Its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move, Square Grid, and Secret Unit Deployment.
Zomax uses a double sided metal hinged board and magnetic pieces representing tanks, ships and planes to represent a nation in turmoil. Normally 2 players (but it can be teams of people) sit on opposite sides of the board and take turns moving their units in an effort to capture the capitol which is placed somewhere on the board. All initial placement of pieces is secret. Movement is based on a dice roll, moving any combination of pieces a number of spaces equal to the total of the dice roll. If you drop a piece of your opponents (the magnets will repel each other and push the piece off the other side of the board), then your movement ends. There are mines that will destroy any piece that comes in contact with it. The first person to hit the capitol wins the game. Another similar but officially unrelated game was released in the 1960s: Strategic Command.
Zomax supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Zomax is 60 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 Zomax for ages 8 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.
Zomax has a complexity rating of 1.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Zomax belongs to these categories: Wargame, Abstract Strategy, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move, Square Grid, and Secret Unit Deployment. 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 catalogue lists Zomax 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.