About the Boardgame

JUST RUN is a medium-weight, card-driven, tile-placement tabletop game. It has 6 scenarios and 9 gameplay variations that can be mixed and matched in any combination and run either competitively or cooperatively. That means endless replayability for players of every skill level. For 2 - 6 players, ages 14+, playable in 90 - 180 minutes. Theme You are a survivor in the zombie apocalypse who is trapped in an abandoned, treacherous, and unfamiliar building. Somewhere in front of you is safety. Right behind you is a growing army of the undead. You must quickly gather whatever gear you can find, and then get out before all the seats on the rescue chopper are taken. Strategy JUST RUN is a dice-heavy game, so your basic strategy is always to minimize risk. However, risks, options, and alliances change with every action because the game board, obstacles, and possibilities change, too. A good rule of thumb is to cooperate with the other players--at least in the early stages. As you get closer to the exit row, however, betrayal becomes just another strategy. But who will backstab first?

We had to cancel the 2022 Kickstarter campaign. But because it's hard to keep a good zombie down, JUST RUN will reappear in 2023. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest news and updates on JUST RUN and all of The October Factory's games.

W.H. Shaver (he/him) has been a writer, editor, photographer, activist, and online roustabout. More importantly, he's been playing and designing tabletop games for four decades. His first game was a summertime session of Life on a neighbor's porch. His latest is a years-long Call of Cthulhu campaign that's one-part Goonies and one-part The Texas Chain-Saw Massacre. JUST RUN is the first game he's bringing to production. W.H. says, "I love, love, love horror movies--especially zombie movies. And I created JUST RUN to capture the mood and experience of watching one of these scary movies. That relentlessness...the thrill of escape...the dread of the unknown. I wanted every rule, component, and player interaction to build on that mood. I couldn't be happier with the result. "JUST RUN has taken four years and hundreds of hours of playtesting to develop. It's been an absolute labor of love, and I hope that shows." When he isn't designing games, W.H. is watching more scary movies, listening to spooky soundtracks, and eating dessert. He lives on the East Coast with his husband and a lot of plants.

In the first game phase, players use Scavenge Cards to build zombie survival gear from the rubble around them. There are three ways to do this, from a simple draw-and-play, to a panic-inducing timed mechanic. You can use each of these item cards in more than one way during phase two. But more importantly, you can combine some cards to create new, better, or stronger equipment. Want a flaming chainsaw? You got it. In the second game phase, each player takes two actions to do such things as-- Investigating and revealing new Room Tiles to build your path to escape. Searching for even better (or replacement) gear. Using your gear in novel ways to get out of sticky situations. Fighting zombies--and sometimes other survivors. It's nice to have options, because your passage will be choked with locked doors, dead ends, and sudden catastrophes. Your equipment can break. And your friends might decide at any point to stab you in the back. Once the players go, the zombies get to attack, move, bash down doors, and increase their number. If you make it to the last row of rooms, you must find the exit, defeat the final swarm of the undead, and get to the chopper before all the seats are taken. Read the full rulebook here.

Missions (or scenarios) are game variations with different win goals and slightly modified rules. Get Out: Players must escape the building before the rescues chopper fills up. This is JUST RUN's basic scenario. Exterminate: Players must kill 5 zombies before they can escape. Memento Mori: Players must have at least 1 memento card in their inventory before they can escape. Save Me: Players must find and then escort an injured survivor to the rescue chopper. Find the Cure: Players must find and then bring a fragile vial of antidote to the rescue chopper. Reconnaissance: Players must reveal every tile on the game board before they can escape. These missions can be played individually or in any combination, for an extra challenge. And all can be played competitively, cooperatively, or super cooperatively (i.e., every player must escape for the group to win).

There are nine ways to adjust the basic gameplay of JUST RUN to fit any player's skill level--or desire for a challenge. During the Scavenge Phase Basic Drafting: Players start the game with a set number of items. Good Luck: Players start the game with no gear and must search for it during the Escape Phase Gear Panic: Players have 5 minutes to "fight" for as much equipment as they can. During the Escape Phase Cooperative: There is room on the rescue chopper for anyone who makes it out. Super Cooperative: Every player must escape for the group to win. Easier: Place Antidote cards in the Search Deck to heal health points and cure infection. In Depth: Add three more rows to the game board. Fast Zombies: Every zombie gets 2 actions on their turn, not 1. Solo Play: You get 3 actions and a lot of hope. These variations can be played in combination with each other and with any game mission.

Zombies only get one action on their turn. So, if they are in the room with you at the beginning of their turn, they will attack you. If they move into your room on their turn, they do nothing. That was their turn. Finally, if they are in your room and you do anything at all--or nothing--the zombies get a free attack called an attack of opportunity.

No. Igniting any item--including flaming barricades--is a free action.

Newsletter 09.09.2022

Newsletter 08.18.2022