I’m pretty close to actually playing a game of Last Days! Once the current lockdown restrictions allow I have a friend who also has the rules now (although they are finding them confusing) to actually play a game or two with.

In the meantime while I’m soaking like a beached whale in the tub I like to dip into the rule book from time to time.

This time I was rereading the rules on playing the game, and the phases that make up a turn of play.

During the Action Phase I came across the following:

“Both players take turns activating models to completion, passing back and forth.

If a player runs out of models to activate before their opponent, then the player will simply wait while the other side continues activating his remaining models.” Last Days Zombie Apocalypse Rulebook

But it’s the same rule in the Shooting and Close Quarters Combat as well.

I can’t believe I’ve had the rules for so long and it has only just struck me that this was also the same/similar rule in the FFG game Imperial Assault and their skirmish rules when the game first came out.

Later on FFG tweaked the rule to be the following:

“Then, starting with the player that has initiative, the players take turns activating deployment groups and performing actions with the corresponding figures. If a player has fewer ready Deployment cards than his opponent, that player can choose not to activate a group and pass play back to his opponent.

Once all Deployment cards are exhausted, players proceed to the Status Phase.” Imperial Assault Skirmish Rulebook – FFG

This is how the FFG design team explained the change at the time:

“When a player passes, his opponent immediately takes another turn, choosing and exhausting one of his ready Deployment cards. A player can pass as many times as he wishes, so long as his opponent has more ready Deployment cards. If a player ever has the same amount of ready Deployment cards as his opponent, he must take a turn.

This rule was implemented because we believe that the activation advantage created when one player has more activations than his opponent has become too powerful, and we needed to recalibrate. With the new rule, a player with fewer ready Deployment cards has the opportunity to pass his turn, which negates the advantage of several low-cost groups.” FFG blog post (2015)

So it got me thinking why don’t I House rule Last Days to do the same?

I’ve not built many squads for the game. Well one actually. So I have no idea if this is even an issue, or if the designer has thought of this.

But if you do find or think that there is an activation advantage when one player has more activations than the opponent then you might want to consider this FFG solution.