A few notes to get us started
Co-opportunistic DOES NOT MEAN
Cooperative
Cannibalism
DOES MEAN
zimbies eat zimbieS
Mayhem
ACTUALLY DOES MEAN
willful violencE
cover art by Naomi Robinson
Rulebook
Searchable Rulebook
Mojo and Turn Order
What is "Zimby Mojo"?
Zimby Mojo is a co-opportunistic game -- The players must work together to advance the game to a winnable state, then turn against each other as opportunities arise until a winner emerges. Each player takes on the role of the all-powerful shaman of a unique tribe of creatures called zimbies and uses their and their tribe's mojo to try to topple the Cannibal King and take his place as the ruler of the zimby tribes!
Zimbies are vicious, conniving little cannibals. They are small, stubborn, anti-heroes in a game of control of a land of nasty little creatures. They are not human: each zimby tribe has followed its own cultural and evolutionary path -- there are humanoid zimbies, avian zimbies, aquatic zimbies, simian zimbies, ursine zimbies, arachnid zimbies, the list goes on! That's why there's a bunch of reptilian-eyed, orange-skinned, clawed creatures on the box!
Zimby illustrations by Tani Pettit
The name "zimby" itself derives from a play on words on the word "zombie" and the designer's love of the cartoon character Invader Zim, who he feels exquisitely exemplifies zimby behavior and fanaticism.
Mojo is "a power that may seem magical and allows someone to be very effective, successful, etc."* It is the inexplicable, mystical energy than allows shamans to both impel their zimbies into action and release the powerful magical spells bound in the scrolls they raid from the Scroll Library! But be warned, mojo is drawn from shamans and zimbies! The more zimbies a shaman sends forth to kill the Cannibal King and steal his Crown, the less mojo that shaman has available!
Will your group's cohort of tribes succeed in defeating the Cannibal King? And, if so, will your zimbies get his Crown home first...?
Meet the cast!
Shaman
That's you! You are the all-powerful, fearsome and frightening wielder of your tribe's mojo! You are godlike to your people and cartoonishly immortal!
Zimbies
These are your minions! Zimbies are vicious, fanatic, stubborn, sometimes inept little cannibals that ruthlessly do your bidding. The different colored zimby tokens can not only represent different players' zimbies, but also different evolutionary paths to give your game more flavor!
Thugs
These are your enemies! Thugs are the dim-witted brutes that slavishly serve and protect their wicked leader, the Cannibal King.
Cannibal King
This is your nemesis! The Cannibal King is the tyrannical despot that rules all the Cannibal Lands. He must be deposed so that you can take over and really show your stuff!
Zombies
Brainless, unliving meat puppets that do your bidding... and eat your zimbies...
Zimby Mojo is a two part game with a Nasty King
*** Co-opportunistic IS NOT Co-operative! ***
Part 1: COOPERATE
Each shaman (player) uses their zimbies cooperatively to weaken and kill the Cannibal King. When the Cannibal King dies, his Crown drops and his mojo begins to ebb away and remove obstacles from the game board.
Part 2: BETRAY and COMPETE
After the Crown drops, each shaman has a single goal: get one of their zimbies to grab the Crown and bring it to his tribal board. The shaman that gets the Crown to his tribal board wins the game and becomes the new Cannibal King!
I hate the King:
The Cannibal King knows that you are coming after him and is working hard to sow discord and destruction using the rituals at his disposal! Of course, this just gives you shamans more incentive to kill him quickly!
Is This Game Worth Getting?
Hmmm... well, everyone likes different things. To be honest, the game can be deep, intense, and lengthy. You may want to read about what others have to say about it before deciding if its right for you. So, here are some reviews!
* Mirriam-Webster dictionary