FAQ
What “scale” is World War Zoo?
1
World War Zoo is roughly 28mm scale for the sake of comparison to the terrain and distances typical to a miniature war-game. Because the game features creatures of various sizes from across the animal kingdom, the scale is normalized around small-to-medium-sized animals, such as rabbits, stoats, cats, etc. Some animals (rats, mice) are smaller, and some (wolves, buffalo, bears, etc.) are larger. Although vehicles are the largest units in the game, they are of a stylized “Chibi” design and are not too much bigger than the largest animals.
World War Zoo was borne from a desire to have a game that was easy to pick up and play without a lot of preparation, making it well-suited both for enfranchised wargamers looking for a less resource/time intensive experience as well as new players. The game utilizes simplified (2D) line-of-sight rules, a small footprint (2x2’ or 3x3’ playing area), unit cards for army building (as opposed to printed lists), and is “skirmish” scale (typically 8-12 models per side) armies. It should be easy to learn for anyone who plays board games or RPGs, but experienced wargamers will still find plenty of strategic and tactical gameplay options.
How complex is the game for non-wargamers?
2
How long does it take to play a game?
3
World War Zoo can be played in two ways. Firefight scale is a smaller game on a 2x2’ table with fewer units and no vehicles, which takes roughly 75 minutes for a full game. The larger Battle scale game is played on a 3x3’ table, features more units (including vehicles), and takes roughly 100 minutes. There are future plans for a campaign system that will allow players to connect a series of matches with individual units growing in skill over several games.
Is World War Zoo set during the Second World War?
4
The factions, era, and equipment of World War Zoo are roughly equivalent to that of the real World War 2 but have been heavily fictionalized, both to avoid the need for technical accuracy that is often expected of “Historical” war-games, and to distinguish it as separate from real-world history and politics. The designers have a deep respect for the seriousness of the WW2, and references to setting and aesthetics are in no way intended to make light of actual past events.
Is Generative AI being used for this game?
5
For play-testing purposes ONLY, Gen AI images are being used as placeholders on temporary components while real art is being crafted by REAL artists. We are very intentionally spending the time leading up to our crowd-funding to create authentic art, and it is incredibly important that the final game feature 100% human-created work. All images on this webpage are human-created and include illustrations by artist Jerome Jacinto and models designed by Rafal Zelazo specifically for World War Zoo, with more on the way.
How and when will World War Zoo be released?
6
There is not currently a set release date, but plans are in motion for production and crowd funding, and we will likely offer World War Zoo as a physical boxed game with rulebook, tokens, cards, dice, standees, and 2D terrain, as well options to include physical miniatures and/or STLs. In the meantime you can get access to a beta version of the game as a Print & Play OR on Tabletop Simulator. Join the Discord and sign up for our email mailing list to gain immediate access and also be alerted when crowd-funding commences.
Why do I need to join the discord/mailing list to get access to the game?
7
Miniature wargames are a big undertaking, with lots of work needed to refine gameplay and design artwork and miniatures. For this reason, it’s important to build up a community of enthusiastic players who will help drive that process with their feedback and support. A robust fan-base will also help ensure a the success of our future crowdfunding campaign. Enlisting is FREE for you and lets us know you’re interested in World War Zoo, and relaying your play experiences to the developers and your fellow recruits on the Discord will help make World War Zoo the best possible experience for everyone.