Zombicide Zombies - Runners 01

In Zombicide, there are four types of zombie. I have already looked at the most common type - the Shamblers. The next most common type are the Runners. As their name suggests, these are faster than Shamblers. Whereas the other three types of zombie are only allowed one action per turn (attack or movement), Runners are allowed two actions per turn. These actions could be the same (double movement) or a combination (move then attack). Runners are your fast moving zombies as found in the likes of the remake of Dawn of the Dead and the upcoming World War Z films. Just to make sure that you can't be in any doubt that these figures are Runners, they have been sculpted in running gear. Subtle, huh?
The 16 Runners included with the game are split into two poses, with 8 figures in each pose. I gave the Runner at the far left of this group a bullet wound to his upper right chest, which has just missed his shoulder. His hands are covered in the blood of a victim.
The next Runner in line has suffered from a bite wound to his left arm. These Runners are all bald-headed, which nicely gets round my criticism of the Shamblers having poorly defined hair.
The third Runner in this group has blood from a victim smeared over his mouth, chin, neck and hands. He is a messy eater!
Finally, is another of my African/American zombies. He has suffered a massive wound to his stomach
I painted the skin tones of my Caucasian Runners with Foundry Cadaverous Green 46, which is the colour I use on the flesh of my ATZ Ragers.
The Runner at the far left of this second group has also been feeding on a victim and he has blood on his hands and blood dribbling from his mouth. Note that the wire seen on his chest belongs to an iPod.
The Runner in green has been bitten/shot/stabbed in the neck and blood has run down his torso.
The third Runner in line is another feeder, with loads of blood around his lower face, neck and chest. Rather surprisingly, he has no blood on his hands.
The last figure in this group is another African/American. He has blood smeared on his hands but nowhere else.
These are very animated figures with a real sense of movement to them. There is no mistaking these for Shamblers. Despite their speed, Runners are just as easy to kill as Shamblers. One wound is all it takes to kill them.
As with the Shamblers, my main criticism of these Runners is the way their fingers have been sculpted. It is no secret that I am not a fan of zombies that can sprint like Olympic athletes. I'm strictly old school and I much prefer the slow-moving shamblers. That said, these Runners do provide an acceptable challenge in the game. The fact that they get an extra action means you have to think tactics when they are nearby. The worst thing that can happen with Runners is when you draw the card from the Zombie Spawning deck that allows them an extra turn. That's usually lethal!