Z-Man Games

Z-Man Games

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Board games Card games
Founded	1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Founder	Zev Shlasinger
Headquarters	Roseville, Minnesota , United States
Parent	F2Z Entertainment (2011–2016) Asmodee (2016–present)
Website	zmangames.com

Z-Man Games is an American board game company, incorporated in 1999. It was named after its founder, Zev Shlasinger. The company is known for their Pandemic series of board games, as well as being the sole publisher for the English editions of popular Eurogames, such as Carcassonne and Terra Mystica.

History

Z-Man Games was primarily formed to bring the collectible card game Shadowfist back into publication.^[1][2]

In 2011, Sophie Gravel, owner of Quebec-based publisher/distributor Filosofia, bought Z-Man Games,^[3] creating F2Z Entertainment. Shlasinger left Z-Man Games in January 2016. In 2016, F2Z Entertainment was acquired by Asmodee.^[4]

Published games

• A B-movie card game series consisting of games such as Grave Robbers From Outer Space^[1][5] and Cannibal Pygmies in the Jungle of Doom^[6]
• 1960: The Making of the President,^[7][8] an original creation by Z-Man Games
• Agricola
• Archaeology: The Card Game, a market-style card game^[9]
• Arimaa, an abstract strategy game
• Ascending Empires, a space based empire expansion game^[10]
• Carcassonne, Z-Man Games has published the English version of this game in the US and Canada since 2012
• Endeavor, a complex strategy game edited by Z-Man Games in 2009^[11]
• Gheos, a game where players take on the role of deities^[12]
• Neuroshima Hex!
• Omlevex, a role-playing supplement for Mutants & Masterminds, Champions, and Silver Age Sentinels^[13][14]
• Onirim, and the Oniverse series of short single-player games: Sylvion, Castellion, Nautilion, and Aerion
• Pandemic, a cooperative board game^[15]
• Saboteur, a mining path card game
• Shadow Hunters
• Shadowfist
• Start Player by Ted Alspach, a card game to determine who goes first in the following game
• Terra Mystica, by Jens Drögemüller and Helge Ostertag, winner of the 2013 International Gamers Award - General Strategy: Multi-player Winner^[16]
• Ursuppe
• The Walking Dead, a 2009 board games based on the comic of the same name
• The Walking Dead: The Prison, "both a stand-alone game and an expansion module to the first game", funded through Kickstarter^[17]

See also

• Going Cardboard – a documentary about board games in which Shlasinger is interviewed

References

1. Dr. Matt Carlson (2005-07-25). "Unplugged #31: Z-Man Games". GamerDad.com. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
2. W. Eric Martin (16 December 2007). "Ask Z-Man Games: Looking Back, and Looking to 2008". Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
3. "Filosofia buys Z-Man Games". Retrieved 2012-03-18.
4. "Asmodee Acquiring F2Z Entertainment". 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
5. Pook, Matthew (2001-10-12). "Pyramid Review: Grave Robbers From Outer Space Card Game". Pyramid (Online). Steve Jackson Games. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
6. Pook, Matthew (2002-10-25). "Pyramid Review: Cannibal Pygmies in the Jungle of Doom". Pyramid (Online). Steve Jackson Games. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
7. Jean-Luc Simard (April 2008). "1960: The Making of the President". Scrye (118): 43.
8. Clifford, Mike; Mike Siggins (March 2008). "2007, My Top 5". Counter (40): 5–12.
9. "Archaeology: The Card Game". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
10. "Ascending Empires". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
11. "'Agricola' Expansion From Z-Man". ICV2. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
12. Vetromile, Andy (2007-03-16). "Pyramid Review: Gheos". Pyramid (Online). Steve Jackson Games. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
13. Vetromile, Andy (2004-08-06). "Pyramid Review: Omlevex (for Mutants & Masterminds, Silver-Age Sentinels, & Champions)". Pyramid (Online). Steve Jackson Games. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
14. Fredericks, Colin (2004-03-26). "Review of Omlevex". RPGnet. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
15. Genovese, Peter (2020-04-03). "Pandemic —the board game — foreshadows current crisis". nj. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
16. "Terra Mystica (2012)". BGG Board Game Geek. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
17. "The Walking Dead" The Prison - Board Game by Keith Tralins at Kickstarter

External links

• Z-Man Games website
• Z-Man Games at BoardGameGeek