No Brains - The zombie survival card game

Our backstory

From a Year in the Bunker to Your Tabletop

For the past year, we have been locked away in our creative bunker, tinkering, testing, and completely reinventing a concept we fell in love with. Our journey is fueled entirely by our deep love of games and our genuine desire to create something fun, tense, and unforgettable for others to enjoy. We have spent the last twelve months vigorously playtesting and tweaking the game mechanics to ensure everything is perfectly balanced

Meet the “No Brains”

No Brains actually came into being from both of us being neurodivergent. Kei is AuDHD and Jon is ADHD but suspected of being AuDHD. Together, we are absolute idea machines. For a long time, we were constantly surrounded by people telling us that we were wasting our time, or that our ideas would never take off. That all changed when we came together to collaborate. We were able to inspire each other to finally shut out the noise and take the jump into the unknown. No Brains Games is the result of that leap of faith.

Our studio co-founder, Kei Ivett, owns a board game cafe, which gave us the ultimate community testing ground. 

To make sure the quality matches our vision, we have already had a formal beta version of the game printed. This high-quality physical beta was what we took to UKGE 2026, where it underwent a full weekend of intense playtesting. We are incredibly proud and happy with how the game was received by the community, and we are now ready to move into the next stage of production. We have already been in active chats with distributors and retailers who are incredibly eager to stock the game on store shelves once it officially goes to print.

Today, we aren't just launching a campaign; we are launching the No Brains Games franchise. We have loads of ideas for the future, but what we lack right now is the financial backing. This Kickstarter is to get us off the ground. By backing this project, you aren't just buying a single box, you are backing us, our vision, and the future of a studio dedicated to making games that are fast, intense, and endlessly replayable. We are here to stay, and we have an exciting pipeline of future titles already in development. In fact, we are already working on a secret movement, zombie-themed board game, and anyone who backs this campaign will get exclusive early access to that future project as well.

Welcome to the Aftermath

No Brain takes place in a post-apocalyptic town in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. You and the other players are just a handful of survivors who have managed to stay alive this long.
The horde are dangerous, but in a lawless world where resources are scarce, the person you thought was your ally can just as easily turn on you.
Dont take it too personally. In this world, you don't have to outrun the zombies, you just have to outrun the other guy. Steal, cheat, and injure your fellow survivors and do what you got to do to get out alive. It is me or you. It is nothing personal.

Our promise to you

We promise that if you support us, we will bring you along for the ride. Anyone who puts their faith in our game will always have a seat at our table. As part of our inner circle, we will make sure you always get our future releases first and at the absolute best price. We will keep you updated on everything we are working on behind the scenes before it ever goes public, and we will get you involved, if you wish, in future playtests and expansion development. We love you and appreciate you, and we will be forever grateful that you supported us in getting this studio off the ground.

Why this game matters & What makes it unique

No Brains was born out of a desire to create a zombie game that eliminates the downtime often found in larger tabletop games. It can be played as a semi-serious, quick strategy game, or alternatively works great as a party game. We will be listing our “unofficial” party rules on our website, but we also encourage players to make up their own house rules, film their friends playing, and tag us.

The game is incredibly simple to learn. In fact, during playtesting, someone once said, “so its chase the ace… with zombies?” As much as we hate that comparison, it actually helps people quickly grasp the core concept! It is fast, ruthless, and keeps everyone engaged from the very first turn.

Game Specs

Player Count: 3 to 6 players
Recommended Ages: 14 and up
Average Playtime: 10 to 15 minutes

How to Survive

The game consists of 55 cards in total: 50 action cards featuring different weapons, shields, and heals, 1 infection card, and 4 event cards.

Throughout the game, drawing event cards will trigger zombie events, which are completely randomised in each game to keep things unpredictable. The game comes to a natural end when there are no more items to pair off, leaving one final player holding the infection card to be claimed by the horde. However, if you dont want to wait that long, you can speed things up by actively killing off the other survivors yourself using your assortment of weapons.

To setup, you deal all of the cards out to all players. Everyone immediately pairs off any matching cards they have in their hand and places them face up in front of them. This is your [arsenal]. These cards become spendable resources that you can use to defend yourself or attack other players.

Every player starts their turn by drawing a card from the hand fo the person to their right. This is then paired off if possible and placed as a resource stack in front of the player.

You are then ready to start using the resources as actions!

Each turn, you are able to use one of each action type:

Attacking - "Sometimes, the difference between a survivor and a zombie is a bullet to the head" - Leon S. Kennedy (probably)

Survival - "Every boy scout knows the importance of being prepared" - Scar, Lion King...sort of

Defensive - "You can always be smug if you're that one person not involved with that whole 'taking damage' thing. You're sooo over it." - JL Picard

Each non-passive resource can only be used once, so careful management is key!

As you start with 6 hit points (hp), if you make yourself unpopular, you can be killed and leaving the game very quickly! 👻

If you are killed, your hand goes to the person that killed you. Any of your unspent resources are buried.

However, if  you run out of cards in your hand, you are then [safe]. Any of your unspent resources are buried.

Event cards could be the difference maker you need⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠;

• Final Stand - Each player can re-use a spent [weapon] stack.
• Barrier Break Event - Each [defensive] stack is damaged, and each player takes 1hp damage.
• U-Turn - Change direction of play
• Drop 'n' Run - Each player's hand is shuffled together and dealt out evenly.

Founders Edition

To celebrate our very first official release, we are offering an early release £15 GBP pledge model. This will be a limited first edition version of the game available strictly to the first 500 pledgers.

This will be the very earliest playable version of the physical game. It will be shipped in a sleek, rectangular rigid box and includes 6 red dice for tracking health. This classic rigid box offers high-quality printing and excellent protection for your game components.

As a special thank you, anyone who pledges to this initial Kickstarter campaign will receive an exclusive, limited edition Kickstarter pledgers foil O’Brian card. This first edition print run will display First Edition and be individually numbered from 1 to 500. Once they are gone, this specific edition will never be reprinted.

Future Expansions [Mods]

We are here for the long haul. We already have several expansions in the works that will expand your item options and introduce brand new mechanics that we held back to keep the base game beautifully streamlined.

We are also due to be working with Greenstreak to bring No Brains to the mobile gaming space. Now you can stab your friends in the back from the comfort of your bed, the train, the toilet...

We have already completed our public beta tests and the core game mechanics are locked in. Our fulfillment and distribution will be handled globally by Spiral to ensure your rewards arrive safely. Here is our target roadmap to delivery:

* June to July 2026: Finalize custom artwork and layout graphics with our illustration team.
* August 2026: Submit digital files to our manufacturing partner and complete final quality checks.
* End of September 2026: Production and shipping of the early release Kickstarter pledge special edition version for our first 500 subscribers.
* October to November 2026: Mass production and assembly of the retail-ready print runs.
* December 2026 to January 2027: Final fulfillment and worldwide delivery of the final version of the game to all remaining backers.
 

Project budget breakdown

To ensure transparency for our backers, here is how the funds will be allocated:
* 50 Percent: Manufacturing and Printing Costs (including box production, cards, dice, and assembly)
* 20 Percent: Art and Graphic Design (paying our talented illustrators for custom retail-ready art)
* 10 Percent: Future Marketing (funding community outreach, conventions, and advertisements for the games wide release)
* 10 Percent: Freight, Shipping, and Logistics setup with Spiral
* 10 Percent: Kickstarter platform fees and buffer for unexpected costs
 

Risks & Challenges

Global manufacturing and shipping logistics can always present unexpected curveballs, from printing proofs that need color-correcting to unexpected customs delays.
To mitigate these risks, we are partnering with Spiral to handle our worldwide shipping and distribution. They are experienced professionals in the tabletop space, ensuring your rewards are handled safely and transparently. If any unexpected delays happen, we promise to communicate with you immediately via open, honest creator updates.
 

The apocalypse is here. The zombies are hungry. Do you have what it takes to survive, or are you just premium zombie food?
 

Back NO BRAINS Games today and secure your copy!