How to Play Viper Ghost Zero
See a printable version of the current instructions here.
Viper Ghost Zero is a fast-paced card game where players battle to achieve their mission by completing objectives such as retrieving weapons technology or rescuing a hostage. Each player will use an arsenal including rifles and grenades to take the objectives for themselves.
What makes the game unique?
Viper Ghost Zero has a unique design that during each game, every player has a slightly different mission in which they seek out different objectives.
The game has 2 modes, Alpha and Bravo mode. While Alpha mode is quick to learn and fast to play, Bravo mode adds a few layers of complexity. In Bravo mode, a player’s mission may change multiple times in the game. Also, Bravo mode is designed as a non-zero-sum game, which means multiple players can win and multiple players can lose.
Current Status
Viper Ghost Zero is going through both a design review as well as an artistic overhaul. We are working on fine tuning each component of the gameplay to provide a fun but challenging experience that is easy for anyone to learn. While the functionality of the game is being enhanced, simultaneously the final artwork is being created. We are excited to be working with the art and design company Mustang Six.
Viper Ghost Zero Video Series
Prior to the completion of the Viper Ghost Zero graphic novel, we have created a video series to provide some of the context and story beats. The series includes fictional commercials, news reports, and other brief videos to set the background and stage for the characters. The video series will be fully released in 2025, but we have uploaded some early previews available on the Scribble Rats YouTube channel.
The Story Behind Viper Ghost Zero.
Viper Ghost Zero is based on a Scribble Rats original graphic novel still in development. The story focuses on the military conflict between two fictional nations both of which are being manipulated by outside corporate interests. Each player in the card game takes the role of infiltrating facility to complete their mission only to discover another operative has gained entry with a separate mission.
The fictional nation of Maleda is heading towards a drought and famine. Maleda’s government fears this will lead to civil unrest and eventually violence. Maleda and Bowanii, their neighbor to the east, often struggle over resources that run along the border of both nations. Due to limited resources, the conflict is pushed to a breaking point.
In desperation, the Maleda government accepts outside corporate involvement. One of these corporations, Dy-Rax Biochemicals sets up facilities to conduct operations using methods that are illegal in most other nations. Maleda utilizes the profits to temporarily sustain their economy while outside forces are contracted to gain control of resource heavy lands on the boarded of Bowanii and Maleda. Uknown to either nation, Bowanii prisoners are taken and delivered to Dy-Rax labs to be used as subjects for testing chemical and biological weapons.
A former Bowanii soldier, Nyoka searches for her family which she believes to be held hostage as a test subject in the Dy-Rax weapons development laboratory.
Kozak is a guerrilla fighter who has seen the damage Dy-Rax leaves behind when his home nation of Tetzak fell to ruin. Kozak plans to destroy every facility associated with their operations, but he must first gather the classified information needed to do the most damage.
Inspiration for Viper Ghost Zero
Below are links to the Scribble Rats YouTube channel that has 2 playlists for the historic and fictional inspiration for the story behind Viper Ghost Zero.
Historic Inspiration for Viper Ghost Zero