(Rats! They're at it again!)
So, Deadzone.
As those of you who've read my review (one of the first posts I wrote for this blog in fact) are aware, I'm quite the fan of the Deadzone tabletop wargame. Released a few years ago now by our friends at Mantic Games it's a small scale skirmish game, notable for having rules that balance mechanical simplicity and tactical complexity remarkably well, in addition to its use of "Cubes" for both the effects of terrain and the measurement of distances. I played a fair bit of it when I first got my hands on the boxed set and have made sure to pick up all the expansions as they've been released, though unfortunately I've not played as much as I'd have liked over the last 6-8 months. That's something that I aim to change this year, both due to my 40k Campaign (yes, it's STILL in progress) having made me appreciate a system that lets you set up, play, and pack up in less than an hour; and the upcoming release of Deadzone Infestation.
Deadzone Infestation is effectively Deadzone 2E, with a new boxed set being released alongside an updated rules set, new models, and more factions. I kickstarted the project shortly after it was announced and am very much looking forward to its release which, according to a recent Kickstarter update, should be some time in March. As a backer I've been getting regular updates with regards to the project, which have included beta versions of the rules and Strike Force lists. Yesterday (as of the time of writing) one of my friends and I got together with our Strike Forces to give the latest version of the beta rules a whirl, which leads to the point of this post, an overview of the updated rules and how they compare to the original version.
So, let's get down to business shall we?
What's Changed? :
What, indeed, has changed? Quite a bit! Though the core rules of the game have stayed the same with regards to dice pools, combat actions, and the use of Cubes for movement and range measurement, many of the other mechanics have been tweaked if not dramatically altered.
Firstly the entirety of the Command system has been dramatically reworked, with the Command stat having been entirely eliminated along with the Battle Cards and the Command action. They've been replaced with a massively simplified system in the form of a set of Command Dice and Faction/Commander specific command effects, it's a much simpler system but one that even after having played a handful of games I'm already quite pleased with. Basically at the start of each game turn both players roll 3 Command Dice (D6's), rolling additional dice if they still have an active Leader model with the Tactician special rule. These dice are put to one side, with the number rolled on each determining what that dice can be expended during the turn to do. A 1, for example, allows a second model to be activated immediately after one completes its activation. A 4 allows the model currently being activated to make a second Shoot action, even if they've already performed one this round which is an exception to the rule that a model may not perform the same action more than once in a turn. Most interestingly a 6 can be spent to perform a special action depending on the faction and commander leading the strike force, with the Enforcer Captain I was using allowing me to spend a 6 to re-roll any number of dice in a single Survive test. It's simple and elegant, trimming down what I thought of as one of the few needlessly fiddly parts of the original Deadzone rules.
You may have noticed that I mentioned model activations, now, in the old rules players alternated activating a set number of models depending on the highest Command stat amongst their models. it wasn't exactly an intuitive system, and I'm pleased to say that it's been entirely stripped out. Instead each turn the players alternate activating a single model, the only exceptions being if a 1 is used to allow them to activate two in a row or if one of the players has run out of models to activate. Turn order is also determined by model activation, with the player that runs out of models to activate first going first in the following turn. It's a major improvement to my mind, and it accentuates the fact that smaller, elite forces will have a few minor advantages in terms of training and personal initiative to make up for their lack of numbers.
On the subject of model activation the number of available actions has been trimmed down too, with certain effects and modifiers likewise having been removed. Aim, Command, Get Mean and Overwatch have all been removed entirely, while Blaze Away and Throw Grenade have been folded into the Shoot Action and Climb into the Move and Sprint actions. Again this is an example of the game being streamlined, with the ability to activate more models per turn partially negating the need for Overwatch, while Command and Get Mean are no longer used due to alterations to the game mechanics. The only action I really miss is Aim, as personally I'd like the option to give up an additional action in exchange for accuracy, especially when trying to bring down a particularly tough target.
I mentioned earlier that the Command system has been revamped, so have the Aggression and Damage mechanics. Aggression has been massively simplified, with the gradation from Suppressed to Enraged having been removed entirely in favour of models being either active or Pinned, with pinned models being placed on their side and requiring them to spend a short action on their next activation to stand up. It's a simplification in line with the rest of the rules modifications, but one that I'm not entirely sure about as personally I was a fan of the older rules and never regarded them as being particularly overcomplicated. I'll have to play a few more games where suppressing fire and the like are in play before I make up my mind on this one. Damage has been altered to be dependant on model Size, with the damage scored after both players have made their fight/shoot/survive rolls being compared to the models Size. If the damage equals their size then they are Injured, while if it exceeds their size they are instead destroyed. Injured models have Damage Counters equal to the amount of damage sustained placed next to them, and these count against their Size when determining the effects of future damaging hits. Nice and easy, and I like the fact that even if a model is an officer or an elite soldier they aren't arbitrarily more durable than their subordinates unless they're considerably better equipped. It also negates the need for special vehicle specific rules, making the mechanics for damage universal, definitely a good thing.
While I'm talking about the removal of the Battle Cards, this is probably a good point at which to mention that the games rules for Victory Conditions as well as those for determining game length have been revamped. Whereas previously the game ended when one Strike Force has been wiped out or when one player runs out of Battle Cards, now the game ends either when one side is wiped out or when one has managed to accrue a set number of Victory Points. Each mission has a set VP requirement in order to claim victory, with Victory Points being earned by removing enemy models (each of which has its own VP value, which increases if they're upgraded with better armaments, a nice touch), or by holding cubes with an Objective marker in which grant the controlling player 1 or 2 VP's at the end of each turn in which they have only their own models in the square. I really do appreciate this, as the somewhat arbitrary game length was one of my few sources of frustration with the original games rules.
The last major change that I want to talk about is the increase in customisation options. Whereas previously all model stats were predetermined, with each having a stat card with all the essential information on, that's been thankfully replaced. Much as I appreciate stat cards in general, I really do prefer having access to a book with models statistics, with the cards being used as a quick reference sheet in the same manner as Malifaux and Warmachine/Hordes. The reason for this is that models no longer have completely predetermined and immutable statistics, instead each model type has a set of base stats that can then be modified by upgrading their equipment. For example instead of there being several different types of Enforcer with various support weapons, there is simply a set of stats for the "Enforcer Specialist" for whom you can then buy weapons from the Enforcers list of available equipment. I really do like this, I've always been a big fan of force customisation and one of my issues with Malifaux and Warmachine/Hordes is the inability to do so under their rules, though Malifaux's Upgrade cards have made that less of an issue.
The Playtest :
After spending a little time reading through the rules my friend and I set up the board and picked out a pair of 150pt Strike Forces. Now, it'd been quite some time since our last game when we played and we did make a few major mistakes during both games but I think we got a good handle on how the game now plays. Needless to say we both felt like a pair of absolute wallies when we remembered that a model can't take the same action more than once in a turn, shortly after a certain rebel scumbag had killed three Enforcers with repeated shots from her rifle...
Battle 1 - Rebel Victory
Enforcer Forces
- 1 Enforcer Captain (34pts)
- 3 Enforcers with Frag Grenades (66pts)
- 1 Enforcer Specialist with Burst Laser (20pts)
- 1 Enforcer Specialist with Sniper Rifle (28pts)
Rebs Forces
- 1 Rebel Commander with Sniper Rifle (46pts)
- 4 Rebel Troopers (28pts)
- 2 Judwan Medics (24pts)
- 1 Rebel Specialist with Sniper Rifle (23pts)
- 1 Rebel Teraton (30pts)
You may have noticed that a certain somebodies Strike Force is over the points limit. Unfortunately he had a bit of a brain fart whilst working out the cost of his troops and we didn't realise until after the battle was over, which means I claim a moral victory...
This battle was brief and messy. As I mentioned earlier we made a bit of a mess of the rules with this one, and the game began with my Enforcer Sniper blowing the head off the Rebel Teraton, after which the Rebel Commander used a Command Dice to move into a better firing position and promptly gun down both of my specialists and my captain when she took 4 shoot actions in a single turn...oops! Already at a massive disadvantage I did my best to move forwards and force the Rebs into a short range firefight where my Enforcers better armour and mobility would give them the advantage. I was partially succesful due to a lucky Frag grenade blowing apart a cube full of Rebel Troopers and an excellently placed burst of Genling fire decapitating the Rebel Commmander, but in the end I was outnumbered too badly and was picked apart, my last remaining Enforcer using their jet pack to leap into melee with the Rebel Sniper where he was promptly dog piled.
Damnit.
Battle 2 - Rebel Victory
Enforcer Forces
- 1 Enforcer Captain (34pts)
- 3 Enforcers with Defender Shields (63pts)
- 1 Enforcer Specialist with Burst Laser and AP Ammo (24pts)
- 1 Enforcer Specialist with Sniper Rifle (28pts)
Rebs Forces
- 1 Rebel Commander with Sniper Rifle and AP Ammo (50pts)
- 2 Rebel Troopers (14pts)
- 1 Rebel Yndij (12pts)
- 2 Rebel Grogan with Onslaught Cannons (30pts)
- 1 Rebel Strider with Polaris Cannon (40pts)
So... this one started badly as well. Due to us having rushed the terrain setup I ended up with bugger all cover, something that immediately became evident due to the death of my Sniper at the hands of the Rebel Commander, and my Enforcer Captain getting turned into a fine red mist by a Polaris Cannon blast. Not a good start. Going on the offensive I pushed my Enforcers forward, taking the tower that dominated the centre of the map and keeping my Burst Laser specialist in cover. While doing so I developed a very serious appreciation for my Defender Shields, which allowed my Enforcers to basically ignore the incoming fire from the rest of the Rebs as they cut their way through the Grogan, Troopers and Commander with the only loss being the Burst Laser specialist. At this point I was down to three Enforcers, whilst the Rebs had one trooper (who'd found an experimental weapon due to their scavenging abilities) and the Strider, the damnable Strider. With its heavy armour and good Survive stat the walker proved nearly impossible for me to damage, even stacking as many advantages such as high ground and clear fire as possible, and it eventually managed to pick apart all of my Enforcers once they'd hunted down the last of the Rebs. Another loss, another lesson learned (albeit one that I should already be familiar with from 40k and the like), don't forget your anti armour weapons!
Conclusion :
So, what do I think of the new Deadzone rules? Well, for the most part I find the changes to be very much positive, with the games small handful of more fiddly mechanics having been stripped down and streamlined without necessarily cutting down on game play complexity. The two of us agreed that we did like the number of potential effects generated by the Battle Cards, and that we missed having those options to play with, their removal didn't really impact the game too negatively. We're both big fans of being able to customise your forces, and the streamlining of the activation rules were met very positively, though again the removal of a few options such as Aim and Overwatch are one of the few cases where these rules have cut down on the players tactical options. Possibly our favourite change though was the removal of the games arbitrary turn limit in favour of more specific victory conditions.
Overall the new rules are an improvement, the game play remains fast, streamlined, and most of all FUN. That being, after all, the most important factor of any game. We enjoyed our games and will be having a few more sometime soon, possibly when we next meet up early before the rest of the DnD group turns up. I'm looking forward to seeing the final version of the rules in the next month or so, and needless to say once I get my grubby mitts on them I'll do a post to fill you all in on the quality of the final product.
I do have to admit, despite my response to the Dwarf Kings Quest kickstarter, I'm much more positive with regards to this one. Fingers crossed!
Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael
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