Mantic Games: Deazone und Firefight 2022

Mantic Games haben Previews für ihre Sci-Fi-Spiele veröffentlicht.

2021 was a pretty big year for sci-fi. We kicked things off with OverDrive in September, before stepping it up a gear with the awesome launch of Deadzone: Third Edition. We’ll have more on Deadzone tomorrow but, for now, we’re talking Firefight: Second Edition.

WHAT IS FIREFIGHT: SECOND EDITION?

The original Firefight launched back in 2016 and, although it had a great range of hard plastic miniatures and amazing vehicles, it never really developed a large enough player base to see it played by numerous clubs, stores and individual gaming groups. Of course, this is a massive shame because there are plenty of you out there with fantastic miniatures that may be gathering dust on a shelf.

In 2021 we want to change all that with the launch of Firefight: Second Edition. This is a complete rework of the original from the ground up, and also an attempt to bring it closer to Deadzone. For starters it uses D8s, rather than D6s, and some of the terminology will be familiar from Deadzone. What’s more, if you’re familiar with how the profile of a unit works in Deadzone, then it’s likely to be similar in Firefight too.

We’ve also focused more on the commanders and the way they can shape the battle. A little like the leader abilities in Deadzone, commanders can trigger special abilities or use auras that can turn the tide of battle.

What’s more, to ensure that Firefight: Second Edition hits the ground running when it launches, we’ve been running a public playtest since early 2021. This was really a chance to make sure the factions felt fun and balanced, the rules were easy to pick up and the scenarios offered a variety of gameplay experiences. It also gave us an opportunity to listen to your feedback during development. There’s still time to get involved with the playtest – although now it’s mostly tweaking stats for the factions – and you can download the rules here.

WHAT’S COMING UP FOR FIREFIGHT: SECOND EDITION?

Firefight is due for release in Q2 2022. The main focus will be a brand-new two-player set (which we’ll get into in a minute), a rulebook pack similar to Deadzone (rulebook, force list book and tokens) and a complete refresh of the army sets to make them better when getting started with a new force.

With the rulebooks, we’re going to be diving deep into the world of the GCPS. Christopher Verspeak, who did a lot of work on the Warpath sourcebook and wrote the excellent First Strike, is updating the lore and background to make sure it’s up to date. We’ve also commissioned a load of fantastic artwork – some of which you can see on this blog.

Perhaps the big thing though is that, unlike some other sci-fi games out there, the Force List book contains the rules and stats for ALL the launch factions: Asterians, Enforcers, Forge Fathers, GCPS, Plague, Veer-myn AND Marauders. That’s right folks, Marauders are no longer an addition to the GCPS because they’re now their own, separate faction. Another reason for making it a separate force list book is that, if we launch new factions in the future (or update stats) we can release a new force list book that contains all the factions again to make sure it’s always up to date.

NEW MARAUDERS

Talking of Marauders, they’ll be featuring in a new two-player set that pits them against the ruthless Enforcers. In a nod to the Mandrake Rebellion, the Marauders are on the rise again, so the Council of Seven has sent the Enforcers to stamp them out.

This new set contains our awesome new hard plastic Marauders, which can be used to build a variety of options for your army. Just take a look below at a small taste of the different builds…

To help round out the Marauder force, we also have some resin pieces, like the gorgeous-looking Commando Skyscrapers. These are also compatible with the hard plastics, so you can mix and match the heads/arms.

Finally on the Marauder-front, they are getting some support from the goblin weapons team. Can you hear that noise? It’s Rob squealing in excitement.

But don’t worry Enforcer fans, you are getting some assistance to deal with those pesky Maruaders in the form of a new Peacekeeper Captain… complete with nasty-looking Phase Claws.

So, as you can see, Deadzone: Third Edition was only just the start of our massive sci-fi plans and Firefight promises to be just as exciting. Tune in tomorrow to find out what’s in store for Deadzone.

DEADZONE

Today we’re talking Deadzone and 2021 was an absolute monster, thanks to the launch of Third Edition. The aim of Third Edition was to clean up the rules, add new units, create a bunch of new scenarios and generally make the best sci-fi skirmish game even better. And, judging by the reaction, a lot of you agree that we’ve achieved exactly that. For 2022 then, we’re going to build on an exciting launch with even more cool stuff!

NEW PLAGUE

When we were getting ready for Deadzone: Third Edition we spent some time reviewing the current range of models and looking at which ones we thought required an update. One of the factions that rose to the top of the pile was the Plague. The idea behind this Strike Team – an army of bloodthirsty mutants, warped by the terrible virus – is really cool, but some of the miniatures were a little lacklustre. With that in mind, we’ve re-sculpted a large portion of the Plague to make them more dynamic, more aggressive-looking and generally more terrifying! These new models will be available in resin, rather than PVC, so you can see all that gruesome detail.

Here you can see the Plague Teraton and the all-new ‘Sentient’. The Plague mutates different species in different ways and, in this case, you can see what happens what an Alpha Simian is the victim of the potentially deadly disease.

Next up, we’ve got the revised Stage 2A ‘Leaper’ – of which there will be several varieties – and the Stage 1A. With the 1A we really wanted a pose that captured the ferocity of this monstrous beast and now he’s charging toward an unwitting foe.

The new Plague will be available in Q2 – so not long to wait.

MARAUDERS

Just in case you missed our Firefight update yesterday, the Marauders are getting a brand-new hard plastic sprue, which will give you all the options you could think of for your Marauders. As a result, we’ll be creating a new Marauder Commando Starter pack.  Here are a few more renders of this incredibly versatile hard plastic kit.

We’ll also be releasing a new Ripper Warlord for both Firefight and Deadzone. In Deadzone this will be a new Leader option for your Marauders. Exciting stuff!

THE BATTLE FOR MAGNETAR CITY

But that’s not all! In March (fingers crossed), we’ll be running a massive global campaign. The hugely talented Ciaran Morris, who created this fantastic Kings of War campaign site, is currently busy beavering away on something similar for Deadzone.

The campaign itself will centre around the fight for Magnetar City – the location that inspired the two-player set featuring the Veer-myn and GCPS. Last time we saw Magnetar, containment protocols had just been declared following the eruption of the Veer-myn nest. Now the continent-spanning city is ripe for the taking and other factions have arrived to lay their claim to Magnetar’s rich resources.

We’ll have more info on the campaign soon but, in the meantime, start painting your Strike Team because your games will make a difference and shape the future of Deadzone. Also get out there and spread the good word of Deadzone to your local gaming clubs and stores. There’s never been a better time to start playing. Remember folks #deadzoneisforlifenotjustforchristmas

Quelle: Mantic Games