Deadzone Rules Update

Hi. This is Ian, Claudio and Miguel from your friendly local neighbourhood Deadzone rules committee, here to tell you about the new Deadzone content coming to a Companion app right now!

Threat Assessment gave us a chance to review the rules which needed some clarification, particularly keywords. We also thoroughly reviewed the force lists to incorporate new models (and 2 whole new factions!) released for the game over the past 3 years, adjust some profiles to better fit existing models and rebalance points costs within each faction and across the factions. Then the really fun stuff, lots of new content for playing the game!

Deadzone is already the best (skirmish Sci-fi) tabletop game out there, why did it need a change?

Claudio: While it’s arguably the best game indeed, over the course of nearly four years some changes were really needed. While relatively well balanced, some inter- but especially intra faction balancing issues arose, where some units were never taken and some always a must have. While not everyone is trying to play on a competitive level, players tend to use lists that work - and feeling that some factions have to have unit X and never Y feels bad. It’s a testament to the game that it still worked well after nearly 4 years, with minor changes here and there and some additions, including 2 new factions, over the years.

Ian: We’ve played a lot of Deadzone in that time, we keep a close eye on tournament results and what players are discussing on the socials to get an idea of what needs a tweak to really make list building a hard choice between lots of great factions and units, and leaving results down to player skill and dodgy dice rolls to determine results.

Miguel: During the more than three years without a major Deadzone update, I believe the current edition's situation, especially in terms of balance, was becoming very complicated. The addition of the two new factions, Matsudan and Nightstalkers, significantly modified the existing ecosystem, and all other factions had to adapt to the implications of these factions' appearance for the game. Furthermore, with the appearance of the Vault and pre-made strike teams, we were able to test out crazy ideas for some factions that we saw fit into the main faction, always with minor tweaks. Ultimately, it was necessary to update all the content we already had in Deadzone with all the new material being released.

Also during all this time, the RC members have constantly tested new elements to add to the game, resulting in new scenarios and game modes to expand and diversify the entertainment Deadzone can provide its players.

Why is this update so awesome?

Claudio: It’s a new playing experience while being 100% the Deadzone we like and love. The balancing update will make list building so much more interesting, we removed some restrictions like the “remote” keyword, we made sure that some factions got a few more troop options instead of specialists that they were lacking (Marauders). Many units got buffs or more distinct roles (like the Enforcer Defender) so that they make sense to include them. But this isn’t everything! There are a TON of other features in there: new Recon tables, that are much more interesting and there are now faction specific recon effects you can choose if you win instead of rolling! More crunchy features using interactive scenery, environmental effects to shake up your games, new secret missions, completely new board types, missions, multiplayer options… Threat Assessment is the boldest addition to Deadzone up until now!

Ian: We started collecting ideas and writing new content almost as soon as 3rd edition was published, and we hold regular review meetings to check each part works together. And some parts inspired others: The comprehensive review of keywords was prompted by looking at how units worked and community discussion. If you’ve struggled to interpret a rule in the rulebook, we’ve tried to make it clearer.

Miguel: For me, who likes to pay special attention to list building and competitive play in Deadzone, the new changes represent a complete shift for all factions, giving any gaming group the possibility of generating new lists with a multitude of changes, further revitalizing an already quite diverse meta. I'm eager to see the new lists the community comes up with; the ideas we come up with in the RC are good, but the Deadzone community has always been able to surprise us in incredible ways! If we add to this all the additional content that gives more flavor to the game, such as new Recon Tables or new scenarios, without forgetting the part intended for the more narrative players, with new rules for environmental conditions and interactive scenery that help make each narrative or campaign game or unique and unrepeatable.

What is your favourite part of these Command Protocols?

Claudio: That’s a hard call. I mean the balancing will impact the games most and make many things much more fun, so I’ll go with that one. But I’ll be more specific and single out the keyword changes that go hand in hand with the profile and points adjustments. And I have to admit I’m most excited about the “Engineer” keyword. Besides being able to disarm traps as before, they now can repair and extinguish fires on nearby constructs and vehicles! This opens up so many fun and thematic lists and eliminates the predominance of It Burns! weapons against Walkers. They are still valid, but you have to hunt and take out the engineer, which feels like an additional objective play.

Ian: I like where we’ve seen untapped potential in the rules, for example adding a number to It Burns! so that the big flamethrowers can have more dice than the puny human ones. The system is already familiar from Frag weapons, so an easy addition to add more variety. And those big flamers really hurt now, not just a way to set people on fire! I hope people enjoy the new narrative scenarios too. You might not think they’re ideal for a tournament setting, but please do try them at home or at the club for fun. Don’t forget to take explosives to the Volcano!

Miguel: Without a doubt, my favorite part has been designing the Nightstalkers. As the newest member of the Deadzone RC, when we were tasked with creating the rules for this faction, I was both excited and scared. I've been playing Nightstalkers in Kings of War since the first list came out, and I was especially excited that Ian and Claudio trusted me to shape the faction to be unlike anything else out there. It wasn't an easy task, but together with the members of the Firefight RC, we managed to make it truly unique, and I'm very proud of it.

What was most fun to work on?

Claudio: As always, this was fun (and sometimes frustrating) the whole time, many years in the making :) . Personally I liked thinking about the narrative aspects you could easily add, so the environmental effects. The Warpath galaxy is vast, with so many planets, biomes and battlefields. Representing that in game, thinking about cool rules and interactions that not only fit, but are also fun, was really challenging. Giving players the option to choose one, build thematic terrain and a story, or just roll one for extra madness was the goal and hopefully will keep the players more invested in the background aspect of the game. I think the fluff is getting better and better and having ways to show different parts of the galaxy just helps with the immersion.

Ian: The new scenarios. We all chipped in some mad ideas and crafted some new ways to play and win games of Deadzone. Then I took some scissors to a neoprene mat and found a whole new way of adding variety to every game!

Miguel: The discussions with Ian and Claudio, especially those related to Veer-Myn, have been wonderful. Ian and I are regular Veer-Myn players, and we used to rally around the changes suggested by Claudio, who had a huge number of reasons for each change. Normally, Claudio's change wouldn't be considered, or would be considered with tweaks to the last of his arguments, but the situation that arose when we agreed with the former was wonderful, between the joy of being right and the hatred for not letting him present the list of reasons he had prepared... In short, the attitude and character of my RC colleagues have made it possible for us to release all this material in good humor and with the desire to continue releasing more material.

Which faction do you think benefitted most, which was nerfed most?

Claudio: I think most factions “won” but specifically the GCPS. This faction was most in need and they got some really cool, flavourful changes that emphasise their fluff and playstyle. Boots-on-the-ground can be really felt now, dirt cheap leaders, counter charge units in the new close combat options, most Heavy Weapon Teams and Medics being troops, having a defensive unit of Riot Troopers holding a nearby objective forming a shield wall, cheap engineers and war machines supported by them … all while they remain a the most shooty faction in the game, just not as hard to play as before!

Nerfed might be the Nightstalkers. They were extremely hard to balance, as they are completely unique in their style. Some combinations were too oppressive, some units clearly too good and sometimes having a bad matchup could cost you the game. This was tuned back a bit, while still giving them some edge in cheaper Reapers, who are iconic models, great looking and capturing the Nightstalker feel rules wise too! Overall less of a nerf, more of an adjustment.

Ian: I don’t think we felt there was a specific faction that was really struggling against the rest. But I would say the revisions to the Matsudan list will feel particularly noticeable, they weren’t shining in beta form the way we wanted. So hopefully players will feel confident to pick up those new hard plastic lizard bois and body slam their way across the table. Don’t worry about enemy fire, they can take it.

There’s some significant alterations to the Veer-Myn list, so you’ll find some units missing the speed you were used to. There’s different qualities you will need to make good use of now.

Miguel: The list that I think has the most options right now is the Marauders. The Scout in the Commandos opens up a whole new world of possibilities, and if we add the new units that have been appearing thanks to the Vault, along with some small changes to other units, these mercenary bands become real problems for anyone who gets in their way. They put a lot of pressure in the early game with Commandos, both normal and Scrappers, and have very powerful and interesting ranged weapons like the Rainmaker, the Hulk, and the Guntrack, which were a bit neglected.

Maybe it's because of the meta I'm currently in, but I think the list that's been hit the hardest is Mazon Labs. The cyborgs were a very dominant list, but they've suffered a points increase, which, along with the changes to the Tac Drones, makes it more difficult, though not impossible, to regain their previous power levels.

Which major changes would you like to highlight?

Claudio: I think there are several. There are new Recon tables to roll on, for the winner one with special effects and one for the loser. Also special faction based ones instead of rolling. I also want to highlight that the extra activation command die can’t be used by either player on turn 1 of a round, eliminating those ‘feel bad’ moments of getting nuked before you take a turn. Finally list building has been affected by removing the ability for 0VP troops to unlock. They still don’t need any unlocks, but you can’t spam them for specialists. Many of those units were buffed to have a more significant and clearly defined role. The Lab Tech in the Mazon list got Stun, which was also reworked, and the Plague Zombie got 2 HP, while getting a lower survive stat of 7+. That actually helps the 3Z not only get into fights a bit better, but most importantly it helps with its main feature: Horde! If you charge in you can now still lose the assault by one and not be eliminated outright. That way you can then stack up your other Zombies way better. So no cheap unlocks, but mean Horde Mobs! The intention is less abuse, and more clear play value for those units.

Ian: We’ve reduced the range on the mortar-style units to give a bit of time to escape a packed deployment zone before you get fragged. Give your keywords a good read, there’s a few changes in there, some of which are subtle but will have an important effect.

Please give the new secret missions a try, they’re quite different to the old ones and I’d love to hear feedback on them. They’re not perfect (yet), but hopefully give you a significant new challenge to the game if you include them.

Miguel: I think one of the most important changes is the elimination of the Remote keyword and the change of role to Engineers. Since I joined Deadzone RC, we've been testing options for Remote, but we weren't convinced, so we decided the best thing to do was simply eliminate it. This left Engineers without work, so converting them into units that repair the mechanized units of your Strike Team seemed the best option. These two changes open up a world of incredible possibilities for large Vehicles and Walkers, which gain incredible survivability by having an Engineer alongside them.

Thanks for reading this far and special thanks to our playtesters, who had to suffer through many iterations of lists and keywords and scenarios…

Have a great time enjoying Threat Assessment! #Deadzoneislife

You can find out all the new changes within the Mantic Companion HERE!