Walking Dead: All Out War – Safety Behind Bars expansion
14th Aug 2017
Rob Burman
Later this week, those lucky folks at GenCon will have the chance to get their hands on Wave Three of The Walking Dead: All Out War. However don’t fret because you’ll also have the opportunity to pre-order the entire wave and retail exclusives from the website too.
But, what’s in Wave Three and why should you be particularly excited? Well, today, let’s take a look at the main expansion: Safety Behind Bars! In this expansion, Rick and the other Atlanta survivors travel from Hershel’s Farm to the Meriwether County Correctional Facility.
Initially the place is overrun with Walkers but Rick has a plan to make it safe! This is one of the most iconic storylines from the comics, as the survivors clear out the Walkers from twisting corridors and bleak cells of the prison. The expansion is also a big leap for All Out War, as it introduces plenty of new gameplay elements, as noted below. What’s more, it includes SEVEN action packed scenarios to play through, which is more than any of the previous expansions.
THE PRISON GROUNDS
For the first time in The Walking Dead, you’ve now got to fight the Walkers in the claustrophobic confines of a map with an interior! You’ll have to navigate through locked doors, use chain-link fences to keep the Walkers at bay and even climb to the top of the Watchtower. Safety Behind Bars comes with a brand new paper mat featuring the prison grounds, along with cardboard scenery representing locked doors and the chain-link fences. There’s nowhere to hide from the Walkers now.
ARMORED WALKERS
Thought that taking on the standard Walkers was tough? Well, you haven’t seen the Armored Walkers. That’s right, before some of the prison guards could escape the undead, they were attacked while wearing their armour. The Armored Walker rolls two red dice for defence and, thanks to the helmet, ignores one ! from each attack roll. This means you’re going to have to work very hard to pull off those all-important headshots. The Armored Walkers are a serious threat in-game…ignore them at your peril.
NEW EVENTS
Also included in the expansion are four new events, including one that plunges the prison into darkness and opens up cells full of Walkers.
NEW SURVIVORS!
Fancy creating a new gang to take on the Walkers? Included in Safety Behind Bars are four new Survivors – the prisoners sheltering inside the facility. The Survivors include:
Dexter (Bruiser) – a powerful choice for the prisoners, Dexter has the Top Dog ability, which allows him to give extra actions to Andrew, Axel and Thomas.
Axel (Support) – a decent all-rounder with a solid defense roll of one white die and one red die.
Andrew (Runner) – never underestimate the Runners! With the Nimble special rule, Andrew can potentially dodge out of melee combat, which can come in handy when leading the Walkers towards your opponent.
Thomas (Tactician) – the loose cannon of the prisoners, Thomas has the Psychotic Special Rule, which means he must move towards an enemy Survivor in his Killzone. He also gets to reroll any of his melee attack dice when using a weapon with the Sharp keyword.
NEW EQUIPMENT!
Of course, a new expansion also means new equipment to get your teeth stuck into. There are 12 equipment cards in the set and some of the highlights include:
Tear Gas Grenade – use this to knock your opponent’s Survivors to the ground
Riot Helmet – ignore one ! from an opponent’s melee attack roll.
Riot Shield – add one red dice to melee defense rolls or one white die when defending against Walkers.
Riot Gear – you opponent must discard one die of their choice from their attack rolls against a Survivor wearing Riot Gear.
Riot Baton – adds a red die to melee attack rolls when you’re wearing three different Riot items.