I’ll get tired of painting nameless zombies wearing red uniforms, but I can’t wait for all the lovely aliens. Hopefully spoofs of space balls and galaxy quest.
JoeRugby wrote: How were the minis quality from the last zombiecide?
In my opinion CMoN makes the best PVC minis of anyone, but they are still PVC, so you get bent bits here and there.
I was less happy with the design consistency in the last Zombicide though, a few of the sculpts almost seemed like they were from a different game. Of course that's less of an issue when there are 50 heroes to choose from.
If it sells, keep doing it. Heck, look at Munchkin for Christ's sake.
Now, I will admit though, there is a purpose to some of this. For instance, despite being heralded as a fun game...the original Zombicide did not interest me in the slightest (I detest "modern" Zombie IPs). However I was very interested when Black Plague came out because I loved the idea and the art and aesthetic for medieval/fantasy Zombie stuff.
I'd imagine there are people out there with zero interest in either of those properties who would jump on a Zombicide set in space. Let's consider all of the "not" properties they could twist into this game? ALIEN, ALIENS, Predator, Dead Space, Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, Battlestar Galactica, more modern stuff like Expanse, etc. They could have a ton of fun with this, and if they're smart enough to change up the gameplay a bit, who knows - maybe even make it more along the lines of a space ship survival game.
Massive Darkness did well, though it slumped HARD after release from almost every review I've seen (just getting "meh" reviews). I think, if they do this right, it could be big. We shall see.
Despite Black Plague being superior to, and supplanting the Original as a go to game for my group. I've gotten my moneys worth just from all the This is Not a Test warbands I've made with the survivors, the Mutant Warbands I've made from Zombivors, and the Rad Zombie and Mutant encounters I've used the zombies for (not to mention we got more than our moneys worth of actual gameplay out of the original before Black Plague dropped.)
Even if Zombies in Spaaaaaaace! Supplants Black Plague in turn, I'll get Double Shift of it's Heros in D&D and Fantasy battles the zombies will continue to star in Undead armies across my tabletop. And if Zombies in Spaaaaaaace! doesn't turn out to beat Black Plague in gameplay, I'm sure I'll find equal use for it's miniatures in whatever roll they will fill in my future gaming.
(as compared to Massive Darkness which was quickly relegated to D&D use only after a few disappointing playthroughs and even there the single pose nature of the enemies is a further disappointment)
Elbows wrote: I'd imagine there are people out there with zero interest in either of those properties who would jump on a Zombicide set in space. Let's consider all of the "not" properties they could twist into this game? ALIEN, ALIENS, Predator, Dead Space, Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, Battlestar Galactica, more modern stuff like Expanse, etc. They could have a ton of fun with this, and if they're smart enough to change up the gameplay a bit, who knows - maybe even make it more along the lines of a space ship survival game.
Sure wish they ported Zombicide to an aliens game, though. AI would be similar, and you could have different AI for smarter units (eg. shortest path vs. LOS or noise).
Other than Dead Space, I'm not too familiar with games, shows, or movies of zombies in space, not that I look for 'em. Guess I'll pledge for the "homage" miniatures...
Elbows wrote: However I was very interested when Black Plague came out because I loved the idea and the art and aesthetic for medieval/fantasy Zombie stuff.
I actually pledged for Black Plague to use the zombie figs for 40K and Necromunda (plague zombies). Does not take much to 40K-ify medieval figs onto 40K Gothic style zombies. A few bits of higher tech gear and you are done.
I really love their models, but couldn’t care less for the gameplay of Zombicide. It’s simplistic and boring to me. I wish they would leave the gameplay system behind and come up with something completely new for their zombie games. I really love the idea of wading through hordes of zombies a la Dawn of the Dead, but the Zombicide take just isn’t very exciting. Wishful thinking I guess.
Mymearan wrote: I really love their models, but couldn’t care less for the gameplay of Zombicide. It’s simplistic and boring to me. I wish they would leave the gameplay system behind and come up with something completely new for their zombie games. I really love the idea of wading through hordes of zombies a la Dawn of the Dead, but the Zombicide take just isn’t very exciting. Wishful thinking I guess.
I get that. I really like Zombicide. However, I'm so very tired of the whole fantasy genre.
Since they showed art from the other Zombicide games, I have to think that this too will be zombies. While I prefer sci-fi over any other genre, I actually think I'm getting zombie'd out.
It would be so awesome if they used the zombicide game and made it aliens instead. As I've seen others say make it genocide this time.
I pledged for the Green Horde because it felt like different. Despite being the origin of the zombie myth, evil necromancy being the source of the undead actually feels refreshing these days. I’m so tired of modern zombies and their pseudoscience about zombie viruses. I can’t see how a sci fi version would any difference.
What might make me buy a sci fi zombie game would be a very strong theme and design. However Zombicide games are the very antithesis of that, being instead an, anything goes grab bag of pop culture references and celebrity survivors.
In short, I’m really enjoying the occasional game of Green Horde, but I think I’ve got all the Zombicide I’ll ever need now.
Mymearan wrote: I really love their models, but couldn’t care less for the gameplay of Zombicide. It’s simplistic and boring to me. I wish they would leave the gameplay system behind and come up with something completely new for their zombie games. I really love the idea of wading through hordes of zombies a la Dawn of the Dead, but the Zombicide take just isn’t very exciting. Wishful thinking I guess.
I get that. I really like Zombicide. However, I'm so very tired of the whole fantasy genre.
Since they showed art from the other Zombicide games, I have to think that this too will be zombies. While I prefer sci-fi over any other genre, I actually think I'm getting zombie'd out.
It would be so awesome if they used the zombicide game and made it aliens instead. As I've seen others say make it genocide this time.
Call it whatever, I want to see those expansion models see the light of day.
This is a perfect opportunity!
Hoping for non- human survivors!
I have most of them in resin and they don't scale well with Zombicide the proportions are much finer and won't transfer well to plastic CMoN have learned a lot since then but I could see one or two popping up in a Sci-Fi Zombicide. CMoN own all of the Sedition Wars stuff now so anything is possible and given Mike is the head of Production and Development he may just slip something in like a new Kara Black mini or get his own guest box.
Gilgamesh would fit right into a SCi-FI Zc game he's a good 36 - 40 mm tall. One or two of the bigger Strain might work as Abombinations.
To be honest I hope they don't go the Strain type route for the Zombies.
More Zombicide?
Seems this game is more for the speculators to buy all the expensive pseudo characters at $20 each, then hit ebay with them in the hopes of making money.
I dread to see just how much it will cost to go all in on this one. $350+ dollars for a boardgame, expansion and a ton of pvc player characters.
After getting some sleep, I’m wondering if this could be more like massive darkness in space. I think that would be more viable for multiple races/ space oriented.
Also which franchise will be at the core of the universe? Aliens, predators, colonial marines, babylon5, Star Wars, Star Trek, Muppets in space, war of the worlds? Plus doing zombies of each species would just be too large for just 1-2 seasons of zombicide in Space. They could do the massive Darkness sort of expansions with the different genres and then leave it open for future seasons to do expansions. So main board game be a spaceship which has zombiehumans in space gear. But the first expansion be “away mission” with alien landscape with gigeresque aliens and the hero’s being colonial marines. Next expansion have another space ship to dock with as the board and have raiding party, bad guys are Klingons with pet targs, hero’s are space fleet. Next expansion more space ship boards with shadows and mimbari and narn heroes.
Sounds about right they teased in in their last zombieside KS campaign and was expecting it, but I expected it at least a year away as they teased it.
It will be interesting, wonder what art direction they will take, I would be quite happy for some Mass Effect/ modern sci fi design over some archaic design though.
Gimgamgoo wrote:More Zombicide?
Seems this game is more for the speculators to buy all the expensive pseudo characters at $20 each, then hit ebay with them in the hopes of making money..
On the other hand I think it's perfectly reasonable for people who play and enjoy the game to sell stuff onto eBay. I could never hope to paint and use all of the extra characters and zombies you get with even the basic pledge level. But I've sold a lot of the ones I like less on and pretty much paid for the KS with them.
Mymearan wrote:I really love their models, but couldn’t care less for the gameplay of Zombicide. It’s simplistic and boring to me. I wish they would leave the gameplay system behind and come up with something completely new for their zombie games. I really love the idea of wading through hordes of zombies a la Dawn of the Dead, but the Zombicide take just isn’t very exciting. Wishful thinking I guess.
That's very subjective though! I don't think I've had as much fun with a board game, some friends and beers on a Friday evening. There are other options for deeper games (perhaps This is not a Test?) I've not tried Project Z so not sure what that's like.
ecurtz wrote:
JoeRugby wrote: How were the minis quality from the last zombiecide?
In my opinion CMoN makes the best PVC minis of anyone, but they are still PVC, so you get bent bits here and there.
I was less happy with the design consistency in the last Zombicide though, a few of the sculpts almost seemed like they were from a different game. Of course that's less of an issue when there are 50 heroes to choose from.
Definitely agree about the cast quality. Know what you mean about the design aesthetic not always being the same, I wonder if that's a result of all of the artist sets. When I play we sometimes limit the characters to a boxset (e.g. all of the Adrian Smith characters, Pepe, or extra hero pack etc) for that very reason.
Humans came to PK-L7 in search of high powered fuel. They found it with Xenium, a dark, oily compound deep below the planet’s surface. But they found something else too. The Xenos attack was brutal and unrelenting, and they’re still coming. On April 10 at 3pm EST, Zombicide: Invader is coming to Kickstarter. Follow the CMON and Guillotine Games Facebook pages for regular updates on the Survivors, Xenos, Equipment, and Environments of this interstellar battle for life, and look for our interview with the Zombicide: Invader design team later this week. Grab a weapon, barricade the doors, and prepare to be invaded.
the facebook version has the above text as well as the image
Zombicide: Invader is a cooperative game where 1 to 6 players face Xenos, an unfathomable swarm of infected Xenos controlled by the game itself. Each player takes on the role of 1 to 6 Survivors in a sci-fi setting being overwhelmed by these Xenos. The goal is simple: choose a Mission, complete its objectives, kill as many Xenos as possible, and (most importantly) survive!
Survivors will fight Xenos, rescue each other, recover vital data, unveil dark secrets, and much more! Survivors can be Civilians or Soldiers, each with specialized Skills. They all play together as a team, trading Equipment, and covering each other. They use whatever weapons they can get to kill Xenos and slow the invasion. The better the weapon, the higher the body count, but the more Xenos will appear, attracted by the onslaught! Survivors must also be mindful of their location as conventional weapons work fine indoors, but the planet’s oxygen-starved surface, they’ll need to arm themselves with more specialized weaponry… Lasers, anyone?
Most of the time, Xenos are predictable, but there are a lot of them and they use nasty tactics not encountered in previous Zombicide games. Only through cooperation can players achieve the Mission objectives and win.
Xenoshyft had some really cool designs. I'm hoping for some crossover with it in Zombicide Invader. It looks like this is launching on my birthday, too. Cool gift, CMON.
I really dislike Andrian Smiths art over Guillotine's art and worse they go with the stupid archaic fridges with legs armour design only Andrian Smith would envision.
I have to agree Adrian Smith's artwork just doesn't fit the established Zombicide style. It looks like he has just rehashed the others in a sci-fi setting. I think this is the first Zombicide fully done under CMON ownership so they might be putting their own style on it - but if it ain't broke!
So long as the minis are good I can forgive a misstep with the art although it will be interesting to see the new tile designs. I'm actually glad they've avoided helmets in the artwork, to many helmeted guys just all end looking very samey and lack character - that said bring on Issac Clarke and Doomguy
The tentacles are there and the northmen and overall national diversity is there. Also the artwork in part looks the same.
As game wise, Nemesis got this niche already covered pretty good. People will just go for the plastic pile of this, aren´t they?
PsychoticStorm wrote: The artwork direction is not only extremely underwhelming, but contrary to anything I expected.
Were can we post negative feedback about it? not that it will change anything.
Aliens are not zombies. It's like the art team forgot that they were doing a zombie game, much less a Zombicide game. This should have been space virus-infected crewmen in spacesuits, instead of not-Others rejects. Even not-Aliens or not-Predator would have been better. But not-Others in spaaace? Who was asking for that?
When the KS launches, don't pledge. It won't change anything, but voting with your wallet works.
........... wow...... uuhhh. if they did not say this was a zombiecide game I woudl never in a million years think there was any connection. Adrian Smith's art is great but a HUGE part of Zombicide's charm was it's over the top comics style campy-ness.
Naturally that artwork got posted while I was writing my post, so I completely missed it. I'm a bit disappointed they didn't go for Xenoshyft aesthetics. Xenoshyft would have totally worked, too. They could've have space bugs that use human and alien hosts as nests, creating zombies in the process. Oh well.
All that being said, I don't hate what they're showing. It looks lije something out of the early 90s. Like it could've been the cover of some shareware pc game. 90s this thing up and play with a heavy metal soundtrack and it could be pretty fun.
Am I the only one that thinks that's a bloody awesome piece of artwork?!
Perhaps for the same reason that other people don't like it - reminds me a lot of some of Adrian Smith's 40k art.
It sounds like there will be some interesting new mechanics with the game, and at least this will hopefully be more of a step away from the norm than Green Tide.
Looking forward to more!
Well if people don't back in the numbers expected they'll probably do something different to the next one,
personally I don't love the normal zombicide style, but I agree that this one looks worse, hopefully the renders are not terribly close (and so better)
You can always pledge a full pledge at the start, then explain why, and depledge when the campaign hits the low part in the middle. Exaggerate the lull, or convert it to a drop, so it gets someone's attention
Well, I didn't like the zombicide games in part because of the artwork, and in part because of zombies. It looks like this has a different art style and the bad guys might not be zombies, so color me interested!
Can't say I'm overly excited about this art direction. I really was hoping more for something akin to what Diehard Miniatures is doing with their retro-space skeletons/zombies. Set the whole thing in a derelict space station so you have scientists, colonists, security personnel, etc as zombies and the survivors can come form all different walks of life. Seems like this isn't gonna hit heavy on the pop culture, or if it is, it will be very stylized to match the art direction.
JohnHwangDD wrote:You can always pledge a full pledge at the start, then explain why, and depledge when the campaign hits the low part in the middle. Exaggerate the lull, or convert it to a drop, so it gets someone's attention
That would take some co-ordinated effort though, and really what would be the point as you know CMoN will have most of the sculpts, game art, design aesthetic already completed by now? I'll be honest I can never tell whether you're serious or being facetious with this kind of comment!
Ernster wrote:I thought they were going to have a 3rd Zombicide Fantasy setting? Disappointing. I think I will be skipping this as well.
Out of interest what would you have liked to see with the 3rd fantasy setting?
I thought the Green Horde was over-stretching the fantasy theme and they had probably run short a bit of ideas, so am glad to see an attempt at something new here.
@Pacific, I recall resading summer that it was going to be done in 3 installments like the first Zombicide. It was to be colors. Black Plague, Green Horde and I believe Red was going to be next. I cant confirm.
I don't know what I would have like to have seen. Perhaps a Rising sun adaption? Ship templates with a story line of trade and Commerce. The Rising sun hero's embark to trade with the Nation that the Zombicide plague has overwhelmed. only to partake in the infection and take it home. Or a ship from the Zombicide Region shows up in their port.
JohnHwangDD wrote:You can always pledge a full pledge at the start, then explain why, and depledge when the campaign hits the low part in the middle. Exaggerate the lull, or convert it to a drop, so it gets someone's attention
That would take some co-ordinated effort though, and really what would be the point as you know CMoN will have most of the sculpts, game art, design aesthetic already completed by now?
It takes a calendar reminder, and the point is to say why you're not backing, but that you might have. Vs saying nothing.
So, I've already got Mantic's Star Saga, which has some zombie-like plague mutants. Typically, Mantic lands safely in the median for quality, however designs of the mercenaries and the alien factions in Star Saga turned out really well. ZI is going to have to bring a lot more creativity than we've seen so far to compete. Sure, with the brand recognition this game will make a fortune, but in the long term I feel like Mantic is carving out a range of identifiable and creative aliens while ZI is likely delving deeper into the niche that swallowed Sedition Wars.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: So, I've already got Mantic's Star Saga, which has some zombie-like plague mutants. Typically, Mantic lands safely in the median for quality, however designs of the mercenaries and the alien factions in Star Saga turned out really well. ZI is going to have to bring a lot more creativity than we've seen so far to compete. Sure, with the brand recognition this game will make a fortune, but in the long term I feel like Mantic is carving out a range of identifiable and creative aliens while ZI is likely delving deeper into the niche that swallowed Sedition Wars.
I imagine it will be the same "pretty okay" Zombicide core rules, with some neat minis, and models that are slightly-super-deformed-caricatures of other well-loved IP's that are _just different_ enough to avoid trouble, but leave you wanting the original anyway.
Why have a not-Doom-Marine when the DOOM (2016) FFG board game is probably one of the best 1 v 1 board games ever?
BobtheInquisitor wrote: So, I've already got Mantic's Star Saga, which has some zombie-like plague mutants. Typically, Mantic lands safely in the median for quality, however designs of the mercenaries and the alien factions in Star Saga turned out really well. ZI is going to have to bring a lot more creativity than we've seen so far to compete. Sure, with the brand recognition this game will make a fortune, but in the long term I feel like Mantic is carving out a range of identifiable and creative aliens while ZI is likely delving deeper into the niche that swallowed Sedition Wars.
I imagine it will be the same "pretty okay" Zombicide core rules, with some neat minis, and models that are slightly-super-deformed-caricatures of other well-loved IP's that are _just different_ enough to avoid trouble, but leave you wanting the original anyway.
Why have a not-Doom-Marine when the DOOM (2016) FFG board game is probably one of the best 1 v 1 board games ever?
Better than Terminator Genysis?
Unless there's an IDDQD cheat in the official game, I'm okay with not-DOOM guy. It's not like I'd be using him for Zombiecide anyway.
Unless there's an IDDQD cheat in the official game, I'm okay with not-DOOM guy. It's not like I'd be using him for Zombiecide anyway.
error :: cannot make comparison between "board game" and "miniatures game" :: error
There's also the Klukva Miniatures DOOM Marine - I bought two!
I think I got tired of the "not quite" IP miniatures with Sedition Wars' pile of Not-Firefly Not-Aliens Not-DeadSpace Not-whatever junk that wound up being jettisoned from my disappointment-cloud to some lucky second hand buyer for pennies.
I have every release for Zombicide including the country specific game night kits, every release for Black Plague (except one of the French only promos) and all crossover material with other games.
So far I am not feeling the Sci-Fi Zombicide. I am already watching my purchases as space is getting to be a bit of a premium and with Kickstarter games being delivered over the next year or so it will need to really bring something new to the series for tempt me into picking it up.
I want to wait and see the models. The art right now looks awkward, not smiths style as it’s still too bright for his standard work and the color choices are off on the monsters. It’s all about the figs for me, and I know I’ll get a boat load of them with the stretch goals. Plus the character homages is where you find most of the gems.
Why cmon? I know they signed Adrian Smith on as an artist, but zombicide has had distinct art since it's beginning... this art is too 7 sins/hate/blood rage for zombicide (looks like he tried to cartoon it up a bit by some of the human faces... still not zomhicide). His art is good for certain things, not zombicide.
It really doesn't work here.
I do like that xenos will be the baddies this time, and know the space theme has much to offer for parodies (star wars, firefly, starcraft, 40k, etc) The power armor sculpt.... yikes. Come on cmon you have been better than this for five zombicide kickstarters!!!! Call it something else if it will look different or play different.
Well - despite the other comments I really like the direction it takes.
The art and the one model got a certain AT-43 feel, which I like a lot. In addition a NOT naked women, and even an African woman, I LIKE it.
I am VERY happy that it is a departure from the IMO sometimes too cartoony Zcide look. In addition after only two pics it might be a bit early to be disappointed, or? Let's take a look of what will come in the next weeks...
Personally I have just started to sell my Black Plague overstock.
And even if I do not like some of the minis, I have tons of Aliens to be used as stand ins…
Honestly hate space rivets. It's already laughable in 40k, which is in itself a comedy setting, so seeing rivets anywhere past 1938 just makes me think the designers have no idea what they are doing.
PsychoticStorm wrote: It really becomes one of my major disappointments... for this year.
You've stated as much for the last three pages. I think we get you don't like art direction or aesthetic of the game. Sorry? Not sure what else to tell you other than move on if you aren't interested?
I mean you are entitled to post your opinion, but nothing will change at this point. The art is set in place. The figures designs are likely set in place. So, it just seems like low-grade trolling and sour grapes at this point on your part to gripe page after page.
Pacific wrote: Am I the only one that thinks that's a bloody awesome piece of artwork?!
No, this game looks fun and the art works for me. I've enjoyed the hell out of the various Zombicides I've purchased and they are staples in my gaming group (we rarely get to meet so Zombicide is an easy no-brainer game to get everyone playing). Fragging aliens scratches a similar itch as fragging zombies so I am fine with this direction of the game. As far as the change in art direction, or the "bad" nature of the designs, Zombicide trades on "homage" and IP borrowing, so the designs failing to break new ground doesn't bother me at all. I don't mind rivets, especially if people are running around a space setting without helmets, so who cares? I don't look to board games for total immersion and deep world building.
AAN wrote: Well - despite the other comments I really like the direction it takes.
The art and the one model got a certain AT-43 feel, which I like a lot. In addition a NOT naked women, and even an African woman, I LIKE it.
I am VERY happy that it is a departure from the IMO sometimes too cartoony Zcide look. In addition after only two pics it might be a bit early to be disappointed, or? Let's take a look of what will come in the next weeks...
Personally I have just started to sell my Black Plague overstock.
And even if I do not like some of the minis, I have tons of Aliens to be used as stand ins…
I feel exactly the same way - this definitely looks like something a bit different to the previous Zombicide, and I think the more serious sci-fi art and miniature design will suit the setting.
And, at least it's something a bit different!
Hopefully we will see some more art and miniature designs be revealed soon.
DarkTraveler777 wrote: As far as the change in art direction, or the "bad" nature of the designs, Zombicide trades on "homage" and IP borrowing, so the designs failing to break new ground doesn't bother me at all.
Zombicide does homages for funsies, but that doesn't mean they don't (didn't) have their own style. This isn't a match, and it's not even objectively good. It's just a mishmash of SF whatnots pasted onto a monster body. Garbage art.
Of the four types of Xenos the scientists have been able to identify, the Workers are the weakest. However, that’s not saying much. They can still easily rip a human in two. Workers tend to attack in packs, and if the Survivors are not careful, they will quickly be overrun.
The Workers will start their assault on the PK-L7 mining base when Zombicide: Invader comes to Kickstarter on April 10 at 3 PM EST.
Well I actually like this one, looks a lot better than on the box cover, the tentacles look 'real' rather than wibble 'oh some tentacles have randomly burst out of that alien
highlord tamburlaine wrote: After Barzam mentioning the flags, plus the rivets, I can't help but see Doomtrooper/ Mutant Chronicles as an inspiration source as well.
It is almost like you're related...
This one remains solidly in the 'wait and see but probably not' category.
PsychoticStorm wrote: It really becomes one of my major disappointments... for this year.
You've stated as much for the last three pages. I think we get you don't like art direction or aesthetic of the game. Sorry? Not sure what else to tell you other than move on if you aren't interested?
I mean you are entitled to post your opinion, but nothing will change at this point. The art is set in place. The figures designs are likely set in place. So, it just seems like low-grade trolling and sour grapes at this point on your part to gripe page after page.
You are right up to a point at least, but I was extremely hyped about it when it was hinted and was expecting something in the zombieside franchise in space, this is "the others" in space, Zombieside's hart is not the rules that are ok, but nothing stellar, it is the art direction this change in art direction killed something I waited a long time now with much anticipation.
It's weird, the sculpts almost seem to be based on the original Zombicide style artwork (they might just be less detailed, but they seem much more cartoony), then the Adrian Smith artwork next to them. it sounds interesting as a game, but if there's no zombies in it, it doesn't really seem like they should be using the name (though we all know it's for promotional purposes).
I can't help but think back to Call of Duty: Ghosts which switched up the typical 'Zombie-mode' for 'Extinction', which was basically alien bug hunt type of thing. I don't recall people enjoying it as much as the zombie specific ones.
I'm liking the look of the female marine, but the aliens they've shown don't really look all that amazing. I'm guessing we'll have plenty of NOT predators, & NOT Star Wars things, so there's a lot they can do with this, that alone should be interesting to see.
Nostromodamus wrote: The guys in the rubber suits appear to be competing to see who can raise their elbows the highest.
That is how they demonstrate their fitness; female Smithaliens are attracted to bright red display elbows, and the male who can raise his the highest will become the most visible, and thus most attractive, mate of the season.
Back on topic, I had been hoping that they would come up with an alien setting for their game system. I'm also happy to see that they're not all just zombies in space.
Seems like they always have a few expansions up their sleeves. Wondering if they will have anything like a Wulfsburg sized expansion.
Was Wulfsburg in the Z:BPKS, does anyone remember?
Frankly, I have enough zombie minis to last a lifetime... So I think it is better that these are aliens instead.
Since these are supposed to be infected with a space fungus that has turned them into zombies (thus, Zombicide), I'm hoping that one of the type of enemies is space fungus infested human zombies (maybe in the add on box?).
Since this is turning into Countryballs: the Game (we have already Norwegian, South African, American and whatever country the last woman is from), I'm hoping that one of the upcoming figures in a (drunkard) Finnish countryball.
If Polandball gets an homage mini, I expect to see one for Scandinavia And The World.
But the obvious must-have homage country is Zamunda.
Anyway, I really hope they have some uninfected aliens and give them some technology so they aren't just space bugs. I love a nice, diverse range of technologically advanced aliens.
Anyway, I really hope they have some uninfected aliens and give them some technology so they aren't just space bugs. I love a nice, diverse range of technologically advanced aliens.
Too bad they didn't inverse the premise and have a Xenos ship with a ragtag group of alien sci-fi homages crash land on Earth overrun by Zombies, forcing the not-Klingon, the not-Yoda and the not-Predator to hang in there until they get rescued.
Would've been a nicer twist, closer to the concept and potentially even compatible with some old Zombicide tiles, miniatures, etc..
Anyway, I really hope they have some uninfected aliens and give them some technology so they aren't just space bugs. I love a nice, diverse range of technologically advanced aliens.
Too bad they didn't inverse the premise and have a Xenos ship with a ragtag group of alien sci-fi homages crash land on Earth overrun by Zombies, forcing the not-Klingon, the not-Yoda and the not-Predator to hang in there until they get rescued.
Would've been a nicer twist, closer to the concept and potentially even compatible with some old Zombicide tiles, miniatures, etc..
PsychoticStorm wrote: That was a really good idea, I was expecting them to stick to Xenosyft IP and have Zombieside in space be set in the skirmishes of this IP.
Possibly it was a Xenosyft (or otherwise Sci-Fi) board game, but they decided to slap the Zombicide logo on it after they presumably paid Guillotine Games handsomely for that particular IP (unlikely, since it'll probably use Zombicide mechanics, but some sculpts, artworks, etc.. were potentially "looted" internally?)
The Adrian smith art direction looks nothing like xenoshyft I am afraid, this one really looks like the others in space with zombicide slapped in it, coming to think about it humans mining rare resources on an alien planet is the xenoshyft theme so you may be right.
The theme is similar but the artwork (and overall aesthetic) of Xenoshyft is much darker. The cover for that game would have those marines dying in horrible ways, with some of them being face-huggered or ripped in half by some creature from nightmare
Pacific wrote: The theme is similar but the artwork (and overall aesthetic) of Xenoshyft is much darker. The cover for that game would have those marines dying in horrible ways, with some of them being face-huggered or ripped in half by some creature from nightmare
Spoiler:
Since the Xenoshyft people are clones, that would have been a nice boardgame (Xenocide) too. You died in the game? Just wake up another clone of yourself!
I would definitely like to see a miniature game of Xenoshyft or a nice boardgame - although with some of the big robots and aliens it would probably be expensive!
But I love the art style for the game and there really is some incredible sci-fi art associated with it. It's just a shame it is meant to be so difficult to play, I've no doubt my gaming group would be eaten alive by it (considering we die most of the time even with something that's meant to be 'easy' like Zombicide! )
Pacific wrote: I would definitely like to see a miniature game of Xenoshyft or a nice boardgame - although with some of the big robots and aliens it would probably be expensive!
We got the Orca and Ajax suits from the first Kickstarter, and the quality wasn't the greatest... but at least we got something. I nagged them incessantly during the second campaign too, but it fell on deaf ears.
I too would've loved a simple bug hunt game. Hell, they could recycle all the card art and just make figures based on it, I'd be super happy if they turned it into a skirmish game. They could even be extra sneaky and use Wrath of Kings' system to keep the game alive...
But yeah, a Xenoshyft guest box at least would be cool.
Pacific wrote: I would definitely like to see a miniature game of Xenoshyft or a nice boardgame - although with some of the big robots and aliens it would probably be expensive!
We got the Orca and Ajax suits from the first Kickstarter, and the quality wasn't the greatest... but at least we got something. I nagged them incessantly during the second campaign too, but it fell on deaf ears.
I too would've loved a simple bug hunt game. Hell, they could recycle all the card art and just make figures based on it, I'd be super happy if they turned it into a skirmish game. They could even be extra sneaky and use Wrath of Kings' system to keep the game alive...
But yeah, a Xenoshyft guest box at least would be cool.
Xenoshyft is in the Dark Age universe, so technically Dark Age is a tabletop skirmish for Xenoshyft. The Orca and Ajax suits have (or will shortly, can't remember with release schedules) rules, and many of the alien "bugs" or similar are rumored to be part of the expansion for the Brood faction later this year.
Dark Severance wrote: The real question is... In space, can anyone hear you scream? I mean is there another aggro mechanic going to be used other noise, since well space.
It takes place on a planet so noise is still good....
Honestly hate space rivets. It's already laughable in 40k, which is in itself a comedy setting, so seeing rivets anywhere past 1938 just makes me think the designers have no idea what they are doing.
Of all the unrealistic things in sci-fi, it is the rivets that irk you?
I like that several survivors can concentrate fire to bring down tougher enemies - good change.
ZOMBICIDE: INVADER - DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Mar 08, 2018
Coming to Kickstarter April 10, 2018 at 3 p.m. EST, Zombicide: Invader will be the sixth stand-alone entry in the Zombicide franchise that has spanned the adventures of countless Survivors across different time periods. This new story takes place years in the future in the far-off reaches of space. Across the entire Zombicide journey, the thing that has remained constant is the series’ development team: Raphael Guiton, Nicolas Raoult, and Jean-Baptiste Lullien. We got a chance to talk to them about the history of the game, and why Zombicide: Invader is the most exciting entry yet!
Zombicide: Invader - Design and Development
How long have you been working on the Zombicide franchise?
R. GUITON: We’ve been working on Zombicide since early 2011. The core ideas were developed fairly quickly, but it took months to wrap up the whole game and get it ready for both Kickstarter and production. We had been working together for a long time already and wanted to stay on the same path. Since then, we’ve worked on separate projects, but Zombicide has kept us together over the years.
Tell us about the backstory behind this new installment.
R. GUITON: In Zombicide: Invader, space travel and alien encounters became a reality. The only thing needed to reach distant stars is a proper engine, and humans just found a new kind of fuel on a remote planet for that engine. The government has sent a task force to extract the resource, but they failed to prevent a “gold rush.” The thing is, humans are not the only ones wanting the new fuel. Other species are on the planet for the same reason, and communication is difficult.
One day, one of those species, called the Xenos, became infected. All of a sudden, they started to attack strangers on sight and cover everything with an organic substance nicknamed Mold, turning the facilities into their new home. That’s where Zombicide: Invader starts. Players control Survivors of the initial Xenos assault, on the frontline of a new war. They don’t know what to do next, except find safety in numbers… and weapons, of course. Lots of cool weapons.
What makes Zombicide Invader unique?
J.B. LULLIEN: Weapons! Wait. Xenos! Wait. The tiles! Wait. Many key features set Invader apart from previous Zombicide games. While many game mechanics were kept, we altered a few of them, and introduced some exciting new ones. The first major change was the setting. Invader takes place in a mining station on a distant planet. Many people came for a gold rush, then the Xenos, an alien species, got infected by something nasty. They come from the deep to turn the station into a hive, and kill everyone on sight.
The Survivors come from a military or technical background, meaning they have specific skills and abilities. Soldiers are tougher but cannot find equipment as easily as the Civilians do, for example. Facing them, there are Xenos inspired from classic zombies, with a few twists. The bigger ones come first in targeting priority order, meaning the whole horde is harder to destroy. Luckily, the survivors can concentrate fire to eliminate the big ones even with small caliber weapons. It’s a challenge, but it can be done. Plus, the Abomination is way more dangerous than any Abomination created thus far. It’s faster, smarter, and turns the station into a hostile Xeno nest.
Did I talk about machines yet? There are sentry guns. And robots. Yes!
How big of a role does the location itself play in the game?
N. RAOULT: The location, an extraterrestrial mining facility, plays a pivotal role. Obviously, it’s a whole different graphic setting with a significant impact on the ambiance. Rule-wise, the new features have a specific impact on the game play. Survivors cannot walk on the planet’s surface without an equipped oxygen tank. The lack of oxygen also means bullet-fed weapons don’t work outside the station. In my opinion, the most important aspect is the lack of buildings to open. It’s all about working rooms, corridors, and open passages. In Invader, there are a few closed doors. The Xenos come from the outside in bigger waves, and players have to think with the mining station's configurations to fight their way to victory.
How long have you had the idea for a Zombicide instalment in space?
R. GUITON: We wrote our first design notes two years ago, as we were also working on Zombicide: Black Plague. The project was still somewhere in our minds, but we kept nothing from the initial ideas in the final game!
How long was this in development?
R. GUITON: We developed Invader for five months. There was quite a lot of fun work to do, over several boxes. I can’t say too much at this stage. We hope everyone will enjoy the invasion!
Will fans of the series be able to pick up the rules quickly?
N. RAOULT: Yes. The core mechanics are largely the same. Although, we’ve made a few tweaks in the overall game that have made a noticeable impact. We did our best to represent the new rules in the game’s graphics, so they are logical, fluid, and intuitive. Reading the rules will be quite fast. Over the years, the fans of the Zombicide series know where to look to find the changes. While the rules are familiar, the game experience is very different.
What will be the biggest difference for fans of the Zombicide series?
J.B. LULLIEN: The environment, certainly. Players were used to walking on streets and in villages, seeing zombies coming their way, and having to open buildings to escape. In Invader, there are no buildings to open, per se. Survivors roam in the mining station from one room to the next, and corridors are usually short. Some missions also require going outside the station in oxygen-deprived environments. There, everything is dramatically different, from lines of sight to the weapon you use. You really feel like you’re in a hostile environment.
Of course, every version of Zombicide is someone’s first, so what about Zombicide: Invader makes it a great starting point for those new to the series?
N. RAOULT: All Zombicide adventures share some mechanics, refined over the years to get more and more intuitive. These rules are flavored by specific aspects inspired by each era (classic, fantasy, sci-fi), providing a unique experience with each game. Zombicide: Invader is designed with replayability and compatibility in mind: going from one mission to the next is done in a few minutes. All you have to do is adjust the tiles and tokens to fit the map and go for your next objectives. With a couple games under your belt, designing your own scenarios is easy, adjusting the parameters to fit your audience and intended ambiance. The range itself offers many ideas to expand your game in near infinite ways. And, ultimately, Zombicide: Invader is a cooperative game with solid, intuitive rules. You may play with your family and friends, getting the core material to evolve into your own space opera!
What was the most difficult new element to introduce?
N. RAOULT: Mold! The Mold is the organic substance the Xenos use to turn the mining station into their hive. It comes in the form of tokens covering the different Zones and has special properties. Mold affects lines of sight, walls, destroys any token it covers (missions can be lost!) and, most of all, may spawn Xenos. The name really fits, it’s a nuisance.
The Spoiler Abomination’s rules tie in closely with Mold, as they spread it around the station. Mold proliferation with Abomination spawn and movement was the most challenging feature to balance.
Are these new enemies more difficult than the standard earthbound zombies?
J.B. LULLIEN: They are basically more difficult to beat than regular zombies, BUT survivors have the weapons and new rules (i.e. concentrate fire) to eliminate them. They attack in different ways, and benefit from specific Xenos rules, like the Mold. The most important change comes with the Spoiler Abomination. It’s not just a looming menace or harder zombie: it’s a real boss and a constant threat!
Can you tell us more about the new Spoiler Abomination?
J.B. LULLIEN: The Spoiler Abomination is a tough customer to deal with. It spreads Mold in any room or corridor it walks through. To be more specific about its abilities, the Spoiler Abomination spawns as usual with Xenos cards AS WELL AS anytime players don’t have enough miniatures of a given Xenos type to spawn on the board. Moreover, it gets an extra activation every time an Abomination card is drawn, and there are more of the latter than in previous Zombicide games. The cherry on the top of the slimy cake is that it deals Damage 3. The Spoiler Abomination is unpredictable, fast, omnipresent, and corrupts anything it touches. It is a true boss in every aspect.
Was it difficult to come up with the aesthetic design of the Xenos?
R. GUITON: It was the other way around, in fact. The aesthetic designs for the Survivors and Xenos were created before the rules. We defined the environmental design of the game and it was quite fun to do. We agreed really quickly about the overall feeling we wanted to give to the players: a clean mining station on a lonely, hostile planet, getting tainted by a Xenos invasion.
What was your favorite element to work on?
R. GUITON: The environment. It’s such an important part of the fun for me. It has to be unique and immersive.
J.B. LULLIEN: WEAPONS! The gameplay experience also relies on the equipment you find, and I like to test various, exotic, weird, and deadly weapon combinations.
N. RAOULT: Meta-game. I especially love to create and define artificial intelligences fit to the audience and environment.
As the Zombicide franchise is propelled into the future, we will have a lot of exciting updates to share, including introducing the brave Survivors fighting for their lives, the infected Xenos bent on killing humans, the weapons and equipment they’ll need to complete their missions, and the interstellar environments where all the action takes place. Stay tuned to the CMON and Guillotine Games Facebook pages for all of the latest news on Zombicide: Invader and look for our gameplay article next week.
Pacific wrote: I would definitely like to see a miniature game of Xenoshyft or a nice boardgame - although with some of the big robots and aliens it would probably be expensive!
We got the Orca and Ajax suits from the first Kickstarter, and the quality wasn't the greatest... but at least we got something. I nagged them incessantly during the second campaign too, but it fell on deaf ears.
I too would've loved a simple bug hunt game. Hell, they could recycle all the card art and just make figures based on it, I'd be super happy if they turned it into a skirmish game. They could even be extra sneaky and use Wrath of Kings' system to keep the game alive...
But yeah, a Xenoshyft guest box at least would be cool.
Xenoshyft is in the Dark Age universe, so technically Dark Age is a tabletop skirmish for Xenoshyft. The Orca and Ajax suits have (or will shortly, can't remember with release schedules) rules, and many of the alien "bugs" or similar are rumored to be part of the expansion for the Brood faction later this year.
Good point - and Dark Age is a fantastic game!
AJAX suits are definitely in (they're aligned with the St. Luke faction of the Forsaken), but I haven't seen ORCAs yet.
And, sadly, AJAX miniatures appear to be 'convention exclusives' only, unable to be purchased by the 'general public'.
Anyway, I'm starting to come around a bit on this one a bit - I need to see more, but liking what I see here now...
Yep. My guess is that they didn't think the franchise would last beyond the initial season or two, so Zombicide worked fine. I know some boardgames which have had seven expansions, but how many have had seven *standalone* games? (Yeah, I think Space Zombicide will have another standalone!)
IIRC, Massive Darkness was derived from Zombicide but different enough for its own "brand" name. Wonder if it's going to come back...
AJAX suits are definitely in (they're aligned with the St. Luke faction of the Forsaken), but I haven't seen ORCAs yet.
And, sadly, AJAX miniatures appear to be 'convention exclusives' only, unable to be purchased by the 'general public'.
Anyway, I'm starting to come around a bit on this one a bit - I need to see more, but liking what I see here now...
I'm not at liberty to say much. But there was a little story snippet on the Dark Age website that *did* basically confirm the ORCA, so that much is safe enough of an assumption.
I'm just saying, it's reasonable to expect to see the art/miniature assets developed for Xenoshyft show up in Dark Age sooner rather than later.
But anyway! Back on topic.
I really like the sound of the gameplay changes and enjoy the aesthetic they've shown so far, but I'm a big fan of Zombicide AND I'm a sci-fi nerd first and foremost, so I'm sure I'm a little biased.
That is the issue this does not feel neither Zombicide nor Sci fi to me.
Gameplay sounds good and the environment tiles look good, though I had to cringe on the bullets do not work without air line, makes interesting gameplay change though.
PsychoticStorm wrote: That is the issue this does not feel neither Zombicide nor Sci fi to me.
Gameplay sounds good and the environment tiles look good, though I had to cringe on the bullets do not work without air line, makes interesting gameplay change though.
I don't understand, how does it not "feel" science fiction to you? Science fiction is an incredibly broad term.
Zombicide is just a brand, with a set of gameplay mechanics and structure establishing it. It's meeting those requirements.
PsychoticStorm wrote: That is the issue this does not feel neither Zombicide nor Sci fi to me.
Gameplay sounds good and the environment tiles look good, though I had to cringe on the bullets do not work without air line, makes interesting gameplay change though.
I don't understand, how does it not "feel" science fiction to you? Science fiction is an incredibly broad term.
Zombicide is just a brand, with a set of gameplay mechanics and structure establishing it. It's meeting those requirements.
Indeed science fiction is quite broad and can go from post apocalyptic cavemen to sleek and elegant.
Andrian Smith artwork is rough post apocalyptic, feels like diesel-punk, heavy, unrefined armour slapped on without support or assistance designed as something one would wear in WW1 without inspiration to anything modern, aliens look like cosmic horrors instead of either aliens or zombies...
Andrian Smiths work carried the others and hate well because the first one was a cosmic horror setting and hate because it was a post apocalypse barbarian themed game, neither of them sci fi or elegant, his style does not work on sci fi simple as that at best he stops at diesel-punk (and a rough one at it, more WW1 inspired than art deco inspired) and this is what the production of Zombicide invader looks like.
Now why it does not look like Zombicide? simple Zombicide is not a set of rules or a play style it is an IP and the IP is more the art direction the feel and the established conttinuity.
These are Zombicide
Despite coming from a different era they look like belonging to the same IP and feel the same
this is the others art
This is hate artwork
Finally zombicide invader
It looks and feels like the others and hate, it does not feel like a zombicide IP.
Granted even if they went with the original art direction it might not have looked like "mass effect with aliens" most of us hoped it to be, but it is an educated guess that it would look like it given the established art direction and feel all previous games had.
This is mashing Andrian smiths art that has its fair share of followers and Zombicide that has its vastly bigger share of followers and hoping to capitalise by merging both together, ignoring the fact Zombicide was carried mostly by its art direction, not by its rules.
PsychoticStorm wrote: This is mashing Andrian smiths art that has its fair share of followers and Zombicide that has its vastly bigger share of followers and hoping to capitalise by merging both together, ignoring the fact Zombicide was carried mostly by its art direction, not by its rules.
Hmm, I doubt that very much.
I have played with many, many folks that did not like the art direction BUT loved the gameplay.
IMO Zcide is one of the best casual games. Once you understood the basic mechanics, you can play even with months in between games.
Some of my friend are very casual gamers, games like Imperial Assault, any tabletop wargame, X-Wing or so are way too demanding for them. They all like Zcide!
But each to his own judgement, I am in and see no point in bashing on the established look of the game.
If you don't like it, don't pledge, IMO it is that simple.
PsychoticStorm wrote: This is mashing Andrian smiths art that has its fair share of followers and Zombicide that has its vastly bigger share of followers and hoping to capitalise by merging both together, ignoring the fact Zombicide was carried mostly by its art direction, not by its rules.
Hmm, I doubt that very much.
I have played with many, many folks that did not like the art direction BUT loved the gameplay.
IMO Zcide is one of the best casual games. Once you understood the basic mechanics, you can play even with months in between games.
Some of my friend are very casual gamers, games like Imperial Assault, any tabletop wargame, X-Wing or so are way too demanding for them. They all like Zcide!
But each to his own judgement, I am in and see no point in bashing on the established look of the game.
If you don't like it, don't pledge, IMO it is that simple.
This is not the consensus (at least for the original Zombicide) in the boardgame circles, the ones that will actually back up a kickstarter, it has ok rules but nothing to wow you, never said that was a bad thing, but for most people the art attracted them, not the rules, black plague fixed a lot of things regarding the rules and there are many who would wish CMON came back and fixed the originals, maybe they plan it for a future v2 kickstarter? in any case for most people the Zombicide IP is more the art direction than the rules and departing from that shocks and disappoints as it is evident from the FB comments.
As I said they try to merge the demographic that likes Adrian Smith art direction and the demographic that likes Zombicide, I do not think these two intersect quite well, I do not think they will loose many of the Adrian Smith supporters, but I do not think they will gain that many Zombicide supporters.
Indeed each to their own judgement, I see a point in bashing the change of art direction and feel of the game though.
ElvisJuice wrote:Adrian Smith can't do Sci-Fi? Didn't he draw this?
Spoiler:
Yes, as I said he cannot do sci fi, even if that sci fi is the degraded 40k grimdark sci fi were everybody is a temple shrine with legs.
PsychoticStorm wrote: It really becomes one of my major disappointments... for this year.
You've stated as much for the last three pages. I think we get you don't like art direction or aesthetic of the game. Sorry? Not sure what else to tell you other than move on if you aren't interested?
I mean you are entitled to post your opinion, but nothing will change at this point. The art is set in place. The figures designs are likely set in place. So, it just seems like low-grade trolling and sour grapes at this point on your part to gripe page after page.
You are right up to a point at least, but I was extremely hyped about it when it was hinted and was expecting something in the zombieside franchise in space, this is "the others" in space, Zombieside's hart is not the rules that are ok, but nothing stellar, it is the art direction this change in art direction killed something I waited a long time now with much anticipation.
I understand being disappointed by something you were previously excited about. Happened to me with the Fallout game, and with 40k 8th edition. But you are banging the same drum page after page. It is getting tiresome.
DarkTraveler777 wrote: As far as the change in art direction, or the "bad" nature of the designs, Zombicide trades on "homage" and IP borrowing, so the designs failing to break new ground doesn't bother me at all.
Zombicide does homages for funsies, but that doesn't mean they don't (didn't) have their own style.
Not what I was referring to with the designs failing to break new ground. People are complaining that the rivets on the armor are out of place, or that the armor design is uninspired or "bad". My point is that this IP had taken inspiration from other IPs from the start, so I am not looking to Zombicide to challenge my notion of whatever genre it is playing with.
JohnHwangDD wrote: This isn't a match, and it's not even objectively good. It's just a mishmash of SF whatnots pasted onto a monster body. Garbage art.
Opinion not fact. Definitely not objective. "Opinions are like a-holes and they all stink" level of subjectivity. Stop trying to pass opinion off as fact.
ElvisJuice wrote: Yeah, OK. I respect your right to be vocally embarassingly wrong about art.
Sure, its not my fault you chose one of his more embarrassing 40k artworks to show, somehow GW signed it even though basic anatomy and composition and perspective are not present.
I said he does not do sci fi because he fails to grasp the concept of sci fi and at best he delivers a diesel punk feel, the scene above could be on a starship, could have very well be in a bunker complex in Verdun during a weird WW1 setting, worse it replaced a much better artwork (in black and white) that conveyed the sci fi feeling of 40k 14 years earlier than this was made.
I understand being disappointed by something you were previously excited about. Happened to me with the Fallout game, and with 40k 8th edition. But you are banging the same drum page after page. It is getting tiresome.
You are right, I hope I get over the shock soon, doesn't help I get Pms to ask me if I saw the new Zombicide and how bad it looks.
Indeed the tiles artwork looks and feels like a sci fi Zombicide, the miniatures and character artwork do not, playing those bulky marines on these tiles will look really disjointed.
Show me an example of him doing sci fi art and not something that looks at best WW1 with stuff on it?
I do not like his art style but I agreed that in the others and hate it fitted it, mostly because the games were designed around his art and not the other way around.
PsychoticStorm wrote: That is the issue this does not feel neither Zombicide nor Sci fi to me.
Gameplay sounds good and the environment tiles look good, though I had to cringe on the bullets do not work without air line, makes interesting gameplay change though.
Why would bullets work? I may be a bit ignorant here, but if we're falling back on the ol' explosion in a chamber pushes a slug o' metal out of a pipe-type bullets, don't they need oxygen to burn the explosion bit?
Also, I'm totally not getting the non-sci fi-art thing. The art is rad! Mr Smith is all about sci fi!
ElvisJuice wrote: Yeah, OK. I respect your right to be vocally embarassingly wrong about art.
Sure, its not my fault you chose one of his more embarrassing 40k artworks to show, somehow GW signed it even though basic anatomy and composition and perspective are not present.
I said he does not do sci fi because he fails to grasp the concept of sci fi and at best he delivers a diesel punk feel, the scene above could be on a starship, could have very well be in a bunker complex in Verdun during a weird WW1 setting, worse it replaced a much better artwork (in black and white) that conveyed the sci fi feeling of 40k 14 years earlier than this was made.
Spoiler:
...Adrian Smith did the 1990 one too. Oh my god, lol.
PsychoticStorm wrote: Show me an example of him doing sci fi art and not something that looks at best WW1 with stuff on it?
Irony overload. Your own example of a good piece of sci-fi art was by the man himself. I'm going to be grinning about this all weekend, I can tell.
Why would bullets work? I may be a bit ignorant here, but if we're falling back on the ol' explosion in a chamber pushes a slug o' metal out of a pipe-type bullets, don't they need oxygen to burn the explosion bit?
From a science(y) website
Fires can't burn in the oxygen-free vacuum of space, but guns can shoot. Modern ammunition contains its own oxidizer, a chemical that will trigger the explosion of gunpowder, and thus the firing of a bullet, wherever you are in the universe. No atmospheric oxygen required.
Nah I was hoping and expecting therians to show up, was his one decent work in sci fi, probably because it never involved drawing faces or armour, the rest of his at43 was WW2 but I really cannot put the blame on him though the whole game was alternative WW2 repurposed the last moment by R to be sci fi I have seen far better renditions of sci fi skeletons but hey it was not a bad take.
His overall sci fi work is chunky not in line with the work his colleagues did for example his space marines were always thick and inorganic in contrast to the excellent designs Marc Gibbons and Jess Goodwin did.
Really he did it? the old emperor artwork? now I am shocked how on earth he managed to devolve so much, how can somebody with continuous work on his field produce after 14 years of experience a new artwork were he manages to mess everything that he did good in the first one.
The glass window that sets the piece, the dynamism of the composition, the anatomy of the characters, the placement of the characters, the perspective drawn? in the artwork 14 years before the second the emperor not only does not have a dislocated leg and has all the spine-bones he should have, even manages to have both his feet on the ground! what happened? quality control got that worse?
... If I had realised in the past both were his my rants about the 2004 artwork would be even worse... in retrospect that is a good thing...
I think we can argue what is and is not sci fi all day, technically Hate is sci fi because it is set in a post apocalyptic world even though everybody is dressed as SM barbarians, but given the art style Zombicide had and the fluff they gave so far for their sci fi edition (plus the tiles) we can safely assume that the art style intended was a futuristic sci fi like mass effect, Valerian, and so on, not a sci fi set in the past with some futuristic things like diesel-punk or steampunk. In my opinion the soldiers he created fit the diesel-punk genre, not a futuristic we went to the stars setting.
As for the weapons, if the bullet is decently done all the oxygen needed for the propellant to ignite is inside the propellant, it does not need an external supply of oxygen to oxidise, most people do not know it, makes sense to most people who will read it, makes an interesting gameplay dynamic ere some weapons cannot be used in some tiles, overall it is a good design.
What happened is the 40k aesthetic evolved and Adrian's work matches that aesthetic. Proportions on power armoured humanoid figures have been very exaggerated in warhammer 40k for decades now.
I disagree what I pointed out were mostly technical issues, the emperor in first artwork has human proportions and has both his feet on the ground, he and Horus have all their limbs lockated were they should have been, and look different, the stairs are drawn with perspective, both characters are drown with perspective in mind one forward one in the background.
Moreover he draws the same mistakes in all the works he does outside of GW, anatomy has no meaning even if the depicted are humans perspective is eclectic.
I think the others and Hate were really his best work because the games were designed around his artwork, I do not think he can do artwork designed for a game, Zombicide invaders would probably be accepted easier if it was not named Zombicide and was an expansion for the others, or a sci fi version of the others.
Smith did Therian artwork for AT-43. Looks pretty scifi to me. Or would we argue it's too organic looking?
I'm not too up on AT-43, but it looks like those were actually designed by Edouard Guiton - small world. Edouard Guiton AT-43 gallery
It won't make any difference to how the game plays, but the Guiton designs are just a lot more fun than the new Smith designs and it's too bad they changed them for Invader.
AAN wrote: I just love what I see so far! Automatically Appended Next Post:
PsychoticStorm wrote: This is mashing Andrian smiths art that has its fair share of followers and Zombicide that has its vastly bigger share of followers and hoping to capitalise by merging both together, ignoring the fact Zombicide was carried mostly by its art direction, not by its rules.
Hmm, I doubt that very much.
I have played with many, many folks that did not like the art direction BUT loved the gameplay.
IMO Zcide is one of the best casual games. Once you understood the basic mechanics, you can play even with months in between games.
Some of my friend are very casual gamers, games like Imperial Assault, any tabletop wargame, X-Wing or so are way too demanding for them. They all like Zcide!
Absolutely. I have never met anyone who has not enjoyed playing Zombicide on a casual basis. Even people who would never touch a board game beyond Trivial Pursuit or Cranium, and absolutely not war games, play the game.
I know if I get this it will get a lot of play out of it and some fantastic looking miniatures to paint (looking forward to what you will do with them AAN )
PsychoticStorm wrote: That is the issue this does not feel neither Zombicide nor Sci fi to me.
Gameplay sounds good and the environment tiles look good, though I had to cringe on the bullets do not work without air line, makes interesting gameplay change though.
Why would bullets work? I may be a bit ignorant here, but if we're falling back on the ol' explosion in a chamber pushes a slug o' metal out of a pipe-type bullets, don't they need oxygen to burn the explosion bit?
Also, I'm totally not getting the non-sci fi-art thing. The art is rad! Mr Smith is all about sci fi!
Modern weapons can fire in space even today. In the future they should definitely be able to. That being said I dont mind a little bending of reality if it makes the game more balanced and fun.
I wasn't expecting news over the weekend but here's more - Invaders Fatty equivalent
The hulking Xeno Tanks lead the charge against the mining base on PK-L7, shrugging off all but the most potent attacks. Smaller breeds of Xenos find cover behind their mass. The Survivors would be wise to keep the Tanks at a distance, as they deal out two Damage with each hit.
I like these guys, big cajones and all. Might make some great Dark Mariner experiments for Deep Wars as well...
Going from what we've seen so far, we should see some absolutely crazy KS-Exclusive Abominations That may be where we see a not- xenomorph queen.
Still think there should've been some Strain type infected humans to actually keep the Zombicide name relevant, rather than just for marketing purposes..
Better looking survivor - the "lower" armoured look looks better than full power armour
Mitsuki came to PK-L7 as a Civilian machine programmer, looking to assist with the extraction of Xenium from the planet. She had grown up with a love of technology, often relating more to robotics than her fellow humans.
I’m starting to like this more the more I see of it. I hope they don’t go too crazy with random pop culture references with all of the bonus survivors. I’d rather they kept the same look and built up a sizeable group that looked like a cohesive force.
I do not think technophiles are ever going to eclipse from the world, I think technology has something that excites some people and their specialised interests makes them a bit awkward with the more generalised populations.
Jared was pretty much destined to be a Soldier. He grew up bigger than the average kid, but always defended those smaller than him. As he got older, he became a jock, then a firefighter, before finally joining the army. One of his greatest abilities is staying calm in all situations. His fellow Survivors will need his cool demeanor
Obviously being a red blooded American jock, that's a baseball ba IN SPAAAACE. I do like the design as well. Hopefully he isn't the only one sculpted wearing his helmet on the planet WITH NO BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE. At the the Japanese character does have a breath mask, even if she isn't wearing it.
Barzam wrote: Obviously being a red blooded American jock, that's a baseball ba IN SPAAAACE. I do like the design as well. Hopefully he isn't the only one sculpted wearing his helmet on the planet WITH NO BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE. At the the Japanese character does have a breath mask, even if she isn't wearing it.
Looks similar to the Incursion "Slugger Murphy" figure:
That's a cool looking miniature there, would made a good raider/bandit leader for a post-apoc game.
Barzam wrote: Obviously being a red blooded American jock, that's a baseball ba IN SPAAAACE. I do like the design as well. Hopefully he isn't the only one sculpted wearing his helmet on the planet WITH NO BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE. At the the Japanese character does have a breath mask, even if she isn't wearing it.
I hope that model's really big. He looks like a bit of a pin-head. Getting flashback's of Mantic's "Survivor" from their first Deadzone KS, who's helmeted head was smaller than most human's un-helmeted heads...
ZOMBICIDE: INVADER - GAMEPLAY
Mar 13, 2018
Humans didn’t come to this rock looking for a war, but that’s what they got. Sure, everything started off fine. Scientists had discovered a powerful new fuel source, Xenium, which, once refined, would make exploring the far reaches of the galaxy a reality. Problem was, it could only be found deep below the surface of PK-L7, a small planet floating out in the middle of nowhere. Still, the value of the Xenium was too great to ignore, and money is a pretty strong motivating factor.
Soon, a small mining base was being built on PK-L7 and Civilians from all over the world were being shuttled out there to extract the dark, oily soup. Along for the ride were a bunch of hardened international Soldiers, just in case. There was a lot of money on the line and it made sense to protect the investment.
It was in the deep, winding tunnels where the first attacks occurred. Most of the miners were killed, but those that survived told stories of primitive, aggressive creatures, which would become known as Xenos. These monsters followed the survivors back up to the surface… to the base.
In Zombicide: Invader, 1 to 6 players take on the role of Survivors in an isolated space outpost. They will have to work together if they hope to live through the Xeno onslaught and get back home to Earth one day.
Zombicide: Invader is played over a series of different Missions or in one-off adventures. Players work together to complete objectives, and winning or losing depends on whether or not they’re able to finish the required tasks.
The ruleset can easily be picked up by anyone, even if they’ve never played a Zombicide game in the past. Invader introduces some rule changes that streamline the game and allow players to get right to the action. The mining base on PK-L7 is a much more open environment made up of large Rooms and connected Corridors. There are fewer doors and tokens to place than in earlier versions of Zombicide. The remaining doors don’t require a dice roll to open them. Each Survivor can open or close one door for free during their activation. In Invader, opening a door no longer triggers a Spawn. Further simplifying setup, there are fewer Spawn tokens to place at the start of a game, but the Xenos appear in greater numbers. Spawn cards only feature one type of Xeno on each card, with only their numbers changing based on the Danger level, making for much faster reading of the cards. As well as the new way the Xeno deck works, the Equipment deck has also been altered to include a greater amount of powerful weapons, giving a greater chance for the Survivors to find helpful items faster. All of these minor changes result in faster setup time and shorter, more exciting Missions for the Survivors without sacrificing gameplay.
Speaking of Survivors, this new futuristic team is made up of two distinct groups. Civilians just came to PK-L7 to do a job. They received only basic combat training and are not protected by heavy armor, making them more vulnerable to the Xenos’ attacks. However, they are better at Searching the base for Equipment and Weapons, finding useful items no matter the room. Soldiers, in contrast, have seen a fair share of war in their time, but nothing could fully prepare them for the mindless assault of the Xenos. They are geared up with special armored suits, allowing them to take more hits from the Xenos, but they are only able to Search for items in Security Rooms. Each round, players activate their Survivors and spend actions to move around the board, kill Xenos, and perform tasks.
The more effective the Survivors are at killing off the Xenos, the more experience they will gain, unlocking new skills and abilities (more on those in a future article). However, as their experience level rises, so too will the Danger Level, and more Xenos will be attracted to the turmoil.
Once all of the Survivors have been activated in a round, the Xenos will have their turn to either close the gap between themselves and the Survivors, or attack them if they’re in range.
Not much is known about the Xenos. However, scientists have been able to identify four distinct breeds among them and have determined that they are also not native to PK-L7. The grunts of the Xenos, referred to as Workers, appear in the most numbers. Although they are clearly the weakest of the bunch, they can still easily rip a human apart. The Workers tend to attack in groups, and while they’re easy to kill, they’ve been known to quickly overrun a team of Survivors. Larger Xenos have been nicknamed Tanks. These brutes shrug off most attacks and deliver blows that can tear through armor in seconds. Xeno Hunters clearly have a killer instinct. They are more cunning than the other breeds, hiding behind their allies in order to avoid attacks, making them harder to target. These predators leave little doubt that their function is to seek out and destroy humans. Rounding out this gang of killer extraterrestrials is the Spoiler Abomination. These hulking monsters require a lot of firepower to put down. They plod through the base, shrugging off most attacks. Survivors will have to combine a discarded Canister with a Flamethrower to create Hellfire, or Concentrate their fire to bring them down. However, slaughtering the human forces seems to be a secondary motivation for the Spoiler Abominations. Wherever they go in the base, they leave behind a terrible and dangerous Mold. This biological scourge spreads throughout the base and threatens Mission objectives and the very survival of the humans.
Mold is a corrosive, sticky, slimy substance spread throughout the base by Spoiler Abominations. It can be either Active or Inactive, impacting its properties and the way it affects the base. All Mold removes Door and Objective tokens in a Zone when it’s first applied. Losing an Objective in this manner can even cause the Survivors to lose the game, so Survivors will have to fight it back with their trusty flamethrowers. Mold eats away at the walls, causing any covered wall to be considered as having an open access. A Zone covered in Mold cannot be Searched and loses any special properties it may have had. An Active Mold Zone can also become a Xeno nest spawning new Xenos into the base. If enough Mold has spread throughout the base, and two Spawn Zones are linked by an unbroken chain of Active Mold, the Mission is immediately lost.
In Zombicide: Invader, the environment itself is an important element. The cold reaches of space are harsh under the best of circumstances, but when facing an attack by aggressive Xenos, the Survivors are going to have to take advantage of special building Zones within the base and even venture outside onto the planet’s surface to complete their Missions. In Oxygen Supply Rooms, Survivors will be able to acquire Oxygen Tanks, a necessary piece of equipment if they hope to travel outside the controlled atmosphere of the base. Airlocks are the frontier between the base and the surface of PK-L7. Certain Mission Objectives or in-game situations will force Survivors through Airlocks into Exterior Zones. While the humans need an equipped Oxygen Tank to exit the base, Xenos have no such requirements, moving through Airlocks at will. To further complicate matters, bullet-fed weapons and flamethrowers won’t work on the planet’s oxygen-starved surface. Only advanced prototypes will be effective outside the confines of the base. Players will have to take advantage of weapons like the Prototype Machine Gun or the Prototype Assault Shotgun. These futuristic firearms do not possess their own power source and require an equipped Energy Cell attached to turn them into effective killing machines. It’s enough to make a Survivor wonder if all this scientific advancement was worth leaving the safety of planet Earth.
If science got them into this mess, maybe it will help them out of it as well. Survivors have at their disposal two advanced robotic Machines that can be remotely controlled by any player from across the board. The Peacekeeper Bot and the Falchion Sentry Gun can be used to attack the Xenos while the Survivors stay at a safe distance, or they can simply create noise to draw Xenos away from more fleshy targets. As well as having new technology, these Survivors have new strategies at their disposal. They can take advantage of the Concentrate Fire technique to select a specific target and multiply their Damage value with the number of successes they roll. This is one of the most effective and one of the only ways of taking down Spoiler Abominations.
The Survivors of PK-L7 are a long way from home, and as the Xenos close in, they have to wonder if they’ll ever get back. Zombicide: Invader introduces new weapons, equipment, and strategies, terrifying new opponents with strange mutations, and a brave group of Survivors trying to withstand the onslaught. With a faster setup-and-play time, streamlined rules, and a brand new setting, both fans of the series and people being introduced to Zombicide for the first time will find something to love.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm fully expecting a Johnny Five figure in this campaign. The fact that there's sentry bots seals the deal on that one. I also expect at least one Ghost in the Shell figure and a Schwarzenegger in there somewhere.
And no one made her wear Stiletto heels in her armor either. I like it!
It's interesting, but I'm still holding out to see the full KS. If we get a bunch of cool sci-fi characters and aliens like this, I think it's a good deal.
Really hoping for a
NOT Jabba the Hutt
NOT Zorg (from 5th element)
NOT Briarios Hechatonechles (totally butchered that spelling - from Appleseed)
NOT Briarios Hechatonechles (totally butchered that spelling - from Appleseed)
Totally not happening since the only Shirow works anyone ever seems to remember is GITS (and even then, it's navel gazing Oshii's version).
Ripley or Vazquez, definitely. Dr. Zoidberg I could see happening. Robocop seems like a good possibility. He-Man or Skeletor would've worked better for Black Plague. Some kind of Star Wars reference is almost guaranteed. My money would be on Boba Fett more than anyone else. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a Blade Runner reference either. If we do, I hope it's Roy Batty rather than Deckard.
NOT Briarios Hechatonechles (totally butchered that spelling - from Appleseed)
Totally not happening since the only Shirow works anyone ever seems to remember is GITS (and even then, it's navel gazing Oshii's version).
Ripley or Vazquez, definitely. Dr. Zoidberg I could see happening. Robocop seems like a good possibility. He-Man or Skeletor would've worked better for Black Plague. Some kind of Star Wars reference is almost guaranteed. My money would be on Boba Fett more than anyone else. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a Blade Runner reference either. If we do, I hope it's Roy Batty rather than Deckard.
Ripley and Vasquez were already in Sedition wars, so I'd be surprised if they made it into this. Zoidburg and Robocop would be amazing! Masters of the Universe is technically Sci-Fantasy (I mean, Roboto...) but a 'NOT Skeletor' was already in Arcadia Quest, so I kind of doubt they'd put him in either.
I REALLY doubt they'll tempt arousing the Mouse in trying to use Star Wars type characters, but, who knows. They're already treading a bit close to 40k, which can be dangerous.
It'll be interesting to see what they come up with, I mean, they had the Stranger Things kids in Green Horde.
Ripley and Vasquez were already in Sedition wars, so I'd be surprised if they made it into this.
Not sure how that would preclude them from being in this game. Different companies, Studio McVey isn't exactly selling those figures, heck, McVey's not really selling Sedition Wars at this point.
Ripley and Vasquez were already in Sedition wars, so I'd be surprised if they made it into this.
Not sure how that would preclude them from being in this game. Different companies, Studio McVey isn't exactly selling those figures, heck, McVey's not really selling Sedition Wars at this point.
Both are CMON projects, and despite McVey's involvement, they might choose to avoid it for that reason. Maybe they'd even consider making a card set so you can use Sedition wars figures in the game? But again, we won't know till later.
Ripley and Vasquez were already in Sedition wars, so I'd be surprised if they made it into this.
Not sure how that would preclude them from being in this game. Different companies, Studio McVey isn't exactly selling those figures, heck, McVey's not really selling Sedition Wars at this point.
Both are CMON projects, and despite McVey's involvement, they might choose to avoid it for that reason. Maybe they'd even consider making a card set so you can use Sedition wars figures in the game? But again, we won't know till later.
I think all C'MON did was distribute, the game and figures were all McVey if my memory is worth anything.
CMON bought Sedition Wars lock stock and barrel from SMV so they own it but other than possibly something in a guest box from Mike I dont think they’ll cross the 2 plus Sedition Wars minis are smaller than Zc so they won’t mix well anyway - if (big if) they do those minis (like Ripley) again I’d expect new scuplts.
I’d quite like to see a guest box from Mike with Kara Black, Vantara Sharro, Gilgamesh and Vokker Dargu or even Lisbeth - miniatures SMV is known for but not so obviously linked to SW.
Automatically Appended Next Post: well it's not Johnny 5
The same sorts of advancements in technology that allowed for interplanetary travel have also yielded some incredible new equipment. The Peacekeeper Bot and the Falchion Sentry Gun can be controlled remotely, in order to take out Xenos at a safe distance or to just cause a distraction to help a Survivor escape a dangerous situation.
Actually these more down-to-earth sculpts (pun not intended) make me more interested in this game since they would probably fit a lot better with other manufacturers models compared to the very distinct, cartoony style they’ve done before.
I'm sure some will love it, but for me it breaks my willing suspension of disbelief that this object was created by a civilization capable of traveling to distant stars and killing their zombies.
I'm sure some will love it, but for me it breaks my willing suspension of disbelief that this object was created by a civilization capable of traveling to distant stars and killing their zombies.
Not a fan of the smoke stacks either, but they seem like they could be altered/removed without much effort. I'd love to see a back shot of that sentry bot, since it would help determine how problematic those smoke stacks will be. Also, it looks like it has stowage too. I wonder if it has some sort of equipment carrying ability in-game?
And based off the fluff shared so far I don't think humanity is space faring yet, just that the Unobtanium crap the humans are mining makes that sort of travel possible. Bold emphasis mine.
Scientists had discovered a powerful new fuel source, Xenium, which, once refined, would make exploring the far reaches of the galaxy a reality. Problem was, it could only be found deep below the surface of PK-L7, a small planet floating out in the middle of nowhere.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: That implies some interstellar travel, although perhaps not easy or affordable travel as Xenium would provide.
Yeah. I am guessing Xenium ( ) allows faster than light travel (or equivalent), and humans currently have something slower than that which requires more time and effort to get around.
Like taking a blimp ride across the Atlantic versus the Concord.
The US military has a robot with an external ammo feed, but I didn't find too many pictures of machine gun robots with an external feed, not that I was looking closely.
ZOMBICIDE: INVADER - THE SURVIVORS OF PK-L7
Mar 15, 2018
The residents of PK-L7 didn’t all show up at the same time. They trickled in to the small, barren planet on transport ships over the last few months. Some were scientists and miners, just there for a job, looking to explore the planet and extract the powerful fuel called Xenium as efficiently as possible. Others were soldiers that had been hand-picked or volunteered for the mission, to protect the Xenium fields, the facilities, and investments.
The Civilians and the Soldiers didn’t mix much… in the beginning. They regarded each other with the natural distrust that comes with groups of people that rarely come in contact with one-another. The Civilians considered the army folk to be meatheads, ticking time bombs ready to go off at the slightest provocation. The Soldiers felt their judging glances, secure in the knowledge that if stuff really hit the fan, the Civilians wouldn’t stand a chance without them. Little did they know that their theory was about to be tested, and these two groups were going to have to come together if they hope to get off the planet alive.
In Zombicide: Invader, 1 to 6 players take control of the Survivors of PK-L7 and fight their way through a series of Missions, working cooperatively to complete their objectives. Each Survivor is classed as either a Soldier or a Civilian and has their own starting strengths and abilities.
Civilians are not trained or equipped for a war. They are more vulnerable to Xeno attacks, having only two Armor points. However, they have an intimate knowledge of the base and are able to Search any room Zone in it. This allows them to get their hands on Equipment and Weapons much faster. Soldiers have the most advanced armor money can buy. Their protective suits grant them three Armor points. This makes engaging with Xenos a little more manageable. However, these military personnel are less effective at Searching, only able to perform that action in Security Rooms. Situationally, both of these types of Survivors have helpful skills, but only by working as a team will they be able to complete their objectives. In Zombicide: Invader, each Survivor is important, and each one has a story to tell.
Baraka grew up rich. She didn’t join the military out of necessity. It was more like a calling. She was unsatisfied with the life of luxury that had been thrust upon her and she longed for the challenges, obstacles, and dangers that only a life in the army could provide. Maybe it’s because she chose this life, or maybe she’s just damn good at her job, but when the Xenos attacked, she saw it as the fulfillment of her higher purpose. She wades into the battle like someone taking their predestined place in the universe. As a Soldier, she’s found sometimes you have to rely on a little luck. She starts with the Lucky Skill, which allows her to reroll the dice results of any action. Baraka is also a deadeye with a weapon, and with enough experience, she’ll unlock the Sniper Skill. This allows her to freely choose the targets of her Ranged actions and her misses don’t hit fellow Survivors.
Not everyone embraces their calling so readily. Cole grew up knowing he was smarter than average… quite a bit smarter. However, his intelligence didn’t translate into work ethic. Content to slide by, all Cole really wanted from life was to be left alone, have a little fun, and make an honest day’s pay. The Xeno attack quickly changed his laid-back attitude. Through his quick-thinking, Cole has already saved a number of his co-workers, and now he’s looking to help find a way out of this mess. He’s slowly becoming the hero he’s tried to hide his whole life. Cole is a Civilian and a jack of all trades, starting the game with a free Search Action. As he gains experience, he’ll gain extra actions, and dice rolls for Ranged and Combat actions.
Jared hasn’t had the same conflict with his role in life. He grew up a tough kid, but a nice one, looking after those weaker than him on the schoolyard. His larger-than-average size and strength made him a natural jock, but his inclination for helping people out never went away. His career led him to become a firefighter, a security guard, and eventually a Soldier. Jared is calm, collected, and charismatic, even when blasting a nest of Xenos. As the assault continues, the other Survivors are going to have to rely on Jared’s relaxed demeanor. It can be easy to freak out and break ranks on the front line, but when you look to your left and see a man with a full smile on his face as he pumps hot lead into Xeno flesh, it’s enough to make you think you might just make it after all. Jared likes to get his hands dirty in combat. He starts with Shove, which allows him to, well, shove Xenos one Zone in a straight line. With enough experience, he’ll unlock Charge, which gives him the ability to move up to two Zones for free into a Zone containing at least one Xeno.
Magnus is a brute. There’s no two ways of looking at it. This career Soldier may seem like a gentle giant, until you hear the first string of provocative and inventive profanities spew forth from his mouth. Magnus uses his size to impose his will. Fortunately, he’s usually looking out for the greater good. He will put his life on the line again and again if it means saving the life of another Survivor. It takes more than Xenos to bother Magnus, but Mold is a different story. When there’s Mold in the station, it turns him a bit green. Magnus can’t be slowed down, even by Xenos, and starts the game with twice the Armor as other Soldiers. As he gets more experienced, he’ll gain the Unstoppable Skill, allowing him to move out of spaces containing enemies without spending extra actions.
Mitsuki is another Survivor who is good at keeping her distance, although hers is emotional rather than physical. In her Civilian life, she has always felt more at home with machines rather than humans, a skill which has come in handy at different times. The Xeno attack has thrown her for a bit of a loop, as she now has to rely on people to live. Mitsuki is having a tough time deciding whether human interaction or Xeno vivisection is the scarier thought. At least her abilities with machines are aiding her. She starts with the Remote Control Bot Skill, allowing her to take immediate control of the Peacekeeper Bot and use it during Missions and with enough experience, she'll gain the Sprint Skill, allowing her to move around the base a lot faster.
Vivian always bought into the idea of being a part of the machine. She played by the rules, did what she was told, and never questioned authority. But when the artificial rules of society crumbled after the Xeno attack, a different part of Vivian awoke, and she became the warrior she’d always been just below the surface. She’s a Civilian, but Vivian is embracing the war with the Xenos more than some of the Soldiers. She has the Taunt Skill, which allows her to draw Xenos towards her, regardless of any other Survivors in the area. They’ll rush her with the blind desire to rip her flesh to pieces. With enough experience, she’ll gain the Shove Skill.
Luckily, the fleshy Survivors of PK-L7 have some metallic assistance at their disposal in the form of the Peacekeeper Bot and the Falchion Sentry Gun. The Survivors will be able to spend actions to control these machines remotely if they have the corresponding Skills, or they have acquired the corresponding Remote token. The Peacekeeper Bot can be moved, perform a Melee or Ranged action, or simply make noise to draw Xenos away from Survivors. The Falchion Sentry Gun can perform a Ranged action or make noise, and a Survivor standing on the same Zone can control it as if they had a Remote token. Any Xeno kills executed by a Survivor with one of these machines earns them the corresponding Experience points, but technology is fragile and they will be destroyed if they suffer any Damage.
The odds are stacked against this ragtag gang of Survivors. Relentless, mindless killers are fighting to get into the mining base, corrosive Mold is eating away at their defences, and if that’s not bad enough, they have to get over their own social awkwardness and mistrust to come together. In Zombicide: Invader, Survivors have to fight for their lives as a team if they hope to leave this planet in one piece.
TalonZahn wrote: Once they realized they all had one thing in common.....rivets.
gakloads of rivets.
Shave them off. Putty over them. Paint them like jewels/sensors. Paint them like anything other than rivets. Problem solved?
I mean you COULD do that, but the time it would take to do them ALL would take away so much time from actually playing.
There's zero reason for them to be there, they look tacked on / after-thought to Sci-Fi this baby up!
The 2 bigger characters have a nut plate riveted to their nut plate.....look like they took a Baseball Catcher set of gear and riveted plates on to it.
Won't matter in the long run as the Stretch Goal and Unlock Characters will undoubtedly be much better, as the generally have been in the last Zombicide KS campaigns
TalonZahn wrote: Once they realized they all had one thing in common.....rivets.
gakloads of rivets.
Shave them off. Putty over them. Paint them like jewels/sensors. Paint them like anything other than rivets. Problem solved?
I mean you COULD do that, but the time it would take to do them ALL would take away so much time from actually playing.
Any miniature prep then could be considered time taken away from playing, so I don't accept your argument. If you don't like the rivets there are solutions. That is the point.
Grumpy? LOL no. Just tired of hearing the same complaints from pages back. The rivets were covered. If you don't like them do something about them. Or don't pledge.
TalonZahn wrote: Yea, valid complaints are always a touchy subject for people with the opposite opinion...
It is all opinion. Your complaint isn't any more valid because you think rivets don't belong on these models. You don't like their aesthetic. Fine. That is your opinion. People have voiced similar opinions pages back. If you haven't been following the thread, fine, but you are regurgitating stuff from pages back and its tiresome.
Nostromodamus wrote: How does the dude with the helmet even reach the bottom pouch on the right of his breastplate?
Such an immersion killer, definitely not pledging on this
I know right? The artist should just kill himself!
TalonZahn wrote: Yea, valid complaints are always a touchy subject for people with the opposite opinion...
It is all opinion. Your complaint isn't any more valid because you think rivets don't belong on these models. You don't like their aesthetic. Fine. That is your opinion. People have voiced similar opinions pages back. If you haven't been following the thread, fine, but you are regurgitating stuff from pages back and its tiresome.
Nostromodamus wrote: How does the dude with the helmet even reach the bottom pouch on the right of his breastplate?
Such an immersion killer, definitely not pledging on this
I know right? The artist should just kill himself!
Ahh the classic misdirection and mocking.
Good to see nothing ever changes around here.
5/7 Thread needs more hyperbole, strawmen, and complaining about complaining.
How about the tiny heads on the bigger models, has that been brought up ad nauseum yet?
Well the same complains creep up in all discussions about this Zombicide, not only here, so I guess its an issue perceived by many potential backers?
Like it or not art direction on change on an established franchise is divisive, Andrian Smith art direction was always divisive, more so when he touches sci fi, divisive things will be discussed. ad nauseum if needs be.
Maybe the rivets won't be as noticeable when these figures get turned into plastic models? Details tend to shrink a bit with plastics, so they need to be exaggerated a bit in the sculpting phase.
TalonZahn wrote: Once they realized they all had one thing in common.....rivets.
gakloads of rivets.
It's a very, very different aesthetic to Infinity. That much must be obvious.
Comments about them being 'realistic' aside (in a game where humans are fighting space zombies for mining rights of a fictional element) I think it suits the chunky, punk-ish style of the art and the miniatures, more so than if it were sleek and with a moulded plastic look of Infinity or Sedition Wars.
But understand this is very much a subjective thing..
Rivets should not be that prominent on casted models, or 3D prints, the biggest learning curve any company faces on 3D sculpting miniatures is learning how much they need to exaggerate the features on the models to achieve the casted model they intended, a reason why I say on many kickstarters the renders details seem to shallow.
It goes beyond saying CMON has long ago mastered this and produce renders suitable for casting.
On aesthetics, its aesthetics.
For many of us it does not feel "sci fi" or at least "space sci fi".
yikes! Crappy artwork and must say the minis dont do it for me… Apart from that this has nothing to do with zombicide in any way shape or form… maybe the rules are similar.
I was hoping for, if nothing else, some decent sci fi character minis that aren't space marines. Wait and see.
I don't mind homages but, after so many kickstarters, I don't really need more nods to the Serenity crew, Ripley, Six, Super Heroes, Monty Python Grail Knights, etc ...
I sold all my Zombicide 1 and 2 stuff so don't have any at this point. I can see backing this as it would be a fun board game and the figures ought to be useful for other skirmish stuff.
Cole - render looks better than the artwork (reminds me a bit of Cassian Andor) I think it's the red jacket that looks off give him a brown jacket much more "sci fi rogue" looking then. So far the civilians are better than the soldiers.
Good? No, the render looks way better than the artwork. If this is how the civilians are going to look, I'm very pleased. Well, aside from the fact that there's no way this guy could actually go outside into a hostile atmosphere dressed like that.
well the render has a passing resemblance to the artwork which is a big improvement.
Maybe the planet has atmosphere, just not oxygen, in this case assuming it is not acidic or something else poisonous, one could go out with a breathing device assuming the pressure is same as earth.
Of the different Xenos that have been identified, the Hunters are clearly the fastest and most cunning. They hide from fire behind their larger cousins, as they quickly close the distance between themselves and the Survivors. Learn more from our Xenos article next week.
While it's a great monster, there is nothing about that design that suggests it's meant to be an alien, especially not the kind of tongue in cheek alien one would expect from Zombiecide.
Of the different Xenos that have been identified, the Hunters are clearly the fastest and most cunning. They hide from fire behind their larger cousins, as they quickly close the distance between themselves and the Survivors. Learn more from our Xenos article next week.
I want to like this iteration of Zombicide since I know our kids would play it and enjoy it but the aliens/zombies are a big letdown. If CMON had gone with a look similar to the Flood from the Halo games or went with more alien/xenomorph look I'd be all over it but the tentacle people are just kinda...meh.
The future has brought the technology to make interplanetary travel a reality, and some Equipment to make the journey a little safer. In Zombicide: Invader, the Survivors will be able to search the mining base for some futuristic Weapons and Equipment, but lurking in the Equipment deck are Mold Spawn cards that will turn Active Mold Zones into Xeno nests. Look for our Equipment article later this week.
I'm starting to suspect that CMON had been planning this for months, coordinating everything with the Zombiecide artist (Guillon?), paying his advance and setting the production schedule, and then when the due date came around for his design work, they walked in to find his office empty and the window open...
"Guillon's done a runner! We've got twenty four hours to put this game together! Somebody ransack the Xenoshyft design files for any unused artwork and get me Smith on the phone, and by God you all better start praying that Adrian has a valise full of Others concepts in the trunk of his car."
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Xenocide for aliens 
. I hope it’s all sorts of campy art style.
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. Wonder if I can use that as my avatar for Kickstarter when this starts.
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, and leaves a bad taste in his mouth later.
