The first bit was a solid plague victory, something of a smash and grab...


As you can see, some of the terrain needs just a bit of finishing, but i felt that more was better, even if it wasn't entirely done. This was the intel mission from nexus psi, unmodified, which gave us both 50 points to spend on our teams. Being the host, and knowing the rules, i made both strike teams from my painted collection, and set up the terrain. We got the opposite corners deployment type, with plague set to go first. The only win condition for this mission (aside from a wipeout, i guess) was to secure the intel, in one of the 8 white cargo crates. Being that the stage three, s3, plague are fast and can move another cube than my guys, and that there were as many of them as the enforcers --not to mention their big hulking stage twos, s2-- i felt a bit of a disadvantage was at work. When three of the four randomized crate positions ended up on the plague end, i knew i'd be fighting hard to eke out a victory.

Now, a few atmospheric shots displaying the initial set up of the enforcers in greater detail.








I didn't get a lot of shots of the plague set-up, my opponent was too busy rushing them at equipment crates going for the win!

Just ammo! Note the roaring s2's mutation, acid bite! Very deadly, that one.


The other s2 got rapid metabolism, making him just as fast (and twice as terrifying) as the s3's. Here, you can see my opponent getting ready to make an important discovery...


But to add suspense, here's another shot of those nasty s2's converging.


Oh, look! It's the solitary game winning objective, the precious intel! Too bad it was well behind the middle line and near the plague start zone, especially bad for me that this particular s3 had the vestigial wings mutation and dynamically glided down to snatch up the vital intelligence package!

The s3 'general' mutant leader has a command of 2/2, allowing up to 4 plague to move per initiative step, within the first turn of the game, my opponent already had me bouncing off the ropes. But hell, this was my first proper game of released deadzone, and I was gonna come off those ropes swinging! To that effect, I quickly mobilized my entire strike team (i also had a 2/2 command leader, but only 4 guys in total) in an effort to leave that dastardly plague mutant a smoking crater!


I moved my rifle enforcer forward out of the relative safety of his cover in order to gain a clear shot on the plague mutant. Unfortunately, the damn thing was tough and the nearby cover managed to help counter my extra dice.



Weep not, however, for I had brought along what is likely the most fearsome profile within the enforcer ranks, the dreaded sniper! And snipe he did! This wasn't one of those 8v0 success super kill shots or anything, but the sniper rifle's armor piercing charge and the shooter's skill successfully brought the mutant down!

I admit, the chalk line is a bit of a dramatization, but that mutant went down hard, leaving the objective temporarily unclaimed!


Here you can see my defender rounding the corner to put some much needed fire down the field, I was hoping to push the s2 back and knock him down to alert status, instead of his combat enhancing enraged level.


However, it was a long shot and s2's are very durable, he doubled the shoot roll with his survive and negated the knockback effect, ending my turn.


hooo-boy, a nasty s2 plague mutant and he's way, way, too close to my lines for comfort...


My sergeant surveys the incoming rush with cool dispassion, being on an armored walkway without an expedient access from the ground level has nothing to do with it...


Here you can see my opponent reaching for his s2, remember when I mentioned that s2 had the fast rule for this game?


Well, regardless, he totally had it, and he totally closed distance with the sniper in a rush of bony plates and twisted flesh! The sniper isn't any worse than a normal enforcer at melee, however they aren't very good by default... and the s2 is a combat specialist. Let me show you the dice roll...


I think his abilities, enraged status, and charge action started him with six dice, at least a couple exploded...


... just like the sniper.


here's the other important thing to note about that turn...


my very next activation was to move my rifle enforcer to where he could get sight of the enemy cube so I could go for a delay via suppression...


I think i got him down to pinned, but pinned wasn't quite good enough. Here, you can see my defender trying to slow up the other s2, but to no avail.


At this point, the fight as pretty well over, I decided to go with a daring clear shot head shot on that dastardly s2... but yeah that was more or less a wiff.


Things turned out ok though as the s2 wiffed it's own attacks when his activation came around... only to be met by just exactly enough successes to overcome his toughness and deliver two points of injury, and people say the sarge can't fight... anyone can get lucky


/dance, who want's some!?


Oh, well crap. My sarge managed to keep his head for the round, but my opponent's next activation got his intel-carrying s3 to alert from pinned, and then off the board in a hurry.


So, yeah, I was pretty much doomed to failure on that one when the box ended up on my opponent's side. If it hadn't be so close to the liquid storage tank, I might have had better luck. At least I managed to get us to round 3, if I had done nothing, the plague would have had the intel off the board on the first turn!

MVPs? Hard to say for this game, seems mostly like a team effort to both win and lose, with too little game time for particular stand outs. I guess rifle enforcer did the most tripping up of the enemy, and the two s3 intel carriers won the game.

Deadzone battle report 2, standard once off, reduced to 50 points from 70 for time constraints, victory conditions reduced from 10 to 8 points.
I think we managed in about an hour and a half, and mostly because we'd only played once before and i'm terribly slow at making important decisions.


We kept the same setup as game 1, but we got opposite long edges which gave us both reasonably close high points. According to standard deadzone rules we did not know eachother's objectives, he had to infiltrate his guys across the board with no other way to earn points so it was that or to wipe me out, and i had to control (have a guy on, and no enemies adjacent to, the cube containing the objective marker) objectives. Since we reduced the points, i would be able to win by just holding two, i think he would have had to successfully infiltrate every single model on his team to win that way, which is probably why he started coming right at me instead. I got the first turn.


The initial enforcer deployment, you can't see the objectives from here but the defender and sniper are right across from one, and the other two are poised to climb and make a dash for the central objective marker. So glad i made those addwalls, they amuse me to no end.


Enforcers got the first turn of the first round, the sniper wasted no time in using a climb action to get into a better position. The door controls were stuck, but his enhanced physique made a mockery of the cheap settler grade materials.


The standard rifle enforcer, we're gonna call him stock for now, hopped once space up the building, he couldn't run and he couldn't climb, so he had a somewhat limited movement. The sergeant decided to take the low road and patrol around the flank of the abandoned marine HQ node, eyes on the prize.

One note, we had decided to skip using both the command order ability, and overwatch to help simplify this game, a couple of times i would have liked to issue commands, but things worked out.


The defender has advanced under the watchful gaze of the squad's designated marksman, he's very close to an objective marker, but holding one will do no good. That crate at the right just happens to be in the same cube as well, wonder if there's anything good to be had?


Final enforcer advancement as of round 1, moving everyone in one go means the enforcers will get to go first next round as well.

extra shots of things you've already seen, but less important to the flow of the battle:


This may be considered as a showcase as well as just a battle report, huh? This is the first recruitment adwall in all of it's glory, fittingly mounted on corporation marine building, ignore the unfinished roof barricades and double wide walkway.


A true pro would probably keep his barrel from poking out of the window, but this guy has powered armor and wanted the best line of sight possible.


Heads will be shot liberally and in good measure!


With the enforcer turn and round finished, now we turn to the vicious plague mutants.


Remember that we were using the yellow suited plague with the hmg as the plague s3 general instead. Also note the ap1 razor claws on the lunging s3, and the acid breath on the blue/green clothed plague s3 in the back. You can also now clearly see the objective in the center of the board, one which the enforcers desperately need.


Forget the s2's and you'll be dead before you know it, here they are so we can keep that from happening, soldier.


I find this particular aspect of his deployment curious, i'm assuming my opponent had figured his mission nearly impossible given the circumstances (surely i would hit at least one of them if they tried a refused flank and started bolting). The hidden mission objectives are really cool though. Once both players have more experience, i could totally see the plague player huddling up in a corner to draw the enforcers out, only to jump everyone at his leader due to drawing the assassinate mission, and vice versa.


This objective is deep within enemy territory, i'd have a better chance of wiping the enemy force than getting over here, the general and standard s3 advance cautiously forward eying that crate with more than a little greed.

The next round goes pretty quick, and several things happen packed into the next few images..


Holy crap! Those second gen plague are deadly, and when they pull a rapid metabolism mutation? Really, really bad. It took all four enforcers shooting to make this happen, the sarge's pistol did nothing, the defender's shotgun and even the sniper's fire were shrugged off thanks to that damn cover cube. Finally, the rifle enforcer turned and blazed away at the monstrous thing, combining a blaze away card with his weapon's weight of fire, and the fact that the s2 was already in cover and more likely to go to ground there, it was still close. In hindsight, i should have opted to do that first, and left the others to try to do something else, but y'know.


The bottom field objective team lives to see another turn, but it took everything the enforcers had to make it happen.


Here we have some plague advancement, still playing it a bit safe, nabbing some ammo while the enforcers are recovering from their apparent panic fire. Don't forget about the other s2, and the rest, they're moving around too, but temporarily off camera.


So now we make it to round 3, while we didn't know everything at the time, we were both likely sweating our objectives, i would have to nearly wipe his troops out to hold two of mine, and with his s2 down there was no way he could get off the board, whether we knew it or not we were headed towards mutual eradication!


Boldly advancing forward, the defender moves to spread himself out from the sarge (hindsight says that may have been less than ideal) and to take a clear shot with his riot gun, in an attempt to move the second gen further from enforcer lines and the objective. The pinned (shook off suppressed in his own turn) s2 managed to do really well on his survive roll and didn't budge.


The sarge was considering a counter charge, but if he failed to kill the s2 outright he would reset it's status to alert and have to fight it again in the next turn. This would have been a great time to make an order but since we weren't doing that i believe the sarge went with get mean instead.

This is one point in which i'm a little fuzzy, i think the shotgun may have scooted the thing afterall... i remember him being suppressed for the next round as we had a discussion as to whether or not you could use the courage card followed by get mean (seems like that should be legit if you can move + move card), but either way the sarge did little this turn but the sniper and stock enforcer did plenty.


Thinking he had a secure position, the plague on the industrial building had been blazing away at the sniper to no success, however the stock enforcer adjusted his position and took a clear shot. I'll spare you the photo of the dice, but there were 8 successes.



Yeah, nothing left but wound counters



This was another time i would have liked an order, but things worked out. I threw a move card at the sniper and he used his jump pack to pop down a cube, giving him moderate visibility on the s2 sneaking past the los of his high perch by way of the bridge. I like to think he took the shot while gliding down from the open doorway of the tower, using any recoil from his weapon to help push him to his final position. More likely he just jetted down, took aim, and fired, believe what you will.

The defender tried again to shoot the downed s2 but to no luck, and i believe the sarge had a similar fail, bad luck for those two soldiers all round in this match. Ahh, i've just remembered a couple of things too, when that defender moved to get that first crate? Well, it was only going to be ammo but it wound up drawing the booby trap card from the plague player, which pushed him back a spot. Also one of the plague managed to pin both the defender and sarge in the previous turn when they were huddling up trying to defend against the s2, they both got mean at that point and that's part of why less happened with that s2.


Though he was suppressed, thanks to a courage card and the get mean action, the stage 2 managed to get into the fray, though he was missing the extra dice from only being alert instead of his usual enraged. The defender managed to hang in there without taking damage, but it was close.


The plague general used the twisted card to get a brutal acid bite ability, and the other s3 got another ammo crate.


This sneaky s3 found a frag grenade off to the side!


Here's a snapshot of what the plague are doing this turn, so far it's looking kind of ok for the enforcers, aside from that s2 barely held in check by the defender.


Which you can now see, basically no way i'm getting the objectives without thinning the herd, but he's already incapable of infiltrating a win so it's still annihilate or bust.


The newly mutated general used a move card and hopped up to take a bite out of stock enforcer, ap2 is bad business!


Then, probably because things were looking somewhat grim for his team, the other s3 lobbed his frag up into the mess! Surprisingly, it rolled low enough and the two targets rolled high enough to completely shake off the effect, must have been a dud.


This second gen was deadset on holding the sniper with a blaze away, but the stoic figure would have none of it, the first enforcer action of the next turn is what gave him his wound counter, from the same sniper he was attempting to suppress.


Knowing it would not be without risk, the defender used the ally-in-cube bonus granted by the sergeant to break off from the fight, he did so with a double or better result which left him an action.



I'll let you figure out what that action was This does well to illustrate that even the shotgun can kill things, but it needs bonuses like clear shot and to be within optimal range to have much luck.


This is where stock enforcer starts rolling well and kicking butt, ignore the suppressed marker it doesn't belong there. Stock managed to make a doubled break off action leaving him free for a clear shot at the general's back, boosh.

By this point, the plague mutants were absolutely furious with the sure shooting sniper, so instead of going for what would likely be a guaranteed kill on the wounded stock enforcer, the acid breath s3 uses a move card to get into position for a shot!



But luck was not with him, and the rolls didn't result in any damage, which was lucky for the sniper since his armor would have done little good.


The plague general spent a moment to use get mean to go back up to enraged (being hit by a doubled shoot reduces your aggression level) and charged right back into the stock enforcer, though he didn't manage to hurt him.

The s2 engaged with the sarge had a bit of better luck...



The sarge went down hard, and the free action from that doubled fight let the furious s2, now freshly enraged from inflicting damage, hop into the adjacent cube to duke it out with the defender. The defender manages to hold the charge, again, just out of pure luck.


Back to enforcer control, this is turn 4-5 maybe, hoping to get away to clear the sniper to shoot, the defender makes a break off attempt, but the dice are against him and the additional ap of a failed break off leaves him splattered on the neocrete.

The defender was thinking about his team the whole time though, and even though he didn't successfully complete his action, the results were the same. The sniper still had a clear shot...




Even though he'd just heard the very real potential consequences of the action screeching over the comms, stock enforcers best option was still to break off, and it went just as well for him this time as it did the last. I spent at least five minutes agonizing over whether he should shoot the wounded general or the arguably more dangerous acid spitting s3, caution won out, however, and he targeted the general with his doubled break off short action...



...doing a single point of damage with the clear shot, so i feel justified in my choice



Things were really getting down to the wire for the plague player and the game in general, the enforcers have a clear advantage at this point, but it was entirely possible for the plague mutant to get a quick kill and flee off the building from the sniper in hopes of coming back for him later. Fortunately for him, stock managed to survive the acid spit by rolling his only 3 dice for the test as successes, taking zero damage, surviving by zero margin. The mutant figured on bad chances against two enforcers so he tried to take the stock enforcer in a fight, but managed no damage there either.


The enforcers probably could have killed the acid breath s3 by shooting it dead, but i figured they would do things by the book if possible, so the sniper hopped down and over to claim objective yankee for 4 points.

An extra turn passes off camera as i reposition the enforcers, stock manages a just passed break away allowing me to play a distract card on the spitter keeping him locked in place for the duration.


Stock enforcer managed to claim objective zulu for the win.


If the spitter still had coherent thoughts, i think they would be thus.


And finally a bit of a diagram for the last round of action.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading the report as much as i did writing it, or even a bit more perhaps, though unlikely you did as much as we had playing it... anyway

Really had fun with that one, it was close for most of the game, with lots of turn arounds and surprising rolls, rolling up definitely makes things interesting. Whenever i get to play again, i'll try to make another report, thanks for watching and happy hobbying!

MVPs? The enforcers really pulled together as a team and there were some heroic sacrifices, but the sniper vies with the rifle enforcer for mvp status. The sniper got the most kills, but the rifle enforcer displayed a nearly ridiculous amount of tenacity and got a couple of kills himself. The plague mvp probably has to be the gorilla looking s2, he ate half of the enemy strike team and dictated the actions of nearly the whole team for a couple of rounds all on his own. The plague general with his late game acid very nearly turned things around, and only exceptional rolling by rifle enforcer kept the sniper from getting outnumbered and overwhelmed.