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Spectrum Games is proud to announce the launch of Urban Manhunt: the Miniatures Game, a tabletop game that depicts a harsh, violent sport of the dark near-future (as seen through the lens of the 1980s). Each player takes on the role of a hunter, a highly trained and larger-than-life mercenary who scours sectioned off parts of prison cities, eliminating convicts (called crims) for points. The hunter with the most points accumulated when the time limit expires wins the match.

According to designer Cynthia Celeste Miller, “Urban Manhunt was born from my love of 1970s and ‘80s films set in bleak futures such as The Running Man, Escape from New York and The Warriors. The way we viewed the future back then was drastically different than how we view it now. I wanted to make those aesthetics a central aspect of the game’s setting.”

Urban Manhunt doesn’t require a massive investment to play at full-throttle. In fact, you can play with only one miniature. Best of all, the rulebook features a detailed system that allows you to stat up practically any miniature you own!

Wargamers accustomed to the traditional “One Player’s Group Attacks the Other Player’s Group” set-up are in for an exciting surprise! Urban Manhunt creates an altogether different dynamic. The hunters aren’t allowed to attack each other. Instead, they attack the crims. The crims’ actions are controlled by the game system itself. Some crims may hide in the ruins or flee, while others go straight for the hunters, ready for a fight. It’s all dictated by an intuitive game mechanic involving Control Cards and the crims’ Demeanors. The system flows smoothly and offers a great deal of possibilities!

The digital version of the game offers all the cards, tokens and 2D crim miniatures needed to play. They can also be downloaded at www.spectrum-games.com/urban-manhunt. Within the rulebook’s 132 pages you’ll find the complete game system, the hunter creation rules, setting information, and more. The hardcover and softcover versions of the book will be released in February.

Spectrum isn’t just releasing the rulebook, however. The company is hitting the ground running, with support products to further enhance the Urban Manhunt experience. This includes the print-on-demand version of the Event Deck (the Control Deck and Crim Deck will be released very soon!) and even a 20-song soundtrack from Dave “Tree Dweller” Woodrum. We will be adding 3D-printable files for the various tokens in the game as well..

The products can be purchased here: http://www.spectrum-games.com/urban-manhunt

Sounds interesting, but shame on you for not mentioning "Assault on Precinct 13".

 Adeptus Doritos wrote:
Sounds interesting, but shame on you for not mentioning "Assault on Precinct 13".

*hangs head in shame*

Truthfully, I only fairly recently watched that film and although I loved the hell out of it, it wasn't an influence on Urban Manhunt.

Hmmm definitely curious about this. Any gameplay videos or anything planned so we can see it in action before committing to buying a rulebook?

 Pugnacious_Cee wrote:
Hmmm definitely curious about this. Any gameplay videos or anything planned so we can see it in action before committing to buying a rulebook?

Yes indeed. We are excited to show would-be customers that Urban Manhunt offers a very different game experience than what's out there.

This looks and sounds great so far. I'm excited for more info.

 Gallahad wrote:
This looks and sounds great so far. I'm excited for more info.

I appreciate the kind words. I'm always up for answering specific questions if you have any.

Also, for those interested, I set up a Facebook group last night. I'd love to see some Dakka folks there. https://www.facebook.com/groups/urbanmanhunt/

I genuinely feel we have a unique and fun game on our hands and hope to get it to people's tables.

If anyone is interested, they can check out the first Urban Manhunt review.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=256446&products_id=264435

 CynthiaCM wrote:

 Gallahad wrote:
This looks and sounds great so far. I'm excited for more info.

I appreciate the kind words. I'm always up for answering specific questions if you have any.

Also, for those interested, I set up a Facebook group last night. I'd love to see some Dakka folks there. https://www.facebook.com/groups/urbanmanhunt/

I genuinely feel we have a unique and fun game on our hands and hope to get it to people's tables.

What would you say are the most interesting choices and tradeoffs players face in the game?

 Gallahad wrote:
What would you say are the most interesting choices and tradeoffs players face in the game?

Great question! Urban Manhunt is all about making interesting and or difficult choices.

The first interesting choices take place before the game even starts. That is, during the hunter creation process. After assigning 20 points to the hunter's six Attributes, you'll be asked to prioritize three categories: Attacks (your hunter's means of causing harm to crims), Special Rules (skills, talents, powers, gear that will help your hunter do well in an unforgiving sport) and Momentum Options (effects you can spend Momentum—an expendable resource—on to make cool things happen). You'll decide which is 1st, which is 2nd and which is third. This decision will determine how many points you'll be given to spend on those categories. There are some serious trade-offs that must be considered in this process.

Once the game begins, numerous other choices and trade-offs move to the forefront. I'll list a couple of my favorites:

Targets: Not all crims are created equal and have an assigned Base Point Value to reflect that. When a hunter eliminates a crim, they earn a number of points (which is how the game is won) equal to the BPV, plus a possible bonus if the elimination is particularly innovative, entertaining or gruesome. This bonus is reflected by a Pizzazz check, but that's another topic altogether. The variance in the crims' BPV poses an intriguing dilemma for the player. Do you target the tougher crims to snag those big BPVs at the risk of it taking longer to eliminate them (not to mention that crims can fight back and the higher BPV crims tend to fight back more effectively) or do you try to load up on points by eliminating a bunch of wimpier crims in hopes of taking more of them out?

Rolling 10s: Every time your hunter makes a check, one of the dice you roll must look different than the others. This die is the Impact Die. Whenever it rolls a 10, you automatically gain a point of Momentum. In addition to that, you'll gain one benefit of your choice. First, you can opt to gain a second Momentum. Second, you can have the die count as two successes instead of just one. Third, you can flip over the top Event Card and carry it out (or place it in your hand if it's a "Keeper" card. The fourth option can only be taken if the check in question is a Fight or Shoot check and it essentially increases the chances for dealing more damage. I won't go into details here though.