Mantic Games - Warpath Universe News and Rumours

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**Baragash**

Gah, Marauders are my favourite race in DZ, the last thing I wanted to see is a floating model, there's a reason my CSM Raptors are all old school.

**GrimDork**

Aberration thing is pretty alright. I think lockdown pledges got one? I don't think I'll mind having one around.

The changes to DZ sound interesting, anything to streamline it. I didn't mind the cards, but if doing away with them makes things work better, then so be it.

**.Mikes.**

scarletsquig wrote:
I see how it could work, I've simply never been a fan of special characters and the choice of leader determining the models you can play with.

I got the impression it didn't limit what you could play with, just gave bonuses to certain catogories. EG, an assault Enforcer commander would give bonuses to melee rolls, or a Peacekeeper commander would buff armour, that kind fo thing.

**lord_blackfang**

In Wrath of Kings and Relic Knights, the commander grants a special rule or ability to every model in his force. Depending on what the ability is, some models can obviously make better use of it than others, and that informs your list design. But nothing becomes worse or even prohibited.

**GrimDork**

That sounds a lot like Warmahordes from my limited experience with that system (basically asking around to draw up an informed purchase list if I ever got into it). Basically your warcaster is best at supporting and being supported by particular kinds of units though the choice has no bearing on which units you are *allowed* to take. There were theme lists for characters which did restrict choices but it was totally voluntary.

What I was reading on Jake's blog made it sound a little more like you'd have some numbers. Like Howlett would have 1-3 assault enforcers and 0-2 rifle enforcers, etc. As long as there weren't any --- entries, you wouldn't be limited much. I mean you can only ever take 6-7 enforcers total in a normal points game so duplication past a point isn't much of an issue.

**.Mikes.**

Yeah, that kind of thing. It's something I like from Warmachine, it's a force multiplier, allowing you to play to your strengths if you want.

All in all I'm liking the rumblings from the rules updates.

**edlowe**

Update from jakes blog that people with a previous copy od dz can redeem it for a digital copy of the new rules.

they've not fully worked out how yet but they dont want people left with the old rules.

**CptJake**

That is pretty cool. Are these new rules what is supposed to ship when the latest DZ KS stuff ships?

**edlowe**

CptJake wrote:
That is pretty cool. Are these new rules what is supposed to ship when the latest DZ KS stuff ships?

Quoted from Jakes blog.

The one I’d like to deal what today is the fact that some people might have bought the existing DZ recently, and might feel a bit miffed about shelling out for a new one.

Rest assured, the main point of reworking DZ is to get more people playing it. With this as the aim Ronnie’s keen on making this transition as smooth as possible.

The way this is achieved hasn’t been finalised, but Ronnie said he was happy for me to let you know the sort of thing that he currently has in mind. This starts with giving a digital copy to all the original KS backers. For those who’ve bought DZ after this, there will be some sort of discount scheme. The sort of thing that Flames of War has done between editions seemed to work – get your old edition stamped for a hefty discount on a new one.

Something like that.

**Talking Banana**

Hey guys, just got a note from Mantic on the Warpath KS that could be seismic.

As you may recall, Mantic originally said "no Corp in the Warpath KS - we're saving it for a Corp Vs. Zz'or Deadzone KS campaign.

So I asked why they're now talking about doing the Corp in the Warpath KS all of a sudden. What changed? Their response:

"I think partly there's less desire to do Deadzone again on Kickstarter, and we're nearly past our initial targets."

I followed up with: So less interest in doing Deadzone on KS - does that mean future plans for Marauders etc. would come in the form of another Warpath KS instead?

"Or we'd just fund it without Kickstarter. Depends on how well the game bites at retail. Kings of War is doing extremely well, and so there is an appetite to fund some armies without Kickstarter."

So Mantic is evidently now seriously considering doing major releases outside of the KS platform. Which should make some of their critics pretty happy, I guess?

**Tyr13**

Theyve already started doing that though, with KoW. The Ogre hunters were never part of the kickstarter, yet weve seen their renders. and they seem to be coming soon. Still a nice change though.

**NTRabbit**

I'm pretty sure they only said "no Corp vs Z'Zor 2 player starter" and "no Z'Zor" in the Warpath KS, I don't think they ever explicitly said no Corp

**Baragash**

Tyr13 wrote:
Theyve already started doing that though, with KoW. The Ogre hunters were never part of the kickstarter, yet weve seen their renders. and they seem to be coming soon. Still a nice change though.

Nor were the Soul Reaver infantry or Skulks and Stew has more stuff on his desk as well

**Bolognesus**

Zombie trolls are said to be coming before the end of the year. If those are anywhere near as good as the Ogre hunters they'll really be turning over a new leaf in this regard.

**.Mikes.**

Vermonter wrote:
Which should make some of their critics pretty happy, I guess?

Ah, this must be your first day on the internet.

**Thraxas Of Turai**

Vermonter wrote:

So Mantic is evidently now seriously considering doing major releases outside of the KS platform. Which should make some of their critics pretty happy, I guess?

I think so, it would certainly make me happier. Being able to see a fully sculpted and produced product before purchasing it gives me greater confidence than backing a KS where x% of what you are paying for is a largely unknown quantity.

**DaveC**

Deadzone Redux Command Dice
Posted on October 6, 2015 by Quirkworthy

I’ve shown a few pics of us playtesting DZR recently, and you may have noticed some bespoke D6s we’ve had lying around. So far, nobody guessed quite what they are, though there have been some fun suggestions. Today I thought I’d explain what they really do.

Meet the Command Dice.

These are, (hopefully) obviously, not final production copies. They’re my playtest versions, and incidentally a great illustration of how impermanent “permanent” markers are. Playing with these means smudgy hands.

To Start With, Why Command Dice?

The new dice are a replacement for the old deck of Battle cards. As such, their job is to provide a set of gameplay tweaks as a resource for the players to manage. How you use them is an opportunity for players to demonstrate their skill. It also helps to make every game different and reduces any predictability in what you and your opponent can achieve. With the right combination of Command Dice at the right moment you can do almost anything. If you use them well.

I was originally planning to use bespoke dice with the original version of Deadzone, but for various reasons that didn’t happen. Cards are fun too, and was happy using them. However, this new dice system is faster to play, easier to explain, and still retains the gameplay features I was after. So I think this change is a big win

What Are Command Dice?

Command Dice are an abstract representation of the training and cohesion of a well-led fighting force. They allow us to include moments of cunning and planning as well as luck without the need for complex rules. It’s easy to imagine what each Command Dice result represents. It might be a carefully lined-up shot, a sneaky ambush, a sucker punch, sly feint, or coordinated attack. Thinking about the results in this way helps make the story of your battle that much more interesting.

How Do You Get Them?

At the start of each Round, both players check how many Command Dice they are entitled to, and roll them afresh.

Each Strike Team starts with 3 Command Dice. Some abilities (notably Tactician (x)) alter this number.

As long as the player’s Strike Team has at least half of its models still on the table, they may re-roll as many Command Dice as they choose. If they re-roll any dice then they must keep the second result. All re-rolls must be made at the same time and before the first activation of the Round.

The results of these dice must be used during that Round or they will be lost. Unused Command Dice are discarded at the end of each Round.

How Do You Use Them?

Most results are used to enhance the actions of the active model when it is your Turn. The exceptions are adding dice to a model’s roll when it is attacked in your opponent’s Turn, and some army special effects.

Each Command Dice is discarded as its result is used.

What Do They Do?

I’ve laid out the dice in the picture above to show one of each side: all 6 sides are different. In order, they mean:

Symbol Meaning Notes
+1 +1 model activation Normally players take Turns activating a single model. Use this immediately after you have taken a Turn with one model to take a Turn with another. If you have rolled this result several times then you can take Turns with several models in a row.
Cube +1 dice to any normal test If you have rolled this result several times then you may choose to add more than one dice to a single test.
Move Additional Move action The Move is restricted to 1 cube only, regardless of the model’s Speed stat.
Shoot Additional Shoot action
Fight Additional Fight action
Mantic Splat! without text in Army special The effect is different for each army. Army special effects do not count towards any other restriction on number of actions per Turn unless specifically mentioned otherwise.

Move, Shoot and Fight allow the model to do that action on top of their normal 2 short or 1 long actions. They are very useful as they don’t count towards the normal restriction that you cannot repeat a given action within a Turn.

Special actions are defined at the army level, and every army has a unique effect.

Design Notes

As the dice are rolled at the start of each Round, and then spent during it, you reduce the amount of fiddling about off-table. You either have an option this Round, or you don’t. Changes (other than spending them) are corralled into a single bookkeeping phase at the start of the Round.

Although the dice are the same for everyone, the ability to re-roll the ones you don’t like plus the variable meaning of the special result makes them quite bespoke in practical effect. It also means that I can change what I want from them as the game plays out. So, if I have an assault army I might want to get lots of extra Move actions early on, to close the range, but then want more Fight actions and bonus dice in later Rounds. The Command Dice let you choose each Round what kind of tactics you’re going to use. However, because they’re dice they aren’t guaranteed to play nice with your plan…

Our testers so far have been really pleased with the results on the tabletop, which is gratifying. A couple were a little skeptical at first, though that seems to have quickly evaporated when they’ve tried it out in practice. I hope you find the same.

The beta rules will be out soon (though I can’t tell you when yet as I don’t know), so you might want to make your own set of Command Dice in anticipation. That’s partly why I’m telling you this now. Alternatively, you can always use a normal D6, reading the results in the same order as the table. When I ran my first playtests I had the above table printed out beside each player, and we just put normal D6 on the relevant row as reminders of what we had left.

**Theophony**

DaveC wrote:
Deadzone Redux Command Dice
Posted on October 6, 2015 by Quirkworthy

I’ve shown a few pics of us playtesting DZR recently, and you may have noticed some bespoke D6s we’ve had lying around. So far, nobody guessed quite what they are, though there have been some fun suggestions. Today I thought I’d explain what they really do.

Meet the Command Dice.

These are, (hopefully) obviously, not final production copies. They’re my playtest versions, and incidentally a great illustration of how impermanent “permanent” markers are. Playing with these means smudgy hands.

To Start With, Why Command Dice?

The new dice are a replacement for the old deck of Battle cards. As such, their job is to provide a set of gameplay tweaks as a resource for the players to manage. How you use them is an opportunity for players to demonstrate their skill. It also helps to make every game different and reduces any predictability in what you and your opponent can achieve. With the right combination of Command Dice at the right moment you can do almost anything. If you use them well.

I was originally planning to use bespoke dice with the original version of Deadzone, but for various reasons that didn’t happen. Cards are fun too, and was happy using them. However, this new dice system is faster to play, easier to explain, and still retains the gameplay features I was after. So I think this change is a big win

What Are Command Dice?

Command Dice are an abstract representation of the training and cohesion of a well-led fighting force. They allow us to include moments of cunning and planning as well as luck without the need for complex rules. It’s easy to imagine what each Command Dice result represents. It might be a carefully lined-up shot, a sneaky ambush, a sucker punch, sly feint, or coordinated attack. Thinking about the results in this way helps make the story of your battle that much more interesting.

How Do You Get Them?

At the start of each Round, both players check how many Command Dice they are entitled to, and roll them afresh.

Each Strike Team starts with 3 Command Dice. Some abilities (notably Tactician (x)) alter this number.

As long as the player’s Strike Team has at least half of its models still on the table, they may re-roll as many Command Dice as they choose. If they re-roll any dice then they must keep the second result. All re-rolls must be made at the same time and before the first activation of the Round.

The results of these dice must be used during that Round or they will be lost. Unused Command Dice are discarded at the end of each Round.

How Do You Use Them?

Most results are used to enhance the actions of the active model when it is your Turn. The exceptions are adding dice to a model’s roll when it is attacked in your opponent’s Turn, and some army special effects.

Each Command Dice is discarded as its result is used.

What Do They Do?

I’ve laid out the dice in the picture above to show one of each side: all 6 sides are different. In order, they mean:

Symbol Meaning Notes
+1 +1 model activation Normally players take Turns activating a single model. Use this immediately after you have taken a Turn with one model to take a Turn with another. If you have rolled this result several times then you can take Turns with several models in a row.
Cube +1 dice to any normal test If you have rolled this result several times then you may choose to add more than one dice to a single test.
Move Additional Move action The Move is restricted to 1 cube only, regardless of the model’s Speed stat.
Shoot Additional Shoot action
Fight Additional Fight action
Mantic Splat! without text in Army special The effect is different for each army. Army special effects do not count towards any other restriction on number of actions per Turn unless specifically mentioned otherwise.

Move, Shoot and Fight allow the model to do that action on top of their normal 2 short or 1 long actions. They are very useful as they don’t count towards the normal restriction that you cannot repeat a given action within a Turn.

Special actions are defined at the army level, and every army has a unique effect.

Design Notes

As the dice are rolled at the start of each Round, and then spent during it, you reduce the amount of fiddling about off-table. You either have an option this Round, or you don’t. Changes (other than spending them) are corralled into a single bookkeeping phase at the start of the Round.

Although the dice are the same for everyone, the ability to re-roll the ones you don’t like plus the variable meaning of the special result makes them quite bespoke in practical effect. It also means that I can change what I want from them as the game plays out. So, if I have an assault army I might want to get lots of extra Move actions early on, to close the range, but then want more Fight actions and bonus dice in later Rounds. The Command Dice let you choose each Round what kind of tactics you’re going to use. However, because they’re dice they aren’t guaranteed to play nice with your plan…

Our testers so far have been really pleased with the results on the tabletop, which is gratifying. A couple were a little skeptical at first, though that seems to have quickly evaporated when they’ve tried it out in practice. I hope you find the same.

The beta rules will be out soon (though I can’t tell you when yet as I don’t know), so you might want to make your own set of Command Dice in anticipation. That’s partly why I’m telling you this now. Alternatively, you can always use a normal D6, reading the results in the same order as the table. When I ran my first playtests I had the above table printed out beside each player, and we just put normal D6 on the relevant row as reminders of what we had left.

Well I just got my MODcube order, so I'll just need RItides to make some new panels if they keep this design for the command dice.

**GrimDork**

There's an idea. Worst case if you need them you can probably cut your own little plasticard chits for those can't you?

I'm down for dice over cards, bit easier to keep track of honestly. Though I do love flopping the occasional card which occasionally leads to 'ahh, but you've activated my TRAP CARD' type shenanigans...dice seem simpler and I'm all for that in the deadzone.

**lord_blackfang**

So are we just going to let it slide that Warpath uses D6 for attacks and proprietary D8 command dice, and Deadzone uses D8 for attacks and apparently proprietary D6 command dice?

**GrimDork**

Yes?

**Mymearan**

I don't know, I really liked the variety and secrecy aspect of the cards.

**scarletsquig**

The battle cards definitely had some issues in terms of balance, though.

Using an Asterian commander to reliably triple on command actions to draw Surge or Headshot from the discard pile every turn got very broken, very quickly.

It was very rare that I had a turn with them where at least 2 things didn't die, often with blaze away triples rather than shoot action (another horribly broken part of the old rules).

Overall, the new rules are so much better.. it's everything the game should have been to start with instead of pushing too hard with overcomplexity.

**lord_blackfang**

That's not an issue with the cards, though, but with the mini. For all we know, the Overseer could still have enough command dice to spam anything he wants.

**DaveC**

Deadzone Redux Movement
Posted on October 11, 2015 by Quirkworthy

Another little snippet from the current version of DZR.

I’ve added a Speed stat to the models. This is a way of including a lot more variation in the model’s rate of movement, and doing so very simply.

Speed is listed as two numbers separated by a dash, eg 1-2, or 2-3.

The first number is the distance (in cubes) the model goes when it takes a Move action. The second is how far it goes with a Sprint action. Easy!

Doing it this way allows me to remove abilities such as Fast as it is already incorporated into the stat line. It also lets me easily have things that are disproportionate too, with a Speed of, say, 1-5 or 2-7. In the old system that would have needed a specific ability to describe it.

The Move result of the Command Dice may make more sense now, as it is a move of 1, regardless of the model’s Speed. This helps balance the models that are naturally Speedy, such as Veer-myn (2-3).

It also gives me a nice shorthand if I need to reference movements in other rules. The effect is the same as either the first or second Speed number.

So, a helpful addition to the stats, and a very simple way to describe a variety of alien movements

**Tyr13**

Definitely preferable to the previous slow/fast/agile rules. Much easier to grasp, less problems with overwatch, and a lot more flexible as well.

**scarletsquig**

^ Yep, one of the many cleaned-up parts of the new rules.

With the Warpath KS closing, we now know that the new IP will be post-apocalyptic.

From a previous interview, we also know that the IP belongs to Paramount.

Anyone want to put the two together?

**.Mikes.**

scarletsquig wrote:

From a previous interview, we also know that the IP belongs to Paramount.

Do you have a link to that? I must have missed it.

Also I can't put two and two together, what are you inferring?

**judgedoug**

.Mikes. wrote:
scarletsquig wrote:

From a previous interview, we also know that the IP belongs to Paramount.

Do you have a link to that? I must have missed it.

Also I can't put two and two together, what are you inferring?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Perry:_Part_of_Me

**.Mikes.**

I'd Play it. Or Zoolander; The Board Game.

Seriously, I'm looking through the list of films and not seeing anything appropriate.... except for Cloverfield.