Barzam wrote:
Now that you mention it, the gear does have more of a Xenoshyft vibe. I really wish they'd just called this game Xenocide and set it in the Xenoshyft universe instead of what they went with.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Usually we wait for the Kickstarter to get going before we gak all over the product.

ZOMBICIDE: INVADER - THE TOYS OF THE FUTURE
Mar 20, 2018
As technology advanced over the years to allow for things like interplanetary travel, so did the equipment one would pack for such a journey. The expedition to PK-L7 was supposed to be little more than a Civilian exercise. The planet had been surveyed and was determined to be lifeless. However, there was a lot of money on the line. It would be foolish not to bring some protection in the form of Soldiers, and some equipment that would help keep the team safe, should anything happen.

The mining base is stocked with a bunch of Equipment and Weapons that can be used on the attacking Xeno forces. The Civilian and Soldier Survivors are going to have to take advantage of what’s available and Search for more items if they hope to survive the onslaught.

One of the first things Zombicide fans will recognize, is that the Equipment deck is stacked with more powerful items, allowing Survivors to get their hands on useful tools of death at a much higher rate. They’ll also see some technological advances that will make survival in this deep space outpost a little more likely.

There is a whole set of weapons that take advantage of attached Energy Cells. These include melee weapons like the Cattle Prod, Chainsaw, or Heavy Cutter. They can be used as a blunt instrument without an Energy Cell attached, but with the Cell, they are able to reroll their dice results, giving them a better chance of culling the Xeno numbers.

There are also a number of Prototype firearms that REQUIRE an attached Energy Cell to operate. These include the Prototype Assault Shotgun, the Prototype Light Machine Gun, the Prototype Snipe Rifle, and more. Prototypes are set aside at the start of the game and usually acquired through Mission objectives. These powerful weapons pack a serious punch, and best of all, they function on the oxygen-deprived surface of the planet.

For Survivors to even get onto the surface, they need to travel through an airlock with an equipped Oxygen Tank. These Tanks can only be found in the Oxygen Supply rooms of the base, from their own Equipment pile. Survivors in an Oxygen Supply room can spend an action to acquire an Oxygen Tank.

At the start of each Mission, the Equipment cards for the Falchion Sentry Gun and the Peacekeeper Bot are set aside to remind players of their stats. They don’t belong to any one player, but can be controlled if they possess the corresponding Remote token or have the necessary Skill.

Two special pieces of Equipment will make Searching the base a lot easier for the Survivors, especially the Soldiers that are limited to only Searching in Security Rooms. The Search Drone allows Survivors to Search in any room of the base, and the Searchlight allows Survivors to draw an extra card when they perform a Search action, upping their chances of finding a game-changing piece of Equipment.

The Survivors are going to need all of the assistance they can get as the Xenos throw everything they have at them. The Spoiler Abomination is particularly threatening to the integrity of the mining base. It lumbers through the rooms and corridors spreading a dark slimy Mold. This corrosive substance removes all special properties of the Zone it infects. Survivors can no longer Search there, Doors and walls are eaten away, and Mission Objectives can be lost. To make matters worse, if two Spawn Zones are connected by an unbroken chain of Active Mold, the Mission is immediately lost.

While Mold itself is a threat on a number of different levels for the Survivors, it can also become a nest for the Xenos. Hiding in the Equipment deck are a number of Mold Spawn cards that trigger new Xenos to burst forth in Active Mold Zones in the base itself. It can cause the team to be quickly overrun.

Luckily, there is some Equipment that can fight back the Mold. Flamethrowers with attached Canisters can create Hellfire in a target Zone. The Survivor must discard the Canister to destroy everything in the target Zone. All figures and Objectives, are consumed by the Hellfire, and all Active Mold tokens are flipped to their inactive sides. Sometimes, you just have to kill it with fire.

With a more powerful Equipment deck and some advanced technology on their side, the human inhabitants of the mining base on PK-L7 might just have a fighting chance.

 DaveC wrote:

The Survivors are going to need all of the assistance they can get as the Xenos throw everything they have at them. The Spoiler Abomination is particularly threatening to the integrity of the mining base. It lumbers through the rooms and corridors spreading a dark slimy Mold. This corrosive substance removes all special properties of the Zone it infects. Survivors can no longer Search there, Doors and walls are eaten away, and Mission Objectives can be lost. To make matters worse, if two Spawn Zones are connected by an unbroken chain of Active Mold, the Mission is immediately lost.

While Mold itself is a threat on a number of different levels for the Survivors, it can also become a nest for the Xenos. Hiding in the Equipment deck are a number of Mold Spawn cards that trigger new Xenos to burst forth in Active Mold Zones in the base itself. It can cause the team to be quickly overrun.

Luckily, there is some Equipment that can fight back the Mold. Flamethrowers with attached Canisters can create Hellfire in a target Zone. The Survivor must discard the Canister to destroy everything in the target Zone. All figures and Objectives, are consumed by the Hellfire, and all Active Mold tokens are flipped to their inactive sides. Sometimes, you just have to kill it with fire.

With a more powerful Equipment deck and some advanced technology on their side, the human inhabitants of the mining base on PK-L7 might just have a fighting chance.

Magnus is a bit of a brute, there's not two ways about it. He may appear like a gentle giant, until the first string of provocative and inventive profanities spew forth from his bearded maw. Despite a lack of social graces, this Soldier will put his life on the line again and again if it means helping a fellow Survivor.

 Gallahad wrote:
I'm really surprised at the amount of feeling the change in art direction has provoked. I didn't love the original zcide art, so it didn't bother me to see it go. I didn't mind it, but it didn't blow me away or anything.

I'm not saying it is wrong to like the original art direction or anything, just different tastes for different people. I just tend to assume (erroneously) that my tastes are mainstreamish, so the passionate reaction lots of people are having to the change in art direction is making me realize that some people really really loved the original art style, and weren't ambivalent about it like me.

ZOMBICIDE: INVADER - MEET THE XENOS
Mar 22, 2018
The future had brought incredible advances in technology, allowing humans to reach beyond the confines of the Earth and explore nearby stars. However, the science was still in its infancy, and mankind was left searching for a new form of fuel that could propel their vessels deep into the galaxy. Already, people had made contact with alien species, some friendly, some wary, but it was when a scouting mission came across PK-L7, they began to believe their dreams of intergalactic travel would become a reality. There they discovered Xenium, a sticky, black fossil fuel that would give them the very power they had been searching for. It wasn’t long before a mining base was set up and international workers and scientists made their way to the planet to start to cash in on the find and the great potential it held. Of course, with so much money on the line, it made sense to also send some military personnel for security purposes.



However, humans weren’t the only ones interested in Xenium. A different race of creatures was already hard at work collecting the fuel for their own purposes. The creatures were peaceful, but with an inability to truly communicate, the humans kept their distance and went about the business of extracting Xenium themselves. That’s how it went for a while. The Xenos (as the human forces had begun to call them) kept to themselves, and there was a tentative peace for a time.

When the miners extracting Xenium in the tunnels far below the surface of the planet were attacked by Xenos, they were caught completely off guard, and the casualty count was high. The few survivors that made it back to the mining base tried their best to describe the creatures’ complete change in demeanor, but they were unable to capture their ferocity. Not that it really mattered. It wasn’t long before the Xenos arrived at the base.

Since the initial attacks, scientists have been able to learn a little bit about the creatures now hell bent on killing all the humans. Firstly, they aren’t native to PK-L7. Analysis of corpses attained through brutal combat made it clear their species originated on another planet. The second fact that quickly became abundantly clear was the Xenos were from at least three genetically different species.

The weakest of those killers were by no means the least enthusiastic. The Survivors refer to them as Workers. While they don’t pack the same punch as some of their larger brethren, they still have the strength to tear a grown man in two. These creatures are not just vicious, they’re numerous, often appearing in swarms. It doesn’t take long before a pack of Workers come together and fill the rooms and corridors of the entire base. Luckily, their flesh is soft and penetrable by bullets, blades, and blunt objects. A well-aimed attack will take out a Worker, and earn an Experience point for the Survivor that ended its advance.

However, not all Xenos are weak, simple targets. Giant, lumbering beasts known as Tanks cause nightmares for the Civilians and Soldiers of PK-L7. These hulking monsters lead the charge down the corridors of the base, shrugging off all but the most powerful attacks and protecting their weaker cousins behind them. Tanks are not to be trifled with, as they deal out a devastating two points of damage with each blow and require two damage to kill. They are first in Targeting Priority, as they squeeze their massive torsos down the narrow corridors of the mining base, blocking most fire from getting past. Civilians should give Tanks a wide berth and, honestly, Soldiers shouldn’t get too close, either. When a Survivor does manage to take out a Tank, they’ll earn an Experience point for their efforts.

If there’s any Xeno type that’s clearly had some experience with combat, it has to be the speedy, sneaking ones the humans are referring to as Hunters. This breed served as the security forces for the Xenos, but until the attacks, they were rarely seen. Despite some unknown force turning them into single-minded monsters, their instincts still remain. Instead of running headlong into the blasts of machine gun fire, Hunters hold back, hiding behind larger Xenos, as they make their approach. Hunters are tough to hit and last in Targeting Priority. They’re fast, too. With two Actions every time they’re activated, they close the distance between them and the Survivors quick! Luckily, they’re also soft, requiring a single damage to be eliminated. Taking out a Hunter will earn a Survivor one Experience point.

The last of the known Xenos is a huge, terrifying beast. The Spoiler Abomination seems to have been more affected by the mysterious illness than any of the other Xenos. As they stumble through the mining base, they appear less concerned with killing Survivors than their smaller counterparts. Make no mistake, they’ll slaughter any human in their path, but their goal is more destruction-based. Mold oozes out of the pores of the Spoiler Abomination and they leave a trail of the corrosive substance everywhere they go like some evil, intergalactic snail. When a Spoiler Abomination enters a Zone, it is immediately covered with Active Mold, destroying walls, Doors, and Objectives. This Mold could spell the end of the base and certainly the end of the Mission. As it spreads, Active Mold becomes a nesting ground for new Xenos, allowing them to spring up from the dark, bubbling ooze. Mold Spawn cards are hidden throughout the Equipment deck, and when one is revealed, each Active Mold Zone spawns the indicated Xeno type. Further complicating matters, if two Spawn Zones are connected by a string of unbroken Active Mold, the Mission is immediately lost. Suffice to say, the Survivors would be wise to take out the Spoiler Abomination as soon as possible.

A monster of this size is not going to go down easy. The Spoiler Abomination takes an incredible three damage to neutralize, and because this was supposed to be a simple Civilian operation, the Survivors didn’t bring anything to PK-L7 that packs that kind of punch. To take out the Spoiler Abomination, they’ll need to create Hellfire in a Zone, or concentrate their fire (see our gameplay article for more on these techniques). When a Spoiler does finally fall, they’ll grant five Experience points to the Survivor that dealt the killing blow.

There is really very little known about the Xenos. Where did they come from? Why are they suddenly acting so aggressively? How can there be so many of them? The more analytical of the Survivors would love to have the time to study these questions, but this is no longer a Civilian mission. Hell, it’s not even a military mission. This is a fight for their lives on a planet a long way from home with an enemy that doesn’t stop coming, and doesn’t stop killing.

The Survivors will get a chance to face off against the Xenos when Zombicide: Invader comes to Kickstarter on April 10 at 3 PM EST.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Why is the one on the right doing the lopsided Dreamworks smirk?

 Nostromodamus wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Why is the one on the right doing the lopsided Dreamworks smirk?

I think the middle one is farting.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Nostromodamus wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Why is the one on the right doing the lopsided Dreamworks smirk?

I think the middle one is farting.

Now I can't unsee it.

 PsychoticStorm wrote:
Wait what? ammo box and ammo belt? with no ejection ports?

Seriously?

 Barzam wrote:
I should note, I don't hate the aesthetics of this. I'm not bothered by the goofy or unfinished looking weapons or the rivets everywhere. I just prefer the looks of Xenoshyft more and, considering it's an IP they already own, with extensive art to draw from, they could have probably made a tabletop game out of it much more easily than what they've actually done. Why go through the trouble of creating new assets when you already had two games' worth

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I hope there's a "buy the tiles" option. I think I may just get that.

 PsychoticStorm wrote:
Wait what? ammo box and ammo belt? with no ejection ports?

Seriously?