This is a list of the current versions of the abilities that were not printed in the core rules (generally stuff for wave 2 models). This doesn’t include the new rules for the Asterians and Forge Fathers.
There are a couple of modifications left to be finalised and if there are any problems with the wording or whatever then we can still make changes. So, if you have any comments, now’s the time 🙂
I’ve been tweaking the Asterians slightly to ensure that the rules match the models perfectly – it’s not always obvious from the concepts, which is what I’ve been working from. The more devious among you will be pleased to hear that there’s one really nasty little bonus I’ve come up with for them that will go up tomorrow once Mantic have approved it. I’ll also post the modified abilities for them then too.
In the meantime, if you have any more thoughts please post them up. I’ll be checking the comments before I post them up.
The Forge Fathers are next. I was hoping to get them finished today, but they needed some entirely new rules (for blowing stuff up) which turned out to be a bit more fiddly than I’d thought, plus I also had to rework some of the DB Annual (I think it’s finally done).
No rest for the wicked 😉
Here you go.
The chap on the left is the Asterian Commander. He is the only actual flesh and blood Asterian in the Strike Team. The rest of the fighting force is made up of a variety of artificial constructs, most notably Cyphers (see below).
This heavy deployment of robotic helpers means that the fastidious Asterians don’t have to actually get their carefully manicured hands dirty when they deal with the lesser races (everyone else).
Oh, and you may have heard that there are a few sniffles going about. Not plague proportions or anything, but it might be worth taking a little care not to catch anything nasty while they’re exploring the planet…
There are a couple of new abilities to play with too:
Nano-cloud
The model represents a collective that is made up of billions of tiny flying robots rather than being a single construct. Its use of hive intelligence means that destroying a few thousand of the individual robots makes no difference to its ability to function as a whole.
A Nano-cloud does not interact with other models. This means that it cannot attack or be attacked. It occupies no space in a cube and will not be damaged by falling, or moved by Blast, Knockback or similar effects. To all intents and purposes, within the context of a battle it is indestructible.
A Nano-cloud cannot pick up items and so will not trigger Booby Traps. Instead it treats objectives and items the same way, secretly looking at the hidden side of any such counters in the same cube. This allows the owner to use the Nano-scout in a recon role.
Shield Generator (x)
This is a larger version of the familiar Energy Shield and works the same way (see page 77 of the main rules). The only difference is the area that it protects. Instead of covering a single model, a Shield Generator provides protection for every model of either side in the same cube.
If a model is protected by more than one Energy Shield/Shield Generator then all apply. Roll each separately and reduce the incoming damage by the total effect.
Seems like most of a week has slid past when I wasn’t looking. Well I’ve not been able to spend much time on sorting out the FAQs, which is a pity. However, I haven’t been entirely idle. In fact, in an hour or three I should be able to post the first of the things I have been up to, which is sorting out the Asterian Deck. This will be followed fairly closely by the Forge Fathers and some more Mercs in the next few days.
Once that’s sorted then I should be able to get back to those designer’s notes articles I have started. Movement was first, I think. These are sometimes a better way to deal with issues raised on the FAQ comments.Â
Plenty of extra DZ fun and games on the way, so stay tuned 🙂Â
Over the years I’ve heard a number of stories of people finding amazing deals in charity/thrift stores, pound/dollar stores, bargain bins and other cheap venues. Much to my chagrin, I turn out to be fairly poor at this sport, so I was especially pleased when I actually found some vaguely useful tat the other day. Of course, when I say “useful” I mean that my deranged gamer radar detects a potential use for something in a project that will probably never exist outside my mind. You know the kind of thing 😉
Anyway, 9 different dino skellies for under £4. Not the world’s best models, but as terrain elements for a Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs Pulp game…
Or, Lost Valley of the Zombie Dinosaurs. Hmmm…
And if I cut them in half to bury them in the floor then I’ve got twice as many 😀
What’s been your best bargain?
Just had a note from Mantic to say that the digital version of the rules have now had the Merc cards added. The physical cards for these will be part of the second wave.
Another convert or two to GoB from today’s demos, which is nice. The campaign rules didn’t get as much of a trial as I’d hoped, though the bit we did seemed to work well enough. I’ll post them for your amusement and comments once I’ve typed them up. Currently they’re just pencilled scribbles in one of my many notebooks.
I spoke to the good folk at Foundry and confirmed that they are open on saturday the 4th of January 2014, so we’re on for the first of next month too.
See you then 😉
If you’re in the area, feel free to pop into Foundry for a game or a chat. I’ll be there from 10am when the doors open till everyone goes home. As previously mentioned, I’ll be trying out an early version of a campaign system which (oddly enough) is pinched from Eternal Battle 😉
People often tell me that they like hearing about the process behind the games, so as I’m freshly returned from a long meeting about the details of DreadBall’s next big thing (after the Annual), I thought I’d share the summary.
As Mr Renton himself put it:
“DreadBall Xtreme is like fishing in Cornwall.”
So now you know 🙂
For some reason my computer has been less than happy since I got back, which makes me less than happy too. I have, of course, tried turning it off and on again. Unfortunately it’s more serious than that.
That aside, I’ve been pondering various computing questions for a while. Partly this is which software is most useful for my daily work, and partly the more interesting question of what’s happening with the DreadBall apps being developed by folk and where board/figure gaming and the digital world can usefully interact in general. It feels to me that we’re on the cusp of digital versions of rulebooks becoming really useful, though I don’t think any of the attempts made so far have really quite fulfilled the promise.
I’ve been deliberately using some digital versions of rulebooks that I also have as hard copies to see how the formats compare, and have a few thoughts on what I’d like to see in a digital version. Now I’m asking you guys what you reckon.
Do you use digital rulebooks much (or at all)? If you do, then what aspect convinced you to make the shift? If not, why not, and what would make you consider them?
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