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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Schogun on January 14, 2023, 02:19:50 PM

Title: Insurgent Earth Solo vs Zona Alfa: Kontraband Solo -- what's the difference?
Post by: Schogun on January 14, 2023, 02:19:50 PM

Both Insurgent Earth: Resist or Die and Zona Alfa: Kontraband are designed for solo/co-op play. Both are designed by Patrick Todoroff.

Besides the setting, are the systems different? Is one any better than the other?

Also, Zona Alfa has its own solo/spawn rules -- what is different in Kontraband?

Thanks

Title: Re: Insurgent Earth Solo vs Zona Alfa: Kontraband Solo -- what's the difference?
Post by: Dentatus on January 16, 2023, 02:00:35 PM

Hi,

Zona Alfa and it's solo/co-op supplement Kontraband use a D10 dice mechanic.
The free supplement, Lone Wolves, was put together early in the lockdown right after the ZA's release.
Kontraband was developed later and is a larger, more refined supplement.

Exploit Zero (formerly known as Hardwired) Nightwatch, and Insurgent Earth use a completely different system. (D6, D8, D10 polyhedrals)
That were all designed specifically to be solo/co-op play.

Title: Re: Insurgent Earth Solo vs Zona Alfa: Kontraband Solo -- what's the difference?
Post by: Schogun on January 16, 2023, 04:44:59 PM

From Cloud Captain on TMP -- http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=567146

The games are flavor specific so I own all of the above. They are not generic sandbox rulesets like it seems you might be leaning towards. You can definitely tweak the setting to your taste though. It is not hard to run Zona Alfa as both "Stalker/Roadside Picnic" in its original form….or in "Annihilation/Southern Reach Trilogy" mode with Western Gear. You just reskin it to your liking at that point. The AI elements are more tuned into basic logical actions and difficulty that increased based on your actions/pacing/choices in the game. Do you want to try for that last bit of loot knowing your group is beaten up already? Oh crap here come a wave of Zombies to stop you.

The AI in Insurgent Earth do a good job of recreating Battlefield Los Angeles or Fallen Skies style situations. The more noise and drama you cause, the stronger their response.

Hope I addressed all your points.

Dentatus is Patrick Todoroff :)

Title: Re: Insurgent Earth Solo vs Zona Alfa: Kontraband Solo -- what's the difference?
Post by: Dentatus on January 17, 2023, 04:50:02 PM

Shogun -

Kontraband was written specifically for Zona Alfa with its D10 mechanics.
EZ/NW/IE use a different system based on a range of polyhedral dice. Each is setting specific and designed from the ground up as solo/co-op games.
If you want to run Zona Alfa solo or Co-op, I'd recommend Kontraband. If cyberpunk skirmishes or fantasy monster hunts are more your thing, go with Exploit Zero or Nightwatch. Post-Alien Invasion? Then look into Insurgent Earth.

Is the AI 'intelligent'? I'd say 'No.'

All of them, regardless of dice mechanics, uses trigger conditions in the game and have conduct or behavior guidelines for enemy activity. No decision trees or 'If/Then' flow charts. So I'd submit the enemy AI is as 'intelligent' as the player running them. 

Of all them, I'd say the AI in Insurgent Earth is the most "complex". But even then, the players run the adversaries against themselves.

Hope that helps.