Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Major_Gilbear on 19 February 2015, 11:12:49 AM
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I was a Mantic Deadzone backer, and after it's taken so long for all the items to be shipped, I was wondering how others had gotten on with the game so far.
I mean, I've played a few games myself, and I've seen a few bits and pieces around the web/forum, but otherwise I've heard surprisingly little about the game itself considering how many must have backed it.
I've also seen very few painted sets besides Enforcers and Plague, along with the odd set of Rebs and Marauders. Did many people get and paint the Asterians or Forge Fathers?
So, for anybody who's played and/or painted, please let me know what your thoughts are, and feel free to post up your painted forces here!
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Not played it myself. Started cleaning and building some of the restic models when the first came through the door and that was mind numbing enough that it all went back in a the box and has sat under the bed pretty much since. I'll get around to it eventually but I have other stuff I am far more interested in painting before that.
I have heard good things about the rules though with them being not overly complex and quite simple and fun to play. However I have heard complaints about Rebs being massively underpowered and Melee being a too effective compared to shooting.
Here is a pretty decent collection of people's Deadzone paint jobs
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/30/566289.page
Similar thing but just asterians
http://manticforum.com/forum/deadzone/asterian-faction/195576-pictures-of-painted-asterians
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I went in very large on the Deadzone KS and have received all my pieces. When the first shipment showed up I built and primed all of my Enforcers and Plague, but didn't paint them because I knew there were more coming. While I waited I built all the Marauders I had and them primed all my scenery tiles. Since then the rest showed up, but I've not done anything with it, not even played a single game.
On the other hand I have played several games of Mars Attacks, which is the same engine minus the elevation rules I believe. They were good games and I enjoyed them. Every time we have finished a game of Mars Attacks I think to myself that I should play a game of Deadzone. The biggest thing slowing me down is cleaning up all those damned tiles!
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Backed, will pay my first game (with a remote player in the UK!) soon.
Have one Enforcer and one Plague type, one mercenary and one Dreadball player painted (the latter features in a scenario). Don't think I have pics of them, though, so far,barring this slightly blurry one with a Marauders trike (modified):
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/vanvlak/0%20Deadzone/dz1_zps2cf348f6.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/vanvlak/media/0%20Deadzone/dz1_zps2cf348f6.jpg.html)
Scenery can be a bit of a pain due to erratic fits of connector pins - some excessively tight, or actually not-go and needing filing. But they are admittedly quite useful: I am building a board with a blend of these and other parts, but it's not yet finished:
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/vanvlak/0%20Deadzone/DSCF7128_zps5a80611f.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/vanvlak/media/0%20Deadzone/DSCF7128_zps5a80611f.jpg.html)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/vanvlak/0%20Deadzone/DSCF7129_zps817c4bf5.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/vanvlak/media/0%20Deadzone/DSCF7129_zps817c4bf5.jpg.html)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/vanvlak/0%20Deadzone/DSCF7130_zps4d126e0f.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/vanvlak/media/0%20Deadzone/DSCF7130_zps4d126e0f.jpg.html)
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What's the big grey dome-thing?
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It looks like the front shell of a hand vacuum device :D
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It looks like the front shell of a hand vacuum device :D
It looks awesome... very MegaCity in it's feel...
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/568703273169734/?ref=bookmarks (https://www.facebook.com/groups/568703273169734/?ref=bookmarks)
Containment Protocol is an active facebook group for Deadzone, mostly people posting pictures of their models and terrain with the occasional rules discussion or battle report. It's about as vapid as any social media site will be, but the pictures sure are pretty :P
For the game, I had high hopes for it and bought into the KS for quite a bit, but it never caught on with my group. We played some games, and it's a decent enough system with decent enough models, but it never really grabbed anybody and I wasn't interested in it enough to really push push push. The system is serviceable, but it feels very board-gamey and close combat is WAY too powerful compared to shooting. The opposed-roll system is OK, but you get a LOT of null-result dice rolls and can activate half your team and feel like you rolled a whole lot of dice that didn't accomplish anything. I think the system would be much more fun if attackers got a few extra dice and you had more hit points per model. There's some balance issues as well. Nothing major, but they're there and some of the factions are certainly more powerful than others.
I only ever finished painting the enforcers and the plague (the latter were sold to a friend)
(http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p512/Rhelyk/random/DSCN7266_zpsjbddugwr.jpg) (http://s1153.photobucket.com/user/Rhelyk/media/random/DSCN7266_zpsjbddugwr.jpg.html)
(http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p512/Rhelyk/random/DSCN7268_zpsumgtynmd.jpg) (http://s1153.photobucket.com/user/Rhelyk/media/random/DSCN7268_zpsumgtynmd.jpg.html)
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I'm not on Facebook, and combined with the Ad-blockers I use, trying to see anything posted there is basically a waste of time for me. :(
On the other hand, some nice stuff there Vanvlak and Rhelyk! :D
I've played a few games myself, and... Well, I think it has some issues, but I wonder if that's just based on my own expectations.
Essentially, I found that the game has a very small model count for a number of factions which severely limits much in the way of tactics, very low lethality (except for close combat), and that the campaign system (whilst fair I suppose) is not rewarding enough to bother with.
I also think that the way the game mechanics are structured severely limits much scale between the relative power of different units, and the various special rules concocted to combat this are often somewhat clunky.
Combined with some factions being rather out of balance with each other, and with the very limited mission types, and the game is sadly a bit dull. I don't mind the more "boardgame" aspect of it, but I think it does need some core mechanics revising, and a proper list of equipment items for each faction to flavour them a bit more, and to allow a bit of flexibility in unit lists. (There are already a few items you can buy in campaigns, but it's not really developed).
Model-wise, I started to clean them up, and got some nice bases sorted out, and then... Sort of went off the boil with them. I'd like to return to finish them, but I've not been as inspired as I'd hoped. :?
Anyway, given how "big" the KS was, I've seen relatively little about DZ beyond unboxing-type reviews online: hence my asking here for others' comments, feedback, and pictures! 8)
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It looks like the front shell of a hand vacuum device :D
It is :D
But it's now a spaceship ;)
And the red thing is a float valve float (broken), and is now a cracked-open water tower.
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Yeah Major, that was pretty much exactly how my group saw it. It unfortunate about facebook, the facebook gaming groups are about 90% of what I use it for and are usually quite a bit more active than message boards, which have been falling out of popularity :(
I've got a 2nd enforcer faction unassembled that nobody local wanted, 20 plastic enforcers and 20 more plastic peacekeepers unnassembled, dwarves and asterians unassembled. Just haven't been inspired enough to bother with them, too much else on my workbench just to do them for funsies (although my marauders have slowly been getting paint on them a little at a time).
The game is hardly bad, and the people on FB and dakkadakka seem to love the system, but it just never took off locally for exactly why you said
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Nice pics and links. I've been wanting to see finished pics as well.
I recently went on a huge restic cleanup project and prepped 30 Rebs and 20 Sedition Wars Vangaurd. Unfortunately I was sidetracked before painting by the need to prep for Adepticon, but I hope to finish them afterwards and this will give me some good ideas.
Some in the club will probably try the game eventually, but most of us have lost interest already and those who haven't are doing up the figs in anticipation of using them in other games. I'm not particularly worried either way, the Rebs figs grabbed my attention for their nice take on a mixed-race faction not necessarily for the game they are a part of. Also, I've heard from various reports that they're not a great race in the game anyway.
The pics aren't great, but here's my buddies Deadzone Plague and Sedition Wars Strain that he painted up as one big horde of radioactive mutants.
http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2015/02/fully-painted-radioactive-space-mutants.html
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Model-wise, I started to clean them up, and got some nice bases sorted out, and then... Sort of went off the boil with them. I'd like to return to finish them, but I've not been as inspired as I'd hoped. :?
Pretty much the same with me - Sedition Wars put me off restic for a long time. The hard plastics have rekindled my interest, and my Enforcers and Forge Fathers are on the list for this year. Probably most of the Rebs too - I like their take on the aliens too.
Painted the Chovar psychic jellyfish - nice model, but it has what looks like a fingerprint cast onto the top of it...
The gaming mousemat is great. The buildings are good - built several structures with them that you might catch in future battle reports. Thought about using them for a lot of projects like SF interiors.
Tip 1: buy more connectors - I used 2 more sprues for the pieces that came in the $150 pledge;
Tip 2: to clip the connectors in use a fine-nosed pair of pliers and a bit of pressure. A bit tricky on those internal corners, but your hands won't be red raw afterwards...
Not played the game yet.
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Someone up there mentioned Sedition Wars. That is a game I've built everything but (I think) three of the models I have for it. Similarly to my Deadzone stuff, I haven't painted anything. However, I have actually played that game a few times. Folks give SW a lot of flak, but I actually quite enjoyed it.
I wonder if I should paint the Vanguard up similar or the same as the Enforcers...I'd have a pretty substantial army!
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Someone up there mentioned Sedition Wars. That is a game I've built everything but (I think) three of the models I have for it. Similarly to my Deadzone stuff, I haven't painted anything. However, I have actually played that game a few times. Folks give SW a lot of flak, but I actually quite enjoyed it.
I wonder if I should paint the Vanguard up similar or the same as the Enforcers...I'd have a pretty substantial army!
It's not a bad idea. Strain and Plague work well together, why why not Enforcers and Vanguard?
On the other hand with the cost of the Sedition wars box being what it is, you can just buy more boxes of Vanguard.
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I was a backer and managed to get some basic plague and enforcer models cleaned and painted. I played a few games before losing interest. As others have said, it's certainly not a bad game, it just wasn't enough to keep me interested. I think the game was trying too hard to hit the middle ground between tabletop and boardgame, and couldn't really pull off either.
The 2' x 2' board space and the movement grid felt very artificial and cramped (probably my tabletop roots showing through). Also, "restic fatigue" set in and kept me from prepping the rest of the figures, which dampened enthusiasm to play even more.
I don't regret backing the game though, the terrain and the figures are generic enough to recycle into other projects I have. It's too bad it took Mantic so long to crack the hard plastic nut. If the hard plastic kits (zombies, enforcers & forgefathers) had been delivered concurrent with the main game and not a year later, the game probably could have gained more traction.
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I painted up some plauge but you did not want to see them?
Those halo like enforcers painted green above do they have custom heads or something? Very nice miniatures and painting.
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@ Knightofspades:
If you have some pictures of painted DZ models, please do post them up! :)
As for the game rules, I've considered doing a re-write... I'd like to keep as much as possible from the original rules, but I'm not sure that's necessarily going to work. It'd also be a good opportunity to rebalance the factions and re-do missions too (I'd like to have more open narrative missions, as well as secret secondary missions). That said, it's a *lot* of work, and I'm not sure the community is big enough to be interested in anything I might produce anyway.
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Well timed thread! Two weeks ago I bought a big amount of Deadzone for only 85 euros (box with the hardcover LE book, all four softcovers, regular tokens, acryllic tokens, 20 resin objective markers, two mousemat-citiy boards, four paper city boards, buildings, ruins, lots of accessory sprues, Enforcer starters + boosters, Plague starter + extra troopers, Rebel starter + lots of extra models, Marauder starter + some extra models, some Forgefathers, almost all Mercenaries, 10 zombies, loads of dice, loads of cards). This Thursday will be our first game and I have read the rules once now. So far the rules are...different. They have some nice tweaks, but in general they seem a bit odd. Can't really say why though. Thing that annoys me the most is the "bloated" style of writing. I like my rules short, to the point and factual. Deadzone uses way more text to describe something than necessary. Don't like that.
But even if the game sucks I have the Rebels, Marauders, hardcover and two playing mats for myself (for Rogue Trader Pulp Alley!). The rest will go on sale soon for cheap :)
And then Sedition Wars: horrible restic material for ace sculpts. I bought the set for 50 euros with everything prepped (well, kind of) and assembled. Played the game three times and loved every game so far! The rules are excellent and really tense. Each game came down to a single dice roll to determine the winner. So a real nailbiter with some excellent game mechanics. But the restic sucks and the cardboard material also isn't the best you can get. But if you can find this game for a good price: BUY IT. You can always proxy the models :)
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Funnily enough though, I did find that increasing game size to something like 100pts was better, even though everything else is still as I described. Also, even at 100pts, keep the VP conditions the same.
What this does is allow more models into the game (duh!), and specifically allows more tactics, and more faction variety too. Otherwise, you tend to find that all Enforcer gangs look the same, all the Marauders look the same, all the Plague look the same, etc - because there are only so many "optimal" ways to build a 5-model force within the limits proscribed.
It also means that the advantage of number or small elite forces can be better leveraged. As it stands now with 70pt games, Rebels never seem to win initiative ever, whereas Enforcers normally have it and keep it all game. It might be fluffy, but it's also dull.
More models on the table also makes it more likely to have multiple models in a cube too, and makes actions like Blaze Away more "worthwhile", and so weapons like Burst Laser and Flamer actually seem a little more attractive compared to Fusion Gun and Sniper Rifle. It also helps to stop CC rampages that chain across several cubes.
Finally, I'd let Rebs win on 8VP or 9VP rather than the normal 10VP. Not only does it fit their fluff a better (i.e., the risks are high and resources are limited, so any victory however small is worthwhile), but it also helps balance them against more efficient factions like Marauders or Plague.
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My Marauders plus Chovar:
(https://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/deadzonemaraudersa.jpg)
(https://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/rippersuits1.jpg)
(https://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/chovar4.jpg)
(https://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/deadzonemaraudersi.jpg)
Im working on a lot of the terrain at the moment. I should have the first batch ready to game with within the next week or two.
After the fun that we had with DreadBall a few buddies picked up Deadzone when I did (the KS) but with illness in the family of one of them and pregnancy in the other, we just didnt get to it yet. Even if I never play the game, lots of the terrain and miniatures are useful to me, but obviously actually playing the game would be good.
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I really like your stuff Cheetor, and those Marauders have inspired me before to do something very similar with mine - they're very "Third Edition" if you know what I mean? ;)
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I really like your stuff Cheetor, and those Marauders have inspired me before to do something very similar with mine - they're very "Third Edition" if you know what I mean? ;)
Thanks.
I decided on a simple colour scheme for my orks a few years back - a black and red "uniform" with quite vivid green flesh and occasional yellow detailing - and I apply that to all the space orks that I paint, regardless of who manufactures them. It dod mean that mu DZ Marauders ended up looking a little similar to the Mantic studio paint jobs, but I got over it.
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Here they are. I wetbrushed the big guy but used wash on the three second biggest guys. I am not sure what is best.
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@Rehlyk - that was some ace work on those Enforcers! Love the Halo-esque helmets-where did you find those?
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@ Knightofspades:
Dark pictures make it hard to see, but they look good - I especially like the bigger models where I feel the extra effort in your painting really shows. :)
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Hi!
Not a complete force I'm afraid but here's a bit of a mix of Deadzone Marauders and classic GW:
(http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s449/spacecowsmith/DSC02851_zps81fd60e3.jpg) (http://s1052.photobucket.com/user/spacecowsmith/media/DSC02851_zps81fd60e3.jpg.html)
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@ spacecowsmith:
Wow, they look really cool! :D
//Edit//
I also really like the little nod to Bloodaxes given the Marauders' similar background.
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Not played it myself. Started cleaning and building some of the restic models when the first came through the door and that was mind numbing enough that it all went back in a the box and has sat under the bed pretty much since.
I'll read the rest of the thread in a minute, but I wanted to quote this right away because it is word for word my experience. I want to like it, but no miniatures should have that much clean up involved.
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I'll read the rest of the thread in a minute, but I wanted to quote this right away because it is word for word my experience. I want to like it, but no miniatures should have that much clean up involved.
I would mostly agree with this, but there are a few ameliorating factors.
1-With a sharp knife and a wire brush cleanup can be a bit faster
2-You don't need too many figs to play the game.
For those who went in on the KS or pick up the figs 2nd hand the price of entry makes the cleanup a bit more worth it, but despite all this the clean up is far more than I would like.
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@ Knightofspades:
Dark pictures make it hard to see, but they look good - I especially like the bigger models where I feel the extra effort in your painting really shows. :)
Thanks I tried to take brighter pictures today. In natural light with the lamp right over and with flash but it got no brighter. I need to check the settings on my cell phone I guess.
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@Rehlyk - that was some ace work on those Enforcers! Love the Halo-esque helmets-where did you find those?
Those are actually Halo heroclix models I did headswaps with, picked up a bunch off ebay for around $1 a piece
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The biggest challenge with the resin plastic is indeed the cleanup. When I was building my Marauders and Plague, I did quite a bit of converting as well. Chopping that stuff up and modifying the pieces to get more variance takes a fair amount of patience. I did the same thing with my Corporation troopers that I received in the Project Pandora boxed game.
I think in the end it depends on your perspective. For me:
Pros - I like how resilient the resin plastic is, the cost per model is low, and it holds detail well. When primed and painted it looks good.
Cons - cleanup takes a lot of work. It's HARD and therefore more difficult to customize. You have to use super glue (which doesn't matter to me but bothers some).
I'm actually sad that the new Dreadball figures are single piece because I have to chop them up if I want to modify them. The fact that they're plastic however means that it's easier to do than if they were restic. I'm not sure what the plans (if any) are in terms of material for Deadzone's future models.
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I've found restic minis pretty easy to convert with a razor saw and superglue.
They are a bear to cleanup though.