Combat Zone - Mysterious post apoc game

[Anatoli]

Today I finally opened and looked through the weird looking box I got as a gift earlier this year. It seems to be some sort of Post Apocalyptic game, based on action points, squad skirmish and alternate activation - developed and tested by members of various Royal Air Force wargame clubs and it uses centimeters instead of inches?!

Next to no information can be found about this game, BoardGameGeek has a tiny bit of information but not really shedding any light on this game. So I did my best to explain my findings in today’s blog entry.

I figure I will use the rules as they are written, but make it "Fallout" (as in Fallout 1 and 2) instead of the generic futuristic setting. The miniatures looks as if they can be passed for Raiders and Gun Runners in combat armor.

http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.com/2010/12/combat-zone-mysterious-post-apoc-game.html










Edit: Link to blog included above the pictures

[wellender]

What you have there is Combat Zone.  I know of it, but am not as familar as other members of the LAF are.  Here is a good place to start.

http://www.combatzonechronicles.net/

Also, em4 puts it out along with the miniatures.

http://www.em4miniatures.com/

[Sterling Moose]

I was lucky enough to head the playtest team for Combat Zone, so if you have any questions fire away.  As you've stated in your Blog the game was actually developed by Robin Dear and Derek Mugridge, former Grenadier UK demo/playtesters.  Playtesting was done with RAF chaps, mostly because I knew them from the Forces wargaming scene in Germany and because of the absence of AWA (Army Wargamers Association) clubs in the area of the UK I was posted to at the time.

Unfortunately there were some distribution issues when it was first released, with the game being sold off from one company to another to offset losses incurred when their 'Dragon Dice' type game bombed.  Also when released it was competing against the might of GW who released Necromunda around that time.

Despite it's relative obscurity there is a thriving community based around the Combat Zone Chronicles site.  The game, and associated paraphenalia, is still available from EM-4 Miniatures:

 http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/Combat_Zone_products.html

[Anatoli]

Thanks for the info guys, I would have never found out what this was had I not put it on my blog, almost immediately got info and links for it 

@ Wellander, good to see it can still be bought if the interest for this game picks up at my game club 


@ Sterling Moose, very interesting story. The rules look really good, and I'm currently painting up one of the Security models - paints well and easy actually (pictures tomorrow).

Do you have any idea why they settled for centimeters instead of inches? I do find the metric system superior but have grown accustomed to wargames all using inches so much that this felt very exotic 


As I said on the blog, I will most likely use the rules without changing anything, but use it for a Fallout setting instead as it would be a bit more exciting for me and the people at my club.

[Sterling Moose]

Anatoli,
There were a number of elements already decided upon when I joined the project, the metric system of measurement was one.  Most of the illustrations were done too, you'll notice that some of the weapon designs on pages 14/15 are totally impractical - this was pointed out at the time but it was too late to change them.

The figures are not brilliant, a couple of the leg positions are most unnatural, but it is possible to get some a good variety of figures by mixing and matching between the gangers and  trooper sprues, and the 'add on' packs.  The figures are available seperately on this page of the EM4 catalogue (though strangely no longer listed as Combat Zone figures):

 http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/Science_Fiction.html

The CZ figures are:
SFP1, 2, 5, 5a, 6, 6a, 7, 7a -the metal components add a lot of character, variety and detail to the figures.

The Combat Zone Battlebook is available as a free download on the CZ  products page adding more depth to the game.  Originally it was planned to have a number of supplements to the game, some of which I have on soft copy, but they never progressed beyond the design phase.

[Pil]

Our gaming group still plays Combat Zone on a regular basis so it's not very mysterious to me I'm looking forward to seeing those models painted, the troopers are really nice (except for the weapons) but I never really got into the gangers, I'll be curious to see what you make of them As said the game is still available and you can already buy it for the low low price of 7 quid for the 'gamer's edition' (just the rules). The plastics are cheap too at 50 pence apiece.

Game-wise I wish you lots of fun with your games. I think Combat Zone is highly enjoyable and really plays a bit like an action movie!

[Backyardpatrol]

Is Combat Zone 2nd edition Killzone?

[Pil]

Not officially but there are quite some similarities and Derek Mugridge, one of the writers of Combat Zone, was a playtester for Killzone. There are some differences as well but the rules are very short, simple and cheap so there's no harm trying them if you liked Killzone.

That said, I never played Killzone so take my advice with a grain of salt

[TheMightyFlip]

You can always just use what ever minis you have laid about as well.

[Doug ex-em4]

Hi Anatoli

I've replied to your TMP post on this but a couple of points I'll make again.

First, it may have been mysterious to you but if you look at the description of this board, it mentions Combat Zone right there so it's no mystery to this forum.

I was involved with Kill Zone and have been deeply concerned with Combat Zone for about 10 years and I can tell you they are very different. Put simply, what happens in Combat Zone concerns individual figures a lot more than Kill Zone which reflects primarily squad results . I played the same scenario with Combat Zone then Kill Zone and got a very different game each time.

Anyway - I look forward to hearing how you get on with the game and maybe we'll see something from you for the Combat Zone Chronicles some time.

I hope you have fun with it.

Doug

[Commander Vyper]

Or some of it's long standing members and hard core E4M Doug-o philes!

[Anatoli]

Thanks again for all the info guys, and making me feel like I've made an ass out of myself    


I've painted the two test models if you want to check out the plastic minis:

http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.com/2010/12/combat-zone-plastics-test-minis.html

[Commander Vyper]

Pleasure on both counts

Test minis are looking good. Take a look at Pil's troopers, he has a really nice facist police state take on them and he's recent private police interceptor unit is very nice.

The Commander

[Bako]

Pretty swell paintjobs there.

[commissarmoody]

So did you get any more of them painted up yet