A History of Gaming in the Warpath Universe

As the Warpath Universe is set to plunge into a fascinating new phase, with Nightstalker incursions spreading steadily outward from Pluton III, let’s first take a look back over just how far we’ve all come together so far since the setting’s humble beginnings in 2011…

We have three main systems in the Warpath Universe, refined through multiple editions, and thought it would be fun to explore a little of their history together!

Deadzone (2013)

Deadzone’s first-ever appearance was something truly special – a skirmish game that was fast, exciting, and did away with tape measures and ‘the argument phase’ common to other systems. It introduced the magic of D8s (and exploding 8s!) to our sci-fi games, which have become a staple feature ever since.

Deadzone starred 6 factions (Forge Fathers, Marauders, Plague, Asterians, Enforcers and Rebs), and crucially also introduced our extremely popular range of modular sci-fi terrain. Players loved the clean, tactical gameplay, and three campaign and expansion books followed including Nexus Psi, Incursion, and Contagion.

Deadzone 2nd Edition (2016)

Deadzone evolved further into 2nd edition, with numerous changes to allow more freedom and customisation when building strike teams, the introduction of command dice, leader abilities, and new campaign rules!

Great new hard plastic kits joined the range for Veer-Myn, Enforcers and Forge Fathers – plus new industrial components for our modular terrain range – perfect for creating manufacturing districts of futuristic cities, or mining outposts out on the fringes of civilization. Several campaign and expansion books followed the 2nd Edition Rulebook, including Infestation, Nexus Psi (so good we wrote it twice), Outbreak, and Escalation.

Deadzone 3rd Edition (2021)

With a solid foundation, Deadzone 3rd Edition became all about polishing the game into its finest, smoothest, fastest version yet – while pulling together all of the updates from previous expansion books.

Existing factions were taken in exciting new directions with the introduction of the Matsudan (Asterian auxiliary troops), the Artificers, and even those devious types over at Mazon Labs! The Plague had a re-launch with brand new resins to replace many of the old PVC miniatures, and Marauders made the leap into hard plastic. Things took a cyberpunk turn with the release of a new street accessories kit, designed for decking out your modular buildings with canopies, neon signs, ventilation units, vending machines and more – transforming the outer sphere ‘container cities’ into truly lived-in environments.

Deadzone continues to develop today, with no less than 9 (yes, NINE!) brand new Deadzone boxes launching before the end of the 2024 Summer of Sci-Fi…and we have even more cool things planned for the future. The future’s bright, and remember…#deadzoneislife!

Firefight (2016)

Firefight first began life as a spin-off from full-scale game Warpath, sitting in the super-thematic middle ground between large wargames and small skirmish games.

Rather than massive pitched battles, this is where a few infantry squads plus their support vehicles, fight for control of a specific objective in a tactical and cinematic way. To our initial surprise, this spin-off quickly became the most popular way to play the game and eventually become a fully-fledged game system in its own right!

Firefight 2nd Edition (2022)

This is when Firefight took over from Warpath at 28mm scale, and still allowed players to use their Warpath model collections so no-one was left out. Warpath itself was (for now) set to one side, with early ideas brewing in the studio as to how we would be taking it in an altogether more ‘epic’ direction in the future…more on that further down the page!

This was a comprehensive rewrite of the Firefight game system, leaning fully into mechanics that would capture tactical decisions and detail, while maintaining a fast pace and lots of exciting interactions.

Command Protocols, a 2023 update book, brought further refinements to both rules and force lists (therefore becoming a one-stop book for the whole game) – and the game is now in a better place than ever before.

2024 has already seen the introduction of Nightstalkers into the universe, and with an Asterian ‘army refresh’ and global campaign hot on their heels there’s lots to look forward to!

Warpath 1.0 (2011) and 2.0 (2012)

First launching in 2011, the Warpath Universe burst into life with a brilliant first boxed set ‘Fate of the Forge Star’ (Marauders vs Forge Fathers) and a huge preview in Issue 5 of the Mantic Journal! The creative vision for the game was of fast, elegant rules that would make enormous battles a reality – but playable in a realistic gaming afternoon! The setting was a sci-fi world that projected the fates of our fantasy races far into the future, now having to grapple not just with each other but also with the rapid expansion of a hyper-corporate human civilization. These themes remain today, although the galaxy’s story has advanced considerably…

Against this backdrop, what would (for example) ‘dwarfs in space’ look like? How would they fight? Warpath gave us the chance to explore all of these enticing question with an ambitious 8 races planned from the outset, and was written with Alessio Cavatore to deliberately keep some familiar game elements from Kings of War. This was the beginning of Mantic developing our signature ‘house style’ of rules design – recognisable for speed, accessibility, and a focus on fun!

A version 2.0 of this ruleset followed soon after as both a nifty A5 booklet, plus a digital rulebook, which moved things closer towards the individual movement and squad mechanics that would lay the foundation for the next edition…

Warpath 3rd Edition (2016)

A few years on, and it was time to turn up the heat – bringing more Deadzone factions into full-sized armies that could be enjoyed in larger battles.

This meant new plastic kits…and A LOT of them, including the first-ever hard plastic vehicle kits Mantic had ever produced. These stunning and popular kits were detailed, easy-to-assemble, and are still in service today!

Operation Heracles was the starter set for this edition (Enforcers vs Forge Fathers), and of course included a 3-book set in a nice slipcase. One of these was the Warpath Universe Sourcebook, which fleshed out the universe in a way we’d never been able to do before. You can still get it today, available for free download HERE.

Epic Warpath (2025)

With Firefight so excellently taking up the mantle of 28mm platoon-level engagements – it was time to return Warpath to its original vision (jaw-droppingly massive battles) while also finding it a fresh new space within our collection of games. The answer was strangely obvious – sometimes to go big, you have to think small – and so Epic Warpath was born!

Matt Gilbert and Alessio Cavatore took the helm of this thrilling game of tiny infantry, tanks and aircraft, introducing a whole new ruleset that puts you in the boots of a grizzled sci-fi general, having to master both wider battlefield strategy and a rewarding secret orders mechanic.

Epic Warpath is also giving us the chance to expand the background of 8 of our faction militaries, including exploring HUGE (no really…huge!) super-heavy units that would otherwise be impossible to produce in 28mm scale. Epic Warpath is due for release in 2025, and following its successful Kickstarter campaign is now taking late pledges HERE.

Honourable Mentions

There have been other games set in the Warpath Universe along the way of course – exploring other corners of the galaxy such as creaking starships (Project Pandora), sinister research bases (Star Saga), neon-drenched sports pitches (Dreadball & OverDrive), and their underworld back-alley counterpart (Dreadball Xtreme).

While most of these games aren’t still in our current range, we remember them all very fondly and they continue to have communities of loyal fans that play them to this day.

Thanks for joining us on the journey so far, and things are only set to get more exciting in the future…

So dive in, start dreaming up your next strike team or strike force, and bring your friends along for a gaming experience they won’t forget!