Mantic Vault: May 2024 Preview

So, over to the RC -

I'm excited that the second pre-generated Strike Team for Deadzone is here! Unlike the Eiras Contract Team, here we find a previously unknown combination of mercenaries, with some faces likely familiar from missions in Star Saga or the illegal arenas of Dreadball Xtreme.

A particular feature of these themed lists is, of course, the absence of list building, a fairly significant aspect of the hobby! However, to still bring some individuality and especially character into the lists, the pre-made lists offer so-called "Specialised Operations" to choose from, and the best part is, you can select one after knowing the opponent and the mission, but before rolling recon. [If you happen to play against an opponent who also uses Specialised Operations, make a secret note about your choice and reveal them simultaneously!]

Since the Eiras Contract team consisted of existing and known mercenaries, the four choices help cover any weaknesses – something against armour, against many ranged fighters, for a different, often more aggressive setup, and finally a general boost to damage output. The fact that these are primarily heroic, renowned characters is reflected in the Special Order of the troop. Reviving is something unique in Deadzone!

With this information in mind, let's now look at the brand new Tersia Revolutionaries team. This is a group of professional troublemakers who fight together but have different goals and approaches. At first glance, it's also noticeable that they have a relatively balanced mix of ranged fighters, melee fighters, and support units, which is why the Specialised Operations are somewhat different from Eiras.

The commonality again is that you can adapt to the situation, but in a slightly different way, because each choice revolves around one of four characters and enhances their role, while at the same time the playstyle can change very significantly depending on the choice:

- Brute Force is a backyard mechanic who wears an exo-suit with many gadgets and, of course, knows how to take apart and reassemble constructs, with perhaps a spare part or two for herself. "Strip them down for parts" favors a playstyle where either her own constructs and highly armoured units stay close to her or the opponent has some that she can dismantle.

- The leader of the group, Ector Zanchez, knows how to handle explosives. But recently, he finds himself in the boots of a leader and must grow with his challenges. "Not a leader by choice, but circumstances" shows the strategist side and allows influencing the upcoming recon roll and strengthening the team in the game, as long as he can coordinate it in battle. A solid choice for every occasion, but where loosing the leader will hurt even more.

- Lyra the Fixer is a tragic figure. A skilled assassin who understands her trade and is very suitable for tasks requiring stealth. Unfortunately, she never got to choose these tasks herself, as she spent most of her life as a slave for shady corporations or syndicates. Now she has the opportunity to finally break her chains. "Earning her freedom" is probably the most game-changing choice, as you have to track how many victory points Lyra generates in the game herself and follow a quest with rewards. As you progress, she gains more and more abilities until she ultimately leaves the battlefield on her own terms – finally free (Ed: Blaine may think otherwise!).

- Last but not least, one can specialize in causing chaos and havoc in the enemy lines with Sergeant Ugurik. "Coming in Hot" enhances Ugurik's cinematic entrance with his Dropsuit, not only making his impact more reliable but also opening fire while still airborne. Especially against Strike Teams hiding important units or setting up a gun-line, Ugurik can strongly influence the game with this ability, without drastically changing the rest of the Revolutionaries' playstyle. A real fire and forget choice!

Having looked more closely at the Specialised Operations, let's conclude by discussing the team in general. The strike force has its own agenda, and this is reflected in the rules. The killer robot Orion is programmed to eliminate important targets, thus passively generating more victory points when delivering the final blow, while the Special Order adds more mission objectives in the form of terminals. However, finding, accessing and extracting valuable intel from them is not easy and requires some planning – plus, sometimes there appears to be some aggressive firewalls. Finally one must beware of opponents who could access these themselves and steal your victory points!

So, there may be three ways to generate extra victory points, but in doing so, you may sacrifice actions and it might become a game within a game. Lyra, as the only hacker, is naturally suited to use the terminals and can quickly earn her freedom, which can bring an additional victory point. However, one must then protect her more carefully, have at least one fewer model actively participating, and that's out of only 9 models total! And here is where the hacked robots come into play. The two massive Jetari bots R0-8L0K and T4-P1T, having the Beast keyword, have clear tasks: beating up opponents and surviving for a long time themselves, while the R515-Medi Bot can not only protect the few meatbags (and with the Defender Shield even the Constructs) but also have important actions free to, for example, bring Ugurik into play or interact with terminals. The medics slightly more aggressive AI can even clear opponents out of the way in close combat if necessary!

The overall heavily armoured team is supported by another Defender Shield from KR-OM3, which can also take on the task of melting the enemy's armour with its plasma cannons. Overall, one can say about the Tersia Revolutionaries that Ector has packed everything to deal with any threat and one can pursue their own goals for victory, but everything depends on the action management of the team.

-Claudio