A Menace from the Heavens!

When I was a kid, my grandmother would talk about a UFO encounter where she and my uncle saw something that looked like a Star Destroyer fly over their car while returning from a fishing trip. I should note that my family lived in the Inland Empire of southern California, the prime location for aircraft flying to and from air bases in Nevada and the southern California desert. When the B-2 stealth bomber was revealed, I put one and one together to make sense of her story. Today, I would not say that I believe in alien visitors, but I would not completely rule it out. I am sure the truth is out there, but finding that truth just is not the same without Scully.

In 1938 Orson Wells turned the American radio listening public on their collective ear with his broadcast of the War of the Worlds. Lots of Greatest Generation Americans believed that aliens from another world had invaded the US. To be honest, those crazy lights over Phoenix in 1997 had me wondering whether or not we were about to make contact with alien visitors, and the reports in 2000 regarding “black triangles” over Illinois are pretty convincing.

So here we are in 2008, and we need to prepare for the next alien invasion. The Martian Menace is an awesome portion of Monsterpocalypse. While kind of born out of the kaiju genre, they draw their major influences from 1950s and 60s science fiction – which on the street of movie genres, live right next door to the early kaiju movies. The faction contains flying saucers inspired by the flying discs of yesteryear and three-legged walkers inspired by H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. The Martian Menace really feels right at home with the likes of Terra Kahn and Gorghadra as alien invaders have a long tradition as antagonists in kaiju films. Some alien faction was always summoning or building some monster to wreak havoc on the Earth and challenge the protagonist monster.

The Menace have simple goals: world domination through complete subjugation of the human species in order to harvest the Earth’s resources. Mars is a dead planet. The Martians depleted their own natural resources and put nearly their entire population into hibernation until their engineers and scientist could develop a fleet of ships capable of conquering the Earth. Evidentially the $4.30 a gallon we pay for gas has not dissuaded them from coming for our resources. Perhaps the prospect of Congressman Cannon’s Oil Shale bill has them excited?

Game-wise the Martian Menace may be one of the best factions in terms of producing Power Dice with minimal dedication to securing buildings or holding lots of Power Zones. The Power Pod units are certainly the most important figures in this regard in the Martian Menace arsenal. Though slow on its own, faster Saucer units can put this pod in place by using the Saucer’s Transport ability and the pod’s companion Cargo ability. The Power Pod’s Amplify ability allows you to gain two Power Dice instead of one for holding a Power Zone. With just a couple of Power Pods holding Power Zones, you can start to generate a good amount of Power Dice every turn. Also units like the Vanguard (with its Power Gorge ability to produce two Power Dice instead of one when it destroys a unit) gives the Martians a nice dice-advantage during play.

The Ares Mothership may be one of the most frustrating monsters to face. In her Ultra form she gains the Negation ability, which prevents Power Attacks within two spaces of her. This limits her opponent’s attack options, and it takes a while to grind her down. Her companion, the walker pod Deimos-9, grants the Hit and Run ability to all of your units. That ability allows you to attack and then move with your units, which is valuable for shooting a unit then retreating behind rough terrain, seeking cover, or just advancing deeper into enemy territory to harass units trying to secure buildings or hold Power Zones. Things just get worse and worse for your opponent when you move into your Ultra form. Deimos gains Lightning Attack (you can make a second brawl attack against the same target when you hit). When accompanied by Penetrator (reduces target’s defense versus brawl attacks) and Siphon (target loses a Power Die and you gain a Power Die when you hit), this allows Deimos to become quite the machine for suppressing your opponent’s Power Dice while delivering damage and gaining additional Power Dice. That’s a four Power Dice swing and two points of damage when you hit with your brawl attack.

The Martians are a crafty faction to play. They hit fast, gain Power Dice like no other faction, and they have a touch of Power Dice denial that can really send your opponent’s best laid plans to the cornfield.

When I first saw the Ares Mothership, I knew I wanted to play this faction. To me there is something really cool about taking something like the kaiju genre and making it your own by interjecting related and similar concepts and expanding those concepts, like we did with the Lords of Cthul and the Martian Menace. It broadens the appeal and makes it uniquely Monsterpocalypse. When you put that on top of a great game, you have a game worth playing. My friends, Monsterpocalypse is that game!

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Clarifying Collectors Information

The four preset units and two building are the same figures in each starter, no matter what random monster is included in the starter. These were preset to illustrate in the Game Walkthrough how certain abilities work. The four units are all from different factions.

If you bought a case of Unit Boosters and a case of Monster Boosters, your odds of getting a complete set of Monsterpocalypse: Rise would be extremely high (although it should be noted that since these are sold in a blind buy method, no guarantees by myself or Privateer Press are made regarding the contents of a booster or case of boosters in any way).

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Collectors Information

We know a lot of you have some questions about the upcoming Monsterpocalypse game and how it will be presented. I hope this blog has answered a number of those questions, but it occurred to me that we had not yet addressed some of the most basic information, like when we’re scheduled to release. Here, then, is some information that we think you will find useful:

The game is set to launch at the beginning of October and expansions should follow about every four months, give or take a couple of weeks here and there.

Starter Boxes ($24.99) contain one random monster with one corresponding Hyper form, two preset buildings, and four preset Units. All preset figures will appear in the set as well. Additionally, you will get one two-sided map, one 64-page rulebook, one Handy Reference Guide, four Boost Dice, 10 Action Dice, and 10 Power Dice.

Monster Boosters ($12.99) contain one random monster and one corresponding Hyper form. Each monster in the set has one corresponding Hyper form that comes with it in the booster each time. There are 12 monsters total in the first set, and all monsters have the same rarity. You may only use one of any monster when you play – even with the Multi-Monster rules. Monsters are labeled “***” for their rarity.

Unit Boosters ($12.99) contain one random building and four random units. There are nine buildings total, all with the same rarity (although two of those buildings will be preset in the starter). Buildings are labeled “**” for their rarity. There are 36 units total (six per faction). Fourteen of the Units are labeled “*”, which is the most frequent, 10 are labeled “**” (a bit less frequent), and 12 are labeled “***”, which are the hardest to acquire. You get one “***”, one “**”, and two “*” per booster. You may play with up to five of any one type of unit or building when you play.

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Just FYI

Monsterpocalypse: Cataclysm Event and CMG launch at Gen Con Indy

Seattle WA, June 20th, 2008
The Monsterpocalypse is upon us!
Join Privateer Press (booth 1201) and celebrate the world premiere of the Monsterpocalypse collectible miniatures game. A limited amount of sneak preview starters and boosters will go on sale for the first time ever on Thursday, August 14th. The sneak preview contains a sampling of the figures in Series 1: Rise. The figures are not limited edition and are identical in all respects to the figures in Rise due out October 2008. Be among the very first to play Monsterpocalypse in its debut event at Gen Con Indy! Purchase your product at the Privateer Press booth, grab a ticket to play, bring a desire to level cities, and join us in rooms 105/106 for this participation event! This is not a sealed box event, so boosters are allowed and encouraged. You can participate in as many of the approximately hour-long matches as you like during this all-day event. Players who participate in TWO or more games will walk away with a limited edition figure, Mega Zor-Raiden!
Don’t miss out on the world premiere of Monsterpocalypse on the gaming world’s largest stage at Gen Con Indy.
For more information visit www.monsterpocalypsegame.com or register for the event at www.gencon.com/2008/indy and click “Register Now.”
(Information subject to change, visit www.privateerpress.com for the latest updates.)

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About the Monsterpocalypse Collectible Miniatures Game
The Monsterpocalypse Collectible Miniatures Game (CMG) brings the giant monster genre – a pop culture favorite – to the tabletop in the form of a fast-paced, action-packed game. Designed by Matt Wilson, the award-winning creator of WARMACHINE and HORDES, Monsterpocalypse leverages the critically acclaimed abilities of Privateer Press as a leading miniatures manufacturer to enter a new category of product with a property that appeals to a worldwide fan base of all ages. Planned for release in October 2008, visit www.monsterpocalypsegame.com for previews and updates about the game.

About Privateer Press, Inc.
Privateer Press, Inc. is a privately held, Seattle-based producer of entertainment and hobby brands such as the newly-announced Monsterpocalypse collectible miniatures game, the award-winning hobby miniatures games WARMACHINE and HORDES, the award-winning Iron Kingdoms property, and the Formula P3 hobby line.

To learn more about Privateer Press, visit http://www.privateerpress.com or contact the president of Privateer Press, Sherry Yeary, at (425) 643-5900 or sherry@privateerpress.com.

All contents copyright 2001 - 2008 Privateer Press, Inc. WARMACHINE®, HORDES, Iron Kingdoms, Formula P3, Monsterpocalypse are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc.

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Talking Maps Here!

The last couple of weeks we have been playtesting a few new maps that will release in a map pack shortly after the starters and boosters. I figured a little education regarding the map could be in order this week.

Games of Monsterpocalypse are played on battle map. The map allows for placement of buildings and provides a variety of features that drive the game in different ways, including spawn points, neutral spawn points, Negative Zones, and Power Zones. Placement of these features along with the placement of the buildings really shapes the way the game develops and gives certain monsters or play styles an advantage.
At the beginning of the game, players roll to see who places the first building and takes the first turn. This can be a valuable roll to win. However, the player that does not win this roll chooses the map for the game. If that player chooses the right map, he can mitigate the difference between going first and going second, which is small, but still an advantage.

Foundation placement can play a vital role in the game. Buildings separated by only a couple of spaces are easier to secure with fewer units. If you place three units between two buildings and end up adjacent to both, you secure them both. That means more Power Dice when you Power Up, which means more potent attacks and power attacks for your monster to perform. Having buildings adjacent to one another also creates potential damage-boosting hot spots. If you can drop a monster on two buildings at once, you can deal two to four damage in one attack, depending on whether or not those buildings create hazards. Remember to pay attention to where you leave your monster. Don’t get baited into moving to a place where you can get thrown into a pair of buildings.

Spawn points are locations on the map where your units come into play. At the beginning of the game you are designated as the Red player or the Blue player and use the spawn points and monster starting locations based on that designation. The number of spawn points on the map can drive the speed of the game. A map with four spawn points per player means fewer units can come into play each turn and thus you can secure fewer buildings and hold fewer objectives early on. Further, attacking your opponent’s units can have a greater impact, on a percentage basis, since the number of units that can come into play each turn has been reduced. Obviously a map with six spawn points per player means more units will come into play each turn. The downside to spawning six units is that you cannot do as much with those figures each turn, since you spent at least one Action Die to put each figure on the board. (Remember you only have 10 Action Dice in your Unit Pool, and moving and attacking each cost one die per unit). Units that cost you two or more Action Dice to spawn will more likely see play earlier in games on maps with fewer spawn points.

Neutral spawn points usually lie toward the center of the map. By dedicating a unit to hold the activator, you gain access to another spawn point. However, after you pass the threshold of five spawn points, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Having access to spawn points deeper into the map, however, can provide your units with further tactical options when playing aggressively against your opponent, such as spawning units away from areas of conflict or spawning, moving, and attacking with a unit in the same turn.

Negative Zones ding your opponent for Power Dice when you Power Up. If you destroy the buildings on your opponent’s side of the map, suppress his units, and prevent him from taking Power Zones, you can greatly reduce his ability to gain Power Dice. When he does gain a few Power Dice from destroying your units or taking down buildings, you can hamper him further by holding Negative Zones and then Powering Up. Your opponent will lose one Power Die for each Negative Zone your units hold, and this can keep the balance of Power Dice tipped in your favor.

Power Zones are the best locations on the table for gaining Power Dice. One non-flying unit sitting on a Power Zone gets you one Power Die every time you Power Up, a better ratio of figures to Power Dice than you get anywhere else on the table. We tend to place them in locations that drive conflict in the game. Two aggressive players can spark an all-out war in certain parts of the map as they engage one another to hold these valuable objectives.

Additionally some spaces feature terrain like water, trees, or rubble that affects the game in a different way. Placement of one rough terrain space (like rubble) or one impassible terrain space (like water) near an objective can really make you wish you had some hover or jumping units (which ignore features like that) so you can get to that Power Zone quicker. Some terrain spaces offer cover, which increase a unit’s defense against blast attacks. This can provide a place to plant your units to allow a little more protection or to counterattack anything trying to