Well it's been a long time since I've posted on my blog. As I've been painting items I've already blogged about then it seems, to me, pointless to post about them again and again.
So my blog sits unattended, further to this I've recently moved house and hit a somewhat hobby slump, finding little-to-no motivation to do anything remotely hobby related, which then becomes a vicious circle of lacking in motivation and sadness as I'm not motivated to hobby...
....anyway I was recently approached by a company called Armoured Digital asking if I would be interested in covering their proposed Kickstarter "Armoured Digital" which will be launched on 27/03, so here I am.
Here is an their press release
Armoured
Digital Miniatures Game: a new way to wargame
Armoured Digital (AD) is an exciting new
tabletop miniatures wargame from Word Forge Games. Players take control of
small forces of drone tanks and fight for control of ground and resources. It’s
a game that takes an innovative approach to several aspects of wargames, as
players program their orders, harvest resources and build new units during the
game.
Armoured Digital will be coming to
Kickstarter on 27 March 2018.
Programming
combat drones
The key mechanic in AD is programming
drones. Unlike other games where each unit can choose to move, shoot and
assault, in AD you have a limited number of orders programs (represented by
cards) and decide how you will distribute them. A key unit that has all of its
commander’s focus may receive multiple orders in one turn, while some other
units may not receive any at all. Players select orders from their deck at the
start of each turn and then alternate playing them.
Each orders card allows the unit that
receives it to perform one action, like moving, shooting or using a support
system. All orders are designed to have the same level of power, with orders
that bring greater rewards balanced with more restrictions or risks. Using the
right orders card allows players to fire artillery, adopt a defensive position,
boost communications or even crash enemy CPUs or reprogram enemy drones to make
them yours.
The cards explain the action that players
need to take, so once a new player understands the turn sequence and how to
move and shoot, they can play on with only the cards. However, choosing the
right order to play at the right time on the right drone with the right target
is a challenge that ensures no two games are alike, and mastering the game is
not an easy feat.
Building
new units
Players send their transports to capture
resources from an automated mine in the centre of the table and return them to
their mobile factories. Those factories build new tanks to replace a player’s
losses during the game, opening new tactical options. Players can respond to
the enemy by choosing the right units to deploy, or they can try to surprise
their opponent by switching force mix in the middle of the game. It also means
that players can put more of their collection onto the table by rotating in
other vehicles during the game.
A detailed
setting with a basis in real life
AD is based on a high-tech post-apocalyptic
version of our own world. From a golden age where AI and drones did almost all
of our labour, a terrorist attack successfully deactivated key safety systems
in AI overseers and led to global chaos. A global war between humans and AI
slowly ground down to a stalemate, but in the process, we discovered Digipaths,
people whose brain structures allow them to reprogram computers merely by
thinking.
The
remaining AI are scattered across the world, roaming the wilderness and still
trying to grow food that people will never eat, or build apartments that no
human will ever live in. The remains of the human population live in heavily
fortified refugee camps known as enclaves. And the Digipaths? With the generals
dead or missing, the Digipaths are now choosing their own course. And like any
human beings, they disagree on what needs to be done.
Players take on the role of one of these
Digipaths, fighting for resources, prestige or power. Choosing a faction brings
with it special bonuses and new victory conditions on top of the standard ones.
Easy
to collect
AD doesn’t bother with points values. Each
unit has an equivalent power level but a distinctive role on the table. There
is also a scissors/paper/rock attack and defence system, where choosing the
right weapons technology to use against a particular defensive technology is
the key to destroying your target. No single unit can be the king of the
battlefield alone.
The starter set comes with two complete
forces, each consisting of a command vehicle, a transport, a mobile factory and
three combat tanks that each take up a different role. Players can use these
same units no matter which faction they are playing. The starter also comes
with a 54-card orders deck and one commander from each faction.
As players expand their forces, they can
purchase individual tanks to swap in to their starting lineup or build during a
game. Each new tank comes with the miniature, the unit’s stat card, a production
specification for the unit and a pair of new orders cards designed to work with
that unit.
The Miniatures
Miniatures in AD designed in 1/100 (15mm)
scale. Each miniature draws on the game developer's real-world experience with
armoured vehicles, and all the vehicle's stats are clearly modelled on the
vehicle itself.
The miniatures will be cast in high-fidelity
flexible resin, built in as few pieces as possible. Players will be able to
simply place turrets into hulls and be ready to play. There are also recesses
for magnets in both turret and hull. The quality will be on par with all of
Word Forge Games’ products, including Devil’s Run and Goreball.
Future
expansions
There are plans in place to expand the game
with combat drones other than tanks, including hovercraft, insect-like walkers
and aircraft. New units are either being actively playtested or are planned for
stretch goals and future releases. Super-heavy tanks, new game modes and
faction packs with new commanders and orders are all in progress.
About Word Forge Games
Word Forge Games is games company with a
seasoned team behind it. We are focused on developing top quality board and
card games. We have successfully fulfilled 5 Kickstarters, including The
Devil's Run, Goreball and D-Day Dice. Our team also has experience in running
more than a dozen Kickstarters in the past
Word Forge Games has been casting in resin
for several years and casts miniatures both for our own games and for other
manufacturers as well.
All round some interesting ideas; seems similar to games like DropZone Commander or Grunts, as well as the classic computer game Command & Conquer, either way I'm looking forward to the launch of the kickstarter and seeing the outlined proposal, as well as it's progression.
Watch this space as I hope to provide more information in the build up to the kickstarter launch, the meantime why not check out their facebook
https://www.facebook. com/ArmouredDigitalGame/ and twitter page
https://twitter.com/ ADWargame for more details.
