Today is a big day for The Walking Dead: All Out War because Wave Five is going live for pre-order on the website. But why is Wave Five so important for the series as a whole? Well, let us explain…

FIRST WAVE THAT WASN’T ON THE KICKSTARTER

That’s right, this is the first wave that wasn’t part of the Kickstarter. Throughout 2017 and 2018, we’ve been ploughing through all the various miniatures that were funded way back in 2016. Starting with Rick’s quest to reunite with his family, right up to the dramatic confrontation with the Governor.

Of course, throughout these releases we’ve always had the odd retail exclusive, like Ezekiel or Rick on a Horse, but Wave Five is completely new! Survivors such as Rosita, Eugene and Jud have never been seen before.

As we look to the future of All Out War, we want to ensure we continue to grow the range and direct to retail launches that support FLGS are most certainly the future.

NEW CAMPAIGN RULES

One of the most exciting aspects of Wave Five is the fact that Fear the Hunters comes with detailed rules for running your own campaign with inter-linked missions. The expansion includes a map with various locations on. Each of these locations – whether it be a supermarket, gun stash or hospital – will prove to be an invaluable resource, as you fight to survive in a Walker-infested world.

It also introduces elements like the Veteran Skill Cards. These are special rules that you can purchase for your Survivors when choosing your group. These are treated just like Equipment cards, except they don’t take up a slot, and are always in effect. What’s more, they can be applied to existing characters – they are not exclusive to Custom Survivors. So, if you’ve ever fancied beefing up Carl with a bit more oomph, then the Veteran Cards are the thing for you.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

You’ll probably notice that Wave Five doesn’t include more Walkers in the booster packs – instead you get extra Veteran Cards, which are definitely going to come in handy. Part of the reason for the lack of Walkers is that by this stage in the narrative, Walkers are no longer the main threat for Rick and the gang. Instead, you’ve got rival groups like the Hunters that pose far more danger to everyone’s survival than the Walkers.

Following Rick’s encounter with the Hunters, he then settles into Alexandria. Once behind the safety of Alexandria’s walls, Rick begins stockpiling weapons, food and making it more secure. The story switches from a desperate struggle to survive against the Walkers, to skirmishes against other groups of survivors.

With this in mind, next year we’ll be switching the scope of The Walking Dead from the claustrophobic survival runs we’ve all been playing to much bigger battles against large groups of survivors. The Walkers will still be a part of this, but instead of being the main threat, they’ll be weapons to be used by either side to gain the upper hand. Plus, when Rick comes across Negan and the Saviours, All Out War really begins to live up to its name.

We’ll keep you updated with the progress of the skirmish game ahead of its release next year. We’ll also need some dedicated playtesters to ensure it’s a competitive tournament game too – so stay tuned for that, if you fancy getting involved.

HERE’S NEGAN

Talking briefly of Negan, although Here’s Negan: The Board Game isn’t strictly a Wave Five release, we’re still extremely excited about it. We got a little fed up with all those nicey, nicey co-operative games, so we wanted to do something a little different. Yes, you’re going to have to work together to clear the Sanctuary of Walkers, but you’ll also need to be a little selfish to ensure you become Negan’s favourite lieutenant.

Here’s Negan is due out in November and we’ll have plenty more on this game in the run up to launch. However, if you want to pre-order now, you’ll get an exclusive set of Survivor cards, so you can use Dwight, Laura, John, Tara and Sherry in All Out War.

RONNIE’S THOUGHTS ON WALKING DEAD

Recently, Tom from T&G Productions visited the Mantic office and interviewed Ronnie about the future of Walking Dead. You can watch the video below!

So, what are you most excited about for the Walking Dead? Let us know in the comments below. Come back tomorrow, as we take a closer look at the campaign map in Wave Five.

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