A Preview of Relic: Nemesis

In January, we announced Nemesis, an expansion for Relic in which dangerous new threats to the Imperium converge on the Antian Sector, pitting agents of the Imperium against their most fearsome foes yet.

Along with four new scenarios, new threat cards, and new wargear to tempt even the most puritanical agents of the Imperium, the Nemesis expansion also adds up to two more players to Relic for epic, six-player games and the Enemies of the Imperium game mode, which allows up to two players to take on the role of a Nemesis, seeking to thwart the Imperium’s agents at every turn.

In our last preview, developer Alex Davy provided a more in-depth look at player versus player combat in the Enemies of the Imperium game mode. Today, we’ll look at two of the game’s playable nemeses, and reveal more about one of the new scenarios included in Nemesis.

Moarn Goreheart

Moarn Goreheart is a World Eaters Beserker, hellbent on the destruction of the Antian Sector and beyond that, the Imperium of Man.

Known far and wide for his foul deeds, Moarn gains infamy for discarding minions, and Moarn also gains two infamy each time he defeats a character in battle. When Moarn is in the game, you can expect that his hunger for battle will drive him to fight often with player characters.

When engaged in a fight, Moarn has twice the opportunity to explode his battle dice results (his dice explode on a one as well as a six result), making him a ferocious opponent. He can also use his Infamy to add to his movement score, making it easier for him to get to the locations where there are foes to crush.

Moarn’s arsenal includes cards like Skulls for the Skull Throne which can increase his battle score by a maximum of three, or his Chaos Bolter which gives him an additional three Strength in battle.

Moarn relies on sheer force and brutal strength to utterly destroy his enemies on the field of battle. He is crushingly strong and unrelenting in his pursuit of dominion. Imbued with the foul powers of Chaos, Moarn Goreheart is a formidable Nemesis.

Specimen X

Specimen X, the Genestealer Broodlord works to spread his Tyranids across the Antian Sector, and eventually overwhelm the Imperium with their vast number.

He gains Infamy by defeating characters, but each of the Tyranids on the board work to aid him as well – Specimen X also gains one Infamy each time one of his Tyranids defeat a character.

The more Tyranids that swarm across the Antian Sector, the more powerful Specimen X becomes: his battle score increases for each Tyranid Threat Card on the board, and he gains an addition Infamy for every three Tyranid Threat cards on the board.

Specimen X’s Arsenal relies on spreading the Tyranid threat. His Ovipositor Tongue allows him to place one of his Nemesis tokens on any Tyranid in his Tier. Tyranids with a Nemesis token on them add one to their battle scores for each token they have, making them a both a vast and a resistant enemy force.

Fortunately, defeating some of Specimen X’s myriad Tyranids will occasionally weaken him. His cultist, for example, forces him to lose an Infamy if an Imperium character can defeat it.

Master Collector

The Master Collector scenario in Relic: Nemesis forces players to become Apostate in order to enter the inner tier, by requiring them to possess an Apostate asset such as the Harlequin’s Kiss or the Kineblades. With the Apostate versus Devotee mechanic introduced in Nemesis, this means that players who become Apostate will become vulnerable not just to attacks by nemeses on the game board, but by other, more devout players as well.

Becoming victorious with the Master Collector scenario in play relies on a keen sense of timing – become Apostate before your opponents in order to reach the inner tier first and work to claim victory and risk being targeted by your rivals. However, if you wait too long, other players have the opportunity to begin placing their character tokens first, making your race to victory that much more difficult. Since placing a character token on a space requires discarding an Apostate asset, it may be wise to stock up before entering.

No matter how you approach the Master Collector scenario, the competition will be fierce, and the struggle brutal. Will you defy the wishes of the Emperor’s more devout servants? Or will you revel in the technology of your enemies as you work to claim victory over the Antian Sector?

Nemesis is Coming

Relic: Nemesis will soon make its way to store shelves. Are you prepared for the bloody battles against both friend and foe in the Antian Sector? Will you hold the line for the Imperium, or work to destroy it as one of the new, playable nemeses?

Pre-order your copy of Nemesis today, and keep checking back for more news and previews related to Relic!

…