Captain Atreyu and his men checking out the latest Mantic Digital releases

With all this talk of the Nexus Psi campaign book, it’s easy to forget that we’re just getting Deadzone off the ground! Across the world there are people getting their hands on the glorious big box for the first time. We’ve talked a lot over the past week about what’s in the Nexus Psi book, but what do you get if you order the game itself?

Well, first up you get a load of lovely miniatures. The Enforcer and Plague Faction Starter sets come in the game, each with its own Faction Deck. (You can see a bit more about how these work in the Deadzone Demo and Game Set-Up videos over at Beasts of War.)  You can build these as they are, or – if you’re feeling fancy and you want to have a go at bending them with some hot water – you can get creative! Check out this Facebook album for some inspiration; all the Enforcers you can see were built using the basic troopers available in the Deadzone box.

The Deadzone rulebook is packed with rules to cover every situation (well, almost – we’ve got some more in the Nexus Psi book!). They go over how to set up your awesome 3D battlefield, how to move your troops around it, and how to deal with fighting, shooting and trying to stay alive! There’s also a full set of campaign rules so your Strike Force can grow bigger and more experienced over time, and a comprehensive list of abilities, equipment and Plague Mutations.

For a lot of people, this game is all about the terrain! In the Deadzone box you get a small heap of our new modular plastic terrain, which you can take apart between games if you want to keep your battlefield modular, or glue together if you don’t want to have to bother with all the connector clips! It truly is a step forward for wargamers everywhere – it’s a terrain set-up that opens up countless possibilities for your battlefield. Beasts of War recorded a video of myself and Warren putting together a large building (which should hopefully be out this week), and our very own Dave relays a load of his trademark hobby tips over at our YouTube page! If you want more than what’s in the box, you can currently order a Scenery Upgrade Pack – and there will be plenty more available later in the year.

All told, Deadzone is a great box, and well worth getting. I was assembling my own set over the weekend (as well as putting my Marauders together) and I can’t wait to get more games in. We’ll be getting more coverage up – including some tactical tips from some hardcore Deadzone players – over the coming weeks, so make sure you check back!