Evidence shows, that Prodos is indeed working hard behind the scenes on improving their
AvP: The Hunt Begins boardgame. The rules will get overhauled and a first hint on the things to come I could find on BGG forums.
All credit goes to
Konstantinos Lekkas for the info.
-----------------------
Day 1, #RulesLeakI know I said one or two but... the nature of these changes compels me to do more! You get a whooping 4 Alien changes!
So
far, the Xenomorphs were the ones taking a beating, so all of these 4
first changes are #BUFF ! Let's see the tweaks that make them more
apppealing:
1) Acid Immunity. Yep, that was probably missed. Now
Aliens bathe in the blood of their friends and feel cool about it. (Acid
Splash targets only Marine and Predator Models)
2) Well, talking about Acid, we decided to make a minor tweak and make it happen just a wee bit more often. It is now 1-6.
3)
Does it not suck, to have your Engaged Aliens spend one action to Close
Combat, and then just "pass"? Not any more! All Aliens (except the
huggy) get the following:
Quote:
-Extended Action - Paroxysm: Perform a Close Combat Action using both of your CC Weapons.
4)
Whaaaa? Which "Both CC Weapons is thaaaat?". A hidden buff for combat.
All Aliens (except huggy) gain a second melee weapon that can only be
used when the model performs "Paroxysm".
Quote:
Profile: ST: as other +1, RoA 1, AVV0, and it goes by the name "Tail Strike".
So effectively, you get an extra die with a +1 strength!
So, to sum it up:
Acid Splash happens more often and does not hurt Aliens
Aliens become better at Melee by rolling an extra and more powerful die when using an Extended Close Combat Action.
-------------------
Day 2, #RulesLeakAll
right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another
glorious day in the Corps! A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on
the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every
formation a parade! I *love* the Corps!
Your trusty Marines get the
reinforcements they need, in the form of the Sentry Guns. Today holds
the complete ruleset for Sentry Guns! This is a
#RulesRedesign1.
Autosentry (p.33 of 1.2 RB)
Auto-Sentry
(P)- A model with Auto-sentry automatically receives a sentry token and
an activation token at the beginning of each game turn, and counts as
having been activated during that turn.
2.
Gun Emplacement (p.33 of 1.2 RB)
Models
with the Gun Emplacement (P) skill never count for any Mission
Objectives and may not benefit from the Heal and Medic special rules.
Also, they automatically pass all “St, Con” checks they are required to
take due to a card or game effect, and do not benefit from any Faction
abilities (such as the Clear Corridor perk for the Marines Faction).
3.
Infiltration
(new addition to the skill list)– Before the first round, but after all
players have deployed their tokens, choose any of your Deployment Tiles
that is out of line of sight from any opponent's token. Up to one
Sentry Gun from your Force may begin the game deployed in that tile. You
may set up this way up to one Sentry Gun per Squad. For each Sentry Gun
not deployed this way, place a Sentry Gun Token on your Sentry Gun
Reference Card.
4.
Sentry Gun Set-up (New Ruleset) - Any
Marine Faction Model may spend two Action Points to set up one Sentry
Gun Model from your Force on the same Tile it occupies. Spend two Action
points to remove a Sentry Gun Token from your Sentry Gun Reference Card
and place a Sentry Gun Model on the same Tile as the model using the
Set-Up Action (a Power Loader has the option to remove one of the Sentry
Gun Tokens from the Power Loader card instead of the Sentry Gun Card).
Place and Activation Token next to that Sentry Gun, and it counts as
having been activated for this game turn. This action may only be used
if the occupation limit for the tile allows to legally place the model.
A
Power Loader may expend an Interact Action to pick up a Sentry Gun from
the same Tile. Remove the Sentry Gun (and any sentry/activation tokens
it may have) from the game and place a face-down Sentry Gun Token on the
Power Loader's stat card. If a Power Loader is removed from play as a
casualty, remove all Sentry Tokens from the Power Loader Card and they
count as having been destroyed.
5. Sentry Guns received the Infiltration and Sentry Gun Set-up.
6.
After vigourous testing, the sentry guns (and their unrevealed new much
lower point cost) were too good to be true, and a #NURF was applied.
The RS of the models is lowered to 12.
-----------------------------
Day 3, #RulesLeakWell youngling, you seem to have alot to learn before you can join the ranks of Warriors. Today's theme is all about Yautja!
1)
A new twist for the Predators is a #BUFF to the Hellhounds, to
compensate for the "attack/pass" scenario. While these beasts might be
considered similar to "Alien Stalkers", they have some significant
differences. They are quite slower, bulkier, and definately more spiked!
And they just had to have their own ability which any Tactician can
appreciate.
Quote:
Spiked Nightmare (P).
A model with Spiked Nightmare automatically passes any CC Tests to Disengage from an Engaged Tile.
No
man (or Xenos) is stupid enough to get in the way of the spikey bits.
Run away, you say? Well, why don't I disengage my cheap Beasty and block
your path...
2) The Predators' advanced technologies allow them
to immitate the voices of their enemies. The more Predators, the
merrier. Vocal Mimicry has had a
#RulesRedesign and is now Purchasable to the Predators' Force.
Quote:
Vocal Mimicry:
You may purchase and add to your Force a number of Vocal Mimicry Tokens
up to the number of Predator Models in it (not counting Hellhounds).
3)
Well, a Gattling Plasma Caster has to be Gattiling! The profile of the
Weapon has been reworked and now better suits it's role. This is a
#RulesRedesign
Quote:
Gattling Plasma Caster: ST 10, RoA 6, AVV 3, Hot Plasma
------------------------------------
Day 4, #RulesLeakThis update consists of rules changes that apply to all Factions. These all are #RulesRedesign.
1)
Firstly, the cards have been split into two groups, those that can only
be played when a certain condition arises, and those that must be
played at a normal Card Play Window.
Secondly, playing a card has
more windows to when it can be done, and it is now based on the current
Initiative order. See below:
“Active Strategy Cards can be played
after the change of Initiative and before the next model is selected for
activation, or after a model completes an action. Conditional Strategy
Cards can only be played immediately when a certain condition is met.
When
a played decides to play a card, he must first announce his intention
to do so. Then, the other players also announce they will be or will not
be using a card at that particular time (pass). If more than one
players announce that they will play a card, then they do it with
initiative order, playing one card or passing. This continues until all
players play their maximum number of cards or pass. If a player
initially passes and another player plays a second card, the player who
passed is considered to having passed on all opportunities to play a
card for that particular occasion.”
2) Tactical Advantage has been changed, to cause less repetitions of occurrence. See below:
"When
you draw Tactical Advantage, reveal the card to all players and place
it in your discard pile. Draw 5 cards, then discard down to 5 cards.
Shuffle your discard pile into your deck. It does not count towards the
limit of cards you may play in a turn."
3) Engage by Displacing
has been reworked, to provide coverage to all possible situations. I
will put it in simple words rather than copy-pasting the complete new
wording:
i. In every situation you wish to
Engage by Displacing, because your model does not fit, you can only do
it if the tile would end up being Fully Occupied and Engaged (same as
before).
ii. In situations where you cannot create a Fully Occupied
and Engaged Tile by displacing models (such as a Queen wishing to Engage
a tile with 3 Predators) you may perform CC actions to the target Tile
from an adjacent Tile instead.
iii. In situations where a Tile is
Fully Occupied but not Engaged (like, 8 Marines in one Tile), you may
perform CC actions to the target Tile from an adjacent Tile instead.
Rulesleaks for day 5 and 6 will also happen today.
--------------------------------
Day 5, #RulesLeakIn
the cold darkness of space, no being is spared the Nurfstick! The next
serries of Leaks reflect Nurfs that powerfull units received for all
races, in the same order (Day 5 Aliens, Day 6 Marines, Day 7 Predators).
Days 8-10 will be spent on peeking through the Force building section,
as well as some more generic changes! Today's #Nurf fell upon the
Xenomorphs!
1) Facehuggers were incredibely powerfull. One does
not simply waltz into Pred-dor and instakill anything it can find, and
spawn monsters worth over 20 times their own cost as a bonus!
Facehugg
has been reworked to cause 1 wound on an unsuccessfull Con roll. Models
being removed from play by losing their last wound due to Facehugg,
will spawn models according to the index as normal, however...
...any
Predalien spawned due to Facehugg will be spawned with just 1 Wound
remaining. Let's assume it is just too young and fragile on the first
breaths (game) it takes.
2) The stats of Alien Warrior were off
the charts, when compared to its cost and that of a Predator's (It
should cost close to what a Predator/Royal Guard costs, for those
stats). The Alien Warrior has been given lower statistics to fill in the
role of "middleweight" in the Alien Force (instead of
doubling-trippling the cost...).
The following changes were applied:
-Removal of Impenetrable
-1 CC
-1 Wound
-3 Weapon Strength (matching Profile of 13)
-1 RoA
-2 AVV
We also clarified that the Profile of the hits from the Acid Spit (A) is Strength12 and AVV0.
Our Hive wails in anguish, but endure it and adapt we shall.
---------------------------
Day 6, #RulesLeakThe uncaring eye of the Nurfers has fallen upon the Corps, and the #Nurf started mercilessly!
I
am in the unpleasant position to inform you that a certain
Stalone-impersonated character will not be joining your Force. All
super-powers have been removed, and he now is just a super-duper
Sergeant who either rocks or rolls, not both.
The sarge (or better, the weapon) has had a tripple tweak on his two abilities, "Shotgun! (A)" and "Point Blank Shot (A)".
1.
these abilities are exclussive. In one game turn, you can either use
Shotgun OR Point Blank Shot, not both. If you Shotgun!, you use CC with
the Knife profile, and if you Point Blank Shot, you shoot with the
normal Ranged Shotgun Profile (ST12, RoA1 as on card).
2. Point
Blank Shot now requires a CC roll for each Target (with Sergeant's CC of
14, that means that probably two out of three will hit).
3. Shotgun! now hits up to 3 targets on each of two Tiles (Total of 6) down from 8 (Total of 16).
A
model that costs more or less as two basic marines, cannot simply roll a
possible maximum of 19 dice (8+8 shotgun and 3 autohit Point Blank).
Wrong Movie. A sad day for the Corps, but your Sarge will not be Johny
Rambo, he retired before Pred 1 was shot starring Arnie.
--------------------------------
Day 7, #RulesLeakNo cloaking device can help you run away from the Nurf Detector! In this update, #Nurf has found the Yautja!
1)
The first of the magical downgrades is, as all have guessed, about the
Omnipotent Smart Disc, which received more than one debuff.
Firstly,
there was a tweak on the “Hit” mechanic. It is now clarified that no
Line of Sight is required. The model now requires an RS test for each
target, instead of a 1-10 roll. Yes, it got buffed by two points and is
now subject to Fumble and Power Shot, but also it got nurfed because as
in every RS roll, modifiers apply.
Secondly, and this is the most
“painful” part, the Ranged Weapon now has a ST 15, just as in melee.
This means that, it no longer automatically kills the target, but allows
an armor save with a -5 modifier to the test.
It is still a very
potent weapon due to it requiring no Line of Sight, and the RS 12 roll
on unengaged models. But it no longer is “end-of-the-world-spell” for
the Marines.
2) The newly released Youngbloods have been reworked
(nurfed) much like the Alien Warrior, in order to fill the gap of
middleweights for the Predator army. The changes however, are of a
different nature to that of the Alien Warrior.
The first point
addressed was that of the equipment. These (personal favorite) models’
cards do not depict the actual equipment shown on the models. So, to
observe What You See Is What You Get (wargamers know what we mean), we
have changed the equipment (most notably removed the Plasma Caster).
The pack consists of:
2 Models equipped with Wrist Blades and Wrist Dart
1 Model equipped with Combi-Stick and Wrist Dart
The
second point was their incredibly high RS skill. A Youngblood having
better stats from the Warrior just did not cut it. The RS of the
Youngbloods has been lowered to 11 (still, Pack Hunt applies as normal).
Not much of a hurt, since Plasma is no more.
3) This is more of a
clarification/logical action, but since the rules said nothing it is
considered a nurf. The Hellhounds cannot open doors. Much like the
Aliens, they now use the “Force the Doors Open (A)” and “Assisting in
the Force the Doors Open skill”, but they only add bonus for other
Hellhound models present.
Roar in anguish my brutal friends, and blame the prey for it!
----------------------
Some more info about release process for rulebook from a Facebook comment:
1) We have delivered the rules
2) a check is taking place for IP (so that we don't need FOX approval by accident)
3) The .pdf is compiled
4) The team receives and doublechecks/proofreads the .pdf and delivers again
5) Any minor issues are fixed and the .pdf is released as a free download
6) The game receives public playtests and feedback
7)
With the feedback good (or acceptable, not all can aggree always) the
books take a green light for printing, the exact timetable is not
something I can provide for printed versions.
I will say that the
rulebook is not the only thing we've been working on. We have requested
for extra items, and the request was deemed logical, but they will be a
later update maybe from Prodos.
----------------------------
Day 8, #RulesLeakDay
8 already, is it now… A few more generic changes (or specific changes
that will affect all races). But, before I start with this update, it is
high time that I give the proper thanks to those who made this happen.
Firstly,
I must thank the other four members of the team, in no specific order
Jack Perry, Standa Adamek, Maxime Bouchard & Peer Lagerpusch . All
of them focused on this task, and completed one another’s skills. Thank
you guys! <3 br="">
Secondly, I must thank the playtesters who helped
by voicing their opinions, regardless of the nature of that opinion;
because, even if they were wrong, the process off proving it validated
our chosen course and strengthened our resolve. Too numerous to pinpoint
each one, but a thank you is due!
Lastly, I must thank the
Prodos Team and Jarek Ewertowski, for being an insightfull and down to
earth person. They acknowledged the issue, and were not shy to ask for
help. It takes men of great courage to give to a different person (or
group of) something they have worked so hard to accomplish (so many
steps; design/approvals/production/management). Respect.
Ok ok yes ok, I hear you, getting on with it, yes ok, enough with the melodrama. Back to business. Massive update incoming.
1)
The Air Vents have been quite frustrating regarding the rules around
them. What happens if you need to “drop a mission token” in them? What
happens if a Hugger Huggs the vent and won’t budge? Well, these issues
have been addressed. This is a
#RulesRedesignFirstly, there is a new mechanic to “Delivering to Vents” mission special rule. It has been clarified as:
Quote:
“A
model may Deliver to Vents any Mission Objective Tokens it is carrying
by spending one Interact Action while standing at an adjacent Tile. This
Action does not count towards the restriction of using each Action only
once per Model Activation.”
So, if by happenstance any tokens have fallen next to an air vent, you may pick them up and deliver them on the same turn.
Secondly, while a Model is located inside an Air Vent Tile, enemy Models may not move in or through that Air Vent Tile.
Thirdly,
this, gentlemen, is an added bonus, certain models may use Ranged
Attacks to hit enemies hiding in Air Vents. Such models are:
Predators: A Predator armed with a Smart Disc may target an Adjacent Air Vent Tile, but if he does he only hits Models on that Tile.
USCM:
A Marine Model armed with a Flamer may target an Adjacent Air Vent Tile
by using the Ping! Special rule, but if he does he only hits Models on
that Tile. Also, the Grenade Strategy Card can be used in the same way
(Adjacent, Ping!)
2) All CC weapons now have had a change in their calculation Mechanic. This is a
#RulesRedesign.
Before, each CC weapon had a fixed strength (like the Ranged weapons),
and was unaffected by the Model’s Strength. We have changed all CC
weapons to give a MODIFIER to Model’s strength. This way, the same CC
weapon is more or less effective depending on who’s wielding it.
A small (but not complete) list of examples:
Alien’s Claws have the same Strength as the S of the Model. Notable amendments:
Quote:
-Infant changed S and Con to 10.
-Queen and Crusher changed S and Con to 16
-Marine Combat Knife has the same ST as their Model’s ST (So still Marine 9 and Commando 11).
-Hydralic Grappler changed to +7 Modifier (So still the same, 16)
-Smart Disk changed to +1 Modifier (So still the same, 15)
-Combi-Stick
and Wrist Blade changed to the same as their Model’s ST (So, Hunter
gets a buff from 12 to 14 for Wrist Blade, and Youngbloods’ -Combi-Stick
is not that strong. Also affects Elders, who will be revealed soon*TM*)
This
is not such a major change, but allows us a more generic use of the
weapons as well as it opens up more options to any possible future
units. It is also easier for younger or new players to remember that
“Combat Knife is as Model” rather than “Knife 9 for Marine, 11 for
Commando, and so on.”
3) The Marine corridor perk has been
reworked. This #RulesRedesign affects all three Races in different ways
and cannot be classified as a specific #Buff or #Nurf.
As very
adequately put by a member of the team, “The Marines get to use chairs
and dishes when you try to hack them, but are to stupid to DUCK when
being shot at?”
The Corridor perk for USCM has been modified to Enemies getting -2RS (up from 0) and -2CC (down from 4).
This
way, Aliens (and Preds) get to hit Marines more often in melee (which
compells more of a “move and shoot” character to USCM), and Predators
have a decreased chance to PlasmaMelt the Marines (and, as we said in
Leak 7, the Smart Disc is now affected by modifiers!).
4) And now
to the juicy part. Main Box Balance. We have found, suggested and
tested a way to balance the forces provided. This will be a first hint
of Unit Costs.
According to the system used, and the points provided
by that system after tests upon tests and tweaks upon Twix (rather
lovely chock bar heh), we have calculated that the contents of the box
would allow players to play games with their choice of arround 120 pts.
To do that, each Faction will receive a “Starting Box Force” instruction
as follows:
USCM: The Marines will be using all
models. Sorry amigo. Your brothers count on each other and just can’t
let someone go. (Total USCM Box Cost 113 pts)
Xenomorphs: The Hive may choose between these two Forces:
-10 Infant Warriors and 3 Stalkers (118 pts)
-9 Infant Warriors and 5 Stalkers (120 pts)
Yautja:
These highly competitive Predators go on a 1on1 competition to see who
is the best, and their friend sits back to watch while eating pop-corn
(and protecting the ship). Choose between these three Forces:
-1 Hunter & 1 Warrior with Combi-Stick & 3 Vocal Mimicry Tokens (117 pts + Mimicry)
-1 Warrior with Combi-Stick & 1 Warrior with Smart Disc & 2 Vocal Mimicry Tokens (119 pts + Mimicry)
-1 Warrior with Smart Disc & 1 Hunter & 1 Vocal Mimicry Token (124 pts + Mimicry)
This is a sneak peek of the costs for some Models.
Quote:
*The
Marine Squad will cost 113 pts, and any Extra Marines will cost 19 pts
each. Since we are talking of Marines… I can say that the Sarge will
cost 38 pts.
*The Infants will cost 10 pts each, while the Stalkers
will only cost 6! And, a bonus to you, the Facehuggers will cost only 4
pts each!
*The Predator Warriors will cost 63 pts (Disc) and 56 pts
(Stick), while the Hunter will cost 61 pts. And, I could not leave you
with out a bonus! You get the Hellhounds at a whooping 9 points!
Bare
in mind however, that the FOC restrictions have not yet been revealed. I
can confirm that the number of Facehuggers and Stalkers you may add to
your force is directly linked to your Infants and Warriors! The Sentry
Guns are dependant on your Marine Squads, and the Predators have a net
of dependencies!
I have gone too far and said too much and now
fear for my life. I will only say one thing more, and then try to hide
in the shadows. We have received the changed .pdf for proofreading.
“It’s the final count-down”. Maybe a 10-day, maybe less.
Now, how’s THAT for an update?
------------------------------------
Day 9, #RulesLeakWell…
Surprisingly enough, I am going to continue selling out “Massive”
Updates. This however, will come at a cost! There might be a delay on
updates 11 and 12 due to travels.
Today we will be addressing some more issues of generic nature. These are
#RulesRedesign1) We have changed the occupation limit for some Tiles.
-Clear/Infected/Predator Dead End Tiles now have an occupation limit of 4.
-Normal Rooms now have an occupation limit of 12.
-All other Tiles (including Predator Rooms) still have an occupation limit of 8.
This might seem “of no consequence” until you use “Build your Own Force” and try to deploy two squads of Marines in one room...
2) We have changed the Missions.
-Missions now include more objectives for each player, thus enriching the experience.
-All Mission Special Rules are clarified and are bunched up in one place (such as “deliver to vents” from previous leaks)
-Further clarified the “frag” mechanic for mission objectives, introducing frag points based on base size.
-Added
a “Campaign Mode”, which is the only way you gain “experience”, and
redefined the levels of experience and bonuses. Each Faction gains
experience and levels in a different way, and we regard this as a fluffy
element for players wishing to have a good time rather than “play
hard”.
3) We have Murder/Death/Killed the “Make your own Hero”
rules. While it was quite entertaining for experienced veterans to
mix-and-match, tailoring your Hero to the force of your choice, we feel
that this aspect belongs to the Wargame, and a Board Game should be
easier and more straightforward for all players (of all ages). Instead,
players get to choose from a selection of “Hero” pre-sets, as follows:
-USCMThe
Marines have Lynn and Dutch, as well as four CUSTOM Heroes: The W/U
Commando Captain, and 3 wound-levels of Marine Commander
(Captain/Major/Colonel). Three CC Weapon Choices (Knife/Serrated Combat
Blade/Composite Machete) and 3 RS Weapons (Rifle&Grenade/MARSOC
Rifle&Grenade/Shotgun).
-XenomorphsThe Xenomorphs
have the usual suspects in the form of Queen and Predalien. You may only
add a Praetorian if you already include a Queen. A new cheap option for
the Hordy Players is the “Evolved” Alien Warrior, much like the
previous Alien Warrior, and you may take them 1-4.
-YautjaYou
have a choice between three different Elders: Warrior, Hunter,
Berserker. They are effectively slightly stronger than their Basic
counterparts, with the normal selection of weapons, including the (yet
again) slightly better versions of (by popular demand) Relic Combi-Stick
and Relic Smart-Disc. The Hunter and Berserker have access to all
options of Plasma weaponry. One Elder has access to the reformed
(better) Doomsday Machine (Self-Destruct Device).
At this point I
will remind you that according to previous leaks the weapons have
changed to “As User” in regards to Strength, so a Knife/Combi-Stick is
better on your Hero than it is on your Average Joe/Krriklrakriklr.
4)
Advanced/Custom Game Deployment has been defined. You now get a
starting “Deployment Area” which is different for each Faction, and
takes heed of the number of occupation points your Force Roster
initially has. The Marine/Predator players take infront of them a number
of Rooms/Corridors to accommodate their complete force and connect them
between themselves, and place their “Deployment Area” combination of
tiles to a starting position. This is too extensive to clarify now, and
we will wait for the .pdf.
5) I have promised to give away some more point costs, and I’ll give one for each race.
The
USMC add Sentry guns for ONLY 9 points apiece, but are restricted to
1-3 per Colonial Marine Squad. This takes up a Support slot.
The
Xenomorphs get the new Warriors at the cost of 24 pts, as a Troop
choice, no restrictions. The previous “build” of the Warrior should have
him cost over 45 pts (almost as much as a predator) and not IKEA-cheap!
The
Yautja can call upon their Hellhounds, for 9 pts each doggie. Bring
dogfood. However, they are restricted to 1-6 for each Hunter or Hunter
Elder.
The next updates will have us taking a looksee to the Force Organization for each Faction in turn. Rejoice!
