AvP: The Hunt Begins - new (improved) rules leak‬

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.

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Day 1, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
I 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.

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Day 2, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
All 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 ‪#‎RulesRedesign‬

1. 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.

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Day 3, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
Well 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

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Day 4, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
This 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.

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Day 5, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
In 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.

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Day 6, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
The 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.

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Day 7, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
No 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!

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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.

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Day 8, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬

Day 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 ‪#‎RulesRedesign‬

Firstly, 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?
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Day 9, ‪#‎RulesLeak‬
Well… 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 ‪#‎RulesRedesign‬

1) 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:

-USCM
The 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).

-Xenomorphs
The 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.

-Yautja
You 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!