Update #7 Vector joins the ranks!
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 05, 2022 at 05:10:24 AM

“My real name? Hell, not even Personnel has that info so I’m surely not giving it to you. As far as you’re concerned, Vector is my name, and espionage is my game, and that’s all you need to know. And yeah, I’m part of the science division, what of it? You think a spy can’t have a PhD? Look, you need something hacked? Some alien tech figured out? Some equipment sabotaged? I’m your guy. And if you need someone to confuse the enemy or intercept their intel, I’m there for that too. But if you’re going to run with me on the team, you need to know how to keep quiet. I don’t do “alarms”.  If you got a problem with that, go hang out with Marissa or Cain, they live for that stuff.  Me? I’ll be in the shadows, getting the enemy to do what I want them to do, go where I want them to go, see what I want them to see. If you aren’t on board with that, find yourself another team.”

This unlock brings the newest member of AEGIS, Vector, for all backers at the Invasion level! Backers at the appropriate pledge level will receive Vector's miniature, his dashboard, and a 30 card Tactics deck (plus 2 additional level I cards from stretch goal #2). 

Vector may be a science officer, but he prefers espionage to equations. His playstyle is all about manipulating the Enemy Spawn decks and Threat deck, as well as creating diversion and misdirection that can send Patrols wandering in wrong directions. If you like tricky card play with cool combos, Vector is your Operative!

Remember, you need to be backing at the Invasion Pledge level to receive this stretch goal!

And don't get too confident just because there's a new Operative joining your ranks...the enemy is not idle...find out what they're up to with the next stretch goal!

Update #6 First Add On! Acrylic Dice!
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 05, 2022 at 05:10:13 AM

People have been asking for it in the comments, so here they are, custom acrylic dice! With this add on you will receive 6 white dice, 3 red dice, and 3 black dice, all in colored acrylic! If you’re like me, you hate passing dice around, so make sure there’s enough for both sides of the table!  Or, if you play solo, prettier dice on your side of the table!

To add this to your pledge, simply increase your pledge amount by $12! Then, in the Pledge Manager, you’ll be able to select this option to be included in your pledge! Happy rolling!

Update #5 Focus on Marissa Vazquez
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 05, 2022 at 05:10:03 AM

“Yes, I’m aware we’re a covert mission team. So yeah, I keep things nice and quiet for as long as I can. Sticking to the shadows and using silenced weapons to drop the bad guys is the name of the game when we start a mission. Those are the times  when the science types and sneaky assassin types get to shine. But that stuff only gets us so far. Once it hits the fan and the alarm gets triggered and the enemies start pouring into the hallways like the tide, then it’s my time. And once I’m on the clock I run a clinic on inflicting mass casualties.  Forget the silencers and the sneaking around.  It’s time for machine guns and grenades.  Line ‘em up and pack ‘em in, the more the merrier and the higher the body count. Once this train starts rolling there’s only one stop ahead, and it’s filled with lots and lots of dead things.”

Marissa is the quintessential soldier. Tough as nails and utterly fearless, she thrives in combat. And not just any type of combat, but the mass destruction style of combat. Marissa is the queen of Area of Effect attacks, especially burst and spray attacks. Her Tactics deck is focused around this type of combat, as well as containing some strong support style cards that help the whole team.

If you’re are wondering how burst and spray attacks work, here is a brief overview:

Burst: for each instance of Burst an attack has, it generates one extra shot. This extra attack can target another figure in the same zone, or the same figure multiple times. To resolve it, roll the dice once and apply the results to all targets!

Spray: spray targets each figure in the zone, plus each figure in all zones between the attacker and the target! Roll once and apply the result to all targets!

We’ll take a look at other Operatives in future updates!

Update #4 Enhanced Tactics!
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 05, 2022 at 05:09:31 AM

$100k hit in less than 24 hours! Amazing!  Let’s keep the momentum going and spread the word the best you can! Share the campaign on social media, engage in conversation on BGG, etc.! Let’s keep this train rolling!

Enhanced Tactics

With this stretch goal, each backer will receive 2 new level I Tactics cards for each Operative in the game, including any future ones unlocked during the campaign! So far that is 12 total new cards, but that number will climb as new Operatives join the fight!

Tactics Decks Explained

In Earth Under Siege: Flashpoint, each Operative begins a campaign with a 15-card starter deck. Each deck contains unique cards for that Operative that sets their playstyle apart from other Operatives. We’ll be doing deeper dives into each Operative and their decks in future updates, but for now, just be assured that each Operative plays very differently form any other, and that is thanks to their Tactics deck.

Diverse Tactics

Each Operative also has an Upgrade Stack which contains cards used to modify their decks throughout the campaign. Each Upgrade Stack consists of 15 cards, 5 each of Level’s I, II, and III (the World Killer expansion introduces level IV cards). Each stack of cards contains different ways you can build your Operative, focusing on different ways to play, such as being more support orientated, or more offense oriented, etc.

That finally brings us to the new cards that you’ve just unlocked. These cards add yet another way to build each Operative, focusing on new mechanics and playstyles. For instance, Marissa’s new cards focus around using her Overwatch token in different ways instead of just using it to make attacks. Hicks’s new cards allow him to risk escalating the game to give huge buffs to the team. Kyle’s new cards center around him applying various negative conditions on himself in order to generate powerful effects.  Selecting these new cards as your upgrades create new playstyles and combo possibilities!

Next up, a new member of AEGIS looks to join the team… stay tuned!

Update #3 Enemy Reinforcements!
about 2 years ago – Fri, Mar 04, 2022 at 03:59:25 AM

Enemy Incoming!

With this stretch goal we unlock two new Enemy figures for every backer! An additional Reaver and an additional Vormacht Heavy! Having extra figures is always useful, because if you ever need to spawn an Enemy and you don’t have enough figures, you have to spawn a unit of the next highest initiative! 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these Enemies! First up, we have the Vormacht Heavy. The Heavy is a real tank, especially for a Basic Enemy, and provides unique problems that have to be dealt with. Their Spawn cards focus around either making them tougher, or making them a direct threat immediately by placing them in Overwatch which can allow them to make an attack against Operatives even before the Enemy Phase begins. And their attack cannot be overlooked because it has the Spray trait which means it hits all figures in the target's zone, plus each figure in the zones between the target and the attacker! Poor play here can result in multiple members of your team getting damaged. On the Defense side of things, their Phase Shield ability prevents players from using rerolls when targeting them, which takes away a huge tool in the Operative’s arsenal. Luckily, they only have a 4 Defense, so they aren’t too hard to hit…unless they are in cover, which can happen due to one of their Spawn Events (Enemies in cover receive +2 Defense).

Next, let’s look at the terrifying Reaver. You won’t encounter these in your first few missions, but when you do, you will learn to be careful with your tactics when dealing with them. Not only are they frightening melee attackers that inflict Bleed with their hits (bleeding figures suffer 2 damage at the end of their activation), but they have a “Ready for Violence” ability that will activate them when they are attacked and survive! That means they will move up to their movement speed to engage the nearest Operative, then attack if able! What that means is that when you attack a Reaver, you better either kill it, stun it, or be more than 3 zones away, otherwise you’re in for some up close and personal contact with a raging alien!

Next up, we have a boost for our Operatives! At $100,000 we get to expand our Tactical options…Stay tuned!