D.E.I. - Divide et Impera

Missions!
about 4 years ago – Mon, Feb 03, 2020 at 10:21:24 PM

A big hello to everyone from Tommy at Radio Old London,

We are following a stream of people headed toward the Citadel, it seems that tomorrow, in addition to swapping resources for primary goods, the Purebreds also plan to make an announcement.

Follow us...

The study of the missions is one of the keys to winning D.E.I.

With each game, 8 of the 12 available missions are drawn, 4 if playing with the optional rule that increases interaction between players, thus providing less objectives.

These 8 missions are placed in pairs on the missions card, based on the turn.

At the end of each of your third phases, you will be asked to select the mission you wish to take on.

Only one can be taken on per turn, making this a very important decision.

At the start of each turn, the token advances to keep track of the position of the missions with respect to the current turn.

Each mission card has two specific areas, used to indicate the moment in which the player takes on the mission and the allocated points.

Each one has a lighter area (upper) indicating the points to be allocated if the selected mission is of the current or an upcoming turn, and a darker area (lower) indicating the points to be allocated if the selected mission is of a previous turn.

The difference between the two scores, light area vs dark area, is minimal, but at the end of the game, 4-5 points may well make the difference.

At the end of each player’s 4th turn, the generic points are allocated, which increase the final score of the player’s own faction, based on:

• Controlled outposts, those for which the cube is held.

1. Feats unlocked during the game.
    
2. Accumulated resources, energy cells are worth 1 point, while the others are worth 1 point each 2 tokens.

At the end of the last player’s last turn, the victory points provided by cards purchased at the market are allocated, just to give a final twist to the game.

These cards can in fact remain hidden or be placed in the discard pile so as not to give anything away to the adversaries.

Some factions have personal missions that aren’t based on the same system and which make the game more asymmetrical, for example the Fauns or the Purebreds.

We made this decision based on the background of the game, whereby the Purebreds are the dominant faction, which entrusts missions to the other factions, and which hunts the Fauns, persecuting them as responsible for White Death Day.

Guys, here we are, we have arrived.

The Citadel is imposing and creates a sense of unease seen from down here, while rows of survivors gather at its foot.

The red flags stand out against the black walls, which seem immune to the harsh climate.

Wait, there are some fliers fluttering around and they’re sticking to the frozen walls.

Guys don't miss the King of Average' preview:

Questa zona si sta facendo affollata...
about 4 years ago – Sun, Feb 02, 2020 at 09:10:54 PM

Welcome to my shop,

I’m Peio, I’m young, I know, but don’t be fooled by my age, I have connections in all the Outposts of Old London.

If you’ve come to find me, it means you need something... and I’m always willing to give my new friends a helping hand.

mmmhhh let’s have a look...

We are pleased to introduce the new expansion allowing you play with 6 players: Cash & Rad!!!

In this expansion, you’ll find lots of game materials including 4 new tiles: a new starting zone with a generic refuge, two new buildings with drone departure and one tile featuring a new design for the roofs.

These new tiles can be mixed with those of the core game to enlarge the surface area or host new factions.

The 2 factions added to the existing ones are composed of two very unique groups: the Rads and the Camdens.

These 2 new Factions will add even more asymmetry to the game.

The Rads are a very unusual group.

These characters lived near the large nuclear power stations back in the White Death Day era. These power stations, totally neglected and without maintenance, have collapsed, quickly filling the entire surrounding area with radiation.

These survivors, in addition to adapting to their new environment, have also learnt to use it to their advantage.

They walk around in their anti-radiation suits to stop the other groups from seeing their deformations, so as to be accepted.

The means available to them, Cherno, has a very unique function: being charged with radiation, it causes any Scrappers in the same area to feel unwell, forcing them to flee.

When a player moves Cherno into an area, all players move their Scrappers and Leaders to the adjacent zones.

Dr. Pierre, their Leader, has the power to cancel the effects of Cherno for his own faction, thus making this Leader indispensable in increasing control over the play areas.

This group of survivors quickly learned that trade could be the key to survival in the New Ice Age world.   Immediately after the day of White Death, the Camden Town traders quickly formed a group and joined together to increase their chances of survival.   

They began to round up their neighborhood in search of any object or material that could still be used. This allowed them to accumulate a large number of objects that could potentially be exchanged with other groups.   

Their influence became even higher among the Outposts to allow them to control the Markets more quickly than the other groups

Thanks to agreements with Purebreed, they managed to get an old Zaius drone model and turned it into their itinerant shop. Like all Drones, Zaius can be temporarily controlled by any faction that can call him to use his abilities. 

Zaius has two unique abilities. First, a faction that has at least one unit in its Zone will have access to the special Camdens Market, which contains eight unique Market Cards that you can add to your hand (paying the cost, of course). Moreover, when you activate Zaius and move it on an Outpost, you can buy cards from the corresponding market ignoring every control requirement.

By playing their leader APU, once per turn, you can exchange one of the cards in your hand with one already played by another player, if Apu is in the same area with a target player's unit. Then the target player receives a Candy Boost token.

Being facilitated in the purchase of new cards, their favorite strategy is to accumulate Supply thanks to purchases from the Markets, but focusing too much on buying from the markets could be risky since to do so, you will sacrifice actions on the field!

This market will allow you to have very unusual cards that can only be activated in response to certain adversary actions.

Normally, these actions are very powerful insofar as if they are not properly used, they may represent a lost opportunity.

Dear friends, I hope you found what you were looking for.

Remember, to add what you need, simply click on your pledge and add the value of the things you’d like (35€ for miniatures version or just 29€ for meeples version).

If you happen to be around again, feel free to come by.

See you soon....

Watch your steps!
about 4 years ago – Sun, Feb 02, 2020 at 05:01:58 PM

Hello Scrappers!

Here’s Tommy welcoming you to yet another broadcast from Radio Old London!

We all know that exploring the old city is no small feat. If you’re unfamiliar with the zone you've entered, every step could be your last!

But don’t worry, today I’ll guide you through these gruelling streets!

One of the most characteristic elements of DEI is no doubt the 3D map representing London covered in ice and snow.

The introduction of a second level on which to move one’s units offers unprecedented depth to this genre of games.

Many of your decisions will depend on the type of terrain in which you need to move, and the location where you choose to build a bridge or elevator will prove critical in gaining ground over your adversaries.

But in addition to the double level, the other unique feature of DEI tiles is their modularity. 

With 16 tiles to form your map, the number of possible configurations is practically endless and every game will be a totally new experience with respect to the last one.

This is perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of DEI, because it means that even once you've become seniors, each map can put your skills to the test, presenting a completely different situation with respect to the previous games.

Of utmost importance will be learning to make the most out of tiles featuring a special effect, such as the two initial neutral Refuges or those from which the Drones depart. With the expansions, we also see the addition of new Special Districts that heighten game variability, for example the Big Ben district, where it will be possible to “Denounce” adversaries to the Purebreds, or the Imminent Citadel of Achab (Spoilerrrr).

Moreover, the resources are arranged differently in each tile, and many even host additional outposts. Depending on how you wish to set up your playing field, it may be possible to form richer, more appealing areas and others particularly useful in controlling the markets, thus allowing your strategies to vary from game to game.

It wasn’t easy to represent a city covered in ice and snow without making it look monotone.

Hence, we asked our artists to indulge themselves, adding loads of details in the tiles. Admire your game board as you have loads of fun searching for all these details and citations.

Graphically speaking, no two tiles are the same!

To make an example, the image below shows a roof with musical instruments... clearly on White Dead Day, somebody was trying to imitate a famous English musical quartet...

Others are trying to grow plants...

And yet again, your Tommy has made himself useful and probably saved your life... even if you don’t know it yet!

You’ll hear from me soon, it seems new goods are about to hit the Peio shop!

Factions!
about 4 years ago – Sat, Feb 01, 2020 at 05:01:44 PM

Welcome back dear Scrappers to Radio Old London, this is Tommy as always!

Have you just made it to the streets of the Old Lady and are having trouble getting your bearings? The factions are going head to head and you’re unsure which side to take? Nothing could be easier... follow my advice and everything will be fine.

The first thing you need to know is that there are four main factions, all battling it out for the Old Lady’s riches: Auxilia, Ravagers, Farm Z and the amazing Refuge 42...but hey I’m not biased!

The Auxilia are the city’s most despised faction due to their arrogant and violent demeanour. Rumour has it that a few of these thugs were once part of the Purebreds and lived in their sparkling citadels, safe and sound, away from the cold. I don’t know who’s spreading the rumours, but there’s no doubt these idiots are supported by the Pure caste, they always have access to valuable information on where to find the best resources, and it’s common knowledge that these scoundrels receive much of their equipment from outside London. Not to mention the fact that one of their leaders is Neena, a gynoid who popped out from who knows what hole, with a particular passion for hunting Precursors. Hear me out, if you’re being chased by the Purebreds or have a good set of horns, stay away from these guys!

It’s not unusual in times like these to take refuge in underground bunkers, just like myself, but there are some who have made secrecy their genuine creed. Somewhere under there is a small shop of horrors called Farm Z, and there’s only two ways in: as a scientist or a guinea pig. I don’t mean to scare you my friends, in fact, many people are enthused by their circular arm saws or breathing apparatus, which turn out to be quite useful when you can’t find a bread knife or someone’s smoking in your shelter! Z-13 is the masterpiece of Farm Z, an energumen with a battering-ram instead of an arm and the expressiveness of a stone, more a puppet than a leader, but I doubt any of you would dream of saying it to his face!

If good guys still exist, the Ravenger is probably the closest thing. Openly opponents of the Auxilia, it seems their only reason for living is to sabotage their plans and destroy their outposts. I can’t know for sure, but their ranks are likely to include rebels, free men that have decided to side with the Precursors to subvert the Pure hegemony, hence why it is not uncommon to see a few horned heads in their outposts. Abraham, what a guy! After the death of his father, he took over the reins of the faction without thinking twice, thus becoming the youngest Leader of Old London. Jorge, you old devil, you could have left your son with something better than an old spade and a platoon of reprobates!

Finally, I can tell you about the faction home to the deepest, warmest, most charismatic voice of Old London: of course I’m talking about myself and my Refuge 42! Authentic, proud citizens of Old London, we are the real owners of the city and its culture, its history and its strange gadgets from the last era. Some of you might call me a coward, but I don’t like being out there in the cold and I hate violence, and anyhow, somebody needs to wash up while my girlfriend’s out there beating you up, right? Myself and Aria met while she was trying to harpoon me with a grappling hook, what a woman! Authoritarian and pragmatic, she is the undisputed leader of our faction and has always adored collecting objects and artefacts from before White Day; if it was up to her, our shelter would be full of junk!

Well my listener friends, we have reached the end of today’s bizarre segment! Remember not to go out in the coldest hours of the day, take your CandyRush regularly and stay out of trouble, do it for your Tommy.

I leave you with a song from more than 200 years ago... don’t be good, be bad guys!

Some spoilers...

Old London - Tower Bridge, Big Ben and campaign.
about 4 years ago – Fri, Jan 31, 2020 at 07:11:53 PM

Hi to all the listeners from Radio Old London,

Today we’re getting real cold for you, in fact we’re moving down the city streets, heading toward whatever’s left of the Thames.

It’s a very dangerous area, so we have to be extra careful.

Here with me is Aria, who is escorting and guiding us, and PaulPa, our sound technician, who will do his best to overcome the interferences.

This expansion will allow you to play the D.E.I. campaign mode and have a new faction for your standard games, the despicable Purebreds.

So what does this expansion add to the game, you ask?

This faction is able to manage all 4 of the core game drones. It is in fact the only one to start with 10 cards instead of 8, and one action card per drone.

To balance out this enormous advantage, the player controlling the Purebreds can only play one of these cards (only the base cards, not the additional market cards) per turn, and will have a more limited choice of standard cards, 6 instead of 7.

Boris, the leader of the faction and instructor of the Purebred troops, is a truly tough nut to crack.

Insofar as Leader of the Purebreds, he can move in a minority in any zone and if he finds himself in a zone with an Outpost, he can buy from the market of reference, ignoring the limitations; that is, the player that controls this faction won't need to consider the minimum number of markets controlled by that colour to buy from the relative market.

On the other hand, Boris will never lower himself to searching for resources like a normal Scrapper, so the Purebreds won’t be able to collect in the zone he occupies.

The Purebreds will have a pool of personal missions.

The Thames as we know it no longer exists, in its place lies an enormous and thick sheet of ice, making it particularly difficult to cross.

These 5 tiles, of which one is 3D, have mandatory paths to reach the opposite bank, thus making it important to move in a majority and outposts essential.

The Draco drone acquires a higher value in this expansion.

Big Ben is a tile with three-dimensional construction, which adds a new game mechanic: denunciation.

Thanks to this building and an external board, players will be able to “denounce” adversaries, forcing them to advance along the track of the denunciation board.

Each turn, 3 cards are positioned on this board, which trigger increasingly powerful effects on the playing field to the detriment of the player/s who are affected.

Using this expansion will incite you to argue with your wife, so use it wisely.

The Old London campaign can be played with and without the Purebreds faction.

The background stories will guide you through the 7 games forming the campaign.

With each game, thanks to a points system, you will have the possibility to establish the winner of the game and the opportunity to improve the chances of the adversary factions defeating you in the following games.

At the end of the 7 games the player that has collected the most points will consecrate their faction as the undisputed Leader of Old London.

Aria, it’s time to find a place to sleep for the night, PaulPa put something on to warm us up.

Enjoy the next song, in the meantime this cold is making me “comfortably numb”.

The new issue of Ashes (the official magazine of LMS) is available, downloadable for free clicking on the picture!

Here in ITA!!!