The terrible attack on Earth is over. The aliens have been rebuked and our planet is safe, thanks to your efforts, Galaxy Defenders. But, the threat is far from over. The invaders have their own base on the dark side of the moon, and it is imperative we bring the fight to them: locate and destroy their base, strike back at the enemy – and then fight for survival or extinction. This is your fate in the Operation Strikeback and Extinction Protocol expansions for Galaxy Defenders.
Preview of some components featured in Extinction Protocol.
These two expansions were funded through Kickstarter in 2014 and are now finally reaching the shelves of your favourite game store. The two boxes are brimming with new miniatures, new enemies, two complete campaigns – and, of course, all new equipment, skills, and powerful weapons to fight against the alien menace!
We will take a look at the major changes the expansions bring to the base game of Galaxy Defenders, and then we'll delve a bit into each box to unravel the monstrous aliens and the awesome weapons our GD heroes will find in each expansion. But, not before thanking all you backers out there. Thanks to you, the Galaxy Defenders universe is expanding and most of the additions to the game have been possible only with your help! Your assistance in fighting the alien invasion has been invaluable, and our chances to defeat the dark alien dominion are improved thanks to your support!
New Rules of Engagement
Operation Strikeback and Extinction Protocol share the rulebook and a number of features that change the basic rules of the game - and some of these rules have been requested by you, Agents from around the world! One of the most important new rules is High Impact, requested by fans and players and immediately implemented. Basically, High Impact makes combat more deadly and intense, allowing massive damage to ignore armor. In game terms, a figure can never roll more than 5 defense dice; any hit beyond the first five ignores armor and is inflicted on the target.
Wormoon: one of the Master Aliens introduced with the new expansions.
Speaking of combat, we can’t help but mention the introduction of critical damages. Several new weapons now have the ability to inflict critical damage (in addition to normal damage). What's more, there are three different levels of critical, each more gruesome than the previous.
Another major change is represented by the Master Aliens. Now, each campaign has an “ultimate enemy,” a super-powered alien with its own large miniature, special powers, and abilities. Each Master Alien, such as the massive Wormoon or the evil Alien Queen, has its own two-sided special card. Each side of the card shows different abilities that are activated in different combat situations; not only that, but the Master Alien is able to switch between the two sides of its card adapting its tactics to the situation. And, if that isn’t evil enough, Master Aliens are to identify and attack the most threatening Agent during the battle, even switching targets during the course of a fight, with the new Menace rule. The Master Aliens are the ultimate enemies for our Galaxy Defenders: enemies to be reckoned with.
But, our Agents are not powerless against such a dark and cruel universe! The new expansions bring all new skills, powers, devices, weapons, and tactics.
For instance, in Operation Strikeback, the Agents are now able to use Fighting Poses, sacrificing speed and mobility for much better fire capability. And, during the course of the campaigns, Agents may discover new powers, such as Psionic abilities (more on this later). Finally, the use of new alien tech yields special combat armor: Power Suits, which enhance the combat abilities for up to two Agents.
Power Armor Profile Sheets.
The Extinction Protocol expansion introduces awesome Power Armor, one for each Agent class. These battle armors use incredible amounts of energy, but have devastating offensive capabilities and offer a high level of protection to the Agents, as well as increasing their innate abilities. But, the power suits and armors use energy to perform special maneuvers, attacks, and defenses - this is simulated in the game by new mechanics allowing players to manage the energy of their own battlesuit.
Furthermore, the Agents are no longer alone in their battle for the human race! Enter the NPCs, allies who can be fielded with the Agents and support them in the fight. Both high-tech clones and strange alien entities fight alongside the Galaxy Defenders in their space crusade.
The Agents continue to gain new powers, perhaps the most spectacular being the Psionic abilities. These may be gained during missions or in place of a skill, and have dramatic impact on the game itself, ranging from self-healing to time warping (effectively skipping a whole enemy phase) or even time walking (allowing for an extra Agent turn before the next alien turn begins). Psionics will definitely change tactics and strategies in the campaign, helping Agents tackle even the Master Aliens with a better chance of surviving.
Last, and not least, there are new Agent Ranks. Starting from Gold, they provide new benefits for Agents. First and foremost, Tactics are now a free action, allowing more flexibility and new combos on the alien battlefields.
However, each expansion also has its own special rules, aliens, and gadgets, so let’s take a look at each box in some more detail. In the next article, we will talk about Operation Strikeback. Stay tuned!
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