Ahoy, Admirals!
Four years ago, we unleashed a new era of naval warfare with the launch of the current Dystopian Wars, forging the first multi-part plastic kits and thrusting you into the thrilling Dystopian Age! Since then, an armada of nearly 400 units has flooded the seas and skies, unleashing squadrons of ironclad warships, scores of colossal warmachines, swarms of airships, and even an aircraft carrier built on an iceberg!
And that's not all. We've seen incredible campaign expansions with strategic offshore platforms, vulnerable merchant ships, and the unpredictable fury of hostile weather. Our once streamlined core rules have swelled to encompass this epic scale but we're talking about a staggering 250 unique special rules now woven through the game's eight faction ORBATs!
Therefore, the time has come to make way for a new chapter. We are retiring the current edition of Dystopian Wars, but not without extending our deepest gratitude for the countless exhilarating naval battles waged by thousands of dedicated hobbyists over these incredible years! Prepare yourselves for what comes next!
Let us take a peek at the next thrilling edition - Lead Games Designer James M Hewitt has more information:
“Our aim with the new edition was to make Dystopian Wars quicker and more intuitive to play. The current edition has grown massively since its release so it’s no surprise that some areas of the game have become somewhat complex. The current edition did a great job of depicting ship-on-ship combat. Still, as the range of miniatures has expanded, countless new gameplay elements have been added through special rules and supplements.
Now, with the advantage of the clean slate of a new edition, we’ve been able to fold those elements into the core rules. We’ve also taken the opportunity to streamline things, combining similar rules and removing redundancy wherever possible.”
New, But Familiar
While the current Warcradle miniatures range for Dystopian Wars is being retained, this streamlining has resulted in a version of the game that is much more accessible for new players. This will be a great chance to reintroduce Dystopian Wars to any of your gaming buddies who might have felt overwhelmed by the previous edition.
But it’s not just newcomers who will see the benefit! James explains all:
“During testing and development of this latest edition, we’ve found that players who are familiar with the game and know their fleets can get through a round of a 1000-point game in about twenty minutes. That’s an important difference from the current edition, and we think it’s going to be incredibly exciting - especially for the competitive play community, who will appreciate the number of games they can get through in a weekend!
But most importantly: it still feels like Dystopian Wars. We want to be very clear about that, because we know a lot of people might worry that we’ve over-simplified things. Fear not: that was the last thing we wanted to do.
The overall shape of the game will be immediately familiar to existing players. Instead, our focus has been on making things more intuitive and quicker to resolve. There’s just as much crunchy, cinematic action, and plenty of granular choices to make, both in force selection and during play.
All in all, the response from existing players has been that it feels like a faster, fresher version of the game they know and love.”
Meaningful Decisions
Get ready to unleash your current Warcradle forces like never before! Every miniature you own will be fully compatible with the upcoming edition, and all your models that we currently produce will be supported with rules in the new edition. But that's just the beginning. Brace yourselves for a tidal wave of reinforcements hitting the tabletop when the new rulebook drops later this year. We're talking brand-new units from Greece, Australia, Korea, Spain, and beyond. Even with this influx of fresh blood, prepare to rediscover the tactical brilliance of your existing units. The new edition's dynamic gameplay will shine a spotlight on old favourites, forcing even your most trusted warhorses to fight for their place in your fleet!
The seas are about to boil with new possibilities! James has more to reveal on this:
“We’ve spent a lot of time listening to the Dystopian Wars community, and one of the things that kept coming up was that games would often be decided in the opening salvos of the first two rounds.
A major factor in that has been that each unit can do many different things, often putting out a scary amount of firepower. This can lead to an extended first round, where models are blown out of the water with impunity, resulting in an underwhelming late game which isn’t as much fun as it should be.
In the new edition, we’ve given the attack resolution and damage systems an overhaul, while also strictly limiting the number of things a unit can do during its Activation. This means you must make some tough decisions, and think about the best way to use your models. And the weapons at their disposal.
This gives the game a more consistent pace. You’re less likely to see models removed from play in the first round, or the victor being decided before the fifth.
We’ve also taken a look at some of the things that might have been a bit overpowered (or underpowered). You’ll struggle to find any “auto-include” units in this new edition, and we hope that players will be encouraged to play around with different fleet compositions to uncover new synergies and strategies.”
New Accessories
We’ve seen a lot of speculation on our Discord and Facebook social channels about what might change in a new edition of Dystopian Wars, so let’s be clear: you’ll still be using the same Action Dice, Critical Damage Dice and Measuring Tools! That said, some things are changing too The Blast and Torrent templates will no longer be part of the game, and the Victory & Valour deck will be replaced with a brand new incarnation.
The game will now share the Dystopian Age Token Sheet that’s already available in Armoured Clash boxes, alongside a new supplementary sheet that’s just for Dystopian Wars. This features markers for all six types of Critical Damage, markers for Crippled ships and also for Valour Effects, as well as a cardboard Minefield / Wreck marker.
In Conclusion
Final words from James as he sums up the journey for the games Development Team on this next chapter:
“Overall, this new edition of Dystopian Wars has been an opportunity for us to apply the lessons we’ve learned from years of developing the previous edition. Also, anyone who’s played Armoured Clash will recognise a few new elements that have been applied in new ways - as seen with the updated rules for using Victory & Valour cards.
We’ve seen plenty of reviews praising the Armoured Clash rulebook for its layout and ease of use, and you’ll see more of the same in Dystopian Wars. We’ve also put a lot of thought into how ORBATs are presented and used. We hope the rules documentation will blend into the background when you play. We want you to be able to spend more time directly engaging with your opponent across the table, and less time checking rules.”
So set your engines to full speed and prepare for a thrilling resurgence on the high seas!
Whether you're a seasoned admiral with countless victories under your belt or a fresh recruit eager to command your first fleet, whether your collection boasts every warship imaginable or you're dusting off those dry-docked vessels from years past, prepare to be blown away! This summer, a new era of Dystopian Wars is launching, and trust us, you won't want to miss it. Keep your scopes locked on the Warcradle blog in the months ahead – we've got incredible reveals to share!