Fantasy Flight Games

Alien Mutations

Published 27 January 2012 |

Alien Mutations

A closer look at the recently released Nexus Ops, plus the video trailer!

We announced Wednesday that Nexus Ops, the frenzied board game of fierce battles and fantastic alien creatures, is available at your local retailer and on our webstore. In this classic game of tense extraterrestrial combat, two to four players race to control rubium-producing spaces on a randomly built board made up of modular, hexagon tiles. Only by spending precious rubium to raise an army of indigenous beasts will a faction have the strength to defend its claim, as players clash in a series of quick, dice-based skirmishes at key strategic locations.

If you’re already familiar with the classic edition of Nexus Ops, you may not be aware that while FFG’s update preserves that core game play, it also adds eleven optional rules. These can be used in a multitude of engaging combinations, allowing players to tailor their Nexus Ops experiences for nearly infinite replayability. Perhaps the most significant optional rule is that of the all-new alternate alien powers. By simply flipping their reference sheets to the “Alternate Unit” side, players can unlock a range of exciting new abilities and synergies. And while the alternate units use the same figures as the standard ones, they present entirely new tactical choices. Today, we’ll take a closer look at these alternate units.

Clone

Physically more fragile than the Humans on which their DNA is based, Clones are the backbone of a corporation’s labor force. These alternate units replace Humans on the reference sheet, but since cloning is a complex and time-intensive process, they can only be produced at a rate of one Clone per home base hex per turn. What’s more, their physical limitations make them even weaker than humans; in battle, Clones roll one fewer die than their overall number.

To help remember the recruiting limit, place newly purchased Clones on the refinery, then move them to the edge of the hex at the end of your turn.

Despite these restrictions, however, Clones are quite cost-effective. Their price is only one rubium a piece (as opposed to two for Humans), making them excellent “meat shields” for your more valuable units. And while their recruitment cap means you can’t immediately flood the board with a Clone army, you can (and should) slowly build up a reliable force of them, to work your refineries and defend the home front.

Shardian

This red Shardian has a surprise in store for his attackers. When killed, he can explode, potentially taking them both out. Click to enlarge.

The suicide bombers of the alien moon, Shardians are prepared to destroy themselves to ensure the defense of their homes. These three-cost units may begin a battle by rolling a special two-dice attack that hits on 4+ (as opposed to their 5+ standard attack). This special attack utterly obliterates the attacking Shardian, but he has the potential to take up to two enemies with him.

When fighting on his home turf in a Crystal Spires, the Shardian provides an even more effective deterrent. This is because in a Crystal Spires, his controlling player is not forced to decide between a standard and special attack; he can have both. As long as a Shardian is in its natural habitat, it “explodes” when it’s removed as a casualty. A Shardian could therefore attack as usual during the Battle phase, but still reserve the option to use his special attack afterwards!

Sporling

Sporlings, the alternate counterparts to the classic game’s Fungoids, are remarkably mobile fighters. First, observant fans of the classic game will notice that Sporlings come before Shardians in the Battle Order (in the classic game, Crystallines attack before Fungoids). This extra speed in combat, however, is only the first of their benefits.

The green player’s Boulder Blitzer has wandered into the wrong hex. The blue player has Sporlings in three adjacent Liquifungus Forests, and he can move them in when combat begins.

Whenever possible, Sporlings are best kept within Liquifungus Forests; as long as they are, they can quickly teleport to adjacent hexes in which battles begin! If you’re fortunate enough to control multiple Liquifungus Forests within close proximity of each other, you can create a highly defensible sector of the board. Spread your Sporlings across the forests to limit enemy movements, but be ready to converge them onto a single hex whenever a fight breaks out.

Boulder Blitzer

The red Boulder Blitzer might seem outmatched by the superior blue Monolith Wyrm, but since they're on a Rock Plains, the Boulder Blitzer will strike first. Click to enlarge.

And speaking of mobility, the Boulder Blitzer (a close cousin to the base game’s Rock Strider), is an insectoid monstrosity capable of moving across multiple terrain types with blazing speed. Whereas the base game’s Rock Strider could move up to two hexes only when one of them was a Rock Plains, the Boulder Blitzer has no such restriction; its six long legs allow it to skitter through Liquifungus Forests and Magma Pools with equal ease.

While in the Rock Plains, however, its natural camouflage and instinctive knowledge of the terrain give the Boulder Blitzer an edge in combat. When in one these hexes, the Boulder Blitzer ignores the standard battle order, instead gaining a “first strike” option even against the mighty Monolith Wyrm! It’s therefore important to mention that since Rock Plains are one of the most plentiful terrain type in the game, the Boulder Blitzer is able to exercise its ability more often than any other unit.

Magma Diver

Meanwhile, the fearsome Magma Diver is not only immune to the scorching temperatures of the moon’s Magma Pools, it thrives on them. With a tough exoskeleton hardened by generations of direct exposure to lava, the Magma Diver is able to swim through it like a fish through water. What’s more, its incinerating attack devastates foes; the Magma Diver hits on a roll of 3+, but on a roll of 5+, it scores two hits!

The blue Magma Diver on the right is facing a daunting defensive wall. Fortunately, he can dive beneath the surface and target the vulnerable refinery on the other side. He must go alone, however; so if he’s unlucky, that Clone might kill him.

When traveling from a Magma Pool, the Magma Diver may move directly to another Magma Pool, or to a hex adjacent to a Magma Pool. This provides a range of options; just remember that because of the configurations of the hex tiles, Magma Pools can only be placed directly adjacent to the central Monolith tile. This means that to maximize the impact of your Magma Diver’s mobility, it helps if the Magma Pools begin as far apart as possible.

Monolith Wyrm

The mighty Monolith Wyrm is a rare species that actually feeds on rubium to power its flight. Its mastery of the skies gives it free reign to attack adjacent hexes (as long as it’s striking from a safe position). In addition, this special attack benefits from a mechanic sometimes called “exploding dice.” Whenever it scores a hit, it must roll another die, potentially dealing perpetual damage (so be careful not to prematurely destroy enemy units that might be better saved for a Secret Mission card).

The blue player’s Monolith Wyrm has a few options here. He could end his movement and safely attack an adjacent space, or he could spend one rubium to fly to green’s vulnerable refinery.

The Monolith Wyrm also carries a unique strategic choice. It can essentially fly to any hex on the board, even over enemies and deep into unguarded home hexes. This power, however, comes at a significant cost: for each hex the Monolith Wyrm moves beyond the first, it must pay one rubium. Is such an incursion worth spending your precious resources for?

Launch the video trailer for a quick look at the themes and components of Nexus Ops (QuickTime, 19.1 MB) You can also view it on YouTube.

With its range of all-new tactical choices, the Nexus Ops’ alternate units variant provides a never-before-seen way to enjoy this classic game of extraterrestrial combat. Learn more by downloading the rules from our support page or reading our series of online previews, then head to your local retailer and begin the race for rubium!

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The Lethal Race for Rubium Commences

Published 25 January 2012 |

The Lethal Race for Rubium Commences

Nexus Ops, the board game of fierce sci-fi battles, is now on sale

Nexus Ops, the sci-fi board game of fierce combat and covert operations for 2-4 players, is now on sale at your local retailer and on our webstore!

An alien moon. The rarest of resources.

In Nexus Ops, four corporations vie for control of an alien moon and its deposits of rubium, the rare energy source necessary to fuel all of humanity’s most advanced technologies. While their troops wage war, their engineers establish rubium mines, and their scientists explore the lunar terrain, using powerful technologies to subjugate the moon’s indigenous life forms.

Players must explore the alien moon, secure their rubium mines, and launch soldiers and alien species at their foes in ferocious battles. You get points by winning battles and by completing your corporation’s secret missions. The first player to twelve points seizes control of the moon and its rubium and wins the game!

Launch the video trailer for a quick look at the themes and components of Nexus Ops (QuickTime, 19.1 MB) You can also view it on YouTube

Bold new battle plans

This new edition of the classic game comes with detailed plastic figures, stunning art, and a clarified new rulebook, as well as eleven optional variants to challenge players of all levels and provide a massive boost to the game’s replay value. You and your opponents can race to the monolith in King of the Hill mode, face the peril of the deadly Vortex, or introduce a full set of alternate unit powers!

Read more about Nexus Ops and these exciting variants in our previews on the new Vortex tile, extra exploration tokens, and the fierce battles raging between the corporations and their quest for lunar domination. You can even go one step further and download the rules from our support page, but be warned: access to such classified materials may put you directly in the crosshairs of rival corporations.

A hotly-contested moon

The race for rubium has commenced. Four corporations and only one moon–things are about to get red hot in Nexus Ops! Head to your local retailer to pick up your copy today, or order it online from our webstore.

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Intercepted Transmissions

Published 5 January 2012 |

Intercepted Transmissions

The rules for Nexus Ops are now available online

/Intercepted Transmission/ 09.12.2315. ::0010101110110111000100000111… harness indiginous fungoids, crystallines, and rubium dragons to stake our lunar claim. Troops should anticipate attempted incursions from Ares Inc., Black Helix Industries, and The Galactic Syndicate. Repel all enemy forces with extreme prejudice. Lethal force authorized… /End Transmission/

Scientists from Black Helix Industries have broken Zyborg Technologies’ code. Aware of Zyborg’s intentions to explore and mine a remote, alien moon suspected to be rich with rubium, Black Helix quickly plan their own expedition. Word travels through the rubium industry, and two other corporations move to seize control of the rare energy source needed to power all of humanity’s most advanced technologies.

In Nexus Ops, Black Helix Industries and the other corporations vying for control of this moon’s vast resources have prepared their forces for military action, and each corporation hands its troops similar commands: Explore the moon, subjugate its indigenous species, mine its rubium, and destroy all enemy forces.

Rules of engagement

Today, the codes used by each of the four corporations of Nexus Ops have been cracked, and we offer their rules of engagement for your review (pdf, 5.6 MB).

The rules for Nexus Ops are also available on the game’s support page and take you through each phase of a player’s turn. The turn sequence may be easy to understand, but you’ll need to adapt your strategies during the chaos of battle!

Secret missions

In Nexus Ops, players score points by winning battles and meeting the conditions of their Secret Missions cards. The first player to twelve points wins the game, so each corporation is under pressure from its CEO to keep the battle pressed against its rivals. In the standard game, Secret Mission cards represent underlying corporate interests that players must pursue simultaneous with their efforts at lunar domination. Players each draw one Secret Mission card each turn and can play them for their point values whenever they meet the cards’ requirements.

One of the eleven optional game variants in Nexus Ops is Intercepted Transmissions, which offers a new take on your Secret Mission cards. Instead of drawing Secret Mission cards and keeping them hidden, facedown, from your opponents’ eyes, players draw multiple Secret Mission cards into a Transmission Line, which remains faceup. This variant creates interesting strategies as players can choose from more immediate courses of action to pursue from the game’s outset, including the option to work against their opponents’ fulfillment of their faceup Secret Mission cards.

Learn more about Secret Mission cards, lunar exploration, alien species, and the intense battles of Nexus Ops by downloading the rules (pdf, 5.6 MB) now. Then head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy!

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Lunar Domination

Published 28 December 2011 |

Lunar Domination

A preview of Nexus Ops, the upcoming board game of fierce sci-fi battles

/Incoming Transmission/ 10.09.2315: … Ares Inc. tasks you to capture and hold the monolithic mineral deposit in the moon’s gamma quadrant. Satellite scans suggest terrain hostile to bipedal transportation. You will find alien species, subjugate them, and mobilize them to secure the Monolith. Enemy forces to be met with extreme prejudice. Hold the Monolith at all costs… /End Transmission/

Corporate greed erupts into ferocious combat in Nexus Ops, the fast-based board game of lunar domination for 2-4 players. The year is 2315, and four megalithic corporations have all purchased “exclusive” mineral rights to an alien moon rich in rubium, the rare energy source necessary for all humanity’s most advanced technology. After the explorers who sold the mineral rights mysteriously disappeared, the corporations find themselves with only one means available to settle ownership of the moon–eliminate all contenders.

Today, we look at some of the ways Nexus Ops parlays corporate greed into fun and furious space battles.

Staking your claim

Each turn in Nexus Ops moves swiftly through six phases: Deployment, Movement, Exploration, Battle, Mining, and Draw. After players deploy forces and move them, exploring any new terrain, corporate forces wage battle to claim any contested tiles. Corporate troops have found means to draft the moon’s indigenous species into their service, and space-suited infantry stand alongside them as they face off with their rivals. These battles rage at the very core of Nexus Ops, as they earn you victory points and grant you the ability to seize valuable rubium mines, ensuring your ability to recruit more and stronger troops.

Uneasy alliances

Sometimes, however, it’s in the corporations’ best interests to form tenuous alliances with one of their rivals. When two corporations seek to break their opponents before turning against each other, the only viable response for the other two corporations is to pool their strength and fend off the assault.

Nexus Ops preserves the alternate four-player team rules from the original game. In this variant, the players of allied corporations sit across from each other, and the two teams race to acquire 20 combined victory points.

King of the Hill

In the King of the Hill variant, players gain greater incentive to seize control of the central Monolith. Any player who controls the Monolith at the end of his turn may choose either to draw the standard two Energize cards or to take one King of the Hill card, each of which is worth a single victory point. Solidify your control of the Monolith, and you’re well on your way to victory!

Alternate Two-Player Boards

Another of the game’s eleven variants introduces alternate board arrangements for head-to-head battles between two players:

The Bad Neighbors arrangement forces two corporations to begin their exploration from nearly the same corner of the moon. Beginning in close proximity, players have new strategic choices to make about when to battle, explore, and secure terrain for mining.
The Energy Dependence arrangement narrows the board to eight tiles around the central Monolith. With fewer places to explore or hide, corporate troops will be blasting away at each other from the outset.

/Incoming Transmission/ 10.10.2315: … Zyborg Technologies have launched a shuttle to Outpost Delta Five. The wealth of rubium deposits in that sector are unknown. Send troops to investigate. Preemptive strikes have been authorized. /End Transmission/

Get ready for fierce combat and covert operations when Nexus Ops blasts into a store near you. Coming soon!

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Alien Terrain

Published 21 December 2011 |

Alien Terrain

A preview of Nexus Ops, the upcoming board game of fierce sci-fi battles

It’s 2315. Human society depends upon an exotic energy source called rubium for all of its advanced technology. The chief executive officers of Ares Inc., Black Helix Industries, The Galactic Syndicate, and Zyborg Technologies have sent forces to an alien moon, rich in rubium. These four major corporations have tasked their troops to employ all means necessary to explore the moon for rubium deposits, then establish and secure rubium refineries. Lethal force has been authorized.

In Nexus Ops, players vie to dominate the moon and its rich reserves of rubium. Four powerful corporations have authorized their teams to meet all competitors with lethal force, and when the game releases, you can count on fighting fast and fierce battles at the remote edge of the galaxy.

However, before you can establish your refineries or raid your opponents’, you’ll need to prepare for the moon’s fantastic–and unpredictable–terrain.

An alien landscape

Four basic types of terrain cover most of the moon’s surface. Liquifungus forests, crystal spires, rock plains, and magma pools adjoin each other in unpredictable patterns. Each of these types of terrain are represented by hexagonal tiles, which players shuffle and arrange facedown around the board’s central Monolith. The random distribution of terrain tiles ensures that each new game offers a fresh play experience.

As you move your forces, you reveal the exploration tokens placed on the hexes where your units end their movement (except home base hexes and the Monolith). These exploration tokens may yield alien creatures your forces can subdue and tame, rich rubium refineries you can establish, or both. Either way, gaining an early advantage in exploration may help you build the resources and firepower you need in order to fend off your competition.

Rapid adaptation

Once players reveal terrain tiles during the setup, you’ll need to adapt your strategy to account for the terrain. Each of your units interacts differently with the different terrain types, though the terrain tiles themselves don’t utilize any special rules, and you’ll want to either focus your efforts toward favorable hexes or recruit forces that can grant you the greatest possible advantages in crucial battle zones, including the Monolith.

The alien species are each native to one terrain type. Fungoids thrive in their liquifungus forests while crystalline roam the crystal spires, but neither they nor humans can penetrate the Monolith’s borders. Only a few species can permit you control of the Monolith and the advantages it can provide. You can find rock striders racing across their native rock plains, but lava leapers dwell in magma pools far too hot for human life. Acquiring a lava leaper is a tremendous accomplishment for any of the corporations. Even the Monolith hosts an alien species, the ferocious rubium dragon. You can bet that your competitors’ corporations intend to subjugate whatever beasts may grant them the means to conquer more of the moon, and in order to beat them to the punch, you’ll need to discover the most strategic sites to station your forces.

Wholly new discoveries

Among the game’s eleven optional variants, you’ll find rules for playing with additional exploration tokens. While faceup, these tokens are clearly recognizable by their green borders, and their addition to the game opens up a wider range of strategies based upon the more varied rewards they offer, including extra energize cards or raw rubium. Also, because players will choose only 18 of 24 possible exploration tokens, the extra exploration tokens variant means you’ll never know precisely which exploration tokens have yet to grant their benefits. This element of the unknown ensures exploration stays fresh and exciting for even the most veteran players.

The transmission’s in from corporate headquarters. They expect you to conquer the moon and its vast resources. Prepare your best forces for Nexus Ops. The exploration begins soon!

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Into the Vortex

Published 15 November 2011 |

Into the Vortex

A preview of Nexus Ops, the upcoming board game of fierce sci-fi battles

It is the far future, and human society depends on an exotic energy source called rubium for all of its advanced technology. A small group of explorers has recently discovered an alien moon that is exceptionally rich in rubium. In desperate need of more funding for their research, they simultaneously sold the “exclusive” mineral rights to four competing corporations: Ares Inc., Black Helix Industries, The Galactic Syndicate, and Zyborg Technologies.

Back in late September, we announced the upcoming release of Nexus Ops, a frenzied board game of fierce battles and fantastic alien creatures for two to four players. Fans of this classic game will find the base experience completely unaltered, though updated art and stunning new components leave Nexus Ops looking better than ever. But for those seeking more variety, Nexus Ops includes a range of optional rules, many of which can be combined to tailor the play experience as you see fit.

Today, we’ll take a closer look at the classic Nexus Ops experience, providing an overview of play for the uninitiated. Then, we’ll preview the first of Nexus Ops’ eleven optional variants: the volatile and deadly vortex.

A race for resources

As the brief summary on our Nexus Ops description page states, each game is different thanks (in part) to the randomized hexagonal tiles that make up the board. The result is an alien moon that can vary wildly, and since certain units are restricted from stepping foot onto certain terrain types (humans would be vaporized in the blistering magma pool, for example), you’ll have to adjust your strategies according the moon’s layout.

But what’s your objective? Despite the game’s thematic emphasis on the collection of rubium, resources in Nexus Ops are more of a means to an end. While it’s true that your corporation wants to earn the most profit, you must first muscle out the competition on the battlefield – a process abstractly represented by the collection of victory points. By completing secret missions and winning battles, you’ll race to be the first to amass twelve VPs, thereby winning the game.

And that’s where the alien moon’s fantastic creatures enter the equation. Each corporation has six unique unit types it can bring into play. Of these, only the three least expensive (the human, fungoid, and crystalline) are capable of mining rubium deposits, which are randomly distributed across the map at setup... and by mining more rubium, a corporation is able to afford more powerful units. Herein lies Nexus Ops’ central point of tension; can you efficiently discover and exploit the map’s natural resources, building an effective army faster than your rivals?

All the while, the monolith waits at the center of the map, a tempting yet dangerous prize. This highly-sought-after hex represents a location of great power, but it’s also the most difficult to dominate by virtue of its location. If a player controls the monolith at the end of his turn, he receives a boost in the form of Energize cards, which provide a range of unit bonuses and tactical abilities. Any player who makes it to the monolith had better be prepared to defend it; the other players are likely to call temporary cease-fires, as they turn their attention toward this new common threat!

Spinning doom

This brings us to our first look at one of Nexus Ops’ eleven new optional variants: the Vortex. As destructive as it is enticing, this massive storm has raged for ages untold. If successfully harnessed, the Vortex’s potent energies could be a boon to any corporation. Unfortunately, its fickle winds are just as likely to kill as they are to aid. Like a revolver’s cylinder in an immense game of Russian Roulette, the Vortex forever spins, spewing forth bursts of energy to help or hinder.

If all players agree, the monolith tile can be flipped during setup to reveal a spinning Vortex tile, each edge of which is labeled with one face of a six-sided die. Unlike the monolith, no unit may ever enter the Vortex; armies are instead relegated to fighting over its outskirts. But even to approach the Vortex provides risks and rewards.

The Vortex operates in three steps: It teleports nearby units, it destroys a few unfortunate onlookers, and it bestows power on anyone left standing.

Before the first player takes his turn each round, he rolls one black die and one white die. Any units adjacent to the border indicated by the black die are picked up, and whipped dizzily into the space indicated by the white die! Beware; this sudden transport can (and often will) result in unexpected combat, or can leave a few powerful enemy units uncomfortably close to your key mining operation.

Next, the Vortex vents its pent up energy like some ferocious geyser, incinerating all biological matter in an adjoining area. The first player rolls one die, and destroys all the units in the hex indicated by this new die roll. Finally, players who control hexes adjacent to the Vortex collect one Energize card, having weathered the storm long enough to harness its power.

With a simple flip of the center tile, the Vortex is a variant that optionally provides a compelling new way to enjoy a classic board game. Check back for more on Nexus Ops in the coming weeks, and look for it on store shelves later this quarter!

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The Race for Rubium

Published 27 September 2011 |

The Race for Rubium

Announcing Nexus Ops, a board game of fierce battles and fantastic aliens

The year is 2315, and in a galaxy ruled by profit, unscrupulous corporations scour the stars for any marketable resource. Now, a small rubium-rich moon has attracted the attention of four competing companies, who have wasted no time harnessing the moon’s strange indigenous life forms for their own ends.

Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of Nexus Ops, a frenzied board game of fierce battles and fantastic alien creatures! Two to four players race to control rubium-producing spaces on a randomly built board made up of modular, hexagonal tiles. Only by spending precious rubium to raise an army of indigenous beasts will a faction have the firepower to defend its claim, as players clash in a series of quick, dice-based skirmishes at key strategic locations. With a modular map that changes every time and a host of possible strategies based on the moon’s many terrains, no two games of Nexus Ops will ever be the same.

Build your battleground

While its tense and aggressive play experience is entirely unchanged, players familiar with the classic edition of Nexus Ops will notice several engaging optional rules variants (as well as a few significant cosmetic differences) in our version.

First, this new edition of Nexus Ops includes a range of optional rules, including King of the Hill mode, the deadly Vortex, and even a full set of alternate unit powers! King of the Hill mode turns the monolith, the board’s highly coveted central hex, into a clear path to victory. This added incentive ensures that every game is a race toward this battle-scarred location, with players gambling entire armies in make-or-break attacks to wrestle away its control. And in Vortex mode, the monolith is replaced with a swirling storm of death, capable of pulling in entire armies and flinging them into new regions! While this instant (if unpredictable) transport can often be helpful, it can just as often be deadly; countless troops have been pulled into the spinning vortex, never to be seen again. Want even more variety? Try Nexus Ops’ alternate unit abilities, which offer new strategic challenges and a totally unique play experience!

Second, we opted for certain changes to bring Nexus Ops' components in line with FFG's values of style and practicality. For example, the classic edition's raised monolith platform has been replaced with a flat monolith tile, which we feel offers a less cumbersome and more accessible board layout. Furthermore, our edition of Nexus Ops features opaque plastic components rather than the familiar translucent plastic of the previous edition. Why did we make this decision? With our new figures, we were able to achieve an intricate level of component detail that fully conveys the fantastic alien appearance of Nexus Ops’ bizarre and exotic creatures. Translucent plastic would simply not have accentuated the fine detail of these masterful sculpts. We’re confident that when you see the final results, you’ll agree that we made the right choice.

Learn more at our Nexus Ops website, and keep checking back for detailed previews over the coming weeks. Then, in the fourth quarter of 2011, send a strike force to your local game store!

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