Guys I understand your reactions, and I came into Halo looking it as 'Deadzone lite', but having ran scores of demos I would add these points: 1. A lot of people have tried this game who have never played a miniatures game, and they love it. For them, it's a board game, and there's been a 100% convert rate to purchase in my experience. That's bringing a whole new audience into wargames, which Mantic haven't really done before 2. But interestingly, those who have tried the demo who have got experience from Kill Team or whatever have shown in an interest in Deadzone. In fact, two people I have shown Halo to have gone on to buy Deadzone. So from my experience, awareness in Deadzone will definitely increase. Aside from that, I like Halo. It's not as good as Deadzone, but I like the way it plays more like a videogame - it's less intense but just as strategic - the Spartans are just tougher so you need the extra bonuses like weapom pickups, ganging up on people, kneeling, optics etc.
Good points all around. Halo has a bunch of issues, which we covered in the video. The only way that people will get into Deadzone, Is by guys like us showing them the greatest skirmish game Deadzone. KillTeam is not good, and every KT player I show DZ to, they convert. Andrew is out, but Ryan and I are going to be trying to play more Halo to figure this out. Thanks for watching!!!
I’ve been there when a lot of friends play Kill Team, it does not look like a game that I would like. Also, I can have an opinion about a game that I have seen played .
I’ve seen others mention it but the Advanced Warfare rules come out in March, but it also come with even more Spartan variants. I’d like to see Marines, ODST, Grunts, Hunters… there’s a lot of stuff in Halo to add variety. It’s fun, but I don’t get the satisfaction out of it I get with Deadzone. There’s no attrition, the respawn makes losses a little insignificant. Before it came out I was doing Deadzone demos to teach people interested in Halo what it, mechanically, would be like. But they were into Halo and wanted that. It might be too soon to know. Pretty sure Adepticon had Deadzone and Firefight tournaments but they have several Halo events. It’s the new hottness and that’s great for Mantic’s bottom line. We’ll see if the enthusiasm stays.
I agree on all of your points. One of my only issues is that in March the AW, shouldn't make the game better. I think this has good bones to it, but the Spartans and respawns need to be looked at furthur. There are a lot of Haol events at Adepticon, but 1 DZ tournament. I don't have a problem with Mantic at the least, hell, we play most of their games, but I'd like to see DZ get more Love too.
The Spartans are so similar, it really takes away from the game. In one game, We were in combat for 4 rounds and all we lost were the shields. Kinda boring, need to change the Spartan stats.
I do also prefer Deadzone by a far margin, but to be fair, if it wasn't for this game, I wouldn't have researched and eventually buy the deadzone starter set back when halo was announced. I didn't get the same blast when I first tried this, but probably people that never tried halo would get. I'm fine with respawn, but the rule that you may keep the weapon was immediately houseruled, same with weapon drop and the climbing with no floor stuff. Its easier to get to the table because there'sn't no list building, and I can see how can he play as a gateway drug for deadzone :) I am happy with it, but probably i won't get the wave 2
See, You feel the same way I do, It's OK, but I wont buy any more. List building is one of my favorite parts of Deadzone, I take great pride in my lists!!! We have had the hatch rule sice we started DZ, and it carried over to Halo. Respawns and keeping the weapons, with all the weapons drops will deffinately be full as a house rule. Also, fighting back in combat will be in Halo too. Glad you like Deadzone, check out some of our Battle reports, would love to see what you think. Welcome to the fold Brother!!!
I’d like to see the actual numbers on that, but because it has sold more than DZ doesn’t mean it’s a better game. Granted, Halo is the bigger draw, but we stand bye what we said in the video. Not sure what you mean about the March release.
I actually enjoy Halo: Flashpoint. First wargame that I could convince by board game group to try out. And everyone had a blast. It is the best gateway wargame on the market IMO. Easy to setup and get started. And the respawn mechanic combined with fewer but stronger models on the board, makes it fantastic for 2 vs. 2 team play. Deadzone just can't do that out of the box. I could understand if someone who is used to Desszone would be disappointed with it. Flashpoint is essentially just a simpler and more basic reskin of Desszone. There is nothing really here for veteran Deadzone players, but I do not think Halo Flashpoint needs to be for you. Regarding accessibility nothing beats Flashpoint, and this will be a hit among a whole new audience of traditional board game players. Good job by Mantic in trying to expand their business to new customers groups.
Great points. Man, I'm trying to like it, and like we said in the video, were trying. The only way that a Halo, non-wargamer, will get into DZ is if another DZ player walks them through it. I was really hoping for the crossover to DZ, which we will most likely do. I dissagree, we have had great succes with DZ out of the box. I know what Mantic was doing with the Halo IP, and I think it's great. Time will tell in the long run.
I think if you are new or very fresh into Wargaming then Mantics Halo is a great wee box set. Familiar universe (even if you have never played it), no measuring (so no ambiguity), easy to learn rules. The issue is that those already play Deadzone don't really have anything. I had hoped that when Mantic announced halo we would see a return of Ground Command. Maybe with the new factions to bulk out the rosters and fix the 2 faction issue that Halo Ground Command had. My disappointment when I saw it was Deadzone with a halo dlc skin was a bitter pill
I was hoping it would be a total new game, not just a DZ reskin. Although, you can't get any rules better than DZ, and it takes new players 1 game to get the mechanics down. I think the Spartans and respawining is a little too much. If they were a little different, it may work out better.
A cpl things to remember is, this is it's 1st ed and Mantic will be looking at community feedback and batreps as players begin putting the miles on the game. Also there's the Wargames add on in early 2025, tweaks and errata may be coming sometime next year. Maybe the option for the defending player to fight back in CC. Also it's attempting to emulate a computer game to a degree. There's also rule Zero (house rules) to cater to your preferences
I agree somewhat to what your saying. This is not a 1st edition, rather a 3rd edition of Deadzone. It says it uses the Deadzone engine on the box. Ronnie knows us, and this is a great video to show him what community feedback is. We are not the channel to blindly say a agame is great when we have another opioion. This is a video of our honest opinions, and that rubs people the wrong way because they may have conflicting views. Also, we did say inthe video, that we know they tried to make this game close to the video game, which is not an easy task. As far as House rules, as we said in the video, we can change whatever rule we want. But in this video, we are giving our views of the rules as they are in the book.
I understand where you guys are coming from, ive managed to get alot of games under my belt and took part in mantics tournament. I have found the elites more my playstyle than spartans, i find the spartans bulky. There where moments in the games where it was a standstill, but i learnt theres so much more die to roll than i thought, also you need to take that risk of leaving combat especially if you are spartan vs spartan. Oddball has its issue of once you are so far away you will win. Capture the flag i get what you meant and its meant to be like an item, so question is can you drop it and chain run to score ?? Yes capture the flag takes a while but u found people will focus on killing when they should focus on taking that flag and just run. Halo does feel like a tabletop version or the game, which is amazing to of achived and its being aimed at a range of people from different audiences. The massive point i will make is, ive started to look at mantics other games and they look great! I can't wait to pick up there other stuff
Good points all around, we are seasoned DZ players, so the stuff that we spoke about is viable. Mantic other games are great. Deadzone, Hellboy and Worms being our top. We have a gone of Deadzone videos, check them out and see what you think. Appreciate you watching and commenting!
@familyofgamers777 Ive got the hellboy RPG and have really enjoyed running those sessions. I'll definitely give it a go and watch some other content. Also will you review again once points/brutes are out?
Seems like there needs to be a limit on respawns. Like each player gets 3 respawns. The small board size seems like board congestion is unavoidable. Great attempt but just play DZ and save yourself the premium cost for the Halo IP.
Man, I can't agree more. I love the congestion in DZ, and it should work in Halo. I had high hopes for this, and we are still trying to play it more. Stay Tuned, more Halo stuff will be on the channel, but More Deadzone content its our main goal.
“You will play it and you will like it.” 🤣 I have only set up the game and tried a few rounds of the basic mission. I don’t think removing the option to fight back in CC makes sense, and the game did feel slow compared to Deadzone. I want to get a few friends to try it out and see what they think, but I suspect it will lead to them playing Mars Attacks or Deadzone instead.
List building will change the game. Having said that I still prefer Deadzone. I think a crossover is possible. I think that DZ and FF are some of the best games ever.
I love Deadzone, but Halo FP is its own thing. Many people buying it will get it for the Halo IP and may never have played DZ. The core of DZ is still there and is great. I wonder if your opinions would have been different if you’d never played DZ before and Halo was your first time playing with the cube system and exploding 8’s. DZ is better than Halo FP but Halo FP is still better than many other sci-fi skirmish rules sets.
I should add, like Andrew, I wasn’t keen on respawns. I also agree fight back should be allowed. The key to its success will also be variety. I want to see covenant grunts and jackals. Perhaps weaker with no shield but more of them. Hopefully the point system will help mix things up.
@@andrewhopkins Great statement, DZ is better than Halo FP but Halo FP is still better than many other sci-fi skirmish rules sets." You just can't beat the DZ ruleset, maybe the other people will realize that as well.
I have so many things to say but I don’t even know where to begin. I will say this and it’s not meant to be negative of attack anyone. Halo is a boardgame/skirmish hybrid meant for beginners. Deadzone a skirmish meant for veteran players. Halo is built so it’s not a feel bad experience. Models either die very easy or are difficult to remove depending on dice rolls, but you get a reset by respawning. Halo feels slower because you have to figure out shields, armor and then wounds. It feels like it was made purposely different from deadzone to make it more halo which it totally feels like but it feels inferior play wise compared to deadzone. Would I have liked it more if I never played deadzone? Maybe, but the halo franchise isn’t interesting to me so I may have never played it. Lastly, I don’t see this bringing people into deadzone that have never played. They came for halo. Deadzone means nothing to them even if the rules differences make it superior. I tried for years to get people I know to play Deadzone with no success, but those same people jumped all into halo because of the change in wallpaper. I can see mantic using the same ruleset for other ip’s like Star Wars.
When I say there is “no parity”
I mean there’s TOO MUCH 😂
Guys I understand your reactions, and I came into Halo looking it as 'Deadzone lite', but having ran scores of demos I would add these points:
1. A lot of people have tried this game who have never played a miniatures game, and they love it. For them, it's a board game, and there's been a 100% convert rate to purchase in my experience. That's bringing a whole new audience into wargames, which Mantic haven't really done before
2. But interestingly, those who have tried the demo who have got experience from Kill Team or whatever have shown in an interest in Deadzone. In fact, two people I have shown Halo to have gone on to buy Deadzone. So from my experience, awareness in Deadzone will definitely increase.
Aside from that, I like Halo. It's not as good as Deadzone, but I like the way it plays more like a videogame - it's less intense but just as strategic - the Spartans are just tougher so you need the extra bonuses like weapom pickups, ganging up on people, kneeling, optics etc.
Good points all around. Halo has a bunch of issues, which we covered in the video.
The only way that people will get into Deadzone, Is by guys like us showing them the greatest skirmish game Deadzone. KillTeam is not good, and every KT player I show DZ to, they convert. Andrew is out, but Ryan and I are going to be trying to play more Halo to figure this out. Thanks for watching!!!
@@familyofgamers777I really like killteam, why don’t you like it?
I haven’t played it, I meant that all the kill team players that I show Deadzone to love Deadzone.
@@familyofgamers777 maybe don’t say killteam is not good if you haven’t played it then.
I’ve been there when a lot of friends play Kill Team, it does not look like a game that I would like. Also, I can have an opinion about a game that I have seen played .
I’ve seen others mention it but the Advanced Warfare rules come out in March, but it also come with even more Spartan variants. I’d like to see Marines, ODST, Grunts, Hunters… there’s a lot of stuff in Halo to add variety. It’s fun, but I don’t get the satisfaction out of it I get with Deadzone. There’s no attrition, the respawn makes losses a little insignificant. Before it came out I was doing Deadzone demos to teach people interested in Halo what it, mechanically, would be like. But they were into Halo and wanted that. It might be too soon to know. Pretty sure Adepticon had Deadzone and Firefight tournaments but they have several Halo events. It’s the new hottness and that’s great for Mantic’s bottom line. We’ll see if the enthusiasm stays.
I agree on all of your points. One of my only issues is that in March the AW, shouldn't make the game better. I think this has good bones to it, but the Spartans and respawns need to be looked at furthur. There are a lot of Haol events at Adepticon, but 1 DZ tournament. I don't have a problem with Mantic at the least, hell, we play most of their games, but I'd like to see DZ get more Love too.
The main issue is the sameness of all the characters. As more factions come out itl get better. V2 of every Mantic game is always better too.
The Spartans are so similar, it really takes away from the game. In one game, We were in combat for 4 rounds and all we lost were the shields. Kinda boring, need to change the Spartan stats.
33:35 This is pretty accurate XD I totally setup both games and see what folks want to play
I think Halo is the Draw, Deadzone is the truth!
List building is coming in Wave 2. I think that will change up the game quite a bit.
Ehhh, but you basically list build with the draft. Also, I would need a lot more options to really have a true List Build.
I do also prefer Deadzone by a far margin, but to be fair, if it wasn't for this game, I wouldn't have researched and eventually buy the deadzone starter set back when halo was announced.
I didn't get the same blast when I first tried this, but probably people that never tried halo would get.
I'm fine with respawn, but the rule that you may keep the weapon was immediately houseruled, same with weapon drop and the climbing with no floor stuff.
Its easier to get to the table because there'sn't no list building, and I can see how can he play as a gateway drug for deadzone :) I am happy with it, but probably i won't get the wave 2
See, You feel the same way I do, It's OK, but I wont buy any more. List building is one of my favorite parts of Deadzone, I take great pride in my lists!!!
We have had the hatch rule sice we started DZ, and it carried over to Halo. Respawns and keeping the weapons, with all the weapons drops will deffinately be full as a house rule. Also, fighting back in combat will be in Halo too.
Glad you like Deadzone, check out some of our Battle reports, would love to see what you think. Welcome to the fold Brother!!!
This game has sold more than ALL versions of Deadzone combined. Advanced rules + points system in March.
I’d like to see the actual numbers on that, but because it has sold more than DZ doesn’t mean it’s a better game. Granted, Halo is the bigger draw, but we stand bye what we said in the video.
Not sure what you mean about the March release.
I actually enjoy Halo: Flashpoint. First wargame that I could convince by board game group to try out. And everyone had a blast. It is the best gateway wargame on the market IMO. Easy to setup and get started. And the respawn mechanic combined with fewer but stronger models on the board, makes it fantastic for 2 vs. 2 team play. Deadzone just can't do that out of the box.
I could understand if someone who is used to Desszone would be disappointed with it. Flashpoint is essentially just a simpler and more basic reskin of Desszone. There is nothing really here for veteran Deadzone players, but I do not think Halo Flashpoint needs to be for you. Regarding accessibility nothing beats Flashpoint, and this will be a hit among a whole new audience of traditional board game players. Good job by Mantic in trying to expand their business to new customers groups.
Great points. Man, I'm trying to like it, and like we said in the video, were trying. The only way that a Halo, non-wargamer, will get into DZ is if another DZ player walks them through it. I was really hoping for the crossover to DZ, which we will most likely do.
I dissagree, we have had great succes with DZ out of the box. I know what Mantic was doing with the Halo IP, and I think it's great. Time will tell in the long run.
If they market more and more games as the "Deadzone Engine" it will get word of mouth out about Deadzone itself. IP to get you into Mantic world.
I get that, and I knee that was the strategy all along. Hopefully that happens.
On the bright side: it might flock in enough new people to Mantic's social platforms that it'll bring us plastic Rebs!
We can hope, but Rebs hate is real.
I think Halo as a tournament game is going to suck.
I don’t see it as a tournament game either. They will need 2 hours per game to get to round 4
I think if you are new or very fresh into Wargaming then Mantics Halo is a great wee box set. Familiar universe (even if you have never played it), no measuring (so no ambiguity), easy to learn rules.
The issue is that those already play Deadzone don't really have anything.
I had hoped that when Mantic announced halo we would see a return of Ground Command. Maybe with the new factions to bulk out the rosters and fix the 2 faction issue that Halo Ground Command had.
My disappointment when I saw it was Deadzone with a halo dlc skin was a bitter pill
I was hoping it would be a total new game, not just a DZ reskin. Although, you can't get any rules better than DZ, and it takes new players 1 game to get the mechanics down. I think the Spartans and respawining is a little too much. If they were a little different, it may work out better.
A cpl things to remember is, this is it's 1st ed and Mantic will be looking at community feedback and batreps as players begin putting the miles on the game. Also there's the Wargames add on in early 2025, tweaks and errata may be coming sometime next year. Maybe the option for the defending player to fight back in CC.
Also it's attempting to emulate a computer game to a degree.
There's also rule Zero (house rules) to cater to your preferences
I agree somewhat to what your saying. This is not a 1st edition, rather a 3rd edition of Deadzone. It says it uses the Deadzone engine on the box. Ronnie knows us, and this is a great video to show him what community feedback is. We are not the channel to blindly say a agame is great when we have another opioion. This is a video of our honest opinions, and that rubs people the wrong way because they may have conflicting views.
Also, we did say inthe video, that we know they tried to make this game close to the video game, which is not an easy task.
As far as House rules, as we said in the video, we can change whatever rule we want. But in this video, we are giving our views of the rules as they are in the book.
So is the board too small do you think?
Nope, I think it's the perfect size.
I understand where you guys are coming from, ive managed to get alot of games under my belt and took part in mantics tournament.
I have found the elites more my playstyle than spartans, i find the spartans bulky.
There where moments in the games where it was a standstill, but i learnt theres so much more die to roll than i thought, also you need to take that risk of leaving combat especially if you are spartan vs spartan.
Oddball has its issue of once you are so far away you will win. Capture the flag i get what you meant and its meant to be like an item, so question is can you drop it and chain run to score ??
Yes capture the flag takes a while but u found people will focus on killing when they should focus on taking that flag and just run.
Halo does feel like a tabletop version or the game, which is amazing to of achived and its being aimed at a range of people from different audiences.
The massive point i will make is, ive started to look at mantics other games and they look great! I can't wait to pick up there other stuff
Good points all around, we are seasoned DZ players, so the stuff that we spoke about is viable.
Mantic other games are great. Deadzone, Hellboy and Worms being our top. We have a gone of Deadzone videos, check them out and see what you think. Appreciate you watching and commenting!
@familyofgamers777 Ive got the hellboy RPG and have really enjoyed running those sessions. I'll definitely give it a go and watch some other content.
Also will you review again once points/brutes are out?
If we get them, we definitely will.
Seems like there needs to be a limit on respawns. Like each player gets 3 respawns. The small board size seems like board congestion is unavoidable. Great attempt but just play DZ and save yourself the premium cost for the Halo IP.
Man, I can't agree more. I love the congestion in DZ, and it should work in Halo. I had high hopes for this, and we are still trying to play it more. Stay Tuned, more Halo stuff will be on the channel, but More Deadzone content its our main goal.
“You will play it and you will like it.” 🤣
I have only set up the game and tried a few rounds of the basic mission. I don’t think removing the option to fight back in CC makes sense, and the game did feel slow compared to Deadzone. I want to get a few friends to try it out and see what they think, but I suspect it will lead to them playing Mars Attacks or Deadzone instead.
Hey, that's not a bad thing. We got a new Deadzone player out of it. Let us know how the other guys Like Halo, and Deadzone.
List building will change the game. Having said that I still prefer Deadzone. I think a crossover is possible. I think that DZ and FF are some of the best games ever.
I love Deadzone, but Halo FP is its own thing. Many people buying it will get it for the Halo IP and may never have played DZ. The core of DZ is still there and is great. I wonder if your opinions would have been different if you’d never played DZ before and Halo was your first time playing with the cube system and exploding 8’s. DZ is better than Halo FP but Halo FP is still better than many other sci-fi skirmish rules sets.
I should add, like Andrew, I wasn’t keen on respawns. I also agree fight back should be allowed. The key to its success will also be variety. I want to see covenant grunts and jackals. Perhaps weaker with no shield but more of them. Hopefully the point system will help mix things up.
@@andrewhopkins Great statement, DZ is better than Halo FP but Halo FP is still better than many other sci-fi skirmish rules sets." You just can't beat the DZ ruleset, maybe the other people will realize that as well.
I have so many things to say but I don’t even know where to begin. I will say this and it’s not meant to be negative of attack anyone. Halo is a boardgame/skirmish hybrid meant for beginners. Deadzone a skirmish meant for veteran players. Halo is built so it’s not a feel bad experience. Models either die very easy or are difficult to remove depending on dice rolls, but you get a reset by respawning. Halo feels slower because you have to figure out shields, armor and then wounds. It feels like it was made purposely different from deadzone to make it more halo which it totally feels like but it feels inferior play wise compared to deadzone. Would I have liked it more if I never played deadzone? Maybe, but the halo franchise isn’t interesting to me so I may have never played it. Lastly, I don’t see this bringing people into deadzone that have never played. They came for halo. Deadzone means nothing to them even if the rules differences make it superior. I tried for years to get people I know to play Deadzone with no success, but those same people jumped all into halo because of the change in wallpaper. I can see mantic using the same ruleset for other ip’s like Star Wars.
All great points Fabian!!!!
the larger scale minis, incompatible with other mantic games is a big turn off for me.
I agree Chris!
Halo Spartans are 7'-8' tall so it's not so out of scale.
Halo is just a watered down and messed up version of Deadzone sadly.
Sadly, but I have high hopes they will fix the problems.