Lock & Load For MERCS: Recon Coming Soon!
March 10, 2014 by brennon
MERCS has been a firm favourite for us here at Beasts of War and we had loads of fun doing the demo games and such back during MERCS Week. So, when we heard about MERCS: Recon we had to know more and we can't wait to see this Kickstarter kick off!
The game is a fully co-operative experience where you play as a team looking to break in and infiltrate an opposing MegaCon Headquarters. You'll be fighting down tight corridors, holding important locations, taking out targets and even interrogating employees as you fight against an increasingly aggressive in-built game AI.
Just like with Myth the game takes place on a series of modular boards that are double-sided giving you plenty to work with as you change up the office layout between games. Each set-up will provide you with new challenges by creating choke points and lanes of fire as well as deadly ambush opportunities for your enemy no doubt!
Excitingly the board can also take damage as you fight your way through the building. Tiles can be damaged and this alters the environment, maybe opening up a new approach you weren't thinking of. This in turn develops and sees the Security Forces themselves getting better equipped and more aggressive popping up all over the place. It sounds like the neat escalation mechanic that some might have seen in video games like Payday: The Heist.
At the centre of it all we have the leader board which allows you to control your troops and get them where they need to be. Your team will find all it's action points, commands and weaponry on show here allowing you to tactically develop strategies as you fight. It also looks awesome too as you can see and a development of the Myth boards.
Some of the awesome cards above are part of the game and develop the inbuilt AI as it looks to take down the breaching MERCS. I love the look of the Security Forces above with the typical ace artwork we've come to expect from the MERCS team. It all sounds and looks very frantic and fun.
Finally once your MERCS make it all the way to the end they find themselves facing a Breach & Clear style action which seems like it's the typical 'flash bang through the door' style affair that always went into slow-motion with games like Call of Duty. I can see these being tense and massively cinematic as you close in on your prize.
The upcoming miniatures for the game are going to be dynamic and highly detailed and of course will cross over and work with the existing ranges for the tabletop game. As well as that the game is launching on Kickstarter THIS WEEK and will have game rules and video available to all on day one to get you excited for the game.
Will you sign up for MERCS: Recon?
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Yet to get into MERCs, but this looks like an excellent place to start. Can’t wait for the Kickstarter to launch!
I’ve got my eyes on the EU vs CCC set. Hoping that the minis are plastic and that there will be some alternate poses for existing models. These sets would be ideal for those who want to get started with MERCS. It’s a co operative game, so as long as the cards for the skirmish game were included all you would the need is the main MERCS book. I love the description that was given by Megacon Games, the fact that it starts out as facing off against civvies and lightly armed security guards, but then escalates, and by the… Read more »
Hopefully there will be options to add the other MERCS starter boxes to your pledge, or an option for those who just want the minis and the MERCS cards.
This looks awesome, I missed out on Myth but hopefully I won’t miss this one. I’m going to have to find away to come up with a few hundred extra dollars to get in on this before its to late. I’m glad I found out about this early, thanks guys. So much cool stuff, so little cash.
Awesome. Cannot wait for this one 🙂
I avoided Myth since I already had Descent and Mice & Mystics, but I don’t have one themed like this. Impress me!
I am not sure how a board and no 3D terrain offers anything MERCs doesn’t already provide
I’m interested to see how the gameplay video plays. I already run a Kemvar faction and it would be nice to get these guys on the table more often.
I’m hoping that the minis in RECON starters are new characters that can be used in Mercs (and vice versa) rather than duplicates. Good way to get started!
I would have much preferred last 2-3 factions, the 8/9/10 minis for existing factions, and/or a scenario/campaign book.
MERCS: Recon sounds like a good place to start if you still don’t play it. I’m in the way to start playing MERCS, I already bought the Rulebook but now I will wait untill the Recon Kickstarter to see what will come for that…
I would have prefered a second edition of their game. Each faction now has several pages of FAQ and I think that balance has to be tweaked somehow (fast and elusive factions have a clear edge and/or the overwatch rule should be revised – I know the numerous Kemvar players will probably disagree but this rule and their FN malus makes them nearly unstoppable except thanks to suppression which is boring).
A second edition is planned for later on this year, most likely 3rd or 4th quarter.
any word on 8-10 minis
Looks good. Got myth on the last night of the campaign as the deal was too good to miss, can see this going the same way. 🙂
So! are we going to get a new mercs week
I agree! Bring on MERCS Week 2014!
While I own Kemvar and the MERCs rulebook, I’ve been iffy on the game. Maybe it is the card mechanic..for whatever reason I haven’t felt an urge to give the game a try.
This on the other hand looks awesome. I’m a big fan of co-op board games and there aren’t really any out there with this sort of theme. The actual table top game may not interest me that much but this i could see my group playing quite a bit.
rarely , if ever , does a board game offer what a open mini game can. I’ll add the card measurement is so slick compared to tape measures.
Good Stuff. These guys never fail to disappoint. While I am waiting patiently for my Myth to arrive I can use this kickstarted as a distraction. Keep up the great work
I’ll pledge for the EUinc vs CCC, but am tempted on the Waza one too if they are reposed! 🙂
I will be looking forward to this a great deal. With Mantic producing grid based miniatures games I seem to have gotten a bug for these quick setup games. The only thing that pushed me away room Mercs were the card based movement system, which was a pebble in my shoe whenever I tried to play. Now that factor will be removed I am sure I will be happy to give this a try, especially once I have received my Myth game. 🙂 All this said, I would like to see a slight improvement in the sculpts that we see… Read more »
I will agree in this, Myth has showed they can do a lot better than this.
Its an interesting take on the franchise, I always said Mercs would be better served as a boardgame and here it is, should be interesting.
obviously a matter of taste, but boardgames never match a mini game in terms of play options, and since MERCs plays in a small area set up is quicker than a lot of chit heavy boarders.
I am surprised by the ‘card movement’ issue for some. It’s such a slick and simple solution, Very innovative.
I do not know MERCS, never played, and never got too attracted either, but THAT looks interesting. I like the idea of escalation, from a guard with gun to a full armored boday armored mercenary with fully auto weapons.
waiting waiting ^^
While I love tabletop minis games I find can’t find people to play\ invest in an opposing army. I seem to have no problem finding people to play a board game, so I will be looking at this KS in a few days.
I’m a fan of their Kemvar and would buy a faction of those in plastic if the price is good. Not really interested in the rest of the line, though.