EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TMpR6oM.jpg)
Welcome to the end of the world! If you are a fan of post-apocalyptic settings, if movies like Terminator, Mad Max and Screamers are your thing and you loved playing Fallout and Wasteland, this is the game for you. Neuroshima Hex is a tactical board game (also ported to iOS and Android) set in the world of Neuroshima (the RPG).
Background
It is the middle of the 21st century, USA. Cybernetic revolt started by the entity called Moloch - sentient AI made up of interconnected military computers, automated factories and power plants - has led to the nuclear war, turning most of the world into a barren wasteland.
Moloch occupies most of the northern US, from Oregon to the Great Lakes.
In the south the Neojungle stirs - a semi-intelligent carnivorous vegetation that's slowly pushing north. In the middle there are people, at least what's left of them.
Gameplay Basics
The game follows a very simple concept, but don't be fooled by it. It possesses a great deal of depth and plenty of tactical acumen is required to be good at it. You start the game by placing your base on a small board composed of hexes. Then players alternate putting their tiles on it (you have 30 tiles). The game runs until either base is killed or any player runs out of tiles. There is a bit of random factor to the game as you draw 3 tiles each turn and have to discard one of them before making any moves. This ensures that each game is unique and even though you can run into some bad luck from time to time it's rarely crippling and 99% of the time it's no hassle.
Your tiles can compose of:
- units, which perform basic attacks (ranged - hitting the first enemy unit in a line, melee - hitting adjacent tile, rail - hitting all enemies in a line) or provide control (net - disables enemy tiles)
- modules, which buff your units, debuff enemy or provide you with some other benefits
- actions, which allow you to move your tiles, push enemy tiles, start battles (usually the battle starts automatically when the board is full) and perform special actions (sniping, nukes, etc.)
Factions
This is where the strength of NX lies. It now features 15 playable factions, each one having unique gameplay. It never gets boring. I've been playing this game for years, and thanks to the phone/tablet port I'm playing it 2-3 times a day at the least for the past 3 years or so (it's just $3, totally worth it). Base game comes with 4 factions (Borgo, Hegemony, Moloch and The Outpost). They're all pretty strong but don't expect anything truly unique from them.
Borgo
Moloch constantly creates new mutants. Their sole purpose is to wage war (even between themselves). However, there is a charismatic cyborg among them - Borgo, who's uniting scattered mutants under the holy biohazard symbol.
This army is composed of a lot of melee units (very few ranged attack choices). They don't hit very hard, but they often hit in multiple directions and are very fast, often denying the enemy their attacks.
Hegemony
Hegemony is a land where gangs rule. They often raid surrounding territories and revel in gladiatorial fights.
While Borgo hits fast but not very hard, those guys are average in speed but hit really hard. Their primary focus is on melee combat and control (plenty of nets).
Moloch
The entity responsible for the devastation wrought upon the world in 2020. 30 years later and it's stronger than ever, sending robotic armies to sweep the land and destroy any pockets of humanity left.
This is, in my opinion, the strongest faction in the game. It's strength lies not in some gimmick or OP units but in the fact that it is perhaps the most versatile of all. It has access to fast units, slow but tough units, both melee and ranged combat (including the railgun) as well as a nuke, which can quickly turn the tables. It lacks mobility, but most of its units can hit in multiple directions.
The Outpost
Mobile headquarters for people dedicated to destroying Moloch. They're equipped with the most high-end gear (power armour and such) and rely on guerilla tactics.
This army is extremely mobile, hits extremely hard (primarily at range) and has plenty of opportunity to deliver the hurt (the most battle tiles). Their weakness lies in the fact that they don't have any form of control pieces available to them.
Doomsday Machine
DM is a trap - an automated defense system of a secret base hidden in the radioactive wastes. No one knows what hides behind it.
This army was included as a bonus in some base versions of the game (publisher specific), however, it's possible to get it standalone for cheap. AFAIK this is the only faction that's banned from tournament play. It's really hard to deal with it since it comes with a new type of tile - the redirector - which changes the direction of the shots (or splits them in multiple direction). This, coupled with the fact that it only consists of ranged units and their base can rotate one tile a turn is devastating. If you won't be able to deal with them fast they'll simply overwhelm you with firepower. They can even get off the "infinite damage combo" thanks to the redirectors, effectively looping the shots.
Smart
The lost strand of Moloch. It got all the way down to the south, where it got cut off from the mainframe. It made its lair deep inside the Neojungle, where it changed its directives and is creating perverted amalgams of organics and machine.
Very mobile army (but only around the base), trading some of the Moloch's toughness for a bit more speed.
New York
The ruins of bombed NY have become the capital of a new country (New York), where people try to make a new living for themselves in a police state. One of the few places in the world that are safe, but you have to pay for this safety with obedience.
This army isn't the fastest or the strongest, but it sure can put a wrench with opponent's plans with plenty of tiles that steal enemy module bonuses. They also have access to snipers and the fabled rocket launcher.
Vegas
Vegas didn't suffer much during the war, which allowed it to remain relatively safe and a place where the standard of living is a bit higher. It's the place to be if you're a real gangster.
The OG troll army. In my opinion it's probably the weakest of them all (mostly because they can be screwed really hard by bad draws), but when it works you can do nothing but smile. They have the ability to "bribe" enemy units to fight for them.
Mississipi
In 2050 Mississipi is nothing but a river of toxic waste coming out of Moloch's lands. Very few people can survive in the poisonous vapours, but when facing those who do, be prepared to face the worst toxins and poisons imaginable.
This is a very strong army whose primary means of winning is through grinding. They are very good defensively and can poison the enemy HQ (or units), which deals damage at the start of each battle (you can't remove poison).
The Steel Police
Roaming band of law and order fanatics. Garbed in pre-war power armour delivering a constant stream of chemicals to their brains, making them react instantly to anything identified as a threat or law-breaking.
This is the OG control army, with their base being able to net whatever tile (but only one at the time) at the cost of hit points. They have plenty of annoying units (like the Executioner, who replaces the enemy tile) but aren't very fast.
Sharrash
Highly organized society of mutated rats possessing inhuman intelligence.
If you want to fight something annoying, pick Sharrash. Their HQ can castle with other pieces, making it very hard to pin down (and hurt). They have plenty of super annoying stuff like booby-traps which blow up your tiles before the combat start or paralysis, which makes the target unable to attack.
Uranopolis
Great underground city made out of pre-war uranium mines. During the decades they've turned some of the heavy machinery into engines of destruction.
A very cool army that has some of the most powerful units in the game. The problem is that they require power and if they're not connected to a source of it, they do nothing.
Neojungle
Slowly creeping forward and expanding, this bloodthirsty monstrosity is growing by the day. Driven by survival instincts, the carnivorous plant-life is a threat to be reckoned with.
This is the first army that radically changed the concept of the game. Its units aren't particularly strong, but anything connected to the HQ is treated as connected to everything else that is. With the right modules this can turn even the weakest of the creatures into ultra fast behemoths of total carnage that are simply impossible to deal with. That is, if you let it grow...
Mephisto
Mephisto is a giant, mutated worm fused with machinery living in a nuclear crater. His lair tempts travelers wishing to cut short their journey...
Your HQ is not an HQ, but a single creature. This army goes even further than Neojungle with altering how the game should be played. You only really have your worm and modules (implants) that give it new abilities and make it stronger.
Dancer
After the machine attack on Outpost laboratories something was set loose. Project Dancer, aimed at creating new, genetically-modified cybernetic super-soldier. Half-mad, uncontrollable subjects roam the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The OG weird faction. You don't have an HQ, instead you have 3 dancers. If one of them dies, you're done for. You won't be putting any more tiles on the board as all they have is action tiles. Very fun, very deadly.
Death Breath
Cyborg mutant zombies of Detroit.
I can't say anything about this faction as it's only just been released and I didn't get a chance to play them yet.
Game review:
Mobile:
http://www.neuroshimahex.com/
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/JU9R1zQ.jpg)
