Only the strong survive…
The Red Falcon Army has reemerged, and now it’s time to return to the fray and bring them down all over again. You have been selected from among the most qualified Contra commandos, and now the fate of the world lies in your hands.
Infiltrate. Eliminate. Survive.
PLEASE NOTE: Images/components in this preview are pending licensor approval and subject to change.
Soldiers, welcome to Contra: The Board Game!
My name is Scott McFall, and I’m the developer on this exciting game of run-and-gun action designed by Adam and Brady Sadler (Street Masters, Altar Quest, Heroes of Terrinoth)! This series of “developer diaries” will act as previews for the game and provide insight regarding its design and development!
Last time we took a look at the enemies you'll be facing. This time, we take a look at the stages you'll be traversing!
Let's start with understanding how the stage turn works.
STAGE TURN
As we saw in the first diary entry, the final thing to happen during a round is the stage turn, in which players activate stage-specific effects before finally drawing a stage card to resolve.
Let's take a better look at stage cards to understand this.
STAGE CARDS
Each stage comes with its own deck of cards. Some of these are reference cards that are laid out from left to right during setup and explain how certain stage hazards work. These can also have "activate" effects, signaling that certain things will happen during the stage turn at the end of round.
Most of the stage cards, however, are stage event cards. At the start of the game, these are shuffled together to create the stage deck. At the very end of each stage turn, after having resolved each "activate" effect showing on reference cards, the commandos will draw a single stage card from the stage deck and resolve it. I'm not going to lie, these are mostly bad things that the commandos need to deal with, so you'd best prepare!
Now, if facing an unexpected problem wasn't bad enough, the stage deck acts as a mission timer. If, at the end of the stage turn, the commandos must draw a stage card but cannot because the stage deck is empty, they lose!
As you can see, the pressure is on from the get-go, and every action is crucial! Will you stay cool under pressure, or will the heat of battle be too much to bear?
THE STAGES
Ok, now that we know how stage cards work, let's get some intel on the stages themselves!
Jungle
Crossing the sweltering, Red Falcon Army-occupied jungle won’t be easy. Watch out for the raging river and the booby-trapped bridges that cross it, as well as the many sentry turrets positioned throughout. They’ll shoot holes through you if you aren’t careful, but you might be able to disable them if you get close enough...
Waterfall
Climb quickly soldier, but tread carefully. The wet surfaces could send you tumbling. Those levitating stone platforms should offer sure footing, though, so make proper use of them. Oh, and intel suggests there are enemies hiding above--and behind--the falls, so stay sharp.
Snow Field
We’ve received reports of enemy grenadiers hiding in fortified positions here, so keep an eye through your scope at all times! We’ve also received word the enemy’s got mobile artillery standing by to intercept you, so stay frosty.
Alien Lair
The harsh environment of the alien hive isn’t meant for outsiders. Proceed with caution. Beyond the pools of acid, you’ll need to avoid that infectious substance the aliens use to control the minds of their troops. Good luck, soldier.
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Alright, and that concludes our developer diary! I hope you enjoyed these in-depth looks at the various elements that make up the action-packed game is Contra: The Board Game! Coming soon!
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