In dire times, alliances are not forged from trust and loyalty, but rather desperation and mutual cause...
Greetings, all. David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin here, designers of Blacklist Games’ upcoming Dire Alliance: Horror, launching on Kickstarter October 27. This article is the third in a series that delves into the gameplay, leaders, and factions in the game.
In the previous article, we provided an overview of the characters the players can choose to lead their factions. In this article, we cover the factions themselves. There are two available in the game’s core pledge.
The Shroud
The Shroud is a cabal of vampires who have banded together to seek out humans to prey upon. They draw their strength from these vessels and must protect them to survive. When a Shroud vampire damages an enemy, they become sated, allowing them roll a special combat dice and unlock their special powers. These powers are lost when they themselves are damaged.
The Empyreal is ghostly vampire who enters into mist form when sated, allowing her to pass through her enemies unharmed.
The Unbroken is a feral vampire, her body deformed and crooked like a ghoul. When sated, she can attack an enemy twice with a single activation.
The Hypnotist, a well-dressed nobleman, can force enemies to move when sated.
The Devoted is a malnourished flagellant, his body covered in scars. He wields a heavy crossbow and can sacrifice one of his cards to sate one of his vampire allies.
The Grievers
The Grievers have mastered the art of animating and controlling corpses. These animated dead - known as the Reclaimed - serve as their army. The Grievers draw their strength from their gravesites.
The Caretaker is responsible for unearthing the Reclaimed from the Griever’s gravesites, as well as protecting these areas from their enemies.
The Butcher is a menacing melee fighter who can help to construct the Reclaimed by harvesting limbs from his enemies.
The Experimenter has mastered the powers of animation. With a single activation, he can resurrect a horde of Reclaimed in his area or control all Reclaimed that he can see.
The Bearer is loyal servant of the Grievers. He wields a crossbow and has limited powers to resurrect and control the Reclaimed.
Faction boards
Each faction board includes all the rules a player will need to use that faction in the game, including a reference of each fighter card belonging to that faction. In addition, each faction board includes a game round summary for easy reference during the game.
Here is a look at the board for The Shroud faction:
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Alright, that’s all for now! In the next article, designer Brady Sadler will detail how Raid Mode, the solo/co-op mode in Dire Alliance: Horror, works!
Remember, Dire Alliance: Horror is launching on Kickstarter on October 27, along with Blacklist Miniatures' Horror Series 1 set, and Day 1 backers get the exclusive Count leader for FREE! Sign up for our newsletter below or follow us on social media to make sure you don't miss it!
