Galaxy Zento Expansion Preview!

Galaxy Zento Expansion Preview!

Now that I’m hard at work on the finishing artwork for the very first expansion set for the Galaxy Zento board game, it’s only fitting that I give you a taste of what’s to come! New goals, beasts, artifacts, traps, and even spells are coming to enhance your gameplay. A new card type is coming as well; monsters! As if all that just weren’t enough, you’ll get 16 new player characters with abilities you have to see to believe. Let’s start with a look at them. *Remember to click on images for better view.

The Superhuman: Player characters represent you on the board and this is a great one for that. When you get him, you get to reveal cards from the main deck until a power is revealed. Then you get to use that power for the whole game. The best part is that you can’t lose that power unless you stop being the superhuman. Better yet, this power doesn’t count for your power limit of three, so you actually could build up to four powers! His stats aren’t too shabby either!

The Minotaur: Several mythical beings are going to be available and the Minotaur might just be the coolest of them. He’s a little clumsy when it comes to things like traps and magic but his charging attack makes him useful in other ways. Could it be fun to run up and slam into your opponents? Yes, yes it could.

But what about those goals? As you might remember a goal is your randomly given mission to win the game. Well, there will be at least 4 new goals to shuffle into your goal deck. That includes:

Ultimate Warrior: Win five combats of any kind. That’s right, attack other players or just keep it to what jumps out of the deck. If your character is strong enough, you’ll be a real threat to take the win on this goal. It still won’t be as easy as it sounds as nothing in this game is.

The Combo Goal: This could be one of the most challenging goals. Or the easiest depending on your luck of the draw. You complete one of each challenge on the list to win the game. It’s only four challenges but note the extra ruling on the card. Since it’s possible to wipe out the game at a focal point because you reveal three cards, you can’t count anything at a focal point for the other three challenges. Otherwise, this would become the most broken goal of them all.

Let’s look at a couple monsters next. Of course there is a monster slaying goal to go with them. That’s too easy to guess.

The Mud Man: He’s ooey and gooey and wants to eat your character! He’s pretty average in combat unless you try to sneak away from him and fail. Items don’t count against him because he’s made of mud. Use powers and magic, especially fire to take him down. Of course you can just beat him into splattery submission.

The Werewolf: Now here’s a monster that can alter the pace of the game. If you lose the combat with this guy, you get to be the next werewolf. If that happens, you forsake your current goal in order to attack other players. If you win a combat against a player, they become the next werewolf and you are cured. The only other way for your character to be cured is to get killed. There are a couple of goals that will count if you are the werewolf. Those are a goal where you have to attack other players and a new one where you actually have to get killed. More on that second one later.

For the last peek of the day we have an item that you have to obtain as if it were an artifact:

Cyber Implants: Of the new items, this is the first one you have to roll dice to get. It’s only fitting with all of that this does for you. Not only does it boost a couple of your stats and your movement; it gives you the ability to peek at the top card of the deck. That’s a strong advantage when you need certain cards to come out for your goal.

That’s all the preview you get for now. Don’t forget to visit the links in the upper right if want to get your hands on the board game or books. Follow the fun on Twitter and Facebook!

GZ Legends 68: Charon's Fate

         

  Souls of the condemned wrapped their ghostly arms around Nyhtwulf, dragging him deeper and deeper toward the bottom of the River Styx. As they dragged him down and down, the rage of the shadowy hero mounted. He bared his fangs, tensed his muscles and strained against the overwhelming forces of the river. No one caught in the river’s grasp had ever surfaced again.

            Charon glared down at the swirling waters with pleasure and pride. Finally, after all these years, he found the revenge he desired. There hadn’t been a waking moment in all the time Nyhtwulf ever served the Four Horsemen that Charon hadn’t wanted to destroy the Twilie Demon. Finally, he could gloat with abandon. Every time he would cross the Styx, he would cross over Nyhtwulf’s imprisoned soul. Nothing could make Charon happier at that moment.

            The smoking hole through his middle chest region was a confusing surprise to the Ferryman. With the inability to actually feel anything, he didn’t notice it right away. Worse yet, such a thing was supposed to be impossible. Charon long stood the eons as an indestructible force on the river. Nothing had ever been able to harm him before. Slowly, he turned to the source of the blast that tore through his back.

            Blacktide stood, seething with rage. His clenched fists smoked with a new power and the chains were in pieces at his feet. Charon reacted without any further hesitation.  He swung out with his pole and hit Blacktide across the forehead, breaking a hole in the man’s sunglasses. Blacktide’s head turned with the blow and slowly he turned his head back, glaring at Charon. As the Ferryman took another swing, Blacktide ducked under it and came up with another disintegration blast that tore apart Charon’s left arm.

            Charon responded with a roar that sent a wide ball of flames toward Blacktide. Charon’s glaring eyes, shot flames out 8 feet in either direction. Blacktide rolled across the deck of the boat and came up with a wave of distortional power and ripped at the boatman from all angles.

            “Your bones will decorate my boat!” Charon howled.

            “I said I wanted to kick your head and I’m going to!” Blacktide shouted back.

           

At the bottom of the river, another surging battle raged. The lost souls gripped Nyhtwulf and gathered on him like moths to a flame. Nyhtwulf tensed and reached deep within himself to the heart of his own supernatural might. As he thrust his wings out, forcing the souls away from him, jets of water flew at the surface. The boat shook, momentarily jarring the footing of both on board as Nyhtwulf’s body exploded from the River and into the air. Nyhtwulf roared in a mixture of triumph and rage.

            “NO!” Charon’s embattled form turned in shock, just in time for Blacktide to unleash a new attack. This burst of power erased parts of the boat’s railing and left the deck smoking. In the midst of the smoky cloud, Charon’s long pole fell away into the water with a splash. A hollow thud could be heard as Charon’s disembodied skull hit the deck and bounced. It spun, almost in slow motion. As it spun the glowing sockets seemed to show Charon’s absolute disbelief. The skull bounced twice more on the wooden deck before being grasped by human fingers from a shredded glove.

            Blacktide brought the skull of Charon up to head level so he could look directly into its blazing eyes. At the same time, the human hero put his broken sunglasses back on, one eye still viewable through the cracks. Nyhtwulf landed, glad to see his partner alive.

            “What will you do?” Nyhtwulf asked.

            “Pathetic human! You will pay for this!” Charon shouted.

            Blacktide glared at the skull and slowly shook his head. “Nah. I don’t think so. But I promised you this.”

           

With a step in preparation, Blacktide’s boot met with Charon’s skull like a professional football kicker. Charon screamed as his head sped across the river toward the palace of the Four Horsemen. As it flew, the air around it swirled in new shadows and a great skeletal hand wrapped around the flying skull, stopping its flight. Hovering over the river was Death himself. As the entity floated towards them, Blacktide felt a catch in his throat. He had no idea what to expect. Nyhtwulf dropped to his knees.

            Without a word to either of them, Death gestured with his open hand and the body of Charon reassembled on the boat. The long pole returned the Ferryman’s hands. Only the head remained unattached.

            “Rise, former servant.” Death commanded before turning attention to Blacktide. “For the transgressions against you, Larry ‘Blacktide’ Peters, your power has been altered. Use it wisely. Now you both follow me to witness the true punishment of Charon.” An unseen power pulled the boat to the opposite shore. Neither of the two offered any objection as they followed Death onto the dark beach of the dead.

            Together, they walked to the great front doors of the palace where Death stopped. Blacktide could only watch in awe. He had no idea just what had happened to his powers, but they did feel different than before. He realized he destroyed the magical chains that held him. Was that what Death meant? He had little time to think on it.

            Death reached out to the great front doors with Charon’s skull and fixed it fast to the right side door. A great metal ring appeared in the skull’s mouth before Death spoke again.

            “You thought no worse punishment could ever be devised for you, reckless and foolish Ferryman. Now, not only will your headless body continue your sentence upon the River Styx; you shall serve as the heraldry of all who wish to enter here. No words will you utter, but all who come will use you to rap upon our door. This shall be your disgrace from here on to whatever eternity the Horsemen desire.” Death turned to Blacktide and Nyhtwulf. “You have witnessed this event and now are bid leave this place. Your fate is elsewhere.”

           

Nyhtwulf nodded and grabbed onto Blacktide who was too shocked to speak. With the power of the Twilie Demon, the two friends left. When Death gives a command, it’s best to ask nothing, merely comply.

GZ Legends 37: Roadburner pt 3

            “You dare to challenge me?” The Hearse roared at Doctor Vampire.

            “I do! Should I prove my worth, you return to the Museum on bond of the challenge.”

            “Should you fail, I absorb your soul within me and you never see the living world again.”

            “I accept!”

            The driver side door of The Hearse opened.

            “Remove your weapons,” Doctor Vampire said.

            “Are you sure this is such a good idea?” Electrode said.

            “It’s the only chance left to us. Should I fail, you will have to exhaust every effort. Perhaps lead it into the ocean?”

            The Hearse laughed as Lonestar and Anubis slowly approached to pull their weapons from the wheel wells.

            “Someday, sometime, you and I aren’t finished,” Anubis growled at the machine.

            “I look forward to it,” The Hearse rumbled in return.

            Dr. Vampire slid into the driver’s seat and the door slammed shut. He gripped the steering wheel and instantly a flood of force washed over him. Evil thoughts invaded his mind of what he could do with the power of The Hearse. Tires squealed and they raced away from the crew of friends.

            “We have to keep up and watch over this!” Electrode sped from sight.

            “It’s agreed, but I’m not fast enough,” Lonestar said. “You will have to get innocents out of the way as the Doctor struggles to gain control.”

            Anubis and Nyhtwulf nodded and both flew into the air.

            Lonestar despaired that he couldn’t keep up and help them. He looked to his blessed companion, the white falcon on his shoulder. All Starknights are blessed with a mystical animal companion to aid them. Lonestar chose a falcon. He could see through its eyes, be healed by it and it could assist him in combat. Best of all, a Starknight’s companion will not fall in battle until its master is dead. With a nod, Lonestar sent out his falcon to watch over the events.

            “There is a great evil deep within you, Vampire!” The Hearse said as it raced down a road. “You should use it more often!”

            Doctor Vampire strained in mind and body to control the direction of the great death machine.

            “You cannot control me! I will do as I wish!” The Hearse aimed itself at a man by the side of the road. “Watch him die!”

            Doctor Vampire grit his teeth and pulled at the wheel while trying to push its influence away. At the last second, the man vanished as Electrode rescued him.

            “Bah! Your foolish friends seek to help you! You will soon find that they can’t, even if they save everyone I could crush under me!”

            The Hearse turned toward a line of buildings. “No force of good can control me, Vampire!”

            Anubis saw the impending disaster and his thoughts raced. He flew down to the ground outside of the buildings. He remembered how he managed to fix things, like a baby carriage by controlling its base matter and manipulating his shape. Only one thought came to mind to save the building and anyone inside. Anubis reached out to the ground and concentrated while trying to work as fast as he could. As The Hearse drew near, the ground rose up into a high ramp and sent the machine flying over the rooftops.

            “The fools only delay the inevitable!” The Hearse roared. “By the time we reach the ground, you will have failed.”

            Doctor Vampire’s eyes began to glow red, “Because nothing good can control you?”

            The Hearse’s undercarriage broke a portion of rooftop as it came to the ground. Once all four wheels hit the dirt and rock and the bouncing stopped, Dr. Vampire yanked the wheel to the right. The Hearse spun 180 degrees to face back the other direction. The Doctor slammed his foot on the accelerator and launched them past all the buildings.

            “Impossible!” The Hearse howled.

            “Nothing good,” Doctor Vampire growled through his teeth and fangs.

            The essence of The Hearse’s self-control waned and fell against the new will of Doctor Vampire. He guided the machine back along the path they came, avoiding any innocents. As they arrived near the mall parking lot, Doctor Vampire stomped on the breaks and brought the beast to a screeching halt in a cloud of dust. The Doctor tossed the door open and stepped out into view.

            Anubis landed near him, “Wow, Doc, you did it!”

            The backhand strike was such a surprise; Anubis had no defense against it. The hero fell to the ground with a crash. Doctor Vampire put a hand against one side of his head in an effort to regain control that was lost.

             Blacktide stood back, not wanting to kill Doctor Vampire with his powers. He clenched his fists in frustration instead.

            “Hey, Doc, we can’t have you turning on us,” Electrode said as he emitted a series of low yield bolts to try and incapacitate the Vampire.

            Doctor Vampire waved his hands in a circular motion and the electricity followed suit in a beautiful swirl, obeying him. He threw the energy back to Electrode and knocked the speedster sprawling. Doctor Vampire roared with new evil power coursing through him. He formed claws at his finger tips and his fangs even seemed to grow. Then he stiffened and howled to the sky as strobes of light emitted from him. When Doctor Vampire collapsed, Nyhtwulf was left standing there. The Twilie Demon had merged a hand through the Doctor’s back. Doctor Vampire lay unconscious on the ground.

            “Ha! Your friend is fully evil now,” The Hearse laughed.

            “It doesn’t matter for you,” Lonestar said. “You lost the bargain and are now held to your word.”

            “You are correct, Knight. It doesn’t matter. Even as I obey this command, it is not permanent. I am not finished. You will see me again.” The Hearse vanished in a cloud of black mist.

            “We have to get Doctor Vampire back to New York quickly,” Lonestar said. “Only Dreamseer can help him now. Hurry, before he awakens and we have an even bigger fight on our hands.”