Zeo Genesis

 If you're a long-time subscriber I pity you you may have noticed that I not against trying out different games. I know what I 'like' - that being skirmish games with a sci-fi flavour - and I'm always looking for some hook that makes the game special, fresh, engaging... yeah, it's a fool's errand, however when it comes to hobbies, one can afford to play the fool :-D

I've recently started playing called Zeo Genesis. The game's design is being led by Andy Chambers and Gav Thorpe both of whom are well known for their work on the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  While it's currently in beta, it has already captured my attention and that of my mate Rob. We're both fans of mech-type sci-fi - think Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion but called "Zeoforms".  We've played three games of Zeo Genesis so far and we're very impressed!

Why I'm Enjoying It

It's rare that there's one feature that makes for an enjoyable game - especially if that buzz is going to stick. Let me describe just some of the things that I've found engaging.

Cohesion and Impetus

Amongst the standout features of Zeo Genesis is its Cohesion and Impetus mechanics. These add a layer of strategic depth that is often absent in the multitude of 'quick play', 'simple', 'sandbox' games that seem to have flooded the market during recent years. 

Cohesion might be described as a faction's unit, morale or even energy reserves. Various things cause this finite resource to reduce during play. Each unit has a Cohesion value, and should the unit be eliminated, that value is subtracted from the force's Cohesion Pool. Also, each time a side/faction is forced to Regroup (a form of Activation that sees all Units activations replenished BUT providing the opponent to effectively activate twice in a row) they also lose Cohesion - however that loss is a function of the number of the number of objectives the enemy holds.

Impetus is a much more limited resource, that can be exchanged for additional activations, reactions, or even Cohesion. You might liken it to tactical insight, intel or even the results of some technology or training advantage.

In the two Factions that have been published to date, one has access to slightly more Cohesion than Impetus for their point spend, while the other gets more Impetus but then needs to deal with less Cohesion. In the games we've played, it's pretty clear that clever use of Impetus coupled with awareness of yours and your opponent's Cohesion can make or break a plan.

List Building

List building isn't something I don't normally enjoy, but it interesting with Zeo Genesis. Presently there are two factions with maybe a dozen different units apiece. Using a point system, many of the Units have different loadouts available, making for a lot of customisation. 

The Zeoforms are particularly customisable, with all manner of weapons, subsystems, and specialist skills available. Each Faction has three Zeo Classes (1xLight/Basic, 2xMedium, 1xHeavy/Huge). There are the usual trade-offs to be made, kitting your mech out with just the right weapons, components, armour, and skills, and of course there are never enough points to go around!

The Support Units are a great touch too. They're a bit cheaper than a Zeo, squishier, but can address some specialist roles e.g., Drone Operators can coordinate Drone units, Scout-like Units are great at securing Objectives, and Zeo Hunters and Support Hunters... well their roles are self-explanatory. 

Our recent games have seen me load up on Support Units while my opponent doubled down on Mecha. Neither selection proved to be optimal, however they played true to intent: the Support Units had little means of surviving the attention of a Zeo and while the Zeos are well armoured etc, they couldn't afford to ignore the threat of Supports.

So yes: you could run a Zeo vs Zeo game or Support vs Support game - and they're likely to be fun - but I get the feeling that combined arms is the way to go.

Turn and Activation Systems

The game's turn/activation system is elegantly designed to encourage repositioning and dynamic play. Instead of traditional turn-based mechanics, Zeo Genesis uses a more fluid activation system that reminds me of several other games I've been playing during recent years - importantly such 'modern' mechanics tend to keep players engaged throughout the game, unlike some of the older game systems where you can literally walk away from the table for 10mins while your opponent takes their turn. This means you're always thinking ahead, planning your moves, and reacting to your opponent's actions in (almost) real-time.

I really like that Turns' lengthd can differ. Each players' 'base' Turn, being the sum of their Unit's Activations, and because of the Impetus mechanic/pool, a players' 'actual' Turn might be extended in order to make the most of the opportunities presenting themselves on the table.

Activations, Actions, and Resolution

The mainstay of most current games is along the lines of two activation points per Turn - with those two points, a Unit might shoot then move or maybe spend both points to perform a special ability. There's a reason it's so common: it works.

It was cool to see something a little different. Zeo Genesis has 4 basic Activation choices: Aimed Fire (which means Units can perform a Shoot Action to extended ranges and take advantage of various aim-related bonuses), Run-and-Gun (any combination of a 2xMove and a limited range Shoot), Charge (limited range Shoot then 2xMoves then Melee), and Fight (Melee!) - that was all by memory, so it could be wrong, but it's dead simple. Units can perform a selection of Reactions at a cost of Activation e.g., if a Unit is being shot at, they could Dodge (perform a single Move and yes, avoid the attack), Return Fire (simultaneous resolution and without a 'reaction penalty'), or Hunker Down (gain some defensive bonuses).

Resolution of attacks is a little different to what I'm used to. Each weapon grants a number of attack dice (e.g., 3d10), the target has a target number (e.g., a big mech might be 4+ but a more nibble drone might be 6+), successful 'hits' need be saved: the target has an armour dice pool (e.g., a big Mech might have 5) and each armour dice need beat the weapon's strength in order to damage the target - so a small calibre, rapid fire gun might roll lots of d10 but only require a relatively low armour roll to shrug-off the hits. There are various modifiers etc to account for special weapons, armour, skills etc. I especially liked the Beamer's Focus feature: more hit results yield an increasingly higher strength outcome.

The last feature I'll mention is the Combat Dice - each attack that scores at least one hit (regardless of whether it's blocked or not) might also yield additional results. Such results can include Cohesion loss, pushing the target back, and Systems Down, which impairs the target's operational effectiveness going forward.

On the Horizon

The combination of a great setting, and slick mechanics makes Zeo Genesis a compelling proposition. Rob and I have had a blast playing it, and we're excited to see how it evolves in the coming months. In the meantime, I suspect (well actually know) there's going to be something of an arms race as we make some new models to complement our respective forces - Axes & Ales is going to be shaking come 2025!