Atomic Mass Games dropped an announcement for their upcoming new twist on Marvel: Crisis Protocol and I’m getting excited for more.
I’ve been chatting with friends and MCP players about the new MCP: Alliances game coming from AMG. While there’s not a ton of info about it (yet), I did want to clear up some of the confusion and maybe answers some questions that I’ve heard a few times. Now, I’m pulling most of this info from the announcement trailer. But I also watched the live stream as well.
You can see the trailer above. As far as the actual live stream, AMG doesn’t have it saved on their Twitch videos or uploaded to YouTube. However, Youtuber Crabbok has it saved thanks to his watch party video. It starts at the 28:51 mark. I’ve got it cued up below for you:
So if you want to watch the full context it’s right there for you. So, with all that out there, let’s talk about the video and what else is going on with this new game.
Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Alliances
During the stream Will Shick, AMG’s VP of Creative Development & Strategy, presented the game. This is a new board game that is part of the same MCP universe and is a game that “stands next to MCP” as Shick explained. What I gather he means is that this isn’t a replacement for MCP as we all know it now. But rather, it is it’s own new game but with a LOT of bleed over between the two systems. In fact, there’s quite a bit of overlap and I think that’s entirely the point.
Alliances takes place on a board that uses hex tiles for movement. You’re playing a co-op “arcade style beat’em-up” game where players will take the role of familiar heroes. They will gain XP and new abilities as they push on towards the end encounter with the “big bad” of the scenario. This is very much like an Ultimate Encounter, but scaled down slightly. And also streamlined in other ways.
The first set is called Night of the Goblin and features a bunch of Spider-verse heroes squaring off against the Green Goblin and his cronies. What’s really cool is that not only are we getting new/alternate sculpts for heroes but we’re also getting a BUNCH of these new Green Goblin miniatures. While we don’t know (yet) if they will get rules for MCP, these sculpts sure look like they could get rules as low level threats or as grunts for Green Goblin in the future.
The Green Goblin even has a new sculpt and looks pretty sweet if I do say so! I’m looking forward to using these miniatures in MCP as well as Alliances. Because yes, these character miniature are compatible with Marvel: Crisis Protocol.
What we don’t know exactly is if these will be full on new versions or just alternate sculpts. Personally, I’m leaning towards “alternate sculpts” only because I’m not sure I want players to be “forced” to buy this game if they want to use the “new rules” in MCP. I don’t think AMG is going to do that based on the cards they showed off either.
If anything, I think this will be a cool way to collect the rules for a few of these characters that might be hard to get. But that’s another topic. Anyhow, let’s talk about what we can tell about the game mechanics.
We get a good look at a player dashboard in the video and honestly, I kind of want something like this for MCP now. It would be nice to have a place to track all those damage and power tokens on the card. I know you’re supposed to put the status tokens on the tabletop next to the character, but a character dashboard would work well, too. Anyhow, take a look at the board. Notice anything similar?
While it’s not a 1:1 copy of the same abilities, there’s a LOT of carry over here. The art is the same for starters. The format of the abilities is very close. We are still using a lot of the same visual language such as Range, Strength, and Energy cost. We even see the defensive stats on the bottom of the Alliances card, too. It also seems like the level up cards add other attacks from different versions of Spider-Man (in this case). And those seem to have very similar effects from those MCP attacks, too.
Let’s also acknowledge the fact that the dice are the exact same as MCP dice, too. That’s really what makes this all tick. The dice mechanics, attack and defense are basically identical to MCP. Sure, there’s probably going to be some subtle tweaks between the two for game play and mechanical reasons. But I think the real neat thing here is that if you learn one system you’re going to be able to pick-up the other one REALLY fast.
Oh and also, AMG showed off two different boards. Check out the two images of the play spaces above. I’m not sure if there are multiple boards included in the box or if they are double sided. Either way, I think it’s a smart way to have some replay value here.
Speaking of replay value, we also know there’s plans to let players use OTHER Heroes (and maybe villains) in Alliance beyond what’s in the box. X-Men, Avengers, and many more “alliances” look like they will be options. And of course, there’s already a second “expansion” in the works, too.
Who Is Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Alliances For?
Now that we have a rough idea of what the game actually is we can answer a very common follow-up question I’ve been getting when talking about it. Who’s this game even for? The short answer is “everyone” which is probably what AMG would say. But I think this is actually a bit more of a deeper and strategic answer here. Alliances s a gateway game. It’s sure, it’s targeting the MCP existing players. Who doesn’t like a good “side game” to play in between MCP games? And if you get to use the same miniatures even better.
But really, it’s there to pull in new players. And there’s lots of evidence of that in the video.
Alliances is going to have push-fit miniatures. You won’t need glue to build them (although I still recommend it if my experience with push-fit minis has told me anything). The miniatures are also going to come in pre-dyed plastic. So you don’t have to paint them to be able to tell who’s who on the tabletop. The barriers to entry are scaled way down for the this game.
And, as mentioned above, you’re getting MCP rules-lite here. The core mechanics are the same in terms of the dice and abilities. The movement will be different to compensate for the smaller play space required. Alliances will also require less tabletop space to play, too! That’s a nice benefit for folks who might just want a quick and fun game night. It’s probably closer to a board game than full on skirmish game. And that’s okay!
One final thing that really makes this enticing for new players is that it’s also co-op. It is SO much easier to convince new players to try a game out if they can play on the same side as a friend as opposed to going head-to-head. It’s why the Ultimate Encounters are fun as well. You can play along side new players, show them the ropes, and let them decide if this game is for them. I have a funny feeling that once folks give it a go in this setting they’ll like it a ton. And quite a few of them might be interested in giving an Ultimate Encounter a run afterwards…and maybe even a “standard” game of MCP after that.
It’s a gateway to build up more interest and players. Some folks will want to stick to the more “board game” side of Alliances while others will want to move on to the bigger games. Personally, I’m looking to play all of it. I’ve been a fan of tabletop games that add co-op modes of some kind. Those modes are great hooks for veteran players to get people into the game. And I firmly believe that’s what Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Alliances is attempting to do here.
The first crack at it will be soon enough. AdeptiCon will be the very first place players will get a chance to take this game out for a spin. So if you do get a chance to play it, I’ll be jealous! Alliances is slated for a release later this year (late Summer). And I really can’t wait to get my hands on this one!
I really what to know …what’s in the BOX?!
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
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