Firefight
Mantic Games' sci-fi battle game in the Warpath universe. Infantry, tanks and airships fight with alternating activations, D8s and Command Dice, in games of around 1,000 points that take an hour or two.
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"My take on this one is coming soon."
What is Firefight
Firefight is Mantic Games’ game of sci-fi battles in its Warpath universe, which Mantic describes as “futuristic battles fought on alien worlds and in the warzones of the future.” It’s a bigger game than Mantic’s Deadzone, set in the same universe. Where Deadzone is a handful of models on a 2-foot board, Firefight puts infantry, tanks and airships on a 4-foot table.
This is not One Page Rules’ Grimdark Future: Firefight. Same name, different game and different publisher.
The current edition is Firefight: Second Edition, which Mantic launched in 2022. It won Best Miniatures Game at the OnTableTop Industry Awards 2022. All the rules and the force lists for every current faction are now in one book, Command Protocols, and Mantic posts errata and updates on the Mantic Companion.
The factions include the Asterians, Enforcers, Forge Fathers, GCPS, Marauders, Mazon Labs, Nightstalkers, Plague and Veer-myn.
How it plays
- Alternating activations. Players take turns activating a unit, “like Deadzone,” in Mantic’s words. Spending a Command Point lets you activate a second unit straight after the first.
- Measure the leader. To move a squad, you measure and move its leader, then place the rest within 3” of it. Shooting is measured from the leader too, and every squad member in range with a weapon can fire.
- Command Dice. Each turn you roll coloured Command Dice to make Command Points. Spend them on Faction Orders, which any unit within 12” of a Command Unit can use, or on Command Orders tied to a particular Command Unit. Some give auras and some act at once. The dice can come up blank, so you can’t count on them.
- D8s. Like Deadzone, Firefight rolls eight-sided dice.
- Size of a game. Mantic suggests aiming for 1,000 points on a 4 × 4 ft table, which is around 30 to 50 miniatures. Above 1,500 points, move to a 6 × 4 ft table. Squads start at five models and can buy more.
Mantic puts a game at around 90 minutes.
How to start
- Read the rules for free. The Getting Started rules are free, and so is the Second Edition ruleset on the Mantic Companion once you register. A paid Companion subscription adds the latest rules and expansions.
- Buy Command Protocols. The Command Protocols rulebook is £32.50 and comes with game tokens. Mantic’s advice: “if you’re new to Firefight - start here!” It has the core rules, an introduction to the Warpath universe and the force lists for every faction.
- Get a starter set. There are three two-player sets at £100 each. Assault on Exham pits Veer-myn against Forge Fathers with over 55 miniatures, vehicles included. It comes with the Command Protocols book, a getting started guide, counters, 16 D8s, 11 Command Dice and bases. The others are Battle of Cabot III and Edge of Sanity.
- Or pick one faction. Each faction has a Strike Force bundle on the getting started page, listed at £145 and currently discounted to £95.
The miniatures come unpainted and need assembly with superglue.
Community & reviews
Mantic keeps the latest Firefight rules and lists on the Mantic Companion, so check there before a game for anything newer than your copy of Command Protocols.
Official
Firefight
Mantic's Firefight range, factions and starter sets
Firefight on the Mantic Companion
The free Second Edition rules, plus lists and updates
Firefight: Second Edition, your questions answered
Mantic on game size, activations and Command Dice, March 2022
An introduction to Firefight: Second Edition
Mantic's overview of the game and its factions, April 2022
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