More component checks - the custom solo die, embroidered shot bag, dry-wipe marker, and tracking cubes!
about 3 years ago – Fri, Apr 09, 2021 at 02:09:42 AM

Hey all,

We’ve had some more goodies come in for us to check – this time the solo die, the embroidered shot bag from the Deluxe Upgrade Kit, the dry-wipe pen, and the tracking cubes in each colour.

The solo die is used to determine which card is resolved for the defenders when playing the solo game. It has three sides marked with one chevron (a 50% chance), two sides with two chevrons (a ~33% chance), and one side with three chevrons (a ~17% chance).

When playing the solo game, you’ll deal a row of three cards beside the solo deck – two face-up and one face-down. The furthest card from the deck is activated if you roll a single chevron, the next if you roll two, and the closest to the deck if you roll three. The others then slide away from the deck.

This means that as you play you’ll have an idea of what your opponent’s most likely action is going to be, but you can never quite predict what will happen.

Anyone who backed at the Marksman or Elite level will be getting one of these large embroidered shot bags as part of the Deluxe Upgrade Kit (a smaller version without the embroidery is included in the base game). As well as boasting a snazzy design, it is large enough to fit the clay shot tokens that come as part of the Upgrade Kit.

For the pen connoisseurs amongst you, here’s a look at the dry-wipe marker that the Sniper will be using to chart their movement on their hidden board. We wanted something fine enough to clearly mark the Sniper’s progress, but comfortable to hold and use, so we went for a sharpie-style tip.

Finally, let’s take a look at these cubes, which are used by the defenders. The colours came out really nicely (though we might try for a darker shade of red). The yellow, red, and black cubes correspond to the coloured bases for each squad, and are used to track your actions during each round and your specialist abilities. The clear cubes can be placed on the map to mark where you think the Allied sniper might be, helping you to track them down and take them out!

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Pete & the Rebellion Unplugged team

The miniatures have arrived - let's take a look!
about 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 03:05:10 PM

Hey all,

Just a quick update today to let you all know that the sample miniatures arrived with us and have been checked by Duncan and Alysa. We’re really pleased with how they’ve turned out, so I wanted to take the opportunity to show them off to you all.

Please note – the minis that come with your games will also have an ink wash on them to really bring out the details.

The Core Game

Those of you who backed at the Cadet level will be receiving a copy of the game, which includes ten miniatures – Karl Fairburne, three officers, and six soldiers.

The Deluxe Upgrade Kit

Backers at the Marksman and Elite level will also be receiving the Deluxe Upgrade Kit, which includes unique minis for each of the Specialists in the game.

You’ll also be receiving the Teste-Kill miniature, which can stand alongside the board as a teste-ment to the Sniper’s accuracy!

The Eagle’s Nest Expansion

At the Elite level, the Eagle’s Nest Expansion introduces four new miniatures with the Allies expansion – each representing a unique character that the Sniper can choose from at the start of the game.

So there you have it, a look at the miniatures for Sniper Elite: The Board Game.  Let us know which your favourite is in the comments below!

Thanks all,

Pete & the Rebellion Unplugged team

Miniatures Update and a closer look at the Medic!
about 3 years ago – Fri, Mar 19, 2021 at 02:51:16 AM

Hey all,

There’s plenty of excitement among the Rebellion Unplugged team, as we have had confirmation that the prototype miniatures have been shipped from the factory and are now in the UK!

We’re expecting them any day now, but annoyingly the tracking is being a little deceptive. Perhaps they know the miniatures are for a hidden movement game…

Once they arrive, Duncan and Alysa will be able to set them up on their desks and make them have tiny battles. I’m hoping that before they do that they’ll give the miniatures their final checks so that we can approve them for mass production.

Specialist Spotlight: The Medic

While the team here impatiently wait for the miniatures to arrive, let’s take a closer look at one of the Specialists in the game – the Medic.

Every soldier wants to be in the Medic’s squad, because they know that if anything happens to them, the Medic has their back. Twice per game the Medic can use their Special Ability to cancel out a successful shot from the Sniper on a member of their squad.

If you’re controlling the squad led by this Specialist, you know you can be a bit more blasé about positioning your soldiers. Their added survivability makes them excellent for blocking doorways and chokepoints, forcing the Sniper to avoid areas of the board or risk taking a shot at the soldiers, knowing that the Medic could save them with their expert first aid.

However, as these abilities are only available when the Specialist is on the board, the Medic will need to be careful not to leave themselves out in the open. They are sure to be an appealing target for an eagle-eyed Sniper, forcing the squad to use one of their two actions on the following turn to bring their Specialist back onto the board.

While their ability isn’t as obviously offensive as some of the other Specialists, ignoring it as the Sniper can be costly. Well positioned soldiers from the Medic’s squad can act almost as immovable objects, requiring multiple successful shots to remove them from the board. Forcing them to use their ability early in the game can save you a headache later on when you're rushing for the objective, but you’ll want to be extra sure you aren’t going to end up giving away your position.

Focussing on soldiers in the Medic's squad can be a great way to get into your opponent's head. Whenever the Sniper takes out a soldier or specialist, the Defenders are left wondering why they took that shot. Surely they wouldn’t target a soldier who could be saved by the Medic unless they really needed to get them out of the way…

As always, if you have any questions or comments you can send us a DM or post them below!

Thanks all,

Pete & the Rebellion Unplugged team

Map Development, Production Update, and more!
about 3 years ago – Fri, Mar 05, 2021 at 10:56:41 PM

Hey all,

Just wanted to drop in to let you know what we’ve been up to since the last update!

Development Update:

Our focus at the moment is on making sure the layout for the additional maps is working the way we want them to. Each needs to have a distinct feel and offer the players different challenges, so we’re fine-tuning the layout of spaces, starting positions for the German soldiers and officers, and suchlike. 

Given how important the maps are to the game, we’ve drafted in the talented David Digby to help with development and testing. For those of you who don’t know David, he’s worked on a ton of games and comes highly recommended. Head on over to his BoardGameGeek profile for a look at the games he has worked on.

Production Update:

On the production side, we’re currently waiting for some prototype pieces from the factory. We should get the minis in later this month, but we’re also waiting on:

· The Custom Solo Die

· Action and Tracking Cubes in the chosen colours

· Clip-on bases for minis in the chosen colours

· Dry-Wipe Marker

· Embroidery on the Drawstring Bag (for the Deluxe Upgrade Kit)

· Poker-style Chips (for the Deluxe Upgrade Kit)

We’d had white (blank) samples of all of the above, now we’re looking at them to make sure the colours and designs are all looking the way we want them to. Expect more updates on these as and when they come in. While we wait for these, our Production Manager Alysa is hard at work on some of the graphic design elements for the cards and maps!

Pledge Manager Update:

I know you’re all eager to get into the Pledge Manager - Duncan and I have been working on it and we should have an update with dates for that in the next few weeks. We've had a lot of questions from people who missed the campaign but still want to get their hands on a copy of the game, so I just wanted to confirm that we will be making Late Pledges available. More details to come!

And finally...

We've got a question for you. We had been hoping to see some of you at physical shows in the UK, US, and Europe, but obviously that is all up in the air at the moment. We’re considering exhibiting at Digital Shows, and were wondering whether any of you had attended any in the past year and could share your experiences with them? If so, feel free to post them in comments below or send them to us as a DM!

Thanks,

Pete & the Rebellion Unplugged Team.

Specialist Spotlight – The Radio Operator
about 3 years ago – Fri, Feb 19, 2021 at 10:14:28 PM

Hey all,

First off – let me introduce myself. I’m Pete, the new Marketing Lead here at Rebellion Unplugged. You’re going to be hearing a lot more from me over the coming weeks and months, so just wanted to say “hi”.

That’s enough about me - I’m pretty sure you’re all keen to hear more about Sniper Elite: The Board Game so let’s get right to it! For today’s update we’re taking a look at the Radio Operator, one of the Specialist Officers available to the Germans in the game.

Playing as the Radio Operator

This Specialist grants the German forces some excellent mobility, with their unique ability allowing players to deploy a soldier from any squad to a position adjacent to the Radio Operator.

In game, this special ability opens up a range of different possibilities. Use him offensively by rushing around the board to where the Sniper was last spotted and calling in reinforcements to quickly corner him. Alternatively, have him take up a central position and spread out with the rest of your forces, knowing you could call them back if needed. 

Of course, it’s the job of the Sniper to turn the strengths of each Specialist against them. If you manage to outsmart the Radio Operator, the German Forces may quickly find they’ve focused their forces in entirely the wrong place!

Dev Update

For the Radio Operator, we’d initially commissioned a piece of artwork with him sitting at a table, but that didn’t really reflect the way he played in the game, and we weren't too keen on the idea of a mini of an officer sat at a desk..

We had the piece redone so that he was standing, and then tweaked slightly to give him a Luger in his hand rather than a clipboard so that the artwork matches the miniature that is added in the Deluxe Upgrade Pack.

Here’s a closer look at the miniature from the Deluxe Upgrade Pack for the Radio Operator.

You’ll be hearing from me again soon, but in the meantime if you have any questions or comments send us a DM or post them below.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Pete & the Rebellion Unplugged team.