Patrick Todoroff is back on the blog with a look at Zone Hostiles in Zona Alfa: Salvage and Survival in the Exclusion Zone, the latest addition to the Osprey Wargames series.

Zona Alfa is a competitive, multi-player game where you and your opponent fight to accomplish mission objectives and acquire valuable salvage. However, other players aren’t the only enemies you need to be worried about in the Exclusion Zone.

Each game feature a central Mission Objective, as well as a number of Hot Spots. These are locations that not only contain valuable salvage, but spawn enemies as well.  ‘Zone Hostiles’, in game terms. These Hostiles can be anything from swarms of mutated vermin to shambling mobs of brain scorched soldiers, gangs of greedy bandits to a pack of large nasty creatures. Whenever a location is triggered, these Zone denizens will appear and attack whoever disturbed that particular area. 

Be aware, all regions in the Exclusion Zone are classed by ‘Threat Level’, a metric that takes into account not just the inhabitants of that area but local environmental hazards, the presence of anomalies, and the traffic/migration routes of known predators, human or otherwise. The low-level danger areas tend to be on the Zone’s outer perimeter with the Threat Levels increasing as one draws nearer to the center.

This doesn’t mean types of Zone Hostiles restrict themselves to certain regions; crews run across Rats of Unusual Size and packs of feral dogs wherever they go. Because Troop Quality in Zona Alfa is based on the number of actions a model may take per turn, this simply means they’re just more vicious and cunning in the higher Threat Level sectors.

Zona Alfa has a distinct aesthetic and leans into a well-worn Eastern European setting. But that doesn’t mean you can only use specific miniatures. On the contrary, the Alpha Exclusion Zone/Zona Alfa is simply the first and largest. There are rumors of other Zones scattered all across the globe, each one being explored by those brave and crazy enough to risk its peculiar challenges and face the local threats. This post features several types of Zone Hostiles that crop up in our games. Follow your imagination and adapt your missions and your game to your preferences and miniature collection. Whatever you choose, I wish you good luck and good hunting. St. Strelok watch over you.

Excited to give Zona Alfa: Salvage and Survival in the Exclusion Zone a try? Order your copy today!