Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been introducing the factions of Konflikt ‘47, outlining their situations, motives, and giving you an overview of what makes them ‘tick’ (literally, in the case of the Commonwealth’s Automated Infantry!). We’ve also started revealing more of the ‘lore’ behind the world in the form of short stories and audio dramas, and all of this will continue – but now it’s time to start looking at how the game works on the tabletop as well! We’re beginning with a look at some core fundamentals – the Order and Rift dice – that play a vital role in ensuring that no two games of Konflikt ‘47 are ever the same!
Order Dice
Based on our award-winning and beloved Bolt Action mechanics, Konflikt ‘47 uses Order Dice to determine how and when each unit activates during a game turn. At their core, they’re very simple – each and every unit in your army has an Order Die, and at the start of the game, you put all of the Order Dice into the Dice Bag, while your opponent does the same. Then, you draw a die from the bag – if it’s one of yours, you pick one of your units, assign the die to them, and give them an Order to follow. Once they’ve completed it – hopefully to your satisfaction – you draw another die, and repeat! At the end of the turn, all the Order Dice go back in the bag, and you start over again.
The Order Dice mechanic is incredibly simple, but the random nature of which die will come out of the bag next means you can never be sure who’s going to go next. This uncertainty provides a fantastic challenge when it comes to tactics, and means that every single game is different, even if it’s the same two armies playing the same mission, over and over again – the Dice Bag produces endless moments of excitement as you find yourself praying for the right die to come out of the bag so you can complete your masterfully concocted plan!
Each Order Die has six orders printed on it – these correspond to the actions your units can make, and provide a handy visual reminder of what each unit has done once it’s finished its activation. The Orders are:
That little primer will of course be familiar to Bolt Action players. The next section, however, is brand new for everyone. There’s been a lot of excitement about them, and now it’s finally time to meet…
Rift Dice
The battlefields of Konflikt ‘47 are a nightmarish place, steeped in Rift energies that ebb and flow with the carnage. In addition, they’re populated by units utilising (and in some cases created by) the very latest Rift-tech, with all manner of abilities that can change the tide of battle in a heartbeat – if they can make best use of the Rift energy!
Many units in Konflikt ‘47 are classified as ‘Rift Units’. This might be due to their use of cutting edge technology such as Stahltruppen armour, weapons like the Fireflies’ iconic M1X submachine guns, or simply because, well, how else would you classify an eight-foot-tall, genetically engineered nightmare? Being a Rift Unit means two things. One: The unit will have some form of special ability, courtesy of its nature. Two: To represent this, it gets a Rift Die!
Like Order Dice, Rift Dice are colour coded to the owning player’s faction due to the way each faction utilises Rift energy differently. These six-sided dice are the same size and shape as Order Dice, and have three different values – Active, Surging, and Exhausted.
Unlike Order Dice, Rift units normally deploy with their Rift Die already set to Active. A Rift Die normally stays with its unit. It will only be placed into the Dice Bag if it is Exhausted by being used and remains so after it is rolled at the end of the turn.
Rift Dice enhance Rift units and have the ability to make Rift weapons deadlier. Rift units can have Passive and Active abilities, and sometimes both – check out what the rulebook has to say about these!
Naturally, there’s a cost to these abilities, and that comes in the form of exhausting Rift Dice. Active abilities require an Active or Surging Rift Die – using an ability will temporarily exhaust the Rift Die. When an Active Rift Die is used to trigger an Active ability, it is turned to its Exhausted side. If an Active ability is used in this way as part of the Rift unit’s activation, the Rift Die is changed after the unit has executed it. Rift Units may receive a disadvantageous effect from having an Exhausted Rift Die, so make sure that you time their usage well!
When a Surging Rift Die is used to trigger an Active ability it is turned to its Active face instead of its Exhausted face unless it’s used for an ‘Overload’. Some Rift weapons have Active abilities that can be ‘Overloaded’ by exhausting a Surging Rift Die, in which case the Rift Die is turned to Exhausted after the Rift unit has completed its activation. Overload abilities are extremely powerful, but may have a backlash that effects their user!
Let’s have a look at a unit of US Fireflies as an example Rift unit. With their powerful and advanced repulsorlifts allowing them to soar through the air, they quite rightly get both an Order and a Rift Die. Let’s see how they interact with their Rift Die!
When it’s Active, the Fireflies have the Flight special rule, enabling them to – what else? – fly around the battlefield, ignoring terrain and getting into the best position possible to open up with their fearsome M1Xs. This is already a powerful ‘passive’ ability, but they’ve got another, very useful trick up their sleeve. Their Active Rift Die can be Exhausted in order to use their Regroup in Hell! special ability, allowing them to make an Advance or Run move, with the attendant shooting attack or Close Quarters engagement as part of them, and then make another move to fly away! This hit-and-run capability makes Fireflies a very potent strike unit indeed, and is a great way to help keep them alive – Fireflies caught in the open don’t tend to last very long! As we mentioned though, there’s a cost to this – when their Rift Die is Exhausted, they lose the Flight special rule, and have to footslog it until they can get an Active Rift Die again. Timing is absolutely critical here, and knowing when to deploy your Rift abilities is a vital skill for every Konflikt ’47 commander to master.
As we mentioned before, Rift Units usually deploy with their Rift Dice to start the game. However, at the end of each turn, that can all change. Each player takes all of their Exhausted Rift Dice, and rolls them. Those that roll Active or Surging are assigned back to their unit to start the turn, but any that roll Exhausted go back into the Dice Bag for the turn!
During the next turn, if a Rift unit receives an Order Die when it has no Rift Die, the owning player immediately draws one of their Rift Die from the bag, rolls it, and places it with the unit, with the result showing face up. If, instead, a Rift Die is drawn, then the owning player rolls it, and immediately assigns it to one of their Rift units without one. Rolling the Rift Dice means there’s a chance it might come up Exhausted, in which case your unit will have to tough it out and try again next turn, but equally there’s a chance it’ll roll Surging, giving them a powerful boost in the nick of time!
These two dice – Rift and Order – are the beating heart of Konflikt ‘47, and combine to produce unique, tense, cinematic moments every time your forces take to the tabletop. Konflikt ‘47 is designed to be easy to learn and exciting to play, and this core mechanic lays the foundations for endless fun!
Are you ready to command the awesome (or awful!) power of the Rifts on the tabletop? Konflikt ’47 is now on pre-order, including all the Rift Dice you need to harness the Rift energies. As a good rule of thumb, you’ll most likely find when constructing your force that you’ll have roughly as many Rift Dice as you have Order Dice – handily, we sell both in packs of 12! We’ve also got a snazzy line of K47 dice bags, with more designs to come in the not-too-distant future.
