Deadzone is a 28 to 32 mm scale science-fiction skirmish tabletop wargame created by Mantic Games.
The 1st edition was designed by Guy Haley and Jake Thornton, and began shipping to backers in November 2013.
The eponymous "dead zones" in the game's title refers to worlds abandoned, quarantined, blockaded or otherwise prohibited by the galaxy's ruling council.
While the 1st edition was framed primarily in the galactic council's efforts to quarantine a mysterious alien plague, the increase in the number of factions and their accompanying background has meant an expansion in the possible locales and settings for these skirmish encounters.
Mantic would use the Kickstarter forum to raise money for future Deadzone expansions, all of which were successfully funded.
Several changes were implemented in the 2nd edition, with the object being, according to designer Jake Thornton, to make the game "faster, bloodier and easier to learn.
The faction decks from the 1st edition were removed in favor of command dice, and the tokens were given a graphic overhaul and became smaller in size.
The play mat has been given a graphical overhaul to represent a more "cyberpunk" or lived in setting, adding a little more color to the gray palette of the 1st and 2nd editions.
Similarly the scenery pieces, while recycling several elements from past editions, were enhanced by components which contributed to the new "cyberpunk" or "space frontier settlement" visual theme.
It is a joy to pick up, and will have you running around the narrow alleys and the dilapidated industrial buildings of the future in no time.