This is the first post in a series about Warzone Resurrection. In this post I am giving you an overview of the world of Mutant Chronicles. Mutant Chronicles and it's tabletop wargame Warzone first hit the gaming scene in the mid 1990's, it was the first ever competitor for Warhammer 40k. Unfortunately due to poor investment decisions got folded away with the company by the end of the 90's. There were a few failed attempts to bring the IP back. Now Prodos Games has relaunched the game as Warzone Resurrection, with brand new miniatures line and rules system, it should be hitting retail shelves in sometime in April.
The Solar System is a battlefield. From Mars' red deserts to the
steaming jungles of Venus, conflict rages. From the huge caverns of the
Mercurian underworlds to the cold hells of the Asteroid Belt, battle
lines are drawn. The great megacorporations make war on each other. The
fanatic soldiers of the Brotherhood clash with the undead warriors of
the Dark Legion, who, in the names of their demonic masters, seek to
conquer all who live. There is no peace. There are only small gaps
between wars, when the combatants seek to rebuild their strength before
another cataclysmic clash with their eternal enemies.
The Megacorporations
Where once there were nations, now there are only corporations. They
rule the inhabited worlds. Everything is driven by their relentless
quest for dominance and profit. The megacorporations are gigantic
entities, fiscal titans who bestride the worlds of humanity, bending
everything from foodstuffs to firearms. Their workforces are numbered in
the billions. Their wealth is beyond counting. Their conflicts shake
the tortured planets with their violence.
To be an employee of a corporation is to be part of a way of life and to
commit yourself body and soul to a cause. Every moment of every day,
the citizens and workers are bombarded by the propaganda of their
employers. They are told that only their corporation is right, that only
their way of life is good.
The citizens of democratic Capitol know that they are free and that all
others seek to destroy their freedom. Capitol's huge armies are commited
to defending that freedom.
The subjects of Bauhaus' Four Elector Dukes know that they are
surrounded by enemies who covet their wealth and their technical
superiority. The generals of Bauhaus' military orders work hard to
ensure that their wealth is preserved.
Those who serve Mishima's Lord Heirs know that only they understand the
true meaning of honor and that the universe is full of those who seek to
take advantage of the strife in their ancient dominions. The Samurai
stand ready to give their lives in defense of those lands.
The clansfolk of Imperial are just as certain that only the strong survive, and by their conquests, they prove their strength.
The enigmatic employees of Cybertronic know that they are the focus of
universal hate and that all seek their destruction. To succeed, their
enemies must overcome their cybernetically enhanced defenders.
So conflicts are bred. So wars are born. In a time of economic
catastrophe and scarce resources, these beliefs are enough to drive
millions to war.
The Brotherhood
Rising above the wars of the corporations are the members of the
Brotherhood, the spiritual guardians of humanity. At the head of the
Brotherhood stands the Cardinal, the most powerful man in history, a
being of enormous spiritual, moral and temporal power. He is served by
countless billions. Missionaries spread his word, Inquisitors hunt down
his heretical enemies. Seers wield the strange mystical powers of the
Art in his name. Countless soldier-fanatics are ready to die at his
command.
Faith in the Cardinal is the last remaining glue that binds humanity
together. People of nearly every corporation (with the notable exception
of Cybertronic) attend sermons in the towering Cathedrals on the walls
of which the eternal truths of the Chronicles are inscribed. Citizens of
every corporation heed his message of hope and redemption. They all
need something to believe in, for the times are dark.
The Dark Legion
Those who serve the Dark Apostles are the eternal enemies of all
humanity. The numberless hordes of the Dark Legion raise their gigantic
Citadels on all the worlds of humanity. Undead warriors swarm against
the armies of humanity and force even the fallen to serve them.
Countless Heretics infest every corner of human society and spread their
message of corruption and rebellion, fostering wars between
megacorporations, spreading distrust and hatred among humanity.
They serve Ilian, the Schemer, Mistress of the awesome mystical power of
the Dark Symmetry. They revere Algeroth, Apostle of War, Master of the
Dark Technology. They heed the lies of Semai, Apostle of Spite, who
turns sibling against sibling. They dance to the insane tune of
Muawijhe, Lord of Madness. They revel in the abominable foulness of
Demnogonis, Apostle of Corruption. These mighty beings serve a greater
master, the ultimate source of all evil, the Dark Soul.
The Apostles are not only the enemies of humanity, but of each other.
Their minions often skirmish in battles for leadership and dominion.
Thus are even more battles fought. Thus is yet more blood spilled.
The Cartel
In the face of unrelenting attacks from the Dark Legion, even the
megacorporations have declared an uneasy and sporadic truce. So mighty
are the servants of the Dark Apostles that they have forced the
corporations to band together to oppose them. Thus was formed the
Cartel, a cooperative organization which acts in the name of all the
megacoprorations, seeking to maintain a fragile peace and coordinate
operations against the Dark Legion. The greatest servants of the Cartel
are the legendary Doomtroopers, recruited from the finest warriors of
all the corporations, trained to a peak of perfection inconceivable to
lesser mortals.
So far, the Cartel's success has been mixed. It has managed some
triumphs against the Dark Legion, but has completely failed to keep the
peace among the megacorporations. Indeed, it is more a vehicle for
negotiating temporary cessations in hostilities than a true
representative of human unity. Still, in offers the only fragile hope
that a united humanity can stand against the darkness.
The Warzones
On all the inhabited worlds of the Solar System, there are warzones -
huge areas of conflict where the megacorporations and the Dark Legion
clash.
On Mercury, fiefworld of ancient and honorable Mishima, hundreds of
small guerrilla wars are fought between the representatives of the
megacorporations as they seek control of the huge, underworld caverns
and the incredible mineral wealth these contain.
In the jungles of Venus, human armies besiege the towering Citadels that
rise above the primordial jungle while the megacorporations make war
against each other for possession of the riches of the Graveton
Archipelago.
Amid the ruins of southern Mars, the soldiers of all the
great powers fight for what remains of the most fertile region in the
system, even though the canals are dry and the great desert once more
encroaches.
Amid the tiny worldlets of the asteroid belt, fierce battles are fought
between Imperial and the Dark Legion. These conflicts are all the more
savage because of the restricted areas they are fought in.
On no world is there peace, nor is there any prospect of it. This is an
age of war, in which humanity fights for survival and only the cunning
and the mighty can hope to triumph. This is an age in which sharp
reflexes and good weapons make the difference between life and death.
I'd like to give a shout out and thanks to my buddy Neuicon for saving
me from having to type this all out from the books. Check out his Mutant
Chronicles blog, Tales from the Warzone.
Next time I will talk about the basic game mechanics of Warzone Resurrection.
Until next time, keep your powder dry and lead flying!