Description

SETTING
In this Dieselpunk universe, after the first Global War the world experienced several advances in technology but was still in a state of distrust, with a second Global War all but guaranteed to happen.
However, an unexpected alien invasion forced the world's nations to cooperate, as the threat seemed impossible to be dealt individualy. The comanders enlisted to lead the First Response Initiative are capable and will fight fiercely to defend humanity, but they are still a product of their era and therefore are very interested in their own agenda as well: after the invasion ends, they want a place of power for themselves.

THE MENACE
In First Response, you know very little about your enemy. You only know that they are stronger, have incredible technology and are very aggressive.
Where are they from? What are their objectives? You will probably never know.
They invaded without warning and never attempted to communicate. It is impossible to interrogate them as most of their soldiers dissolve in a pile of goo seconds after dying and the corpses of their leaders are also of little help (you can’t keep them alive for more than a few hours).
You don’t even know how they talk among themselves as they emit almost no sound (and some don’t even have a mouth).
Your soldiers are prone to panic when confronting them and you do not have enough resources to build and research what you need, let alone what you want.
What can you possibly do to change that?

GAMEPLAY
In First Response, whenever you prepare to fight or actually fight the alien menace you might gain Victory Points.
Each game round has two phases: Scanning for Activity and Action.
In the scanning for Activity Phase, players will “seed” the world, dictating the rhythm of the game and setting everything up for the next Phase.
In the Action Phase, players can do one of two things: manage their bases or go into a mission.
While managing your base you will spend resources to recruit personnel, build facilities, research new technologies and so on.
Missions can be on the air or on the ground and they are the best opportunity to acquire VP and put your hands in precious loot (like parts from alien ships). It is also an opportunity to promote your rookies to veterans (if they survive) an gain medals for acts of bravery (or stupidity).
The game is played in this manner until the Response Marker reaches the Game Over, Man space or until the Terror Marker reaches a certain point in the Terror Track.
Both conditions trigger the final phase of the game: the Assault on the Alien Base, a very difficult mission with special conditions for acquiring Victory Points.

OBJECTIVE
As the commander of one of First Response Initiative (FRI) bases in a secret location in the world, your personal objective is to be recognized as the best one to lead us against the alien menace.
The winner of First Response is the one with most Victory Points (VP) by the end of the game.
If you manage to destroy the Alien Base at the end, the winner will be chosen as the new leader of the FRI.
If you fail, the winner will be the leader of the underground resistance against the new master race on the planet.
In that case, the game will be over, but the fight will continue...

THE STANDARD AND ADVANCED RULES
The first part of the rulebook comprises the standard set of rules of the game, with more complicated cards and interactions available in the Advanced Rules.
The standard rules are enough for a great experience and veteran gamers should not skip it, as at least one play with this more straightforward approach can significantly enhance further plays as you have the opportunity to get acquainted with the game flow and to get a firm grasp of the rules.
The advanced rules will add variety and complexity. Timing will be much more important. Negotiations will be much more important. Knowing what your opponents are planning will be much more important. And the aliens will also be tougher.
You will also have more tools to deal with the aliens and to change the game environment. You also can, if you want, add just some elements of the Advanced Rules and introduce them to your game group in small doses.
Keep in mind, though that some of the advanced rules complement each other and work better with the full set of rules.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS
The standard rules are for games of 3 to 5 players. However, the 5-player game requires some minor alterations that are highlighted in the rulebook when necessary.

OPTIONAL DIFICULTIES AND MODULES
First Response also comes with some optional stuff. Those includes difficulty settings for the game (including the sadistic IRONMAN MODE), a customizable way to taylor how the game advances and a cooperative variant. The cooperative variant supports 2 to 4 players.