While Privateer Press is best known for making miniatures games, we’ve made some fantastic board games as well. Our most acclaimed entry in this category is LEVEL 7 [OMEGA PROTOCOL], the second installment in the LEVEL 7 trilogy of board games.

[UPDATE]: CAMPAIGN IS LIVE! Check it out at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/privateerpress/level-7-omega-protocol-board-game-2nd-edition

In OMEGA PROTOCOL, players take on the roles of high-tech commandos attempting to suppress an alien insurrection in a top-secret military facility where the aliens have been working alongside government scientists for decades. Like things do, though, relations have broken down, and the aliens and G-men aren’t getting along anymore. So, the guys with the big guns have been sent in to clean up the mess.

But if hunting deadly aliens and biologically engineered monsters through dark underground tunnels doesn’t sound appealing, you can instead play the part of the Overseer in the game. The Overseer has the glorious role of running all of the aliens in the game, and the way OMEGA PROTOCOL works, the more actions the commandos take on each of their turns, the more resources the Overseer has to work with. It’s deliciously entertaining to play the Overseer and watch the expressions on the faces of your commando-playing friends as they realize you’ve just lured them into a game-ending crossfire or have sprung one of the big fleshy nasties on them. (And I’ll be honest: I always choose to play the Overseer because a) it’s so much fun, and b) I’m the one in my gaming group who owns the game.)

Whether you’re an alien sympathizer with a mean streak or you prefer to send those ugly ne’er-do-wells back into the dark hole they climbed out of, LEVEL 7 [OMEGA PROTOCOL] is a great experience. If you haven’t played it, I highly recommend you pick up a copy today and unleash it on your friends on your next game night.

Oh wait—you can’t! That’s right: even after multiple print runs, OMEGA PROTOCOL has been sold out for the past two years, and now it can only be picked up on eBay for about $300. It’s a great game, but three Benjis is a lot to part with, even if your life’s ambition is to take over the world as an alien Overseer…which is precisely why we’re taking OMEGA PROTOCOL to Kickstarter for a second edition.

We receive queries every week asking if OMEGA PROTOCOL is back in stock or if we’ve found any rogue copies in the dark corners of our warehouse. We know there are folks who missed the game the first (and second, and third) time around and who would love to get their hands on it now. Unfortunately, there’s no good way to tell for certain how many people want it, and speculating on a print run of a big-box game invariably means we’re either going to end up printing far too many or too far few. That said, however, there is a good way to gauge demand: Kickstarter! Using the Kickstarter platform, we’ll be able to accurately and precisely determine if there are enough players hungry for a new edition of OMEGA PROTOCOL to warrant putting it back on press.

To make things even more enticing, we’ve done a bit of polish on the game with an updated rulebook. We’re also creating some new Kickstarter-exclusive bonus content in the form of new room tiles, game tokens, and game cards, as well as an all-new alternate Commander miniature and a new scenario booklet. It’s more than just a reprint—it’s swarming with new content as well.

If you’re one of the lucky few who already owns a copy of OMEGA PROTOCOL, don’t worry: you can pledge for just the new content without having to buy the game all over again. We’ll also be offering a reward tier where you can get the core game and new content as well as the expansion, EXTREME PREJUDICE, for a smoking deal. (Did I mention that in EXTREME PREJUDICE, you get a suit of powered armor affectionately dubbed the “M.E.A.T.S.A.C.”? If you want to know what all those letters stand for, you’re going to have to play the game!)

I’m sure I don’t have to tell anyone how Kickstarter works, but if you check out this project on Monday you’ll see that it’s extremely simple and streamlined. There are only three reward tiers: the new Bonus Content, the Core Game (with Bonus Content), and the Core Game and EXTREME PREJUDICE Expansion (with Bonus Content). There are no stretch goals or add-ons—just push one button for your preferred reward, and you’re good to go. We’ve done this to make sure our fulfillment time is as short as possible so you can be in the action as fast as possible—which right now looks like no later than June of next year.

The Kickstarter campaign for OMEGA PROTOCOL launches Monday, October 15th and will finish up on Halloween. Whether you’re new to LEVEL 7 or are a veteran of a dozen close encounters of the deadly kind, we’ve got something both alien and familiar for you to check out….

[UPDATE]: CAMPAIGN IS LIVE! Check it out at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/privateerpress/level-7-omega-protocol-board-game-2nd-edition