image © Mantic Games
The DreadBall Ed2 board game is a futuristic sports game, published by Mantic Games, set in the Warpath universe. It was first produced in 2017 for the Kickstarter, released in 2018.
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Details - DreadBall Ed2 base set from Mantic Games
Board game base set: DreadBall Ed2 base set
Product name: DreadBall 2nd Edition Boxed Game, Product code: ?, Set type: Board game base set (Game base set), System: DreadBall Ed2 system (DreadBall system), Range: Warpath range - DreadBall range - Draconis All-Stars & Ninth Moon Tree Sharks (Futuristic), Setting: Warpath universe, Company: Mantic Games company, Production: 2018.03.19-
Designer: James M. Hewitt, Stewart Gibbs, Jake Thornton
Features: Miniatures
Players: 2 (DreadBall basic game), 2+ (DreadBall Ultimate)
Language dependency: Rules, cards
"DreadBall is the fast-paced futuristic sports board game set in the galaxy’s most hi-tech arenas. Choose from the agile Ninth Moon Tree Sharks or the unstoppable Draconis All-Stars before taking to the pitch and going for glory. Outwit your rival coach with tactical set pieces, push your luck with daring plays, or just smash your opponent to the ground with brutal tackles. When the game begins, anything goes."
image © Mantic Games
artwork © Michele Giorgi
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Contents - DreadBall Ed2 base set from Mantic Games
image © Mantic Games
System
2nd Edition Starter Rulebook
Read This First: Quick Start Guide
54 DreadBall Game Cards
31 Action cards
23 Special cards
2 Team Cards
1x Draconis All-Stars
1x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks
2 Captain Stat Cards
1x Romeo Blue
1x Na'Huatl
20 Captain Cards
11 Plastic Counters
5x Home token (white, 25x28mm hexagonal)
5x Visitor token (transparent red, 25x28mm hexagonal)
1x Special effect counter (black, 15x18mm hexagonal)
18 Coloured Dice (10mm, plastic, with dots)
6x white (Home dice)
6x red (Visitor dice)
6x blue (Coaching dice)
Miniature figures
Neo-Bot team - Draconis All-Stars
12 Neo-Bot Players (plastic)
4 Neo-Bot Guard
2x Draconis All-Stars Guard #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
2x Draconis All-Stars Guard #2 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
2 Neo-Bot Jack
2x Draconis All-Stars Jack #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
4 Neo-Bot Striker
2x Draconis All-Stars Striker #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
2x Draconis All-Stars Striker #2 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
2 Neo-Bot Prone player
2x Draconis All-Stars Prone player (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
1x Draconis All-Stars Captain (Jack): Romeo Blue #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
Yndij team - Ninth Moon Tree Sharks
12 Yndij Players (plastic)
2 Yndij Guard
2x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks Guard #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
4 Yndij Jack
2x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks Jack #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
2x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks Jack #2 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
4 Yndij Striker
2x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks Striker #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
2x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks Striker #2 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
2 Yndij Prone player
2x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks Prone player (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
1x Ninth Moon Tree Sharks Captain (Striker): Na'Huatl #1 (with glued on transparent hexagonal base)
1x RefBot Mk2 (with no base included)
1x Eye in the Sky: Rush Tracker
1x The Embers: Trophy Score Tracker
6x DreadBall Ball v2 + ball holder (2x green, 2x red, 2x gray)
Miniature figure accessories
Clear Plastic Hex Bases (glued to the miniatures)
Miniature scenery
Double-Sided Gaming Board: thick cardboard
Side A) DreadBall pitch
Side B) Ultimate DreadBall pitch
image © Mantic Games
image © Mantic Games
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Review - DreadBall Ed2 base set from Mantic Games
Package: ?
Package: It is a cardboard box.
Insert: The insert is plastic, and it looks sturdy enough. It's been created to hold the components of the base set and the first supplement.
Booklet - Read This First: This shows the contents of the set, and it explains the very basics of DreadBall.
Boolet - DreadBall Rulebook: The rules are edited in an easy to read, easy to understand fashion. There is a one-page primer on the back cover for easy reference.
Cards: There is a deck of cards included.
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Team & captain cards: This makes it easier to reference the stats of the teams.
Rules: ?
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Miniatures: ?
Every miniature in the DreadBall Ed2 base set is either a one-piece cast, or pre-glued multi-piece, so you don't need any preparations before your first game. The glue doesn't show, most of the miniatures are so finely crafted it's hard to realise whether or not it is a multi-piece cast. Most of the joins are hidden well, and that also helps the pieces to stay together. I haven't seen any of these minis come apart, unless they were put to a heavy stress.
There is no flash on the miniatures, but the mould lines are visible, and they will be need removal before you start painting.
The player figures are bigger than most previous teams, they are comparable in size to the orx and grogans. Their dynamic poses cause this big miniatures to reach beyond their own hex, and this might be problematic in some situations.
The DreadBall Ed2 base, with the DreadBall v2 inserted
All the miniatures in the retail set are glued on their transparent bases. The glue is uneven, many of the miniatures are tilted, and they are not always aligned forward, and this is especially problematic as the new bases have a distinct front edge.
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The minis are probably glued to their bases because they do not stay there if I push them on. Some of the minis are glued in strange angles, some of them are glued with not enough glue, so they fall off. The superglue used unfortunately mars the transparent acrylic material, and I couldn't find an easy way to remove the glue without damage.
The problem seems to be that the hole in the DreadBall Ed2 base is slightly bigger than the one of the original. The original bases take the new minis easily, without glue. You push them in, they stay in. If the new bases weren't better in every other way, I'd just use the old ones instead.
The miniatures from the Kickstarter pack came separate from their bases, so you need to glue them first before you start playing. This also means that the Kickstarter Exclusive miniatures are all separate.
Game mat: ?.
Tokens: There are some plastic tokens. 5 white Home tokens (25x28mm hexagonal), 5 transparent red Visitor tokens (25x28mm hexagonal), and 1 black Special effect counter (15x18mm hexagonal).
Dice: There are 18 dice included. 6 white for Home dice, 6 red for Visitor dice, and 6 blue for Coaching dice. They are 10x10x10mm sized plastic dice, with dots.
Foreign editions: ?
image © Mantic Games
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Resources - DreadBall Ed2 base set from Mantic Games
Official
Mantic Games: DreadBall - The Futuristic Sports Game: Official webpage.
Mantic Games Shop: DreadBall Core Game Second Edition: Official webpage of the product.
Kickstarter: DreadBall - The Futuristic Sports Game 2 by Mantic Games: The crowdfunding campaign for DreadBall Ed2.
Mantic Forum: DreadBall - The Futuristic Sports Game: Official forum. (2020: The forum is offline.)
Official rules
DreadBall: Official website.
Google Drive: DreadBall 2 playtest documents
Dropbox: DreadBall 2 roster sheet
Dropbox: DreadBall 2 Update: Errata, FAQ and updates.
Contents overview - DreadBall Ed2 base set
Texas Gamer Geeks: DreadBall Retail Unboxing: Contents overview video.
johnlyons (for The Beasts of War): DreadBall 2nd Edition: Unboxing: Contents overview video.
Contents overview - DreadBall Ed2 Kickstarter edition
Drunken Adventurers: DreadBall 2nd Edition Kickstarter Unboxing: Contents overview video.¤
Giant T: Dread Ball 2 Box opening Part 1: Contents overview video.¤
Giant T: Dread Ball 2 Box opening Part 2: Contents overview video.¤
Kickstarter: DreadBall 2 Unboxing & Shipping Update: Contents overview article.
Mantic Games: A Flick Through of the DreadBall rulebook: Rulebook flip-through video.¤
Mike Carter (for Unt l Somebody Loses An Eye): DreadBall II Striker Pledge: Contents overview article.
MTGandMORE: Unboxing dreadball 2, Part 1: Contents overview video.¤
MTGandMORE: Unboxing dreadball 2, Part 2: Contents overview video.¤
Tabletop Games UK: DreadBall 2 unboxing: Contents overview video.¤
The Game Room - Texas Gamer Geeks: DreadBall V2 unboxing: Contents overview video.
Weight of Fire: DreadBall 2 0 unboxing: Contents overview video.¤
Contents overview - DreadBall Ed2 Kickstarter edition - Spanish
David Azofra (from ¡Cargad!): [Juego] Abriendo la caja de DreadBall, segunda edición (parte 1 de 2) (in Spanish): Contents overview article in Spanish.~
English version by Google Translate
David Azofra (from ¡Cargad!): [Juego] Abriendo la caja de DreadBall, segunda edición (parte 2 de 2) (in Spanish): Contents overview article in Spanish.~
Rules overview
Justin Mc Auley (dignity) (for The Beasts of War): DreadBall 2nd Edition: Rush Breakdown: Rules overview video.
Rules overview - Changes between editions
Clash of the Dice: Overview of DreadBall versions 1 & 2: Rules change overview video.¤
Rob Burman (for Mantic Blog): What’s Changed in DreadBall Second Edition?: Rules change overview article.
Rules overview - Team: Draconis All-Stars
Sam Poots (dracs) (for The Beasts of War): DreadBall 2nd Edition: Draconis All-Stars Team Chat: Rules overview video of the team.
Rules overview - Team: Ninth Moon Tree Sharks
Sam Poots (dracs) (for The Beasts of War): DreadBall 2nd Edition: Ninth Moon Tree Sharks – Team Chat: Rules overview video of the team.
Review
BlackJack Legacy: DreadBall 2nd Edition Review: Review video.¤
Gameplay
johnlyons (for Beasts of War): DreadBall 2nd Edition: Draconis All-Stars Vs Ninth Moon Tree Sharks: Gameplay video.
Mantic Games: DreadBall 'Live' Match - Koeputki Kollosals Versus Draconis All-Stars: Gameplay video, The Koeputki Kollosals (Stewart Gibbs) versus the Draconis All-Stars (Rob Burman).¤
Mantic Games: Yndij vs New Eden Revenants: Gameplay video.
Mantic Games: New Eden Revenants (Rob Burman) versus Fran-Taar Philosophers (Duncan Aldis): Gameplay video.
Mantic Games: Skittersneak Stealers (Rob Burman) versus Ninth Moon Tree Sharks (Andy Meechan): Gameplay video.
Mantic Games: Nemion Oceanics (Rob Burman) v Locust City Chiefs (Martin Thirlwell): Gameplay video.
Mantic Games: Matsudo Tectonics (Rob Burman) and Ukomo Avalanchers (Martin Thirlwell): Gameplay video.
T&G Productions: DreadBall 2.0 Demo Game: Gameplay video, Draconis All-Stars vs Ninth Moon Tree Sharks.¤
Weight of Fire: DreadBall 2 match report - Locust City Chiefs vs Chromium Chargers: Gameplay video, Chromium Chargers vs Locust City Chiefs.¤
Weight of Fire: DreadBall 2 Match Report - Kalimarin Ancients vs Sulentic Shards: Gameplay video, Kalimarin Ancients vs Sulentic Shards.¤
Gameplay - Spanish
Battletricks: Dreadball 2 Partido #1: Veer-myn vs Marauders (in Spanish): Gameplay video in Spanish.¤
For further gameplays, check out: DreadBall Ed2 gameplay resources
Miniatures - Showcase
Colgar6 (for Colgar6 and the Infinite Legion of Toy Soldiers): The Last of the Christmas Models: Showcase article of RefBot Mk2, The Embers and Eye in the Sky.
Painting: Draconis All-Stars miniatures
miniature painting: How to paint DreadBall 2 : Draconis All- Stars robot team: Painting tutorial video for Draconis All-Stars.¤
Geoff Burbidge (for BreadDoll): Hobby Highlight: Painting my Neo-bots: Painting tutorial article, with showcase about Draconis All-Stars.
Showcase - Draconis All-Stars miniatures
Geoff Burbidge (for BreadDoll): Hobby Highlight: Painting my Neo-bots: Painting tutorial article, with showcase about Draconis All-Stars.
Rob Burman (RobZilla01): Slow but steady progress on my Neo-Bots for DreadBall Second Edition: Showcase article about Draconis All-Stars.
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Buying the product - DreadBall Ed2 base set from Mantic Games
Price
Base price (DreadBall Ed2 base set)(2021): 60 EUR / 50 GBP / 85 USD. Price/model: 2.1 EUR / 1.7 GBP / 2.9 USD
Base price (DreadBall Ed2 base set)(2018): 70 EUR / 60 GBP / 85 USD
Where can you buy it?
Mantic Games Shop: DreadBall Core Game Second Edition: Official webpage of the product.
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Buy DreadBall products from Element Games (UK)  -10%, ref. code:KAD935Buy the DreadBall Ed2 base set from Firestorm Games (UK)  -15%Buy the DreadBall Ed2 base set from Wayland Games (UK)  -20%Buy DreadBall Ed2 base set from Noble Knight Games (USA)  -10%Buy board games from Book Depository  |
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Do you have DreadBall Ed2 base set board game from Mantic Games? How do you like it? Would you recommend them to others? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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