Cyberpunk: Edgerunners official miniatures game sends you skirmishing through the streets of Night City

Two years ago, we were introduced to an animated version of Night City as seen through the eyes of a Cyberpunk gang in the district of Santo Domingo. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners became an instant hit for Studio Trigger’s stylized animation and compelling narrative, and now an official miniatures skirmish game set in the same world wants to capture some of that lightning.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Combat Zone is the latest title from tabletop studio Monster Fight Club in coordination with Cyberpunk’s R. Talsorian Games and CD Projekt Red. Following a disappointing and frustrating adaptation of Borderlands’ gun-happy mayhem, this new competitive title uses the same dice-based system but trades wave spawns and loot for a slick and stylish aesthetic and fast, responsive gameplay.

Combat Zone is built on Monster Fight Club’s [RE]action game engine, which ostensibly fixes the problem where your units just sit there and eat damage like its lunch on your opponents’ turn. Combat and movement don’t follow a turn structure at all - characters can wreak havoc for as long as they have actions to spend. You can attempt to chain activations, but failing will immediately pass priority over to your opponent.

Each character’s skills are colour-coded as green, yellow or red on their corresponding cards and have a matching die - the colours denote their lethality but also the risk involved (i.e. smaller die, smaller chances of success). Taking damage triggers a reaction, er… [RE]action that might be a defensive dodge or brutal counterattack. Any damage also degrades the colour of abilities, so moving fast and thinking ahead is preferable to soaking bullets like a sponge.

Players can either embody the Edgerunners of Santo Domingo or the Arasaka Corporation’s cyber-enhanced suits. The former include David, Lucyna, Rebecca and the other members of Maine’s crew, while the latter is led by Adam Smasher and a bunch of faceless - but no less deadly - peons. The base game portrays each of the 12-figure teams with acrylic standees decorated with their animation look, but Monster Fight Club is selling a premium version with traditional 3D miniatures.

Combat Zone’s two-player starter box contains 24 figures and cards, a fold-out game board measuring 22x30”, terrain representing the impoverished district of Santo Domingo, decks for loot, gear and programs and enough dice and tokens for both players. Squads can be modified to include a different mix of gunners, techies and tactical minds to suit specific strategies.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Combat Zone should launch to retail later this year, but the studio has not provided a specific release date. If you’re hungry for more analogue adventures in Night City’s animated world, R. Talsorian Games announced last year that they would adapt the series into a standalone tabletop RPG.