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In the year 2050, the utopian city of San Lazaro is locked down and crippled by a mysterious computer virus, turning once-ordinary people into maddeningly violent and unpredictable “CyMS”, Cyber-Memetic Sociopaths.
Omicron Protocol is an “intra-apocalyptic”, cyberpunk-themed miniatures skirmish board game for 1-4 players, where you control a squad of unique characters, and take turns controlling a 3rd party enemy to harass your opponent. Or play solo/cooperatively as a team to fight enemies, complete objectives, and survive!
Every character is represented by a detailed 32mm-scale miniature, possessing their own rich history and personality, as well as powerful cybernetic abilities! Play the competitive or solo/cooperative modes through various narrative scenarios to survive the crisis! With innovative game mechanics like the Action Store and Luck Tokens, every game is thrilling and exciting. Enjoy a deeply tactical game in under an hour and introduce your gaming friends to skirmish games with Omicron Protocol!
In the game, you play with a squad of 1-4 characters, either competitively against another player/team, solo, or cooperatively with friends. Each round consists of spending a shared pool of action points on your characters, activating them one-by-one, and using movement and tactics to survive the onslaught of the Cyber-Memetic Sociopaths (CyMS). All games are based on scenarios derived from the lore of the world (120K+ word collection of stories), and the game can be linked together into a light campaign in both competitive and cooperative modes.
In competitive scenarios, the team that scores the most victory points wins. In solo/cooperative scenarios, the players win if they reach the VP goal within a specified number of rounds.
Background:
Everything can change in a month. The cutting edge West Coast city of San Lazaro had been the epicenter of a cybernetics tech revolution in 2044, ushering all of humanity into the future...but in the year 2050, a mysterious viral menace the likes of which the world had never seen toppled the utopian city in a sea of infection and death. The disease could not be stopped; it evolved to surpass any countermeasure, mutated to answer any cure. In mere days San Lazaro was overwhelmed by the infected.
Martial law descended on the city immediately. Barricades and armed soldiers divided its streets into isolated sectors. Efforts to contain the outbreak were as useless as the attempts to control the surging numbers of mysteriously insane and violent residents, a second catastrophe on the heels of the first.. Dubbed ‘Cyber-Memetic Sociopaths’ by the media, with their actions being blamed on an over-immersion in virtual reality, these ‘CyMS’ were spreading across the city in a wave of mindless, indiscriminate violence. With the infection spreading and the murderous CyMS rampaging, the government abandoned San Lazaro and its people after a mere two weeks.
All that remains of the city now is a twisted hellscape. The few survivors have banded together in hopes of escaping, while gangs once suppressed by the government have seized control. The CyMS have grown into a constant threat on the streets, sowing fear and terror in their path. In this waking nightmare, your only chance of salvation is to join a faction powerful enough to dominate the foes that stand in your way.
This page includes videos and mentions from the whole Omicron Protocol family. Drill into a specific game below.
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Images
- innovative and unique game mechanisms
- thrilling and exciting experience
- gripping lore
- intra-apocalyptic arena combat
- quarantine and locked down city San Lázaro
- gripping lore
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Miniatures combat — arena combat miniatures game
- Resource Management — rival factions are fighting for the resources that they need to survive
- unique mechanisms — filled with innovative and unique game mechanisms that make every experience thrilling and exciting
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The court that surrounds him and contains subjects who seek power and so each player represents a family that will vie for control over the different subjects of the land.
- Seven different victory conditions so the path to victory may shift as you play and you gain more information about each subject's motives during the game.
- Usurp the King does sound interesting enough that I'm really looking forward to giving this one a try.
- Players are aspiring vinyl collectors, you know vinyl those big flat black LPS that my daughter wouldn't recognize if I waved one in front of her face.
- Players then will acquire morsels of information and that information will lead them to different vinyl bins where they will select albums to add and expand their collection.
- Inventory is limited and the other customers may be targeting the very same vinyl gems as you.
- There's there's there's something about this game that scene very very familiar.
- Players take turns being the focus of an intervention by drawing a problem card with a nonsensical problem like uncontrollable interpretive dance or neurotic inability to turn right.
- Friends will give obscure clues and hints at what the problem is without giving it away completely and the sooner the intervened it can guess what their problem is well if the more points they'll score.
- It's also one of those games that I don't know how often I will find the need to play it after playing it once but sounds interesting enough.
- Players take on the role of foxes trying to steal as many chickens as they can from the henhouse and then cook them up into delicious fried chicken dinners.
- Each character's Fox that they play has a unique ability that can be used once throughout the game giving them a little bit of player asymmetry.
- Rolling poorly too many times he might scare the chickens out of your bag which would end the game and no chicken dinner for you sorry.
- I love a good word game.
- In this game all players create words simultaneously from their letter pieces that they're going to have on the table out in front of them.
- There's a thrilling little challenge of word discovery that starts to happen.
- You score more points the fewer pieces that you lose.
References (from this video)
- engaging, dice-pool combat that feels tactile and satisfying
- high replay value due to multiple scenarios and distinct factions
- co-op play options and solo rules add flexibility
- organized components and reliable dry-erase tracking reduce setup friction
- no player elimination keeps everyone involved even when a character is knocked out
- thematic depth and memorable minis, including a mounted police figure, enhance immersion
- rulebook can be dense and occasionally inconsistent (example: a misreference to page 20 in a scenario)
- two-player games don’t leverage shared squad dynamics as fully as multi-player games
- complexity may be challenging for younger players or newcomers to the genre
- memory-intensive rules require careful tracking and reference during play
- squad-based sci-fi firefight with a persistent threat from neutral enemy units (Sims) and scenario-driven goals
- Cyberpunk urban environment with competing factions, and a looming neon-drenched danger from autonomous combatants.
- nostalgic old-school RPG feel expressed through tabletop combat and scenario-driven storytelling; strong thematic flavor via character factions and cyberpunk motifs
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action points and activation order — each round starts with a limited pool of action points; players alternate activating characters, with up to four points per action and free basic moves
- Combat: Dice — players roll a pool of dice for each character and spend successes to activate abilities or cause damage to enemies
- dice pool combat — players roll a pool of dice for each character and spend successes to activate abilities or cause damage to enemies
- Faction Asymmetry — base box includes Peacekeepers and Survivalists with distinct abilities and playstyles; expands via possible additional factions
- forage for gear — players can spend action points to search for equipment that improves abilities or dice outcomes later
- Line of Sight — movement and placement are influenced by cover and line of sight; leaving engagement can trigger opportunities
- line of sight and cover with attack of opportunity — movement and placement are influenced by cover and line of sight; leaving engagement can trigger opportunities
- No player elimination — even when characters are knocked down, players stay in the game due to non-elimination mechanics and recovery options
- noise and Sims mechanic — performing actions generates noise that draws neutral Sims; end-of-round waves spawn and grow, escalating danger
- Player Elimination — even when characters are knocked down, players stay in the game due to non-elimination mechanics and recovery options
- range and positioning — distance between figures affects accuracy and options; positioning is critical for both offense and defense
- scenario-based victory conditions — games are won by achieving objectives defined per scenario rather than simple elimination of opponents
- wipe-off cards and dry-erase tracking — character cards are wipe-off; markers and included sheets keep health, abilities, and progress neatly tracked
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- rolling handfuls of dice is fun
- this is a game that's medium in terms of its complexity
- this one is a winner if you want to play those Miniatures battles
- no player elimination in this game
- thanks so much to the folks at Dead Alive games for sending Omron protocol my way
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Omicron Protocol is an intro apocalyptic game set in the collapsing city of San lázaro
- the game is a duel between two players but since each player controls multiple characters it can accommodate a higher play account by splitting into teams
- in each round each player or team has either 8 or 9 action points to play with and these are to be shared among that players four characters
References (from this video)
- survival and escape in a post-apocalyptic world with cybernetic implants and violent sims
- collapsing city of San Lázaro during a techno-viral apocalypse
- intro/apocalyptic with objective-based scenarios and team survival
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Points — Each round, players have 8 or 9 action points shared among four characters; characters activate one at a time.
- Activation points (action points) and activation order — Each round, players have 8 or 9 action points shared among four characters; characters activate one at a time.
- Attacking with action points — An action point can be spent to attack an enemy.
- Combat: Dice — Attacks resolve with dice; hits are counted when dice meet/exceed target dexterity; hits can be spent on damage or other effects.
- dice-based combat resolution — Attacks resolve with dice; hits are counted when dice meet/exceed target dexterity; hits can be spent on damage or other effects.
- Electromagnetic noise — Technology usage generates electromagnetic noise; tracked per character; sims move toward noisy characters and attack.
- Foraging and abilities — A character can forage for helpful cards for themselves or adjacent allies, or use character/scenario abilities.
- Line of Sight — Some characters have ranged attacks requiring line of sight; terrain provides advantages/disadvantages.
- Luck tokens — Luck tokens can be earned by meeting or exceeding luck, and spent to adjust dice results.
- Movement options — Characters may do a shorter walk for free or a longer run for one action point.
- Movement Points — Characters may do a shorter walk for free or a longer run for one action point.
- No character elimination — Knocked-out characters return with half health and limited actions in next round; scoring adjusts accordingly.
- Opportunity Attacks — Enemies get attacks of opportunity when a player moves away or engages with adjacent enemies.
- Player Elimination — Knocked-out characters return with half health and limited actions in next round; scoring adjusts accordingly.
- Push Your Luck — Luck tokens can be earned by meeting or exceeding luck, and spent to adjust dice results.
- Ranged attacks and line of sight — Some characters have ranged attacks requiring line of sight; terrain provides advantages/disadvantages.
- Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — The game includes multiple scenarios with distinct objectives; more are expected beyond the ones described.
- scenario variety — The game includes multiple scenarios with distinct objectives; more are expected beyond the ones described.
- Scoring and objectives — Points are gained for knocking out opponents, knocking out sims, and completing scenario objectives; most points wins.
- Sims and spawns — Sims spawn from spawn points and are controlled by the inactive player; more sims add as the round progresses.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Omicron Protocol is an intro apocalyptic game set in the collapsing city of San lázaro
- the game is a duel between two players but since each player controls multiple characters it can accommodate a higher play account by splitting into teams
- in each round each player or team has either 8 or 9 action points to play with and these are to be shared among that players four characters
References (from this video)
- Excellent tutorial that eases players into complex rules
- Rich miniatures and thematic setting
- Multiple missions with scalable complexity
- Steep initial learning curve due to depth
- Requires significant time to master
- Competitive skirmish with role-specific characters and asymmetric abilities
- Cyborg-futuristic skirmish world with gangs and AI adversaries
- Tutorial-driven learning path with multi-mission objectives
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- skirmish_tactics — Two or more factions engage in tactical combat with asymmetric powers
- Tutorial — Comprehensive tutorial book guides players step-by-step
- tutorial-driven_learning — Comprehensive tutorial book guides players step-by-step
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This video idea is actually inspired by Rolling solo so be sure to check out his channel
- This game is hard uh you may survive the tutorial you're probably gonna die most of the time on everything else but it's possible
- I adore this game I adore this game I adore this game
- it's rambunctious fun
- the solo mode is very good it's a little too easy so I had to tweak it to make it just a little more challenging
- the tutorial takes you through the basics a step at a time