SWAT: First Response sees a solo player getting called to assist in a potentially deadly hostage situation.

Here’s a quick run-through of what players will do during the game…

Players decide what toughness level they wish to play at, then draw the tactics cards associated with their level.

Each turn the left-most card is flipped and revealed. Players must follow all directions on the card to complete the turn. If you’re careful and employ stealthy tactics, you should be alive to see the next turn! The player then flips the next unrevealed left-most card. Here comes the first real strategic decision. The players have 2 cards revealed and can now choose which order they play them in. When decided, the player then returns to the left-most card and follows all directions, then moves onto the next revealed card in their hand.

This process forms the strategic puzzle for players to work out.

The tactics in the game uses 4 simple to understand keywords.

1 – MOVE – Each card will show a movement allowance. This MUST be completed without crossing over rooms you’ve already visited that turn.

2 – PEEK – When a card gives you the ability to peek, it allows the player to lift up the room tile and have a look what is in it. Once you’ve peeked, the tile must be placed face down again. Players must remember what they saw.

3 – SEARCH – The player must reveal the room tile they are standing on. If it is an empty room then the player must take an event card. Directions must be followed. If the room has a hostage, the player will rescue them. Rescued hostages provide a +1 ballistics skill point on the board at all times. If the room contains a criminal, they will have been quicker to the draw than you – unless you have a weapon card that might help. Here you can choose to play on, but with a lesser victory, or reset the game for another go!

4 -SHOOT – This is the tactic you need to take down the criminals. Just make sure you ballistics skill ads up to enough to win the showdown. If, however, you revealed a hostage with a shoot card, then sadly you’ve just shot an innocent person and lost the game. Again, a weapon card can help you in this situation.

Each turn players reorder and play the cards. Each card has a ballistics skill on them. Once a player has worked out where the three criminals are, they must work out how to get to them. They must land on their tile with a SHOOT action AND enough ballistics score to beat the criminal.

The player is also working to rescue two hostages. These can only be rescued by landing on their tile using a SEARCH action.

The game ends when:

1 – The player is killed.

2 – The player shoots a hostage.

3 – All tactics cards have been used. At this point, the criminals escape with the hostages. Your chief won’t be happy about that!

The game is heavily thematic and creates a gripping tension as you progress.

SWAT: First Response is the first game in the continuing SWAT storyline. The solo player will work through File 1: The case of the Crimson Veil.

Keep a watch out on this website to see where the SWAT series goes next. All we can tell you at this point is that it will be a 1 – 4 player game called SWAT: The Pandora Directive.