The third standalone game in the LEVEL 7 series, LEVEL 7 [INVASION] continues the story that began with LEVEL 7 [ESCAPE] and progressed in LEVEL 7 [OMEGA PROTOCOL]. In this chapter, the scope of the setting is now bigger than ever. Every nation on the planet is in danger — and it’s your task to save them!

Players familiar with the story of the previous games will recognize certain aspects of INVASION and be surprised by others. The biggest surprise is the status of Dr. Cronos, the evil Ghin mastermind who opposed the heroes of the first two games. INVASION introduces a new alien race, the Hydra, which arrives in our solar system with a single goal: to destroy Dr. Cronos and his few remaining Ghin allies. Unfortunately for the people of Earth, the Hydra conclude that mankind is standing in their way. The leaders of humanity have no choice but to work with Cronos if they hope to survive the Hydra onslaught.

As in the previous two games, INVASION explores the LEVEL 7 setting with its own unique rules. Three to five players must protect the world in this semi-cooperative game, defending their own interests while working with the other players to save Earth.

~ Global War! ~

When you initially open LEVEL 7 [INVASION], the first thing you’ll notice is the board. In the first two LEVEL 7 games, players explored the confines of the Subterra Bravo facility using maps made of tiles. The board for INVASION, however, depicts the state of the entire world during the Hydra attack and tracks many different aspects in the game. The INVASION board serves primarily to track the ongoing battle between the human defenders of Earth and the Hydra forces besieging it. Each player places figures on the map to represent his armies. These armies face the overwhelming power of Hydra legions that land each round in an effort to subjugate the planet.

Each round, players draw Event cards to determine if the Hydra will bomb major cities or attack the Earth’s food supplies. These cards also show where new Hydra troops will spread. A massive carrier ship sits in orbit above the planet and continually sends drop ships full of troops to the surface. These drop ships land in various territories each round, and invader units are spawned from them during the Event step.

In addition to the outright destruction caused by the Hydra attack, there is also a terrifying psychological impact. As in the previous LEVEL 7 games, fear plays a part in INVASION. Certain events and circumstances can cause Terror, and as Terror grows among the population, world leaders find it increasingly difficult to maintain the fight against the Hydra.

~ The Coalitions ~

The Hydra began their invasion with a massive bombardment of poisonous materials that decimated Earth’s population. This massively disruptive initial attack not only killed millions but also left many of the planet’s governments in shambles. The remaining governments have banded together into coalitions to offer one another mutual support. Each player controls one of the five coalitions: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, or Asia. Each coalition has strengths and weaknesses that make it unique.

Each player manages his coalition through a console. The console tracks a coalition’s Military-Industrial Complex, resources, territory status, Power, and Terror level. Military-Industrial Complex represents the workforce the coalition has, its manufacturing capacity, and its military infrastructure. This is the most important part of a coalition. If the MIC dial of a coalition ever reaches 0, that coalition is defeated, and that player loses the game.

Income allows a coalition to purchase units, upgrade technologies, and feed its people. A coalition can trade for resources it lacks during certain phases of the game, allowing it to purchase more than it would be able to muster on its own. The territory status and Terror level of a coalition can adversely affect its income. When a territory is overrun by the Hydra, the coalition loses access to the resources produced by that territory. As a coalition’s people grow more and more terrified, they will be less productive, hampering the coalition’s ability to gather resources.

The Power of a coalition determines how well its forces can fight against the Hydra. In addition to the console, each coalition has a set of technology cards to track its technological development. Players can upgrade their technologies over the course of a game. The Military Equipment technology increases the power of the coalition’s troops, defends against Hydra bombardments, and increase the mobility of troops. Communications helps the coalition control the spread of terrifying gossip, instill positive messages to its people, and build better systems for fielding larger armies. Biological sciences protect a coalition’s food supplies, help its people survive the poisons the Hydra unleashed, and eventually allow it to start rebuilding. Social programs control the paranoia of its people and keep the members of a coalition’s population from harm as they flee from the Hydra.

~ Cronos and Victory! ~

Long ago, the Ghin were the masters of an empire that spread across the galaxy. They used their mastery of genetics to re-form any life they discovered into perfect tools for their empire, controlling these subjects with the Ghin’s incredible mental powers. The Hydra were among the most useful races the Ghin ever found. Over the years, they came to trust the Hydra with more and more autonomy, until at last the Hydra freed themselves of the Ghin’s mental shackles and rose in rebellion. The people of Earth have only one chance to defeat the Hydra: Dr. Cronos has discovered psychic potential in certain humans. He is now working on a machine that will allow a human mind to disrupt the Hydra’s mental network, giving humanity a window to defeat them, but he must be kept safe until he can complete this project.

This idea is incorporated into the game by the seven cards of the Cronos Project. The first six cards represent aspects of the project that must be completed in certain coalitions. The order in which the cards can be funded is limited, forcing Cronos to move around the globe in specific ways. After the coalitions’ Cronos Project cards are funded, the final card can be funded to trigger the end of the game. If a player can keep his coalition alive until the end of the game, he will share in the victory.

~ How Much Will You Cooperate? ~

The semi-cooperative nature of INVASION is expressed in two primary ways: trading and Events. At the beginning of the game, each coalition has its own distinct strengths and weaknesses. As the game progresses, however, the loss of territories and increased Terror can diminish these strengths or increase these weaknesses. The coalitions must work together to complete the Cronos Project while also upgrading their technologies. Unfortunately, there are not enough resources for all players to fully upgrade their coalitions. In addition, when coalitions trade, there is always one coalition left out. This forces players to keep their best interests in mind and can create animosity among players.

Every Event card offers a choice between two evils. This encourages semi-cooperative play, because many times the severity of these choices is not the same. The player who drew the card may see both options as equally bad, or one choice may not threaten him in any way. This gives players the choice between taking a risk for the greater good or sacrificing an ally. In the end, the fate of the world lies in how well the coalitions can work together to save humanity.

~ Save the Planet! ~

Now it’s your turn. United we stand a chance, so take charge of your coalition and prepare for the invasion!