I downloaded this file from the downloads section on this site and decided to read through it and try it out, and so I did. Here follows my thoughts and inputs on the game.
Chapter 1: Introduction
This was easy. Having played both D&D and warhammer for a while, I had all the supplies I needed at home. Only problem was the paper miniatures, they were damned hard to print out in the size I wanted them(not printing the pdf they were in but rather copying them out of it and printing the exact number I needed for my army). Overall, this chapter was to short to receive a review.
Chapter 2: Background
No remarks here.
Chapter 3: Setup
I invited a friend and briefed up the rules for him and we set out the terrain. We decided to play a 200 points skirmish in a desert terrain with many hills and a few ruins. We had a radiated zone and some shallow water(but we never crossed it).
Next was building our armies. This was no problem since I had programmed a quick and dirty application to calc point use and such for me(I'll be happy to upload it so somewhere if anyone can donate hosting spot) and my friend. I made a 3 squad reaver army with 2 squads led by squadleaders wielding RPGs and rest of squad equipped with rifles and one heavy rifle. The last squad was my level 2 reaver hero packing a heavy rifle and a dune buggy.
My friend used a similar setup with Brotherhood troopers, since he didn't share my love for reavers.
Overall: Quite easy to understand. Required a little practical thinking from our sides and we agreed on that they could have made that chapter a little clearer, especially the part named "Types of units".
Note: I created a level 2 hero by browsing in the other chapters where I stumbled upon rules for making heroes above 1st level. Shouldn't these be in chapter 3 aswell? Also, there was NO information about picking skills for the hero, this also came later.
Chapter 4: Combat
We setup upon the battleground and commenced. After about 10 min, we had both suffered losses and a few questions had been raised. I, for example, was curious about my dunebuggy. Was it possible to shoot while sitting in the vech(it has no passenger seats) with my heavy rifle while it was standing still? My hero wouldn't need any arms on the wheel if you ask me, but the rules didn't mention this anywhere, not even in the vechicle chapter(more about that later)
Overall: Easy to understand combat system, down to the earth. We had combat quite fast in our 50" x 27" battlefield and we both had no problem understanding the rules. Only thing that made me wonder was why morale checks only are rolled twice. Once when 50% of the squad is dead and once when only 2 units remain in that squad. Shouldn't there be a few more? Like 80%, 50%, 30% and 10%. Or something. And there was nothing about forced retreat from the fields if they reach the border of the battlefield still being "broken", as they call it.
Chapter 5: Skills
Overpowered? I think so. This was the skill I chose with my hero, I even made it level 6(it starts at 5), and I never regretted it. Double the range to the hero? Sick! A 24" RPG or heavy rifle couldn't hit me until I was within 6" for crying out loud! Too good.
No problem here. Used mainly in treasure hunt scenarios anyways. Maybe add some chests or locked doors to regular scenarios too just to promote using it.
Same as lockpick, but maybe just a liiiitle better. Combine this with sneak and a heavy melee hitter and you got yourself something quite good.
Repair: Too long to quote, but it repairs vehicles/robots. Pretty understandable, eh?
Good skill if you have often use vehicles. My reaver hero had this one for free and I did get to use it to repair my beloved dune buggy once.
Sure thing. I got it for free with my hero.
Doctor: Great skill. Heal your allies or cure poison.
useful. I didn't have it so I didn't use it, but my mate did. I had to attack a few more times to get his paladins down because of it.
I got this one for free aswell. You understand why I love reavers now eh? On a side note: fun description. Made me laugh.
Mines... sounds good eh? I'll talk more about them at chapter 6.
Could have copied this part(or referred to it) at chapter 3: army creation. imho.
Overall: useful chapter. Not to much hassle. I still want the info about buying a level 1+ hero in chapter 3 thou(and there is more to it).
Chapter 6: Advanced Rules(Vehicles, Mines and Light levels)
Don't let the name of this chapter spook you. It's not that advanced.
First out: Vehicles! Easy to understand, not much to whine about here. Maybe they could have referred or pasted to appendix B and D thou, as these contain certain info about attacking from a vehicle as a passenger(and maybe a driver? I still want to get it cleared out!).
Mines. Sounds neat, place one on the road where you think the APC will take in the Convoy scenario or maybe put one just ahead of that awsome bunker that you are positive the enemy will use.
So basicly(if I got this right), both the enemy and you sees the counter saying "here is a mine/decoy!". What makes a player without a hero with the trap skill want to move there? Anyone with a brain would keep away from such an area if they don't have any means to disarm it. Thou, how would you mark mines without the other player noticing it? "Hey, you just stepped on my mine. Roll an endurance save." "I did not." "Did too." "Did not" and so on....
Would be impossible to tell who was right.
Light levels are easy to understand, thou I think they favor the races with nightsight a bit too much. A -4 mod makes it alot harder to shoot, not to mention that it disables the "Move and Attack" attack or attacking from a vehicle, since that would be -8 and very few characters has enough agility to have even a remote chance to succeed a roll against that.
Overall: Mines is a nono, Vechs is a yesyes and lightlevels is a soso(we played without them since neither was a nightsight race).
Chapter 7: Scenarios
Some standard scenarios for you to play. Not so hard to think of your own, me and my friend designed a scenario type we called "Goldrush" after our first game.
Overall: Nothing to say here. Good chapter.
Chapter 8: Campaign Games(but with important rules even for you scenario players)
This isn't important for us, is it? I mean, who wants to know about making characters above level 1? Again, refer or copy to chapter 3.
Overall: Ok chapter. I'd like to play a 20 scenario campaign with 3 or more players. Would be sweet.
Next are 4(A,B,C and D) appendixes that contain army lists, vehicle stats, items and weapons. Some of this should have been referred to or copied into other parts of the rules.
Overall: Needed. Without an armylist, how could you play?
Last point of concern: The Army Sheet
Last page in the book(it acctualy is the rear cover), this is a sheet much like a character sheet for D&D but with other fields, some that I have NO idea what so ever how to use. I need a manual here!
Was a good idea to put the weapons there thou. Smart thinking!
OVERALL FOR THE WHOLE GAME: Yeeeeehaw! Loads of fun but with certain inbalances. Reavers > all(I won our testgame bigtime), and certain unclarities(driver + weapon = roadwarrior, right?).
Solution: Revised edition! That would be awsome. I recommend this game to everyone that like miniature games like warhammer, but also to fallout fans that have never tried warhammer or the likes. It comes with "free" miniatures(print and glue them to some cereal carton and you are go!) so all you need is a terrain, easily composed on, say, a livingroom table. If you don't have terrain features(hills, ruins) make some in papé-maché(newspaper shreds + wallpaper glue) and paint them(or just buy some, hehe).
I know this might sound a bit rough but I did acctualy like the game. Try it!
Thanks to...
Chris Taylor, Parrish Rodgers, Damian Stocks, Racheal Johnson, Lorne Brooks, Tariq Raheem, Matthew Brooks, Gareth Davies, Michael Hood, David Lewin, Simon Lissaman, Alice MacDougall, James Sharpe, Lakin Shoobridge, Stuart Van Isden, Blaeghd Bell and Kate Tucker for making this wonderfull game. I just hope we get to see a revised edition, or I'll make one myself!
edit: spelling errors
