Here's a couple of excerpts for those of you that favor the crib notes. The full thing is
posted on my blog (link):
These rules are great. in just about every sense they hit the sweet spot between extremes. Guy has somehow managed to put together a rule set that straddles a number of lines in ways that feel familiar, but fresh and new. Not only that, but he has put together a modern day skirmish that manages to give you all the options you need without bogging the game down in minutiae.
Taken alone, nothing in this ruleset is particularly innovative, but the way that Guy Bowers has integrated everything is pretty well seamless. Everything fits together in a way that is easy to understand, builds on each other, and fits together like one single unified system. All too often the infiltration missions feel like a bolted on separate game that is played before the knock-down drag-out battle. In Black Ops the stealth mission feels like an integral part of the battle. That is no small accomplishment.
Other positives include clear, concise rules written for us old timers that have been through the ringer before. A first time wargamer could probably suss out how these games are played using this ruleset, but he would have to make a few leaps that experiences gamers know intuitively. While not terribly complicated, there are better introductory games out there for first timers. As a non-first timer, I was glad not see space taken up with yet another wargaming primer.
On a related issue the book is easy on the eyes both in the artistic sense and the legibility sense. The artwork, both painted works like the cover and examples of miniatures in play, is attractive, inspirational, and present in just the right quantities. The text and tables are clear print on backgrounds uncluttered by noisy graphics. A definite bonus for us grognards with failing eyesight. Combine that with the terse conversational writing style, and this book is just plain easy to pick up, read, and understand.
03 September 2009, 08:45:06 PM