Are these points valid? I was contemplating getting the print version this weekend and scraping my LotOW conversion, so I really hope the opinion in this thread is off the mark.
Some of this guy's gripes could be said to be technically correct, but substansively off the mark. Before I go into that I want to state that Andrea, the author, is an extremely active poster to the Song of Blades and Heroes Yahoo group. He is always eager for suggestings and constructive criticism. If this guy had posted his gripes on the yahoo group he would have had clear answers to his complaints and any glitches he found would be fixed. That's the other thing about Andrea, he posts free rules updates to correct any anommolies or reflect any changes in the evolution of his system. English is a second language to Andrea and from what I gather he depends on volunteers to translate into other languages, such as Spanish or French. So to basicly summarize my little sermon, Mutants and Death Ray guns is an $8 PDF investment with an unprecidented level of support for the game including near continuous access to the author and playtesters.
Now on to some of the particular gripes of the reviewer referenced.
Is the writting unclear? Yes, partly. It takes a carefull read, particularly of the faction descriptions. The main rules section is pretty clear, but then again I am already familiar with them.
Purity Squad annomolies? I think there might be a discrepancy in the rules about the number of equipment rolls allowed, and the example does not seem to match up. However, a simple post to the Yahoo group will clarify this, it does not ruin the game. Incidentally, in MDRG, gaining more items is a key to survival. Loosing a pure human (who has rather weak stats anyway) and gaining more equipment is a benefit in my opinion.
Are all the scenarios alike? In the sense that there is an attacker and a defender, yes. Some are very similar on the surface, a fight over control of a well and a fight for control of an orchard are pretty similar, but the resources gained for the campaign are different. There is also a scenario that takes place in an installation that might have it's own defenses and in other areas with unique hazards.
Does all of the losing side die in the scenario aftermath? No, only those abandoned on the field of battle. The games in a campaign are not meant to be fought to the death, afterall, you are fighting primarily to gain the resources for survival. Any model that flees the board survives, those that went down on the losing side die, and those that went down on the winning side may die, be out a game, be penalized or be perfectly fine.
The winning side gets an advance for only one model? Yes, but there are several types of advances to choose from. This can be a mutation, skill, improved quality or combat, equipment or even a new member for the warband. Any of these advances, even for one model, is quite a benefit for the winning warband. It is a question of game balance, anymore would make the winner much too powerful too fast. Not having played the game, the reviewer obviously envisioned this to be a weak gain.
I hope this helps lay your doubts to rest, I highly recommend the game and all of the Ganesha game products. Hey, you were going to start basically from scratch anyway, so anything that troubles you about the rules can easily be tweeked.
David
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October 10, 2014, 11:08:51 PM