Rogue star ,osprey sci fi skirmish rules

[Wachaza]

If NorthStar would use paypal, rather than forcing me to use my credit card, I'd probably put a lot more business their way. I'm sure they have their reasons, but I try to keep card numbers off the internet as much as possible, so it pretty much removes their site from impluse buying sprees

Very much agreed. Northstar need to hit the 21st Century. I often look at their site, can't be bothered to put in a credit card number and go elsewhere.

Figures are great. More 28mm Copplestone SF was a no brainer for me and I'd have bought irrespective of the rules. Production values on the rules are good, nice illustrations and photographs. Haven't sat down to read through properly yet so can't comment on the mechanics.

[JollyBob]

Got my copy yesterday. 

On first read, it looks like a lot of book keeping with all the modifiers, but I'm not sure that in practice that would be the case as a decent roster sheet should tidy everything up (and to be honest should have been included).

I think there is scope to expand the size of the group by introducing a "pawns" rule like in Rogue Planet to include groups of faceless minions that all share the same statline - haven't put a lot of thought into this yet but think it could be an option.

To be fair, I only but rules to inspire me to make groups of and paint some of the miniatures I already have kicking about. Its not like I'm ever going to roll a dice or anything, I just like fiddling with lists and making "game appropriate" bands up...

I accept that this is even sadder than actually playing wargames... 

[Hobgoblin]

In answer to Comsquare's question, there are a few similarities with SBOH, but it's a very different game. The big point of similarity is the one-to-three-dice activation - though it's done with D20s in Rogue Stars. But the turn sequence is completely different - you can activate the same character repeatedly during the one turn, for example.

On a first read-through, the initiative system struck me as really interesting - it looks a great way to simulate Star Wars-style heroics. In SoBH, the risk-reward balance lies mainly in choosing the number of activations. In Rogue Stars, this is extended through the use of stress points and repeated activations - so you can keep trying to push your characters to their limits.

The book says that it's theoretically possible for one player to have the initiative throughout the game. Although this is unlikely, you can see situations where a well-deployed player might want to force the other to take all the actions, just relying on reactions to pick off opponents as (for example) they try to cross open ground to achieve a scenario goal. Because of the stress-point system, reactions will generally come thicker and faster the more one player has the initiative. I think this is quite a neat, clever bit of design.

The modifiers on die rolls will be familiar to SoBH players - as well as to players of HoTT or DBA. I don't think the number of them is likely to be overwhelming: both SoBH and HoTT have loads of similar modifiers too, and both are widely regarded as simple, fast-playing games. Many of the modifiers can't apply to the same character (from memory - and logically - you can't have a green veteran, for example), so the actual number in play at any time is likely to be far fewer.

This is a much more detailed game than SoBH (or Mutants and Death Ray Guns). Time is split down into much smaller elements: a standard model can use an action to walk just 2", for example - or run 4", or sprint 6". Or an action could be used to draw a weapon - it's that level of detail. SoBH players will note that it resolves one of that game's few glaring anomalies: when a model with a loaded crossbow engages in melee and emerges - miraculously - with a loaded crossbow!

Above all, it looks like it's going to be a very fast, interactive game, with actions, reactions and initiative-switching all conspiring to keep both players heavily involved throughout. It won't be a game where you can step away from the table while your opponent takes his or her turn. The scenario generator looks a lot of fun - much like first-edition 40K, but with more practical mechanics to help you play these scenarios. It is necessarily a two-player game, I think, and pretty much restricted to 4-6 models a side. I do wonder, though, whether an SoBH "rabble"-type trait (no damage, just death) could reduce the bookkeeping to allow (for example) a huge horde of primitives on one side.

There is, however, one GRAVE misstep. The game's inclusion of hit locations is an excellent idea. But when I read the description of armour coverage, I realised that a trick has been missed. There should - nay, there MUST and SHALL - be an amendment to allow the inclusion of all those ridiculous figures in full power armour except for the helmet. Imagine how satisfying it would be to roll a headshot against an opponent who fielded one ...

[agent_pumpkin]

Its an invisible helmet to allow troops full vision with mark I eyeball ..... honest! 

There is, however, one GRAVE misstep. The game's inclusion of hit locations is an excellent idea. But when I read the description of armour coverage, I realised that a trick has been missed. There should - nay, there MUST and SHALL - be an amendment to allow the inclusion of all those ridiculous figures in full power armour except for the helmet. Imagine how satisfying it would be to roll a headshot against an opponent who fielded one ...

[Smith]

There is, however, one GRAVE misstep. The game's inclusion of hit locations is an excellent idea. But when I read the description of armour coverage, I realised that a trick has been missed. There should - nay, there MUST and SHALL - be an amendment to allow the inclusion of all those ridiculous figures in full power armour except for the helmet. Imagine how satisfying it would be to roll a headshot against an opponent who fielded one ...

But, in the grim darkness of the far future, how can you identify the officers unless they're the only ones not wearing a helmet...? 

[Plus Four]

We'll definitely house-rule on power armour. I stopped 40k when it became ridiculous so don't intend to see it in my skirmish games!!

What confuses me is how this is defined - the illustration on p29 is supposed to depict someone in power armour but the illustration does not appear to be sealed and airtight! Likewise, p19 is wearing light power amour which is again sealed but the figure displays large areas of open flesh.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not disparaging the rules because I think they're great. I'm just suggesting that there should be less armour defined as sealed.

[Dezmond]

In WFRP terms, characters shouldn't be able to spend fate points while wearing a helmet. The gods do no smile upon cowards!

[Comsquare]

Thanks a lot, Hobgoblin 

That was exactly the kind of information I was looking for, thanks.

[Hummster]

But, in the grim darkness of the far future, how can you identify the officers unless they're the only ones not wearing a helmet...? 

Just look for the pile of headless corpses?

[Momotaro]

There is a lot of detail in these rules, but I really like how all the moving parts mesh - everything has a purpose somewhere.  It has an elegance and core simplicity that AE: Bounty, for example, was somewhat lacking.  The way that "different" damage types such as electrical, scorching and sonic effects are handled is much better.  The game covers a lot of ground, but a couple of plays through will help.

That said, what does the weapon Energy trait do?  As far as I can tell, it only has a single effect on the Noxious Environment table on P37.  Is there any other functional difference between Energy damage and normal (kinetic) damage?

If I had one complaint, it's that the rulebook could be laid out a little more clearly, better explained.  A description of Stress, Wounds and Pins right at the start to summarise how they are gained and lost - is there a mechanism for removing pins in the game or have I just missed it?  I feel a couple more pages of text would have helped a lot, nice though the illustrations are.  A QRS will really help here.

I'd probably have made several of the Levelled Traits into Stats, as they're going to be used a lot (Marksmanship, Medic, Tech, etc), along with experience level (Civilian, Green etc), Size and Move, but again that would disrupt the relative simplicity of the game - everything is a Trait.  A well laid-out character sheet will perform the same function though 

I was quite critical after my first read-through last night; today I see more of the structure and intention of the game, and how it all fits together.  Grand job chaps!

[aliensurfer]

The figures look very nice. If NorthStar would use paypal, rather than forcing me to use my credit card, I'd probably put a lot more business their way. I'm sure they have their reasons, but I try to keep card numbers off the internet as much as possible, so it pretty much removes their site from impluse buying sprees

I didn't know that, thanks - there's lots of stuff I've been looking at getting from them, but I'll wait now until they accept paypal. 

[vodkafan]

I didn't know that, thanks - there's lots of stuff I've been looking at getting from them, but I'll wait now until they accept paypal. 

Or you could do what I do- I went to talk to my bank and opened a separate account I named my "Hobby Account" (it actually says that on the card). That is the only account I use for online or over-the-telephone purchases, including amazon, and my paypal account also gets filled from it.
I transfer money into it manually only when I want to buy something, so that if someone did ever hack it, they would only get a limited amount and would not be able to access my main bank account.

[Hobgoblin]

If I had one complaint, it's that the rulebook could be laid out a little more clearly, better explained.  A description of Stress, Wounds and Pins right at the start to summarise how they are gained and lost - is there a mechanism for removing pins in the game or have I just missed it? 

It's on page 12 - a Rally action/reaction removes 1 Pin, or 2 if there's no active enemy in LOS. There's also a boxed summary of Stresses, Wounds and Pins at the top of page 6 (I missed it first time too!).

I played a brief skirmish tonight after dinner, until the kids demanded a bedtime story. I agree with what you said above: it is a very well-thought-out system, from what I can see. The damage roll being done by the target gives combat almost an opposed-roll feel, and that really speeds things up.

The little clash that I ran through had some interesting developments - one pirate was shot in the arm, rendering his laser rifle unusable; meanwhile, across the board, his crewmate's rifle malfunctioned, which left the latter with a high-stakes dash through enemy fire to get to the other gun. It felt very tense and Star Wars-sy. And it was quick.

One point that occurred to me is that the use of the D20 doesn't add to randomness. I found Frostgrave combat less fun than SBH's system, because it was so swingy with the D20 (combat's not the main focus of Frostgrave, of course, so it's not a major criticism). In Rogue Stars, the gradations of the D20 are exploited to the full - worked into the damage system and combined effectively with all those modifiers. A skilled marksman with an accurate weapon will be much more deadly than a green character with a normal one - not least because the marksman can use his higher chance of activation to average more aimed shots.

[Momotaro]

Thanks Hobgoblin - it usually is me missing something 

Your game sounds like it had a lot going on, with some desperate decisions and bold actions!  Sounds great!

Good points you make too - that the game is one where those little +1 modifiers and add up, and that a character can do more than the simplest plusses would initially suggest.

[agent_pumpkin]

is there a mechanism for removing pins in the game or have I just missed it? 

 A QRS will really help her!

I missed on my first reading as well, there is an action "Rally" that can remove pins.