Nice to see others jumping into this game!
I am very happy with the miniatures [...]
I do too.
I do have some issues with them as well (I think that a couple more options on the C3 sprues would have been welcome, and that the Ghar sprue should have been able to make any of the three suits instead of having a miniature base on it (especially as the bases are available separately on their own sprues anyway!).
I also found that the mouldline placement was usually pretty clever and sensitive, although in a couple of areas (C3 helmets) it was very poor. In fact, I missed a few mouldlines that I only found later whilst painting!
I also feel that the models are much nicer "in hand" than in the photos. I think the poses are sometimes a little awkward, but this is somehow exaggerated much more in the photos than in hand.
Previous games experience allowed us to pick up the basics easily enough. What I found was that I really needed the first game to really cement the rules an mechanics in my head.
After the game I read through the rules again and it cemented them into memory for next time.
I found the rules... Hard to fully grasp even after several passes. I am used to reading rules once and picking up 95% of what I need to know to play (special rules and exceptions notwithstanding). With Antares, I really struggled to understand the reality of what the game would feel like until after I'd played a few practice efforts.
Even then, there was far too much referring to the book - even for the first few games. Not having an index was the real killer, as it increased the amount of flipping back-and-forth to find simple answers.
I like the Activation, pinning, orders and reaction rules.
I do too, I think they add a lot to the game and provide some very interesting choices.
Some special equipment rules seem overly complex initially but after playing they gel well enough into memory.
I think they are overly complex actually.
Special rules for certain weapons with specific names are only listed in the weapon section of the game; with rules like the "Fade" on big plasma weapons being the exact same thing as the "Cycling" rule on bigger Mass Compactor guns but with a different name, it just adds to the mumbo-jumbo you need to learn and remember. Much simpler to have a universal rule with a number if needed - done.
And whilst I understand why the special OH ammo is listed in its own section, really the whole OH weapon section (including the special ammo types and what weapons they go in) should really have their own completely separate section away from shooting.
Essentially, playing Antares feels to me a lot like 40k2E with elements of 40k3E and Epic 40k added to it - so following the way those games lay out the rules (core rules followed by advanced rules in a separate section) would have been smart.
Are you still playing or did the rules put you off playing again?
Rulebook layout and presentation/explanation of the rules is definitely a barrier I think. This is something that has dogged other games for a long time (Infinity, I'm looking at you!), and does have a measurably detrimental effect on popularity/uptake of a game in my experience.
I'm stubborn though, and I will persevere with something if I feel the end result will be worth the effort. I will therefore be continuing with Antares as I've enjoyed what I did play and think the game has potential (as well as tickling my nostalgia for old-school games).
How is the local scene where you play?
Non-existent.
Has Gates of Antares taken off?
It is tak
ing off, but I think it needs a more concentrated effort from Warlord to get it going. This would include more fluff, battle reports, extra scenarios, etc.
Billing along the lines of "like Bolt Action, but different/more advanced" doesn't really help to sell it either from what I can tell.
I think at the moment a lot of people are looking around, not seeing much going on (even officially), and deciding to wait a bit more themselves before jumping in.
There's some really nice stuff coming out though, along with a campaign book, so I'm hopeful that it will begin to attract more interest and gain a more traction.
Have you put more guns into expanding your collection?
No - I bought about 1500pts for both Concorde and Algoryn, and until they are painted and I have more games, I don't want to buy more stuff. Truthfully, I don't really want to end up with more "not-40k" armies that won't get used much, so I'm going slowly for now.
I am also wary of adding tanks, jetbikes, and long-range artillery (max range of 250 inches!
) to what is ostensibly meant to be a platoon-level skirmish game.
I have
thought about buying the new stuff though (several times), as I do really like the new models!
So in summary; I like Antares a lot - indeed it has won me over from an opposite initial stance - but I feel that it really needs clearer presentation of the rules, more and better publicity, and probably more special offers and deals to tempt people in (afterall, this is for the long-term health of a new game system).
06 April 2014, 11:05:17 PM