Well, I feel like I may be taking a risk with my life here,
but I like the game and I like the figures.
As a naval simulation, I fear I do not have enough experience to compare it to other naval games. We played several naval encounters and had fun.
Did I think I was playing a WWI or WWII naval game, no.
Did we straddle the target with plunging fire from a mile away, no.
Did it feel like we were going toe to toe, like 19th century ships, maybe, never played a simulation game of that time period either, but yes we did go toe to toe, and we had air support, and icebergs!
Did we have fun, hell yes! We played with a variety of ships that had all sorts of 'cool/ weapon systems, and it did not feel like GW's Man o war!
But. please, let me speak about the game in general.
Yeah they do not match up to some VSF visions, but there are so many different visions out there. (see various rivet debates, Steampunk vs non-steampunk etc) I can admire other VSF visions and not slam them. For instance I am not a fan of Steampunk preferring a more civilized feel like Space 1889, but some of the figures out there for steampunk are gorgeous! To each there own. As a self contained entity DW is consistent in model design. The figure that sold me on DW, was the Prussian Sky Fortress (airship with the landing deck). Yes it unrealistic, silly, impossible, etc. It is this crazy look that got me hooked on the miniatures (I also have a weakness for airships) However last time I looked we are talking VSF, so where do people want to draw the realism line?
The figures are a joy to paint, and even an impatient hack of a painter like me cannot mess them up (too bad)
You can find a small sample of what I have painted here:
https://menelduir.blogspot.ca/2016/10/so-sampling-of-my-large-largely.html#moreAs for the rules I had no major issue with them. The unit cards, or downloaded stat sheets help keep things organized. The forces of any given nation tend to field consistent weapon systems, so each commander should find it fairly easy to be comfortable with what they field. I assume that creating nation specific cheat sheets that define Model Assigned Rules MAR's, would help help too.
The rules are
not perfect, but unlike some rules they do have an index. The mix of font/size does bother my old eyes, and diminishes my ability to perceive what is deemed as important, and what is just a heading. The 2.0 soft cover edition is the best version to date, better organized, and streamlined.
A legitimate complaint might be all the MAR's, that can be challenging for a novice player. They define the abilities of different weapon systems, and can, to some, feel like a GW game mechanic where new rules are introduce with each new army list. It is not, but the sheer number of different systems might cause some confusion for some players.
I have not played every nation, but the ones that I have used were balanced enough. One does have a variety of choices when building a battle force, so you can build a force to match your tactical style, or the needs of the battle.
The Armour Clash rules were intended to stream line it even more to allow larger forces. I never got around to testing the rules, and instead continued to play the original game.
The new fleet action rules appear to make the game easier to learn, makes it move faster and allows players to field larger forces if they so desire. While I have downloaded the army guides, and I have the rules, I have not yet play-tested the new rules. However I have read them and unit information and they look like they will do the trick.
Actual play testing by me will take place when I can fit it into my gaming schedule, at this rate December or January.
Bottom line, my group had fun playing the games. For example, we laughed when critical explosions rippled down a line of tanks each setting the next tank off,or in two separate games the big bad Prussian bunker received a critical hit and imploded (a fluke that has never been seen again). Something cool about seeing the Russian Kursk land ship lumbering across the battlefield destroying all in sight. We are not overly competitive, so maybe this game in the hands of people that must win at any cost would not be as much fun, but we play for fun, winning is not everything to us!
Due to other campaigns I have not played DW for almost a year, but I am confident that if someone asked me to play a game this weekend I could easily set up and play a game.
My two cents
Thank you.
09 December 2010, 10:30:47 PM