RE: [Epic] New Game Grumbles

From: Andy Skinner <andy.skinner_at_...>
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 97 10:05:00 EST

>4) The new rules are going to 'spoil the game'.
>
>It seems to me that the first two are fair enough (but not exactly
>unnexpected), and the third may also be true (if a little irrelevant)
>but I don't understand the fourth. I may be missing something, but IMHO
>if the game has not been released yet, then surely the only people that
>can truely judge it are those few that have actually played it.
>
>Is there something about the new game that makes it possible for people
>to predict that it will be crap without even playing it, if so, then I
>would like to know before I spend me hard earned cash.

We've had a fellow (Paul), who has played the new game
several times, give us quite a bit of information on the
game. I don't know if anyone has collected these bits,
but the information includes:
* Titan weapons--many are grouped together, so that weapons
  with different uses in the old game are now classified as
  a single kind of weapon with no difference in the new.
  Take the Vulcan Mega-Bolter, which is now just a generic
  heavy weapons battery. It might be easy to make a new
  weapon with shorter range and more dice to roll (firepower
  in the new game), but I don't think there is a way to make
  it an anti-infantry weapon, specifically. Those increased
  dice are as effective vs vehicles as vs infantry.
* There doesn't seem to be a way for regular weapons to vary
  independently in damage, accuracy, or number of targets.
  There is just a firepower rating, which affects the number
  of dice thrown, and thus really has an effect on all three
  factors above. If someone knows different, that would be
  nice. It sounds like there is room for a modifier to a save,
  but I haven't heard that there are any.
* Ranges are shorter, increasing importance of close assault.
  I may start off rescaling all the numbers. Apparently, what
  used to go up in increments of 25 cm now goes up in 15cm.
* Several figure types and two whole armies are not represented
  in the game. These may be easily handled by house rules, but
  it is nice to have something official.

Those are the things that concern me. I am planning on buying
the game and giving it a try. (whoops, actually, I'm asking my
wife to get it for my birthday) I hope that some simplifications
make it easier/quicker, but some might just take out flavor. The
only flavor I feel is at risk is what I mentioned above, that you
can't vary one aspect of a weapon without affecting others.

andy
andy.skinner_at_...
Received on Wed Mar 12 1997 - 15:05:00 UTC