Ok,
So with the new 4k capabilities of my phone we need to be succinct, hence the fast paced chat. I may have missed a few key points. But here is the takeaway:
- Solid if a bit involved game play, but probably the right level of detail as a monster game should have. Be prepared for some fractional math for every fire/assault once suppression’s are laid on.
- Mostly clear rules, but challenges remain. [using original rules & supplementing with Kursk 2.5]
- A lot of charts…can we have a fold outs for a couple of sets?
- Unclear, inconcise [is that a word] setup instructions let my initial play down, this would be the single biggest issue I faced.
- Home brew look and feel of counters and maps really makes the cost-value judgement hard. I am unclear how well these counters will wear, the maps are too small [ selling these in 36×24 format would improve things, and reduce cutoff edges and ink smearing.
- Im buying the 1st expansion to get a better feel for ‘monster scale’ game play here.
- $110+Tax and Shipping is likely too high for a regular producer but as a mini publisher probably the best we can expect.
- It appears easy for the designer to abandon a series in favor of next ‘new’ thing. This Salerno series has now very out of date rules, which means you must swap between two sets of rules and even then I find myself seeking support online regularly due to either my limited ability or a lack of concrete specific wording.
On a side note can we ease up on the big logo splashed on everything. Less is more.
I enjoyed what I experienced, once I get the 2nd module I’ll take a run at the whole thing.
I liked the Death Ride system for Kursk but I definitely agree about the annoyingly small maps and the deployment instructions for the scenarios. That said, I did enjoy the rules and I found them very fun and nicely streamlined.