Moments before I ventured out to play with the new game, I did a bit of work on the box contents:
The deck strips are custom made, this morning, and the extra ziplock bags were added for all the different tokens and bits that come in the box. The coloured dice are Chessex extras I added, as well.
Then, I met with Shane [Skyguy001] at the local gaming store to check out the new game before running the Introductory Demo next week.
Thanks go to Games & Grounds for having a multi-purpose miniatures table with different mouse-pad terrain maps, which luckily included this awesome star field:
The set-up:
Cylons:: Two Raiders
Colonials: Two Mk II Vipers
We played a mix of Quick Start and Complete rules for this game, intending to use only the 'G' limits (no more than 4 Gs of maneuvers per turn), but we attempted to follow the Acceleration rules (Max 4 for Cylons, max 3 for Colonials) as well. We also went for overlap rules, rather than the Quick Start bypass movements. Being used to Wings of Glory, this just seemed better for us.
Look out Meat Sacks, the Cylons are coming for you!
Perhaps not? Opening shots are a miss for the Cylons and a big hit for the Colonials. I drew a "+" chit, so had to draw another.
First movement card of the turn, and we are trading damage, with Shane missing me in the head-on exchange, but trimming the tail feathers of my second Raider. No '+' chit for Shane.
End position after the second card of the turn. My second Raider ended up out of firing arc on Shane's Viper, so no shot this turn.
Next turn, during the first card, I overboosted with my second Raider, while everyone else backed up. Shane's second Viper is under my overboosting Raider.
Shane's overlapped Viper and my overlapping Raider were out of arc, so only the non-overlapped ships could fire after the first card. Both were misses.
The next turn (I think my second Raider was out of arc on the second card of the last turn, so no shot taken), and we did some backing up moves, mostly.
Close-ranged shots above (+1 to hit, so '5' or better), but only single chits were drawn...
The second Raider's shot on the out-of-arc Viper was at medium range, so the 5 missed.
Shane overboosts his second Viper to attempt to bring it around into the fight, as I gang up on his other ship. Opening up with the first Raider, we both trade single chits of damage.
My second Raider's shot also went in, but also a single chit of damage.
Shane moves his first Viper out of bullet-sandwich position, just in time, and gets his second Viper pulled around into arc as I attempted to get a rear shot on a Viper that was no longer where I expected it to be.
I had no shots, and Shane gets a good roll, with me pulling a '+' chit, forcing me to draw another. This hurt!
Next move, Shane doubles up on my lead (He overlapped his Vipers. I put down a template only because my ship was in the way of his Vipers), and does massive damage to it.
My shot from my second Raider hits his lead Viper, but Shane only draws one chit. I dug around in the bin and pulled up a '+5'. Then, I dug around again and pulled out another '+5'. Thankfully, we weren't playing with any Ace talents, because if his Viper pilot had the "Lethal" talent, I could have been required to keep drawing, up to four '+' chits in one shot. As it was, the Raider was an expanding field of spare parts. The second shot from Shane's other Viper hit, but I only drew a '0'. Can't hit something that is already gone, I suppose.
Note: The two +5 chits had the 'Controls' and 'Pilot Wound' special damage icons, but we were not using all the Complete rules.
Next turn, on the first card reveal, Shane overboosts to splits up the Vipers, attempting a pincer move on my remaining Raider. He almost gets both out of arc, but I just nick one of them at medium range. Neither of his Vipers are in arc to return fire.
Shane completes his moves, and neither of the Vipers could get turned around enough to shoot back.
Shane's pincer closes, and I attempt a sharp turn (a Difficult maneuver) to get a piece of one of the Vipers.
Shane's second Viper is out of arc, but his first has closed in tight. I missed my +1 to hit roll, Shane doesn't miss his. I survive yet another double draw, but I'm badly damaged.
Because of my Difficult maneuver in the last turn, I can't turn into the fight to attempt escaping Shane's arc of fire. So, any Overboost I want to try has to be a straight, and then I can plan a turn into Shane's Vipers. After revealing our first cards, I am still, ever so slightly, in Shane's arc.
I only had one point of structure left, so any damage at all would have done me in. But, not content to die, I dug around in the chit bin, yet again, looking for only the choicest, biggest chits I could find. A '5+'! Draw again, and wow! Another '5+'! My second Raider is an expanding field of spare parts.
Shane reveals his meager collection of damage chits:
These could very well buff out, with little effort. Chaulk up a big win for the Colonials.
Well played, Shane!
Next time...
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