5 Core / 5 Parsecs from Home Playtest

I read a lot of good things from bloggers I like about the 5 Core rules series by Ivan Sorensen. They are designed for small skirmishes with between 5-9 models per player. Just the scale I use for my own rules. We only had a few Basement Generals come by last night so it was a perfect chance to play.

I think 5 Core does a fantastic job of recreating the tension of small modern skirmishes without a lot of rules. The guts of the main rulebook being only a couple dozen pages.

This killing machine dropped 3 enemies in 3 shots.

The rules could easily be called "roll and look for 1s & 6s, because that's all that really matters". Before each player turn, a player rolls a die and if a 1 or 6 shows up something special happens, "Scurry" or "Firefight". If this doesn't happen, then a player can activate 2 members of their unit.
I really, really love how cover works. No screwing around with how much the model is showing or line of sight. It is assumed every model is trying his best to not get shot, so unless he actively "peeks" around a corner or out of cover he cannot be shot. Period.
Short range weapons (pistols, SMGs) only shoot 12", everything else is in range. Roll one color die for KIll, another color for Shock. Look for 1s or 6s.
Sounds easy, but the tactics are where this game shines.
Throw in the Five Parsecs from Home SciFi expansion with its really slick campaign/RPG system and I am sold.
I used OLD SCHOOL WH40K for this skirmish, but 15mm SciFi I think is the way to go. It might get me to by a few WW2 miniatures again for some commando raids...

Bolt Non-Action

Had a chance to play with John from Curio Clashes and his awesome WW2 models and terrain. This would be my 3rd or 4th time playing Bolt Action and it still isn't making me get that "this is a great game!" feeling. I get a distinct Warhammer 20k taste in my mouth despite great toys and terrain.

We played a smaller game with the Americans trying to take out some German guns that were shelling the beach. A really lucky mortar round took out an entire US squad off the bat and it went down hill from there.
This game can really shine as a small scale, 2v2 game. It suffers from the same problem that all modern combat games do that keeps me away from the period: the modern battlefield is really deadly. We as gamers don't grasp that and tend to shy away from rules that emphasize it. Which is a shame. Attacking an entrenched enemy, we really should have play the scenario last night with a 3-1 ratio in troops.
But, I do have some excitement. Lion Rampant showed up in the mail yesterday. I am a big fan of Dan Mersey's earlier book Dux Bellorum and can't wait to hit one of my favorite periods: Middle Ages.

Listen up RECRUITS

This weekend is our local KC metro-area wargames convention RECRUITS. I can only make the first night, but as always, I'm sure it will be a great time.

A light night of gaming

Just me an Bill last night. I don't get a lot of chances to play 1v1 games, so last night was actually a treat.
We started with a little gem called Eight Minute Empire. It comes with a tiny little map, some colored blocks and cards. A fun mix of resource collection and war.

We then played a couple of games of Rivet Wars. We traded victories. Once again, a great game. Can't wait for the new troops to come out.

Fistful of Lead: 1 night, 5 scenarios

There are 16 new scenarios for Fistful of Lead: Reloaded. They've been play tested, but a few of them only once. I wanted to run them through the ringer a few more times.
With that, I set up three 3'x3' play areas (defined by the blue tape) and let the Basement Generals have at it.

Get the map: A gang returns to their not-so-secret hideout, to find a rival has broke in trying to steal a map to their buried loot. Can they escape the encircling enemies?

 Snitches get stitches: Time to intimidate that that witness in the jail.

 4:10 to Yucca: Can you save the Boss before he's delivered to the stage and then prison?

 Running the Gauntlet: Time to get outta Dodge. Not only are your rivals out to get you, but the whole town too!

Bad time in the Badlands: Two gangs run into each other out in the Badlands. Both have loot and a score to settle.

Everything went well. Had a few fixes. The gag plays a lot different when you have a gang to preserve for next game. Not so much fighting to the death.

Gen-Con AAR

I've been to San Diego Comicon, Historicon and our local war gaming convention, RECRUITS. Gen-Con was somewhere in between. With 50,000+ attendees, it's by no means small, and seeing as it started out as a small D&D convention and my own roots in gaming being just that, I made a pilgrimage.
I was also there to help a buddy get his own game play tested and promoted. I did the artwork and in return got a free hotel stay, and did some scouting of my own for Fistful of Lead as well as some games I'll be doing in the future.
Gen Con is in Indianapolis and besides being a very clean, friendly city, they put out the welcome mat for all the nerds.
All the big game vendors were there, a you could sign up for play to try them out. I got to play a few I've been interested in, but never bucked up for.

 Giant sized Settlers of Catan

 Warmachine set up

 more Warmachine. For shame! not painting your figs...

 Miniature building Authority had a mega castle

 Iraq?

 Reaper had a nice display to convince their Bones minis don't suck

 A use for all those Magic cards

 GW was there, of course.

 A dastardly Blight officer showing off the latest in Rivet Wars technology. I was disappointed their next wave of minis wasn't out.

 Infinity Wars set up

 Don't know what the game was, but their display was awesome

 Dwarven Forge

 The game I was helping with, King of Tortuga, a pirate brawling game. Got great feedback and positive interest.

 The first thing I'm buying when I win the lottery. A game table from Geek Chic

 Dropship Horizon

 The purple was cool

 giant sized RoboRally using actual programable robots

 Star Wars Armada. X-wing at the next level

 all the new X-Wing ships

It was a mixed experience. Like Comicon, there are tons of painfully awkward people there who wait all year to let their freak flag fly. I'm glad they have a place to themselves, but sometimes it was a bit much. My chance to network for both freelance design work and game making connections didn't go as well as I wanted. Big Companies don't want to talk, and smaller ones don't have the budget.
Overall, I had a great time. I spent waaaay to money. I brought home a ton of games, a few connections, and despite constant hand washing, a case of the flu.

No game this week...

..off to Gen con. I'll return with pictures.