Star Wars minnies

[Spriggan]

My review this week is going to be for the SW minature game, was playing today at gameden with JT and some others.  I was incredably surprised on how easy, simple and fast it is.  Tag line for the review is going to be: "Star Wars minatures are not only fun and simple but manage to have the feel of the movies as well."

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

I submitted a star wars mini article already...

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

check your work email, Jeffe. Should ahve something from me.

[Fellfrosch]

I got some of these in the mail (hooray for Wizards!) and they're great. The game is a highly streamlined version of WotC's nasty D&D minis game, which is a streamlined version of the d20 RPG. D&D was still too complex to bother with, and SW still has needlessly complex line of sight rules, but the cuts and tweaks to the game make it fast and fun and very easy to understand. I'm not in love with the idea of Very Rare characters, since it makes some of the key figures ridiculously hard to get, but I was impressed by the spread of commons, and the idea of multiple sculpts especially--unlike D&D, which made it very hard to collect bad guys in any great number (for use in the RPG), SW is brimming with Stormtroopers, and even with only a starter and a couple of boosters I have plenty of Stormtroopers to sate my needs. The very nature of the game, and of Stormtroopers, means that despite this commonness you're never sorry to pull another one (unlike other collectible minis games, which drive you to madness when you pull your twentieth stupid nobody from a booster pack).

[Spriggan]

The LOS rules aren't realy that cumbersom, try actualy playing the game.  They're about the same as Heroclix but instead of mesureing from the center if the base you measure from any corner of your choice.

The only thing that I don't realy like is you, unless your han solo, can only shoot the closest person with cover to you if you want to attack someone with cover.

Also I've got a spare Emperor, and C-3PO.  The Emperor is way powerful since he can regen forcepoints and let others spend his.   Him and the Vader from the starterset is a very tough combo to beat.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

reference: http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=850

so the review is up. finally.

[Fellfrosch]

My rares so far are Han, Chewie, Lando and Mara Jade (plus the two from the starter). I'd like to collect more Bespin Guards (I only have one) just because they go well with Lando.

And I have played the game, and I still find the LOS rules silly. Why bother counting all those corners and drawing all those lines? Mustard and I just eyeballed it, but then again we've been playing minis games for years, and this game is aimed more at neophytes than veterans.

One thing you didn't mention in your review, which I thought was crazy, is that every figure in the game, by default, is considered to have a gun with unlimited range. It works really well, and it makes the game easier, and I'm really glad they did it, but wow! It takes a lot of nerve, I think, to go against decades of tabletop convention and just throw out the concept of range. And it takes a lot of cleverness to keep such a game balanced (though the crowded map helps a lot).

[House of Mustard]

I love the lack of range.  Considering the small size of the maps, adding any range modifiers would just be complicated for the sake of it.  Even in larger scale games like 40k, the range system is pretty silly.

[Spriggan]

good point, I think I'll be adding that.

I've got a Lando too and several Bespin gaurds.  Both Han and Chewie are realy nice Figs.  I get paid this friday and am going to by 2-3 more boosters in my vain attempt to get Baba Fett.

Also I want a Greedo,  I must have all the bounty hunters to go with my Jabba.

I'll trade you bespin gaurds for ewoks, 1for1, I want to make an Ewok swarm army.

[Dex1138]

Actually, there a few figures that have the Melee ability which means they can only attack in melee range
The twi'lek stripp...ah, bodyguard and the Imperial guards have it.

[Fellfrosch]

That's why I said (or intended to say) that the "default" is to have a gun. It's really very backwards of most tabletop games to call out the fact that a figure can't shoot, rather than the fact that it can.

[Mr_Pleasington]

Okay, all of you stop talking about this game like its good.

Just say it sucks.

Because I really can't support another game right now and you're making it actually sound fun.

So stop it.

Seriously.

[House of Mustard]

Personally, I hated the game, Dr. P.

I abhor games with well-sculpted AND well-painted models; that accurately capture the feel of one of the best licenses in history; that have simple yet fun rules.  Honestly, they make me violently ill.

But, then again, if that's your kind of thing... go for it.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

Lucky for HomSar the internet can't convey images of whether or not he kept a straight face typing that.

[Fellfrosch]

Mustard hasn't had a straight face since the "accident" in '87. I hear he does keep one, though, in a jar.

By the way, Sprig, I have four ewoks that I will gladly trade for Bespin Guards.