Osprey Force on Force Review

The new Osprey Force on Force can be described in two words “eye candy”. I am very, very happy with the standard of production. In the new book you’ll find a hard cover, sewn bindings, high-grade paper, and just plain easy to read print. I am also happy this was printed at a cost that is cheaper than the old dead-tree FoF book. Not only that? It puts BOTH rules in one easy to read place. Well done AAG and Osprey to this particular development.

I was also happy the programmed instruction ala Squad Leader was adopted. FoF isn’t a tough set of rules to learn, but as somebody who still occasionally flubs the action/reaction rules; it’s nice to see there’s a way to EASE into the rules. This was a very good idea in general and kudos all around. They also cleaned up a lot of older rules, and just put everything under one roof, which I will say, is darn nice to have.

The eye candy I mentioned are wonderfully photographed miniatures, color plates from selected Ospreys and all done well in a nice graphical package that doesn’t detract from the package, but instead, complement it. Again, very well done here I think. There’s also an introductory guide and a guide for tactics rounds out the package nicely, making it more than simply a set of dry recitations of rules.

Some have decried the cards being published in the back of the book, or the death of the asset cards, but AAG IS publishing them as a PDF add-on. So, one can use a computer printer and some cards to rectify this issue, heck I used homemade cards with my older copy of FoF for a long time, and didn’t seem to suffer. There’s also a new QRS coming out for it as well. So, all in all, good show here.

As I mentioned before? Support on the internet is top notch, and you can go to the forums, once they’re up, and watch Piers Brand outpaint just about everybody….;-) There’s also all kinds of support, and the AAG folks, be they Shawn, Peggy or Robby, are more than available to answer questions large and small. And in that vein, with Ambush Valley, Enduring Freedom, Road to Baghdad, Tomorrow’s War and Cold War Hot, the support projected to appear is simply…staggering. People who stand by their product are rare in general, so I appreciate this.

What I wasn’t nuts about? I missed the flow chart of Action/Reaction as was in the old rules. I know it was a bit flawed, but the concept was a good idea, and for a game like FoF, it was something that the game could use. I also miss WWII, but that’s more a personal pet-peeve. Anyone with half a brain can adapt the rules till the WWII supplements hit the market.

So all in all? I give it 4.5 out of five, with the detractions being the above. I would heartily recommend this rules set. It does its job well, and puts you in the role of a platoon leader. It’s simple, yet gets you down in the weeds effectively. The minor dings here are minor, and are barely worth half a star, but these days, everybody suspects you of something if you give a perfect review.

Buy these rules, you won’t regret it.

New Hammers Slammers Book review.

Well,
The Crucible arrived. And from first glance, it was gorgeous. Nice full color photos, glossy pages, hard cover sewn in binding...my only complaint is that some of my pages near the spine stuck together and there was some tearing getting them apart, but no real damage.

So, as for bang for your buck? It depends. If you're:

a) a rabid Hammer's Slammers Fan
b) need dozens of painting ideas.
c) liked the rules from the first two books
d) would like everything in one place.

Then it's worth it if three or more reasons applied. As a art book with rules, I think it admirably serves it's purpose. I was happy to see some mention of 15mm, even if the book is mainly geared to 25mm...and I really am hoping we get 15mm Molts before too long (Down in front GZG!!). But it's a decent product for the price if your interests lie that way. All of the vehicles one sees in 25mm are available for the most part in 15mm, with the exception of a few vehicles, and figures can be substituted when required. All in all I was pretty impressed.

Other than the minor quibbles I mentioned, and the fact I wish they had put the play cards separate. (PDF's better than nothing however), I was pretty happily surprised with the level of production and the new items in the book (Most of it being an amalgam of previous WI articles and stuff from the two old books), which in of itself, is very welcome. Is it pricy, yes. But for the production value, it's better than some of the stuff I see coming out of RPG companies of late.

All in all, I give it 3.5 out of four stars, solid product and worth the money.

Almost forgot to mention

Got my new Grav Tanks from Top Gun Marketing They're as nice as advertised and the trickiest part was the magnet installation, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'll have a detailed review later, but for now...you might want to check out the news they'll be having a painting contest!

Season's greetings and a review of the new Plastic 'Mechs from Catalyst Games.

Well,
The long promised review is here. Sorry it took so long. But I have been busy with changes at work and a bit of the insanity associated with the holidays. But onto the review.

First off, I waited a month to get my order. When a website says "5-10 days to process an order", that's kind of what I expect. I didn't get a single email or explanation as to why the delay. And I sent two of them, but no matter, the items I sent for arrived.

So, onto the photos and product. The items (one assembled mech and one unassembled 'Mech per each design) came in small boxes and wrapped in cellophane bags, The plastic was gray and the same type of material IMHO that one's finding in the newer releases from Wargames Foundry and Valiant. Quality and sculpting was good, and the parts were easy to figure out, well, with one exception. The knee joints. I had to really futz with the damn things to get them to fit right. The good news was that when you consult the assembled version, you can figure it out, but seeing as how this was a proof of concept, and if this a success, other designs might be given the same treatment, one wonders if one might be well versed to include an instruction sheet?

Price was also something of an issue, but at $17.95 per two 'Mechs (works out to $8.98 a 'Mech), it doesn't sound like the cost is THAT much cheaper than the current prices for the lead 'Mechs currently in release.

Overall, considering the pricing, the minor assembly issues and the delivery delays, I give this 4 out of 5 stars.



Assembled Thor



Parts for Unassembled Thor



Assembled Loki (Best shot I could manage)



Parts for unassembled Loki

Merry Christmas, Happy Chaunkah and/or Happy Holidays to all, and a good 2010!