Demo recap
In case anyone is interested, here's my rundown of the demo game I played:
Mechanics are like D&D Lite. All HP and damage are in increments of 5. Charging, cover, and movement rules are as per D&D 3.5--including the excellent "corner" rule for determining ranged combat cover. Commanders allow allies to move in a directed fashion (rather than just move slowly toward the nearest enemy) and give a bonus to allies within 6' (such as +2 Attack bonus, or +2 AC bonus). Initiative is rolled every turn and is modified by Commander rating. Saving throws are consolidated into a single number. The biggest departure from D&D is the Morale system: if a model drops to half hit points or below it must make a morale save at DC 20, with a bonus of it's level plus the Commander rating of its commander (if the commander is in line of sight). Failure means the model flees (it may try a new morale save next turn if still under command). Fleeing off the board = dead.
The demo I played in was a 4-team battle: CG vs. LG vs. CE vs. LE. Team were around 50 points; first team to kill 50 points worth of enemies won.
I was Lawful Evil. My team was composed of:
Half-Orc Fighter (20 HP, 10 damage, +8 Attack, 4 speed, 18 AC, Commander 2, allies within 6' get +2 Attack)
Human Executioner (30 HP, 10 Damage, +6 Attack, 6 speed, 14 AC, Executioner's Axe: +10 Attack & +15 damage to enemies that are fleeing or out of command)
Half-Orc Monk (20 HP, 10/10 damage, +6/+6 Attack, 8 speed, 16 AC, Deflect Arrows)
Goblin Sneak (5 hp, 5 damage, +2 Attack, +4 Ranged Attack, 6 speed, 15 AC, Sneak Attack 5, slow ranged attack)
The LG team was Paladin, Dwarf, Monk, and halfling warrior. CE was Dire Boar, Drow Cleric, Drow Fighter, Human Thug, and half-orc assassin. CG was elf ranger, axe sister, elf scout, thri-kreen ranger.
Setup:
We started in the corners:
CG..........LG
..................
CE..........LE
Turn 1:
I advanced toward the center, moving into a Sacred Circle (and getting cover from the elves). The elves moved toward the drow. The Paladins moved toward the elves. The drow moved some toward the elves and some a little toward me. The Axe Sister killed the human thug in one hit.
Turn 2:
I consolidated my position in the Sacred Circle. Alas, the Paladins did not engage my guys. The drow attacked the elves and killed the Elf Scout. The Axe Sister hit and routed the dire boar. The Thri-kreen ranger ran up and attacked the paladins, then was routed right toward my guys. The human monk pursued and missed his attack. The drow continued to move toward me.
Turn 3:
My half-orc and Executioner killed the thri-kreen. The human monk fled. My goblin took a shot at the drow and missed. The elf ranger and axe sister engaged the paladins. The drow moved toward me, led by the drow cleric.
Turn 4:
I charged the Drow cleric with my half-orc fighter and monk, killing her. Since the drow leader was dead, all the drow were considered Out of Command. This was bad news for them, because my Executioner got +10 Attack and +15 damage against Out of Command foes. He charged too, and outright killed the drow fighter in one blow. The Paladins killed the elf ranger and surrounded the axe sister. Then the Axe Sister makes a whirlwind attack and rolls a 20--critting 3 models for a total of 30 damage each. Ouch! I think the WotC guy got that rule wrong (I think Whirlwind requires three seperate rolls, not 1 roll applied 3 times) but who knows.
Turn 5:
Executioner finishes off the drow army. Half Orc and Monk move up and try to kill Human Monk, but miss. Halfling Warrior moves down to engage. Axe sister misses, and gets missed.
Turn 6: Human Monk hits and kills Goblin Sneak, then gets killed by Half-Orc Fighter, giving me the game.
I won a Human Thug figure as a prize.
Final Tally:
CG: Lost all but Axe Sister, killed Dire Boar, Human Thug, and a LG model.
LG: Lost Human Monk and one other model, killed Elf Ranger and Goblin Sneak.
CE: Lost everything, killed Elf Scout.
LE: Lost Goblin Sneak, killed Drow Cleric, Drow Fighter, Half-Orc Assassin, Human Monk, and Thri-Kreen Ranger.
This is a fun game.
-z