FireLance
Legend
On the advice of a friend, I got a starter pack for a new line of miniatures recently. Opening the box, I discovered that it contained sixteen Small and sixteen Medium-sized figures. The figures were non-random, which was a bonus for me, but quite repetitive. All the Small minis were identical except for colour (eight black, eight white). There was a greater variety of Medium-sized figures, but even so, there were only five unique designs among the sixteen figures and the equal distribution between black and white figures was slavishly adhered to. The design of the minis was a major disappointment. The sculpting for all the minis was stylized, even simplistic. The Knight figure, for example, was represented by a crude horse head. The starter pack came with its own 40 ft. by 40 ft. battlemat, though, which was a minor plus.
The rules, however, were the worst I had ever seen. The designer had obviously never heard of the d20 system, and the rules are utterly lacking in any kind of internal logic or consistency.
For example, combat is exceptionally deadly. The advantage is always to the attacker, who never misses and is able to destroy any figure with a single strike. This means that even a lowly footsoldier (Pawn) is able to eliminate a mighty castle in just one round!
Movement also seems arbitrarily restrictive. Most figures are only able to move in straight lines (no change of direction during a move), and are further constrained to move only horizonally and vertically and/or diagonally. A single friendly or enemy figure can block movement (except in the case of the Knight). The designer has obviously never heard of overrunning or allowing an ally to pass through your square. Furthermore, movement never provokes attacks of opportunity in the game, except in one very specific set of circumstances. Other movement quirks are: the Pawns are incapable of retreat, and the Knights must move in a peculiar L-shaped pattern. No explanation is given for any of these constraints.
Finally, the designer seems to have difficulty deciding whether the setting is a low-magic world (the Bishop figures cannot cast spells) or a high-magic world (the Castles are somehow able to move and attack). This interferes tremendously with my suspension of disbelief.
I would advise everyone at EnWorld to give Chess a miss.
The rules, however, were the worst I had ever seen. The designer had obviously never heard of the d20 system, and the rules are utterly lacking in any kind of internal logic or consistency.
For example, combat is exceptionally deadly. The advantage is always to the attacker, who never misses and is able to destroy any figure with a single strike. This means that even a lowly footsoldier (Pawn) is able to eliminate a mighty castle in just one round!
Movement also seems arbitrarily restrictive. Most figures are only able to move in straight lines (no change of direction during a move), and are further constrained to move only horizonally and vertically and/or diagonally. A single friendly or enemy figure can block movement (except in the case of the Knight). The designer has obviously never heard of overrunning or allowing an ally to pass through your square. Furthermore, movement never provokes attacks of opportunity in the game, except in one very specific set of circumstances. Other movement quirks are: the Pawns are incapable of retreat, and the Knights must move in a peculiar L-shaped pattern. No explanation is given for any of these constraints.
Finally, the designer seems to have difficulty deciding whether the setting is a low-magic world (the Bishop figures cannot cast spells) or a high-magic world (the Castles are somehow able to move and attack). This interferes tremendously with my suspension of disbelief.
I would advise everyone at EnWorld to give Chess a miss.
What was he thinking??? Was there no QA or playtesting with focus groups? Surely he could have asked someone how other minis games are played!
Once you've placed your fig on the board, it's stuck there. How do you attack your opponent. Surround him with "stones." Talk about ludicrous. At least when you kill a fig, you get to take it off the board.
