Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Steve C. wrote and asked a couple of questions about the rules on stance, chainguns, and tanks.

My response in part:

Steve:

Here are the reasons behind the stance rule: First, stance affects movement speed in real life. Second, there is a trade-off involved. A prone soldier is slow but he gets a big defense bonus. A kneeling soldier is less slow and gets a smaller defense bonus. Standing soldiers are normal speed, and get no defense bonus. Running soldiers are faster still, get no defense bonus, but cost an additional point.

Chaingun = any gun that has ammo hanging down like a chain. But also, any heavy gun is treated as a chaingun. Sometimes a soldier has one of these weapons on a tri-pod. Sometimes he's lugging one around like Rambo did at the end of First Blood. Any gun mounted on a vehicle - including a tank's secondary gun - is treated as a chaingun.

Tanks: The tank's main gun is treated exactly like a bazooka – three rounds only. The tank's chain gun operates under the normal chain gun rules. The main gun and the chain gun do not cost extra points on a Tank. On its turn, a tank may move up to its full speed and fire both the main gun and the chain gun."

To see how the main gun operates, see the rules on bazookas and also the rules, generally, on explosive weapons (page 3). Read also the vehicle rules to see the effect of explosive weapons on the vehicle. The tank's secondary gun is a chain gun (page 2).

Treating the tank's primary cannon as a bazooka is another example of realism being sacrificed for simplicity. I think it keeps the game simple and fun for beginning gamers... but your mileage may vary.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Army Men for sale on ebay here.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Army Men Wargame Preview

Take a look at the first couple of pages of the Army Men Wargame!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Game now on sale.

"Army Men: The Wargame" is now on sale at eBay.

Click here to go to the auction.

This auction only will last 10 days. After that, just search eBay for "Army Men: The Wargame." I will relist if there is sufficient interest.

Publishing "Army Men: The Wargame"

I have just published - in pdf form - rules for wargaming with the little plastic Army Men we all played with as kids.

I've had a good time playtesting these rules both with my gaming group (all adults) and with my kids (age 10 and 12). Everybody seems to have a good time with this game.

The title of this game is "Army Men: The Wargame."

The rules handle the stances (prone, kneeling, standing, and running), and weapons of each figure. There are special rules for bazookas, minesweepers, paratroopers, and vehicles like tanks, jeeps, humvees, and troop transports. Other rules handle foxholes and other cover. Leaders inspire the soldiers and can serve as medics.

At 12 pages, the rules are simple enough that a smart 10-year-old will enjoy the game. But the game is complex enough to keep the adults interested too.

The game will be sold on eBay and at other Internet sites that sell game pdf's.

Hat tip to my playtesters - The Westover Gamers, and to Timothy, Matthew, and Thomas at home.