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An alternative tabletop wargame.
16 years ago
I'm not gonna lie, I really do like Warhammer 40k. I would play more if not for the fact that I suck at painting, and that mental inertia has kept me from assembling most of the models in the first place. Oh, and I'm unemployed, so I don't feel like I can go and get more tools to help me build models.
Anyway, someone on /tg/ challenged readers to come up with a new tabletop wargame. He said as follows:
"...Your task at hand: create a game that will compete with Warhammer 40k and Warmachine. The company's strategy is to make the game cheaper to get into, via less expensive minis. YOU, however, have to create the game's setting, come up with concepts for each of the armies and how they'll play.
In addition, the company is very firm on one point: to avoid being called a clone of either of the two games that are out there, you are not allowed to create a setting that is primarily GRIMDARK or STEAMPUNK.
So what do you do, /tg/?"
And I homebrewed a concept. I thought: you know, our "global war on terror" is such a caricature of itself, why don't we make it into a game?
It's like this.
Several different factions are vying for... well, different things. The West is looking to extend its influence over the entire globe to "make it safe for democracy". So is the Asian Alliance, would-be captains of global industry, who enter play in the form of the combined force of the Indian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese military forces. Meanwhile, the Iranians are working on some project that will either provide the world with a limitless supply of nearly-free energy or destroy the world. The Kingdom of Arabia is a lawful evil theocracy dedicated to spreading its religion and system of government over the entire globe, by any means. The Russians are tired of everyone else bothering them and have decided to stick it to anyone who might be a threat, and stick it good. And the Israelis are caught between the Russians, the Arabians, and Iran; while they're friendly with the West and the Asian Alliance, they still fear for their survival.
Epic Battle in the 21st Century! etc., etc.
So, the play styles?
Arabia has superb infiltration tactics, fearless and highly aggressive if unskilled attackers ("Martyrs' brigades"), etc. Their line troops are only modestly effective, but that's why you have to back them up with the fanatics, reinforce their dedication with clerics, or lead them with a courageous Prince. Low-cost army, hard to play right but effective if you know what you're doing.
Iran uses a mixture of modern tech and magic - you know, rifle platoons with a couple of heavy weapons apiece, a couple of heavy tanks, oh and by the way, sorcerers and demons. Comparable to the West in terms of its line troops and armor, specialized in air defense and anti-tank.
Asian Alliance: lots of low-cost, low-effectiveness troops and heavy support. They fight by gathering their forces into a wall and simply rolling forward, hoping to defeat their enemies through attrition. However, their elites are super-fucking-elite. They can take power armor, which makes them effectively bulletproof - not to mention faster, stronger, more heavily armed, and more accurate.
The West: middle-of-the-line troops and front-line heavy support. However, their long-range fire support is second to none and they're good at maneuvering: they can often enter the battlefield from several different directions.
Russia: its line troops are similar to those of the Asian Alliance - generally conscripts - but their front-line heavy support is insane. We're talking tanks with gun barrels you could easily fit your shoulders into, fully automatic artillery cannons in calibers 120mm and up, and rocket artillery capable of rapid fire and loading a wide variety of warheads. In essence, ANYTHING BIGGER THAN RIFLE IS BLAST WEAPON, YES? Their specialty, predictably enough, is heavy ordnance.
Israel: focused on short-range, absolutely brutal hit-and-run attacks. Their line troops are expensive, and comparable to hardened veterans of other factions. However, their elites tend not to be game-breaking because they're only slightly more powerful than the elites of other factions, and they tend to specialize. Their close-support air power is comparable to that of the West.
---
So, tell me. Would you play this game?
Anyway, someone on /tg/ challenged readers to come up with a new tabletop wargame. He said as follows:
"...Your task at hand: create a game that will compete with Warhammer 40k and Warmachine. The company's strategy is to make the game cheaper to get into, via less expensive minis. YOU, however, have to create the game's setting, come up with concepts for each of the armies and how they'll play.
In addition, the company is very firm on one point: to avoid being called a clone of either of the two games that are out there, you are not allowed to create a setting that is primarily GRIMDARK or STEAMPUNK.
So what do you do, /tg/?"
And I homebrewed a concept. I thought: you know, our "global war on terror" is such a caricature of itself, why don't we make it into a game?
It's like this.
Several different factions are vying for... well, different things. The West is looking to extend its influence over the entire globe to "make it safe for democracy". So is the Asian Alliance, would-be captains of global industry, who enter play in the form of the combined force of the Indian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese military forces. Meanwhile, the Iranians are working on some project that will either provide the world with a limitless supply of nearly-free energy or destroy the world. The Kingdom of Arabia is a lawful evil theocracy dedicated to spreading its religion and system of government over the entire globe, by any means. The Russians are tired of everyone else bothering them and have decided to stick it to anyone who might be a threat, and stick it good. And the Israelis are caught between the Russians, the Arabians, and Iran; while they're friendly with the West and the Asian Alliance, they still fear for their survival.
Epic Battle in the 21st Century! etc., etc.
So, the play styles?
Arabia has superb infiltration tactics, fearless and highly aggressive if unskilled attackers ("Martyrs' brigades"), etc. Their line troops are only modestly effective, but that's why you have to back them up with the fanatics, reinforce their dedication with clerics, or lead them with a courageous Prince. Low-cost army, hard to play right but effective if you know what you're doing.
Iran uses a mixture of modern tech and magic - you know, rifle platoons with a couple of heavy weapons apiece, a couple of heavy tanks, oh and by the way, sorcerers and demons. Comparable to the West in terms of its line troops and armor, specialized in air defense and anti-tank.
Asian Alliance: lots of low-cost, low-effectiveness troops and heavy support. They fight by gathering their forces into a wall and simply rolling forward, hoping to defeat their enemies through attrition. However, their elites are super-fucking-elite. They can take power armor, which makes them effectively bulletproof - not to mention faster, stronger, more heavily armed, and more accurate.
The West: middle-of-the-line troops and front-line heavy support. However, their long-range fire support is second to none and they're good at maneuvering: they can often enter the battlefield from several different directions.
Russia: its line troops are similar to those of the Asian Alliance - generally conscripts - but their front-line heavy support is insane. We're talking tanks with gun barrels you could easily fit your shoulders into, fully automatic artillery cannons in calibers 120mm and up, and rocket artillery capable of rapid fire and loading a wide variety of warheads. In essence, ANYTHING BIGGER THAN RIFLE IS BLAST WEAPON, YES? Their specialty, predictably enough, is heavy ordnance.
Israel: focused on short-range, absolutely brutal hit-and-run attacks. Their line troops are expensive, and comparable to hardened veterans of other factions. However, their elites tend not to be game-breaking because they're only slightly more powerful than the elites of other factions, and they tend to specialize. Their close-support air power is comparable to that of the West.
---
So, tell me. Would you play this game?
So the sides are separated more on play style than physical location? Like Iran and "Arabia?" I'd find the separation of the two sides odd otherwise, but if you're attatched to that idea, it doesn't seem too bad.
Another main question is what exactly is the setting supposed to be? Iran has magic, but Asia (or whatever comprises it) has power armor? Does this mean other sides could have such things as well?
What sort of amount of units are we looking at for this? Such as, will there be a bunch of troops representing each aspect (or even nation/state) in a side? Would they be a bit more on the silly side (for a slightly less than politically correct example, Koreans with a Hydralisk-esque unit or an MMO Adventurer, Arabia with a rediculous looking suicide bomber), or would there be some serious cultural refrences (Russians with Spetznaz units, Israli Mossad, Western Delta Force, etc.), or a mix of both?
This is what I get just from reading this. If you answer this stuff in later journals, feel free to ignore it here.