What Have We Here?
In the spring of 2018, I was invited to go to my first War Game convention. I went to Little Wars in the Chicago area to demo a game with a friend of mine. While we were there, I had enough free time to try all of the other demo games in the room. Skirmish games seem to be a big thing lately for the reduced model count (and therefor price tag...) compared to the larger war games. This reflected in the demos with 2 small aircraft dog fight games, a samurai skirmish game, a small scale tanks only game, and even a high-octane western shootout style game!
The one game that I decided to pick up though, was a game called G.U.A.R.D.S. by Gaddis Gaming. This game was designed to let you use any models you have lying around to make armies from. Finally, I have found something that I can use all of my WotC Star Wars Miniatures for! So I picked it up, got busy for the whole summer, and finally am getting around to trying it out at home.
To Be Clear
I have decided to do this write up and review of the game system of my own accord. Gaddis Gaming is not backing or supporting me in any way.
How It Plays
I got to play at the convention with one of the Gaddis Gaming crew. This game is still in early development as the team finds time to work on it, and the rules are still filling out. There are some inconsistencies between sections on how to resolve some rules, and there are some page formatting situations that make the rule book a little tough to follow. Luckily, the Gaddis team is super responsive and willing to help clear up some rules. They also respond to feedback well and will take any that you think would be helpful to making the game as great as it can be.
I have played a few different games like this, but the Suppression mechanic seem to set this game apart from the rest I have played. Suppression is the 'moral' system in the game. It is nice that your units don't run away after taking 2 hits. Instead, they may be too scared to take action after being shot at! I like that the unit could potentially be stunned for a round, but is still on the table presenting a threat where as so many other games you have all or nothing.
Unfortunately, these rules are some of the hardest rules to follow throughout the rule book right now. How to you get suppression tokens, how many you can have, how to get rid of them, and what they do to a unit are spread around throughout the book. Additionally, these function as sort of a shield for your unit, or temporary hits that replenish as you activate (or try to activate) your unit. I am not sure if that is the intended feel, but some units that get dug in really well with a decent armor rating are nearly impossible to remove from the table.
The D10 system gives more flexibility for fine tuning house rules and custom weapons/gear. Along with the faction-less system being open for anyone to make whatever fits your fancy, there is a huge space to play in here that lets you play the way you always wished you could with dozens of men fighting along monstrous space bugs!
I haven't had enough time to try out everything, so I have only done one game with my wife. We played a modified version of the Battle for Endor. We focused mostly on infantry formations and I threw in one vehicle for the imperial forces just to try it out. As far as I can tell, I didn't put enough guns on it to make it worth the points, but it is hard to tell how many guns the rules 'want' you to put on a vehicle.
One of the biggest lessons I learned from the game with my wife is that Close Combat is SUPER lethal. Suppression cannot be used in Close Combat, so no shields allowed makes for a bloody conflict. My storm troopers just didn't put out enough shots to stop the ewok tides of fur. Ultimately, I was over-run.
I wrote up a battle report for some more play-by-play action soon, and linked it here!
Other Perks
The game has enormous potential and if you are willing to make some house rulings or assumptions, this game is well enough together for some friendly games. Unfortunately for me, I love the crunch, and if I can't rules lawyer my way into an iron-clad decision, I just can't function properly. However, if you buy a copy, they are willing to send you PDF updates as they come out, so you should always be up to date!
Again, the rules are pretty lose right now, but there is allowance for some pretty significant flexibility. I didn't get to using any of them, but there are 'hero' type units in the game that can have special characteristics, letting you make your own special leader or just generally awesome soldier. I could imagine a game being played skirmish style with hero units only to get a more personalized army.
I think it is also worth noting that Gaddis Gaming also makes miniatures and a Table Topper that lets you turn smaller tables into something more appropriately sized for your cinematic mayhem! Go ahead and check out their website here. You can pick up a copy of the rules in their shop for $15 and give it a try.
As always, happy gaming!
-Zenfall
