I guess this game falls under the category of fantasy naval games, so here goes...
Forrest and I played through our first game of DeepWars (by AntiMatter Games) a couple of weeks ago. DeepWars is a 28mm skirmish-level game set completely underwater. The game has elements of steampunk, science fiction, and fantasy. Forrest played the Fortune Hunters faction, and I played the Ancients of Atalan.
This game is very different from what I'm used to playing, but it was a LOT of fun!
The rule book lays out six different scenarios: skirmish, ambush, breach, salvage, survival, and capture. We opted for the skirmish scenario.
My "chariniform light assault mech construct" getting friendly with his tactical dive soldier. It's basically a robotic shark, but it has lightning torpedoes and mechanical jaws!
In setup, the defender places terrain and arrays his forces as he sees fit; the attacker may enter the board from any direction, as long as he is not within a certain distance of any opponent models. Also, models may start at any depth level. That's right--this is an underwater game, and most models have the ability to swim (either naturally or through use of a propulsion device). Depth levels are 4.75 inches apiece. Differing depth levels affect line of sight, range (for shooting), and other things. Forrest and I didn't have any way to physically raise or lower our models, so we used dice to indicate their depth levels. (I have an idea of how to make swim stands for future use.). There is no need for command distance most of the time; however, if a Leader model is in play, he or she can command the group to concentrate fire, but only if they are all within a certain range of each other.
Turns are simple, but different from other games I've played. The two opponents role for initiative; the winner chooses a model to activate, and then rolls 1, 2, or 3 D6 to activate the model. The player is rolling against the model's Quality (Q) rating, to see how many successes he can get. If a model's Q is 4+, the player would roll successes on a 4, 5, or 6. There is a table in the book that explains the rolls, based on how many dice are used and how many successes--and failures--are rolled. There is no cost or penalty associated with the number of dice used; the more you use, the more actions your model could potentially have (up to 3 actions), but with a higher number of dice there is a greater chance of failing the activation and play passing to your opponent. If a model fails the activation role, you cannot attempt to activate it until the next turn. So for example: if I rolled three dice to activate a model, and got three successes, that model would get 3 actions, and then I could roll to activate a second model. If, however, I got one success and two failures, the model would get one action and play would pass to my opponent. This is an interesting mechanic, and can really screw with your battle plan!
Combat is fairly simple. Shooting at each other is "ranged combat", and physical attacks are "melee combat" (where both models get to strike at each other). Each model carries at least one weapon, although I'm pretty sure you can only use one at a time. Basically, you roll one D6 and add the attacking model's combat score (C), plus any bonuses from the weapon itself, and subtracting any cover or armor bonuses for the target. I'm not going to go into all of it here, but it's a little intricate. However, once you've done it enough, it becomes fairly easy to calculate. One stand-out feature of the game: you have the option to make a targeted shot. Ranged shots and melee strikes always default to body shots; you also have the option of attempting a headshot, firing at the model's propulsion system, etc. It's pretty interesting.
Forrest's breaching mech and recon trooper ganging up on my lone assault trooper.
Forrest ended up carrying the day; the Fortune Hunters are a bit tougher than my Ancients, and I wasn't able to bring down any of his models. But we both had a good time, and that's what counts!
No doubt about it; this game is complex. Forrest said it's almost like an RPG masquerading as a miniatures game, and I think he's right. There are all sorts of rules in the book for treacherous terrain (sea vents, man-eating barnacles, etc), monstrous creatures (leviathan sharks, giant squid), and a whole host of other things. Models that get too far away from other models can get "lost", depending on the water clarity--meaning they get too far away to see their brethren. Swimming models can be stunned, and slowly sink to the ocean floor. I'm telling you, there is a LOT going on here, but it really is quite enjoyable! The underwater aspect is what drew me to this in the first place, and they set it all up quite nicely.
After the holidays, Forrest and I will be trying out the salvage scenario, in which our forces race around the board to different salvage points to pick up loot. I'll try to write up a battle report for that game as well.
Many thanks to Forrest for providing the (very colorful) terrain, and for willing to give this a go. Thanks for reading this review!
