We had a quick learning game at the Demo Day on Saturday, and I've finished my rules read-through along with a 2nd revisit post-game. Here's Ugly, Bad, and Good , IMHO:
Ugly:
-- Rule book is terrible, a real step-back compared to the new Firestorm book. It was hard even to find where it says that Models moving Flat-out don't get to shoot. (i.e. in a paragraph, not a chart or reference bulet). Index is so much an afterthought, it's near useless.
-- Rules also have contradictory rules all over the place, like the Terror Weapon MAR.
-- STILL no pictures of the actual species troops, out of armor/exo-suits, etc. Is it so much to ask for a color-plate for each main faction showing races and uniforms? Ye Olde FASA games managed that at least.
-- How Woods work for LOS and "occupiable" is awfully unclear, even with the FAQ.
-- Cyberwarfare weapons need work. How they affect multiple-model squadrons is unclear. And the chart needs work - result 6 could be either awesome or useless whether before or after target activation.
-- Besides the lack of even rudimentary ORBATS, its also annoying that clearly colorful weapon systems have NO descriptives whatsoever besides their names and MARs. What's a "Shard Cannon" for instance?
Bad:
-- The whole thing is beta-version, as has been said elsewhere. Many rules, interactions, and ORBAT entries are either completely inpenetrable or don't even work. They really should have taken another 6 months to iron all this out - at this rate, they're going to owe everyone a free PDF of the updated rulebook.
-- However the frack Artillery is suppose to work, versus Sky Drop, versus Target Lock is all hopelessly muddled together. I *think* I've figured it out with the help of the FAQ, but the statement about not using Allied drop markers no has me wondering how RSN even deploys.
-- Nobody's explained the REAR ECHELON MAR properly yet. Does the dropped model not get any activation when it deploys? Are embarked models even allowed to disembark? Because if I have to drop a Relthoza hive-tower and let 8 stands of Infantry sit there inside it for a whole turn like sitting ducks, its a deal-breaker on the whole game.
-- Per FAQ, it seems clear that a Transport cannot drop Infantry into buildings, as that would be a Disembark and Embark in the same Activation. So at some point, Infantry has to sit in the open playing target with no saves. STUPID. Doubly stupid is the notion that you CAN get into a building, but only if fighting the enemy to do so. So... we don't have time to just run in ... but there's time to fight some CQB. Basically, terrain needs a separate rule from Transports.
Good:
-- IF things work the way I think they do ...the drop and artillery mechanics can be really awesome. Since Artillery can kill Infantry in a building with no saves or to hit penalties, its very good they seem limited to once a game. But that can also be sucky if that unit can do little else.
Sky drop seems a very satisfying mechanic, long tem.
-- I like the simplified DR chain, and lack of Crits. This many models on the table needs faster resolution, and I think this provides.
-- I like the differences in Infantry, and the reliance on them to take and hold.
-- Building models are amazing.
-- Almost all the armor models I've seen are amazing. I'm not sure if the initial Helixes contain Infantry Option models (Command, Heavy weapons, etc) - but they *really* need to have that standard in any Infantry pack. Not as much worry for me as I play relthoza, but still.
-- Snafus, bad rules, and confusion aside...the game was FUN. So many tactical and strategic possibilities kept occurring to me.
End point - I want to play MORE!
