I thought Ambush Alley was THE most innovative set of warging rules since Arty Conliffe's CROSSFIRE.I was wrong. AMBUSH ALLEY: FORCE ON FORCE has just blown me away!
Force on Force by Shawn Carpenter is a stand on it's own game that utilises the core mechanics from Ambush Alley to play engagements between regular forces rather than regulars vs. insurgents battles. Reading through Force on Force, OMG! OMG! OMG! kept repeating in my head. This could well be my personal holy grail of wargaming.
I particularly like the initiative system that has a more considered approach than Crossfire yet still manages to capture a fluid combat environment. This is not a set of mechanics that have been threaded together to bake a set of rules. Rather, Force on Force is a thoughfully designed, well oiled and balanced machine.
The focus is on platoon / reinforced platoon sized actions played on 2 foot by 2 foot or 2 foot by 3 foot tables from WW2, through Post-War, Modern and into the Near Future. No Panzer Korps here! Which make's it all so immensely 'do-able' by the average gamer. A Sci Fi supplement is being developed.
I'm going to be shaking the rules down over the coming weeks, playing several games with a Near Future or Sci Fi twist as the situation in Hyboria deteriorates into border clashes. I'll post these games on the Blog, so keep watching.
For more information on Force on Force go to Ambush Alley Games website: (Click here). I thoroughly recommend a visit if just to pinch the scenarios and mini-campaigns!
Cheers
Mark
Hi Mark
ReplyDeleteWould this work for Sci-Fi, for The White Star War?
Post your thoughs on it at The WSW...when you are ready.
Michael
Your Hyboria setting sounds v interesting. Please give us updates on how that is progressing.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Vulture
They looks kind of neat...
ReplyDeleteWhat would cross-compatibility with Ambush Alley be like?
i.e. Do the rules accomodate mixing insurgents and regulars.
How about multiple players?
Also, there are quick start rules on the website, which has made me most glad. :)
Simulated-Knave: The rules do indeed accomodate mixing insurgents and regulars. We needed them to allow for real life situations encountered in Viet Nam and modern Iraq (and more - those two just pop to the front of my mind the quickest). Not to mention the fact that the Democratic People's Republic of Glory often field mixed forces of DPRA Regulars and DPRM guerrilas . . . (yes, that last bit of nonsense references our SF setting on the colony world of Glory). ;)
ReplyDeleteHow will Force-on-Force handle sci-fi vehicles (both manned and unmanned) that may include (depending on setting) air cushion and flying vehicles capable of high speeds? Do the current wheeled and tracked vehicle rules satisfy?
ReplyDeleteWe'll be bolting on some additional rules to handle GEV and AG (Anti Grav) vehicles - but given the scale of the game the current vehicle movement rates probably represent a pretty reasonable tactical "speed limit." We'll also cover the effects of different types of terrain on special movement types.
ReplyDelete