Having test played the game before, I am giving this ruleset four stars overall. The rules revolve primarily around the use of the flying Template. There is hardly any pieces that you would really have difficulty moving around the table. The models themselves are somewhat 'chibi' in dimensions, or perhaps 'deformed' to some, but I find them wonderful when I saw them as prototypes. The fact that you have to decide on your maneuvers at the same time (and in secret) from your opponent means that you end up with things "not going according to plan" very often, and you have to keep that in mind when you decide to try and get up on someone's aft end. The more players you have on the table, the more hectic (and in my opinion, fun!) the game gets. I played in a 2 vs. 2 scenario, and we were able to finish the entire game in less than 2 hours, with two of us complete noobs to the game. Even then, the hard part was ensuring that I stayed in a position to support my teammate so we could try to take down the opposing players' planes, without getting in the way of each other or crashing. Sure, you think you would have all the room in the world with different altitude levels, but that's not the case! I would like to see a few of the Advanced rules expounded on in the future, and given some additional photographic examples, but for the time being, it is still an outstanding little ruleset to play, and I highly encourage others to pick it up and check it out.

TLDR?

Buy it and play it.

For those who have been waiting for so long to hear from Peace River once again, this book delivers on army construction as well as providing a glimpse of the future models that will be released. The art is spartan, but very functional, and the designs themselves are very cool to see. The amount of optional loadouts alone are enough to boggle a person who is new to the Heavy Gear universe, so I hope that they won't cross their eyes trying to figure everything out. This third most recent update seems to have cleared up a few issues that the first issue had.

Dream Pod 9 continues to show that they listen to their fans in almost everything they do. Great job all around.

I found it to be instructive enough to really explain where the creators of this game were going with their original thoughts on the game. Really, the art is well done, although the fact that everything is separated into three different files might have been given over to a single file instead. But that's a personal preference, not a judgment against the authors. It was quick to download, quick to read, and though it had some grammar errors it was easy enough for me to understand all but some of the more vague terms used. All in all, I give it 4 stars.

My previous review was 4 stars. This one is a 5, because the staff proved its worth. After editing, they also added in a few more tidbits into the rules to smooth out the rules.

Forged in Fire, for all those who are new to Heavy Gear, details in particular the Southern faction, also known as the Allied Southern Territories. Simply put, a lot has happened in the history of the planet Terra Nova, and Forged in Fire puts a special focus on the South and its five separate political entities, and the military forces they command.

After giving you a very in-depth read into the history, they also go through a huge selection of Gears, striders, and tanks that can be used by the armies, each of which has fascinating lineart that utterly preps you for the army list builds.

Using the approach started in the book for NuCoal, Perfect Storm, Forged in Fire has you start with what Priority Level army you would like to go with, as well as Threat Value, and then gives you five separate regimental types, each with its own special focus, including Infantry, Gear, Armor, Airborne, and Special Forces.

The art is outstanding, and its introduces new players and old to the world that Terra Nova is fast becoming since the arrival of Earth's Colonial Expeditionary Force, or CEF. The South will rise, or it will fall, on the choices of its leaders and the actions of its troopers. Are you Geared up?

In short, I am very happy with the new editing, and with the smaller size of this book, it is that much easier for folks to go into and flip through pages and pages of material with hardly any trouble... even for an old dinosaur of a laptop like mine. :)

Welcome to the South, troopers.

Gear UP Issue 5 is an excellent read, and also an excellent resource for those who want to join in the Heavy Gear gaming community. Lots of great artwork, as well as informative painting tips and tutorials, plus plenty of articles dealing with myriad subjects, including army building from those who have become a part of the community. An additional bonus is the Field Testing rules, which are beta rules designed to improve the game due to feedback provided by folks on the forums for Dream Pod 9. Although these rules are not made official yet, they show that DP9 truly appreciates the opinions of its players and tries to provide a very balanced and very enjoyable game for everyone who wants to get involved.

I had no troubles with my own personal copy, and thought the scan used by DTRPG was excellent quality. Definitely no qualms for the staff at DTRPG.

For those who have been waiting for so long to get in on the action of Heavy Gear, this book provides an amazing background story for the coalition that is referenced as NuCoal. Heavy Gear has always had an amazing background, but this book provides amazing artwork as well as impressive statistics for new army groups and types that can be used both for fun as well as for official Heavy Gear tournaments.

The artwork is flowing and smooth, but made to look rough and rugged, just like the planet it is based on. On top of that, the guys at Dream Pod 9 finally indulged in the city-states that had for so long been in the background and rarely mentioned.

In combination with all this, the storyline that centralizes around some of the characters is given a jump start, filling in the blanks for those who enjoy the role-playing aspect of the game.

The scan itself from DriveThruRPG is also an excellent one, not marked or worn-down, and provides you with plenty to look at and drool over until you've saved up your pennies for future purchases.