Panzer Kids Deluxe is the full version of the pay-what-you-want Panzer Kids Basic rules set that appeared earlier in 2016. I reviewed the basic set when it came out and gave it three stars with anticipation that the full set would earn another star or two if it offered more vehicles and some optional rules. I'm happy to say that it delivers on both counts.

The author designed Panzer Kids to let grownups run tabletop miniatures battles featuring the most iconic armored vehicles of WW2 for their little gamers as young as 7. He succeeds, and at the same time, introduces new gamers to all the classic concepts of miniature wargaming, making Panzer Kids an effective gateway to the hobby. He breaks no new ground in terms of rule design, but this is a feature, not a bug. You use rulers to measure movement and range, and dice to determine hits and misses. Three cumulative hits on a tank knocks it out of the battle. There are rules for cover and concealment, and optional damage rules that degrade a tank's stats with each cumulative hit scored. The list of vehicles features all the classic AFVs from ungainly early-war clunkers to fearsome late-war behemoths. British, French, German, Italian, Soviet, and American vehicles are included. Anti-tank guns are included, but no infantry, to keep the focus on the tank action. A very welcome addition in the deluxe rules is the formula for determining vehicle stats, showing how rationally the author derived each combatant's armor, speed, and attack values, and allowing you to add new ones consistently. How does it actually play? You can get started with minimal prep, and a battle typically takes 20-30 minutes. I can explain the combat mechanic to you in a few words: roll a die and add your attack value; you hit if the total exceeds your target's armor. A natural 6 always hits and a 1 always misses -- this results in some very swingy results against mismatched opponents, but as I mentioned in the review of the basic rules, kids love sudden reversals of fortune in their games, especially when mom or dad is on the losing end. You could easily remove the natural 6 rule if you want the Stuarts to really fear the Tigers. A note on pricing: considering that it's a black-and-white 80-page PDF with single column layout and relatively large print, I wonder if $8 US seems a bit steep. The author was generous enough to send me a review copy, so I can't complain personally, but I'm curious if other potential buyers will find this the right price for them. The market shall decide!

Full Disclosure: I know the author via social media but I have not been solicited to write this review and I'll try to be evenhanded.

"Panzer Kids Basic" is a free teaser for the forthcoming "Panzer Kids Deluxe." Set-up can be done in a matter of two minutes providing you have some tanks and terrain pieces. The recommended scale is 15mm but it would work with nearly any scale. Players spend points to create their tank force, ranging from 5 points for an M4 Sherman to 16 points for a Tiger. (Strangely, an M3 Stuart costs more than an M4 -- I know Shermans had their faults but I would think a 75mm main gun and thicker armor would make them more valuable than a light tank such as the M3). Once you've bought your tanks, you and your adversary place an agreed-upon set of terrain features, which provide cover for any adjacent unit. Then you're ready to skirmish. Each tank has a data card with its essential stats: Speed, Range, Attack, Defense, and Cost. The fundamentals of movement and combat will seem familiar to any ruler-and-dice wargamer and are very simple to grasp. Their familiarity actually makes Panzer Kids Basic a good introduction to the standard concepts of wargaming for very young players. To attack, roll a six-sided die, add your tank's Attack bonus, and try to exceed your target's Defense. A "1" always misses and a "6" always hits, which tends to smooth out duels between mismatched opponents. That M3 Stuart will still score a hit on your Tiger 1 out of 6 tries. I see this as a feature rather than a bug -- kids tend to have a higher tolerance for random twists of fate in their games and it makes the battles more lively. Players use counters or tokens to keep track of how many hits each tank has taken. On the third hit, a tank is knocked out. With the right age group, you could be up for a fun evening of battles with your kids, each of which isn't likely to take more than 20 minutes. I hope that the deluxe version will add enough tactical options to keep players interested in the long run. I can't give the game more than 3 stars as is, because it seems a mere placeholder for the complete game -- which could make me add another star or two if it delivers on this bare-bones teaser.

This monster card includes a vivid, hand-drawn pencil illustration and a page of d20-compatible stats. The illustration by A. Danger Davis is sublimely creepy and oozes with the horror of sitting down on a seemingly harmless log to take a load off, only to find it quietly, painlessly sucking blood from your sensitive area. The stats give you fun creature abilities to play with, making the log creature more than just a nickel-and-dime annoyance. I'm looking forward to seeing more monsters from this creative team.