This game is a very good medium between the sophistication of Strike Legion Tactical and the plainness of a strategic boardgame where each unit would just be a counter. The scale is (nominally) one inch equals a kilometer and stand equals one company, and the standard unit is a battalion of two to four companies, organized into a brigade or regiment of several battalions (three to five is about right). Each battalion can have detachment stands added which enhance its abilities - add a scout, and you get an electronic warfare bonus in an assault. Add artillery and your ranged fire gets a bonus. Airpower is included via "air markers," which represent airstrikes of varying intensity, although maneuvering air units on the table is limited to V/STOL attack craft and transports, and for those so inclined, airships and aeronefs. There are even rules for orbital strikes and tactical nuclear weapons.
You have to be pretty flexible about how you see the game, as it's definitely not a hardcore simulator of the FFT3 variety, but it feels unique and flexible and has a broad range of options to make the game your own. I especially like the various frameworks for campaigns, and the game as a whole works particularly well with scaled battlefield maps and 3mm scale figures, feeling very much like a Command Post exercise. I highly recommend it to gamers looking for a higher-level game that has a good balance between granularity and abstraction.
|