Briefing.

"A lot of people are worried about the lack of a points system in SGII.

I was, too, until I got it. The fact is, they are not encouraging

x000-points-a-side games. They don't want equal forces. What they

want are interesting scenarios."

-Andy Cowell, rec.games.miniatures.misc May 1996

"... The use of points values encourages players to do exactly what we DON'T want them to do. It seems to start some players thinking in a kind of Competition Mentality, trying to find loopholes in the rules that will allow them to get that little edge over their opponent by exploiting the system."

-Stargrunt II Rulebook Page 10, "Balancing Forces"

Stargrunt II is a wargame based on the concept of setting up a scenario, arranging the appropriate forces for the scenario and then battling it out as much with wits as with weapons-fire.

There are a number of aspects that set Stargrunt II apart from other miniatures wargames of similar genre, but I'm going to point out the bits that, to me, stand out as diamonds in the rough compared to more contemporary games that are available; I will try not to fall into the common "Stargrunt II-versus-Warhammer 40,000" trap that almost every discussion on Usenet and nigh every review on the Web devolves into.

* No Point-Based Army Lists: While this may turn a lot of people off initially, the concept behind this game is to force players to brainstorm and create scenarios that may be unbalanced by design.

This reflects the fact that in reality, battlefield engagements are seldom fair. In a hard science fiction world-setting it would be very possible for a jump infantry platoon to find themselves within striking distance of a GEV armored cavalry company!

There are several examples of how this could happen, and none of them require much imagination.

Aside from the scenario-driven foundation, it is possible to use a points system. The only problem is that some players are likely to prove Jon Tuffley's points in the quote above.

* Emphasis on Tactical Planning, Morale and Not Getting Shot: When it boils down to it, a soldier is most often an average post-adolescent/adult member of her state/nation/planet/species that is putting her life on the line. She isn't going to throw herself needlessly into a wall of lead just because she wasn't told to bite gravel when the other guys raised their rifles.

She is, along with the men and women along with her, going to do her damned best to avoid being vaporized.

Despite what movies tell you, Jane Q. Warhawk isn't a mook. She doesn't see herself as "just another meatshield". She sees herself as someone doing her job. Or her duty to her country.

Whatever her motivation is, she certainly isn't going to stand there like a meatbag when the lead (shrapnel/energy bolts/screaming, supersonic hamsters) starts flying...

When Private G.I. Smith was drafted, he was handed a rifle, flak vest and a helmet and told where to go. Now, after an FTL jump; pod drop and rendezvous, he's finally met up with his sergeant and the boys from Basic.

That was five hours ago.

Now he and the guys are behind a tumbled brick mound, listening to the lethal alloy raindrops dance across their shelter, hoping the bastards across the lane don't decide to start lobbing explosives. The body of Pvt. Wells is still on the causeway. Sergeant Weems is bitching to the Lt. over comms.

Five minutes ago, Smith and his squad ran like Hell for the rubble the moment their teammate dropped and the buzz-crack! of the disc-gun split the air where his head had been.

Smith nearly voided his kidneys then.

Where is that damned air cover?

Stargrunt II factors in troop quality as well as leadership competence when determining things like morale, unit effectiveness and even weapons accuracy.

Because of the higher percentage of wounded troops on the field (compared to outright kills), medics are going to be important. Because of things like mines, ravines and other obstacles, combat engineers may be important.

These troops are detailed in the rulebook and if the book is missing something, it can be added with relative ease.

* Open-Ended, Malleable Rulebook: The rules are there. There isn't going to be another edition that renders your entire army obsolete or unsupported every four years^.

If there exists some eyesore in the rules-as-written, you can happily reject the offending paragraph(s) and substitute your own.

If you want rules for something that is not covered in the book, you're more than welcome to try out your own house rules.

I myself might use a variant of the alternate armor rules in order to speed up small arms Direct-Fire resolution.

* Use Whatever You Want: Design your own army, from their history (if you wish) to the TO&E lists to the uniform color scheme and tactics. Use whatever miniatures you want- Hell, mix and match models from several different ranges if you want. You can stat them up easily.

This is the initial impression that I got about Stargrunt II while reading through the book and Internet archives.

Please feel free to offer feedback, I'd love to hear other ideas!

Regards,

Seamus

^ I said that I would TRY. :)

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