REG-21July2013

Home alone on a Sunday afternoon, I decided to whip out my latest acquisition and give it a spin. This game was developed by local (Singaporean) game designers and I was excited to see what the gurus at the local gaming scene were able to come up with. First off, this is a cooperative game, so I know it will not sit well with our group. Secondly, this game is SUPER luck dependent! The die rolls make or break the game and I know certain members of our group who, while able to tolerate coop games or dice games on their own, will go ballistic when both are combined! Still, I cannot wait to give it a go!

My solo run through of Regimen: The Lions of Bukit Chandu

After setting up the board, I randomly drew 4 of the 5 characters I would be playing this game. The Heavy, Fireman, Medic and Scout were up for the defense of Bukit Chandu this round! They all took ammo tokens except for the Scout who opted to take a Medikit instead.

TURN 1

The Heavy took the first turn and Imperial troops immediately starting pouring in from the East and headed South. He moved into position and took up a stand closer to the medic.

More Imperial troops arrived during the Medic's turn and they headed Eastwards yet again. The brave medic fought against the 2 imperial troops at this location but failed to kill one. Using his spare ammo, he finished off the other and claimed both as his prize. Clearing the square also earned him his ammo token back.

The Fireman was next to go, turning over another Imperial troop card and forcing the entire Japanese battalion to move Eastwards again. Braving the storm, the Fireman rushed in to face 2 Imperial troops and dispatched them with ease!

Tanks started appearing near the Scout's location! Ignore the armored treat, the plucky Scout engaged a nearby Imperial troop and a nicely rolled "1" soon put him in his place.

TURN 2

More tanks started appearing at the start of the Heavy's turn. Ignoring the soldiers nearby, the Heavy launched himself at a nearby tank and at the expense of one ammo token, took out the armored beast!

The Medic drew more reinforcement cards which triggered the sacking and burning of a nearby forest!! Sensing no urgency, the Medic ran to join the Fireman in the upcoming fight the next turn.

The brave Fireman took out 2 of the Imperial troops but succumbed to the tank's heavy firepower! He traded in his trophies for another rank! 2 more to victory!

The Scout opted to stay in his spot this turn and hoped the Heavy drew cards which made forced the troops into his square.

TURN 3

As luck would have it, the troops wandered westwards into the Medic's square while the Heavy joined him in battle! With the use of an additional ammo and his special ability, the Heavy and Scout cleared the tile of the Japanese tanks and troops(+1 for ally), leveling up in the process!

The Medic spent his turn reviving the Fireman and making sure he was fit to fight and put out the fires! Meanwhile, more Imperial troops and tanks emerged and began to plaster Bukit Chandu with bullets and shells! (There were more regimen soldiers destroyed offboard)

The Rank 3 Fireman began his turn while more Imperial troops started pouring in. He spent his turn clearing out the lone Imperial troop in the South and helped to put out 2 forest fires.

The Scout and Heavy looked northwards, saw the bulk of the Japanese army headed their way and decided to go off in another direction. Killing the lone Imperial soldier earned the Scout the trophy he needed to level up.

TURN 4

More Japanese bombers started to show up at the start of the Heavy's turn. A lucky South movement card forced a plane which was already at the south to appear in the North. The Heavy took this chance and rushed into the plane's tile. A lucky roll and use of the ammo token took out the Bomber and earned the Heavy his 4th level. One more to Victory!

The Medic's turn saw more appearance of Japanese troops as he ran to join the Fireman!

The Fireman's turn saw the arrival of yet MORE imperial troops! With the aid of the Medic, the Fireman opted to fight troops on his square. After expending 2 ammo tokens, the Fireman cleared the tile and leveled up to Rank 4 with this trophies! The luck factor in this game is WAAAAY high!

The Scout took his time and slowly whittled away troops one by one.

TURN 5

An unlucky card draw put the final bomber out of the Heavy's reach. Opting to try his luck with taking out tanks instead, the Heavy moved into a square with a a tank and a trooper and tried to take them both out. Rolling two 2s, he only managed to take out the one tank. Luckily the enemy troops were also not as accurate.

The Medic spent his turn moving into position to help the Fireman and hoped the movement of the troops allowed his comrade to secure the win!

A lucky movement card forced the bombers off the tile leaving the tanks and an entire battalion of troops. The Fireman shot and rolled a 3 and a 2. He needed a 4 to win the game! He opted for a reroll with this ammo token and rolled a 3! With his Medic friend beside him, it pushed the roll to a 4, allowing the Fireman to take out 2 tanks and leveling to Rank 5, ending the game!

EPILOGUE AND END OF GAME STATS

This game is SUPER hard! The only thing that saved me were my lucky die rolls. With luck playing such a HUGE factor in this game, I doubt our group will see it on the table much. I would've preferred a more strategic way of resolving combat (One unit takes out one trooper automatically for example)

Note: I noticed one thing I played wrongly - The Medic cannot enter the Overwhelmed location. Oops, I would've lost the game!

Kudos to the team at Red Tin Bot for coming up with a game so rich and full of local flavour! Can't wait to see what's next!!