I had gotten the book some time ago. Unfortunately still didn't get to actually play a game in it yet, but I'm already busy writing a small fan-supplement for it anyways.
I largely approve of the system's direction. The rules still feel needlessly convoluted in some places, but not nearly as much as DH & Co. At the same time, the book desperately needs an errata and FAQ to clarify a few things -- there's this thread over at the official Ulisses forums now, which I recommend stopping by to check on a few things that may have been unclear. What I really, really like is that grenades have been confirmed to utilize the Reload system, acting as an "alternate special attack" and dispensing with the need to rebuy these consumables again and again. That said, special ammo still needs a balance pass; if it's really supposed to be "one shot" I don't think anyone is going to use manstopper bullets, as just acquiring a bolter is going to be easier, cheaper, on top of having better stats.
Personally, I'm looking forward to what supplements may add to the game. The core rulebook is pretty much a "Jack of all Trades", having basic rules for just about everything, but not going into detail for anything specific. For the time being, groups will have to fill a lot of the blanks, but thankfully the system is simple enough that this should not take a lot of time. Whipping up an entirely new Archetype, for example, is a mere matter of minutes -- I really like this kind of customizability in a game, and it is something I had already praised Only War for.
On 10/22/2018 at 3:06 PM, Magnus Grendel said:Marines pick a chapter and get two bonus rules - or are primaris (at a higher starting tier) and get even better stats and ignore any geneseed-based negatives from their chapter rules.
You're probably aware that official material's focus on Space Marines is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, so you won't be surprised to hear I had to roll my eyes a bit at the amount of content they get in a supposedly unified rulebook, compared to all other types of player characters. But my criticism does not just aim at the detailed special rules for different Chapters, which can still be handwaived as catering to the importance/popularity of this faction for the IP as a whole -- rather, I was more annoyed at the "extra mile" given to Astartes-Keyword equipment.
Why are they the one faction getting a separate chapter (pun not intended) for their power armour? Why was the needler associated specifically with the Space Marines when its more numerous user is the Imperial Guard? The former does not just constitute an inefficient use of pages, it also means humans currently do not have access to Terminator armour. Likewise, the latter means human characters do not have a projectile sniper rifle, but are limited to the long las. Thanks to the system being so open, there fortunately are very easy workarounds to both (be it a more liberal interpretation of the meaning of Keywords, or just duplicating the item in question), but I can't help but feel a sting of annoyance at this kind of special treatment. I thought the purpose of a universal ruleset was to get over this kind of segregation? This would have been great for a supplement, but leaves a bad taste in my mouth when it's a precedent from the core book.
This being said, given that we've been teased Ratlings from a future IG supplement, I have a sneaking suspicion that we are going to see a (ab)human needler in the near future, given its traditional affiliation with these specialist marksmen. Will it be the same weapon with the same stats but a different Keyword? Or will it have slightly different stats to gloss over the "conspiracy theory" that it has been intentionally held back? Time will tell! I hope the Guard supplement will also bring rules for something like the Comrade system from OW, or allow ranking characters to acquire command of NPC platoons. The core rules already have some cool basics here if we look at the Mob you can acquire as an Ork Nob, just like there's a more generic Talent that gets you a Mob of low-level minions -- perfect for simulating stuff like Frateris Militia or hired goons.
QuoteA Cawl-pattern Bolt Rifle (what primaris carry) is a fundamentally different weapon but it still has the same damage and rate of fire (salvo score) - it's advantage over the bolter are its AP (it's better at killing armoured opponents) and range (60m instead of 40m, and - critically - 30m instead of 20m for the 'half range' Rapid Fire boost to damage). It's still not quite as good as a heavy bolter, even in rapid fire range.
And don't forget the built-in grenade launcher!
QuoteMost of the archetypes are pretty general - each 'faction' has 2-4 of them, one starting at each tier :
I feel like in some cases, the tiers aren't really adequate. Needless to say, there's going to be a lot of subjectivity involved in such assessments, but I would have switched a number of Archetypes around.
Edited by Lynata