War of the Worlds?

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Wulf
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War of the Worlds?

Post by Wulf »

I've been intrigued by talk of using Q13 to play out a War of the Worlds game. However, what I've read raises a few problems - maybe someone could answer them?

I would want to play the original setting - 1895 in England. I've read Q13 only starts in WWII. Is it entirely unsuited to an earlier setting?

I've also read it needs substantial forces each side. As I'd want my tripods vastly superior to any single human unit, I'd want a game balanced with only 3 tripods on one side. Would that work?

Basing. I'm not sure just how figures are based - I read one suggestion that figures were based individually, which seems wrong for the scale...
sunjester
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by sunjester »

I've been having exactly the same ideas, and concerns. Not sure how to proceed myself!

Graham
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Vis Bellica
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by Vis Bellica »

Hi

Don't know where this idea that Q13 only starts in WW2 comes from: total rubbish.

It is true that the earliest Tech Level mentioned is '0', which is stated as being around the mid- to late- 20th Century mark, but there's no reason why that couldn't be used for earlier forces or, even better, you could use a Tech Level of -1 or -2 etc. That would certainly make the differences between Martian and Terran technology even more apparent.

As for the three Tripods bit, not really a problem. Several ways you could do that. Firstly, you could up armour/shield them so you had the equivalent of a Super-Tiger fighting tankettes.

That might, however, make the Martians permanently indestructible, so what you could do is to use a bit of chrome (as explained in the rules) and have the Martians having shields that have to be knocked down. Start with shields, say, at 15 points. Each penetration knocks a point off; but the Martians regenerate two points every Commercial Break card. Just use a d20 placed by each tripod to indicate current shield level: there are only three of them after all, hardly hard to keep track.

As for basing, my 15mm Q13 armies (and my IABSM ones too) are all based differently. Some are singles (a pain to put out and pack away, but a joy to play with); some are in twos on round or square bases; the Gitungi are actually in threes...there is no problem with any basing convention.

Oh, and as proof of the pudding, once my "All Quiet on the Martian Front" models arrive from their Kickstarter, I'm fully intending to play War of the Worlds too: probably fighting my Quar.

Sing out with any further questions or queries.

Cheers

R
Wulf
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by Wulf »

Vis Bellica wrote:Don't know where this idea that Q13 only starts in WW2 comes from: total rubbish.
It was in a review. There's not much on the game to read about, I think I only found two reviews...
Sing out with any further questions or queries.
What sort of unit types are they? Is it just 'Infantry', 'Tank', 'Artillery', or something more elaborate? Using comparative tech levels sugests more generic units than I like...
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Vis Bellica
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by Vis Bellica »

Hi Wulf

Oh, sorry: I didn't realise you hadn't actually bought the rules yet!

There are no generic units in Q13: they are all designed by the players. The rulebook contains no army lists, generic or otherwise, just guidelines for putting together your own lists (about one third of the rules).

The rules provide a framework that translates the vast variety of concepts possible in an effectively infinite sci-fi universe into a common idiom, allowing the game's systems to operate. You can effectively field anything that you can represent with a figure.

The way it works is that you define each of your units just as they are designed in other TFL games: number in a squad, Actions, armour, strike value etc. On top of that, you have national characteristic cards that you choose or make up yourself. On top of that you have what is called "chrome": an override for any rule in the rulebook provided that it is clearly stated and logically justified. Nothing generic, as I said!

Go to the Vis Lardica website (www.vislardica.com), to the Q13 section, to the Army Lists section. Download some of the army list examples that you can see there. That will show you a lot about the way units work.

Oh, BTW, where were the two reviews. I've read the one on Dropshop Horizon (written by someone who had never played the game, growl, growl!), but haven't found the other?

Hope that helps

Cheers

R
EvilGinger
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by EvilGinger »

The Drop ship Horizon one was given that the guy had just read the rules & admitted so where fair enough. Though it became apparent that from his reading he had not got how they worked at all. The really objectionable bit where some of the comments which where prepared to jump to negative conclusions based on a limited review.

as a personal point I would only comment on any product if I had experience of using it or playing it & I have to admit my ignorance on a regular basis when working in Spirit Games because I just have not played most of the games, you cant there are too many & too little time. I will however always say so & give as fair an opinion of the ones I have played as I can and recognize that there is good stuff which are just not my sort of thing.

:evil: Ginger
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Wulf
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by Wulf »

Unfortunately I can't remember where the reviews were. I just did a Google search for "Quadrant 13 review" and went through the results looking for actual reviews...
Wulf
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by Wulf »

Well, I just got a copy of Sharp Practice (cheap from eBay, sorry folks...) - not sure if that increases or decreases the chance of buying Q13... But it does look like it would work for WotW.
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Vis Bellica
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by Vis Bellica »

Hi

Yes, I am sure it would...but you are talking very different games.

SP is a skirmish-y game best played in 28mm. Q13 is a company-sized game designed to be played in 15mm.

Cheers

R
EvilGinger
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Re: War of the Worlds?

Post by EvilGinger »

Your best bet for a Platoon sized game with Tripods would be a variation on through the mud and the blood" The strength of Q13 is that it will cope handily with a game where you have companies of infantry squadrons of cavalry and batteries of guns on one side or may be the odd pre dreadnought or armoured train against a platoon or troop equivalent of tripods.

The whole thing is very much a build whatever Scifi setting you like tool kit attached to a very good set of rules, which can cope with any thing the design section can trow at it. Its also very bloody if you are the low tech force on the receiving end form a high tech one

:evil: Ginger
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