http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120827/TSJ02/308270001/Game-Review-8216-Hind-Commander-8217-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Training%20&%20Simulation%20Journal
That looks great. Are the ground units abstracted or are minis used for all of them as well?
Once again I'm confronted with the cold fact that I've neither the time, money, nor opportunity for gaming with minis. Had I merely the latter I'd find a way to make the former two work.
Very, very cool ! 8)
http://assaultpublishing.com/?page_id=53
Since the article didn't include the front cover
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fassaultpublishing.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F09%2FP1020068.jpg&hash=432bbd40969157df37ffabc5f7772f91f0955412)
You can use minis for ground units, but they're covered in much less detail than the choppers.
Michael
God I hate reading these forums sometimes.
Ok, so Hind Commander looks insane and I think I'm going to impulse buy it.
I hate you guys. I hate you guys so much. >:(
Nice to know I'm doing my job.
Michael
Quote from: Toonces on September 08, 2012, 02:35:20 PM
God I hate reading these forums sometimes.
Ok, so Hind Commander looks insane and I think I'm going to impulse buy it.
I hate you guys. I hate you guys so much. >:(
Expensive day for me, today.
Not only did I order Hind Commander and a set of minis to go with it, but I picked up A.W.A.C.S. as well.
http://www.picoarmor.com/pages/product_details.php?pid=1950
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.picoarmor.com%2Fimg%2Fproducts%2F1950%2F%2F3007_1950_500h.jpg&hash=d5622149017e58d35b665b786d29cb3fd85e4982)
Arm Weapons And Climb Solo
Product catalog number: AWACS-001
Product Description:
Arm Weapons And Climb Solo - Gulf War is loosely based on the events of the First Gulf War, but isn't a typical, realistic and historically accurate ruleset. Instead, you can expect quick, thrilling and fun B-movie style action!
Within this box you will find nearly everything needed to start playing: 62 unpainted, fine metal miniatures in 1/600 scale, 62 bases (stems for airplanes are not provided), a set of all required dice, counters, an 'army list' sheet and a brochure containing rules and six scenarios.
The players take various roles, from leading Allied fighter sweeps, Iraqi counterattacks or stealth bombings of SAM batteries, destroying SCUDs hidden at the end of a well defended valley. The scenarios may be played on 3 difficulty levels, and the players may easily create their own missions, and may share them with others on the official Assault Publishing forum!
•A pre-planned orders game mechanic
•Designed for smaller scales, such as 2mm, 3mm or 6mm
•Effective, but easy to master fog of war rules
•Emphasis on the importance of electronic warfare
•Rules for helicopters, airplanes, tanks, soft-skins, infantry, off-table support units and many more
•A card-based stratagem system
•A built-in card-based random battle generator with secret objectives
•A doctrines system, instead of conventional fixed army lists
•A vast, open list of equipment
•A complete rule-set with all markers attached
•Six scenarios
•"Army list" leaflet (full color, two sides)
•Color dice (5mm act as ammo markers) in four different colors and two sizes
•62 high-quality, laser-cut bases
•62 of the finest 1:600 models made by Oddzial Osmy-
4 x F-15
6 x F-16
4 x A10
2 x F-117 – New release
5 x M1A1 Abrams
6 x MiG21
4 x MiG-29
5 x Sa-8
5 x ZSU-23
10 x T-72
5 x SCUD
6 x Mirage F1 – Special offer
Hind Commander and A.W.A.C.S. arrived today.
Not quite what I was expecting...really I need to take some pictures to illustrate. More later.
Quote from: Toonces on September 12, 2012, 09:15:07 PM
Hind Commander and A.W.A.C.S. arrived today.
Not quite what I was expecting...really I need to take some pictures to illustrate. More later.
Like to hear your thoughts.
Michael
Anything that includes Hinds is automatically better than anything that doesn't.
Quote from: Gusington on September 12, 2012, 09:20:51 PM
Anything that includes Hinds is automatically better than anything that doesn't.
Gus. We're not talking about
behinds. We're talking helicopters.
Gus loves him some MiL-24s.
Speaking of which...
LOL!
Well, I'll start with the most glaring thing first.
Before I bought AWACS I was searching around the internet desperately looking for some solid info on what exactly it was all about, and what came in the box. I found myself on the Assault Publishing forums (I think) and all these European guys were talking about how the game came in a "Swedish Pr0n box." They kept going on and on about the box. Stupid me...I figured that they were calling it a pr0n box because it was so awesome; I'm picturing a Commands and Colors type box in my mind.
No, that's not the box it comes in.
It's this little bitty flimsy thing. I'm not even sure how to describe it, maybe like the box that a cheap video game would come in back when they put games like Atari 2600 games in those small, throw-away cardboard boxes. I guess in Europe that's what store-bought Swedish pr0n comes in. Next time I go to Europe, at least I know what to look for.
Of course it was shipped from Illinois to Hawaii in a manilla media package so the whole thing was crushed beyond recognition.
So, when I slit the package open and pulled out this small, crushed, sad looking little box (that cost $70) I was a bit...shocked. But hey, at least it came in a box. Hind Commander comes loose in plastic bubble wrap.
I'll see if I can get some pictures.
Ok, here are the pictures. I hope you don't mind, I'm combining A.W.A.C.S. with Hind Commander.
Hind Commander:
I ordered Hind Commander through Picoarmor.com. It came shipped in the same manilla package with AWACS. Shipping was included in the price of the package. I received an email the day following my order indicating it had shipped and it arrived in Honolulu in 3 days.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FIMG_0411800x600.jpg&hash=bd51d1dcce65c6d45f07d9ada72262a032019c16)
The Hind Commander game came in bubble wrap. The rule book was shrink wrapped separately from the other components. The rule book is printed on glossy paper with a TON of play examples provided. As mentioned elsewhere, the rulebook is about 100 pages, half of which are data cards for the various aircraft and vehicles. A quick glance through the rules shows that it isn't all that complex in the sense that I don't think it will be hard to learn for the average wargamer.
The various chits (lock ons, unknown helo, etc.) come on a paper that is like a postcard. They aren't pre-cut so you will have to cut them out with scissors.
The game doesn't come with any miniatures, which are pretty much required to play. The publisher has a bunch of mini sets out for the game already. I bought the "Red Tide" set. It came in a small box along with the other items. The minis are metal, lots of detail, but will need to be assembled. They do not come with bases or stems, so I'll have to figure that out still. Also, the rotors appear to be some sort of plasticy paper. Storing them is going to be a b!tch.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FIMG_0415800x600.jpg&hash=abdb15afcb0988186b3ef7d1f24d6f087a6a3e3a)
Overall the price was something on the order of $35 for the rules and another $17 or so for the minis. I think it's a pretty decent value for what you get. There are a lot of different mini sets available already, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a set that matches your particular conflict.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FIMG_0414800x600.jpg&hash=f83faef8e1b6b53251771ea0f0bac94689baf3ff)
Arm Weapons and Climb Solo: A.W.A.C.S.
I ordered AWACS at the same time as Hind Commander and they came in the same manilla package. Really, something like this should be mailed in a flat rate cardboard box, but considering the poor quality of the AWACS box, I guess it wasn't really a keeper anyway.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FIMG_0401800x600.jpg&hash=8450ef7cce727f4b80941253705b46dbf6d48741)
The game is $70 flat and comes with rules, markers, and 62 metal minis and bases. Stems are not included. The whole package comes in a "Swedish Pr0n Box" which isn't nearly as cool as it sounds. The box was crushed; the best I can compare it to is the same type of box your old Atari 2600 games came in. At any rate, once the minis are assembled they would never fit back in there so the box is essentially a throw-away item.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FIMG_0409800x600.jpg&hash=f75515cb188d3dd77d26c0f2cc606cfd8ee52211)
The rule book is very small, like pocket sized and only a few pages. The rules look very simple. Also included are a double-sided postcard-type thing with the data for the US and Iraqi jets and vehicles printed on it, and a few postcardy things with various chits and markers. A separate bag contains a plethora of cat toys various sized dice used to resolve combat and also mark weapons, speed, etc. on the base of the minis.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FIMG_0410800x600.jpg&hash=bc0454b91c98f09f4bfda4a5a8f7a09456a803b0)
Minis are 1/600 scale, same as Hind Commander so I'm stoked because I can interchange vehicles between the two. Minis seem to be high quality and have minimal assembly required.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FIMG_0413800x600.jpg&hash=e9de782499e2f5bdd0f53c39327609374eee3e1c)
Overall, I think you are basically paying for the minis with this one. It's designed for solo play although a second player can definitely play the bad guys. I think these guys are on to a neat idea with basically putting a whole package together like this and I'm sure that any number of additional conflicts will be offered in the future. Alternatively, a smart wargamer could certainly use the ideas included to make their own rules.
I wish they had included stems. And, I wish they had offered a solid box. Overall, this is probably a little on the high side for what you get, but probably not by a lot. I'll be interested to see how it plays and I'm sure it will be suitable for some air combat with my 10-year old.
^Nice look haul Toonces, looking forward to seeing them painted and in action.
Sweet googly moogly that's a lot of minis.
A 100 minis you said?
It took me a minute to work out the currency conversion but it looks like about USD 70. that's not bad at all. A lot of love for that AWACs game.
AWACS:GW is some kind of experiment. I designed it as fast and easy game and the box was intented for retail sale instead of shipment (I add extra carton when ship p0rn boxes). I plan to publish an extra scenario or a few this week and I work on battle matt (prototype was made):
http://assaultpublishing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=133
Next parts of AWACS are questionable at the moment. The project reached rather limited financial success, but require sooooooo many work (I have to count all these f%#@%#@ dices and put them to the bags) and my latest "release" consume a lot of time (now she's 1/2 year old and loves to be carried on daddy's arms all the time!). I have to stick to my next rulebook, as I'm tempararely not able to develop a couple of hobby projects (designing and publishing wargames is my secondary job).
Regards,
MKG
Welcome to the forums MKG! Thanks for the game info. Where do you hail from?
A far away place... Lublin, Poland (http://maps.google.pl/maps?q=%C5%9Arodkowa,+Lublin&hl=pl&ie=UTF8&ll=51.229248,22.585144&spn=1.243497,2.458191&sll=51.269762,22.881509&sspn=2.038062,4.026489&oq=%C5%9Brodkowa,+l&hnear=%C5%9Arodkowa,+Lublin,+Lubelskie&t=m&z=9).
Cool. One of my best friends' wife's family is from that area.
Welcome MKG!
I'm sorely tempted to pick up that AWACs game for the minis alone.
Can you tell us a little about how the game plays?
In short:
1. Select the scenario, which describes the situation, goals, players forces and enemy forces (on varied from the difficulty level) etc. In most cases some or all enemies are hidden in the pule. These units are hidden under contact markers and are revealed in certain situations (randomly and/or when players plane get close to it). The scenarios are very varied, from fighter sweeps, infiltrating defences with stealth planes to wild runs in deep canyons. The 3 difficulty levels and random pool means that no game is the same.
2. The game is quick and simple and in the turn has the following phases:
a. beggining phase (mainly reaveling contacts)
b. AA phase - resolvin AA fire
c. player turn, where the player moves his aircraft
d. enemy phase, when the player move enemy aircraft. They are quided by simple, but quicte effective script, which also adds some random aspects.
e. end phase - checking the victory conditions
Generally - fast, fun and relaing instead of realisting. Like B-class movie :)
The mechanic is very simple and based on D6 dice.
Sounds fun.