Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

KK
Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
35142 2
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
20818 0
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
7405 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
3967 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
3495 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
2074 0
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
2582 0

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
2250 0
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
2494 0
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
3014 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
1971 0
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
3692 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
2619 0
O
oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
2461 0
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
2289 0
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023
2505 0

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
×
Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

× Talk about the latest and greatest AT, and the Classics.

Assassinorium: Execution Force

More
24 May 2016 16:23 - 24 May 2016 16:24 #228046 by Michael Barnes
Played a couple of games of Assassinorium: Execution Force last night. If this game had come out in the late 1980s or early 1990s, it would be one of your favorite games. It would have gone out of print by the time Eurogames showed up, skyrocketed in value during the advent of BGG, and then FFG would have reprinted it. It has that classic GW feel, and it feels like classic Ameritrash- not the heavily hybridized mutant form of it that is prevalent now.

Yes, it is expensive and you can buy two other games for this price or whatever (I guess not counting Kickstarter titles) but they won’t likely have figures or graphic design this good. Yes, there is only one scenario but that’s all it really needs rather than scads of extra content that you probably won’t ever get the most out of unless you play this game and only this game for a year. Only one scenario, but it's really good one and the game is more about the gameplay than pretending like it makes a difference if a hallway turns left or right.

The design is extremely lean. Four assassins, each has two abilities and then two different expendables (one has three uses, the other is a one-shot). You do two things on your turn. The enemy (Chaos renegades) is completely automated with a simple patrol/alert/stunned status. They move on a D6 and if they are on patrol, you roll to see which way they go. If they are on alert, they give chase and move directly toward the closest assassin to shoot or melee them. Alerted guys also have an overwatch shot and unalerted guys that hear shots (six spaces or less away) become alerted.

So it starts off as a sneaking mission- yes, like Metal Gear Solid (in fact, this design could EASILY be turned into an MGS game)- to find two specific rooms to stop the Chaos Lord from finishing a ritual. You’re looking for the control room and the teleportarium (or whatever it’s called). But it tends to wind up with everybody on the run and the patrollers hunting the assassins down. Each one only has two wounds, and only one has a save as an ability.

On top of all of that, there is big stack of narrative event cards that mix things up. Both games I played went down very different. One went smoothly but then went to shit and some Chaos Marines showed up, I lost all four assassins. The other I won, but just barely. Lost one assassin before the final battle, another to the Chaos Lord, and the last two had one wound each with three Chaos Marines and the Lord about to just murder them.

Suspense, drama, wild swings of luck (you will roll a 1 like 50% of the time on the 2 or better healing action), plenty of fighting, awesome components, spiky bits, takes about 45-60 minutes. Come the fuck on, this game RULES. And it’s really quite unique, I can’t think of any other dudes in a hall game that is stealth-oriented like this.

I got it for $65 shipped on a Ebay “best offer” from a seller (but weirdly, it shipped from GW) but if I had paid $100, I would still be satisfied. Beyond that, the pricing is definitely GW premium. Regardless, _this_ is exactly the kind of game I was playing in the 1980s and 1990s, and I think a lot of the bitching about it stems from younger gamers raised on FFG-style titles and Kickstarters with 50 scenarios and 100 monster types or whatever.

As for the miniatures, I had the whole thing glued together in about an hour and a half. It was pretty easy. I accidentally broke the female assassin’s cables but with tweezers I got them back on. Granted, I didn’t do any kind of gap filling, only basic mold line removal, etc. but they really didn’t seem to need any of that.

So yes, total victory on this one. Don't let the whiners scare you off.
Last edit: 24 May 2016 16:24 by Michael Barnes.
The following user(s) said Thank You: metalface13, allismom3, Mr. White, Columbob, Egg Shen

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 16:36 #228050 by charlest
It sounds similar to Hour of Glory, which also only has one scenario and is pretty nifty.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 16:38 #228051 by Michael Barnes
YES, it made me think of Hour of Glory too...to the point where I think the designer(s) had to have played it at some point.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 16:44 #228052 by Mr. White
So...how much can I score this without the minis?

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 16:53 #228055 by Michael Barnes
Probably like $10. Seriously. The recent GW board games can all be had for pennies on the dollar without figures.

I think you would LOVE this game, Jeff.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 16:57 #228056 by Mr. White
Quite possibly, but beyond the confined settings of space hulk and necromunda, 40k doesn't do much for me.

The setting of Lost Patrol does look more to my liking though.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 17:00 #228058 by Michael Barnes
Well, if you are proxying it up, you could just make it a WW2 infiltration mission, some kind of cyberpunk assassin thing, fantasy elves raiding a mummy temple...whatever you want. The mechanics themselves are pretty universal beyond the paragraph of story on each of the event cards and the eagles/skulls everywhere.

I'll definitely get Lost Patrol after playing this. And now I want Calth and Deathwatch too.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 17:13 #228059 by Space Ghost
Heh....I just got Deathwatch today and have Assassinorium on the way. Probably will get Lost Patrol as well. I've had Calth since it came out, but my gaming buddy for these games has not been available. I like the move towards classic 80s/90s Ameritrash.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 17:15 #228060 by stoic
Oh, these poor, poor men, probably, all recently mind-scrubbed by the Inquisition...

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 17:29 #228061 by Michael Barnes
Yeah, I didn't realize that was what they were doing with these...really quite old fashioned designs. It really is kind of a shame that they are considered "too expensive"...in an era of $500 Kickstarter campaigns.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 18:29 #228070 by Brewmiester
Some new achievements and Demon Prince rules are available for the download at

Black Library Downloads
The following user(s) said Thank You: Michael Barnes, Colorcrayons

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
24 May 2016 23:12 #228093 by Mr. White

Michael Barnes wrote: Yeah, I didn't realize that was what they were doing with these...really quite old fashioned designs. It really is kind of a shame that they are considered "too expensive"...in an era of $500 Kickstarter campaigns.


Not too expensive...FOMO.

GW games are sold at retail out the gate. There's a sense they are easily attainable and if anything prices may eventually come down.

KS trash thrives on the idea that if you don't back now, you'll miss some limited garbage or that prices may even go up. There's a false sense of urgency at play with KS that forces people to open their wallets more than they probably should.
The following user(s) said Thank You: ChristopherMD

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
25 May 2016 00:51 - 25 May 2016 00:56 #228106 by Jexik
My friend who got hooked on 40K while he was in the military has brought this one out a couple times. It's solid, and I could see it being a good solo play. I felt like the boss was kind of a pushover both times once you finally get there, but maybe that's not always the case. There are definitely some fun moments when you roll the d6 to see where the guys patrol. "Please don't turn left, please don't turn left..."

In the 80s i was playing Candyland and Go Fish though. It wasn't until the early 90s that I found Battlemasters and D&D. And Dragonstrike, complete with its hyper reality video! And then Magic took over everything until I wasted some money on some Eldar in the late 90s. 2006 probably would have been the best year to be a twelve-year-old. Heroscape, come on, what beats that?
Last edit: 25 May 2016 00:56 by Jexik.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
25 May 2016 10:59 #228142 by Egg Shen
Ha! I basically am doing the exact same thing with the new GW stuff. I eventually found Silver Tower on eBay for $110 shipped and prior to that I got Assassinorium for about $75. I'm in the process of tracking down Calth and Deathwatch as well. These games all look fantastic. I'm glad to hear Assassinorium kicks ass. When I was reading the rules I was like, damn this is gonna be great. Haven't played it yet, but I hope to break it out this weekend.

The one scenario complaint is so dumb. Almost every co-op game ever designed in a single damn scenario. I don't see people bitching that Pandemic is the same goal every time or that Defenders of the Realm is always just four general marching towards the main city. I think because the game has the look of a dungeon crawler people expected it to come with a booklet of scenarios? I dunno. I found it completely illogical that most reviewers complained HARD about this.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
25 May 2016 12:19 #228150 by Msample
Is it just me or does the title sound like some third rate action movie starring some washed up 80s B tier action star?

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.168 seconds