The Inside Scoop on Gaming

My copy of OGRE/GEV has been on every roadtrip I've ever gone on, stashed in my bag along with the standard road books and music. The small box, which holds not only the original OGRE/GEV but also the expansion Shockwave very easily, has made it easily transportable and the smooth and quick rules make it one of the most fun and exciting war games to ever be released.

In the OGRE future, the Combine (technically the NATO countries) and the Paneuropean forces (roughly the Warsaw pact) have evolved warfare to the point that every soldier carries nuclear bullets, tanks fire atomic shells, GEV's (armored hovercraft) skim around radioactive craters and the giant cybernetic OGRES are kings of the battlefield.

In the basic OGRE game, one player takes the part of a command center and it's forces who are suddenly beseiged by a single OGRE unit controlled by the opposing player. The OGRE's one objective is to destroy the command center at the opposite side of the map while the defender throws everything they can in it's way to stop it.

Single units, such as infantry, tanks and artillery are each represented with their movement, defense ability, attack ability and range printed on their counters while the OGRE has an entire record sheet to itself, listing it's active weapons, remaining treads and current movement and assault value.

Combat is resolved quickly, by comparing attack values to defense value and creating a ratio (ie: attack value 4 against a defense value of 2 is a 2 - 1 ratio). The attacker then rolls a single die on the chart and a result of Not Affected, Disabled or Destroyed is determined. The higher the attack value ratio the more likely a defender is to be destroyed. A typical unit, once destroyed, is removed from the map whereas the OGRE simply marks what equipment on it has been damaged and may no longer use it.

This presents the defender with a number of strategies, none of which are guarenteed to work. Should the defender concentrate on an OGRE's treads and try to slow it down and eventually stop it? While this can work, the process is slow and in the meantime the OGRE is still advancing on the command post. Concentrating on the OGRE's weapons can reduce it's fighting ability but it can still overrun the command center and destroy it.

GEV expands the basic OGRE game, introducing a number of scenarios that pit armies against each other instead of a defensive force against an OGRE, allowing for broader tactics and assorted variations and game styles.

The basic OGRE/GEV boxed set contains a die, two hex maps, counters for both armies (assembly required) and small plastic bags to contain the counters once they are assembled. The entire set, even with expansions, fits in a box slightly larger than a VHS tape and is easy to transport and set up anywhere, barring high-wind areas.

The only gripe I can really present against OGRE/GEV is the assembly of the units. While they are cleanly printed on cardstock and easy to read, cutting them apart with scissors takes up valuable playing time and allows for to many mistakes for those of use who still use safety scissors so that we don't poke our own eyes out. Also, the instruction booklet is not pretty to look at but it is very servicable and clear in it's presentation. Loads over substance over style for the booklet. The maps are great, simple and cleanly printed and the counters show up nicely against the colors on the maps.

The expansions, Shockwave, Battlefields and Reinforcements, come in plastic bags and fit easily in the main box though with the addition of all the units from Shockwave the original small bags are bursting at the seams. Hopefully when I get my copy of Battlefields and Reinforcements they will include more small baggies for more units.

According to their website, Steve Jackson Games is also currently planning a re-release of the miniature's version of OGRE and hopefully it will live up to the greatness of it's paper and cardstock version.

I highly recommend OGRE/GEV to anyone looking for a quick and in depth wargame.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

OGRE / G.E.V.
Author: Steve Jackson Category: Board game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Cost: 12.95 Page count: n/a Capsule Review by Otto Cargill on 09/08/00. Genre tags: Science fiction Post-apocalypse	My copy of OGRE/GEV has been on every roadtrip I've ever gone on, stashed in my bag along with the standard road books and music. The small box, which holds not only the original OGRE/GEV but also the expansion Shockwave very easily, has made it easily transportable and the smooth and quick rules make it one of the most fun and exciting war games to ever be released. In the OGRE future, the Combine (technically the NATO countries) and the Paneuropean forces (roughly the Warsaw pact) have evolved warfare to the point that every soldier carries nuclear bullets, tanks fire atomic shells, GEV's (armored hovercraft) skim around radioactive craters and the giant cybernetic OGRES are kings of the battlefield. In the basic OGRE game, one player takes the part of a command center and it's forces who are suddenly beseiged by a single OGRE unit controlled by the opposing player. The OGRE's one objective is to destroy the command center at the opposite side of the map while the defender throws everything they can in it's way to stop it. Single units, such as infantry, tanks and artillery are each represented with their movement, defense ability, attack ability and range printed on their counters while the OGRE has an entire record sheet to itself, listing it's active weapons, remaining treads and current movement and assault value. Combat is resolved quickly, by comparing attack values to defense value and creating a ratio (ie: attack value 4 against a defense value of 2 is a 2 - 1 ratio). The attacker then rolls a single die on the chart and a result of Not Affected, Disabled or Destroyed is determined. The higher the attack value ratio the more likely a defender is to be destroyed. A typical unit, once destroyed, is removed from the map whereas the OGRE simply marks what equipment on it has been damaged and may no longer use it. This presents the defender with a number of strategies, none of which are guarenteed to work. Should the defender concentrate on an OGRE's treads and try to slow it down and eventually stop it? While this can work, the process is slow and in the meantime the OGRE is still advancing on the command post. Concentrating on the OGRE's weapons can reduce it's fighting ability but it can still overrun the command center and destroy it. GEV expands the basic OGRE game, introducing a number of scenarios that pit armies against each other instead of a defensive force against an OGRE, allowing for broader tactics and assorted variations and game styles. The basic OGRE/GEV boxed set contains a die, two hex maps, counters for both armies (assembly required) and small plastic bags to contain the counters once they are assembled. The entire set, even with expansions, fits in a box slightly larger than a VHS tape and is easy to transport and set up anywhere, barring high-wind areas. The only gripe I can really present against OGRE/GEV is the assembly of the units. While they are cleanly printed on cardstock and easy to read, cutting them apart with scissors takes up valuable playing time and allows for to many mistakes for those of use who still use safety scissors so that we don't poke our own eyes out. Also, the instruction booklet is not pretty to look at but it is very servicable and clear in it's presentation. Loads over substance over style for the booklet. The maps are great, simple and cleanly printed and the counters show up nicely against the colors on the maps. The expansions, Shockwave, Battlefields and Reinforcements, come in plastic bags and fit easily in the main box though with the addition of all the units from Shockwave the original small bags are bursting at the seams. Hopefully when I get my copy of Battlefields and Reinforcements they will include more small baggies for more units. According to their website, Steve Jackson Games is also currently planning a re-release of the miniature's version of OGRE and hopefully it will live up to the greatness of it's paper and cardstock version. I highly recommend OGRE/GEV to anyone looking for a quick and in depth wargame. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

OGRE / G.E.V.