The Inside Scoop on Gaming

This boxed game combines genre conventions of fantasy and horror to create a very unique setting for a table top wargame. In the world of Adon, danger and excitement lurk everywhere!

I'd like to start with a brief overview about the content and organization of the boxed set. First of all, there is quite a bit of stuff included in the box for a mere $34.95, which made this boxed set a more than worthwhile purchase for me. The following is a list of what is included in the boxed set:

The Rulebook (144 pages of rules, world background, and short fiction)
Casket Works (a back issue of Reaper's 'zine)
Quick Play Sheet (introduces the very basics of how to play)
Quick Reference Sheet (important charts for resolving combat printed on dbl sided thick cardstock)
The 12th Journal of Johann Krueger (a 70 page novella written from a first-person perspective)
Eight Miniatures (Four Dwarves and Four Skeletons)
2d10 (nothing special - just dice)

Everything included in the boxed set was obviously tended to with some great care before it went to press.I found the miniatures to be superior in detail to many of the "really good" ones produced by other companies. The Rulebook, the reference sheet, the quick start sheet, and the novella were all very "clean" as they lacked any obvious typos and grammatical errors. Also, these four pieces of printed material were laid out in such a manner that they were very easy to understand and quite enjoyable to read. The only piece of printed material that fell short of the standards already established by the boxed set was the back issue of Casket Works. A very useful source for optional rules and the like, it was hurt only by the layout of the interior pages - bleeechh!

Now to sum up my opinion of the last two major topics: The Rules and The Setting. Fortunately, both of these topics can be covered with one word: Stupendous!

The are very simple, yet very well suited towards a wargame - this game proves that complex rules and a box full of "special templates" are not necessary to wage a battle. In addition to the way they are laid out in the Rulebook (the order in which they are discussed), the simple clarity of the mechanics themselves makes for a near perfect set of rules. In fact, the only gripe that I could forsee is that the rules are TOO simple. IMHO, I don't feel that way, but I can see where someone who was weaned on more complex rules might develop that opinion.

In any event, the rules are clear and concise - not confusing in the least. They are short, east to memorize, and a blast to wage wars with!

The setting of Dark Heaven: Apocolypse, is a continent called "Adon". The actual name of the world itself, is not mentioned as far as I could see, but that is not a hinderance (rather, it allows you to exercise some imagination and name it yourself). The section of the Rulebook which describes Adon is very rich in detail. This is, perhaps, one of the best described settings I have ever seen for a wargame! All of the duchy/provinces/kingdom/etc. are looked at on an individual basis, the history of Adon is detailed, the planes of existence are explained (as are their denizens), and each race (and several individuals) are detailed as well.

The overview of Adon presented in the Rulebook (and supplemented by the Casket Works back issue, the novella, and all of the short fiction in the Rulebook) is a very rich setting, indeed. In fact, I'm also a role player, and I would recommend this boxed set for the purposes of obtaining this rich setting alone (I am currently running a game of Rolemaster with Adon as my setting).

Ratings on a Scale of 1-6:
Originality 4
Ease of Play 5
Value as RPG supplement 4
Value for price 5
Overall 4.5

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Dark Heaven: Apocolypse
Author: Al Pare, Ed Pugh Category: miniatures Company/Publisher: Reaper Miniatures Line: Dark Heaven Cost: $34.95 SKU: 25001 Capsule Review by Jim Drake on 09/27/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Horror	This boxed game combines genre conventions of fantasy and horror to create a very unique setting for a table top wargame. In the world of Adon, danger and excitement lurk everywhere! I'd like to start with a brief overview about the content and organization of the boxed set. First of all, there is quite a bit of stuff included in the box for a mere $34.95, which made this boxed set a more than worthwhile purchase for me. The following is a list of what is included in the boxed set: The Rulebook (144 pages of rules, world background, and short fiction) Casket Works (a back issue of Reaper's 'zine) Quick Play Sheet (introduces the very basics of how to play) Quick Reference Sheet (important charts for resolving combat printed on dbl sided thick cardstock) The 12th Journal of Johann Krueger (a 70 page novella written from a first-person perspective) Eight Miniatures (Four Dwarves and Four Skeletons) 2d10 (nothing special - just dice) Everything included in the boxed set was obviously tended to with some great care before it went to press.I found the miniatures to be superior in detail to many of the "really good" ones produced by other companies. The Rulebook, the reference sheet, the quick start sheet, and the novella were all very "clean" as they lacked any obvious typos and grammatical errors. Also, these four pieces of printed material were laid out in such a manner that they were very easy to understand and quite enjoyable to read. The only piece of printed material that fell short of the standards already established by the boxed set was the back issue of Casket Works. A very useful source for optional rules and the like, it was hurt only by the layout of the interior pages - bleeechh! Now to sum up my opinion of the last two major topics: The Rules and The Setting. Fortunately, both of these topics can be covered with one word: Stupendous! The are very simple, yet very well suited towards a wargame - this game proves that complex rules and a box full of "special templates" are not necessary to wage a battle. In addition to the way they are laid out in the Rulebook (the order in which they are discussed), the simple clarity of the mechanics themselves makes for a near perfect set of rules. In fact, the only gripe that I could forsee is that the rules are TOO simple. IMHO, I don't feel that way, but I can see where someone who was weaned on more complex rules might develop that opinion. In any event, the rules are clear and concise - not confusing in the least. They are short, east to memorize, and a blast to wage wars with! The setting of Dark Heaven: Apocolypse, is a continent called "Adon". The actual name of the world itself, is not mentioned as far as I could see, but that is not a hinderance (rather, it allows you to exercise some imagination and name it yourself). The section of the Rulebook which describes Adon is very rich in detail. This is, perhaps, one of the best described settings I have ever seen for a wargame! All of the duchy/provinces/kingdom/etc. are looked at on an individual basis, the history of Adon is detailed, the planes of existence are explained (as are their denizens), and each race (and several individuals) are detailed as well. The overview of Adon presented in the Rulebook (and supplemented by the Casket Works back issue, the novella, and all of the short fiction in the Rulebook) is a very rich setting, indeed. In fact, I'm also a role player, and I would recommend this boxed set for the purposes of obtaining this rich setting alone (I am currently running a game of Rolemaster with Adon as my setting). Ratings on a Scale of 1-6: Originality 4 Ease of Play 5 Value as RPG supplement 4 Value for price 5 Overall 4.5 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)