The Inside Scoop on Gaming

BIAS ALERT: After playing the playtest of Frag I was less than impressed by what I saw here. The game seemed extremely unbalanced, the initiative system seemed weak at best, and on top of that I am pretty neutral on the Deadlands genre. So that in mind, here is the review.

So with these biases, why would someone plunk down the cash for a bad game with a so-so genre? Well to be honest I enjoy the concept of single unit miniatures games. And in that is the one thing about Frag that appealed to me originally. Also one gripe with Frag was it’s instance on placing it self as a simulation of the first person shooter with game effects based on computer/ connection speed, software cheats etc. and I had hoped that the desire to capture the Deadlands genre would downplay that aspect of the Frag game. Well after my first two games I must admit I am hooked. The game is much more balanced than it was in the playtest, and The Deadlands genre works well in the improved game engine.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Frag system, it is very simple, first divide 7 points among 3 attributes (health, speed and accuracy) with at least 1 point in each, then role to find out where you start (or spawn part of that whole videogame connection again!) then it is simply a matter of moving and shooting in turn. Frag Deadlands does have one tweak however. The game introduces the concept of different character types. Gone from the original are the characters with the basic 2d gun and no other variants and they are replaced with a collection of 6 distinct characters, (Men in Black dusters, Harrowed Gunslingers, Saloon Gals, Indian Braves, Mad scientists, and of course Hucksters) each of these character types has a unique starting weapon, one advantage (called Cheatin’) and one disadvantage, This Does help to make the characters more interesting and distinct as The map also includes new hazards such as the gallows and monsters.

On the down side however the character records lack the speed chart found on the original Frag sheets (which would be no real problem except the fact that it is mentioned in the rules therefore confusing players unfamiliar with the original Frag. Also the game is a bit expensive for what you get. For $35 you get an 8-page rulebook (4 pages of rules, 3 pages of character records and 1 full-page advertisement for GURPS Deadlands.) a small box (similar to the one used for Chez Dork, and Munchkin. 104 game cards (decent quality) a map, and a 2 counter sheets complete with six plastic stands for the cardboard counters. While it doesn’t sound completely unreasonable, the expansion death zone runs for about 15$ and has a similar color map, counter sheet, and set of cards as well as a rule sheet. So I am guessing the bulk of the cost of this game comes from the box and the plastic stands. Now again I don’t think it’s obnoxiously overpriced but maybe after Steve Jackson Games gets it’s financial situation straight after their current book keeping problems, they should look at a price cut, or maybe adding plastic or metal figs to the box.

All in all this game is a lot more fun than my initial play test, as with most Steve Jackson Games, It’s better with more players rather than the old 2 player game. The game offers a lot of strange extras that make this game a delight to play. It’s is by no means perfect, but if you are looking for a night of gun fighting at the O.K. Corralle with no role playing or story questions, this game can be a blast in more ways than one!

Frag: Deadlands
Frag: Deadlands Playtest Review by jamie herbert on 27/03/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average) A wild west shootout 3D style! Product: Frag: Deadlands Author: Steve Jackson Category: Board/Tactical Game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: Frag Cost: $34.95 Page count: 4/na Year published: 2002 ISBN: 1-55634-606-9 SKU: 1342 Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by jamie herbert on 27/03/02 Genre tags: Horror Old West	BIAS ALERT: After playing the playtest of Frag I was less than impressed by what I saw here. The game seemed extremely unbalanced, the initiative system seemed weak at best, and on top of that I am pretty neutral on the Deadlands genre. So that in mind, here is the review. So with these biases, why would someone plunk down the cash for a bad game with a so-so genre? Well to be honest I enjoy the concept of single unit miniatures games. And in that is the one thing about Frag that appealed to me originally. Also one gripe with Frag was it’s instance on placing it self as a simulation of the first person shooter with game effects based on computer/ connection speed, software cheats etc. and I had hoped that the desire to capture the Deadlands genre would downplay that aspect of the Frag game. Well after my first two games I must admit I am hooked. The game is much more balanced than it was in the playtest, and The Deadlands genre works well in the improved game engine. For those of you unfamiliar with the Frag system, it is very simple, first divide 7 points among 3 attributes (health, speed and accuracy) with at least 1 point in each, then role to find out where you start (or spawn part of that whole videogame connection again!) then it is simply a matter of moving and shooting in turn. Frag Deadlands does have one tweak however. The game introduces the concept of different character types. Gone from the original are the characters with the basic 2d gun and no other variants and they are replaced with a collection of 6 distinct characters, (Men in Black dusters, Harrowed Gunslingers, Saloon Gals, Indian Braves, Mad scientists, and of course Hucksters) each of these character types has a unique starting weapon, one advantage (called Cheatin’) and one disadvantage, This Does help to make the characters more interesting and distinct as The map also includes new hazards such as the gallows and monsters. On the down side however the character records lack the speed chart found on the original Frag sheets (which would be no real problem except the fact that it is mentioned in the rules therefore confusing players unfamiliar with the original Frag. Also the game is a bit expensive for what you get. For $35 you get an 8-page rulebook (4 pages of rules, 3 pages of character records and 1 full-page advertisement for GURPS Deadlands.) a small box (similar to the one used for Chez Dork, and Munchkin. 104 game cards (decent quality) a map, and a 2 counter sheets complete with six plastic stands for the cardboard counters. While it doesn’t sound completely unreasonable, the expansion death zone runs for about 15$ and has a similar color map, counter sheet, and set of cards as well as a rule sheet. So I am guessing the bulk of the cost of this game comes from the box and the plastic stands. Now again I don’t think it’s obnoxiously overpriced but maybe after Steve Jackson Games gets it’s financial situation straight after their current book keeping problems, they should look at a price cut, or maybe adding plastic or metal figs to the box. All in all this game is a lot more fun than my initial play test, as with most Steve Jackson Games, It’s better with more players rather than the old 2 player game. The game offers a lot of strange extras that make this game a delight to play. It’s is by no means perfect, but if you are looking for a night of gun fighting at the O.K. Corralle with no role playing or story questions, this game can be a blast in more ways than one!

Frag: Deadlands