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Generically, SW is designed to be a fast system, kind of a bridge between more traditional RPG rules which have a lot of detail and nuance (at least in theory) and miniatures games, which allow speedy resolution of fairly large combats. The basic mechanic rests on each trait being a die type from D4 to D12 (there are no D20s in the system at all! :). You roll vs. a target number (4), add or subtract some modifiers, and that's pretty much it. If you succeed by 4, you get a raise, which makes your action more effective. If you score an "ace" you roll again and add, which adds a bit more unpredictability. Just because you're facing a choad doesn't mean you can totally write him off. This is not exactly news. The big speedup that SW gives over many other systems is that the dice are fairly small and the arithmetic is all fairly simple one or two digit addition and subtraction. Only having to look at one die is also very helpful.
Anyway, as I said above, the best way for you to get a sense of the mechanics is to download the Test Drive rules.
The Playtest
Our playtest was basically Doom: the RPG. I made up a fairly high end character, Lt. Green, and a few extras, one of whom was a starting character Wild Card. I used the stats out of the book for most of the weapons. Troopers were skeletons, Sarges were zombies, and demons (the pink bull guys, if you recall them) were minotaurs. I think that it captured the general feel of Doom pretty well, if not quite so over the top as the video game. Using cover wisely was pretty much essential. Teamwork also helped a lot, and this was very much built into the game. I kept the action level pretty high the whole time as you might imagine given the genre--I think the total body count was seven demons, five sarges, and two dozen troopers. Given that we were getting used to the rules it was decently fast, if not lightning fast. I'm sure with more familiarity this would speed up, but I don't know I'd say it would go lots faster than other games I am familiar with.
Bottom Line
I'd say that my impressions overall are quite positive and I think SW will enter our toolbox of rulesets. In my view a good game is one in which I think 80% of the listed rules are solid. SW seems to be at or above this level. Being kind of a tough grader, my giving it 4/4 indicates a solid product in my mind. SW is definitely a good game. It didn't blow my doors down but it is definitely a keeper. Whether it will become a great game that stands the test of time is a different story.[1]
I'll quickly go over the plusses and minuses as I see them.
Plusses:
-It's fast. I suspect that it'd be a lot faster once we internalized the rules. It's also very fast for multiple foes, which is something I can't say for many other systems. I was running combats with six or seven opponents without much trouble. These fights probably would have taken twice as long in most other systems. I am actually quite positive about the cards initiative system. It worked very well once we got used to it and frankly I could see using it for other games. It might be more annoying with several PCs that all have edges that let them churn through the deck quickly though.
-Tactical options abound. I like games where tactics make a big difference in the outcome. I don't like "wars of attrition" where combat is I roll, you roll, I roll, you roll, and so on, until one of us drops. SW is definitely not in this camp if you play it right. I roll, you roll combats are a quick road to defeat. You really need to use the options. This does require a certain amount of necessary learning and possibly a gestalt shift on the part of the players and GM, though. It wasn't for us because we tend to incorporate tactical options so long as the GM allows for it, but it might be for other people.
-Making up characters is quick. There are a lot of options, too, though some are anomalously not present. To give you an example, in our playtest there were two allies of the PC, one of whom was a tech and the other a medic. There is a nice Professional Edge, Mr. Fixit, that gives a tech-oriented character some nice abilities, which I assigned to the tech. There is no parallel for a medic, though it makes a lot of sense that someone like, oh, Hawkeye Pierce, would have extraordinary ability in this regard. However, the system is fairly easy to extend. An Edge, Skill, Hindrance, or Power seems to be missing? Just add it in (though don't go too nutty--many options are built into the system and do not need their own named perk if you look carefully). So as long as you are willing to wing it a little and don't need a lot of hand-holding from the game designer this shouldn't be a problem.
-Not being a class-based system, there are relatively few adhockeries to tie you down. For instance, anyone can get "The Drop" on someone and really mess up a foe you have at gunpoint, not just someone with the right package of classes. Of course, doing this is a lot *easier* if you have a good Stealth and the right Edges... so it's not that there aren't differences between characters, it's just that some of the IMO pointlessly forced differences that a game that emphasizes "niche protection" highly has. (If you think I'm referring to D&D-based games, you are right. Note: YMMV.)
-Even mighty characters are still vulnerable when they are massively outnumbered or, especially, caught with their pants down. Again YMMV.
-The bookkeeping load is light. I was able to do the vast bulk of it in my head. Rules for cutting down the bookkeeping for extras are provided and these are also quite useful. Cards are also helpful for this since you don't need to write anything down.
Minuses:
-We like long-term campaigns where character development is important. I suspect that SW is a bit too coarse-grained for us on this score. It seems ideal for a pickup/short run game or a more mass combat type thing, though. Since this is very much the game that the Pinnacle group plays, they made rules that met their needs. As a lot of people play this sort of thing--including me with some friends who live in another state who I see once every six months or so--SW definitely has its place. But it won't take over our regular games here.
-We didn't care for the one wound rule for extras. It works fine for some opponents like normal humans, but not for others. To make an extra tough in this system you have to inflate Toughness a lot, which means that you pound and pound on a foe to no avail for a long time and then he just keels over dead after a lucky blow. This isn't *bad* but it can be pretty frustrating and doesn't really represent big monsters all that well. Thus the system is vulnerable to the "naked dwarf" syndrome that is known to players of Warhammer FRP. One big help is that the full rules (not the Test Drive) have all sorts of little tactical options that can help get you over the threshold of damage, unlike WFRP.
-Some of the weapon stats seem kind of wonky. For instance, laser weapons basically suck and I can't figure out why anyone would use them (if you know, please tell me). This seems like a classic "first edition" issue. Again, it's not something that bugs me a ton since I'm comfortable fixing up what I don't like.
-I'm not so sure I like the list of powers--it seems a bit thin for one--but since we didn't playtest any of them, I won't comment.
-I'd like some rules for extended actions. I can't really fault SW for this as many games don't have any such rules, though.
Aside: One thing that some people have commented on is that the book seems kind of light for the money. That was my initial impression, too, when I first saw it in the store. But I'd told my FLGS owner to order it for me and I didn't want to screw him. Thus I forked over my $30. However, I don't think my money was wasted. Unlike many books you find, there is very little fat in this book. Sure 90% lean meat costs a bit more for the weight but when you grill it up, you get a lot less shrinkage. Keep in mind that many RPG supplement books are softcovers that cost around $25 and are the analogue of cheap hamburger. But the psychology of buying isn't always consistent....
[1] I maintain a distinction between a good game, i.e., one that is technically proficient, solid in the rules department, and lets you get on with your work, and a great game, i.e., one that I keep coming back to. D&D in my eyes is not a good game but it is great. That is I have a lot of fun with it despite disliking the rules. Mage is the same way. There are many aspects of the rules I find irritating for but it's got that je ne sais quoi that sets my imagination alight. I guess it's analogous to the difference between liking and loving someone. I may not necessarily like someone I love, e.g, some family members.
