Review of GRUNT Second Edition

The physical production values on this product are fair. The cover has a black and white illustration of decent quality. The title block is uneven and set in an ugly, stylized typeface. The Guild of Blades logo, as always, appears as a cut-and-paste project. The cover is solid cardstock, however, and the GRUNT cards used in the game are well-printed and sturdy. The interior production features large, easily-read type and clearly delineated sections. The important stuff is what obviously received the most attention.

The Introduction describes the machinations of good and evil gods, and how they toy with peoples everywhere. This conflict, I assume, is supposed to be what motivates the various armies used in the game to engage in combat, but the link is never made expressly, and the information in the Introduction has no ramifications in the game that follows. I'd suggest dumping the Introduction material in future printings, as it is unnecessary, but players will use this material or not on their own, so its presence and two-page length are not a problem.

The game uses four types of units, those being Leaders, Generals, Soldiers, and Grunts. The Leader represents the commanding general, and the General units are highly-decorated veteran troops with some of the best commanders. The Soldiers are the regular troops, and the Grunts are the irregular troops rounded up to fill out the army. All units are either infantry or archers.

These basic troop types work well in play, and mixing the types of troops in varying proportions can have a great effect on the outcome of the battle. An army relying mainly on Generals and Soldiers is likely to be outnumbered in the field. An army relying solely upon Grunts is likely to be outclassed by less-numerous opponents. Building a balanced army that can respond to battlefield conditions is part of the challenge.

The Attributes of all units except for Grunts are rolled for on a simple table. This allows for individuation of the units, but also increases the difficulty of bookkeeping in play. The attributes may be set for all of the units by fiat without loss of playability in any fashion, so players are freed from juggling more in terms of differing capabilities than just the differences between types of troop.

The armies are built using a point system, which is expected in miniatures rules. The rules also cover carrying Grunt points over from battle to battle, so the results of one battle can affect the next.

The experience of each unit also determines its abilities in some part. As the unit defeats enemy units, it gains Victory points. Those victory points accumulate as experience, and lead to the unit improving in experience level and gaining bonuses to attributes. Grunt Cards are also earned by players in any turn they have units gaining Victory points.

The Grunt cards are a nice addition to the rules. The cards allow for various activities on part of the player, such as recruiting units during the course of battle, replacing units on the field with fresh units, increased range for archers, healing damaged units, and the like. The Grunt cards are the only tie to the material in the introduction, but the Intro isn't necessary for enjoyment of the cards.

Actual combat between units is decided using a differential table and rolling for the resulting damage on the unit being attacked. When a unit takes as much damage as its attributes allow for, it is defeated.

For battles using whatever miniature happen to be at hand, these rules are useful. When introducing non-gamers to miniatures play in an environment lacking experienced gamers to lead large battles, these rules work well. For those times when a long, involved battle is not possible, these work well.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)