"Steve Jackson Ogre is it available?" Topic

I just got interested in having the game OGRE/GEV. Are there any rules books or box sets for this game available anywhere?
After a lot of seraching it appears that it is out of print though the mini's are available.
Are they compatible with other 6mm games?

There's a free two-page PDF somewhere on the SJG website with most of the rules you'll ever need. Aside from that, the game is between printings, with no news on when or how it will next be printed.

Hopefully it will be back in print soon. OGRE is one of Steve Jackson's "babies", one of the games that he wrote back in the day when he worked for the now defunct Metagaming. He tends to be a bit particular about that one.

Until then Ebay, is a great source for lots of cheap Ogre/Gev/Battlesuit copies versions and renditions. This game is quite possibly the one that I hold dearest to my heart. We used to play in 8-9th grade over the phone between 11:00 and 3:00AM. No wonder my Cum drop a half a point.

For example:

auction

In general, the minis are quite compatible with other 6mm/1:285-300/whatever scifi minis, though some find them to be 'outdated' in design aesthetics. The rules are not available for either board or minis game, save for the Ogre Lite minis rules here: (pdf link)

PDF link

I'd also advise checking out Iron Wind's Battletech vehicles, there's plenty of useful tanks and such there. You can use all sorts of minis for the Ogre rules – even 'moderns', though they tend to die en masse when encountering Ogre-present armor.

Ogre Lite is all the rules you need to keep you busy for awhile. Pick up Shockwave (still in print) and the other supplements for more flavor. Shochwave ant the others are for the boardgame so just double range and movement and you are good-to-go for miniatures battles.

The OGRE minis are available through the Warehous 23 line on the Steve Jackson Games website.

Only a few uncommon items don't already have miniatures. The Cruise Missile Crawler has not been re-released, the Ogre Ninja is finished but not released, and some of the CP variants don't have minis. The laser turrets and towers have gone out of production. Again.

That said, the two main forces are otherwise well represented, with distinct Paneuropean and Combine versions of the tanks, infantry, GEVs, GEV-PCs, and CPs. The Ogres have one casting per "class", but the cosmetically different versions of the Mk3 and Mk5 used by PanEurope are easy to convert or just not worry about it, since PanEurope also used the Combine templates straight. The Mk1, Mk2, Mk3, Mk3b, Mk4, Mk5, Mk6, Fencer, and Doppelsoldner all have miniatures, as does the Vulcan (a Mk3b recovery variant). There are also trucks, hovertrucks, LADs, and Repair Drones.

My first wargame, and still my favorite. I have been playing it since 1984 and I NEVER get tired of it!

My second wargame (well, technically it is further down than that, but it is the second that I played with any regularity. The First was Melee and Wizard… I guess that is two different games???)

Anyway, Last time I spoke to Steve, he said something about maybe re-writing it.

I have been pretty vocal in my support of this (and in getting rid of the GEVs, which probably won't go over too well… I think that everyoe is familiar with my disappointment in people's belief that a GEV could me made into a MBT like combat vehicle… It just isn't possible)… Anyway, I have been a long time supporter of OGRE/GEV and even ran the very first miniature event with OGRE (1980 Dalcon, just hours after the first ORGE minis were put on sale)…

I am hoping that I can convince him to change a few things about OGRE. Notably the design of some of the vehicles; keeping the archtypal designs, but modernizing them somewhat, and making the weapons a bit more realistic (like turning the six "secondaries" on an OGRE into artillery, or replacing those long guns with turrets… like the secondaries on a Fencer… Or, making the Paneuro Hvy Tank lower in profile… It would look slick as all hell if it were lowered and had a proper turret installed… I know… I made several for the OGRE minis games at Dalcons from 1982 – 1986 .. or was it '87???)…

Anyway, I think that Steve will come up with something decent regardless of what he does

I just saw a used copy of the pocket boxed "GEV" yesterday at the "Sci-Fi Genre" store in Durham, NC for $15.00. They're on the web but I don't know if they do mail order.

I have been pretty vocal in my support of this (and in getting rid of the GEVs, which probably won't go over too well… I think that everyoe is familiar with my disappointment in people's belief that a GEV could me made into a MBT like combat vehicle… It just isn't possible)

And now you know why Steve isn't listening to you. The *game* needs the GEV, whether "reality" is willing to oblige or not.

Steve has been saying "rewrite" for some time. We'll see.

There are it seems, a regular Tabletop version using a rulebook called "Ogre Miniatures". So, far that book is not available.
The other way to go seems to be, Deluxe GEV Paneuropean Starter Set" or Deluxe Ogre". It looks like these are more of a board game. Which is fine. And both come with a lot of miniatures but no "Ogre Miniatures" book. Both of these if available may have retailed for around $50 USD to $60 USD each set.
I would prefer to have a tabletop type. Did this come in a box set if so, what was it called?

The Ogre Miniatures book was released back around 1992 iirc. It won an Origins award, too. The book was supported by Ral Partha metal minis. Farstar, I'm to blame for the disappearance of the first laser towers/turrets, command posts etc..

This link is always good for a walk down memory lane.
link

The map that I made for Steve using modified Geo-Hex tiles even made it over to Japan. I just wish that I had thought to super-glue my finger to the end of it, as that would have been fun.

Note to above comment. The fun wouldn't have been the glued finger but rather tagging along to Japan. Just thought I'd point that out.

I went to college with Steve and we sat and talked gaming for about an hour at Owlcon in Feb. As far as an Ogre/GEV reprint, he posted about it at the SJG website early in the year and the bottom line is:
– he can make more money doing Munchkin expansions than anything else.
– GURPS is second in sales
– when (not if, but when) Ogre/GEV is redone, he will do it himself
– we discussed using Cyberboard to do the playtesting to cut the cost of doing playtest kits.

It really pains Steve that it is out of print right now, but he might have time next year.

It looks like these are more of a board game.

OGRE has existed in two basic forms.

The original hex-map boardgame, comprising the two self-contained games "OGRE" and "GEV" and several supplements, namely "Shockwave", "Reinforcements", and "Battlefields", as well as a compilation of old Space Gamer articles known at "The OGRE Book" and a recent book of Scenarios. There was also a game based solely on the infantry, called "Battlesuit", but it doesn't mesh with the rest. I think there's another supplement in there, but it's been a long day. This version of the game started as counters on a hexmap, but eventually evolved (slightly) into a hybrid, using the miniatures line on a much larger hexmap. This is the form of the game represented by the two big "Deluxe" boxes: Boardgame rules with some miniatures.

The other form of the game is "OGRE Miniatures", a pure minis game played on a scaled-but-gridless board. The game retains most of the boardgame's feel, but does make adjustments for being hexless. This had one edition, plus an errata'd version (IIRC), but has been out of print for years.

While the game is a classic armored "David & Goliath" situation that was reasonably balanced to start, some of the units have seen adjustments over the years. As such, you may want to start with whatever edition you find and cross-reference the various tidbits on the SJG website. Most notably, the more unusual OGREs (the MkVI and Doppelsoldner specifically) have changed, but if you find a really old edition of the rules, you may also see adjustments in the SHVY and the GEV. NO printed version of the rules has the current stats for the MKVI, as it was adjusted for the miniature release, which came well after any rules edition.

OGRE/GEV just plain rocks! Recently ran a minis game depicting the initial attack into Siberia in 2070.

The Deluxe Ogre and Deluxe GEV boxed sets are miniatures, miniature scale maps, and teh original Ogre/GEV rules.

The Ogre set includes enough minis to play the basic scenario, the GEV set may not. Certainly the GEV set does not contain enough minis to play all the scenarios in the game.

To make OGRE?GEV sell in today's market would likely require a complete redisign of the whole game. Prepainted plastic minis, colour rulebook etc. I would love to see it back in print in any form.

There was a comment that someone said above that the Fencer had not been released…

The Fencer has been on the Market since the early 90s… I did the painted miniature for the box art… I still have a few of them upstairs…

This is a game I would love to get. Played it eons ago a few times. Then the guy who had it moved away. However the premise of the game never left me and it is one of those games from youth that I wish I had now. (Avalon Hill's Naval War card game is another.)

I got a copy of the rule book from Amazon several days ago. It is in good condition and I am very glad to have it.
Soon I expect some Sci-Fi mini's to arrive from Brigade Models and I might be able to use them in Ogre. Maybe with some Mark I Ogres sprinkled among the Brigade Models I will be able to play a game. The Mark I is $6 USD so only a few will be needed. Also "Ancient" armor can be used so perhaps some WWII stuff can be included.
Some rule books are still out in the wild so get them while you can.

'Ogre' fans may find this most interesting.
Im sure some of you are aware – perhaps even following this project.

I stumbled across this Kickstarter notice; they 'may' do the Ogre minis, but this time as Plastic models. Lets Hope!
link