"Guncrawl (2008) rules, Space Hulk/Aliens variant?" Topic

Did anybody have a chance to try these rules, Guncrawl:
link

I stumbled over them during a search for Space Hulk terrain.
Looking at the pictures it's a Space Hulk variant using alien like creatures against Aliens like troopers.

I'm wondering if these rules have any extra 'stuff' and 'fluf' and if they are worth buying in your humble opinion :-)

Any input welcome, tnx, Fred

I'd certainly be interested in finding out. Mel does some excellent cardstock terrain, that's for sure.

I have them, and they're pretty good. Intended for solo play, and mission oriented. It can be pretty intense trying to finish one part of the mission with the aliens charging down the hallway while your tech is trying to restart the air supply!

A few people have already taken the system and worked it for other things. One I recall was using it for Judge Dread.

So, I'd say "worth it". Plus, as more terrain and stuff comes out for it from Ebbles, it'll constantly expand and be supported.

$20? I'll chance it – Order placed.

Thanks, guys. I was wondering where the sudden spike in Guncrawl sales was coming from, and there it is on TMP.

I didn't put any fluff or backstory in the game, 'cause that's pretty difficult to do well, and I didn't want to cramp anyone's style. Instead, it's pure toolbox, and designed to make it as easy on you as possible when you simply want to throw some figures on the table and play out some scenario or plot that you read in a book or saw on TV. So, it had to be simple, but not so simple that it becomes bland.

I basically looked over my whole collection of figures and added enough special abilities, special effects, and rules to model any of these figures quickly. The game also encourages you to use the existing abilities or effects as a template for coming up with your own.

On the mission planning side, I included a lot of options and guidelines in the same spirit as the figure profiling rules, so you could design anything from a really simple one-objective mission up to a fairly detailed adventure that takes a few hours to play. I did this because I hate having to implement a lot of hardcore houserules to some existing set, and I'd really rather be able to set up something without having to implement a lot of house rules.

I also tried to make sure that the tone of the game could be dialed from ultra-cinematic to very gritty. You can use the Trauma rules to model injured figures that start staggering around like a blood-soaked Bruce Willis if you want a cinematic feel, or you can opt for a grittier feel with the normal "down is out" system.

The flow is pretty fast. I always thought that overly detailed game turns made games feel like a surreal experiment in bullet time, so I wanted something that moved so quickly that bodies started falling immediately and there wasn't time to think. The combat system treats hits as automatic injuries, but targets have a chance to determine whether or not their armor stops the hit. If they fail their Defense roll, they go down hard and are out until the End Phase, which is when the actual status of casualties are determined. (One die roll. Fail this, the figure is removed. Succeed, and the figure's back in play.)

Solo play was also important to me, because I spent years without having a gaming group to play with. So, the game is structured into phases, where the player figures perform actions, and then the enemy figures follow some simple behavioral rules in their phase. Yeah, I know, it's not groundbreaking or novel in that department, but I was more concerned with "deliver a fun game" than winning brownie points from the game design illuminati.

I started working on some basic gameplay examples on my forum here:

link

More examples will be added over time, and it'll all be compiled into a PDF for easy download.

Here are a couple of game reports:

link

There are actually more, but they're in the private beta forum and were played using an older version of the rules.

I also have an online mission editing tool that lets you share missions with other people in the form of a printable web page that includes a map, enemy tables, mission briefing, objectives, and figure profiles in one handy place. That's here:

link

The beta testers like the system a lot, which is a better endorsement than I can provide as the author of the game.

The game hasn't been out that long, and I haven't advertised it elsewhere yet, so pardon the lack of traffic in the Guncrawl section of the forums.

I probably missed some other bits of information in the above, but I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone has in this thread, or on my forum. Either place is okay with me.

-Mel

Mel, thanks for the time you took in explaining the game,
I ordered it right away and am downloading it now :-)

-Fred

Thanks for the business! I'm always available if you have any questions or suggestions. I visit TMP almost as often as I visit my site.

-Mel

Hmm looks interesting,can it be played as a VS game or does it only work as as co-op/solo game.

I just bought the rules last week and read them.. seems mostly oriented towards solo play allthough it can be played human versus human. I would choose this game for solo play. I haven't had time to play a real game but it looks like fun that way.

-fred

Its "improved" version is now 25% off at worldworksgames.com ($9.38) – but is it good? BoardGameGeek.com doesn't have enough evaluations, but I'm really interested in it as a Space Hulk variant :D

I really like the rules and still use it for sci-fi corridor crawls. It works really well for solo games, particularly Marines vs Aliens, or something similar.

There are a lot of options for defining characters and weapons(stats as well as special rules). It's a basic IGOUGO, but there are interrupt actions if you plan ahead. Also, characters moved/shoot/perform tasks based on actions. The number of actions a character performs is based on their level (usually 3).