The Quick and the Dead Released

Sundance writes:

Should have looked more closely at the game before posting as I wanted to add that those complaining about the price – comparing the download to games in print, this would have easily been priced in the $50 USD to $75 USD range if in print. There are 250+ cards, a 40+ page rulebook and 120+ ship chart cards. I don't think I used $25 USD worth of ink printing it out, though.

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surdu2005 writes:

I have just released a new set of rules for PT-boat actions in WWII, The Quick and the Dead. I've been working on them for about three years, playtesting them at conventions. They are finally available.

PT-boat actions are generally divided into three phases. There is the stealthy approach phase in which one force lies in wait, trying to get an advantageous position on the enemy. This phase can last several hours, beginning from the time the boats leave port until (and if) contact is made with the enemy. There is the assault phase, in which the boats battle each other, typically at fewer than 200 yards, and nearly always at night. This phase usually lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. Finally, there is the aftermath. Typically one side or the other affects a disengagement and both sides head from home.

The Quick and the Dead focuses on the middle phase. Games last about 40 minutes. There are no turns and no chart cards. Players use cards to control the movement and firing of their boats. All the needed information is on the cards. When a player has exhausted his cards, each of his boats makes a morale check, draws more cards, and continues playing. At the end of a game, players feel exhausted, as if they've just been through a fight.

If you like your naval games pedantic and chart-ridden, The Quick and the Dead is not for you. If you want to feel as if you've actually been in a PT fight, these are the only rules that give you that feeling.

The Quick and the Dead comes with a rulebook, the cards to play the game, scenario cards, and boat record cards for most of the German, Italian, British, and American boat types in the Mediterranean.

The Quick and the Dead is a card-based game. Because PT-boat actions are a limited, niche period of interest, we didn't think we could sell enough sets to make the unit cost palatable. We decided to make the rules available as a PDF download through RPGNow. You can download the rules, print all the cards on cardstock, and cut them out.