I supervise a small group of 'gamers at the College at which I work. We meet each Saturday morning, and they play games. Generally they come along with Warhammer 40K, or five or six figures for the game at an rate, bewitched by the 40K world and/or the fantastic miniatures (as am I). However they rarely get to build complete armies these days, their interest has waned well before their budget has expanded to match it. This wasn't the case even five years ago. In saying this I am careful to NEVER be disparaging of any game system. I am happy to say what I like and don't like and why, but I won't 'bag' a set of rules for that reason.
This year I have several boys who aren't required to attend, but who choose to do so, and they have a different set of tastes. Two weeks ago I was describing Crossfire to them as a game, and they expressed a keen interest in the game. This week I brought along my 20mm figures and they played a small introductory game (no frills or added extras, just one single unsupported company against another to allow them to try out the mechanisms).
It seems that the rules have made a hit with them. They loved the mechanisms and the look/feel of the game. They are also greatly taken with the capacity to build a small force for less than $20NZ.
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| Contemplating how the game might play, and thinking about deployment |
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| My beloved paras .. as we all know, every para has a convenient brick wall behind which to hide, even in a forest. |
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| Hmmm ... this is getting interesting |
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| And if we moved here we could ... |
I love Crossfire, but struggle to play it well. As I explained things to them you could have heard the veritable treasure chest empty (an exaggeration of the 'penny dropping') as I came to understand how I could also play the game more effectively.
I'll try to take some pictures and do a write-up of their game next week. You just can't go past the appeal of a good set of rules.
Great to hear that Crossfire is working well with the boys - we use Battle Group. I ban GW at the School club, mainly to keep the focus on historical games, and partly to avoid the insidious situation of the boys feeling they have to outspend each other. SAGA has been a fantastic game for our club,
ReplyDeleteSometimes teaching people a game - teaching people anything in fact - helps improve your own knowledge and understanding of it.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff. Need a...playmate to help?
ReplyDeleteGreat to see a Crossfire beachhead in godzone
ReplyDeleteI've still got a copy of these knocking around since '97 and love them. Sadly, never get to play them these days; but the mechanics have never been bettered, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteSplendid effort that man.
ReplyDeleteThis chap has some good introductory Crossfire setups..
ReplyDeletehttp://mgluteus.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Cross%20Fire
Thanks Stan... will look at these.. there are hints of interest in buying stuff, so I may ask you to come along say 10ish one Sat morning with your boxes of goodies.. will let you know.
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Dick's 2'x2' scenarios are great for an intro. When he plays them he lines three of them up in a row and the players cycle through them. I can vouch, from experience, that each game takes less than 1 hour. However, they are just small tactic challenges, not full games.
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