by Billy Riley, 19 January 2023 ~ #UnboxingDay
When I first saw this game, I was initially put off by the low counter count and low turn count. Not that I necessarily look for BIG games, but one sheet of counters isn’t something I’ve ever had before.
However, I heard good things about this game. I won’t go into the specifics of the operation – you can find them on Wikipedia and a brief outline on the back of the box below.
Here’s what’s in the box.
Welcome Note ~ Straight out the box is a welcome note.
click images to enlarge
Box Art ~ Almost looks like straight from the film Fury!
The back shows an example of the battle, with details of the contents and a list of scenarios. It also lists the game as Medium Complexity and Medium/High Solitaire.
Dice ~ A couple of six-sided dice
BCS Series Rule Book ~ This is v2.0 of the BCS system. It’s big at 48 pages with 35 pages of actual rules on semi glossy, thick paper. It’s 3 columns per page which makes the font kinda small – but it’s not too bad. There are plenty of examples about. It looks very readable.
BCS Arracourt ~ This book has specific rules for the battle to commence as well as the scenario details – of which there are 6. It’s 16 matt pages of which 3 are rules and 3 of Designer Notes – the rest for scenarios.
BCS Series Support Book ~ This is 24 pages of semi-gloss, thick paper like the main manual. I’m not 100% sure what this book is – but a quick scan makes me think it gives an understanding of the rules…why things are. That is actually a very good thing if that’s the case. One thing I often find lacking in rules books is the why…why is that the case. This – I find when it’s available – often helps you not get into the “huh?” moments when reading rules.
I don’t necessarily relish the thought of reading another manual…but I do think it could help (if it’s what I think it is).
Counters ~ As mentioned, this is low on counter count. There’s one sheet of combat counters and one of administrative counters. That’s it. They’re a nice size at 5/8” and clear. There’s a lot on the counters but it looks distinct and clear.
Player Aid Cards ~ There’s two of these. One is an A4 booklet with 4 printed sides and the other is one sided with the Turn Track as well as other key information.
Map ~ The map is a standard 22”x34” size and of decent, semi-gloss thick paper. I think it looks pretty damn nice. I especially like the fact that the hex identifying numbers are not in every hex.
Given the complexity of the rules (going on the size of the rule book), it might be quite some time before I can get this to the table.
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