"Battlesuit" by Steve Jackson: Box opening and Playtest

Future Combat from the 1980s!

Wait...that future is, well, NOW??

Life has been Ogragious lately!  Lots of modern combat games happening in small spaces, courtesy of Steve Jackson Games [CLICK].  These included Ogre Pocket Edition, Ogre 6th Edition, and the re-issues of GEV and Battlesuit in mini box format. They've fit in to the time and space available, and I've been learning or reinforcing some game design issues that have been on my mind a while. The relatively clear-cut mechanics and quick-play scenarios make thinking about the games easier, and they are still fun!

I wasn't planning to get Steve Jackson's "Battlesuit" at all, originally.  But regarding how games come and go out of print, etc, I decided it was just easier to grab this re-release / reprint of the original game.  The bonus over the magazine release of the game [which I have un-cut] is that the counters are a larger 1" and you get BOTH die-cut and the thin cardboard counters. As I can't find the original map, and small counters are tough to handle, I broke down and bought it.

QUICK COMPONENT THOUGHTS

• Rules. Small print but handy to carry around. I had to photocopy at 40% tho'!
• Map. Interesting throwback, in an unusual reddish tinge. Woods are bit muted.
• Counters. These came in two variants:
• Die-cut: Thicker and easier to handle, but require a bunch of trimming to remove the little corner bits or else they stick and drag on each other when you play.
• Thin cardboard: Bit harder to pick up, unless you have fingernails or tweezers handy. Easy to cut off - one scissor swipe carefully aimed does the trick.  
• SJ Games Pyramid Dice. These came in purple and white. Assuming your motto is "May the Fnord be against you, always" then the emblem on the '1' side in a game where it's always best to roll high sets the suitable ambiance!
• Giveaways. nice Box Labels, and spiffy re-issue of an old SJ Games catalogue, little zip-lock back, etc.  Fun stuff...

Final thought - is it all worth $20?  I'd say "Yes!", given inflation and the amazing amount of play in a small package, long a hallmark of the pocket games. The significantly improved carrying case over the original soft zip-lock bag releases is tight and probably water-proof. The larger counters in two sets is a big plus for me.

Below, the game in the - admittedly painful - process of having counters cut.  I got into the mood by listening to my favorite music from the 80s. Map is getting flattened under plastic weighted down by reference books and a big heavy box of - no kidding! - my cassettes from that era. Combine black and Paneuro red, with white buildings counters and pink-ish markers except for PANIC chits.

You can see the little fuzzy bits at the corners and center of each counter...call me OCD if you like, but I find them annoying, especially when they stick together in play!

First game setup - the countours show nicely in the pic.  Map easily fits on modestly sized dining table, representing 1.2 x 0.8 klick battlespace. It is presently oriented with map "North" to right, "South" to left.

Zip bags make for easy storage, altho you have to dig sometimes for the right counter you want. A comfortably sized parlor game, albeit needs more space than GEV or OGRE pocket editions. I randomly through additional buildings onto the map [white counters] as I think terrain is essential in a skirmih game.

Initial forces for Scenario 1: Training. Identical forces in a meeting engagement. Four Standard Battlesuits, one Ranger and one Assault suits, one Heavy Weapon.

Paneuro and Combine dice [sold separately] are nicely sized and roll easily, but have the cool symbols on the "1" side for a game where it is best to roll high. I find this annoying...Two Pyramid dice in center came with game, also nice dice.

Scenario has Team Red entering map first from South. They have no opposition and will be able to Reaction Fire against Team Black as they enter the map. Aside from that, nothing unusual about scenario. Faintly seen is a wood at center left, with two 'suits in it. Two suits at top and bottom are behind the hills. Don't know what I'm doing, but ya gotta learn somehow! 

NOTE: I removed the additional buildings, remembering the Golden Rule to always try Rules / Scenario as written, tempting as it is to change things up right away!

Black Team eased onto the board at the highest elevation - this gives a small advantage defending from Fire as well as attacking from higher up. The hill is 12m [40'] above the valley floor, and in general overlooks the two hills and woods Red Team has occupied. Still, after a turn of Reaction Fire then a Player Turn 2 by Red, Black Team has 4 suits in Shock with 3 damaged at the start of Black Player Turn 2.

The Morale Checks that start off the turn give some poor results, including one man panicking and two recovering but only partially effective this Turn. The panicking guy takes a shot at his closest buddy, but fortunately he misses!

Despite these problems, Red Team is also looking a bit rough by the end of Black's Turn 2, with all Suits damaged, and 4 in Shock, plus the Heavy Weapon was destroyed when the man wielding it was Hit. I think I was a bit bold in maneuvering...plus being in the open is quite dangerous, even out of line of sight.

Black finishes his Player Turn 50% effective, but better off than Red!  All this in just about 20 seconds...

Play is very choppy, with every suit on the Acting Player's side acting in sequence, with opposing Reaction Fire also occurring in sequence. The "Feel" is of a series of fragmented actions and reactions, with a lot of tension coming from trying to get the first EFFECTIVE shot off as the other uses cover and pop-ups to fight while reducing vulnerability. 

Generally speaking, the lethality is moderate because the game uses four levels of suit damage. At the first two levels suits are about 20-30% less effective. The second two levels see a suit at less than 40% effectiveness. The main reason they survive is that it is better to focus on the more intact enemy than pick the wings off the damaged enemy fly-ers!

The general tactic I evolved was to draw out Reaction Fire with less valuable suits acting first - if they hold fire, I shoot first and have a chance to reduce their effectiveness.  Generally, with even numbers, it is very difficult to wait for your optimum target, as threats are coming at you and if they get a lucky Hit you will lose the chance to Reaction Fire with a suit or two, and the enemy will still get to wind up their turn with their best suits and the Heavy Weapon.

Below, black is learning how to use cover to best advantage, as well as Jump movement [which allows holding altitude so really it's like two teams of helicopters fighting each other]. The setting may be futuristic, but it is analogous to VTOL / helo battles in the Fulda Gap, pretty much. Tense and brutal!

Overview of battlespace: Red is still working at using the hills to pop up behind and the central wood as a base of Fire. Black is closer together and using a higher hill with woods to keep his team fully engaged and mutually supportive.

Red Turn 3 starts with truly dispiriting Morale checks - the '2' & '3' result is no change, so all Red has to fight with is two damaged suits!

Despite this, they manage to Target, Shock and Damage one Standard suit that's in the open.

Black Player Turn 3 starts with two suits Recovering and two Panicking! 

The '4' result is a fatal error with suit handling - man dies. The '2' means man goes Berserk, heads in random direction and Fires on closest friend or foe!

The one guy accidentally hits sonic toothbrush and it pops his brain or something, the Berserk guy jumps off the table - can't return, either.

A lot of the chance element comes from the Morale Checks, with generally give you a 50% chance to recover, and a 17% chance at Panicking and really having a suit become ineffective or destroyed. While it isn't decisive, it certainly gives you problems that have to be worked on carefully!  As this was my first game, I didn't use any of the optional Command Rules, or even a Command Suit.

Red Turn 4 starts with some Panicking and Recovering.

The are up to 50% able to fight, albeit all damaged.

Their Fire is ineffective, however, and Black starts to do pop-ups out of soft cover, which seems the best way to "alpha strike" on your own turn, altho it means only 50% of your Firepower gets used [can only shoot twice if you remain stationary, otherwise it's 1 Shot on the Move]. 

But Black Team's Heavy Weapon is slowly grinding down the opposition, and the Ranger is nearly impossible to hit with Reaction Fire when he's doing a pop-up in the forest. He gets an occasional Hit for Shock or even Damage.

Black Turn 4 ends with all Red 'suits in Shock or Panic.

Overview of battlespace as ENDEX gets called - Black has achieved Firepower dominance with the Ranger suit and Heavy Weapon wielded by a Standard Suit shooting with near impunity while the damaged suit Targets for them - this is a deadly combination, and will continue to result in Red Team losing Combat Power. 

The Training Staff decide that Black Team is the winner!

Despite the limited tools of three moderately different 'suits apiece and only one Heavy Weapon, the fight was interesting and heavily focused on paying close attention to Fire opportunities as well as effectively using cover. At the 700-800m ranges at which most of the fighting occurred, enemy Fire effectiveness is significantly reduced [about a -3 to -6 usually, on a 2d6 added together Combat Results Table].

Staying in the open at all is risky as ALL suits can Indirect Fire and assist each other's Fire by using the Targeting Action to improve all Fire at a 'suit.  The Heavy Weapon functioned like a long range grenade Launcher, with realistic threats out to 700-1000m even with IF, especially if against a Targeted defender.

The game includes rules and counters for three types of Drones, which support Recon [Targeting], Attacking and a significant Bomb threat that comes into the effectiveness of off-board artillery Fires - only difference is a Bomb Drone can be shot down.  All Drones are hard to Hit, with significant ECM ability.

There are also rules and counters for squishy infantry without battle suits. These can represent staff officers fighting for their CP, or an uprising of local Fifth Columnists, or just 3rd-Line Troops in standard modern combat gear.

The game as presented has lots of dynamics and plenty to learn. The choppy action mechanics are fine for small skirmishes, but I think will be harder to manage in larger scrapes.

Of course with miniatures and creating one's own statistics, the possibilities for the PBI and their gear are limitless.  The map provides the largest limiting factor, being about 1:1500 and with no templates included. Adding more hard cover with the provided counters can result in some brutal fights for small towns, which will be fascinating with the Drones and militia type infantry.

I must say that altho it is a bit hard to plow thru the rules at times, and they can be a bit granular with execution, the effort was worth it. I'm sure I will fight both sides better next time, and that there is more to learn with the RAW. Altho the rules are from 1983 [when The Police, Michael Jackson and other dinosaurs ruled the Charts - CLICK!] they've aged quite well and just need a QRS and perhaps a tiny bit of streamlining to make them as contemporary as more modern skirmish rules with total OPFIRE like Infinity.

Overall, recommend grabbing this game for not only the raw rules and components, but the future possibilities with miniatures on an open table, or just making one's own maps.

JUST BUY IT - you will be hard pressed to find as much for for $20 anywhere!