Operation Game Collection 2

I've got some time to kill before dinner but not enough time for videogames. So let's keep this party rolling!

Today's RPG selection is:

All Flesh Must Be Eaten

Game Summary: Its an RPG designed to do pretty much any sort of Zombie themed RPG campaign you can think of. Uses the Unisystem which can also be seen in the Buffy and Angel RPGs, and a couple of niche RPGs nobody really cares about. (Terra Primate and Witchcraft.) Its also got D20 rules in the back if you have bad taste in RPGs.

1: Amount I play it.
Low. I ran like 1 session over 2-3 weeks back in 03-04 sometime thereabouts. I have no contact with the people I played with.

2: Desire to play it.
Low. The mechanics did not thrill me, and I can honestly use other better systems and just take the fluff sections and transplant it into an RPG system I do like. I could try rereading it, but I have lots more on my plate before I give a second look to a game nobody cares about.

3: Popularity in my area.
N/A. Outside of my one game I have never heard anyone ever talk about this game or even care about it. Even online its barely talked about.

4: Amount I own.
Low. I own the core rulesbook. I might have gotten the GM screen but I forget if I did or not. I remember not being able to find the dang thing though. Course its only ever been stocked in a single store..

5: Stuff I may still want to buy.
Low. Their sourcebooks sound cool and all, but were overpriced for small softbacks and as mentioned the game rules do not thrill me.

6: In Print?
As far as I know, yes.


My 2nd Boardgame/CCG entry is:

(Advanced) Squad Leader

Game Summary: Squad Leader is the legendary hex and chit World War 2 wargame. Advanced Squad Leader is the infamously complex revision/spinoff game. Its so complex its got 3 starter sets available that only make it stupidly complex instead of absurdly so.

1: Amount I play it.
Low. I played it once in 2005.

2: Desire to play it.
Medium. I've read both the Advanced Starter Kit and the Squad Leader rules multiple times in hopes of playing. Seeing the above obviously shows how well that is working for me. I even gave a now ex friend the first Starter Kit for a nice Christmas present in hopes we could both read the 12 pages of rules and learn the game together but he claimed to never have the time. Mysteriously he was capable of playing inane web games and finishing the later Harry Potter books in under a week or so. Hmm....

3: Popularity in my area.
Low. I know there were people a few years back playing. Gamers being the insular spergy douches they are, and New England being even more comprised of insularity and douchiness, (Unless you want to talk about the Red Sox or Patriots which seem to be the vast majority of discussion on anything in my region of the US) I have not been able to find any active players. Or really even where to look. Few places even stock the games any more outside of online.

4: Amount I own.
Medium. I own the 3 Advanced Starter Kits, map sheets bought on clearance, some magazines with more scenarios, a couple full ASL products I got cheap, and the original Squad Leader from Ebay. Its barely in Medium ownership category, but it IS over a Ben Franklin.

5: Stuff I may still want to buy.
Low. The odds of me getting to play it are somewhere between Jack and Squat as far as I can tell. Outside of the wargames magazine that has some scenarios which they eventually post on the current publisher's website I am pretty well set. Squad Leader stands alone well, I have TONS of the mounted geomorphic hex maps (which get used in other games too), and I doubt the Starter Kit line is gonna expand. And if it does given the resources most wargame publishers have, it will be one 20-40 dollar boxed set every 1 1/2 to 4 years. I can handle that.

6: In Print?
Squad Leader is not in print (which is a crime IMHO), but the ASL Starter Kits are. Its publisher (Multi Man Publishing) keeps running out of their print runs but they keep bringing them back in stock. Full on ASL is in print but lots of it goes out of print for months if not years. Meaning the one full on area of ASL I would like to investigate (Pacific Front) is undoable as the Japanese force rules have been OOP for years now, and the two US sets (General US forces and US Marine Corps) go in and out of print with massive regularity.


And finally, this installment's miniatures selection is:

Epic Scale Warhammer 40K.

Game Summary: Epic Warhammer 40K is like 3-4 different rules sets for 6mm scale battles in the Warhammer 40K universe, allowing for massive robot "Titan" units, hordes of infantry, and masses of tanks to go PEW PEW at each other. My favorite is Space Marine/Titan Legions which is 2 editions OOP though there is a continuing fan project based around it called NetEpic.

1: Amount I play it.
Low. I played Titan Legions rules Epic ONCE. In 2005. I bought my first miniatures in 96. I did try the god awful 3rd edition rules in 98-99 but they sucked horribly.

2: Desire to play it.
High. I like the game system, I like the models, I like the 40K universe. Sadly, I am one of the few.

3: Popularity in my area.
Low. I am sure someone is into it someplace. I've seen a few people with Epic models for the various editions, and have heard others claim the game is active. But I will be damned if I can find anyone to play.

4: Amount I own.
Medium. I have 2 massive armies for the game in the edition I want to play in.

5: Stuff I may still want to buy.
Low. Outside of some of the older stuff from the Titan Legions era, I have more than enough for any game I would wish to play. I do keep my eyes open for the odd cheap deal on Ebay though.

6: In Print?
My edition not really outside of a well organized and long running fan project. The current edition is in print, though in a niche format.