The rulers, the binders and binders of information for every possible scenario, the time investment needed to prepare to play and to actually play and the overall complexity of miniatures gaming has kept me away. I admire the talent and time investment needed but prefer the rules and ease of boardgames.
So when my husband told me about Sergeants Miniatures I hesitated; first because that it was a miniatures game, and second because of the price. He assured me that there weren't binders and binders of rules, no need to paint lots of figures, and the price was worth it. To be extra sure we took a trip to the World Board gaming Championships happening not too far away from home, and demoed the game with its designer.
Jeff gave a brief introduction to the rules, a bit of history of the game, and then said we could start playing. Really, a few minutes of introduction was all it took and I was playing a miniatures game and thoroughly enjoying it. I'll explain why in detail at the end of the review.
I was impressed with not only the game but the company and the people behind it. Jeff and his daughter were wonderful and so excited about the game and future expansions that we will soon see. They talked of the quality and the company and the people who play the game with such pride and conviction that it made me feel good about the investment we were making.
Introduction to SMG
"Sergeants Miniatures Game is a World War II, man to man, card-driven, skirmish level strategy game." It's a mouthful but it does explain the basics of Sergeants Miniatures. Throughout the game players may control or be confronted by squads as small as 4 soldiers or as large as 15. Game elements create a unique story with individual soldiers where few things happen the same way twice.
Cards are the main focus of Sergeants Miniatures. The cards do many things at each step of the game. The Story Deck, contains Phase Cards and they control the action and monitor the possibility of a random event happening.
Each soldier comes with Action Cards that incorporate his skills, abilities, and personality. When a team is chosen, all of their cards are put together to create an Action Deck.
There are also Order Cards. These cards are handed out randomly at the beginning of the scenario. They set the objectives for a player and sometimes offer bonus points for achieving certain conditions.
Orders create interesting combat situations. Having a range of possible objectives within the same scenario keeps opponents guessing.
Set-Up / Components
Sergeants Miniatures is played using scenarios and each scenario contains a situation report describing who is fighting and why. Orders used in that scenario define victory criteria, force levels that may include characters essential to the story and the map layout used in the scenario.
After players choose the scenario they wish to play they assemble the map. The layout is pictured in the Scenario book. The map pieces fit together like a puzzle and are double-sided. They are made of a heavy type of cardboard and are very durable. The map, like all the components are well made, detailed, and of the highest quality. When you get your set it may be wise to wipe down the map because there is some residue from the cutting process. It just takes a few minutes but will keep you from getting black on your fingers and other things. After assembling the map, players assemble the frame. Some people have had trouble with the frame. So be careful and if needed check the instructions online. Early versions of "Day of Days" frame had a larger frame with places for the cards. Newer versions have a much slimmer frame. Cards are now placed on player mats.
Next players choose their soldiers for the Scenario. The game comes with 8 pre-painted pewter figures, for Sergeants, Privates, and "Characters." These figures are amazing. They are all hand painted by the company, and even come in different poses and with different weapons. Each soldier has a dog tag, upon which you will need to glue him. That dog tag shows his unique name and Dog Tag number. You will need to punch out the soldiers' dog tags, pinned marker, and grenade / spotted markers from the base. As with the board tiles these should be wiped down to remove any residue.
Then the soldier must be glued to the base. Glue dots are included, but looking at the forums it was advised that you use superglue. You may want to go as far as filing off the extra metal on some of the figures bases so they sit better on the dog tag. We enjoyed looking at the different stats of the soldiers trying to figure out their personality and best traits. Then we tried to match the mini with the soldier to best show this.
The soldiers are worth different amount of victory points when killed or captured by your opponent. Scenarios usually give you a victory point limit when choosing soldiers for a scenario, or they may tell you to include a character along with the other soldiers.
The Scenario will also instruct you to remove any landmark cards that are not used and add any that are into the Story Deck. Soldiers will also either begin off the map or on the map, depending on the scenario and Order Cards instructions.
The Game also comes with double -sided spotted markers / grenade markers and pinned markers. These are made of the same cardboard as the map and dog tags so as a precaution they should also be wiped down before playing the game.
Story Deck
The Story Deck controls the action sequence using Phase Cards. At the beginning of each turn three new Phase Cards are revealed and placed face up to reveal the order of actions that may be taken during a turn. These actions will be either Move, Shoot, Look or Hide. There are two possible actions on each phase card and be combined in any order. For example it may say Move and then Hide or Look and then Shoot or Shoot and then Move. Players must play one action card that matches either of the actions on the Phase Card for each of the three cards. The top action will be resolved first during game play and the bottom second. If players both play the same action during the phase, the player with initiative goes first. The Story Cards also contain story elements that may produce Random Events
Cause and Effect (Random Events)
The lower portions of the Story Cards contain graphics that may sometimes trigger a "random event" to occur in the scenario. It requires a two part combination so the rule book calls it Cause and Effect. The large colored boxes of text and a small colored box of text must be the same. Both are labeled with terms such as Weather, Weird, or Landmark. When two cards "cause" and "effect" match an event has occurred, the text inside the "effect" card is carried out immediately. When two random events occur, the second cards event should occur first and then the third cards event. These events can affect the story line and are totally random. I enjoy when an event occurs. We have had our orders changed in the middle of a game, soldiers injured from a crashing plane or storm, and had to reload our weapons discarding all our shoot cards for one round. I think it adds re-playability and some excitement to the game. I wasn't so sure my husband liked the change of orders event; luckily it happened on the second turn of the game and not towards the end.
Game Play
Once you know the basics, SMG is really easy to play especially for a miniatures game. The game is played in turns and once all the steps are complete, a new turn begins at step one.
1. Reveal the top three Phase Cards from the Story Deck and place them in order drawn on the card mat. (If there are less than three Phase Cards remaining the game ends. Determine victory.)
2. Players draw Action cards equal to the scenario draw Cards value and additional action cards equal to the Draw Cards value found in the "Look" box on their Soldiers. (If there are any Hold cards under a soldier, they may add them to their hand now.)
3. Resolve any events that are triggered by the Cause and Effect chain in the order they occurred. Normal rules apply to events.
4. Determine which player has the Initiative. In a game with more than 2 players, determine which players have initiative, as the sequence works from one player to another not just one side over the other.
5. Player place Action cards on their sequence mat, face down, to match either action on the corresponding Phase Card. All empty spaces must be filled -playing the most cards possible from your hand. If a player in unable to fill all phases with Action Cards, play as many cards as possible and declare the shortfall. Show all remaining cards to the opponents so they can confirm you have played as many cards as possible. Discard all remaining cards from your hand and draw one Action Card at a time until one can be played on the empty space. Discard all unplayable cards. Continue until all phases are filled.
6. Players resolve Action Cards played in step 5 in order displayed on the Phase Card. If player are taking the same action in the same Phase, use Initiative to resolve who takes the action first. At the end of each phase, Soldiers in Combat Contact with enemy soldier fight.
Soldiers
With a soldier is included cards, a painted miniature, and a base with the Soldiers name and Dog Tag number. The front part of the base is called the "Shooting Arc." All shooting, tossing, and fighting occur only through this arc. When moving a soldier, it is important to position the arc in the direction you wish him to face, as you cannot change this direction until another Move action happens.
The Dog Tag shape on the back of the base is important as well. This designates the actual location of the soldier on the map board. to be "In Cover," the Dog Tag should be sitting on the art of that cover shown on the map.The soldiers in SMG are Privates, Leaders, and Characters.
Privates
The Privates are the army's rank-and-file soldiers. These are the grunts and will most often make up the bulk of the squad. Each private has a single soldier card, four core Action Cards, and three Private Soldier Action Cards.
Leaders
SMG works on the idea that every Leader started out as a Private somewhere. Leader packages consist of a private, Junior NCO and a senior sergeant for each leader. During force selection, a player may choose any one of the soldier cards for his force - counting the soldier's victory points against the total for the forces allowed in the scenario. Once the selection is made, add the soldier's four core Action Cards and the three Action Cards that match the Soldiers rank into the Action Deck. Note that Starter sets such as Day of Days use "Characters" for Leaders, who only work at their given rank.
Characters
Characters are similar to the other Soldiers in all ways but two.
The first is that there are Characters that come with each new SMG Story that are the same in everyone's box. They are the only soldiers in SMG that are not unique. Characters have some cards integrated into the Story Deck for certain scenarios. And therein is the second difference. If there are Character cards in the Story Deck, then the Character figure cannot be killed in the scenario. If he receives a Kill effect or is wounded and receives an additional wound (which normally kills the soldier) then he is incapacitated in the scenario. Something may happen that changes his status. If the scenario ends and he is still lying wounded, consider him a kill in terms of Victory Points. In future releases there also may be Campaign rules in which characters also have differences. Characters are also leaders but they do not have cards at different ranks.
Measuring Distances
In order to check the possibility for shooting, sighting, and hiding, you must be able to check the distance between 2 soldiers on the map.
The map squares are used to count short and long ranges: once the action gets close, inches are used for ranges instead of squares. Landmarks count as two squares when counting distance on the map. To determine distance lay the ruler on a straight line between soldiers involved in the distance check. All squares cut by the line of sight are counted as the distance. (In rare cases where the line is exactly on corners use the square or landmark with the lowest modifiers for checks being counted.)
Count the squares (or measure the inches) between the two soldiers and then factor in the appropriate modifiers. When shooting, sum all the pink Shoot terrain modifiers from all squares that are passed through, excluding the shooter's square. For sighting, sum the green Look modifiers.
Soldiers use the ground they are on to the best advantage. The modifiers in the Soldier's square don't interfere with look or shoot actions taken by them. The Hide action let's soldiers use the advantages of the ground he is on, and in this case he may apply the modifiers for his own square.
Action cards
All Action cards have many different elements that are used for game play effects.
The Damage result is used to find out what happens after a Hit is determined. The "Talk Bubble" contains the group action description. When his card is used in reply to a Phase Card, any soldier under that player's control may be selected to do this group action. Along the upper row is a colored bar for the Action this card can be applied to and a "Hit Check" box, for use during Shooting.
There is a blank space between the Hit Check and the talk bubble. There sometimes is a square box included here. A white box is a "permissible action" which is something extra, outside the normal action that the named soldier may do. If the box is blue, it is a "required action," and something the named soldier must do if this card is played. Normal rules apply to both of these actions.
When you play an Action Card, you will always be able t apply the "talk bubble" results to any soldier under your command. Additionally, the specific soldier whose action card is being used may also take advantage of the Action card with a single action that applies to that action.
When you draw your last Action Card you may reshuffle the Action Deck and continue to play.
Types of Actions
Look
The Look action allows soldier to try and "Sight" the enemy and to prepare for what's ahead by drawing cards.
Draw
The Soldier with the "Draw Cards" number in the look are contributes to the leadership o the force by allowing the player to draw Action Cards from the Action Cards Deck. At the start of every turn, all soldiers in the group with a Draw Cards value are used to draw cards in additional to the scenario draw card allowance. Also, whenever a Look Action Card is played that has the Soldier's Id on the card, the Soldier can make a sight attempt or the player can draw extra Action Cards - Cards drawn during the turn can mean Initiative changes, and allow for more choices to add as a Hold Card under a soldier. A pin reduces the number of cards drawn but not the number of cards in hand.
Sight
Sighting allows a soldier to try and see a hidden enemy soldier and alter his hidden status. Announce the sight attempt like this - "Fields is sighting Fritz - the range is 9 squares - Fields sights out to 22 squares minus 7 squares for the cover in line of sight - Fritz is spotted."
Remember that the Sight value is summed with the Look terrain modifier for each square that the line of sight goes through (excluding the soldiers square). When the Sight attempt is successful, place a spotted marker with the figure. He is now considered spotted for all enemy soldiers, and will carry the spotted marker with him until the successfully takes cover.
Hide
The Hide action allows a soldier to try and take cover, rally his buddies and keep a few tricks up his sleeve by holding cards.
Take Cover
Soldiers remove spotted markers when they successfully take cover. Only soldiers that have their dog tag sitting in terrain are able to take cover. The second requirement to take cover is to be far enough away from all enemy soldiers to escape notice. The first step in checking to see if your soldier is able to take cover is to ask your opponent is they can take cover, as it might be obvious. If they agree, the soldier takes cover and the spotted marker is removed. Otherwise the opponent designates one soldier to be the spotter in the Take Cover check.Using the cover value of your soldier, sum the Hide terrain effects value of all map squares and Landmarks that are on a straight line from your soldier to the spotter, including both the spotter's and the hider's square. If the modified cover value is negative, your soldier is able to take cover so remove the spotted marker.
Pinned results works slightly differently here. When pinned, soldiers who have positive cover values 1/2 those numbers, rounded down to zero. Soldiers who have negative cover values also "halve toward zero." meaning the soldier with a cover value of -2 who is pinned now has a cover value of -1. Yes, this means that soldiers with poor cover values can Hide more easily, while those with good cover values lose some of their ability.
Rally
Rally removes pin markers form soldiers.
There are two ways to rally troops - the first is from a group action that says Rally some number of soldiers. The second is when a Hide action is played, the Soldier that owns that card may Rally up to the number of soldiers listed in his Rally line - for example, Rally 2 men will Rally any two Pinned soldiers that are within the walk distance of the soldier that own the card (including the terrain modifiers of the square containing the rallying soldier.) Note that the soldiers may rally themselves or other while pinned, but their rally values (and movement range) are cut in half. Removing the pin marker does not change spotted or hidden status.
If a soldier has a Hold value in the Hide box and he "owns" the card currently in play, any Action card up to the Hold value may be moved from the player's hand and placed under the Soldiers card. This may change initiative since cards under a soldier are not part of the player's hand. Cards may be moved from the soldier to the player's hand after the player has drawn cards at the start of the turn, or at the beginning of any phase, after Action Cards are revealed but before either player has begun to move. This may change initiative. If a soldier is killed while holding cards they are discarded.
Move
The Move Action allows soldiers to change their location and engage in hand-to-hand fighting. All move action use the walk section of the move box.
Walk
Walk is your basic movement distance for a soldier. The ability to move multiple times in a phase allows the soldier to jog, run or sprint. A solider that is walking may move up to the maximum "walk" distance, minus the move modifier from the square or landmark the occupies at the start of the move. So you pay for the terrain the soldier starts in, not the terrain he moves into during the turn. Players may move soldiers in any direction, without regard to facing while they move, and then face the soldier in any direction at the end of the move.While moving, the soldier may not cross or enter any terrain type that contains the no move legend. A soldier must end its move fully inside of a square or landmark. At the end of the turn all soldiers that are on cut lines of squares or landmarks are moved clear of the line by the opponent.
A soldier with a pin marker halves all walk distances round fractions down.
Climb
Some terrain has a climb cost that must be paid to enter the location. As long as the soldiers climb number is greater than the terrain level number, the soldier may enter the location. All terrain levels are assumed to be 1 ground level unless otherwise stated. (There is no climb required in Day of Days.)
Fight
"Fight" involves very close combat including shooting, bayonets, or clubbed weapons. Soldiers must fight at the conclusion of each phase if they are in combat contact. To resolve hand to hand combat, first check initiative. Then set your hand of Action cards.
For each soldier in this specific combat, and who has proper combat contact, draw action cards equal to the fight value of the soldier (found in the move box).
The player with the initiative plays one card (and applies its combat result) against any enemy soldier that is contacted by any of the player's soldier in combat contact. The card takes effect immediately. The next player in initiative order may now play an Action card against any soldier in combat contact with one of their soldiers. Play continues as long as any player can play an action card as part of the fight.
A wounded soldier who receives a second wound result is killed and removed from play. If there are still soldiers surviving after all fight cards are used up, they remain locked in combat contact through the next phase and, after both action on the story card are complete, renew the combat in the same sequence as before (determine initiative first, and then alternate play). Results like pin and wound carry over beyond the fight.If you have more than one case of Combat contact, resolve fights with the most soldier in combat contact first and continue to the least number of soldiers in a fight. Ties are resolved by the group with the lowest serial number soldier going first.
Prisoners: When a Kill result is played, the soldier surviving the fight may choose to capture the losing soldier and take him prisoner.
Combat Contact
When soldiers are in base-to-base contact with an enemy soldier, and at least one of then has his shooting arc in this contact they are both to be in combat contact and will fight at the end of the phase. Only soldiers whose shooting arch is touching the enemy soldier will draw cards in the fight.
Soldiers in combat contact may only change facing if they play a move action. No other actions are allowed while in combat contact. Any soldiers involved in Combat Contact are immediately spotted.
A prisoner can be taken as part of a fight, or may be assigned by an event are scenario special rule. All prisoners must have an escorting soldier in base to base contact at all times. Prisoners held at the end of the game count double VP and may also receive a bonus from the player's order card. Prisoners are always considered to be in Combat Contact, regardless of facing.
If the escorting soldier is forced to fight by another un-captured soldier, the prisoner first becomes pinned and also fights. A prisoner and escort may be fired upon by soldiers from the prisoner's side who are at close range. Any hits caused by the fire alternate between the target (escorting soldier) and prisoner, with the escort taking first hits.
While escorting a prisoner, a soldier cannot shoot or try to sight enemy soldiers. He can move at normal speeds (but may not do more than one move per action card), taking the prisoner wherever he goes. He can choose to exit the board through an appropriate Entry area -- not an enemy entry area. He can also attempt to Take cover / hide and, if successful the prisoner is considered hidden as well.
Shoot
The shoot action is used to attack enemy soldiers with either small arms or explosives. Only soldiers that are spotted by be shot at. A soldier taking a shoot action selects a target soldier that is spotted, determines the distance to that soldier, makes one or more hit checks, and if hits are scored, the target soldier's player determines the combat results using his action deck.
Soldier may only shoot in the direction they are facing. To be a valid target the enemy soldier must be in the shooting soldier's shooting Arc.
Hit Check
As range decreases accuracy increases. The Hit Check is used to determine if a shot has hit its target. All small arms - rifles, pistols, automatic rifles, submarine guns and machine guns - check for hits by applying the distance to the ranges found in the shoot box of the firing soldier's card. Draw from the Action Deck and look at the Hit Check box, using all the results that are at or Longer than the distance you determined.
For example, if the distance to the target is 4 inches and the shooting soldier's ranges are Long 8 squares, short 5 squares and Close 10 inches, then all three Hit Checks apply to the shoot. Draw one action card and check all three results for hits. Therefore you can get more than one hit on a single card. If the modified range to the target was 7 squares, you would draw an action card and look at only the long portion of the Hit Check area.
Any and all hits scored on the Hit Check are applied to the soldier that is being shot at. For each hit on a solider, the owning player pulls one damage result from his action deck.
Use Hit+
The "Use Hit+" effect in the Shoot Box appears for soldiers who are armed with high rate of fire weapons such as automatic rifles, sub machine-guns, and machine-guns. When one of these soldiers gets a Hit Check result of Hit+, there is the chance of more than one hit. Before the target draws a card to check for damage the owning player can choose to draw more Hit Check cards. He can pull cards for the same target (to try for additional hits) or shift to different spotted enemies within 3" (and still in his firing arc). There is no limit to the number of Hit+ results that can be strung together in a single Shoot action (as long as Hit+ is one of the applicable results on the Hit Check). Shots at other soldiers use the same original distance calculation results- so if (for example) the first shoot checked close, short, and long ranges, the additional shots continue to check these results, even if the new target is at a longer range than the original target.
If the shooting soldier does not have Use Hit+ on his card, a Hit+ result is treated as a regular hit.
Grenades
During any shoot action, soldiers with grenade markers on their soldier card may toss one grenade. Tossing a grenade does not produce a spotted marker on the soldier. The grenade can be tossed at any spotted soldier within toss range that is in their shooting arc. Toss range is affected by the Shoot terrain modifiers by inches, just like Close fire. Grenades use the grenade blast circle at the base of the SMG ruler.
All soldiers that have any portion of their base under the blast circle are attacked by the grenade - including friendly and unspotted soldiers. For each soldier in the blast area, the owning player pulls a separate Hit Check from his own Action Deck, using the Blast line and resolving hits normally.
Damage Results
Zip - nothing happened, the hit was ineffective
Pin - place a pinned marker, all stats are halved, rounded down, while pinned
Wound - Turn the soldier card to the wounded side (If he is already wounded, he is killed instead). Use the new stats on this side of the soldier card.
Kill - give the soldier card to the opponent that killed the soldier for VPs and remove the miniature from the map (but see character rules)
Initiative
Initiative is used to determine what player takes an action first when more than one player is scheduled for the same kind of action. Check initiative whenever this sort of tie happens. Which player has initiative can change during the turn, as players add or lose cards and as player "compete" for who takes the action first with different players on the other side. The player to solely satisfy the first of the following conditions has the initiative.
1. The player holding the most cards in his hand.
2. The highest VP soldier in play.
3. The lowest serial number soldiers
The dog tag is much more than a label on the base of the figure. In order to take advantage of cover, the dog tag portion of the soldier's base must be on a piece of terrain. In addition, when an Action Card is played during a Phase, the card "belongs" to a single soldier. At the start of the action the soldier whose dog tag is on the Action Card may take an action of the type on the card. Note: this will add an additional Hide, Look, Shoot, or Move action to those listed on the card. The soldier may do the same Action as described by the bubble on the card, or any other task that the action allows (such as a rally during a hide).
Scenarios and Selecting Soldiers
All scenarios may be played with as few as four figures. However, there may be more interest if you can organize your own squad, selecting soldiers and equipment by spending VPs on them. The scenarios have force levels for different numbers of players, ranging from 2 to 6 players. Basic ammunition is assumed to be sufficient for the scenario; however special ammunition and equipment is specified in the scenario, such as grenades. The cost for special equipment like a radio, AT device, satchel charge, etc., is specified on the equipment cards located in expansions. Grenades are specified in the scenario as the starting number of grenades and the VP cost for additional grenades. Scenario maps will all designate areas like A. B, C, or X, Y, Z, which may be important for set-up and entry. Also included in the scenario description is a quick reference guide that indicates the number of turns and the typical fore level for the scenario. The force levels for the two sides are an indication, not a requirement. Depending on the VP spent on soldiers and equipment the number of soldiers may be different from the suggested number for the scenario. The force levels are only a guide but you can make your own decisions.
Selection of Soldiers and Buying Equipment
Each soldier has four Action Cards that are always included in the Action Deck. The core action cards are marked with the national symbol. Added to the four core cards are three cards matching he soldier's rank. When choosing your forces for a scenario, select the solider card based on the available Victory Points. Select soldiers that total up to the maximum VP specified in the scenario. Two grenades may be purchased for each VP, unless the scenario specifies a different cost. Some scenarios allow for extra equipment or tactics cards to be purchased at this time. In Day of Days, Grenades are the only equipment available to purchase.
Map
Play takes place on a map made up of 5 inch squares and 10 inch Landmarks. All map squares are identified by a number, Landmarks are identified by the letter "L" followed by a number. For example, L2A is a Landmark where 2A is a map square. Around the identification plague are the terrain effects. For ease of assembly, each piece will have the same number and A/B on opposite sides. Each map number is unique. Future expansions will pick up the series numbers so scenarios will be easy to assemble.
In Cover
Soldiers are in Cover if the Dog Tag of the soldier's base is completely inside of some terrain feature on the map that is not open terrain. This can be a tree, wall, building or even a hedge with a "No Move" sign.
Landmarks
Landmarks count as two squares and have special story events associated with each landmark. There are about two to five random events in the Story deck. If a landmark is in play then the landmarks story cards are added to the store deck. If it isn't in play these are removed.
Orders
Each player in a game randomly draws one Order Card at the start of the scenario. These cards provide additional Victory Points for certain actions are specific instructions that may guide the player for that scenario. There will usually be several choices of order cards available. It is possible that players will get different orders when they play a scenario again, which of course adds to re-playability.
Some Order cards involve specific landmarks and should not be included in the Orders deck if that landmark is not on the map. Some Orders also have a bonus VP value that shows a national symbol. These cards can only be used by their respective side.
The details of the orders card should be kept secret from the other players, even those on your side. In scenarios that have multiple players each player will have an Order Card.
Scenario Draw Base
During each turn of a scenario, players draw a base number of Action cards before adding any additional draw cards due the capabilities of the soldiers. The scenario draw base is assumed to be 3 cards, unless other stated in the scenario.
Victory
Some scenarios call for a specific number of turns. If there is no such fixed time, scenarios end when it is not possible to place 3 Phase Cards from the Story deck. The player with the most victory points at the end of the scenario is the winner. Victory points are gained from various methods. If all the soldiers on one side are eliminated, the other side wins an instant victory, (unless Scenario Victory conditions dictate otherwise). In games with more than 2 players, the survivor with the most points wins. Of course, if a player wished to concede defeat, you can end the scenario when you want to end it. Future Campaign rules will make it important for players to actually withdraw from the map and preserve as much as possible, even losing a scenario.
VP from Soldiers
All soldiers that are killed during the game are awarded to the opponent for Victory Points. Soldiers that are captured count double for the value of VP on the soldier. When a soldier is not brought onto the map by Game 4, the soldier is lost from play but does not count toward Victory Points.
VP from Orders
Orders that require a soldier to exit the map score victory points when an eligible soldier exits from the required area. For a soldier to be eligible to exit the map the requirements of the orders card must be satisfied. If the scenario specifics special requirements use those instead of requirements on the Orders card.
- Hold - requirements are met by the landmark being free of enemy soldiers and occupied by friendly soldiers at the end of the last game turn
- Search - requirements are met by a friendly soldier entering the landmark
- Capture - requirements are met by friendly soldiers being the only soldiers on a landmark for a complete game turn.
VP from Events
Certain random events may allow VP to be scored instantly by a player. When an event scores victory points, make note of the amount on a paper confirming the record with the other players.
VP from Equipment
Equipment has VP values. Unless specified, the VP value is only scored by the opposing player if the equipment is captured. Day of Days does not have equipment.
VP from Actions
Tactics cards may provide players with a significant game advantage but come at a potential cost. When USED, these action cards should be removed from the game and placed in the owning player's VP stack, scoring negative points. There are also no Tactics Cards in Day of Days.
I don't see myself as a war gamer (even though I reviewed quite a few this summer) and there are very few I will willingly play. And as I said earlier, I haven't had much luck with miniatures games. But the ease of play, wonderful components, and the card system make this game work for me. I really enjoy it and can't believe that we have played all but one of the Day of Days scenarios already.
Components
As we played the demo we remarked on the quality of the cardboard. Jeff tried to steer us away from how it was made (which made us laugh) but from our conversation I can assure you that the map and dog tags are made to last. The painting on the figures is great. I've seen more detailed museum quality painting, but these are really well done. It is easy to tell that some love has been put into the painting. I also expect that they will resist wear over time.
The artwork on the map and cards is also very nice. I like the watercolor / saturated look. There are many different pictures on the soldiers cards and the story deck.
We also ended up keeping and using the tuck boxes that the cards and figures came in, which is a bit unusual since we usually use deck boxes. So don't throw them out they may prove useful for you!
The component quality is outstanding, which does explain the high price. I know a question a lot of people have when people purchasing SMG is if what comes in the box is worth the price. It can be an instant turn off for a lot of people. But, there is a reason.
My husband equated SMG to your local bakery. Yes, you could go to Wal*Mart and buy some Chips Ahoy for cheaper than a dozen cookies at your local bakery. But which would your really prefer? I think I would go for the bakery; they are going to be fresher, made with better ingredients, and probably taste better. That's what Lost Battalion Games is like for me, they cost more but the quality is better and you know you have people who stand behind their product.
Soldiers
I know some have said that Day of Days needs more added to it to make it playable and I would disagree. I've enjoyed all the Day of Days scenarios thus far and haven't even touched our expansions (other than the soldiers). I will agree that buying more soldiers adds a great deal.
When we purchased our soldiers we made sure that we balanced them out between the Americans and Germans. After playing a few scenarios I think this was a good idea. You won't know the strengths and weakness of your soldiers but you can be general with the weapons available to you.
Knowing your soldiers and what cards they add to the deck is important. A lot of zip and wound results may be good when when you're being shoot at but can hurt you when you get into combat contact. I discovered this in our last game. I was doing well as the Germans and felt like I was going to win until my husband starting moving in close and fighting my soldiers. Then he was killing guys left with his Kill cards while all I had was Zip. You also have to know how they react to events. One of my soldiers will never, ever carry a grenade because he will probably drop it and attack himself; otherwise he is a strong soldier with good range.
On a side note if you want a good storage solution for your miniatures we found that a Plano 3500 fit the soldiers that come with Day of Days and a squad bundle. They fit in there well and don't move around too much. You can add some padding around so they don't move at all if you wish.
Set-up
Setting up the map is pretty easy. The scenario book pictures are helpful when setting up the map. It fits together like a puzzle and fits together well without being too tight so that you worry about damaging the pieces to take them apart. I still spend most of the set up time picking out my squad. The scenarios also tell you what cards to take out for the landmarks and which orders to use. If you play more than one scenario in a row changing the map is pretty quick since you already have most of the pieces out on the table.
Rules
I also think the rules keep it simple. Simple rules are good for me. I don't want to have to look up every possible modifier that many miniature gamers enjoy. The four possible modifiers depend on what tile you are on and where the shooter is. Because of this many things are abstracted.
Measuring is still the hardest part of the game for me and even after a few games I have to stop and think about how exactly hide or shoot are measured. The scenario book does have a player aide on the back but I think a player aide telling you exactly how to measure shoot, hide, look extra would be helpful. Also, Jeff explained that measuring takes place from the dot on the dog tag, but I haven't seen this in the rule book. There has been some questions when we measure. Is it always from the dog tag or do you measure shooting from the front since this is the shooting arc?
The other simple aspect of the rules I like are the cards. The cards limit what you can do on a turn. I like that. I don't have to think of the million possible choices I could have, I only have six possible choices. But I have never felt that I'm stuck because of this. After all my opponents only have the same six options. This does put a bit of luck into the game. You may not draw the cards you need and then you lose initiative. But, knowing your squad, knowing what cards they have in their deck and doing what gives you the best chance can mitigate some of that luck. It actually feels like a bit of deck building in a sense when you choose your soldiers.
Scenarios / Order Cards
Scenarios and order cards will also affect how you choose your squad. I lost a scenario where I had to hold a landmark and after the game I realized that if I had taken the MG42 and his assistant I would have stood a much better chance. I didn't take him because of his cost, but he probably would have given me a better chance because of his cards with lot of hit and hit+s. There is a balance in the soldiers. Soliders worth the most victory points are well worth it and soldiers worth less show it in lower stats, personality quirks, and so forth. Both types of soldiers will be useful for different reasons. Someone who knows their soldiers well may also have an advantage over a new player since they will know who to use in the scenario or situation. When soldiers get wounded or pinned most will see a decrease in stats, some get better when wounded. Hiding is also easier when pinned.
Order cards also add a bit of a deduction element to the game. You may have an idea of what your opponent is doing but you may not be totally sure. It helps create a bit of a "Fog of War" many like in their war games.
I prefer using orders but even scenarios without orders can be interesting. I also don't completely like the orders to kill everyone or even half of the opposing soldiers. This is okay but patrol, hold, and reconnaissance missions are more interesting to me.
Having multiple orders for each scenario can also keep you guessing each time you replay one. Orders also make SMG a victory point game; another aspect that I like. Because there are multiple paths to victory (Events / Prisoners / Orders / Kills) even when you can't obtain your objective you still have a chance of winning. Some of our games have been close even when one of us has achieved our objective and the other has not because of these multiple paths.
I really like the Story Deck. I like the random events, even when they hurt me. Most of the random events are landmark specific so if you can avoid the landmarks you won't be hurt by them but you also won't gain from them. Of course this may discriminate one player from another if one's objective is to hold a landmark. They are thematic and can be explained away by events that really could occur during a war. It can still be painful as three of your soldiers are killed by a crashing plane, or your perfect plan is foiled when you have to reload. Still they don't happen every turn or every game. The most we have had are three in one game. Global effects brought by the cards can also change your plans.
Final Thoughts
Luck, abstraction and cost are perhaps the worst parts of the game. This certainly isn't the case for me. I like luck in my games, not pure strategy. The random events, the card draws for hit checks and so forth are the very things I like. I'm not always good at planning out the best strategy so luck can sometimes be on my side. Of course I have been annoyed when I'm constantly losing in Combat Contact because all I draw are Zip and Pin.
SMG is certainly not an absolute simulation of warfare. I'll give that up to have a miniatures game that doesn't require the time investment and complex rules of a real simulation. It's almost like SMG is a new type of hybrid between miniatures gaming and board gaming.
I am not a war gamer or miniatures gamer. I love board games, history and have an interest in playing miniatures games. We have tried other war games and miniatures games and most sit on the shelf. Day of Days has not and I think its do to the hybrid nature. If my husband can get me to buy in and enjoy this game you may be able to do the same with your significant others. You could use this as a gateway for your children to get into your hobby, spend time with the family, or with a causal gamer friend. People who enjoy a more complex game will also enjoy SMG. The rules are simple and easy to understand, the choices limited, which makes for a faster playtime, and the events keep things interesting. I think it's a solid game that is easy to fall in love with.
Plus it's made by a small, wonderful, family-run company that is motivated and excited about what they are putting out there. They have lots of plans for the future that will only add more and more to the game. I'm excited about the campaign rules and possible session reports that may come out some day. I do worry how they will deal with expansions. Everything is set up in chapters, and certain characters are seen in every expansion so far. What will happen with the newest starter set? Will you need to buy Day of Days in order to use future expansions?
While these questions remain overall this is a great game. I like the story, the game play, and the uniqueness of my characters. I look forward to the next chapter with the larger maps (we're going to need a bigger table), equipment, and new events.
Quick Stats:
Designers: Jeff Billings, Mike Billings
Artist: Jeff Billings, Mike Billings
Players: 2 - 6
Publishers: Lost Battalion Games
Ages: 10 and up
Mechanics: Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Card Drafting, Modular Board, Storytelling
Photo Credits: from www.boardgamegeek.com - my eye (earache), Ubergeek (Walt Mulder), CWattie (CWattie), Michael Bowker (pvi99th), Kevin Duke (kduke)(2), Angus McEachran (Ginjav), Garret Arcoraci (poboxgarret), Michael Bowker (pvi99th), Garret Arcoraci (poboxgarret), Kevin Duke (kduke)(2), Tom Boyd (Tommy20), Steven Tower (Unasta), Rob Koch (robkoch2112), Garret Arcoraci (poboxgarret), Rob Koch (robkoch2112),Steven Tower (Unasta), Garret Arcoraci (poboxgarret), Michael Bowker (pvi99th), Rob Koch (robkoch2112), Kevin Duke (kduke) (2), David J Schaffner (FlyXwire), Angus McEachran (Ginjav), Garret Arcoraci (poboxgarret), Rob Koch (robkoch2112)(2), CWattie (CWattie)
All others were taken by my husband. Thanks to all for sharing their wonderful photographs.
