Subject: Re: Opinions sought on Crimson Skies, DragonEpic & Space Opera From: Brian Schoner The only one I can comment on is Crimson Skies. DISCLAIMER: I am a freelance writer who has done a lot of work for FASA, and I have contributed to a forthcoming Crimson Skies supplement. However, I have tried to keep the following comments as factual and unbiased as possible. :REMIALCSID Crimson Skies is similar in many ways to Battletech (also by FASA), although obviously without the years and years of history and thousands of pages of source material (at least so far). Each player controls one or more pairs of planes, each of which has a separate record sheet used to track ammunition, damage, etc. Pilots are rated in six categories, which modify their various rolls during the game, and can improve these stats through experience if you are playing a campaign game. Planes also have a variety of ratings indicating their maximum acceleration, deceleration, G's they can safely handle on a turn, etc. Pilots can, at some risk, exceed these ratings by "pushing the envelope", possibly damaging their own planes. Like Battletech 'Mechs, each plane (stats for 14 planes in the basic game) has a different size, amount of armor and weapon loadout. Movement (on a standard hexgrid) is simultaneous, with players recording the moves each plane will make and then all moves being resolved simultaneously. Collisions are possible, but good pilots can share a hex without crashing into each other. Altitude is not a factor -- the game is strictly 2-D. Damage is handled similarly to another FASA game, the all-but-forgotten Renegade Legion: Interceptor (though without RLI's insanely complex damage flowchart). Each weapon has a "template" of the damage it does, which is visually marked off against the armor on the affected section of the target plane. Some drill narrow, deep holes in the armor, while others shave off a thin layer of armor over a wide area. Once through the armor, damage affects one internal system after another, perhaps draining a fuel tank, destroying an aileron, or even killing the pilot. Each of these affects the future performance of the affected plane. The setting is an alternate 1930s in which Prohibition was struck down and the United States balkanized into twenty-odd "wet" and "dry" nations, including the Industrial States of America, Pacifica and the Republic of Texas. The interstate highway system was never finished, so most travel and shipping is done via zeppelin...making said zeppelins prime targets for the air pirates and privateers who roam the skies. The planes look as though they came out of a 1920's vision of the future, with pusher props, oddly shaped wings and bizarre fuselage designs. Exotic weapons like Drill Rockets and Beeper/Seeker missiles add a slight "weird science" feel to the game. The game world is different and fun, and adds a lot of color to what is essentially a straight combat game. Campaign rules are included, and likewise spice things up. Production quality is pretty high, and the game is a lot of fun if you enjoy the genre. Hope this helps! Brian Schoner