New World Disorder
From: Game Werks
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
New World Disorder is a new Skirmish-level 25mm Miniature Wargame from Game Werks. New World Disorder is set in the near future in a dark time in which corporations control the government.
Content: The basic premise is nothing overly original. It is basically a pseudo-cyberpunk dark future where the few own much and the down-trodden many fight for survival. Some of the specifics of the background are somewhat unrealistic – like a law that allows people to sell their votes – but it is a gimmick for the game itself. It takes place in a city called Angel City.
Players play characters in a squad orcrew.They do combat on the shadowy streets of Angel City. Each character is either a punk or a top-dog. Punks are basically general rank-and-file thugs, and the top-dogs are the heroes.
From the website:
“Gangs of urban warriors battle each other, corporate mercenaries, mob hitmen, cannibals, and who-knows-what-else in this game of the fight for survival in the dystopian future.”
System: The core die of this system is the 6-sided die (d6) and they use what I like to call the wild-die effect (from West End Games d6 system) where if a 6 is rolled, the player gets to roll again to add the next value to the total. Another interesting convention they incorporate is a percentile die roll using d6s. When needed, the player rolls two d6s, one counting as the 10s and the other counting as the 1s, resulting in a range from 11 to 66. I had to think – “Man, they really like 6-siders, don’t they? Or they really hate the other multi-sided dice for some reason.”
The basic concept of the system revolves around Action Dice. In fact, that is the name of their core system. The character spends Action Dice to accomplish tasks during rounds. The number of Action Dice the character has determines the number of actions he can do within the constraints of his attributes. There are three attributes in which a character has Action Dice – Brawn, Brains and Guts.
Top-Dogs can gain experience, advance in levels, and gain skills. There is an extensive list of skills with each having an effect in some level or another in game terms. Top-Dogs also get one distinguishing trait. These are rolled randomly using their d66 (percentile) dice. Some are bad – like drunkard, fool and skittish – and others are good – like Talent for a skill, Menacing and Two-Fisted.
Once characters are made, the players build their crew. Players have 1000 credits (unless the scenario calls for different) to spend on buying crew members. Each member cost a certain amount of credits. Top Dogs have a credit value based on their level, and Punks cost a straight 25credits. Gear is also purchased for the crew from the credit total. The gear list is pretty extensive and includes pistols, rifles, grenade launchers and other heavy weapons in generic terms. Also included are melee weapons, armor and special ammo types.
From page # 4:
“Are your characters ready to do what it takes to survive in the Intercity?”
The game itself, of course, is a series of phases within a turn. There are four phases or steps in a turn – Selection, Activation, Actions and End Turn. Selection and Activation are simple steps where the player chooses a character and makes an Activation Check for it. An Activation Check is a dice roll versus Guts. If failed, the character can still act, but any offensive action will have a penalty. Movement and distances are in terms of inches (so get your tape measure out) and are very simple to understand. More difficult terrain cost more inches to get across.
Shooting and fighting (melee) is handled rather elegantly, showing the simplicity and flexibility of the system the authors designed. Everything you would want to do in a combat situation is laid out in a simple way. How complicated can a 1d6 system get? Not very. It is as detailed as I would want a miniature game. It accounts for recoil in automatic fire (penalty on spraying shots), aiming, possible misfires, allows for different types of automatic fire, and direct and indirect fire. Opportunity shots, shooting with two guns, and sniping are some things that are also included.
Damage is handled through a table, which is one thing I do not like a lot. However, it is a simple table, so it can be put down on a quick reference card pretty easily and just about can be memorized. Aside from that, it is as elegant as the rest of the system, accounting for wounds as well as the effects of taking damage (falling unconscious from a hit or K-O or falling into shock.)
In conclusion, as I read more and more into the game, I was more and more impressed with it. It is a simple and sleek system with lots of potential for expansion. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to try it out thoroughly, but the first chance I get, I will try it out. The layout is nice and minimalist, the art is almost nonexistent (which is OK). This is a good little system.
For more details on Game Werks and their new Skirmish-Level Wargame “New World Disorder” check them out at their website http://www.game-werks.com and at all of your local game stores.
New World Disorder
From: Game Werks
Type of Game: Skirmish-Level 25mm Miniature Wargame
Game Design by: Christopher Brackett
Developed by: Christopher Brackett
Number of Pages: Type Number
Game Components Included: One PDF Rule book, several pages of cut-out counters (other counter-PDF files available on the web site)
Retail Price: $ 6.95 (US)
Item Number: GWS-NWD1000
Website: www.game-werks.com
Reviewed by: Ron McClung