From: Flak Magnet <flakmagnet@t...>
Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 09:54:00 -0400
Subject: Response to the question about CAV...
> On Sun May 4 2003 01:21 pm, Scott Clinton wrote: I have the rules and a couple of miniatures, but I haven't played a game as yet. It looks interesting, and there's some interest in my parts (Grand Rapids, MI) so after Origins I might get some CAV games in and thus be able to comment in a more informed fashion. > The company is just up the road thus they have a decent following in Lucky you... everyone should have a top-notch mini manufacturer just down the street. The setting is soft-sci-fi to be sure, but without the "So much lost knowledge that technologies are "black box"" crapola that B-Tech explained away tech incongruities with. The big "gee-whiz" thing that makes CAVs work isn't a neural link to the pilot's equillibrium and they don't have artificial muscles like battlemechs... they have "Bellar Joints". Oooh... The background setting isn't real rich, but it's based on a great foundation with lots of potential. The rulebook is mostly background, with the back section being the actual rules. One thing I find annoying about the background though is that it's mostly economic, social and political. So I don't know what the Rache look like, > How does it compare to DSII? DSII and SGII are all but unheard of for Die rolls are opposed like DS, (meaning you roll to see how well you shoot and your opponent rolls to see how well he defends against the fire, the difference determines success/failure) but in CAV it's using the same dice with skill/capability and situational modifiers making up the difference between the rolls instead of using different types of dice. One thing I like is that the game takes into account ECM/ECCM systems by requiring a target-lock roll before the actual firing roll. I'm not sure how that works out in actual game play, but just reading the rules I appreciated the attempt. The game is pretty fluid too, with cards being used for initiative by "section" or squad so it avoids the IGO-UGO syndrome, but the models have no "facing" as far as weapon mounts go. The assumption is that CAVs can twist 360deg. at the torso, so for firings sake, their full firepower can face to the rear. I'm not too keen on that as it removes the joy of flanking a unit and blasting at it without suffering return fire. While CAV doesn't specifically say it's suitable for use with any minis (well, maybe it does in the CAV design area, I haven't read that in-depth yet) they do provide rules for designing your own units so you can probably fit in whatever models you want to use, so the same end-result might be there. I do no know what "scale" the CAV models are cast in, but that's pretty flexible as the cockpits lack anything like hatches, etc, that would make force them to be a certain scale. They could be giant city-sized walkers in DS2, or just really big 'mecha in 15mm SG or big robots in 25mm SG. One thing that I notice the most about CAV is the $$ of the models. $10.00 a pop... Woah. I knew I switched to historicals and 6mm or 15mm for a reason... --Tim