Heavy Gear: Northern Recon Squad

After a couple of conversations with my friend Sheldon, mostly about DP9s Jovian Chronicles, I picked up the current rulebook for Heavy Gear.

All i knew about it was it was a Battletech Clone that appeared in the mid 90s. I have never played it and only seen people playing it a few times, mostly at Coast Con.

This rulebook represents the 4th edition of the rules.

Background? Blah blah, you are talking to the wrong person for background. I will say its similar to battletech only the "gears/mechs" are alot smaller. Instead of towering mechs 3-5 stories high, these are only 2-3 times the height of a man. The pilots legs are in the chest of them.

Its also true combined arms. Most armies are not made up of all gears, most use tanks, infantry and field guns. You can even field all tank/infantry armies and be fine against gears.

The rules seem well thought out and detailed but not overly so.

I really like how you chose a force. It goes by point cost, called "threat value". The average seems to be between 750 to 1500 TV for the game. You also have a "priority level" that governs what you can field. 1-4 with the higher the level the "cooler" units you get to field.

To put it in 40k terms, for a priority level 4 game, you could take more terminators than you could at level 1. The only thing is, you get more objectives. If you take a priority level 4 force and I take a level 1, you have alot more you have to acomplish and harder objectives in order to win.

You can also buy support options, such as artillery and airstrikes.

Record keeping is minnimal, this really got my attention as it differs greatly from battletech. You can use small card size sheets for damage or you can just use the dice system they sell. Unlike battlech damage is not area specific, depending on what type it is, you get affected.

The rulebook also includes background and info for league and campaigns.

It has all the "Adam's Hallmarks of a Good Game"

1. point cost
2. initative (no IGOUGO)
3. premeasure at any time
4. varried movement rate
5. "to hit" modifers

Also the game is 1/144 scale (15mm)

I picked up 2/3's of the sample Northern army in the rulebook and went to same painter that did my Uncharted Seas, NGArt studios.
http://www.ngartstudios.com/



I was a bit shocked at the quote I recieved back. $10 a fig. I went ahead and did it. This is what I recieved in return:

They look good, detailed and clean. The models were multi-part and bagged individualy with parts. No problems there.

I did not argue the price, but I dont think I will go back. I am used to paying $5 per 28mm figure so a smaller one for twice the price, irks me a little. Especially with no slide transfers or conversions.

After they got their website up and running I see that $10 is their base cost. I got a bid from them on another project at that amount and I asked them about $5. They said they would only do a basecoat and ink for that amount.

I have no problems at all with the job, just the price. I have been getting things painted for about 10 years now and nobody charges that much anymore.