COMBAT DICE UPDATE - FMG

IPC’s are excellent, and the FMG chips have their star on them… so that’s kinda nifty as well.

Well then, it looks like I will be placing a new order next week as well.

I loved everything about the pieces and I like HBGs inf size more than FMGs which I believe is a little too small.

The Complete G40 Set!?!  Aw man, that’s going to be a while.  I know they are making the mould for Germany and assuming they get this one right the first time (no defects in the mould like what happened with Italy), I think it takes roughly a month or so just to get the mould made at the foundery then shipped back to the factory.  Then the factory has to get with Jeremy to choose the right plastic and color.  Once that is done, they can go into full production.
With Italy, they went into full production about June 6 and were finished by the end of July or beginning of August.  Then they had to package them all up onto skids for the freight company and arrange for the freight company to go get them which I guess took another couple of months or so (early Aug to Oct 9/10).  Then the ocean voyage, customs and transit to FMG hopefully by Halloween.
So, if Germany goes by roughly the same schedule and they have the mould ready by late November/early December,  I would figure full production starting early-mid December, possibly finished by early-mid February (minimum 1000 sets ordered).  Packaging and pickup by freight company roughly mid-March and , with any luck, at FMG by April.  Now, this is just a wild guess by me just going by what happened with Italy.  Actually, I’m hoping that I am wrong and everything goes smoothly and the German units get here even sooner.  After all, they sort of “cut their teeth” with Italy so maybe it will go a little faster, not just with Germany but with all the future nations.
As for USA, it’s still in the sculpting stage so I have no clue as to how soon they will go into production.

Well Christmas isn’t all bad now won’t even have to pay for them. Thanks mom

For the Bomber the Mitsubishi KI-21 “Sally” is the best choice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLKQpceD1mE&feature=related

The Mitsubishi G4M1 “Betty Bomber” is a good one as well, but since it came later in the war, and carries a much heavier bomb load, it’s probably best to save this one for a Japanese Heavy Bomber in FMG’s Technology Set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc0H8-O8Z4E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdFt0EIA-Oc&feature=related

From BGG:

I have not yet played this game but thought I would review the components and rules prior to playing. These are my initial impressions which may change after playing the game.

I was intrigued enough to purchase this game for several reasons: 1) the publisher is offering a significant discount on the game - $25.00 plus shipping (wow!), 2) it has 438 component pieces (I love little plastic armies), 3) it plays on a world map, and finally 4) I love Axis and Allies and have been nostalgic for games like Supremacy ever since I dug it out of storage last month.

In summary, I have not been disappointed yet. I feel I got superior value for my money and would recommend this game to other fans of world domination games. I can’t wait to play!

The Components
The main playing pieces come on plastic sprues and should be removed with an exacto knife. Seven colors came with the set: White (use by all players for factories, air defense, generals, nuclear bombs, and leaders), and colors for six players - Gray, Blue, Red, Purple, Green, and Yellow. These pieces represent infantry, tanks, fighters, bombers, battleships (now called battlecruisers), aircraft carriers, artillery, subs, and transport ships. It doesn’t matter which superpower uses which color. The plastic is good quality.

The game actually allows for up to eight players and the rulebook mentions an expansion pack. I am guessing Brown and Orange would be in the upcoming expansion pack.

The pieces are very good and remind me a lot of Axis and Allies pieces. The one drawback seems to be the tanks which are much smaller than those pictured. In fact, they are almost teeny-tiny. I’m not sure if the small size will hinder or help gameplay at this time.

Other components include circle territory markers, plastic poker chips for stacking under the pieces, dice, plastic container trays, plastic bags, and cards for each superpower, development tracking, and conducting battles.

The gameboard is beautifully illustrated on a heavy, large tri-fold board. It reminded me so much of Axis and Allies I had to go back and look at it to make sure it wasn’t the exact same board!

Finally, the box is heavy duty and will hold up for years. Somewhat surprisingly, the game was shipped to me via Fed Ex with a shipping label slapped on the clear shrinkwrap! Most games would never make the journey but my set survived with a minor dent on a corner. However, if you are at all concerned about getting your set “Mint in Box” I’d highly recommend requesting some type of shipping container when ordering your set from the publisher. They may charge you more but it may be worth it to you. I couldn’t care less.

Rules
I think the rulebook could have been written better. You can view a copy of the rulebook on the superpowergames.com website. The website also clarifies some errors in the Errata section.

Play mostly works like Axis and Allies with players attempting to gain control of enough capitals to win the game. There are a few interesting twists that have been created to make the game fit in a more contemporary setting: Alliances can be formed and broken, technology can be researched, and money is eliminated (technically still in the game just not represented with paper currency). Additional minor concepts have been added like Encirclement which allows players to resolve battles without rolling the dice in certain situations. Clearly the designer is attempting to speed play and focus the game on the fun aspects of world domination rather than the tedium of counting out paper money and fighting insignificant battles.

Final Thoughts
Some of the graphics and illustrations lend the feel of an upstart game maker pursuing his passion with an invention created with a low budget in his garage and home personal computer. Part of that makes me instantly like the game even more. In fact, the creator emailed me shortly after purchasing the game asking for feedback. Very nice personal touch!

If you like Axis and Allies, I think this game may be for you. It looks fun, the components are great, and for $25.00 you are getting a tremendous value. There might be some minor polish issues here and there but it’s got all the goods where it really counts.

I will do another review after I have a chance to play!