Ive always hated tactical rules systems. Moving little pieces around on grid or hex boards, trying to simulate the complex scenarios going on inside the collective heads of the players and gamemaster. Pah. A terribly nitpicky and plodding process, in my opinion. But then I think fondly of how the roleplaying industry really got its start, and I cant complain too much.
And I must admit that such rules systems have their place. For one, they eliminate ambiguity. No more players who think theres plenty of barrels or crates in an abandoned warehouse. If you see the barrel token on the table, its in the warehouse. Otherwise not, and youre stuck with four armed goons pointing full-auto weapons at the 20 feet of empty space between you and the door.
So, here I am with a tactical combat rules system in my hands. Lets take a look at what I get for my $8.95:
One front, and one back cover sheet; the reverse of each has an imprint of a 7×10 grid which uses a chess-like nomenclature to describe coordinates. Four more sheets of cardstock hold 33 weapon cards and 120 weapon counters (Two
of the aforementioned weapon card sheets are exactly the same). The last sheet of cardstock carries 32 cut-out and fold-to-stand character images. Theres also a digest-size 26-page booklet that explains the mechanics of Compact Combat and contains roughly one typographical error every 3 pages. Quite unfortunate.
A key part of any product in this category is the artwork. Otherwise, I might as well be playing with chits of paper that have arrows drawn on them to indicate facing. In this case, the artwork is passable. Ive seen better, and Ive seen worse. Naturally, Id prefer to get better, but this is a homebrew product. Theres no reason this ever needed to see the inside of a professional printing shop. I suspect the entire project was printed using a low-resolution inkjet printer, and all the book needed in addition to the printer was a saddle-stitch stapler. The entire product is black and white (color paper doesnt count, sorry).
What can I expect for $8.95? Well, for three dollars less, I can get more pages (and more entertaining pages, at that) from 9th Level Games and their Kobolds Ate My Baby product. Not to mention a number of short Over the Edge modules, with their full-color covers, simple but inspirational artwork, and tight, stimulating writing. Again for only $5.95. Oh, yeah–let’s not forget those juicy offerings from Hogshead Publishing. In the case of Compact Warrior, I think Im paying for someone elses idea of their hard work, rather than a recognized standard of workmanship.
Most of the actual images seem to have been designed for low-res imaging–detail is generally very coarse. Consequently, many of the figures, whether they be orc, or elf, or human, tend to come out with very sketchy features. The eyes of many of the characters are angled in such a way that, unless their eyes are recognizably wide open, they seem to be squinting. Combine that with the way the cheeklines are drawn, and many of the faces appear quite, well, oriental.
As far as the game itself is concerned, the introduction states that it is a game of individual combat, not an RPG. However, it also claims that it can be used as an RPG, or to supplement the combat rules of your existing RPG. The last option makes no accommodation for conversion from or to any other published systems, or implied systems. All such calculations are purely the burden of the end user.
The four stats–Strength, Coordination, Health, and Intellect–are reminiscent of The Fantasy Trip. (That was in the days before we had this newfangled thang called GURPS, sonny.) Hit Points, a secondary stat, is a function of Strength and Health. Speed, the last statistic, is virtually a universal constant. Interestingly, Speed has no impact on combat initiative, or weapon readying or reloading. It is strictly and solely used to determine maximum tactical movement distance on the grid. I think the only reason they didnt call it Move was to distinguish it from the Move action that already exists within the rules.
Aside from my preexisting bias, Im annoyed with this system, but Im sure I can be aggravated further. I roll 2d10 under my skill level to succeed in an uncontested skill test. I apply relevant modifiers and subtract 1d10 from each opponents skill in a skill contest, with the highest total winning. For damage, I need to roll 2d10 and look up the corresponding damage on the weapon card, which is mapped out on a scale of 1-20 instead of 2-20 to acommodate thrown weapons, for which you only roll 1d10 at long and extreme ranges. I dont think its meaningfully possible to throw a halberd, but for some reason, its mapped out on a scale of 1-20, as are all other melee-only weapons.
I almost dread the complications future expansions will bring. I tried, really tried, to put these rules into practice. Character creation was blissfully simple. Setting up a combat was a piece of cake. But that was it–rolling initiative to dealing damage, I suffered page flipping ad nauseam to find every exception to the basic rules listed for any primary task. The difficulty could have been easily alleviated with the use of judicious decision trees, which would have clarified the exceptions, and provided paths or consequential options for every action. Granted, there are summary tables which list potential modifiers for melee and missile combat, but this is not the same as a graphically flowcharted process, which tactical games lend themselves to quite naturally.
The bottom line: I wish Compact Warrior changed my attitude toward tactical games, but it didnt. Maybe other players can hold all these exceptions in their head, but I prefer to have the rules laid out for me in the most easily assimilated format possible. The narrative presentation of rules doesnt suit a game this compact–after all, a picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words. And this 26 page rulebook has only three technical illustrations, one of which is not up to the task of illustrating its assigned concept.
