Regular readers will recall a new skirmish miniature game covered earlier this year: Battledrill.
Star Scrappers: Battledrill actually, is a space western skirmish wargame and I was immediately intrigued.
At the time, the miniatures looked incredible and the idea of space western skirmish conjures images of Firefly and Oblivion which are both fun settings.
The miniatures actually arrived as printable 3D files, which meant some effort printing, and then painting the minis before they hit the table.
So it was interesting to print a few of the models to see just how well they turned out.
That was in the hands of Jordan Craib-Petkau the master 3D printer in our gaming group.
“I found the detail on these models to really come out quite nicely, even under the support material,” noted Craib-Petkau. “The poses are dynamic but still printable, and having the files broken into keyed parts makes arranging them on a smaller print bed easier.”
And now Star Scrappers has hit the table.
The game is one that is overall a winner.
“Battledrill was quick to pick up and play, it would be a good gateway into miniature skirmish games,” offered Craib-Petkau. “The (initial) scenario played had a cache of Hexis minerals in the center of the table which could be picked up by a model and granted it bonus action next round, and could be deposited in the player’s deployment zone for points.”
Of course there were quirks which created questions.
“I find it odd there was no penalty applied while carrying the Hexis such as slower movement or a less accurate attack,” said Craib-Petkau.
But there were positives too.
“The mechanic for damage was interesting, each weapon has different effects and damage outputs depending on if you score one, two or three hits,” said Craib-Petkau.
“Defiance cards give a nice little bonus to the player who lost initiative for the round.
“I enjoyed playing Battledrill and look forward to playing it again.”
Adam Daniels, Craib-Petkau’s opponent in game one, agreed.
“The list of mini games I have played over the years is a long one,” he said, adding “Battledrill is the latest addition to that list and it’s a solid game.
“It is very simple to play, with rules that are not too complicated.
“It would be a great game to show someone who wants to try mini gaming. The rules are simple, the number of minis on the board isn’t overwhelming and it plays quick.
“Battledrill is an overall fun experience.”
For more details check out www.hexy.studio
