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The two player starter is a good start.

The 2016 rules system is easy to learn, though some sections are a bit harder to wrap around, such as EW.

A few people here prefer the metal models over the current plastics. They are more detailed then the plastics, but are harder to convert and pose.

Ultimately it's personal choice.

I'd agree with the two player starter even if I'm not a fan of most of the minis (the gears namely) that come in it as I strongly prefer the older metals' stylings myself. One thing that I'd tell them to avoid are the mostly resin models due to the price point especially in armies like caprice. If they want to start that army, I'd definitely steer them to the Caprice plastic kit as those did actually turn out pretty well. I'm not familiar enough with the current rules (whether the 2016 system or the current in progress test version) to comment on that specifically.

 godswildcard wrote:
So, you’ve got two people who’ve always been intrigued by heavy gear and are looking for something to fill the ‘complex game’ itch.

Let’s talk about how they start. That two-player starter box looks good. Any reason you wouldn’t recommend that? If not, how else would you start?

Agreed with Mmmpi and warboss, the two players starter set is a decent choice if you don't mind the minis. Personally, I found the new plastics (or, rather, the new northern and southern plastics) supremely disappointing, to the point of souring me on the whole line.

I'm not sure if you could get some of the "old" metals on the cheap, but if you do, that and the rules would also be a perfectly good starting point.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Got forwarded this, like, right now:

https://dp9forum.com/index.php?/topic/18564-news-from-arkrite-press-on-the-heavy-gear-rpg-license/&tab=comments#comment-315170



I mean... the writing was on the wall for years, now (and even more when suddenly their forum died), but it would have been nice to get this, to my mail, from Arkrite, instead of needing someone to forward it to me from DP9F.

hmmm, that's something I'm glad I never got involved in.

I think EBay is still a good source for 'cheap' HG models. Not sure by how much, but it was less than retail last I looked.

 Albertorius wrote:


Agreed with Mmmpi and warboss, the two players starter set is a decent choice if you don't mind the minis. Personally, I found the new plastics (or, rather, the new northern and southern plastics) supremely disappointing, to the point of souring me on the whole line.

I'm not sure if you could get some of the "old" metals on the cheap, but if you do, that and the rules would also be a perfectly good starting point.

I'd be curious to hear what newer players think of the plastics who didn't "grow up" with the metals over the decades and more specifically the LeClerc blitz era ones that reignited my interest in the game/universe after souring on it in the post-Rafm days. It might be that they don't see much of a difference or have a strong preference given the value in $$ that the plastic starters offer compared with full priced metals. Regardless, I'd still only recommend the Caprice plastics without reservation myself. That would be the only set that I'd consider collecting/building/playing if by some miracle a Heavy Gear scene sprouted up near me like magic.

I mean... the writing was on the wall for years, now (and even more when suddenly their forum died), but it would have been nice to get this, to my mail, from Arkrite, instead of needing someone to forward it to me from DP9F.

I'm sorry to hear about that for the backers who gave them money and just got some expensive patches in return (was there an alpha pdf release ever?). Now they just need to put a fork in the Heavy Gear Assault game since the company supposedly making it don't consider themselves game developers anymore and some players haven't been able to log in and actually play the tiny fraction of the gameplay they did release since a hurricane in late 2017.

 warboss wrote:

 Albertorius wrote:


Agreed with Mmmpi and warboss, the two players starter set is a decent choice if you don't mind the minis. Personally, I found the new plastics (or, rather, the new northern and southern plastics) supremely disappointing, to the point of souring me on the whole line.

I'm not sure if you could get some of the "old" metals on the cheap, but if you do, that and the rules would also be a perfectly good starting point.

I'd be curious to hear what newer players think of the plastics who didn't "grow up" with the metals over the decades and more specifically the LeClerc blitz era ones that reignited my interest in the game/universe after souring on it in the post-Rafm days. It might be that they don't see much of a difference or have a strong preference given the value in $$ that the plastic starters offer compared with full priced metals. Regardless, I'd still only recommend the Caprice plastics without reservation myself. That would be the only set that I'd consider collecting/building/playing if by some miracle a Heavy Gear scene sprouted up near me like magic.

My biggest issue with the plastics is that they don't look enough like the metals. The plastic hunters look like they should be a different gear entirely, or at the best a variant.

 warboss wrote:
I'd be curious to hear what newer players think of the plastics who didn't "grow up" with the metals

If you had never seen the metals, you might compare them with GW Terminator models (or other space soldiers). I don't think the resulting model is as good as what GW produces, looking more of a 1st gen toy robot than something modern.

Or, if we look at other Kickstarter product, compare with the Robotech models - those look better, even if the KS turned into a disaster due to greed, incompetence and mismanagement by Palladium.

What really gets me, though... is that they could have make it big, had they tried.

There's a lot of people that's actually interested in a good mecha action RPG, and HG had the worldbuilding to make it work, and make it big... but here we are.

And no, a "system agnostic" setting book, like some people are asking for, wouldn't cut it, IMO.
Because:
1) we already have that, it's called 2nd edition (seriously, you have setting stuff in spades, there, and the new "developments" can go feth themselves, thank you very much) and
2) System. fething. Matters.

As an example that there's actually an audience there for a good mecha action RPG system, I give you LANCER:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/massifpress/lancer

$280k and counting, 18 days to go, a year of free, open beta (you can download the full game right now if you want, too, and it will always be available), for a completely new setting and system (heavily inspired by SotDL and BitD) that's designed to add to the feeling of the game, not in the least to be a "systems agnostic" game (because, again, system matters).

And neither DP9 nor Arkrite could do even a fraction of this, with a setting that's arguably still one of the very best RPG scifi settings of all time and a system that is serviceable enough to be moddable to work (even if yes, very 90s).

One of the nice things about KS is that you can give it a go.

 Albertorius wrote:
As an example that there's actually an audience there for a good mecha action RPG system, I give you LANCER:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/massifpress/lancer

I like how Lancer went with super clean resolution and tons of flavor options, even if balancing was kinda dumped on the GM. I'm not surprised that it does well on KS.

Pity that it doesn't have minis, but I get not doing minis when the real goal is rules. Perhaps they can go to Reaper down the line.

STL files for 3d printing would be extremely appropiate, for that game

Was the Water Viper that boxy (re: Northern) in the old art? It looks more appropriate for NuCoal than the South. Still cool to see something new, in any case.

So here is where you all have been hanging!
I'ts me Rolando, good to see some familiar faces.

I think the desert viper always had more squared legs, and the water viper looks slightly more rounded but the only drawing I have may be deceiving.

Hey, what's up! Yeah, this has basically been the secret rebel base for alot of old posters from the official forum.. some banned and others like myself who voluntarily stopped posting. I'm the grump formerly known as CrounchingGrizzly HiddenCheetah and I started this thread years ago in order to collect honest feedback about the game that couldn't just be deleted if inconvienent by Rob or Dave. It's effectively turned into the catch all general HG thread here. I don't recall if it was mentioned here before but I'm surprised/impressed that they did such a niche model like the water viper. Maybe we'll eventually get some mountaineering ones for the polar forces as well or other unique variants.

They did release the lion and leopard for the north. Unless there are other mountaineering gears that don't have models yet.

 warboss wrote:
I'm surprised/impressed that they did such a niche model like the water viper.

Well, they had to release something this year

It seems they are releasing more new models and parts this year, like the Longbow Jager, but the stats may not be according to old fluff, instead they are meant to fill a niche in the current states of the armies, I think that is better for the game even if it makes no sense in the traditional fluff.

The Rooster guy is doing a good job at handling the new rules and what few players still post in the official forums.

I still miss some of the old rules like detection but the new rules is what is getting company support and new players like that, most people don't like playing dead rules with no support or new material, and they are better in some ways I think, so, I still be in the official for a while... and local players are getting an interest the game again.

Mmmpi wrote:They did release the lion and leopard for the north. Unless there are other mountaineering gears that don't have models yet.

I was referring to the classics like the mountain jaguar variant since they're making something as O G as the water viper. I'm not personally as familiar with the newest stuff myself.

HudsonD wrote:

 warboss wrote:
I'm surprised/impressed that they did such a niche model like the water viper.

Well, they had to release something this year

Now that's the sarcastic HudsonD I recognize and not some imposter offering his services to Robert yet again.

Mountain Hunter has rules now, but no mountain jaguar.

A bunch of older variants are evidently back.

 warboss wrote:

Now that's the sarcastic HudsonD I recognize and not some imposter offering his services to Robert yet again.

My services... are not free

I can see the cheatah influence on this but I can't help but prefer the original single image we got in the oldBlitz blood debt book as I don't feel like this captures that well. I'll admit though that I feel that way regarding most of the plastic gears though. edit: spoilered the image... didn't realize how big it was natively.


https://dp9forum.com/index.php?/topic/18584-peace-river-harrier-3d-model-preview/




Has anyone successfully extracted the hunter 3d model btw from the Heavy Gear Assault game? That's probably the only design in that source that I liked.

I guess not! :(

In related news, I'm a bit late to the party but it appears there was a new model (3d in this case) previewed over on the official forums earlier this week. I was quite surprised as I thought for the first time that they were finally making a plastic gear that visually appealed to me but this is actually a traditional pewter release. Regardless, it might be the first in print mini I buy in 4-5(?) years as I was a fan of the Nemesis Jaguar back in 1st edition.

Hm, that Nemesis looks nice... but seeing as Phil is still apparently painting their minis, I can't help but wonder why have they gone for 3d sculpting in this instance.

I do hope they pose it a bit for the actual miniature, though.

I think they are making everything 3d first, it is faster and easier.

It also seems to me they are giving free reigns to the sculptors as to what to produce, because the nemesis jaguar is such a fringe model compared to other variants it makes little sense to produce. But I like more new models so I got no problem with that.

 Pointman wrote:
I think they are making everything 3d first, it is faster and easier.

It also seems to me they are giving free reigns to the sculptors as to what to produce, because the nemesis jaguar is such a fringe model compared to other variants it makes little sense to produce. But I like more new models so I got no problem with that.

I'd say it's no more niche than the Fer de Lance and we got that around 5(?) years ago. It fills a specific role (commander/duelist specific gear) for one of the two big TN factions and looks cool too.

Man, the new models are so ham-fisted compared to artwork and metals.

 warboss wrote:

 Pointman wrote:
I think they are making everything 3d first, it is faster and easier.

It also seems to me they are giving free reigns to the sculptors as to what to produce, because the nemesis jaguar is such a fringe model compared to other variants it makes little sense to produce. But I like more new models so I got no problem with that.

I'd say it's no more niche than the Fer de Lance and we got that around 5(?) years ago. It fills a specific role (commander/duelist specific gear) for one of the two big TN factions and looks cool too.

Good point!

Compared to artwork everything looks ham-fisted
these ones are going to be metal, though, so I expert them will be as good as previous blitz metals.

JohnHwangDD wrote:Man, the new models are so ham-fisted compared to artwork and metals.

Your peculiar love of the tactical era minis has clouded your judgement! Yeah, they're ham fisted admittedly but I think that works well at the scale and is preferable to tiny, tiny hands and weapons personally. I don't think though (outside of the chibi subset of minis) that the style works in larger scales and I prefer more realistic (as far as you can use that word in relation to the IP) scaling in the minis ala the original RAFM ones. YMMV.

Pointman wrote:Good point!

Compared to artwork everything looks ham-fisted
these ones are going to be metal, though, so I expert them will be as good as previous blitz metals.

Thanks and agreed. I think they'll fit in well with my existing collection and occupy a place of honor next to my unpainted Kodiaks in my Northern to-do ziploc bag of gears. The futility of that won't stop me though and I'll likely pick one up once they hit ebay resellers. My local store has no interest in stocking them (and I can't blame them as their only customer for it) and I'm not going to pay full price plus shipping direct from DP9. I figure it'll be at least a few months before one the ebay folks (assuming any are left... haven't checked in a few years) sell them at a discount including shipping.

 warboss wrote:

JohnHwangDD wrote:Man, the new models are so ham-fisted compared to artwork and metals.

Your peculiar love of the tactical era minis has clouded your judgement! Yeah, they're ham fisted admittedly but I think that works well at the scale and is preferable to tiny, tiny hands and weapons personally. I don't think though (outside of the chibi subset of minis) that the style works in larger scales and I prefer more realistic (as far as you can use that word in relation to the IP) scaling in the minis ala the original RAFM ones. YMMV.

Not just the hands, but the general klunkiness of the things. The proportions and shape are also way off - none of the gentle curves or subtle shaping.

I do agree that they feel cruder than Phil's, on the whole.