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I backed their kickstarter as I've wanted to play a giant stompy robot game (with tanks and other goodies) for a long time. I got way too into Mechwarrior (the clickable collectable game), and played it literally twice. CAV seems to capture a lot of the fun of Mechwarrior - I think it may have preceded it, but the two share a lot in common. I just always hated the damn clicky bases in Mechwarrior. They were terribly annoying, hard to use, stuck sometimes, and super annoying to pick up and put down the models all the time. Battletech seems neat, but waaaaaay too intense for me. I'm a much simpler guy than I was decades ago when I might have been able to deal with Battletech's bookkeeping.

CAV should be coming soon (due in Sept, but the models likely won't arrive in the US until late Sept, so likely Oct or Nov) and I'm keen to get my stompy robot on.

Anyone else tried it?

Thoughts?

I have the old first edition CAV books.

It has changed a lot, but game play was streamlined and it did not use bubble armor like BT. ECM and ECCM were an important part of the game for detecting and firing. Models could also react fire, but less effectively than firing first.

I loved the old Dictator model, but never got around to do anything with the game itself.

Pretty fun game and OK models. Been around for a long time. The company has made a lot of mistakes and missteps.

The CAV bones line is a great source for tanks. I was planning to use them and some modified walkers for a Dropzone Commander, but may just go fully CAV with Horizon Wars rules...

I've always wanted to get into a combined arms type, stompy-robot game. I tried mechwarrior maybe 15+ years ago, and it was OK, but those horrid clicky bases were so badly done, I just couldn't get into it. Great models though!

It's a shame it hasn't caught on more - but then again, maybe this is just the wrong site for it. (and work blocks the Reaper CAV forums, but not dakkadakka... Go figure!)

Looking forward to getting my models and giving it a try

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
The CAV bones line is a great source for tanks. I was planning to use them and some modified walkers for a Dropzone Commander, but may just go fully CAV with Horizon Wars rules...

This idea is full of win and awesome.

It's not a bad game, but I find I didn't like the degradation mechanic. While I like the idea and it's somewhat "realistic" aspect, once your average unit took about 1/3rd of it's total damage, it was nearly useless in most cases.

I find for fast paced 'Mech combat Battletech's Alpha Strike is a faster and more enjoyable system.

Some of the minis are nice though, especially the tanks. I've backed 2 of the 3 CAV Kickstarters.

I tried CAV years ago at GenCon. I found the reactive fire mechanic to be really annoying. I went in with 0 CAV experience so I don't know if it was really the game or the person trying to show us how to play. Basically if a light mech shot at a heavy, the heavy's reaction fire would be enough to kill the light. Didn't see any point in having a lighter mechs since it was likely to die if it shot anything bigger. Things associated with lighter mechs (speed, maneuverability, etc) didn't seem to matter. The demo agent had a large mech and basically wiped everyone off the board.

tried a demo at Adepticon, it was not at all my thing, but that may have been the excessive talking and not enough die rolling by the staff.

The newest edition of CAV limits reaction fire (you used to get it every time someone shot at you) and sort of streamlines play. Some of the additions are annoying (ammo tracking) but don't seem to slow things down too much. The models are certainly affordable and detail is pretty good. Worth your time to try a few games.

If you need a good game for your Mechwarrior clix models check out Mech Attack. Fast, simple, customizable, and the clx bases nicely Mark your front and back arcs. I usually run a big game at our local con every year. 12 mechs a side takes about 2-3 hrs once you know what you're doing (usually after 1 play through)

sarcastro01 wrote:
The newest edition of CAV limits reaction fire (you used to get it every time someone shot at you) and sort of streamlines play. Some of the additions are annoying (ammo tracking) but don't seem to slow things down too much. The models are certainly affordable and detail is pretty good. Worth your time to try a few games.

If you need a good game for your Mechwarrior clix models check out Mech Attack. Fast, simple, customizable, and the clx bases nicely Mark your front and back arcs. I usually run a big game at our local con every year. 12 mechs a side takes about 2-3 hrs once you know what you're doing (usually after 1 play through)

Rad I'm going to look up those Mech Attack rules. My buddy and I scheduled a game of Mechwarrior for old times sake last month, but we cancelled it. Too much to re-learn and an FAQ through the roof. Perhaps this is the answer.

Mech Attack is cool. It's like a light version of Battletech, complete with a simplified damage grid to mark off, and quick and simple Heat tracking.

Looks interesting. I'll check it out too, though the website doesn't look active anymore, and the rules, nearly 10 years old now, never caught on or had support.

Seems CAV does similar things, but is still alive and kicking. I'll probably try both if I get the chance!

Mech attack site: http://www.armorgridgames.com/ ??

But still available here: https://www.wargamevault.com/product/79303/Armor-Grid-Mech-Attack and some info here: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68620/armor-grid-mech-attack