Review: Godtear

Time to get on with my first review here at M3, and might as well start with the one thing I've been able to play: Godtear!

So, I played my first game last night with good friend Jeremy via Tabletopia. If you're not familiar; Tabletopia is a virtual tabletop program that lets you play a variety of games, and the folks at Steamforged Games made a module for Godtear so people can play while we're in lockdown. And since my local shops aren't letting people play in them, not that I would with the rapidly rising number of COVID cases here in Utah, I figured I might as well take advantage of this so I can actually write up a proper review!

We played 2v2, using the contents of the two starter boxes

One thing I will say right off is I really appreciate how quick setup took, even using Tabletopia which was significantly slower than playing a game in person.

So how do the rules work? Quite well, actually. Everything is fairly streamlined and we only had to check the rulebook for a couple of things (mostly just clarifying that we weren't messing up too badly). Nothing jumps out as needlessly complex or fiddly, which is refreshing after playing various miniatures games that have 600 page rulebooks that still aren't clear.

To play the first thing players do is decide the size of their game, the standard being 3v3 meaning you each pick three champions and their followers. Since the game has no factions you're free to just pick whatever you want, which allows you to mix up strategies and such pretty easily. It also means you have total control over the amount of models you'll need to play a game rather than the game going "you need a minimum of 40 guys to play a small game." It also means you're totally free to just buy whatever you think looks awesome, and I love that aspect of the game already.

Once players have their champions selected you pick a scenario, of which there are I believe six in the back of the rulebook. Each scenario has different deployment areas, starting layouts of objective hexes and how far the turn token can go on the battle ladder (or at least I'm fairly certain that's what the faction token is for on the battle ladder). Then you deploy, roll to see who goes first, place the turn token on the battle ladder and start! I also like how each scenario has different effects that happen at the end of each turn, adds a nice touch of variety to the game and allows players to change the board around. 

The end of turn one, showing new objective hexes that were placed

Each turn of the game is broken into two phases: the plot phase and the clash phase. Models have different skills, and some have their stats changed, based on the phase of the game, which is a cool dynamic. The plot phase is generally where players will go to try and set up what they want to do in the clash phase, it's also during the plot phase that Champions can do the claim action which allows them to place down their banner which is a big way to score points. The clash phase is where models will start wailing on each other, doing damage and going for kills. 

The one thing I will say I'm not a huge fan of with the phases is how they handle model activations. In the plot phase the first player activates their entire force, and then the second player goes. Yet in the clash phase it's an alternating activation with players picking a champion or follower group to activate, and then going to the next player and so on until everything has gone. It just seems weird, and a bit jarring, to go from I Go You Go (which is a system I'm really not a fan of) to alternating is just odd to me. I'd really prefer if the whole game was done alternating, to be honest. I feel like it'd make actions in the plot phase a little more impactful. As it is it feels like skills that let you move enemy models in the plot phase aren't super great if you're the first player because your opponent can just move away and undo your plans.

Still, I will say it works alright. With the small scale of the game you don't feel like you're just sitting around not doing anything while your opponent does their entire turn (or as I call it: the 40k approach). Just a bit weird.

Finvarr and Morrigan face off next to an askew objective hex

Taking actions with models is pretty straightforward: a model (or group if they're followers) can take two actions during a turn. Generally this is an advance action (allowing a model to move up to it's movement value), or skills as printed on a model's stat card. You can also take other actions like the aforementioned Claim action, as well as the Rally or Recruit actions for a champion or followers respectively. 

I want to touch on these two actions real quick: basically if a model is knocked out (i.e. they take enough damage to meet their HP) you can use these actions to get models back into the fight, which means you can't just table your opponent and go "lol I win" because models will keep coming back. I actually really love this because it means that a few lucky rolls won't just remove a champion from the game and ruin everything. It's just a nice touch, especially after seeing so many other miniatures games that let people ignore objectives and just kill (or games that pretend to be one thing but people just kill each other the whole time anyway).

The Battle Ladder in action

One of the really cool aspects of this game is the Battle Ladder. This is a constantly shifting element that changes based on things payers do like knocking out models, making Claim actions and having a banner on an objective hex at the end of the turn. The fact that it's constantly changes as you fight is a really neat touch and makes things feel dynamic. If you have the token on your half of the ladder at the end of the turn then you win the turn and victory points. So a well laid plan can drastically shift things at the end of the turn and potentially get you the win. 

I also like that the game only goes to five points, which means that winning later turns can still win you the game even if you lose the first turn or two. It really does seem to reward planning and smart plays rather than just bashing in skulls all game (although that can work out quite well). To give an example: in our game I won the first and third turns (we only played three due to time) through planning and laying out my banners without ever taking out one of Jeremy's champions (in fact I'm fairly certain that Nia took zero damage all game) despite how many steps on the Battle Ladder that gets you.

The end of the game, banners planted and the bloodshed over

Skills that require dice rolls as super simple, which is a relief. Basically you roll a number of dice equal to a model's accuracy stat, if you roll equal to or higher than the target's dodge stat you hit. Some skills do not damage, but instead have effects like giving enemies blights that impact their stats. If the skill can do damage then you roll a number of dice equal to the skills damage value, then you subtract the target's protection stat from the roll and that determines the amount of damage done by the attack. It's all pretty slick and no bullshit, which is great.

Lastly I want to touch on boons and blights real fast. This is a cool little way to allow players to modify stats in an easy manner. It also lets you set things ups and does allow for more strategy during a game.

The only other thing I could really say that one might see as a knock against the game is that it can be a bit symbol heavy, but everything's pretty easy to remember I find. It's way less crazy on symbols than something like Wrath of Kings was (seriously, so many damned symbols), but it could potentially be a turn-off to people not as well versed in miniatures games.

Overall, how do I like it? Quite a bit, actually. It plays fast, even on Tabletopia which is nowhere near as fast as an in person experience, the rules are pretty easy to get (I've only had to ask the subreddit three quick questions to clarify things) and the fact it rewards planning and not just non-stop killing is quite a refreshing change of pace. I would absolutely recommend this to someone looking to get started in miniatures gaming as a solid starting place, and also to experienced wargamers looking for something fast paced without feeling anemic. Despite my minor gripes I can still see me playing this more in the future, and it feels like it'll be a nice addition to my collection of games while offering a very different experience from my other options.

Hope you have all enjoyed, and hopefully this was informative to people debating if they want to purchase the game.

Unboxing: Godtear Borderlands starter box

 Alright, time to start this thing in earnest!

So what better way than an unboxing of a game that people actually care about?

I've been looking for something quick and easy to play with friends when this quarantine crap is done with, and Godtear had caught my attention a while back when Steamforged Games had initially launched the Kickstarter. I had figured it one of those "never actually hitting retail" type things because SFG had some issues (and still do, in my opinion). So I was kinda stoked when it actually came out, and I've got some buddies interested in it and figured for $40 even if I don't get deep into it at least it's not a huge investment on my part.

Now, there are two starters for Godtear: Borderlands and Eternal Glade. I went with Borderlands because I actually like both the champions in it.

Also apologies in advance for the pictures. I don't have a good place to do photography right now so I was just doing everything on my couch one night.

Front and back of the Borderlands box

What do you get?
Each of the starters comes with that same basic things: two champions, their followers and banner, ten dice, rulebook, double sided map, cards, player dashboards, and some tokens. I'm going to take a closer look at each of these, so strap in.

Rulebook
We'll start with the rulebook itself, since it's nice and easy to get out of the way. The rulebook is interesting in that, depending on which starter you buy, the examples used for actions and such are based on the models that come in that box. Pretty neat. I also like that it's in full color, as you'd be surprised how many gaming books I've run into that aren't.

Plenty of cool art, to boot!

It's only just over 20 pages total, and that includes a content page, a breakdown of the different champion types, rules and the scenarios. Nice and concise, which I appreciate for a game like this.

Maps
This is one place this game really surprised me. You get a double sided map, and I was blown away by the quality. These things are nice, thick, cardboard like most higher end board games. I was expecting something paper, more akin to what you get in the Battletech starter boxes.

What doesn't make as much sense to me is why the maps are double sided. I guess it keeps the visuals more varied, but since the terrain printed on them doesn't have any impact on gameplay it just seems like they could have saved a little money and maybe made the box a tiny bit cheaper (not that these are terribly expensive to start with, and even cheaper if you've got a local shop selling them at 20% off like I do). It's cool and all, but just seems a little superfluous.

Models
Alright, let's get into the part people actually care most about; the miniatures!

The champions in this box are Finvarr, an Elf ninja, and Titus who reminds me of a boss out of Dark Souls 2 (at least from what I've seen watching let's plays of it since I have no interest in those games). Each of these guys is around 45mm tall I believe, and they're quite well detailed. I'm pleased with the quality of the plastic used for them, too. Finvarr's sword is a little bent, but nothing horrific and I was expecting much flimsier plastic. Also not much clean-up required, which is nice. A couple of little bits of flash, nothing too bad.

FInvarr, elf bad-ass.

Titus, knightly ball-kicker.

It also comes with their followers: three Shadow Stalkers for Finvarr, and five Glory Seekers for Titus. The detail on these is solid as well, although a lot of the detail on the Glory Seekers gets drowned out by the garish yellow plastic they're cast in. I was also surprised that the Shadow Stalkers are slightly taller than the Glory Seekers, adding a nice touch of "elves are taller than men" thing.

Don't. Turn. Around.

The champions are also, obviously, taller than their followers. Not so much so as to look goofy, mind, but enough to give them a commanding presence.

Finvarr and a Shadow Stalker.

Cards
One thing I'm really glad about with this game is how few cards it has. This whole box comes with a whopping six: two for each champion, and one for each follower group.

The cards are free on SFG's website, so no I don't feel bad showing them here.

The champions have two cards each; one that outlines some special rules, and then their stat card. The followers just have a stat card. The start cards are all double sided, and you flip them depending on which phase of the turn you're in (either the plot phase or the clash phase). The other champion card is only flipped once you use their ultimate skill listed on there.

Finvarr's card is showing his clash phase, Titus' is on the plot phase side.

The cards are good quality, maybe a bit thinner than I was expecting but not to the point that I think they'll get destroyed. If you're the kind of person who worries about that then maybe some sleeves won't go amiss, but I don't think there's any major danger present here.

The rest of the components
As I mentioned, you get a few other things in the box. Some tokens, dice and player dashboards.

Token sheets

The tokens are nice, thick, card much like the map. Not a ton of them to keep track of, but I'll probably grab a small Plano to store them in at some point.

The custom dice

You also get ten of the dice required for the game. They're nothing special, minus the fact they're specific to the game. Pretty crisp print quality, which is more than I can say for some other games I own.

Play dashboard

Lastly you get three player dashboards per box. These are used for keeping track of your cards and the various tokens you'll need to mark health, boons and burdens on the various models. Your champion's skill card goes on the left, their stat card in the middle and the followers on the right. Pretty easy to keep track of, and I appreciate that you get three so when you go to play a full size game (three champions and their followers per side) you're set for dashboards.

Overall value?
Honestly, I think this is a pretty solid value. Especially if you can grab it at a discount like I did (always check your LGS first, but I know Miniature Market sells them at 20% off as well). Even if not, they retail at around $50 each, and for what you get I still think that's a pretty good deal. The models are good quality, nothing feels cheap or like they were cutting corners (something one must always be concerned with when dealing with most things funded via Kickstarter) and you get a good amount of stuff. The tray the models comes in is also specifically molded to fit those models, so that's nice until you can grab some foam for an expanding collection (I need to see if anyone sells pre-cut trays for this game).

That being said, however, I do have a couple of qualms.

Firstly, the champions and followers in these boxes are exclusive to these boxes. That sucks because I like one of the champions in the other box, but I'm not going to pay another $40 to then have some undead bitch I don't care about taking up space in my limited living space. Just sort of sucks if only one champion appeals to you in the box. I got lucky that both Titus and Finvarr appeal to me.

Secondly, all the components required to play the game only come in these boxes. That is to say that SFG doesn't sell the maps, dice, tokens or player dashboards separate. I can sort of see why, but it means that you'll always need someone in the group to have bought a starter, and that's just for two people to play. If you have a group you'll need multiple starters to cover each game, and that's provided one person per game doesn't mind not having dashboards. The dice I'm sure you could make with stickers and blank dice if you're so inclined, and maybe your own dashboards if you're artistically skilled enough to do so but you shouldn't have to to play the game.

Overall it's a good buy, and I don't regret it. The contents are good, good quality and the game looks like it should be a fun little romp without being as much crunch as some other games. I also like that SFG has put the rulebook and all the cards up as downloads on their website. It's nice to be able to check out the stuff I'm interested in before buying. Would suck to buy something I think looks awesome, only to find out it's garbage in game and I won't enjoy using it.

So I hope you've enjoyed this unboxing, and I'll get around to a review of the game once I can get around to actually playing it (all my local game shops are closed to gaming right now). Take care, y'all, and stay safe!

Welcome to M3!

Hello, and welcome to M3!

I thought it'd be prudent to do a post introducing myself and sort of going over the stuff you'll find on this blog.

Who am I?

I'm Spencer. I live in Utah with my wife, just south of Salt Lake City. I grew up in the suburbs in Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. I moved to Utah in 2012, and I've been here thriving ever since.



What's my gaming history/knowledge?
So here's the fun part. I've been gaming, on and off, since around 1998. I got my first real taste of "adult" tabletop gaming playing the AD&D Red Box with my brother and some friends, and then after that by playing Mutant Chronicles: Siege of the Citadel. From there, thanks to my older brother, I discovered Mutant Chronicles: Warzone right before the release of 2nd edition. I painted up some models, tried the game a little before it died and got hooked on the hobby.

In high school I played Warhammer 40k, but sold my army after I graduated and moved to a place with no wargaming scene. After moving back to Maryland to pursue my degree I got back into wargaming with AT-43, and from there I got in deeper with Rackham Entertainment and worked as a promoter for the game. I also got back into Warhammer, trying Fantasy and jumping back into 40k. I also started playing Warmachine around that time. I quickly dropped both Warhammer games after realizing that I hated the rules for 40k and didn't want to play Fantasy with the local crowd. I focused on AT-43 and Warmachine for a time, dabbled in Infinity and jumped into both Firestorm Armada and Dystopian Wars when they first came out.

In 2012 I got a job at Blue Table Painting in Utah, and I packed up my life and moved out here. I worked at BTP for about two years, dropping Warmachine and Infinity while picking up Flames of War and other games alter (including the latest edition of Warzone). After leaving BTP me and a few other former staffers started the YouTube channel Geek of Spades where we did reviews and unboxings and so forth.

In early 2019 I made the decision to step back from the gaming scene as my work and personal lives took priority, and after a little more than a year I've chosen to end my hiatus (in the middle of a global pandemic, as is my idiotic timing).

Qualifications?
Besides running and creating content for Geek of Spades, I also did solo reviews on YouTube for several years. I am also a published gaming journalist, believe it or not. I have had over a dozen reviews published in a couple of magazines, covering a variety of games from the obscure (World of Twilight, Warcanto) to slightly more well known games like Kings of War and Beyond the Gates of Antares. Between writing reviews and YouTube I've probably read and reviewed over 30 different games, so trust me when I say I have some experience.

What can you expect here?
Mostly simple stuff: showing off my mediocre paint jobs, maybe doing some unboxings, small reviews, battle reports and some editorial type stuff where I just talk about things in the industry that catch my eye.

Also expect some mild swearing, I'm a grown-ass man and this ain't for kids.

What games do I play?
So after my hiatus I made a decision to try and focus down my gaming options, and I've had to make some hard choices but I've settled on a small handful of games that all offer something different:

Gruntz
Heavy Gear Blitz
Relic Blade
Battletech
This is Not a Test (TNT)
Frostgrave

There will probably be other games in there as time goes on, I'm working on getting my local gaming group interested in some historicals (Black Powder, Pike & Shotte, By Fire and Sword).

You'll also find other games around here, mostly as I try stuff with my buddy and Geek of Spades collaborator Jeremy that he's been dying to play.

So I hope you guys enjoy, and if not then no harm done.

So stay sexy, stay safe and keep rollin' them bones.