20100227

Content Review: INCURSION Boxed Game


I've been waiting for this a long time now. From the first day I saw Grindhouse Games' website for Incursion, I was hooked. WW2, Zombies, Power Armored US infantry, Zombies! The artwork on the site was phenomenal and added a grittiness to the entire presentation that sets the tone for something amazing. Now, after so many months of waiting, this boxed set is here and I couldn't be more pleased.


Once open you're given a look at the reference sheet. I am a sucker for these things, and they give you a real benefit when trying to remember the things you use a lot, and it's all at a quick glance. That said, this is one of the few gripes I have about this set, the sheet is thin card, not quick a paper sheet but not quick card stock. You're going to need to laminate this bad boy if you plan to keep it around for a while in good condition. That's my plan at least!


The rules and mission book is all in full color glossy paper. It's got all the things you'd expect, a quick story bit, some rundown on characters and rules and a 7 Missions. All of that beautiful artwork we've been drooling over for so many months finds its way into the book, with a great eye toward the layout and design of the book. Unfortunately there isn't much in the way of new art, some additional pieces would have made an already great book a fantastic one. It's understandable though, as art costs money, and there are some neat details here and there. Haven't read the rules through yet or much of the book, so I can't attest to that end yet.


Four cards worth chits, game pieces and effects await you. The folks at Grindhouse have said that you may want to be a bit careful with yours though, as some people have had issues getting them out cleanly. A quick slice in a few spots with a hobby knife will fix that though. The cards are semi-gloss on one side and matt on the other. Some great variation in doors, but less so in the zombie pieces. Though for simplicity of play, it does make sense for certain things to look the same. The details are clean and pictures crisp. A very nice addition is reminders on the backs of come of the chits as to what they are representing, a really great touch. The card isn't as thick as say Space Hulk chits, but plenty thick enough for regular use.


The map is set on a nice thick card with fantastic detailing. They really did a great job breaking up the monotony throughout with a good attention to detail. I've already got more ideas for future INCURSION model bases just from looking at it! The map is set half on one side half on the other though, which throws me off a bit as you couldn't play the full map without buying two boxed sets! Very crafty Grindhouse, very crafty indeed...


Lots of storage space in the box. In the above you can see the slots for different things, along with the bases used for playing pieces ( which you get a lot of ). It's nice to have a company pay attention to such a small detail like partitions in the box. Smart boxed set design here.


The cards are all full color as well, set on good playing card stock. They are mostly matt with a good feel to them. The coloring is vibrant and everything is easy to read. All of the backs are the same INCURSION emblem.


Above is another shot of the cards with a Character card to give a bit of a better sense of the layout for them. All stats along the left with the character info to the bottom right. The art is clean and crisp as I've come to expect from this set.


And in the end it comes down to the dice. They're nothing special unfortunately. Simple, get the job done dice set. At least they have a nice little slot to settle into to keep them with your game! I think I'll find something special for the game though in the future.

In the end, this is a quality product from a great and responsive young company. They're doing quite well with a great bit of support from the community at large. I hope to find some time and friends in the near future to really dig in with this one. Should you find yourself in need of some Wierd World War 2 action but don't have the time to invest in new models, you need to check this set out.

Anyone who has gotten a few games under their belt have some insight into the mechanics of this one? We would love to hear your thoughts!

10 comments:

  1. How does it play? The components are nice looking but how is the gameplay?

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  2. Seconded what Andrew said- I've seen this pop up a few times across the web and it seems interesting. Thanks for the look at the content, though- looks pretty sweet.

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  3. Selling hot-chick nazi's in rpg's again, eh.

    WWII is not a genre. I'm not trying to be mr. grumpy but my grandfather is still alive and was in Germany. WWII was a REAL EVENT where MILLIONS of people lost their lives! Are these game company's fucking kidding?

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  4. Great review, I had a look at these models on maelstrom game's site and they look pretty nice. Wow zealot, chill out man anything that has enough media created using it's themes to be instantly recognizable to the general public becomes a genre. Just wait we will have michael jackson's death genre games out soon....

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  5. I haven't dug into the game yet unfortunately, so I can't tell you how it plays just yet. I've updated the title to be a bit more representative of what this review is covering! I hope to get some hands on time with the game mechanics in the future though! I'll try and get a gameplay review up once I do!

    As for creating entertainment from real life conflicts, it's been a long held practice that will never go away. Movies, video games, tabletop, you can't get away from it. This hobby was founded on the real life wargaming done during these same conflicts.

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  6. I didn't say it had to go away. I mean people that can find it entertaining are heartless. /unsubscribes

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  7. OK, didn't mean to rattle your cage that much Zealot and besides unsubscribing is kinda like walking away from a discussion cause you've got nothing relevant to say. Personally I find your comment "people that find it entertaining are heartless" is not giving storytellers and game designers credit. How many people do you know that find "Band of Brothers" or "Saving Private Ryan" not entertaining? Your going to sit there and tell Speilberg he should have never based his films in that time and place because it might be insensitive to veterans? Veterans are some of the biggest proponents of having these stories told and if they aren't entertaining then people aren't going to watch them are they? And as for Nazi werwolves Incursion could have just as likely been Iraqi Vampires or Napoleonic Wizards, storytellers need conflict to move along a story and in a skirmish miniatures game war is pretty much the best conflict that they can find. But hey you've already unsubscribed right? so I'm wasting my time trying to have a real discussion of the issue YOU raised.

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  8. Wow. I guess I should throw out my copy of Axis and Allies too... What about WW I? How about the Napoleonic Wars? Swords and shields? Ok, ok. I'll just get rid of everything but Agricola. Wait! Millions of dirt farms have struggled and died through out history - that's just heartless. It's a game, and a FANTASY game at that. Did you miss the part about zombies?

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  9. Well, now that that's all settled...

    I've had some time to sit down and get the counters and playing pieces separated, and I highly recommend using a hobby knife to remove them. The backing can on occasions pull up from the card on the waste pieces and if you're not careful, that will lead to pulling it up from the piece itself. So a quick swipe on all edges all the way through will help ensure your pieces come out clean.

    I've also started to dig into the rules a bit and played out a simple 'Unit A vs Unit B' to get the mechanics and so far it's nice and easy to pick up, with a lot more depth to come as more things are thrown in. Can't wait to play a game. Now, to find an opponent!

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  10. Instead of a trackback:

    http://ao-lai.blog.de/2010/03/01/morthafen-ueberlegungen-tabletop-spiel-kennt-ganz-alten-pnp-zeiten-dsa-gerade-8074250/

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