Dystopian W.....what??

Hello Sports Fans,

Dystopian Wars....didn't that company go out of business? Wasn't this a dead game that wasn't very popular in the first place? Well yes, yes it was. Even when Wayland Games bought the licence, that didn't really give me much hope. Lets face it, DW was a really cool idea, but the game itself just never got off the ground. The concepts were amazing, and Spartan Games just kept releasing cool models. But the mechanics and rules just dragged the gameplay. I'd play for over two hours and we'd barely get past the second turn. I kept all my models not from a sense that I'd ever use them again, but simply that there was no way I was going to find a buyer who would give me a decent value for them.

But last week, Youtube decided to recommend a video for me. It showed me a couple of guys playing the new beta rules from Wayland Games. In just over an hour (with explanations), I watched two full turns go by, with the game realistically not going past a third. Wha huh? Was that really Dystopian Wars I just saw? Well apparently it was. Intrigued, I downloaded the beta rules and gave them a quick read through, and I have to say, Wayland has done a good job. Clearly time will tell if it all works eventually, but they are going in the right direction.

Here are just a few of the changes that are making an impact in play speed:

• Simple 90 degree fire arcs. Fore, Aft, Port and Starboard. 
• Simple LOS. No more worries about how much or what points of a ship can you see.
• Three range bands for all.
• Two ship states only. No more calculations based on how much damage you have.
• One turning template, and two modes for turning rules.
• Simplified SRS. They act more like another form of gunnery or defense for the turn they are launched only.
• Obscurement. A single condition that prevents light hits from counting.

Now I'm sure there will be plenty of fans that will not be down with these rule changes. Some people really like intricacies that DW used to have in terms of movement, positioning, and targeting. I am not one of those people. I want to move pretty boats around the table and go "pew pew". The mighty giant that is GW has proven this with their own games. People want to move models and roll dice. They don't want argue about rules or get bogged down in micro-measuring to see just how much in in sight or what arc. Wayland seems to have found that road that makes the game easier and faster to play, while still feeling like Dystopian Wars. Wayland is also being really nice to those that like the old ways as they have kept the rules online for Spartan's version.

So what does this mean for me? It currently means I'm pretty hopeful for the new Dystopian Wars. I'm also excited at the prospect of pulling out my fleets and playing again. That being said, the big question now is, can Wayland draw in new players? Not only that, but can they entice the existing players to buy more? That license they bought isn't going to be worth it if all they can do is sell rulebooks. After seeing the rules so far, I think that the game will be more accessible and be interesting to new players. As long as Wayland produces new models that capture that Spartan magic, I think they'll have success. I'll be keeping a closer eye on this now and hope to see some side by side comparisons between Spartan models and Wayland models.

That's it for now. One little side note, I'll be trying out a Roll20 D&D session for the first time this weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed that it goes well. I'll let you know. Till next time.