I appreciate your video. Any games with this kind of complexity will always have some complicated or unintuitive rules. This is my reason and opinion behind the rules you mentioned and why they make thematic sense. First of all, it is important to remember that the designer of this game clearly took inspiration from the video games of the Stalker franchise and some rules will make sense when understanding the way the video game works with those rules. 1. It is true that a lot of skirmish/miniatures games have rules regarding opportunity attack, but not always. In the theme of that game, the stalker can usually run away from most enemies without any consequences while leaving the space but can still be attacked if in LOS at the end of the actions. 2. This rule was probably included to show how hard and unforgiven the video game is. Everything in the game wants to kill you. In fact, the enemy does not technically attack twice. You can always attack first then move out of LOS with your second action, and the enemy will not "counterattack". And sometimes (although rarely) it may not even attack during its activation (probably wishful thinking!) 3 and 4. The rules for radiation do make some sense. As you mention, if you stay in the space and do nothing, you will still receive the effect of radiation. Regardless of the fact that free actions do not trigger the radiation, you must perform the 2 mandatory actions, so you will get radiated from those. So, if you do not move from a space with radiation, you will suffer the effect twice, regardless of the number of free actions. 5. The range in most games is usually written as 1-3 or 3+ for example. The 3+ means 3 or more. It is still a range and makes sense for some weapons with scopes, which are usually not good in closer range. 6. The rules on LOS for throwing and shooting are different and makes thematic sense. A weapon always shoots straight and could never go around or above an obstacle. But bolts or grenades (or any object that could be thrown) can be thrown above a wall, a building or any other obstacle (with a reasonable heigh) and still make it to the target. It is less that the object goes "magically around corners" but that it is thrown above the obstacle and lands around the corner. Even if inside a building you could argue that an object thrown could bounce against walls and still land near the target or you could think of it as stretching your arm around the corner to throw it. Again, it is very thematic if you ask me. 7. It does make thematic sense to not get cover if the enemy is in the same room. Sure, you can find cover under a desk or table, but that’s assuming there is such an object in that room. But if an attacker is outside the room, you would get cover from walls and such. As for the room on the lower left, I guess you can still get cover from grenades...LOS is not a requirement for cover as per the rule book. 8-11. The rules for anomalies, in my opinion, have been created to match the way they work in the video game in mind. All anomalies work differently and as such have different ways they activate and whom they target. The bolts work very much like the video game, but there are some situations that need to be changed for game balance. 12. The rules for the echo detector, again, are very thematic. An echo detector will work only at close range (range 0 in the game) and as mentioned, it is calculated from any part of the anomaly's symbols. But the artifact, once detected, does not always appear in the actual spot where the detector was activated. It in fact moves, just like in the video game. So, an artifact could spawn on any of that anomaly's symbol, regardless of range. I can understand that some rules could be confusing if someone has never played the video game, but it usually makes a lot of sense and I applaud the designers for making rules that are so immersive and respect the source material, which in the case of this board game is definitely the Stalker video games.
Yes I agree most of them makes sense, once you get used to them. Except the shields in the room. This rule i think is makes an unnecesessary conplication and makes those shields 100% unusable which is very very confusing
I appreciate this video man! When I get the game I will be more prepared. I'm still waiting for my copy. I'm a very visual/kinesthetic learner. If I don't have my copy to play with, I learn best by watching someone do the thing. So thank you for the videos!!
I appreciate your video. Any games with this kind of complexity will always have some complicated or unintuitive rules. This is my reason and opinion behind the rules you mentioned and why they make thematic sense. First of all, it is important to remember that the designer of this game clearly took inspiration from the video games of the Stalker franchise and some rules will make sense when understanding the way the video game works with those rules.
1. It is true that a lot of skirmish/miniatures games have rules regarding opportunity attack, but not always. In the theme of that game, the stalker can usually run away from most enemies without any consequences while leaving the space but can still be attacked if in LOS at the end of the actions.
2. This rule was probably included to show how hard and unforgiven the video game is. Everything in the game wants to kill you. In fact, the enemy does not technically attack twice. You can always attack first then move out of LOS with your second action, and the enemy will not "counterattack". And sometimes (although rarely) it may not even attack during its activation (probably wishful thinking!)
3 and 4. The rules for radiation do make some sense. As you mention, if you stay in the space and do nothing, you will still receive the effect of radiation. Regardless of the fact that free actions do not trigger the radiation, you must perform the 2 mandatory actions, so you will get radiated from those. So, if you do not move from a space with radiation, you will suffer the effect twice, regardless of the number of free actions.
5. The range in most games is usually written as 1-3 or 3+ for example. The 3+ means 3 or more. It is still a range and makes sense for some weapons with scopes, which are usually not good in closer range.
6. The rules on LOS for throwing and shooting are different and makes thematic sense. A weapon always shoots straight and could never go around or above an obstacle. But bolts or grenades (or any object that could be thrown) can be thrown above a wall, a building or any other obstacle (with a reasonable heigh) and still make it to the target. It is less that the object goes "magically around corners" but that it is thrown above the obstacle and lands around the corner. Even if inside a building you could argue that an object thrown could bounce against walls and still land near the target or you could think of it as stretching your arm around the corner to throw it. Again, it is very thematic if you ask me.
7. It does make thematic sense to not get cover if the enemy is in the same room. Sure, you can find cover under a desk or table, but that’s assuming there is such an object in that room. But if an attacker is outside the room, you would get cover from walls and such. As for the room on the lower left, I guess you can still get cover from grenades...LOS is not a requirement for cover as per the rule book.
8-11. The rules for anomalies, in my opinion, have been created to match the way they work in the video game in mind. All anomalies work differently and as such have different ways they activate and whom they target. The bolts work very much like the video game, but there are some situations that need to be changed for game balance.
12. The rules for the echo detector, again, are very thematic. An echo detector will work only at close range (range 0 in the game) and as mentioned, it is calculated from any part of the anomaly's symbols. But the artifact, once detected, does not always appear in the actual spot where the detector was activated. It in fact moves, just like in the video game. So, an artifact could spawn on any of that anomaly's symbol, regardless of range.
I can understand that some rules could be confusing if someone has never played the video game, but it usually makes a lot of sense and I applaud the designers for making rules that are so immersive and respect the source material, which in the case of this board game is definitely the Stalker video games.
Yes I agree most of them makes sense, once you get used to them. Except the shields in the room. This rule i think is makes an unnecesessary conplication and makes those shields 100% unusable which is very very confusing
I appreciate this video man! When I get the game I will be more prepared. I'm still waiting for my copy. I'm a very visual/kinesthetic learner. If I don't have my copy to play with, I learn best by watching someone do the thing. So thank you for the videos!!
Ahh so you are second wave. I hope you will like the game!