Very nice cardstock and great detail. Great value!

Excellent value for the price. I've reviewed the rules & expansion separately.

Having bought SL:PC an it's expansion I was tempted to buy these - mainly to scratch the itch I'd had ever since seeing them (when buying Starmada and womdering if I'd chosen the wrong horse!).

These rules are somewhat less densely formatted and slightly more clearly (and simply) written when compared to SL:PC, and I found much in the rules and system to like, so as space agmes go it's a pretty good one, although it has some tough competitors in Full Thrust and Starmada. However, again the record sheets are a bit of a let down (although superior to hand drawing your record sheets in ther games) - getting the editable ones is a great idea.

Like almost all space games (the better ones!) the game comes with a ship design system - like the rules this is quite complicated compared to some others but works well, and I liked the option for including varied tech levels. But I also felt the range of weappons wasn't quite as flexible or varied as perhaps that of Starmada (but which one is?)

Overall this is a good game.

As well as Platoon Commander I bought these as a slice of expansion fun & then found I had the same problem as I had had with the main rules, namely the densely written and formatted rules. These rules are expansions on an already fairly chwey and complex set of rules, so it's very much a case of if you liked the main SL:PC rules you'll be pleased with these, but if (like me) you found the rules a bit much, you'll be somewhat less than delighted.

Again the rules are worth a 4 but the solid, dense text, formatting and complexity make them a 3 for me.

Looking for some rules to replace/supplement Stargrunt II, I bought these rules alongside both Grunts and PMC2640 (I wanted some options!)

Compard to both of the above SL:PC is much heavier on system crunch and rules detail - this isn't necessarily a bad thing but I found getting into the rules heavier going than I really wanted. A QRF is provided, but the dense format makes the rulebook feel like a slog at times, espcially when you want to find some minor rule in a hurry.

The actual game itself is pretty good but the record sheets, even allowing for the editable PDF's, are not so grand - the use of colour coded armour etc effectively requires the user to print in colour to get the best use from them - this can soon get expensive if you're a happy designer of your own forces (like me).

I've rated these rules at 3 - the game system itself is worth a 4, but the relative inaccessibility of the densely written/formatted rules, combined with the requirement for colour printing, means I think a 3 is more on the level.

I got a chance to play this recently, and it was pretty fun. I like the turn sequence in general, and I liked the way that terrain and cover were described, such that they were pretty unambiguous and quick to figure out.

Speaking of figuring things out, I did have a little trouble sorting out what some things meant. Like, "force points" and "force point level" aren't the same thing (you use one to look up the other on a chart at the front of the book). And there was more than one reference to "xxxxxx", which I suppose was meant to be a page number?

But editing aside, it was a fun game that kept both sides engaged (although both of those sides were me). Unfortunately, I didn't have an opportunity to dig into all of the extra bits, like off-board artillery and Leader units and vehicles (though the rules are there and seem pretty thorough), but the infantry action was enjoyable, and the combat system quick, with few modifiers to worry about. Damage rolls are technically on a chart, but since they basically amount to "Stun and one less than the difference", I never actually had to reference it.

I don't know about balance, though. I only played one game, 88 points of veterans vs 99 points of regulars, and the regulars got stomped hard (I think that an extra action each round might be pretty powerful stuff), but it was only one game and it might have just been bad tactics on my part.

Here's a turn by turn (and couplet by couplet) breakdown of the game I played:

https://redplayerone.blogspot.com/2019/01/close-quarters-skirmish-unity-regulars.html

This game is a very good medium between the sophistication of Strike Legion Tactical and the plainness of a strategic boardgame where each unit would just be a counter. The scale is (nominally) one inch equals a kilometer and stand equals one company, and the standard unit is a battalion of two to four companies, organized into a brigade or regiment of several battalions (three to five is about right). Each battalion can have detachment stands added which enhance its abilities - add a scout, and you get an electronic warfare bonus in an assault. Add artillery and your ranged fire gets a bonus. Airpower is included via "air markers," which represent airstrikes of varying intensity, although maneuvering air units on the table is limited to V/STOL attack craft and transports, and for those so inclined, airships and aeronefs. There are even rules for orbital strikes and tactical nuclear weapons.

You have to be pretty flexible about how you see the game, as it's definitely not a hardcore simulator of the FFT3 variety, but it feels unique and flexible and has a broad range of options to make the game your own. I especially like the various frameworks for campaigns, and the game as a whole works particularly well with scaled battlefield maps and 3mm scale figures, feeling very much like a Command Post exercise. I highly recommend it to gamers looking for a higher-level game that has a good balance between granularity and abstraction.

I am a long term war gamer and retired military. I really like these rules. Well balanced and fun to play. The graphics and charts are very well done. I and my war game group played Dirt Side 2 for a quite some time and this beats Dirt Side 2 on a number of levels. The game vehicle design engine is very good, and provides for a great balanced vehicle, gun, or infantry unit, but you need to almost build a spreadsheet to support the design engine, which I did, and now this is the only sci fi 1/285 rules I play. I was able to taylor design all the miniatures I have now.

The representation of company, platoon, squad/section, down to fireteam, is accomplished brilliantly in SL:PL. From the game perspective, the coordination of your models within each element of organization is a huge tactical draw for this rules set. For example, activation of a single squad has the player moving and acting with the fireteams within that squad, which gives the sense that the choices are being made for a small "army within an army". This is when playing with individually based models. The rules also support stands of miniatures for the groupings, but playing with individually based is where this feeling really shows itself. Though the teams act as one unit in terms of their actions, there are still enough tactical options within this framing that it does not feel like a "line them up and shoot" game. Though i am a fan of games where individual models may act on an individual basis (e.g. each model in a unit can target whatever they desire, etc.), I enjoy the balance that SL:PL gives between that and models acting in a cohesive, team fashion.

The morale system is a real entity in the game, not just a tacked-on, obligatory dice roll with a single consequence. Morale is modelled in a way that can hinder teams within a squad to various degrees, from simply reducing available actions to rendering a team almost ineffective until a rally can be achieved. It is all handled with a simple dice roll algorithm, no lookup tables, which is really nice for game tempo once again.

The way defense values for infantry (and some vehicles) and armor values for vehicles (and power armor, though power armor has a defense component for some situations) are used makes each mechanic have its own weight in the gameplay. Firing any weapon vs a defensive opponent ends up having a very differently flavored outcome when that same weapon goes against armor. SL:PL really shines here, making the combat action feel right, depending on what weapon is being used vs which target.

The abilities for both infantry and vehicles feel right on. For example, i have disliked how Active Camo has been handled in other rules sets, but here, SL:PL hits the nail on the head. Same goes for support weapons. I LOVE that flamethrowers and grenade launchers are implemented without the need for AoE templates but still work beautifully; the game tempo thrives from this too. Mortars still use an AoE, but rightfully so in their case. Oh, and power armor feels like POWER armor, without being game-breaking. The game details many types of cool tech and specializations, so any type of unit can be created pretty much, with as much simplicity or complexity as desired. There are pre-generated teams in the rules and online, so no need to fret if someone wants to plug and play.

Oh, and unit creation SHOULD involve math. I have read reviews that seem to complain that one needs to think too much to create units in SL:PL. The amount of crunching needed is nothing that someone who should be able to calculate probabilities cannot handle (looking at you, wargamers:-)). It's simple arithmetic here, and there are great running examples as one goes through the process. And how the values are generated for team attributes makes good logical sense.

There is so much more to SL:PL that i could go on, but these points i have made are the things that really drew me in after my first read of the free introductory rules. I purchased the pdf right after and have not been disappointed.

The only negative items to note for me have been these: 1.) There are multiple rules for rounding fractions for various situations, and multiple required criteria for dice rolls (i.e. it is not just meet or exceed a target number as a general rule). While these would become 2nd nature the more it is played, it still makes for some rules digging in many situations. The author has done this for a number of good reasons, so it is forgiven overall. 2.) There are some discrepancies, typos, and mentions of rules without any formal description anywhere. Luckily, Karl is really good about answering emailed questions to the address on the Legionnaire website. I am hoping a true errata/FAQ might be released at some point (but that requires more people to start playing this game to generate the interest!)

Final thought: I am surprised that SL:PL is not a more popular game, especially in the 15mm arena. It has a nice balance of simple mechanics with enough "crunch" that should please anyone. Though it is a company level game at its largest, it can be tailored anywhere from single fireteams to that level with no issues. I know most of the current rules sets out there currently, and though SL:PL has been around for a bit, i hope that more interest will be generated for it, especially with the love for 15mm scifi happening as of late. Many of the great minis available now fit into the game perfectly. Highly recommended.

I love the game, but I am not fond of the new format of the book. It would have been far better to retain the basic rules in one section and then include the other advanced options such as archaic forces, air, naval, organic, and advanced tech in their own self contained section or chapters. This would make the rulebook less intimidating for new players and would have provided easier reference to specific modules players which to use without overwhelming the reader. They author did highlight sections that should be read first, but this is a messy approach vs having the advanced rules in their own section of the book.

Overall I like the streamlining of the game, but I think this is a terrible product for new players. Some of my friends gave up on it just trying to read the movement section. I really hope future products will be written so that the basic core rule mechanic is presented in the first chapters and other rules are provided in separate chapters, similar to how the original book was written. As a veteran of the game, I can still use the product, but it leaves much to be desired regarding organization of content.

Summary, Great Game, nice enhancements to the system, but very difficult for a player new to the rule system.

No games with it yet but it looks like a very nice update (version 1.5 as they call it) to the Strike Legion series. Everything is here except the campaign system (coming later). At 181 pages (including 30 pages of pre-done data cards) it is a very thorough set of rules. We've played mostly in 15mm with no problem and any sci-fi gamer will want to give SL a look. Don't be put off by the size, the basics of the game are simple and you can layer on more as you go.

It was great to see SL get this treatment.

Info is fine, needs expansion though, and some bits not too well explained

Well presented set of rules, which play well. Did have some reservations about ground scale but have ignored that. I laso think movement limittions due treeain could be handeled in a better way. Compabt system is well thought out though.

Worth a close look

Very good example of what the PO system can do. Includes additional rules, scenarios and army lists.

Well presented set of rules at a reasonable price. Could be used to represent just about anything you wanted to, and probably more of a template to create something than a pre-packaged system (although some sample army lists are in the book)

Full rules for unit creation are included and the author is very active on the Yahoo group setup to support the rules. The WWIII supplement is good (if badly named) and shows the versatility of the system.

The rules could use more examples but other than that grab a copy and tweak to whichever period / crazy idea takes your fancy.