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TITLE: Red Chicken Rising (2000)

AUTHOR: David Ferris

PUBLISHER: ArmourSoft (David Ferris)

PUBLICATION DATE: 2000

WEB SITE/SUPPORT FORUM:

• Official site: http://www.irvania.com/wargames/index.htm
• Fan page: http://www.cke1st.com/m_games2.htm
   

PRICE: Free download as of 2008

REVIEWED BY: Mike “Cke1st” Fischer, March 2008

PERIOD COVERED: Sci-fi spaceship battles

THE BOOK:

The rules come in a 21-page PDF file.  The free download also includes separate PDF’s for turning templates and ship record sheets, and an Excel spreadsheet for sample and user-defined ship definitions.

SCOPE:

RCR is meant for large tactical spaceship battles, where one counter or miniature represents one ship.

ARMY SIZE:

A game can be as small as one ship versus one ship, or as big as a hundred ships on a side for team play.  One player can comfortably handle roughly a dozen ships.

BASE UNIT: The base unit is a single spaceship.

GAME SCALES:

• Ground Scale: n/a
• Time Scale: one turn represents an undefined, small number of seconds
• Figure/Base Ratio: One mini or counter equals one ship
• Recommended Figure: any spaceship minis or counters
• Table Size: 4’ x 4’ would be a good minimum, but smaller spaces can be accommodated by scaling down the movements and weapon ranges.
• Game Length: depends on the number of ships.  I’ve played 12-ship games that lasted roughly 2 hours.

BASING SIZES:

Basing is not required, but recommended for each individual ship.  Ships from any maker or game system can be used, as long as the bases are marked with the ship’s front and four 90-degree arcs.

TURN SEQUENCE:

• Diplomacy (includes ship damage by Dweazel Diplomacy)
• Determine initiative
• All ships power up shields
• One player moves all ships, then the other player moves all ships
• One player fires all weapons, then the other player fires all weapons
• Resolve rams and close-assault combat (CAC)
• Apply damage to all ships from weapons, rams, and CAC

GAME MECHANICS:

Fire Combat: Weapons fire is determined by rolling d10’s against size of attacking weapons battery and strength of defending shields.  Successful hits roll on a simple table to determine the effects of each hit.

Close Combat: Close Assault Combat occurs when two ships touch, and is resolved by rolling d10’s against the size of each ship crew involved.  CAC rarely plays a major role in the outcome of the game.

ARMY LISTS/SCENARIOS:

The rules do not include army lists or scenarios.  They do include a spreadsheet for defining your own ship designs.  The rules’ generic nature means that scenarios from other games can be used with little or no modification.

REVIEWER’S COMMENTS:

The rules are logical and consistent, except for a few minor discrepancies between the rule book and the ship record sheets.  The writing is clear and easy to follow.  The rules are aimed at quick play and fun, rather than an attempt at simulation.  This is still the only space-battle rule book that begins with a shower scene.

Each ship has eight basic stats, and up to five weapons batteries (four Beams and one Torpedo) with four stats each.  Anything from fighter squadrons to planet-sized stations can be defined within these rules.

PLAYER’S COMMENTS:

Fleets are built using a point system, which is flexible, highly granular, easy to use, and well explained.  New players, even those with little or no wargaming experience, learn the rules quickly

The game space is occupied only by the spaceship minis, markers for shield damage [uncommon], and such terrain as you wish to use.  All other record keeping is done on the ship record sheets.

It takes less than a minute to move one ship.  Weapons fire can take from thirty seconds to five minutes per ship, depending on the size of the attacker’s weapons batteries.  Play is quick, and there is little dead time for each player.

The key to success is maneuvering to bring the maximum firepower to bear.  The delayed recording of damage removes most of the disadvantages of the IGOUGO system.

The rules are generic, with no special rules or weapons for the various space-going races.  This means they can accommodate miniatures from any gaming universe, and also that they can be used for games set in other universes.

One feature of the rules, and the universe within which they operate, is that they have some strong humorous touches.  These are not required to play the game.

To read other players’ comments or to leave your own, please click here.

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