Project Good - Good: The Battle
| Name of Product | Good: The Battle |
| Product Number | SFP3 |
| Manufacturer | Project Good |
| Genre | Fantasy/Science Fiction |
| Scale | 28mm (other scales could be used) |
| Price | £8.99 |
What do you get?
Published by Project Good, Good: the Battle comes in a flimsy
slightly-smaller-than-A4 box. This is not a bad thing. The
box will last long enough for you to decide whether you like
the game (and therefore protect it with a sturdier box) or
don't like it (which means it's easily crushable for you to
throw in the recycle bin). Inside is the core rulebook, two
sheets of coloured counters, two character sheets, two D20,
two D6 and loads of empty clear plastic bags (presumably for
putting the counters once you've cut them out).
Good:the Battle is very much a skirmish game, with very few
(maybe even one!) models on each side. Each model has its
own character card, so controlling too many models would soon
become a faff. There's nothing stopping you having multiplayers
- in fact rules for this are provided. Figure scale is up
to you, though with such a small number of figures 28mm (or
larger) would be the most attractive, but there's nothing
stopping you using 15mm.
Good: the Battle is unlikely to be anyone's 'main game'. It
reminds me of the sort of game you play when you want to take
a break and lighten the mood from the game you regularly play.
The premise of the game is that miniatures accrue 'Good' points
and try to palm off 'Bad' points to the opposition. When a
model reaches its maximum 'Bad' limit it is out of the game.
The game is set up like a regular games table - with scenery
and stuff, and played like many other games. Figures are equipped
with whatever weapons and armour they are modelled with. Initiative
is a simple D20 roll and the turn is split into three segments:
Move, Attack, Charge Up. Moving costs Good points (and, if
retreating, also accrues Bad points). Attacks also cost you
Good points (but score Bad points against your opponent).
And at the end of the turn all players get to recharge with
Good points.
The book is written in an informal and 'zany' style (sometimes it tries just a little too hard to be 'wacky' and 'crazy' and does get tiresome. But still). The production values are competent and it has many illustrations and diagrams throughout. The rulebook is split into several sections - Basic Rules (allowing you to get going without any effort), Advanced Rules (adding all the things you thought were missing from the Basic Rules), Special Powers (self explanatory, but it will do to say that each character begins the game with three powers chosen from the list), More Good Things (fluff such as character sheets, using squares instead of inches - a good idea for this very much 'gamey' game, multi-player games and so on) and finally a series of Scenarios. An expansion to the core rules is planned, and will include vehicle rules, new powers, and many extra rules.
It should be obvious that the emphasis on Good: the Battle is fun. Despite the 'madcap' way it's written it doesn't play like that. The games I played proved to be fun and enjoyable. They had more complexity (in strategy, not rules) than I expected, which only added to the enjoyment.
The final word.
You will have to decide for yourself whether the Good/Bad thing is a clever concept, or just euphemisms for damage and hit points. The humour and fun of the game will last just long enough for you to have had the necessary break from whatever game you're currently playing and will leave you feeling ready to get back to it. And also looking forward to when you want a break and another game of Good: the Battle. Despite the frivolous (in a good way) nature of the game, there are some pretty neat game ideas and mechanics tucked away in this game.
