Golgo Island version 2

Golgo Island version 2. By Sylvain Boudeele using the WarEngine rules by Aaron Overton
72 page pdf 10.00 euro (approximately $13.95 or £8.99)
Available from: Golgo Island
Miniatures available from: East Riding Miniatures
WarEngine rules: WarEngine
"A
Golgo Island game is a fast and furious struggle between opposing
factions firing countless rounds and strange energy rays from
unbelievable zapguns, complete with close combat fighters wielding
sacred nunchuks or using some long forgotten bare-handed techniques,
and anonymous hordes of helpless extras dressed up in the most pathetic
costumes prepared to die by the dozen, never to be remembered."
Golgo Island version 2 is a 76 page pdf containing rules and background to allow you to run games in the Golgo island setting. The document is well laid out with a pleasing uncluttered style and easy to read typeface. It is decorated with some pleasant and atmospheric illustrations.
There
are two parts to Golgo Island, the rules and the setting. I'll deal
with them separately because I have very different feelings and
opinions of each.

The Rules
The
rules are the long established WarEngine rules written by Aaron
Overton. These rules drive several games includung Shock Force: Battles
in the Remnants of America which was their first incarnation.
I
imagine if you were introduced to wargaming by Games Workshop and were
only conversant with their rules WarEngine would come as a breath of
fresh air. Unit by unit activation and opposed rolls is better than
IGOUGO. However there's lots of unnecessary measuring and dice rolling
that achieves nothing but presumably makes everyone think they're doing
something important.
For
example, having every model check to see if it's in command radius at
the end of its go is time consuming but, ok, if that's how you want
your command and control rules to work it's cumbersome but workable.
Checking them all again at the beginning of their next go is pointless
and just serves to slow play down. What's going to have changed? And,
if something did change, incorporating the check immediately for the
models involved is a much quicker option.
The
basic dice mechanic of rolling some, keeping some and then totalling
gives the same bell curve of results as just rolling and totalling, it
just flattens the curve a little. All you're doing is rolling some dice
and ending up with less than you rolled, every time. Your opponent is
doing the same, why not just roll less dice if you want lower numbers
and add them all up?
At least you don't need to keep track of wounds.

So,
I think the rules stink, why should you care? You can download the
basic WarEngine rules from the link above and try them yourself and you
might find you love them, some people do. I'm only giving an opinion so
feel free to dismiss it. It's all pretty much irrelevant to the Golgo
Island phenomenon anyway.
Luckily
for me the WarEngine rules are not the point of Golgo Island. I am
slightly amazed that someone as imaginative as Sylvain would use them
instead of making up his own but I'll give him a break since he came up
with the background and setting and, when he saw no one made figures to
fit, started to sculpt his own. The man is a gaming legend, forging his
own path and being an innovator. People like him grow this hobby and I,
for one, am glad he's around.

The Setting
The
point of Golgo Island is the setting and the feel of the games. Most of
the rulebook is dedicated to this; background, scenarios, stats for all
the characters and inhabitants and many, many additions to the basic
WarEngine rules to allow them to bring out the weirdness and flavour of
the setting.
The
basic premise is 'anything goes' which suits me. I will be introducing
some Golgo personalities into my own games as soon as I can paint the
figures, Doctor Who and the Alpha Zorgl looks like it might be the
first encounter.
Most
of the scenarios are designed for four players, more can be
accommodated without any bother which makes Golgo Island a good social
game where more people can bring their own individual strangeness to
the table in the form of their personally designed bizarre gangs, each
increasing the communal Golgo feeling. The design of the scenarios
encourages players to venture forth into the island and so meet and
come into conflict with each other. Each gaming group has the tortoise
player who prefers to hide in his shell and see if every one else will
die off first, well in Golgo Island this sad individual will lose every
time. The bold and the adventurous will triumph as was always intended
by the Gods of Gaming.

There
are many additions and tweeks to the basic rules that add flavour. The
best is the addition of Twist Rolls for Heroes which is a wonderful
gimmick. The effects are tailored to the individual Hero and range
from controlling a monster to receiving a helpful gift just when he
needs it from a supporting local. This is an innovative idea that adds
to the novelty of the game, increasing the unexpected and adding chaos
whilst keeping within the spirit of the setting.
The
characters that inhabit Golgo Island are a mixed bunch of lunatics
ranging from the strange to the very strange. Each is a little
masterpiece of creation and should serve as inspiration for players to
add their own. If you're not already thinking of adding your own
characters then the game probably isn't for you. Golgo Island requires
people to input something for it to work, spectators who just turn up
to roll dice will miss out on a fundamental part of the Golgo Island
experience and all participants should be encouraged to immerse
themselves in the world as much as possible.

To
summarise, Golgo island is a wonderful setting full of great and
inspiring ideas tacked onto a clumsy rules system. However, you don't
need to use the rules as given, this is wargaming, use them or not as
you see fit. I shan't and you can expect some Golgo related content
here as I introduce it into my own games. The background and ideas are
easily worth the price of the pdf so I still recommend you get it.
When it's finally recognised as the work of genius that it is you'll
feel bad if you missed out.9
cats, loses two for unimaginative rules but gets one back because
projects like this deserve support and need to be widely known about..
Golgo Island version 2. By Sylvain Boudeele








All the pictures illustrating this review were taken from the Golgo Island website and are used without permission.
DM8 - Purple Worm from Otherworld Miniatures
Amazon Miniatures Livestock
Black Hat Miniatures Civilians
Mega Minis SWAT Team
Printed Scenery from Unreal Estates
Market Stalls from Black Cat Bases
A Load of Old Rubbish, urban trash from Black Cat Bases and Old Crow
Rosemary's series 33 Pure Kolinsky Sable
BrushesNew painting Lamps
Osprey- Israel’s Lightning Strike, The raid on Entebbe 1976
Matakashi cat miniature sculpted, cast and donated by Mike Broadbent to support this site.


'You and I in a little toy shop, buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got'
- Nena, 99 Red Balloons