Pyramid Review
Quad-S
Strategic Starship Skirmish System
Published by Powercell Games
Designed by James Eisert
$14.95 each
Quad-S is one of those kinds of games you don't see much of anymore -- a true labor of love. James Eisert owns and runs a gaming store in Erie, PA (Archon Games & Distractions), and is an unapologetic fan. He has designed and published Quad-S to achieve two goals that he had not seen accomplished in any other tactical space combat game.The first goal has to do with the Quad-S mechanics. The game features six very different races, each with their own technologies -- and their own rulebook. Rather than a mercenary ploy to get you to buy six different books, this approach is entirely necessary. That's because each race plays the game by different rules. Eisert felt it was the best way to give the game the tactical flexibility he wanted (one of those two goals), and it seems to work.
Different races move and turn in different ways. Their weapons work differently, their defenses work differently. It doesn't make for much of a balanced game -- Race A could very well whip Race B, which in turn would completely blow away Race C, who would have a decided advantage over Race A -- and Eisert makes no apologies for it. "Some of these races have been around for millennia, while others haven't even got out of their galactic diapers yet," he explains in one set of Designer's Notes. "If some races fall to others easily, so be it!"
The game itself is fairly straightforward. . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: March 5, 1999
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