Tuesday 9 February 2016

7TV 2nd Edition

For a long time now I have thought about buying the 7TV skirmish war-gaming rules produced by Crooked Dice Games (CDG). I have bought quite a lot of figures from CDG over the past few years and I really like them but I kept putting off buying the rules. Things changed earlier this year when 7TV 2nd Edition (7TV2e) was released. Spurred on by excellent reviews by bloggers like Blaxkleric and Brummie (aka the two Simons), I finally relented and sent away for the starter boxed set last week. Two days later it arrived!
The front cover of the new boxed set.
Department X boxed set. Not painted by me.
I also ordered the Department X boxed set of 12 figures at the same time. In hindsight I should have ordered an extra set of counters and tokens but I'll add them to my next order. The Department X set consists of Dr. Hugo Solomon (who is instantly recognisable as Jon Pertwee in his role as the third Doctor Who), Pandora King (aka Emma Peel from the Avengers (UK series, not the Marvel superheroes)) and 10 Department X Commandos including a heavy weapons team. I mainly wanted this set for the figure of Pandora King, who I've converted into April O'Neil, the reporter friend of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So why didn't I just buy her separately? Well, she is currently out of stock as a single figure option. Not that I minded because the other figures are very useful.
So, for those not in the know, what is 7TV2e all about? This is a simple skirmish game designed to recreate classic spy and sci-fi films and TV series from the 1960's and 1970's, or you can come up with your own ideas of appropriate genre TV shows or films. Films like Austin Powers, Ghostbusters, and James Bond, and TV series such as Captain Scarlet, Department S, Doctor Who, Scooby Doo, Space 1999, The Avengers, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Sweeney heavily influence the game. Fans of any of these classic shows will recognise many of the figures that CDG use for 7TV2e. To avoid copyright problems, CDG created their own fictional studio, 7TV, which made such cult TV series as AKA, A.R.C., Department X, The Beat, The Daredevils and The Man From 2000.
Film and TV terms abound in the game. The player characters and non-player characters (heroes and villains) are defined as Stars, Co-Stars or Extras. Combined, these make up your Cast. A single game is an Episode, split into three parts - Act 1, Act 2 and Finale. A campaign would be a Series.
The game length is determined by a deck of Countdown cards split up into the three Acts of the Episode. Players draw 1 or 2 cards per turn until the deck runs out, indicating the end of that Episode. Episodes can also end if one side is wiped out or loses more than half its cast. The Countdown cards vary from Act to Act. In Act 1 they mainly focus on movement, whilst in Act 2 the focus shifts to attacking the opposition. In the finale, anything can happen! Games are best played on an area 4 feet square but this can vary up or down.
Cast members are either heroes, villains or neutral and all come with their own Profile cards. Each cast member costs a number of Ratings Value points, which are usually 9 or 10 for Stars, 5 or 6 for Co-Stars and under 5 for Extras. The stats of Stars and Co-Stars can be changed if you want to alter any to come up with how you feel that cast member should appear. Changes will invariably alter the Ratings Value.
Game play is simple and the rules themselves are easy to learn. Obviously, the more figures you use in an Episode, the longer it will take to complete. But there is no limit to the size of your cast providing heroes and villains share the same overall Ratings Value. A starter cast might be 20 Ratings, a small cast 30 Ratings, a standard cast 50 Ratings and an epic cast might be 100 Ratings.
Activated characters can take any two of the following actions per turn - Move, Strike, Special or Free. Move is obviously movement, which also includes changing facing; Strike can be a Melee action or a Shoot action; Special includes anything not covered by Move or Strike, such as administering first aid or picking up an objective. Free actions do not count towards your limit of two actions per turn. They cover things like making a statistic test, using a star quality or a gadget.
Both sides acquire Plot Points at the start of every turn, which can be used to activate a character or group of characters, enhance combat rolls, use some of their special effects or gadgets, or to recover from a debilitating status. Unused Plot Points can be carried over from turn to turn.
At the end of a game, both sides add up their Victory Points total and the side with the highest score wins.
I am very much looking forward to playing 7TV2e and already I am thinking up scenario ideas and Casts I want to use. Seeing as my blog is primarily dedicated to the undead, is there an option for including undead creatures in 7TV2e? Yes, there is, although not in the basic set. To date, there are three supplements available for 7TV2e, all of which are downloadable PDF files. These are guides for using characters from Ghostbusters, Scooby Doo and Star Wars. The Ghostbusters guide costs £3, but the other two are free. Ghostbusters includes stats for zombies. Hopefully, further undead types will be covered in future supplements.

The basic boxed set costs £50 and contains the following items -
The Director's Guide (the core rules of the game)
The Producer's Guide (rules for building a cast, customising Stars and Co-Stars as well as 6 scenarios)
2 decks of Profile cards (heroes and villains)
45 Countdown cards
20 Gadget cards
20 Plot Point tokens
27 Status and Objective counters
A Blast and Flame-thrower template
A pewter 28mm scale Maguffin figure (it's a TV set used as a vital objective)
6 six-sided dice
I know nothing about the rules for the first edition of 7TV, which I've been told is a good thing as I don't have to unlearn them to play 7TV2e. This is a game that looks like a lot of fun to play and if you want to check it out further take a look at Blaxkleric's first 7TV2e batrep here.

36 comments:

  1. ahh Bryan, great minds think alike! i played my first game of 7TV2e yesterday and i really, really, really enjoyed it. The 2 Simons and their enthusiasm for the product had a hand in my decision but I haven't brought the box set yet just the free Beta set of downloadable content. I had to make up my own counters etc but i wanted a feel for the game.....and i love it!

    Primarily I got it to play my TMNT collection, more of which I will be showing over the next 2 weeks of posts on my blog (damn this spacing stuff out, i just want to post it all out!). But i do think I will be going all out and purchasing the box at some point along with loads of the other factions inc Ghostbusters and using my scooby doo figures (although i might have to get the non-apocs models too...). my head is spinning with possibilities!!!

    oh and watch out for the AAR i put out for the inaugral 7TV2e episode I shot.....

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    1. That's superb, Andy. As soon as I read the rules I knew I was going to love this game. So much so that I placed a big order with CDG for more cops, villains and a couple of Transit vans as well as extra counters. They just arrived this morning. CDG don't hang about in sending stuff out! My first batrep will be an episode of the Beat (a mix of The Sweeney and Life On Mars) between cops and robbers. I can't wait to get the new figures painted so I can play it. Yes, I'm every bit as excited as you!

      You'll be pleased to know I am busy painting my TMNT figures, including April O'Neil and Slider. I hope to show them soon. Suffice to say, I am eagerly awaiting your own posts on these fun figures. A Scooby Doo game using the ordinary non-post apocalypse Scooby gang is a must. like you, I have loads of ideas spinning in my head.

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  2. Been thinking about acquiring a copy of 7TV for the past couple of years, but haven't because wasn't sure about its solo-play suitability. Really tempted, though ;-)

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    1. Major, whilst 7TV2e would work better with two players (or more) there is no reason why you can't play it solo. I'll be playing my games solo.

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  3. Blimey, at this rate you'll beat me to a 7TV2 game report :-) ! I'm hung up at the moment trying to decide how to run a Captain Scarlet scenario. Or should it be Doctor Who? Or Star Trek? Or Scooby Doo? Aargh - too many decisions!

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    1. I still need to get my main cast painted up, Hugh, so who knows? Captain Scarlet, Doctor Who and Scooby Doo are all on my to do list, as well, along with Star Wars... but not Star Trek. Yeah, so many choices!

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  4. Excellent glad to hear you are as please as I was with it Bryan. I really do think they have smashed it with this edition its so much easier to get on with than the first. Picking and choosing the casts is so much simpler and yet you can still customise your characters a bit if you choose to make things for a certain show.

    The Argonauts and Dept X update should be coming soon as well. Can't wait!

    I found it handy to keep my two sets of counters and dice separate as your opponent can have a full set each with dice etc.

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    1. Simon, I owe you a big debt of gratitude for recommending this wonderful game to me. Many thanks, mate! I do love the fact that you can customise your Stars and Co-Stars.

      I'm looking forward to any new supplements but I do hope CDG will convert some of the 1st edition supplements especially ZombieTV, Vlad's Army and Ghouls & Colleges.

      Seeing as I always play solo I don't need to split my dice and counters but I can see why it's a good idea for multi-players.

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    2. I am hoping for 7ombietv to get converted it would be awesome and possibly my goto game for zombie gaming.

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    3. Wow, now that is high praise, Simon. Let's hope CDG does update 7ombieTV.

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  5. Its a great system, I'm planning on using it for my GEYE Joe game once White Knight gets his Not-Joes organised.

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    1. G.I. Joe? Now there's a very interesting idea. I like your thinking, Mike!

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    2. It would be perfect for that as well great idea!

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  6. I am for now sticking with 1st edition. Despite its faults is still a good game.
    The big problem in 1st edition is that players could adjust their stats and make hero characters pretty much undying. I am told that has changed in 2ed, which would be a very good thing (unless you are Cpt Scarlet).

    So many games you can do the choice really is wide, anything from WEst World (Yes done that) to Time tunnel or land of the giants (yes done those as well) The one I have yet to do BUT I really want to Is Fantastic Voyage! (Or UFO! UFO would be easier as it does not require too much specialist terrain!))

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    1. Thanks, Clint. As I said in my review I know nothing about 1st edition 7TV so I can't comment on which version is best. I do know however, that I like 7TV2e very much. I, too, would love to do a UFO scenario. UFO Aliens and Moonbase personnel must be made by CDG. The Minions will work well for normal SHADO operatives.

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    2. CDG do indeed make moonbase personnel. So UFO from our youth is a strong possibility. And while you have no first hand knowledge of 1st edition I am the same about 2ed. But I would think there is enough overlap for us both to enjoy the game. I look forward to seeing your first AAR.

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    3. I sent you an e-mail, Clint, regarding your comment. I am sure we will both enjoy the game in our own unique ways.

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  7. A terrific review Bryan, and many thanks indeed for the link and plug. I really do envy you as I think those who haven't played 1 edition are in for a real treat. I though, am finding it a bit harder to get into simply because I have to unlearn a lot of what I learnt, and some of the newer rules are a bit too simplistic imho. For example I really like the 2nd Edition Countdown Mechanic over the Event cards. But I'm not sold on Plot Points nor adding them to combat rolls. Still its something I will be persevering over the coming months - though ultimately I may well end up with an amalgamation of the two!! Either way this box set is a great investment and I've no doubt you'll have tremendous fun with it - especially as more casts are produced by "Crooked Dice". I'll certainly wager you;re looking forward to zombies being introduced so you can re-enact your fave scenes from "World War z" ;-)

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    1. Many thanks, Simon, and once again, thanks for recommending 7TV2e to me. I just know that I'm going to have a lot of fun with it as I grew up with so many of the cult TV series it is based on.
      Funnily enough, using zombies in 7TV2e is a very low priority for me. My favourite scene from World War Z? None whatsoever! Shite is shite no matter how much you try to put a shine on it! ;-)

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    2. There are rules for basic zombies in the Paranormal Exterminator guid. I'm hoping to play some cops and MiB vs Monsters and zombies at some point.

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    3. Ha, ha! And yet more great ideas, Simon. How could I have forgotten about Men in Black?

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  8. these rules look really, r-e-a-l-l-y interesting.

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    1. They are, Tarot. I have a lot of happy memories of watching the kind of TV shows in the 1970's these rules are trying to emulate.

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  9. hmmmmm, I have just found the free PDF rules and now have them saved (but its going to cost me a lot to copy them out: best price locally is 20 cent a page, and 1 euro a page for colour). Will I need to print out all those tokens too?

    I`m very interested to give this a go, especially the Blakes 7 bit. But worry its going to cost me an arm and a leg to get to the point where I can use the rules.

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    1. Sorry for the long delay in replying to you, Tarot. Actually, getting to plat 7TV shouldn't cost you too much. It's a shame you don't have your own printer as that would save you quite a bit in printing out the PDF files.

      The counters can just as easily be replicated with home-made counters. The stat cards, like the rules should be printed out. Given how much it would cost you to get everything copied out at your local printers I wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper to just buy the boxed starter set anyway.

      I'll send you an e-mail and we can discuss this further. Trust me, you do have options. :-)
      For your proposed Blake's seven campaign, 7TV2e would be ideal.

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  10. Yes yes oh yes Bryan that's exactly what I want it for. I`m so excited I can hardly breathe. but thank you yes, options, I need options hehe. Its horrible wanting something so badly and not having the money grrrrr lol

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  11. It’s not often I change my mind! Once it’s made up, it tends to stay made up.... I`m like that. And yet, somehow... (how does he DO it) Bryan has this uncanny knack of doing just that.... manages to change my mind. He doesn’t say anything or do anything, he quietly smiles ay my negativity (when I don't like something) then bides his time. Often I don’t bite at all, but occasionally, just occasionally (happens enough to feel a right plonker when it happens) I wiggle onto that damn hook, and a light goes on, a door somewhere in my brain opens and a fresh breeze wafts in.

    I have missed out on soooooooo much, I see it now. 7TV2e is simply stunning. HOW could I have been so blind and overlooked it for so long. Tar` found a free PDF copy and got me to look at it “no... really look at it!” she told me. And I`m so glad I did. Okay I admit it, its possibly the best thing since sliced bread.

    I`m hooked.

    The whole thing, the rules, the miniatures, the 60`s and 70`s genre thing, it all just WORKS somehow. Torot wants to do Blakes 7, Hils is wondering if she might be able to use this to join Tar` in game play with her early days (20th century) comic books of the 40`s and 50`s, and there’s me feeling I`ve missed out... but all is not lost *starts thumbing through various options, and his eyes land upon..... 7TV ZOMBIES* mmmmmmmm!!!!!

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    1. Hallelujah, Steve! You have seen the light. I'm not going to say "I told you so," because that is not my style but I will say "better late than never." 7TV2e is a real gem of a game. More so if you lived through the 1970's and can remember watching the TV series and films of that era. I hit my teens in 1970 and these shows and films had a big influence on me. Now I very much want to return to those golden days of my youth and recreate what I saw and enjoyed so much with these rules and an appropriate selection of miniatures.

      Your only limit is your imagination. Certainly Tarot gets it and I applaud her plans for her own campaign. There is still much I want to do and show with 7TV2e. With you, Hil and Tarot suddenly discovering how cool 7TV2e is I'm sure we'll have much to share and chat about for a long time to come. Happy days!

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  12. You are so right Bryan. Like you, my youth was the 70`s and I have vivid memories of that youth too. But somehow I had forgotten just how wonderful it is to re-live those glory days of our youth. My nostalgia has always been for period costume things like The Onedin Line, Dads Army, Poldark, War and Peace, and things like that, but I had somehow totally forgotten the other stuff: Hogans Heroes, It Aint Half Hot Mum, Blakes 7, Doctor Who, Land of the Giants, The Avengers, The Champions, Callan, etc etc etc. Falling back in love with this era has really opened my eyes to a lot of nostalgic potential... a lot of it due to the absolutely madly infectious enthusiasm from Tarot, who has a retro streak in her a mile wide (and she isn’t even old enough to have BEEN there, yet she gets it totally).

    I think we are all infected now, and all I can do is hold on for dear life, and enjoy the trip hahahaa.

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    1. We are so alike, Steve. The shows you mentioned and clearly loved were all amongst my own favourites. Indeed I could add a lot more to the list as I wallow in nostalgia. Suffice to say, I think we are both going to enjoy this game an awful lot!

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  13. ...... Im off now to re-read your 7TV batrep, with an avidly interested, keen eye.

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    1. Good man. I think your opinions on it may have changed from your original comments. ;-)

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  14. Man oh man, what a different take I have on it now. I was riveted to every word. I just want moreeeeeeee.

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    1. And there will be more, Steve. That's a promise!

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