Grind… MkII?
Bellevue WA. June 30, 2009 – Privateer Press is pleased to announce Grind, an extreme combat sports board game for two players ages 14 and up releasing this October. In Grind players customize a team of steamjacks—10-ton, steam-powered mechanical robots—and battle to move a large, spiked ball into their opponent’s goal. The game comes with several highly detailed plastic components, including six Runner steamjack figures, four Crusher steamjack figures, 32 interchangeable weapon arms, two spiked pillars, and the Grinder ball. Also included are a full-color game board, 11 tokens, and custom dice.
I hardly ever played the initial Grind release – it just didn’t pique my interest enough. If I was going to be getting my Warmachine miniatures out to play, I’d rather just play a game of Warmachine. It wasn’t that the concept of Grind wasn’t interesting, but it seemed to be cobbled together from the existing Warmachine rules and so suffered from a rule system that wasn’t really designed to support it.
For the most part I’m interested in seeing how this new version of Grind plays. By breaking Grind off as its own game, Privateer Press is free to design rules from the ground up to focus on the type of play they want Grind to have. Warjacks can be armed with weapons geared specifically to use in the Grind arena instead of appropriating Warmachine weapon systems that were not designed with Grind in mind.
I’ve talked about my dislike for custom dice in my Mosnterpocalypse reviews, and that unfortunately applies here as well. I’m trying to hold back from passing judgment until after I see the rules but the use of these custom Action Dice is a little off-putting. If the game’s good it can overcome that though, so I’ll wait and see.
Finally is the sticker shock. Grind is going to retail at $70. That puts its competition up in the range of some of the more premium board games – games like Arkham Horror ($60), Battlestar Galactica ($60), Shadows over Camelot ($60), and BattleLore ($80). That’s some stiff competition for a first foray into the board game arena.
Since we already have games like Arkham and Last Night on Earth, Grind will have to be really good for my gaming group to pick it up. I’m willing to wait and see how it plays, though. Hopefully Privateer will have some demos running at GenCon.
I’m kinda in the same boat. Grind was all right, and the lack of Cryxian looking warjacks turns me off, but I guess I will manage depending on what the rules look like.
I don’t think there’s gonna be GenCon demos, though that would be an amazing idea if you ask me.
Z
Uhhh so Blood Bowl Privateer Press edition? They definitely could have made a better board game idea based off their IP, IMHO.
A couple of things:
1. I’d expect GenCon demo’s. It is too close to the release date not to.
2. Bloodbowl’s awareness is on the rise in the gaming community at the moment with the recent release of their modern computer game version. This could cut into Grind’s sales by sapping those players or else get them to open up their boardgame versions. On the other hand, the heightened awareness may raise all boats and people may give Grind a look now that Bloodbowl has whetted their appetites.
3. This is actually going to Privateer Press’ second boardgame. They are releasing a Bodgers boardgame, Scrappers, in September. Perhaps tellingly, I didn’t see much buzz at all when that announcement was made.
–Norbert
You’re right; I had forgotten about Scrappers. I do own Infernal Contraption but I hadn’t really followed the new Bodger Game. Maybe it will be at GenCon as well.