Getting Into MERCS
March 2, 2013 by warzan
To round off what has been a fantastic week of MERCS fun this article is going to take you step by step through the MERCS experience.
1) How it's Played
If your excited about the game and want to give it a go you can download some handy Quick Start Rules.
Watch us having a few games in these videos:
2) Factions
Pick a Faction that appeals to you and download its stat cards. To help you decide which MegaCon best suite your stile of play it's worth watching each of our faction interview videos:
CCC - Watch Interview - Download Stat Cards
FCC - Watch Interview - Download Stat Cards
ISS - Watch Interview - Download Stat Cards
Keizai Waza - Download Stat Cards
KemVar - Watch Interview - Download Stat Cards
Sefadu - Watch Interview - Download Stat Cards
Texico - Watch Interview - Download Stat Cards
USCR - Watch Interview - Download Stat Cards
3) Terrain for your games
You can find terrain for your games here:
CCC Urban Terrain (132 MB)
USCR Snow Terrain (107 MB)
Dock Terrain (Full, 158 MB) - (Tiled, 103 MB)
Fuel Depot (Full, 83 MB) - (Tiled, 83 MB)
Ok we got the quick start rules and the stat cards. does it have a template for the actual card so we can get the movement right?
lol Great question, and One I will fire back to MERCs
In the mean time if you have a playing card handy use that as its pretty much spot on and play to the margins on the back of the card.
I’m pretty sure that you get the cards with the minis anyway. This is just a great reference section. I love that the quick start rules are free to download.
Yea they come in the starter box, but if you have the quick start rules, and the stats available as a free download, it makes sense to have a card as well so you could attempt to proxy a few games before you go ahead and buy the full rules/minis.
Othergames have quick start rules for free, but they dont have such a unique movement system
true if you get the starter box, but unfortunately as far as I know the individual model don’t come with the cards
Great central post, encapsulating your weeks hard work. Now I just have to decide what I want.
Great job this week guys. Round of applause!
thank you for that! Very much appreciated by the team here 🙂
Praise well earned, I’d say!
This has been my first “week” with BoW and I have loved every second of it. Thanks for all the hard work. I was only vaguely aware of the game and have now ordered the book folloowed closely by a MegaCon (as soon as I can make a choice!). One question though, is a faction interview for Keizai Waza forth coming? They’re not on my short list, but I’d like to see it just the same.
We’ve saved that one and will do it live next week :o)
We’ll be putting a post up asking for questions for the creators etc 🙂
Wonderful! Thanks for the reply. Also, thanks for joining Geek and Sundry. I’d never have known you cats existed otherwise.
Sefadu! I choose you! The models are just way too cool and run and gun suits my play style. Y’all can relax now, the crisis has passed.
Well yes i applaud for this your week you took all my attention and i was gladly following every announcements. Sincere thanks for all you who made this week and best wishes for you all 😉
Played two games of Mercs for the first time yesterday, had lots of fun, and all thanks to the excitment you guys brought to us at Beasts of War. Great job on everything.
There is an acrylic movement card on the mercs minis site but its sold out (not sure if thats what you were asking about).
Played a couple of games myself now and am really quite liking this game.
The acrylic movement card is woefully out of production, at the moment. Word on the street is there’ll be a newer option soon.
http://metal-skirmish.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-is-weird.html
From the sounds of it, they have faction specific ones designed and priced, just need to tell gf9 (I think) to start production
http://www.mercsminis.com/Forums/index.php?topic=6069.0
Great job, thanks to Lucas too!
Really enjoying the demo games for Merc – as for the game :-
Pros :-
the initiative system looks good
love the bound rules
Cons :-
not keen on the cardbeing used for measuring movement
HATE the card being used for templates – how hard could it be to produce “proper” templates?
Workarounds – probably not that difficult to substitute a tape measure for movement and templates wouldn’t be that hard to knock up – looks a very appealing system, now for part three of the demo 🙂
Oh and well done on providing downloads so people can try the game out 🙂
Missed some points – all Pros 🙂
D10 – brilliant
Snap to cover – love it
Not much coverage on melee in the demos I’ve seen – no big deal, the quick start rules and a test game will sort that out
“Err on the side of carnage” – excellent 🙂
Honestly, I just use the edge of the card constantly for movement, it works more like a tape measure but is not clunky at all.
For grenade templates, the way it works out is it has a 1 card radius, so is easily substituted for that. The heavy weapons can be a bit difficult though.
Like ryvaldus this was my first “feature week” with BoW and I gotta say I really enjoyed it. The game videos were entertaining and gave me a good grounding of the game.
I also really enjoyed the coverage of Romain’s painting tutorial. I do love the USCR look.
Now I just gotta find someone to play against and paint me up some minis.
My hat’s off to you!
I love the themed weeks and this one was easily as good as any that have gone before.
We got a pretty comprehensive view of the game so by the end of it, your going to know if the game is for you.
To see the creators of a game is always bonus.
Finally a whole load of downloads to round up a Top Week.
Thanks guys for another great themed week now two pick a megacon or two.
Did you guys manage to video an interve with the creators about there thoughts behine the game and the future of mercs?
Loved it. Kekpt me busy checking to see if there was anything new.
Long watch time on the demo games though.
Overall, job well done.
Moving the card inside terrain is a bit sticky.
I like the game so much that I have 4 factions painted up and working on my 5th.
AND I have only played enough games to try out 2 factions so far.
I know, a bit OCD but I do like the quickness of the game and the cool looking minis!!!.
@playtable, we found the same thing, the cards are ok but sometimes a little tricky to get at the mini while using the card. We found a solution though, we cut a small plastic rod to the length of the white marks on the card (you could use an old piece of spru if you havent got rod in your bits box).
Thank you for sharing this with us! I loved watching your coverage of mercs all week so much so that I went down to my LFGS and had them order a Texico starter set and the rulebook! Thank you again for the excellent coverage it inspired me and a friend to go out and try a new game.
Great week, guys. Really enjoyed it, and I’m happy that a lot more people have been exposed to the awesomeness that is MERCS. 🙂
Really great job with everything this week. I loved the format of the videos and now have Mercs on my shortlist of games to pick up. Thanks.
I have one major complaint about the whole thing: shoulda been MERCS month.
cool!
thanks for the vids guys, really interesting, might have to pick up mercs at some point now (no players near to me though as far as I know). Warren, you have to stop forgetting to use your bound actions in the early game.
A great week lots of coverage well executed – good job.
However not a game for me, just not keen on some of the mechanics.
Should add that a decision I have been able to come too from the coverage, so very valuable.
This was one of the best themed weeks you gents covered so far. Loads of content (so much I haven’t even got to it all) and cool tips on painting as well. What could be better? I know, I’ll pick up a team!
How does the sefadu leader hit with his spear? He doesn’t have an FN, likewise how does he throw his emp grenade? I’m obviously missing something… please help.
The spear is used as a melee weapon at range, so you take his melee ability and your target FN is your opponent’s reaction.
Grenades are an action that you throw at any point within your range, and it auto-hits.
First off what a great week, are we due to have the final video that Warren mentioned at the end of the Aussie Terraferma game?
Loving the new 7th members, I don’t suppose the guys happened to mention when the Gunner Model for USCR will be out and also when the other factions are likely to see a 7th member (waiting for ISS)?
I think Brian has mentioned that all 7ths are hoping to be released by Gen Con, and the new faction (FCC House 4) will be released at Gen Con!