Trask, The Last Tyromancer

The Iphone applications for Ex-Illis works exactly the same as the desktop version. It is a large app, so you need WIFI to download it. You login to your Ex-illis account, muster your army and then start killing your opponent. Haaldaar and I will play a game with two Iphones soon, but for testing purposes I ran a “mirror” practice game against my own unit. These shots are from that game.

Ex-Illis Terrain Setup and Randomizer

Iphone Ex-Illis Unit

Ex-Illis Iphone Battle Screen

The game ran smoothly and the graphics were as good as the small Iphone screen can muster. It was  very playable and did not crash.

In other Ex-Illis news, I received my “William Wallace” miniature for buying the beta kit. Here is a shot of William, the only metal miniature out for Ex-Illis.  Sorry for the poor image quality, my camera died and I am using my Iphone until I replace it.

Ex-Illis William Wallace Miniature

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Here is the initial Ex-Illis unit collections screen that appears when you login.

Ex-Illis Army Screen

The muster screen is a bit odd at first, but it makes sense once you click on the detail screens. Each circle represents an army configuration summary. The green blob in the center is the relative strengths of that army.

Ex-Illis Army Summary Screen

Here is the detail screen to explain what the colors mean on the front page.  More color towards a given spoke on the wheel means your army is relatively stronger in that area. Once I memorize the locations, those colors make it dead easy to pick the correct army for a given battle.

Ex-Illis Army Detail Screen

The army builder uses a point-buy system to determine how many unit you can bring to a battle. Ex-Illis units earn experience for each battle, so they have  levels like a character in an MMORPG or a tabletop RPG.  This creates the interesting situation that a frequently-played miniature costs more points than a “rookie” miniature. Happily you can downgrade a unit for a given army build to keep a favorite miniature in the army without blowing the point-buy cap. Overall the mustering tool worked very well.

Oh, the Mac package worked great and I was able to get in some practice sessions against myself.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Bastion Studios, producers of the Ex-Illis Miniatures game and kind supporters of this site announced today they are looking for Ex-Illis players to join their new “Bleeding

Ex-Illis Knight Baneret Miniature Set

Edge Knights” program. The Bleeding Edge Knights function as the Ex-Illis demo team and support network for local gaming stores. BEKs earn points for running events, recruiting new players and  advancing the cause of Ex-Illis. These points can be converted into figures and other exclusive swag. Bastion is also running a contest along with the BEK launch that awards the highest Bleeding Edge Knight point earner a studio painted ” Knight Baneret” (pictured) miniature release. Download the announcement PDF from the link below for full details.

Bleeding Edge Knights Announcement and Knight Baneret Contest Rules

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Here is a shot of our setup before combat began. We made a slight mistake in the setup, as he single units are heroes and have a retinue with them. We corrected it before starting.

Ex-Illis Battle Setup

I did not have time to paint my army, so I just primed half of them for easy identification during our test. The map we used is actually one of two available for the game. Haaldaar got the basic set that comes with the laminated map and I bought the “integral” set that comes with interlocking, paintable plastic squares for the maps. They cover the same area, but the plastic plates are nicer. I did not bring them with me because they also need painting, so the laminated map creates a prettier shot for the blog. Here is a shot of the unpainted plastic map plates if you are interested.

Ex-Illis Integral Map Sections

Ex-Illis uses software for combat and movement resolution, so we loaded the most current version on Haaldaar’s Mac laptop on the virtual Windows XP partition for the test. When the game starts, each player places his armies in the five starting squares on their side of the map and then the second player repeats the process. Secret unit placement only works when you use two separate devices (or close your eyes while the other army places). We agreed that secret placement changes the game start a bit, but nothing major for the purposes of our test.

Once placed, the software prompts player one to send orders to his units. The instructions for the beta kit are a bit spartan, but some sort of initiative order roll takes place at the beginning of the game. In Haaldaar’s case, his Chevalers (heavy cavalry) went first and he moved them forward. No attack, but they have good movement and got within striking distance. It was then my turn and my Ympes (Imps, ranged casters) now had a shot at the Chevalers. We launched the attack and did some damage, but did not penetrate their armor very well. I also got in a volley from my longbowmen on the Chevalers, but they also did only minor damage. Haaldaar retaliated with a Chevaler charge into my Ympes and killed 4 units in a single attack! Argh! Then his Villiens (peasants with pikes) did something that I did not catch and ended his turn. I took this opportunity to charge my Hobelars (light cavalry) into the pathetic peasant army of Villiens. Sadly, I missed the part where Haaldaar had them set spears against the charge! They took minimal damage, but my Hobelars took 75% casualties. I retaliated with a longbowmen/Ympes volley that killed 50% of the Villiens. After each attack the software tells you how many models to remove in the event of casualties.

We shared a single computer, but we both agreed that each player needs their own device, both for issues of time and secrecy. Time because sharing a single computer is a little cumbersome and secrecy becomes critical during the game. Not knowing if the pikemen , for example set against the charge really adds a level of complexity to your strategy.

Ex-Illis Software on a Mac

The strategic part of the game resembles many other miniature war games, with each side trying to maneuver their best units into advantageous positions. The Chevalers did tremendous damage on a charge, but were far less effective in melee combat. In fact, my billmen (pikemen) hurt them badly in melee combat. Once I discovered that tidbit, I worked very hard to keep the Chevalers engaged in melee whenever possible. However, the Ympes which were fodder on a Chevaler charge, utterly crushed the horsemen with a special lightning attack that targets armor.

Each unit had several options. My Ympes (Imps) for example, had basically five actions; move, fireball attack, lightning attack, melee and a special “mirror image” defensive ability that made them hard to hit for a few rounds. Other units had different options based on their attacks or special abilities. Some of the more powerful special abilities took longer to execute. A notable example were the Arbalestiers (heavy crossbowmen with shields). They did tremendous damage with a volley, but they also spent an entire action reloading, firing every other round.

Each model also had a speed rating. My Ympes fired at least twice before the Chevalers could charge another target. We also noticed that fatigue and morale play a part in unit capabilities. After a particularly bloody round, the peasants simply refused to fight! They could only hold against a charge or retreat, but not engage in melee. Several of the units had “boost morale” powers and this is why. Fatigued units loose the ability to deal damage. Tired units simply do less damage on each hit. In the lower right corner of the screen is a colored grid that probably gives some sort of morale/fatigue feedback, but we did not really worry about it. I will research this further for future games.

Combat resolution is unusual. A screen pops up with an icon representing each attack floating about.  They float randomly around the screen and quickly change between different results. You click on each icon and whatever it was at that moment is the result of the attack. In a ranged attack, you either get an “arrow in the target” for a hit, a shield for a arrow that hit armor, an arrow in the dirt for a clean miss or an arrow hitting a person in the back for hitting your own troops! If you do not want to chase the icons on the screen, you hit the arrow in lower-right and it will resolve all of them instantly. Each combat takes only seconds and the results display clearly. I tried to get screen captures, but I could not get windows to cooperate. Look for these in a future post.

Since this is a beta test, we had issues with the software. The first game crashed about half-way through and the subsequent games both crashed when one player exterminated the other and it tried to load the victory screen. However, we were running Windows XP on top of the Snow Leopard OS using Parallels, so it is impossilbe to say how a native windows machine might perform. (Neither of us own a Windows laptop and my Windows XP netbook does not have enough video card horsepower to drive the game.) We also felt some of the units had balance issues. Regardless, I bought the game knowing that it was in beta and I was a beta tester. I expect future versions of the software to resolve many of these issues.

The bottom line for both of us is that we had a lot of fun playing the game and intend to play it again. Once Haaldaar gets his army together, we will play a full army-on-army game using a later version of the beta software in a few weeks. I will of course post about the experience.

If there are any other Beta kit owners out there, feel free to post about your own experiences in the comments or if you have a specific question.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Here are a few shots of my army, with some clean-up and paint remaining.

The Decurion (Angel) and the Marrenne with Standard

Here is an overhead of the entire army on parade. One of the horse units and a pikeman are not pictured due to needed repairs.

Ex-Illis Beta Army Assembled

Here are the mounted units.

Ex-Illis Cavalry

Now that the army is done, I will organize a play-test using the software and let you know how it goes.

Update: I asked the Ex-Illis team to send me a few shots of what the models look like when they are put together and painted by someone competent, unlike myself ;-)

Ex-Illis Army Beta Kit Painted

Ex-Illis Longbowmen

Ex-Illis Chevaler Painted

Ex-Illis Hobelar Cavalry

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

For immediate release | Quebec City, Canada – 29 July 2009

The Bastion, Inc. team is unveiling the Ex illis starter kit in a special, precommercial Beta version and invites you to Gen Con Indianapolis (to be held 13-16 August 2009) to discover the Ex illis experience.

Ex illis is an improved, hybrid gaming experience which allies the power of new technology with the spontaneity of the human exchange between players. The physical presence of gamers together is capital to the Ex illis experience: the technology is only there to enrich those exchanges, rendering them more accessible and favouring the game’s strategic dimension, by eliminating the physical and technical constraints usually associated with miniature wargames.

The starter kit gives you a privileged entryway into the Ex illis universe. The gameplay is experienced through:

• 54 plastic figurines, the realism of whose proportions is unequalled on the market;
• A completely modular gameboard made of 20 high-quality plastic tiles;
• Free software that replaces dice, measuring tapes and even… referees;
• And a website at the cutting edge of technology that will serve as your headquarters, maintaining the data for all of your units in one place and keeping track of the development of each of your soldiers.

The innovative spirit of Bastion Inc. isn’t limited to the gameplay experience in Ex illis; it also extends to our distribution model, unique in the industry. Henceforth, thanks to state-of-the-art technology, Bastion Inc.’s partners will have more choices and possibilities than before.

The Ex illis Beta program will be officially launched on 13 August, at Gen Con 2009. The program will allow a limited number of players to acquire the precommercial version of the game and try it out for one month. This limited edition of Ex illis includes 54 figurines, the introduction booklet, the gameboard, and the software in its Beta version. The Beta starter kit will only cost a fraction of the sales price of the commercial version, which is one way Bastion can reward the pioneers and forerunners of the gaming community. Interested players should contact the team and reserve their kit ASAP!

contactus@bastionstudio.com

Trask, The Last Tyromancer