one of the main reasons I have been very "Meh" on anima tactics was the lack of a real rulebook and fluff. I can't get into a game if I don't like the fluff. Is this book ever going to come out?
I'm not big on fluff, and it is almost never the reason I buy into a game. I prefer the mechanics first, then quality minis second.
The reason I really like Anima is the depth of the gameplay. It's really about resource management, with the resource being the action points you have each round. To give a similarity, it's like a bunch of Warcasters from Warmachine battling it out, spending and regaining focus each round.
Action points are you life blood in Anima. If you spend them all for attacks, you have nothing to defend with, and quickly die. The key to the game is forcing you opponent to spend his points on your terms. It's really a balance between offense and defense.
You really want to weardown your opponent's models before going in for the kill. The first to strike is not always the one that wins. More often than not, I will yield initiative during a round, to force my opponent to make the first move.
There really aren't any killer combos that I can think of. There are synergies between characters' abilities, but I would expect that in any quality game. If not, it really feels like a bunch of individuals fighting, and why take more than 1 model per side then?
The minis are fantastic. Very slender and well sculpted. They feel much more proportional than other minis. They are a beast to assemble and paint though, but the end results are fantastic.
The rulebook is coming out very soon, the latest being February. It is being released in Europe this month, but they always get their releases for the game before the US market (being a foreign company). I saw a preview copy at GENCON this year, and the artwork is great, and the book should be a good buy.
Later,
