omg I love this so much, the amount of work in the content of the game is crazy and I love the presentation, awesome art. Have to get this to the table soon, super great work!

I don't play wargames. So please take it as a hell of an endorsement that this game is cool as hell. The style on display here is minimalist but ideal for conveying what you need to know to play this game. 

I'm a huge sucker for pixel art in tabletop, I think it's highly underrepresented, and it really contributes to the old "computer terminal" vibe the game has. That plus the hand drawn art helps convey the tone as a fairly light-hearted skirmish game.

Gameplay gives me a lot of nostalgia for multiplayer Splinter Cell with my dad. Making guards a third universally hostile faction was an inspired choice that really sets the tone here--the guards are your number one tool if you like to push people into map hazards in Smash Brothers. The fact that they activate as one after all players is great to feel both highly agile, outwitting these stupid goons, and desperately vulnerable if you get sandwiched between a patrol pattern and an enemy operative.

My biggest complaint is a classic, which is that I wish there was more! 2 maps and 3 loot tables are a good start for a cool, inspired game that I could see being easily compatible with other FIST modules. Ambitious and promising.

I don't play wargames. So please take it as a hell of an endorsement that this game is cool as hell. The style on display here is minimalist but ideal for conveying what you need to know to play this game. 

I'm a huge sucker for pixel art in tabletop, I think it's highly underrepresented, and it really contributes to the old "computer terminal" vibe the game has. That plus the hand drawn art helps convey the tone as a fairly light-hearted skirmish game.

Gameplay gives me a lot of nostalgia for multiplayer Splinter Cell with my dad. Making guards a third universally hostile faction was an inspired choice that really sets the tone here--the guards are your number one tool if you like to push people into map hazards in Smash Brothers. The fact that they activate as one after all players is great to feel both highly agile, outwitting these stupid goons, and desperately vulnerable if you get sandwiched between a patrol pattern and an enemy operative.

My biggest complaint is a classic, which is that I wish there was more! 2 maps and 3 loot tables are a good start for a cool, inspired game that I could see being easily compatible with other FIST modules. Ambitious and promising.

FIST Tactics is an extremely ambitious FIST hack that converts the whole engine into a tactical wargame.

Seriously. Everything from height to sightlines is accounted for without compromising the breeziness of FIST's normal gameplay.

If you like highly polished projects, occult milsci, and stealth-based skirmish games, this should absolutely be on your radar.

The PDF is 38 pages, with custom artwork, a rad cover, maps, and dense but readable text.

Writing-wise, Tactics is very approachable. It's plain-spoken and enthusiastic.

Mechanics-wise, Tactics' biggest change to the FIST formula (apart from switching the game to a combat grid, adding sight ranges, adding new items, and adding substats that control different types of attack ranges) is that you play as squads, not single agents. The squads consist of individual agents, created conventionally, but playing this way allows solo players to quickly set up strategies that would require lots of multiplayer coordination and planning in base FIST.

As a skirmish wargame, Tactics also offers pvp---although pve is just as thoroughly supported.

For players, plenty of support is provided by the book. There are sample maps, guidance on the new rules, and baked-in behaviors for enemies. GMs aren't required---although I don't think it would be hard to include one.

Overall, even just to add some spice to a single FIST mission, this module is worth picking up. However it shines as a standalone game, and could be a great way to broaden your FIST game into something closer to X-Com. You might use regular FIST rules on critical missions, but Tactics rules for side ops. Or you could try a hybrid approach, using Tactics for engagements where you're commanding a force and regular FIST for engagements where you're solo.

The point being, if you like FIST, I think you should get this. It's a great alteration of the core rules and a solid skirmish game in its own right.

Minor Issues:

-Page 9, "Finishing Your Operative" Finishing Your Operatives? Squad? 'Operative' singular doesn't feel quite right for squad creation.