I finally have had some nice sit down and play time with Urban Operations. I took my time jumping in because I was intimidated by the rules. Not that they are overly complicated, but that they weren't very intuitive for me to follow on the first read through. After my second read through a few weeks later, I finally laid out the pieces and gave the game a go. This for me is definitely a game you need to play as you read the rules. Everything started to click once I had it out and in motion.
Probably the most unique thing to the game is the concept of weapon effect. Most of us have seen this in videos, movies, or in person. It's the representation of the shockwave, concussions, blasts, fire etc. when firing certain weapons or triggering explosions. There is a simple mechanic marked on each unit card giving the details of this effect on the game board and how it interacts with troops. This helps to bring the game into the realm of educational tool as you start to see how combat in cramped streets and buildings can be affected by the modern firepower of todays weaponry.
One of these other factors is that of fire lanes. The idea that when weapons are shooting, their bullets, ricochets and such fill not only the space between firer and shooter, but also beyond. This again gets you thinking about troop movement and coordinating movement between squads to prevent friendly fire.
All in all, I'll say it's a good game. I hope the following video gives you a little glimpse into some of the mechanics.
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