GARPA 35 – GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory

frontier wars 728x90 KS

Authors: Brant Guillory and Jim Zabek

If this winter has taught us one thing here in LongBladia, it is that it can always get colder and snowier. The highs next week are forecast to be subzero Fahrenheit. Simply put, it would be wise to stay indoors, peruse some crowd-funded gaming projects, and sip hot cocoa. If you must go outside, make sure you run by your local game store and thank them for getting out in the cold to open their doors and sell you games. It’s the least you can do.

But, what we can do here at GrogHeads is share some of the recon we’ve conducted on upcoming projects. So grab your mouse and hot cocoa and get ready for some temptation!

Tabletop Games

Wise Bayonets by Acies Games

Available for Purchase

GARPA-35-Wise-Bayonets50.1When a Napoleonic wargame is published in the Italian peninsula about a battle that took place on their soil, it’s worth a gander. Acies Games has published a number of games that range from ancient Rome to control for the island of Sardinia and beyond. To call these battles “obscure” is to deny our wargaming roots; we love this stuff! The chance to learn about the nuances of forgotten conflicts, to possibly change the course of history…this is the meat and potatoes of wargaming. And gamers seeking to refight the battle of Trebbia now have the opportunity to do so. No, it’s not crowd-funded, but it’s definitely worth checking out: http://www.aciesedizioni.it/trebbia-eng.htm

 

Fief – France 1429 by Academy Games

$47,524 pledged of $20,000 goal, ending February 11th

GARPA-35-Fief.75

 

Academy Games is no stranger to porting foreign language games into English, polishing them, andreleasing them to the English-speaking wargaming wilds. Fief – France 1429 is an existing French language game of medieval “dynastic ambition.” Players take control of one of four families, with which they use to attempt to gain control of various villages on the map. Players must both cooperate and compete with each other through marriages and alliances. Events such as papal annulments, good and bad harvests all pop up to help keep things interesting. And having already met its successful threshold for fundraising, players can expect unlocks of stretch goals to continually improve this game. Check it out on Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/617871702/fief-france-1429

Gathering Storm by GMT Games

P500 not yet filled

GARPA-35-GatheringStorm-2.75What’s that you say? A World at War wasn’t big enough or long enough for your gaming tastes? Fear not, for Gathering Storm is here to fill the void. With Gathering Storm players can start the ramp-up to the Second World War as early as 1935. This prequel allows gamers to fiddle with the “what-ifs” leading up to the war, which can range from Doenitz successfully getting a significant investment in his submarine fleet to the French extending the Maginot Line, to the conflict breaking out in other parts of the world first, such as a French pre-emptive attack, or Germany going after Russia first. Crazy? Crazy like only a wargamer can be. This is the stuff we live for, and if you’re man enough to play A World at War you’re definitely going to want to get in on Gathering Storm’s action. Check it out here: http://www.gmtgames.com/p-467-gathering-storm.aspx

Police Precinct 2nd Edition by Karl Fenner

$25,351 pledged of $25,000 goal, ending January 26th

police-princinct-GARPA-35Police Precinct Second Edition is a sequel to a successfully funded Kickstarter project from early 2012. The first edition of the game suffered from some drama; right as the game was ready to be shipped off to the printer the hard drive containing the only files of the game melted down. While the developers were able to piece the game back together from recovered copies, the original game contained some errors that were introduced in the ensuing reconstruction. The 2nd Edition is being created to fix the errors in the first game and to improve on the game in general.

Players take on the role of a policeman and patrol the streets on the map solving crimes and busting bad guys. There is a video review of the original game posted on 2nd Edition’s Kickstarter page for those interested in the details of the game’s mechanics. Backers of the game are apparently pleased as the game has been fully funded with several weeks left in its funding window. If busting bad guys sounds like fun head over to the Kickstarter page for more!

 

Electronic Games

An Augmented Reality First Player Shooter Game by ShootMeBaby

£1.00 pledged of £70,000 goal, ending January 5th

GARPA-35-Shoot-Me-BabyGames like An Augmented Reality First Player Shooter have been around in analog form since pretty much forever. What Augmented brings to the table is a great idea with a terrible name, which may explain the likely failure of its funding. The idea is simple: players with the game stalk each other using GPS coordinates. When they find a target, they snap a photo, which triggers some cool math that calculates the “shot.” The game augments reality by imposing virtual obstacles on the screen which provide additional cover for a potential target. It sounds like a good idea, but unless it gets a rapid influx of cash isn’t likely to make the cut for this round’s funding: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/347086062/an-augmented-reality-first-player-shooter-game

 

 

Diplopia – A VR Game to Help Strabismus and Amblyopia by James Blaha

$18,564 Raised of $2,000 Goal, ending January 12th

GARPA-35-diplopia-screen2Diplopia can seem a bit of a mouthful, but the cause is good. This is a game designed for people with “lazy eye” using the Oculus Rift. The science is explained on the Indiegogo page, but the punchline is that it is no longer believed that people suffering from “lazy eye” must have some kind of therapy before adolescence or lose their opportunity to see in three dimensions. Diplopia is designed to help people by using the Oculus Rift by studying their eyes using three dimensional games. That data will then be shared with researchers who – hopefully – will be able to gain further insight into people suffering from the disease. If you’re interested in supporting this game and its research, check out the Indiegogo page: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/diplopia-a-vr-game-to-help-strabismus-and-amblyopia

 

Believe it or not, that the list of interesting electronic games that we’ve found. Maybe it’s the lull between holidays, or maybe it’s the cold weather. Or maybe it’s just random chance. But that’s about all we could find for games of interest. Check back in a fortnight where we’ll be bringing you more games for your enjoyment!

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