Tag Archives: LNLP
GrogHeads Reviews Tank on Tank, Digital Edition
Grogheads gets under the hood with the new digital adaptation of the fast-and-furious Tank on Tank boardgame ~
Chris Paquette, 10 February 2017
Tank on Tank: Digital Edition is Lock ‘n Load Publishing’s computer adaptation of designer Peter Bogdasarian’s Tank on Tank board games covering the East and Western Fronts of World War II. The Digital Edition offers a combined version of both games though each theater can be purchased separately.
Tank on Tank, as described in the game manual, is “a low-complexity, Second War World War armored combat game.” The statement accurately captures the nature and flavor of both the tabletop game and the Digital Edition.
The game offers a simple, clean interface. On the start screen, there is an option to “Fight!” This jumps you into a randomly generated quick battle if you don’t want to fiddle with choosing a scenario or campaign.
The other game options deal mainly with the volume sound settings. There are no difficulty settings or anything else along those lines to fuss with. As far as I could tell, the “Arch Height” slider is only for adjusting a visual effect with no impact on game play.
GrogHeads Previews Platoon Command
LNLP’s forthcoming game gets the once-over from our preview crew ~
Jim Owczarski, 09 November 2016
Let’s get this out of the way, shall we?
Lock ‘n Load Publishing’s forthcoming Platoon Command is not an attempt to reboot Up Front. It is neither Up Front 2.0 nor is it Up Front Lite. It is not Up Front Redux featuring behind-the-scenes footage of how a scoundrel and his shadow company absconded with more than 300,000 Kickstarter dollars and left a trail of litigation and rage. Not that I’m bitter, of course.
No, courtesy of a rare bit of wisdom from corporate gameocracy, Up Front, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof, is now available from the Wargame Vault and everyone interested can play this classic for a reasonable sum. Even more gratifying, the going rate for second-hand copies has now plummeted accordingly. And besides, Platoon Command, though a card-driven game of World War 2 squad-level combat, bears little resemblance to its far more complex, some have even dared to say obtuse, ancestor.
Not. Up. Front.
Tracer Rounds: Origins Events!
Here’s what’s coming at the GrogHeads Central Command at Origins ~
Several years ago, we approached Origins with a simple idea: bring wargaming back to the convention. It had been withering on the vine for a while. The first year I attended as BayonetGames was in 2005. We were across the aisle from MMP (who said about 4 total words to us the entire show), next to Columbia (where Ferkin said about 4 words to us every other second), and within sight of Avalanche Press, GMT Games, and Matrix Games, with Decision Games, and others, all in the hall as well. By 2010, there were almost no wargamers left in the building. There were some folks playing over in the CABS Board Room (after its consolidation with the War Room), but wargaming had evaporated, not out of malice, but out of neglect. So I called GAMA. I talked to them and asked what sort of parameters they had for us to operate within if we wanted to try and bring the wargamers back to the show. And thus the GrogHeads Central Command was born. We were able to bring some wargaming companies in that hadn’t been there before, as well as bringing back some others. And now we’re getting ready to launch our third year working with Origins, and here’s what we’ve got in store for you:
- Enterprise Games, a retailer out of Indiana, will be the official rep/sponsor of our GMT events. That’s right, for the first time, the Central Command will include official GMT events – we’ve got scheduled events for both COIN series games and Wing Leader, as well as the opportunity for some pick-up games of other titles, like Combat Commander and Command & Colors.
- Lock ‘n Load Publishing is coming in. Since the ownership change, they’ve not come back to Origins, until this year. David is planning on bringing in a (literal) boat-load of new games off the press, and we’ll be running events for LNLT, World at War, and Nations at War.
- Lost Battalion Games is back! They’re the only company that’s joined forces with us every year of the GrogHeads Central Command, so we probably ought to get them some t-shirts to celebrate or something. They’re going to be running some large ‘rolling’ events for both Sergeants – Hell on Wheels! and Rally Round the Flag that’ll permanently occupy a pair of our tables for the entire show.
- Flying Pig Games is making their Origins debut. Mark has committed to the show and we’ll be running events for both Night of Man and Old School Tactical.
- Proving Ground Games is bringing back their Origins Award-winning minis rules, and taking over a table of their own with their snazzy terrain boards for a weekend of minis-based wargaming, both WWII and modern.
- The ever-enjoyable Command Post Wargaming, wherein you and the rest of the participants get a quick primer on military planning, and then get to develop your own plan for keeping the red horde from rolling over the inter-German border. And then you get to execute your plan and watch it fall to pieces in the first 10 minutes as you scramble to adjust while the war goes on! Seriously, though, it’s an exercise in wargaming with a far more realistic approach to planning, intel, and logistics than you get out of any other tabletop experience. If we get enough participants, we sometimes run this one head-to-head, so bring your friends!
- For those that want the Command Post Wargaming experience, but are short on time, we also have the more scaled-back Command Post Chess events, where the principles of planning, intel, and execution are very similar, but with a simplified game that everyone already knows – Chess!
- Because I’m the guy that puts all this together, I also sneak in a few events of my own, so we’re going to make sure that BayonetGames‘ long-discussed-and-eventually-to-be-published game about modern-day war in Ukraine hits the table (Orange Crush) as well as one of BayonetGames’ Warfighter-series games, Asian Thunder.
We’ve got over 50 wargaming events spread across 5 days, including some drop-in game times and a stray seminar here and there. There’s something for everyone, so come join us this summer at Origins. Detailed day-by-day schedule breakdowns are below –
GrogHeads Reviews Tank on Tank West Front
TANKS! Oooga oooga. GUNNER-SABOT-WARGAME! Rumbarumbarumba. Schwooooosh. BOOM! ~
Brant Guillory, 19 December 2015
click images to enlarge
Tank on Tank is LNLP’s re-release of their older WWII tactical combat game. Unlike the LNL Tactical system, this one focuses on – wait for it – TANKS!
Counters are individual fighting vehicles, with additional infantry platoons running around. The West Front box (this review) has Panzer IVs, Priests, Pershings, and Panthers. There’s also playing pieces that pon’t part with “P”, like Shermans and Stukas, Wolverines and Armored Infantry. The maps are 50m hexes, and include a “winter” map on the backside of each of the standard maps.
Inside the Box
Production values are the usual LNLP high-quality, with a standard 1” deep box, individually-cut pieces (no corner clipping!), and vibrant colors and graphics. The play aids are useful without being obtrusive, and the rules are simple, concise, and compact. Although the production value is excellent, the West Front box seems a tad sparse for $34.99. For only an extra $5, the East Front box certainly packs more into the same size box – twice the counters and three times the maps. You can see the comparison in our previous unboxing article here.
The comparatively sparse West Front box has 1 countersheet, 2 double-sided maps, and the rulebook and player aid card. And dice (pictured).
Heroes of Normandy – First Look!
LNLP’s latest release in the newly-renamed Lock’n’Load Tactical System landed on our doorstep. ~
Michael Eckenfels, 10 December 2015
Disclaimer: I am the co-host of the GrogCast, the podcast for GrogHeads.com. As of this writing, our podcast is sponsored by Lock ‘n Load Publishing, the producer of this game. I just wanted that said up front before I dive in. This game truly does look excellent, and that’s my gamer/writer side talking, and is not influenced at all by LnL’s sponsorship of our little podcast. Now, on with the article.
Unboxing articles are kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, I get to open this brand new game that usually has just come off the production line and get to be one of the first to lay eyes on physical components. On the other hand, I have no idea what I’m looking at, so I cannot speak to the components; your guess is indeed as good as mine in some cases. Still, it’s pretty cool to take a look at these things.
This game, Heroes of Normandy, is a game in LnL’s Tactical System, and simulates the battles in France in 1944 following the D-Day landings. I have had experience with LnL’s product during Mark Walker’s reign as leader, but that was many years ago. I’ve also not been much of a tactical gamer ever, having cracked my skull against a metaphorical wall whilst playing Squad Leader solo back in the late 80s…that entire experience somewhat soured my outlook and I almost immediately immersed myself in grand strategic games (both PC and board) after that. However, over the last many years, this has slowly but surely been changing.
When GH told me I’d be getting this game for an unboxing, I immediately took to BGG and other sites to find out as much as I could about it…and saw that truly there’s very little out there. (By the time this is published, likely that will have changed. For now, though…yeah, not much.) Looking at the pictures on LnL’s website and those they posted to BGG and elsewhere, as well as checking out the price tag – $89.99 as of now – it was pretty obvious this is a monster game.
Click images to enlarge
When the box arrived, it was heavy. I mean, HEAVY. It felt like a brick was in the box. So when I opened it and found a thin box inside…I was somewhat mystified.
