Category: Featured Posts

10/10/14

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #55

GARPA hits the speed limit!

 

Toulon, 1793 (Legion Wargames)
Preorder price $50, MSRP $70

An area-based game of Napoleon’s siege of the city, this game spans the latter half of 1793, and includes rules for multi-player, international cooperation, spies, and logistics.  The usual ‘siege’ necessities are present, to, of course – forts, attrition, and defensive positions all matter – but there’s a bit of room for the defenders to counterattack and maneuver if the attacker leaves the wrong opening, so it’s not a pure ‘tower defense’ scenario, especially since the whole game opens up with the French maneuvering into position for the siege in the first place.  The map is designed to evoke the period maps of the Napoleonic age and, well, you can see for yourself, eh?  It’s on preorder for $50 right now, so grab it before the price goes up as it goes to press.

g55-toulon_map_sm

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10/9/14

A Distant Worlds AAR – Part 5

By Brandon “Kushan” Johnson, October 9, 2014

  Click images to enlarge

 

DW Part 05 - 01

Dawn of a new year. I’m now 5 years in. Private sector seems to be doing OK, although it doesn’t have a lot of cash on hand at the moment, despiteits  healthy revenue stream. Not really surprising my state income is in the red, then. It’s a good thing I cancelled those colony ships since I don’t need right unproductive colonies dragging me farther into the red.

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10/4/14

First Impressions: To End All Wars

First Impressions by Boggit, 4 October 2014

Developed by and published by AGEOD/Slitherine

“After the ‘War to end War’, they seem to have been in Paris at making the ‘Peace to end Peace'” – Field Marshal Archibald Wavell (speaking of the Paris Peace Conference, 1919)

To End All Wars is the latest game from AGEOD/Slitherine covering the First World War. It covers in detail the Western, Eastern and Middle East fronts, but also features map boxes where conflict can occur elsewhere in the world. The scope of the game is truly global.

The victory conditions (which are the same for each side) are frighteningly ominous as to the scale of destruction required.
The victory conditions (which are the same for each side) are frighteningly ominous as to the scale of destruction required.

It is a strategic/operational level game with the principal maneuver units consisting of armies, corps, and fleets. Smaller units can be used independently if a player wishes, but while this gives flexibility it also carries the risk of being overwhelmed by a larger force.

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09/27/14

GrogHeads Reviews A Blood Red Banner: The Alamo

By: Michael Eckenfels, 27 September 2014

 

The siege of the Alamo, a thirteen-day struggle from February 23 to March 6 of 1836, is probably one of the more well-known battles from history. Anglo, Hispanic, or a combination thereof, it’s difficult to have grown up near the shadow of the Alamo in San Antonio and not have heard of it, or imagine how the battle was fought. Originally constructed in the 18th century by the Spanish, the Alamo mission was very much a centerpiece of the budding town in central Texas, which eventually became San Antonio. While among Tejanos and Texians, the Alamo was a symbol of healing and faith, it soon became the focal point of Mexican military might and Texian independence, in more ways than one.

 

A Blood-Red Banner: The Alamo is a solitaire game from Victory Point Games that, in a very simple and straightforward manner, simulates this focal battle of Texas independence.

ABRBphoto 1

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09/26/14

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #54

Hey now, hey now…  you didn’t really want to start saving for Christmas shopping, did you?  You really wanted to blow it all on these fine pre-orders and crowdsourced games instead!

Sea Kings (Worthington Publishing)
$4800 of $15k, ends 1 Nov 2014

Worthington makes some of the best lightweight wargames in the business, with hits like Hold the Line and Band of Brothers.  Sea Kings looks like it’s going to take that track record to the age of Vikings and give you a great little empire-builder that looks like a Euro with it’s cute wooden pieces, but whose theme actually means something and evokes a real time and place.  A combination of card play and area movement, Sea Kings is something that grogs can whip out with the non-wargaming crowd to still get a historical challenge when forced to play with a table full of folks that can’t spell “ZOC”.  Sail over to Kickstarter and conquer your fear of pledging.

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