Category: GARPA

08/29/14

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #52

It’s the last GARPA of the Summer, so here’s your holiday weekend bundle of goodness!

Clockwork Wars (Eagle Games)
$50k of $25k goal, Ends 3 September 2014

Steam-powered warfare?  Check.  Fantasy races?  Check.  Tanks?  Hells, yeah!  Fight for control of a modular mapboard, in a 4X-ish game of conquest that mixes and matches magic and steampunk technology.  One nice touch are map tiles that can be used on an artistic side, or purely-functional “giant symbol” side not unlike the strategic hex-view in Civ5.  It’s an Eagle Games production, so you know that it’ll be over-the-top gorgeous, barely fit on a ping-pong table, be a ton of fun to play, and go out of print in about 11 seconds.  So truck on over to the site for the campaign, and plunk down your pledge, and maybe throw a few extra coins in for the expansions, which look equally cool and will not doubt be gone in a hot minute on the open market.

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08/15/14

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #51

Wow. There’s suddenly a whole lot of excellent gaming available for your pre-order happiness.

Eight-Minute Empire: Lost Lands (Red Raven Games)
$35k of $15k, ends 25 August 2014
A sequel to the insanely good Eight-Minute Empire (which we reviewed), this new expansion adds new map boards, new cards, and new mechanics to your favorite one-sitting empire builder. There are new player boards to help you organize your cards as you acquire them, new cards that change some of the mechanics, and a ‘faster’ gameplay option that seems very 7 Wonders-ish that involves passing hands around the table. The original was a great game, this one really kicks it up another notch. Head over to Kickstarter now and pledge, yo!

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08/1/14

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #50!

GARPA turns 50!  Can we get a “w00t! w00t!” ?  Last month it was all games that had already made the cut.  This month?  You gotta work for ’em…

 

G50-trumpetsNo Trumpets, No Drums (One Small Step Games)
Pre-order price of $44.95

New from OSS, No Trumpets, No Drums is a strategic- and high operational-level game of the Vietnam War from ’65-’75.  Picking up after the French have left, and running past the departure of most US ground troops, this expansive game covers the ground campaigns, with a heavy dose of the political machinations that ultimately decided the war.  It’s a hex-and-counter layout on your table, but the game plays on several levels and is conducive to team play, as well.

This is a remake of an earlier magazine game from the early 80s.  They are hoping to get it out by the end of the year, but only if they can get enough preorders in to make it into production, so get to their website and place your pre-order.  OSS makes some great games, from some cracking designers and developers.

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07/18/14

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #49

GARPA lands with three not-yet-funded projects that all look tres cool, and one that did make the cut that looks overwhelmingly cool.

Battle of the Electric Vikings (Black Slither Games)
$2400 of $4700, ends 6 August 2014

Rock out with your c…  well, you know the rest.  Black Slither Games gives everyone a chance to be their own heavy metal poet by piecing together your own song titles, lyrics, and albums from a bag of word tiles with the most metal of meaningful choices.  Who cares if you win?  It only matters if you ROCK!  And that you pledge over at the Kickstarter page.  That’s important, too.

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07/4/14

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #48

So the 4th of the July, we’re bringing 4 excellent GARPA possibilities. No, we won’t bring you 19 on the 19th.

 

BOAR, MBT Expansion (GMT Games)
203 Orders to date – not there yet

GMT’s modern-day tank shootout MBT has the usual suspects: the US 7th Army and the GSFG. But there’s plenty of tank-blasting goodness up on the Lüneberger Heide where the British Army of the Rhine was facing down an equally vast array of Soviet forces. The MBT games are scaled at the squad and individual vehicle level, ensuring tight focus on tactical shootouts where a bayonet charge is always possible. MBT is on p500 itself, but while you’re over there, get an order in for BAOR, too, and refight the whole shebang back in the late ‘80s.

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