The much-anticipated Civilization 5 expansion Brave New World was released today. Here’s a first look at some of the new features from the game itself.
There are new civilizations in the game, including some that were previously city-states, such as Venice.
Authors: Dan Pinkham and Jim Zabek
The boys here at GARPA took some time this week to celebrate 4th of July here in the US. Even with all the remembrances, parades, cookouts, and fireworks we are able to bring you an abbreviated version of GARPA (though LongBlade has managed to sneak in a couple of contributions of his own). Join us in two weeks when we are back with the full column.
Boardgames
Battle Merchants by Minion Games
$5,250 of a $30,000 goal funding ending August 5th
We all love a good game set in a fantasy world, the good races of dwarves, elves etc. fighting the orcs, goblins, and other evil creatures. While this theme has been presented in many different ways it is usually entertaining and we can’t seem to get enough of it. However, when a game comes along that takes these fantasy themes and incorporates them in a unique way we tend to take notice. Enter Battle Merchants, set in a fantasy world that is embroiled in the good vs. evil conflict. Instead of controlling one of the sides you are in charge making and selling weapons to the warring factions. A kind of fantasy arms dealer or “merchant of death” if you will.
And now … the best in crowd-sourced PC, board, miniature, and card games. You know, to pass the time until you go out drinking and carousing with a more mature (and on the hunt) GARPA.
Data Dealer by Cuteacute
$560.00 pledged of $50,000.00 goal, funding ends Thursday, July 11.
Yes Cuteacute is a terrible name for a studio, I agree. But the developers are Austrian so that explains it and gives us a good reason not to mess with them further.
On any ordinary day, the idea of Data Dealer would be a great one: run your own social network and collect millions of online profiles and other bits of potentially secret information. Note that Data Dealer does not place the player in any sort of governmental role…you’re in this just for the thrill of learning millions of tiny little secrets and finding millions of virtually closeted-skeletons. And of course monetary profit! Millions of dollars of monetary profit!
Data Dealer is browser-based and there is a beta version available right now at the appropriately named www.datadealer.com. The developers have been working feverishly to get the game in the state it’s currently in…the Kickstarter campaign was started to get the game in a final state and make it available to as many people as possible.
Take the role of a positively shady information age tycoon and run every kind of online company you can think of: mobile apps, dating sites, search engines and social media are all available to you. But those components are just the beginning.
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Byron Collins, of Collins Epic Wargames, takes a moment out of Origins to show off how the Frontline General game works.
And don’t forget that they’ve got an Eastern Front expansion on Kickstarter, too.
Authors: Dan Pinkham and Lloyd Sabin
Ladies and gentlemen, and boys and girls of all ages…welcome to the 20th edition of GARPA! Who would have thunk we would have stuck around for so long? In celebration of this milestone we bring you … more of the same. Honestly what else could we bring you? As always, comments and suggestions are always welcomed and we hope you enjoy this week’s great gaggle of gaming goodness. And if you’re a developer or publisher working on a crowd-funded project, please feel free to contact us and let us know about it.
Tabletop Games
Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943 Eastern Front by Collins Epic Wargames
$3,778 of a $16,000 goal funding ending July 1st
Our informants here at GARPA tipped us off to this game which is the latest in the Spearpoint 1943 series from Collins Epic Wargames. We even landed an exclusive intro to the game straight from Byron Collins himself.
“Heavy Tiger and Panther tanks thunder their way east to face T-34s, KV-1s, and the aircraft, artillery, and infantry that comprise the Red Army. Messerschmitt Bf-109s scream overhead and lock sights with Yak-9Bs, La-5FNs, and the infamous IL-2M3 “flying tanks”. Self-Propelled guns and fixed artillery fire countless shells miles away into the chaos of frontline battle. Waves of Soviet infantry charge forward to push back the Germans, many to their deaths.
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