Month: June 2013

06/13/13

Thunderbolt Apache Leader AAR

Publisher: Dan Verssen Games

Author: Jim Zabek

I’ve had my eye on Thunderbolt-Apache Leader for a long time. Designed for solo play, it’s a modern era wargame where the player takes on the role of Close Air Support (CAS). Several campaigns are included in the game, and given the random nature of opposition force selection the possibilities are nearly endless.

As this is my first time with Thunderbolt-Apache Leader I start with the introductory scenario: the 1991 Iraq War campaign. Setting up the defending Iraqi units was straight forward but when it came time to choose my own forces I have to slow down and assess the options before me. I have a total of 30 Special Option (SO) points. SO points are spent purchasing aircraft but they are also used on other Special Conditions and Mission Events. Deciding how much to invest in aircraft and how much to hold back is a mystery to me, though I have followed JudgeDredd’s AAR in our forums with interest so I do have a sense that I should keep at least a handful back for later use. With 26 SO points in total, I decided I’ll aim for spending 20 points on planes and see how close I come to hitting that mark.

Thunderbolt Apache Leader June 2013 Start
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06/9/13

Book Review: Baneblade

Author: Guy Haley

Publisher: Black Library

Reviewing Author: Jim Zabek

Reading Warhammer: 40,000 fan fiction is something of a guilty pleasure. It fills the time when I’m not in the mood for military history. Its quality is usually high but I’ve run across a few books that weren’t quite up to snuff. But sometimes I run across a novel that stands above the normally solid entertainment that this genre offers, and Baneblade is that book. It’s not only a great Warhammer: 40,000 novel, it’s a great fictional war novel.
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06/7/13

GARPA 20 – GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory

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

GARPA 20 1 frontline general

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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06/6/13

Allied Corps – D-Day AAR

Developer: The Lordz Game Studios

Publisher: Slitherine, Ltd.

Author: Jim Zabek

Today, June 6, 2013, is the 69th anniversary of D-Day. As the years go by the Second World War becomes more distant. Few vets of that conflict still live, and fewer people, like me, grew up with them around us. Despite the fact that they almost never discussed their experiences, many of us felt like there was an infusion of that war’s significance as we grew up. It didn’t need to be said – we simply understood that something significant had happened. The Second World War, how it was conducted and how it ended, shaped our world for better and worse. The world we live in today can directly trace many of its current conflicts to it.

Recognizing the anniversary of D-Day with a game of course fails to do the battle justice and risks trivializing the significance. As a life-long wargamer I recognize the potential hazards. Despite my enjoyment of the hobby there does linger in the back of my mind that the pixels, pewter, or cardboard I order around represents once real lives. So at the risk of treading too casually on history, I will try write an enjoyable review of one of my games in the hope that it is appreciated for what it is: an appreciation for those who were there for real. Thank you.
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