Monthly Archives: April 2014

Tuesday Screenshot – LNL Heroes of Stalingrad

The Tuesday Screenshot is back to the Eastern Front and Lock’n’Load: Heroes of Stalingrad, with our usual haiku

Click to enlarge

HofS--Op_fire_chance

War rages in the streets
Careful where you run, Comrade!
One more dead hero

Image: Vance Strickland
Haiku: Brant can’t blame the bad poetry on anyone else

Share your screenshots here >>

Qvadriga – A Flash Review by Boggit

“Long ago the people shed their anxieties, ever since we do not sell our votes to anyone. For the people—who once conferred imperium, symbols of office, legions, everything—now hold themselves in check and anxiously desire only two things, the grain dole and chariot races in the Circus.” (Juvenal, Satire X, 77-81)

 

Qvadriga Developed by Turnopia and published by Matrix/Slitherine

 

 

Team Vincas Boggi recruits drivers from the “Life of Brian” as selected by Roman Governor Pontius Pilate!

Team Vincas Boggi recruits drivers from the “Life of Brian” as selected by Roman Governor Pontius Pilate!

 

Dedicated chariot racing games are not something you see very often. Qvadriga (Latin for chariot) looked as if it might hit a spot that had been neglected since the board game days of Avalon Hill’s Circus Maximus. Back in the day I’d play with a group of friends over a few beers, running a racing faction. The atmosphere was fun and immersive, having all the competiveness, skullduggery, and tactical skill you’d expect for this sport. It was with all these good memories in mind that I thought I’d give Qvadriga a go.

To my surprise Qvadriga is not multiplayer, which immediately disappointed me as it limited the social dimension of the gaming experience I’d hoped to see again. I hope that the developer will add this as a feature in a future update, making use of Slitherine’s excellent multiplayer lobby featured in many of their other games. Qvadriga would hugely benefit from offering multiplayer and become even more immersive from the additional competition, banter, and taunts to be expected from real human opponents.

 

You can choose your starting province. I chose “Galia” because I like melons. Oops! Don’t they mean “Gallia” here?

You can choose your starting province. I chose “Galia” because I like melons. Oops! Don’t they mean “Gallia” here?

But what of the game as is? Single player, Qvadriga is a lot of fun to play. It is a remarkably simple game to learn, and is aided by well written, pertinent help pages in the game menu. I fully recommend new players take the time to read the help pages, since although the game is remarkably intuitive, there are a lot of tips and nuances to be learned here making for a better gaming experience.

GARPA 43 – GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory

This week’s GARPA gives you real history, alt-history, and we-hope-it-never-becomes-history.

 

G43EmpireEnd of Empire (Compass Games)
Preorder at $75, save $24

A complex game of a complex time, End of Empire covers the run-up to the French and Indian War all the way through the end of the American War of Independence. Where previous games have treated these conflicts separately, End of Empire covers the entire 40-year period that saw the French, British, and Spanish empires ejected from the bulk of North America as a brand new nation rose to take their places. Thirteen scenarios (natch!) and a host of countersheets to accompany 2 large maps fill out an impressive box of gaming goodness. It’s bordering on monster-size, but that’s because it covers a monster conflict that literally reshaped global history. Check out Compass Games’ preorder page to place your order, and remember that preordering at Compass also gets you a discount on an in-stock game, too.

 

Doom & Bloom’s SURVIVAL! (Joseph Alton, M.D./Amy Alton, A.R.N.P.)
$21k of $19k, ends 14 May 2014

It’s a post-apocalyptic survival game. Yawn, right? Nope. This one is heavily defined by what’s not there. No zombies. No sci-fi “power goes out” stuff. No post-nuclear mutant wasteland. It’s a realistic post-pandemic setting that forces you to survive in today’s world, not some sci-fi disaster-author’s fever dream. You’ve got to move, scavenge, find security, shelter, and food. Stay alive and rebuild. And it’s looks-a-darn-GUDE, too! Check out the Kickstarter page and get your survival training going around the tabletop. Who knows when you might need it?

g43survival

Prosciutto – Hamming it up with the di Parmas… Part 23

Undercovergeek’s Crusader Kings II AAR is the Energizer Bunny of AARs.

as always, click images to enlarge

In part 22 Oberto groomed an impressive son and heir, Benvenuto, got him a Spanish princess for a wife and set out to declare war on the King of Sicily. In this part, war, daughters, the death of Kings and under handed deeds

 

ckii-Pic220

The men of Parma set out to attack Cantanzaro. They will have to destroy the rebel army before they can besiege the province. Scouts look South and North, warily scanning the horizon for the King of Sicily’s armies

 

ckii-Pic221

This is getting out of hand!

Tuesday Screenshot – Korea!

The Tuesday Screenshot visits Korea, and the Theater of War 3 engine.

Click to enlarge

ForgottenWar

Image: Jarhead

See the rest of these images here >>

Share your screenshots here >>