Month: August 2014

08/6/14

Interview with Tim van der Moer of the Lordz Game Studio

Boggit interviews Tim van der Moer of the Lordz Game Studios at the Home of Wargamers 2014 Conference

click image to enlarge; go on – you know you want to!

Aside from being a popular Grogheads forum member, Tim van der Moer (aka Lord Zimoa on the forum) first gained his reputation as modder before moving into games design. Here he gets the opportunity to say how he got involved in games design and about his plans for the future.

Tim van der Moer (right) and Alex Shargin (Flashback Games) demonstrate Warhammer 40K Armageddon at HOW 2014
Tim van der Moer (right) and Alex Shargin (Flashback Games) demonstrate Warhammer 40K Armageddon at HOW 2014

Tim, tell us a little bit about yourself. I know you come from a modding background. Tell us how you moved from modding into game design.

I think back in 2000, or 2001 when I got a phone call from an old chap called Iain McNeil who was on the phone from the UK and asked if I was Lordz’ Tim Moer. For years we were running a modding community, and we got some attention in the international press with our mods, especially our Napoleonic mods, our Lotus fantasy mods, and basically he wanted to ask who I was and what I was doing. I gave some of my personal background, but basically I was totally not into the industry.

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08/3/14

GrogHeads Reviews Picket Duty

Dive into this solitaire WWII game and stave off the attacks on your destroyer.

Michael Eckenfels, 3 August 2014

 

Picket Duty is a solitaire board wargame that focuses on giving you ‘spiritual’ command over a Fletcher-class World War II destroyer during the Okinawa campaign. Your job is to guide the crew as it fends off wave after wave of Kamikaze and ‘special’ attacks while at its duty, or picket, station. Most Fletcher-class destroyers served in this ‘Picket Duty’ capacity to provide early warning to the larger and more valuable fleet targets, such as aircraft carriers, supply ships, and troop ships. So, of course, Kamikaze planes sometimes focused on these destroyers to pave the way for other Kamikazes to get a good shot at those targets.

PicketDuty-3

The game, unfortunately, focuses on little else other than Kamikaze and ‘special’ (or, normal) Japanese aircraft attacks. There is no surface-to-surface combat action, nor DD-vs.-submarine action, or any land-based fire support. Given the complexity and amount of work put into this title, though, it’s hardly a surprise. I just wish it might have done a little more. For the purpose of fighting off hordes of Kamikazes, if you want to feel like you’re the only ship in the American fleet and getting all the attention of these deadly attacks, you’ll very likely love this game.

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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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