Month: February 2017

02/28/17

The Tuesday Interview – Glenn Drover

Friend-of-Grog Glenn Drover comes back for another visit ~

Michael Eckenfels, 28 February 2017

What’s the craziest move you ever tried to pull off in a wargame?

GD:  I’m an aggressive attacker, but never crazy. 😉

What wargame made you want to be a designer?

GD:  It is probably the fault of a whole group of games that I loved in the mid-late 70’s. From Milton Bradley: Carrier Strike, Skirmish, and Battle Cry; as well as Avalon Hill’s Tactics II and Third Reich. I played these endlessly with my dad and solo. Continue reading →

02/27/17

A Look at the Playthrough Gaming Convention

We sortied out to the local game convention for a load of photos, and more ~

Brant Guillory, 26 February 2017Playthrough-Logo

Raleigh, NC has a pretty thriving game community – 2 local colleges have digital game design programs, there are at least 4 pretty active game clubs, and all three major game stores are packed most nights for any combination of D&D Encounters, minis warfare, Friday Night .\\agic, or general board gaming.  The Triangle Simulation Society runs 2 minis-focused conventions each year, but this year the Playthrough Gaming Convention took over one of the exhibit halls at the Raleigh Convention for a weekend of digital, tabletop, and live-action gaming, as well as seminars, tournaments, and a costume contest.

Looking over the gaming hall. Booths in the front, video games on the right, and tabletops in the back.
Looking over the gaming hall. Booths in the front, video games on the right, and tabletops in the back.

Continue reading →

02/25/17

Impressions of Strategic Command 3

And… a comparison with Strategic Command WW1 Breakthrough ~

Boggit, 23 February 2017

Developed by Fury Software, and Published by Slitherine

About three years ago I did a detailed review of Fury Software’s Strategic Command WW1: Breakthrough and ended up recommending it as “not only highly playable but also a very deep, subtle and immersive game.” What, I wonder, has Fury Software been doing since? Well, they’ve spent a couple of years working on their new WW2 game – Strategic Command WW2: War in Europe, and have changed their publisher.

So what’s it like?

The first thing to hit me between the eyes is the artwork. In comparison to SCWW1: Breakthrough, Strategic Command WW2 looks like a different game. Of course it is, but in comparison the artwork is stunning, and that includes the map, the counters, and the event notifications. It is a dramatic improvement.

 

The old style artwork…
The old style artwork…

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02/21/17

The Tuesday Interview – Nikolai & George from Sovereignty

The guys from the latest Matrix Game 4x hit stop in to chat about their new release. ~

Brant Guillory, 21 February 2017

So it’s not like the world is lacking for 4X games.  What made you think “the world needs this game?” and how did you get that vision from inception to the full release of Sovereignty?

Nikolai Soderstrom (Designer): To be honest, I don’t really consider this a 4x game. We certainly didn’t go into it thinking we needed to create a 4x game. I mostly consider Sovereignty an accessible turn-based strategy game. Manage your kingdom. Go to war. Fight battles on the tactical map.

Our inspiration is deeply rooted in the grand campaign worlds of Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Birthright, in Middle Earth, and in historical settings to craft a rich political and cultural landscape in which to set a strategy game. In Sovereignty, you can play any one of 34 different realms, and each one is unique. We wanted the rich cultures established in the lore to resonate in the gameplay itself. Each realm has its own playstyle, its own ambitions, fears and rivalries, its own unique units, spell repertoire, agents, economy, diplomatic position, and heroes.

TI-Sov-10

 

Continue reading →