Monthly Archives: July 2017
Gaming Nostalgia – Traveller Starships
#TBT at GrogHeads!
Space navy battles in Traveller 2300. How many Traveller fans have we got out there?
click images to enlarge
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Outpost Gamma – A GrogHeads AAR, part 2
The legionnaires are far from home, and facing impossible odds. Again. ~
Michael Eckenfels, 19 July 2017
AAR: PART 2
We’re playing the first scenario, “The Last Outpost.” There are 12 turns in this scenario, and each turn is divided into ten phases. The object is for the Legionnaires to be the last side to occupy at least three mesa-top hexes, and/or destroy all Irdan attackers. The Irdans win if they destroy all the Legionnaires, and/or clear all mesa-top hexes of them. If neither of these occur, the game ends in a draw.
Each turn’s phases are:
- Energy Storm Phase
- Disruption Fire Phase
- Irdan Movement Phase
- Irdan Combat Phase
- Irdan Stun Recovery Phase
- Imperial/Miner Movement Phase
- Imperial/Miner Combat Phase
- Remove Disruption Markers
- Imperial Legionnaire Stun Recovery Phase
- End of Game Turn
I mention all of this to give you a feel for how the game flows.
Now, back to the action.
The Tuesday Interview – Steve Jackson
You know, the one with the company named after him…? ~
Avery Abernethy & Brant Guillory, 18 July 2017
Following LibertyCon, the esteemed Steve Jackson agreed to a short interview with GrogHeads.
First, the easy question! What was your single most enjoyable game moment this year so far?
Had to be at LC playing one of the unannounced sneak playtest designs which I will not name for print. Everybody was involved and laughing. Great moment. I do like the chance to play with new people, and when a game clicks it’s wonderful.
One of our writers recently put together a big, multi-part retrospective of classic 80s-era Car Wars. What can you tell us about the new Car Wars in Development? What Kickstarter information can you start leaking out?
I really can’t leak a heckuva lot. We had to set CW development aside to get the Munchkin CCG off to print. We are about to pick it up again. It already works very nicely but we want it to be faster, and the collision rule in particular could stand some polishing.
Report from LibertyCon 30
It’s a limited-attendance show, which might keep out some of the riff-raff? ~
Avery Abernethy, 17 July 2017
click images to enlarge
LibertyCon is a small SF literary, gaming and whatnot convention. They limit themselves to 750 attendees and have sold out for years. LibertyCon is held in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the last weekend in June. This was year 30.
LibertyCon is different from every other convention I’ve ever attended. It is very small, but has an amazing guest list. This year literary guests included SF (and wargamer favorites) John Ringo, David Drake, David Weber, Charles Gannon, and Michael Z. Williamson. 
Also attending (an incomplete list) were Robert Buettner; Julie Cochrane; John Hartness; Sarah Hoyt; Chris Kennedy; Tom Kratman; Van Allen Plexico and Cherie Priest. I own probably fifty books written by various author attendees. Baen Publishing loves me.
The strong author list is partly due to LibertyCon being the local convention for David Weber (who always brings his wife and three kids) and John Ringo. A huge number of Baen Books authors always attend. Baen’s publisher Toni Weisskopf is from Wake Forest, NC and they do a two hour “what are we up to” talk every year where they also give away books. They have a Baen author dinner and probably do quite a bit of business. They publically give book contracts to authors at the Baen Show.
Modern-Day Napoleonic Battles & Travels, Part the Third
Cyrano’s last travelogue update before, y’know, actually traveling! ~
Jim Owczarski, 15 July 2017
I’m a bit embarrassed that it’s taken me nigh eight months to file an update to this series, but, with an apology proffered, perhaps it’s best to dive right in?
I’ll begin, if I may, by again talking about a surprise. I’ve known of this creature for a long time:
How very, very lovely
