Monthly Archives: December 2017
2018 – Looking Ahead to the Next Year in Wargaming
We also asked folks in the hobby to look into the next year and take a stab at predicting the future –
GrogHeads, 30 December 2017
Ty Bomba, Game Designer
I’m taking part in the founding of a new, 116-page, quarterly, one-topic-per-issue magazine from S&T Press to be titled Strategy & Tactics Quarterly. At least at the start, there won’t be any issue-wargame inside; instead there will be a full-size, two-sided, frame-able poster. At the same time, the 116-page format will allow us to get into each issue’s topics in such depth that most wargamers won’t be able to resist getting into them. My first two issue contributions will be: Stalingrad: The Whole Story, and Cold War World Wars: Armageddon’s that Might’ve Been, 1945-1991.
Alan Emrich, Victory Point Games
I predict the hobby will soldier on, but with a continuing need for more introductory wargames on topics that will send new players to learn more about the battles, campaigns, and personalities. Since they don’t do justice to history in schools as they used to, lighting that fire of passion in the next generation is vital.
Gaming Nostalgia – Under Fire
#TBT at GrogHeads!
Back when you could play wargames with a joystick on your Apple II…
click images to enlarge
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What’s Gus Playing? Episode 12
GrogHeads’ rump-height rapscallion rides the ropes ~
Lloyd Sabin, 25 December 2017
I’m sure there are many games that you return to after months or even years away. This was the case for me with Assassin’s Creed: Rogue. You know, the AssCreed just after Black Flag that kept the well done naval combat but shifted settings to New York’s Hudson River Valley during the French and Indian War in the 1750s.
It’s one of those games that makes players excited to be gamers, and I can’t think of a better comment to lavish upon it!
Oh and your in-game avatar spent most of the game breaking away from his usual Assassin’s guild and worked on joining the Templars. Traitor? Turncoat? Depends on your perspective.
Rogue does give players an opportunity to explore the beautiful Hudson River Valley hinterland as well as its bigger cities like Albany and New York City, one of the only games I can recall that provides that setting. And living here in that setting 250 years later made Rogue irresistible…it just draws players in with beautiful graphics, stealthy mechanics (where you want them), a solid naval combat component, even fleet management.
2017 – Looking Back on the Year in Wargaming
We asked folks in the hobby what their biggest personal accomplishment was this past year. Here’s what we got from them –
GrogHeads, 23 December 2017
Iain McNeil, Slitherine
That’s a tricky one as it depends if I use my business hat or my gamer hat. Battlestar Galactica Deadlock has been a huge project for us and is going really well on PC and just released on console, but from a personal point of view I love Field of Glory II. It’s not as commercial as BSG but I’m very pleased with how it has turned out and still enjoy playing when I get the time.
Stronghold Games
SURVIVING this year is my biggest accomplishment! 28 releases for a small company is rather astonishing. And also moving operations for Stronghold Games (and my residence) to Florida made this year very challenging to say the least.
However, if that’s copping out, then I’ll go with Terraforming Mars. While released in the latter half of 2016, the success of the game was truly realized in 2017. Getting out two expansions in 2017, “Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium” and “Terraforming Mars: Venus Next” (releasing on 12/31/17 worldwide!), solidified its stature as one of the most significant hobby game releases of all time. Terraforming Mars is now ranked #6 (soon to be #5) on BoardGameGeek.com.
Dragon’ Up The Past – Week 9, Eastern Wanderings and AD&D2E
Just how many editions ago? ~
Brant & Jim, 22 December 2017
Looking ahead to Second Edition, as well as exploring the options for Eastern adventures, and small-press good/bad ideas.
We’ve got plenty more where this one came from – there’s 192 issues still to go!
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