We are almost one year closer to the 41st Millennium, and so what better way to ring in the New Year then by waging total war in a future where there really isn’t much else to do, but fight and kill?  So, if you like the smell of napalm in the morning, afternoon and night, you’ve come to the right place.

Last year, Straylight Studios brought to life their Warhammer 40,000 game Sanctus Reach introducing players to the Space Marine Chapter known famously across the universe as the “Space Wolves”.  The original title was released with two campaigns following the Wolves’ exploits against the Orks and their Waaagh! on the planet of Alaric Prime.  Grogheads covered the core game briefly in our interview with Straylight, who true to their word, have developed DLC for the Orks, Astra Militarum, and the Chaos Demons.  What next I wonder; the Eldar perhaps, or the maybe the Necrons?

For now, read on to find out what you get with this DLC pack, which makes the original game a whole lot more interesting!

By: Boggit,

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On the morning of May 20, 1941, German paratroopers filled the skies over the Greek island of Crete, kicking off the first airborne focused invasion in military history.  Over the course of the next thirteen days, through a combination of sheer German moxie and bold offensive action on the one hand, and poor allied coordination, communication failures and tactical hesitation on the other, the fallschirmjägers would overcome great odds, and seize control of the important strategic isle.  Reliving this dramatic battle, Grogheads is locked and loaded aboard a Junkers Ju-52 and ready to jump with the elite German forces.  Together with John Tiller Software, join us for a Battles of North Africa 1941 After Action Report detailing the first scenario of the daring assault on Crete and the crucial airfield at Maleme.

By: Craig H. Handler,

Although not the focus of the latest JTS release, Battles of North Africa 1941 ships with a generous number of scenarios covering the German airborne invasion of Crete. These scenarios cover the entire span of the nearly two week battle, and showcase the dramatic landings at Maleme and Heraklion, and the fighting around Canea, Retimo and Galatas.  The first scenario of the pack takes place in Western Crete at Maleme, and begins after dawn on the first day of the invasion.

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In 1997 one of the greatest 4x strategy games in the history of PC gaming was released. It was called Emperor of the Fading Suns and my life would never be the same.  Somehow, this game managed to combine  strategic intergalactic conquest with planetary tactical turn-based combat and development, with a seamless transition from galactic map to planet surface for turn-based battles.  The game was simply epic in scale and scope, with complex and captivating lore to boot. To this day, EFS remains a fantastic and unique title and absolutely has withstood the test of time, like few other games from its era have managed. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to sit down with one of the developers of this masterpiece, Andrew Greenberg.

By: Craig H. Handler,

Grogheads:  Thanks for taking the time to talk with us!  At Grogheads, we are all huge fans of the Emperor of the Fading Suns games and universe and it is such a pleasure to speak with you about the history of the game system and your future plans for the series.  Why don’t we start by you telling us a little bit about your background in gaming, how Holistic got started and how the Fading Suns universe was born. What are your personal favorite games to play and how have they influenced your own creations?

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The wait for Combat Mission Shock Force 2 was long, but it has finally crossed the breach.  Now, fans of the series can fight it out over deadly Syrian sands with the benefit of all enhancements from Battlefront’s latest version of the Combat Mission engine.  There may not be any Russians lurking out there this time around, but with a coalition of American, British, German, Canadian and Dutch forces taking on a mixed group of Syrian and unconventional foreign Arabic fighters, there is sure to be plenty of chaos.  It’s going to take some time to push out a thorough Grog-worthy review, but in the meantime, here is an After Action Report to tide you over.  Covering the initial American drive across the Iraqi border and into the Syrian maelstrom, join Task Force Thunder and climb over the top with Grogheads!

Craig H. Handler,

Task Force Thunder is the campaign from the initial release of Combat Mission Shock Force. It follows the U.S. Army in its drive across the Iraqi-Syrian border westward along Route Lightning toward Homs.  Tasked with the most critical objective of the campaign, the brigade-sized force of American Strykers, supported by heavy BCT elements, artillery and air support, will seek to slice Syria in half, seizing key urban centers in the area of the ancient city of Homs, some 160km North of Damascus.

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