GARPA – GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory

by Dan Pinkham and Lloyd Sabin

‘Tis the season and the GARPA boys are back with another edition packed full of projects for those of us who enjoy the delayed gratification of crowd funded projects. They say that anticipation always makes it better, right? Maybe.

Board and Card Games

UP FRONT the card game by Rik Falch

$119,098 of a $30,000 goal funding ending January 2, 2013

The much praised World War II wargame Up Front is back thanks to Kickstarter. For those of you not in the know, this is squad level WWII game that is entirely card-based. Everything from the members of your squad to their weapons all the way through their orders and the terrain are handled by decks of cards. The two person game can be played in under an hour and rewards the player who can provide decisive leadership under fire. The Kickstarter project has already exceeded its original goal and has surpassed several stretch goals. Numerous expansions can now be produced, encompassing many of WWII’s theaters. If you feel up to the challenge head over and back the project on Kickstarter.

1775 – Rebellion (Birth of America Series) by Uwe Eickert and Academy Games

$27,832 of a $10,000 goal funding ending December 22, 2012

Academy Games, of Conflict of Heroes fame, launches their very first Kickstarter campaign with the second game in the Birth of America Series. 1775 – Rebellion is a 2-4 player cooperative game were players take on the challenges faced by the American Colonists or the British regulars. The American War of Independence has broken out and you must now raise troops, petition allies, and control key towns and forts. This fast paced wargame surpassed its original goal in 48 hours and is closing in on a third stretch goal. Sound like the game for you? Then head over and help improve the game by backing the project.

Kingdom Death: Monster by Kingdom Death

$459,215 of a $35,000 goal funding ending January 7, 2013

Hitting its goal in less than two hours, Kingdom Death: Monster looks to be the real deal. The game is a cooperative tabletop miniature/RPG hybrid for 1 to 6 players. Set in a world of horrors and nightmares the player must fight monsters and foster a settlement “at the dawn of its existence.” You do this by fighting, crafting, and developing your settlement for future generations. The game is supported by an excellent series of 35mm resin miniatures. The base game, at the $100 pledge level, is not cheap but is packed full of game cards and miniatures as well as full color rules and a game board. Numerous stretch goals have sweetened the deal further. Check out some miniatures sculpts and plenty of concept art on their project page.

The Guide to Glorantha by Rick Meints

$135,930 of a $36,500 goal funding ending December 18, 2012

Glorantha, the fantasy world dreamed up by Greg Stafford, provided the arena for several notable RPGs such as RuneQuest and HeroQuest as well as the computer game King of Dragon Pass. Now, all in one place you can find the rich history and lore of Glorantha detailed in depth. The book includes population and political maps for over 20 regions. Written with no particular rule set in mind this guide provides all the detail needed to start an adventure in Glorantha using any rule set you please. Highly detailed maps by Colin Driver and Simon Bray occupy a companion atlas boasting 64 full color pages. Still reading? You should really be checking out their project page instead.

1914, Offensive à outrance

Orders to Date: 614 - Made the Cut

This follow up to 1914, Twilight in the East improves on its predecessor’s rules without losing the feel of the opening battles of World War I. 1914, Offensive à outrance takes you to the Western Front at the outbreak of WWI. With a highly detailed map and a well-researched order of battle this game lets players explore the opening moves by the Central and Entente powers along the Western Front. Played at the Division/Brigade scale, game turns vary between two to four days depending on the scenario. Recommended for four players and considered a ‘monster game,’ 1914, Offensive à outrance is not for the faint of heart and takes a serious commitment to play through the Grand Campaign scenario. You can still order a copy at a discount while it is still on the GMT’s P500 list.

PC Games

Box ‘O’ Zombies – The Game by Shawn Michael Recinto

$1,170 pledged of $50,000 goal, pledging ends Thursday, January 3.

You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t love zombies. But even a hardcore zombie fan like you has to admit that the genre is a bit overexposed now. Developer Shawn Michael Recinto wants to put the zing back in zombies by combining tower defense with city building, and basing the entire thing on the Box ‘O’ Zombies figures that so many of the kids love.

The gameplay has the player not only clearing a devastated landscape of zombie hordes, but also rebuilding what the end times left behind in the city-builder part of the game. Recruit NPCs who have the specific skills and knowledge you need to both rebuild and defend your city from future end-times. You can never be too careful! Box ‘O’ Zombies promises to be fully socially-networked, as well as primed with collectible goodies for overachievers. Share your in-game prowess on Facebook and earn a variety of Box ‘O’ Zombies figures for different in-game successes.

There are tons of games out there that allow players to destroy hordes of zombies. Box ‘O’ Zombies looks to make an adult out of you and have you clean up your mess. We’ll all find out how successful this new take on an old theme will be on January 3rd.

Leviathans Online: Monsters in the Sky by Hyper Hippo Productions

$6,262 pledged of $300,000 goal, pledging ends Thursday, January 17.

*FLUTTER* - Gah, sorry about that. That was my tongue dropping to the floor upon finding out about Leviathans Online. I remember learning about the board game a few years ago and wishing that Santa would bring me an electronic version. By this point you can probably guess that yes, it is a steampunk title, and yes, it involves 3D turn-based combat between zeppelins, dirigibles, and flying dreadnoughts. Leviathans Online is set in 1910 in a slightly alternate reality world very similar to the real world of 1910. All your favorite imperial powers are promised included Great Britain, France, Russia, and even Japan.

Readers may have heard or played the boardgame Leviathans, and may further be tickled to know that Randall Bills, contributor to games like Battletech and Shadowrun, is involved with the development of the PC version of Leviathans Online. This is an admittedly ambitious project. The team wants to include multiple campaigns linked to real Victorian Era history, including conflict around the Suez Canal, the Young Turk Revolution in Turkey, and even possible alternate versions of World War I battles. Salivating yet? Me too, even more than usual on a Thursday morning.

Additional potential features include a scenario editor, tool sets, and a complete online Leviathan community. This would include stats, real time maps, multiplayer ladders, and tournaments…basically an electronic version of the vibrant board-game based community that exists now. The developers also want to make the game available on tablets, browsers, and mobile platforms. Never fear, anti-social types: single-player campaigns are promised too! If you are anything like me, this is a deal-maker.

Now if you will excuse me I have to go scream with childlike amazement…this is one of the best, most ambitious game announcements I have seen in a long time. Then I have to throw money at Hyper Hippo Productions. Here…take it…take all of it! Can’t wait for January 17th!

War of the Overworld by Subterranean Games

$68,275 pledged of $242,000, pledging ends Thursday, January 3.

War of the Overworld intends to be a mixed RTS, tower defense, and god-game title based on titles like Evil Genius and Dungeon Keeper. The player is assigned to take control of the dark, sinister underbelly of the game world as an Underlord. The main task is to create entire underground worlds made up of dungeons to haunt, harass, and harangue the do-gooders who live on the surface and act as a harbinger of all things evil to go to the world’s surface. Along the way the player will build armies, set traps for unsuspecting heroes, and further develop their magical skills.

Style is promised to be flexible in War of the Overworld. The player can take the direct approach and batter his enemy into submission or take a quieter approach and stealthily eliminate the opposition. There are a host of tools at the player’s disposal: spells and arcane rituals, a variety of different rooms to construct in the dungeons, minions that can be assigned missions and defensive towers and temples that grant tactical advantages in the ongoing struggle.

Single- and multiplayer campaigns are offered, with the first installment set to pit the player against the nauseatingly squeaky-clean Emperor Stockington and his Sterling Empire. Eventually players will also be able to play as the squeaky-clean surface dwellers too.

Multiplayer will offer deep customization and game modes for large groups of evil-minded denizens, including coop play. And sandbox mode will be a free-form game type that will allow players to utilize almost every creative detail of the world. And finally the ‘Dungeoneer’ toolset will be available for users to design their own maps, campaigns, custom maps and even new game modes.

War of the Underworld looks to be a deep, fun game, attracting a number of different types of gamers and can be included as part of a great lineage of games that allow players to be as evil as they wanna be.

And with that we wish to bid you adieu until our next installment in two weeks.

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