12/12/15

GrogHeads Interviews Richard Bodley Scott of Pike & Shot

Richard Bodley Scott talks to Grogheads ~

Interview by Boggit, 12 December 2015

Click images to enlarge

Richard, thank you for talking to Grogheads about yourself and your work. Pike and Shot Campaigns is your latest release, but you are no newcomer to either computer or tabletop wargames.

Tell us about yourself. How did you get into wargaming, and why are you passionate about it?

When I was a kid, my father took us to see all sorts of ancient and medieval monuments in Britain and on holiday abroad. When I discovered in 1971 that there was such a thing as ancient wargaming, I never looked back. I have been playing table-top ancient and medieval figure games for 44 years, and Pike and Shot on and off for 25.

The original Pike and Shot has seen massive expansion and improvement with Pike and Shot Campaigns.

Continue reading →

12/11/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #83

Here comes GARPA! ~

Mark H Walker’s ’65 (Flying Pig Games)
$27k of $16k, ends 17 December 2015

The latest Kickstarter for Flying Pig is here, as previewed on The GrogCast – ’65 brings tactical combat in Vietnam to your desktop. Building on the same system they’re using for Night of Man, this card-driven game forces some agonizing decisions on you to manage your forces during intense shootouts. All the Mark Walker hallmarks are here – stunning counters, tight storylines, and fast, fun gameplay. March over to the campaign page and pledge already!

Continue reading →

12/10/15

Heroes of Normandy – First Look!

LNLP’s latest release in the newly-renamed Lock’n’Load Tactical System landed on our doorstep. ~

Michael Eckenfels, 10 December 2015

Disclaimer: I am the co-host of the GrogCast, the podcast for GrogHeads.com. As of this writing, our podcast is sponsored by Lock ‘n Load Publishing, the producer of this game. I just wanted that said up front before I dive in. This game truly does look excellent, and that’s my gamer/writer side talking, and is not influenced at all by LnL’s sponsorship of our little podcast. Now, on with the article.

Unboxing articles are kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, I get to open this brand new game that usually has just come off the production line and get to be one of the first to lay eyes on physical components. On the other hand, I have no idea what I’m looking at, so I cannot speak to the components; your guess is indeed as good as mine in some cases. Still, it’s pretty cool to take a look at these things.

This game, Heroes of Normandy, is a game in LnL’s Tactical System, and simulates the battles in France in 1944 following the D-Day landings. I have had experience with LnL’s product during Mark Walker’s reign as leader, but that was many years ago. I’ve also not been much of a tactical gamer ever, having cracked my skull against a metaphorical wall whilst playing Squad Leader solo back in the late 80s…that entire experience somewhat soured my outlook and I almost immediately immersed myself in grand strategic games (both PC and board) after that. However, over the last many years, this has slowly but surely been changing.

When GH told me I’d be getting this game for an unboxing, I immediately took to BGG and other sites to find out as much as I could about it…and saw that truly there’s very little out there. (By the time this is published, likely that will have changed. For now, though…yeah, not much.) Looking at the pictures on LnL’s website and those they posted to BGG and elsewhere, as well as checking out the price tag – $89.99 as of now – it was pretty obvious this is a monster game.

Click images to enlarge

When the box arrived, it was heavy. I mean, HEAVY. It felt like a brick was in the box. So when I opened it and found a thin box inside…I was somewhat mystified.

Continue reading →

12/10/15

Gaming Nostalgia – C64 Fighter Pilot

Folks dug the Nostalgia ads so much that we’re keeping them around, and just changing the day. Look for our blasts-from-gaming’s-past to show up on #tbt from now on, and occasionally some other day, just to keep you on your toes.

Nostalgia-FighterPilot — Ah, the irony of playing this on a cassette, which would include the built-in “whining” of the fighter pilot!

click images to enlarge

Sound off below, or pop into our forums for a chat >>

12/9/15

Classic Reviews: Runebound 2nd Ed

Runebound might be the best adventure you can fit into one evening. Players have the latitude to customize their characters and pursue their paths to victory, using a variety of strategies. Build your own hero and save the realm, in one afternoon. ~

Brant Guillory, 9 December 2015

Pros: Well-balanced, nifty movement mechanics, gorgeous.
Cons: Little interaction between players, needs a lot of table space.

Some gamers love the intricate role-playing game full of soliloquies, conspiracy theories, and more character development than a British melodrama. Others would rather dispense with the backstory, role-play an archetypal character, and kick butt. In the early days of computer games, most fantasy ‘role-playing’ was the former, not the latter. Runebound strikes me as one of these computer games, transported to a board game environment.

And don’t think that’s a negative in any way. Some of the most fun I had in my teenage years was in front of Pool of Radiance and the Wizardry series. These games were fantasy adventures, but not necessarily fantasy role-playing. Runebound understands the difference.

Continue reading →