Tag: Board Games

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.

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HoN-Unbox-001

 

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.

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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.

RB-classic

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12/6/15

GrogHeads Holiday Buying Guide 2015

 

Do people claim you’re hard to shop for? Just point this to this list, and hope they get the hint! Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of games on the list, but first, some fun stuff ~

 

 

TANK!

hbg-tankHey, we’re not that far removed from TANKSgiving, so why not an M1 tank? It’s 1:16 scale, can get up to 60 feet from your remote, and for some reason has actual headlights. Cruise the back yard, chase the dog, and assault the annoying neighbors.

And if the modern M1 isn’t your thing, you can go back to WWII and bust out a Jagdpanther, too.

 

DRONE!

Keep tabs on your tank with a drone sporting an onboard computer that lets you fly manually, or programmed and on autopilot. It can orbit, fly over, or hover, without you touching a remote.  Just don’t ask what it costs – remember, you’re not supposed to pay for it!

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11/21/15

TANKSgiving! GrogHeads Reviews DVG’s Modern Land Battles

tanksgivingheader

TANKSgiving kicks off with a bang!

Jim Owczarski, 21 November 2015

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Dan Verssen’s Modern Naval Battles has rolled past its 25th birthday and is making its way to its 30th.  I’ll pause for a moment and let that sink in with those who were already adults when it was released.  Bitter reminders of our mortality aside, the game has been and remains a popular choice for grogs interested in playing a game that feels crunchy and lets them indulge their love of technology while not requiring days or weeks to play.

Enter, then, Modern Land Battles: Target Acquired, a 2-6 player non-collectible card game that tries, in its own abstract and simplified way, to simulate mechanized land warfare in the period following the Second World War.  I’ve already done a piece un-boxing the game (Modern Land Battles – First Look!) so what follows is a review of the game’s mechanics, level of simulation, and overall flow.

As indicated in the earlier article, MLB allows two players or teams of players to select from seven national force pools:  United States, Arab Multinational, China, Great Britain, Insurgent, Israel, and U.S.S.R.  And while I did discuss some of the vehicles before, it would hardly be TANKSgiving if I didn’t offer a few more shots of lovely, lovely AFVs.

I keep wanting to shout "Wolverines!!"
I keep wanting to shout “Wolverines!!”

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