Boggit hit the road to join Slitherine and Matrix at their unveiling of this year’s upcoming hits. This is the first of his reports from adventure.
Developed by “88mm” Games and Published by Matrix/Slitherine Screenshots by Boggit
as always, click images to enlarge
The Blitzkrieg thunders East! Upcoming DLC will unlock with new time periods
Just released, I first saw this game just a few days ago over at Home of Wargamers 2014 in Italy. Whilst I haven’t had the opportunity to play it, I had the game presented to me, and had the opportunity to ask developer Ionut Georgescu about his debut game with Slitherine.
Lots of units add to the variety, which in turn affects gameplay
The Grumpy Grog says “Try Narco Guerra for a blast of good casual fun”.
Developed Auroch Digital Ltd and Published by GameTheNews.net
A Flash Review by Boggit
Choices, choices. Story mode is more involved including variable street prices for drugs. Skirmish mode doesn’t include that aspect.
I got Narco Guerra from Gamersgate for the equivalent of $1. It’s an operational level game about the drugs war in Mexico. The game is very easy to learn, and there is a help screen with it that gives you all the information you need.
Confused? Don’t be with this handy help screen. The learning curve is really easy.
Single player, you represent the police, fighting up two different cartels (and up to 3 more can emerge during the game). There is a local multiplayer option – read hot seat play – where the first human player plays the police, and up to 5 additional human/computer players can choose a cartel to play.
“Long ago the people shed their anxieties, ever since we do not sell our votes to anyone. For the people—who once conferred imperium, symbols of office, legions, everything—now hold themselves in check and anxiously desire only two things, the grain dole and chariot races in the Circus.” (Juvenal, Satire X, 77-81)
Qvadriga Developed by Turnopia and published by Matrix/Slitherine
Team Vincas Boggi recruits drivers from the “Life of Brian” as selected by Roman Governor Pontius Pilate!
Dedicated chariot racing games are not something you see very often. Qvadriga (Latin for chariot) looked as if it might hit a spot that had been neglected since the board game days of Avalon Hill’s Circus Maximus. Back in the day I’d play with a group of friends over a few beers, running a racing faction. The atmosphere was fun and immersive, having all the competiveness, skullduggery, and tactical skill you’d expect for this sport. It was with all these good memories in mind that I thought I’d give Qvadriga a go.
To my surprise Qvadriga is not multiplayer, which immediately disappointed me as it limited the social dimension of the gaming experience I’d hoped to see again. I hope that the developer will add this as a feature in a future update, making use of Slitherine’s excellent multiplayer lobby featured in many of their other games. Qvadriga would hugely benefit from offering multiplayer and become even more immersive from the additional competition, banter, and taunts to be expected from real human opponents.
You can choose your starting province. I chose “Galia” because I like melons. Oops! Don’t they mean “Gallia” here?
But what of the game as is? Single player, Qvadriga is a lot of fun to play. It is a remarkably simple game to learn, and is aided by well written, pertinent help pages in the game menu. I fully recommend new players take the time to read the help pages, since although the game is remarkably intuitive, there are a lot of tips and nuances to be learned here making for a better gaming experience.
As with Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy, and the Commonwealth expansion, combat formations remain well researched reflecting historical unit organisation during the Market Garden Operations. In game terms Market Garden specifically adds:
Nine new US formations including the Glider Infantry Battalion and the more esoteric Parachute Demolition Platoon.
31 new, and updated German formations from across the following ground forces: Heer, Waffen SS, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, and some common force formations. These include new formations that vary widely in quality from the fragile Sicherungs (Heer), Fliegerhorst (Luftwaffe), and Schiffstamm (Kriegsmarine) battalions to the definitely more punchy Tiger Battalion (Henschel) (Heer, and SS), PanzergrenadierKampfgruppe (SS), Fallschirmjäger Battalion (Luftwaffe), and Panzer Brigade Panzer Battalion (Heer). Common formations are all flak units, but they are not boring. The Armored Flak Platoon (37mm and Quad 20mm) in particular can be a total swine for infantry suppression. Just make sure 30 Corps arrives quickly with its tanks!
Three new Polish formations, the Parachute Battalion, Parachute Engineer Squadron, and the Air Landing Antitank Battery. It doesn’t sound much, but they’re good troops.
21 new, or revised British formations including the renowned Glider Pilot Company (the glider pilots having landed formed their own elite unit), and the Airborne Recce Squadron – so now, unlike the real event (many of their gliders crashed, and the rest mainly got shot up in an ambush) – you have another chance to rush to the Arnhem Bridge, as was part of the historic plan.
An MG42 opens up on a British patrol advancing to an Oosterbeek crossroads. Note the rather neat looking signpost.
In addition to new formations, Market Garden also adds much more to the Battle for Normandy weapon and vehicle mix. Taking inspiration from their Fortress Italy Gustav Line expansion, both sides now have antiaircraft weapons in both towed and vehicle mounted configurations. But it’s not just new flak units, as there are plenty of other goodies too:
One new small arm type, namely the FG-42 rifle.
12 new heavy weapon types ranging from the Bofors 40mm AA gun to the LeGrW 36 50mm mortar.
Four new US vehicles ranging from the agile M18 Hellcatto the awesome firepower of theM16 MGMC quad 50.cal AA halftrack.
27 new German vehicles, including a ton of halftrack variants. At the heavy end they include the King Tiger tank with the Henschel turretand the Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank hunter. At the lighter end there are vehicles like the Protze 70 light truck, the Wirbelwind AA vehicle, and its less successful cousin the Möbelwagen AA vehicle.
Seven new British vehicles ranging from the agile and hard hitting Challenger Mk VIII tank, to Major Gough’s pet project – the Jeep with a mounted Vickers K machine gun. (He actually wanted twin K guns similar to what the SAS had in the desert, but was refused on the basis that it would be impossible to supply their ammo needs during an airborne operation.) If a player only owns the Combat Mission Battle for Normandy core game then they’ll get the additional benefit of a further 21 vehicles, and variations thereof from the Commonwealth module.
How does Battlefront’s latest Combat Mission game stack up? Boggit starts to fill us in in his two-part review.
Developed and Published by Battlefront Inc.
Reviewed by Boggit, 21 March, 2014
Click images to enlarge
Dedicated to Jim Zabek for his friendship, and mentoring
Historical Overview
On September 17th, 1944 German forces were routing from the Battle for France through Belgium and into Holland. It was a situation that had to be exploited to maintain the momentum of the Allied advance and to end the war before the Germans reorganised to halt the Allied pursuit. The problem for the Allies was maintaining their drive to Germany having had so successful a pursuit. Lines of communication were now overextended and in the absence of a convenient and functional deep water port – like Antwerp – supplies were still had to be brought from the Normandy beachhead. With supplies running low Eisenhower had to ask himself who should be given priority for logistical support.
US paratroopers from 505th PIR return fire after making contact on the first turn of this scenario.
Of the three main army groups in northern France, Bradley’s First Army was approaching Aachen, and the Huertgen Forest, Patton’s Third was in Lorraine about to take on the Metz Fortified Area, with the West Wall next – all difficult terrain favouring the defence. On the other hand Montgomery’s 21st Army group was on the northern flank, closer to the sources of supply, potential supply ports, and seemingly relatively open terrain. It was a logical choice for maintaining an effective pursuit on a serious supply budget.
Operation Market Garden
A daring plan to bypass the West Wall and drive into Germany’s industrial powerhouse – the Ruhr area – was set in motion. What would follow would be a massive airborne operation – similar in size to the D-Day operation – to grab key Dutch bridges, whilst the British 30th Corps linked up with the air drops and exploited their success. What happened was that the Allies overstretched themselves, and were let down by a series of intelligence and operational planning errors that, taken together, contributed to the ultimate failure of the main objective of the operation.
By 26th September, Operation Market Garden was over. The Allies had failed to take Arnhem – the jump off point for exploitation to the Ruhr – and the British 1st Parachute Division had also been destroyed as a fighting unit, losing all its heavy equipment, and approximately 70% of its strength. As the commander of the 1st Allied Airborne Corps (General Browning) put it: The operation was “a bridge too far”.
Although the operation failed to achieve its purpose, it was not an unmitigated disaster. The Allies had seriously damaged many German formations. They also gained a salient running through Holland to the Lower Rhine, and the German border. Whilst at first glance it might appear that all they had gained was a road leading nowhere, the Allies cut off substantial German garrisons in Western Holland, which would ultimately be reduced, predominantly by the Canadian Army. They also extended the front lines committing Germany to find additional troops to defend it, so weakening resistance on the Eastern Front. It was a failed operation, but not a disaster in the greater scheme of things.
Thirty Corps advance up Hell’s Highway – apparently this is the wide bit!!
