by Dan Pinkham and Lloyd Sabin, 12 April 2013

Spring has sprung, and while many fine folk are out in their yards cleaning up from the long winter, us Grogs continue in our quest to find games to entertain us. Luckily we here at GARPA are sometimes happy to do the leg work for you. I mean come on, what more could you want … on second thought please don’t answer that question because whatever it is you’ll have to take care of it yourself. And get us a sandwich while you’re up. On to the games!

Boardgames

Breaking the Chains by Compass Games

Pre-Order Discount

Now available for pre-order is Compass Games’ future military conflict simulation centered on the South and East China Seas. Set in the year 2021 the game’s premise has China finally making good on threats to use force to take control of “the First Island Chain – that string of islands which runs from the Ryukus south through Taiwan, the Philippines and then curls back to the mainland via Malaysia.” Since the Cold War, China has claimed sovereignty of these islands much to the chagrin of several Southeast Asian countries and many western powers. Now, Breaking the Chains brings you a detailed look at this possible conflict.

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by Dan Pinkham and Lloyd Sabin

Taking a break from holy week activities, the GARPA team dives deep into the world of crowdsourcing once again to bring you, The Gaming Connoisseur, the freshest info on the most ambitious gaming projects out there. There’s nothing worse than stale info you know. Let’s not beat around the burning bush anymore and get straight to the skinny!

PC Games

Pixelry by Evelend Games

$2900.00 dollars raised of $34,780.00 required, pledging ends Thursday, April 18 at 6:58am.

Pixelry is looking to be the biggest little game around. As you may be able to tell from the title, Pixelry is a take on chivalry and jousting in a medieval Western European setting, made up of cute pixelated little characters.

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by Dan Pinkham and Lloyd Sabin

Spring is almost in the air and another edition of GARPA is hot off the virtual presses.

With all the madness swirling around the month of March (see what we did there?) what better way to settle down then by backing some great crowd sourced projects? But wait there’s more! Leave comments and feedback in the forums and you can help inflate our egos knowing people actually read the column. Shamefully pandering, probably, but it’s what we don’t get paid for.

Board Games

Dungeon Roll – A Dicey Dungeon Delve by Michael Mindes

$126,913 of a $15,000 goal funding ending March 20th

Treasure. Who doesn’t like a bit of it? We here at GARPA certainly do and one sure fire way to know that a treasure is worth it is if it is guarded by a dragon. Who wants a treasure that is protected by anything less? In Dungeon Roll this is exactly the premise. There is a treasure guarded by a “vicious dragon.” To get said treasure you must slay that dragon and the slaying is all done via rolling dice…special dungeon dice, of course.

You are a hero and using the specially designed dice you roll up your companions. These range from fighters and thieves all the way up to mages and clerics. Then it is time to “press-your-luck” and fight your way through dungeons killing monsters and ultimately dragons while collecting treasures and drinking potions. Each of the party members can deal with the varying threats and perform certain actions, but you’ll need everyone to kill the dragon.

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by Dan Pinkham and Lloyd Sabin

Is it March already? It seemed like just yesterday that we were stuffing our faces with turkey and unwrapping presents. Thankfully, for most of us, the sun is out a little longer and we can almost make out the warm glow at the end of the long tunnel of winter…it just happens to be clouded by the snow still falling. Well, our solution to the winter blues here at GARPA is to go get lost in a cupboard of junk food or throw some money at some great crowd funding projects. On second thought, why not do both?

Board Games

Loka: The World of Fantasy Chess by Mantic Games

$43,896 of a $25,000 goal funding ending March 24th

Chess, having been played for millennia, is one of the oldest and most time-honored wargames. To say that there are numerous variations of chess piece designs would be an understatement. So why another fantasy chess set?

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