This week’s GARPA? A truckload of new games on Kickstarter, and some wargaming, too!

Board Games

GBACW: Twin Peaks (GMT Games)
p500 – not there yet!  Pre-order price $41

Building off of one of wargaming’s most enduing game systems (TSS first rolled out in 1976), Twin Peaks govers the battles of Cedar Mountain and South Mountain, in the fall of 1862.  It’s two games in one, and both part of the series that all ACW gamers already know and love.  There’s a high level of complexity in the system, but that’s the tradeoff you make for the high degrees of realism and fidelity you get.  It’s the seventh GMT game in this series, so you know what you’re getting into for art and design.  Jump into the GBACW series with this while it’s on pre-order; hit GMT’s site to make your pledge.

Storm over Dien Bien Phu (MMP)
p500 – 156 of 520 needed, preorder price $33

The last gasp of the French in Southeast Asia, the decisive 1954 battle set set the stage for dramatic shifts in warfighting for the next half-century.  MMP’s game gives players the familiar “Storm Over ____” system to jump into their game quickly, and augments gameplay with a deck of cards.  The world was shifting from a WWII warfighting mindset ot something much more recognizably “modern” and you can game it out on your table if you pop over to MMP and place a pre-order for the game.

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Hey, it’s still Friday somewhere…

This week is an all-tabletop-gaming week, even though they aren’t all games, per se.  Read on, friends!

VCS: Salerno, Multi-Man Publishing

Multi-Man Publishing is kicking out a new series of games called the Variable Combat System, and Salerno is the first title.  Amphibious assaults, coordinated actions across multiple maps, and alternate histories that include options for airborne assaults, and different commanders.  Awesome Eskubi artwork, revolutionary mechanics, what are you waiting for?  Head over to the pre-order page and plunk down your shekels.

Earthdawn RPG, FASA Corporation
$28,600 of $10,000 goal, Ends 12 February

The original ’90s-era Earthdawn was lavishly-illustrated and notoriously fiddly.  The reboot looks fan-freaking-tastic and promises to play just as good as it looks.  The risk setting was always the hallmark of Earthdawn, and the Kickstarter campaign includes all manner of add-ons, upgrades, and stretch goals that build out the world, from new adventures to location sourcebooks.  You can pick up poster art, hard- or soft-cover books, and, for a cool $1200, play an eight-player game with the creator by video chat.  Or, you could just check out the Kickstarter page and order a copy of the game. Continue reading →