And you can register for Origins here, and pick up your event tickets – which you’ll want for the fabulous GrogHeads events that’ll be going on.
MagazinesAres Magazine (One Small Step)
$18,200 of $25,000, Ends 3 February 2014
Remember Ares Magazine? The guys over at One Small Step sure do, and they’re bringing it back. They’ve got a KickStarter project to, well, kickstart the printing and distributing of the new magazine. They promise to include a game in each issue, and the first issue is a War of the Worlds-inspired alien invasion of London. You can also pick up the fiction-only version of the magazine, if you’re interested in saving a few bucks and skipping the game. But hurry – time’s running out on the campaign, and they need some help to get over the final hump! Head over to KickStarter and get your pledge in now >>
The Hunters – 2d Printing (Consim Press and GMT)
278 Orders on p500 – Not there yet
This well-honored game from Consim Press – it ran away with two categories in our Readers Choice Awards – sold out the first printing rather quickly, and demand for a second printing has been building. Take command of a U-boat and patrol your way to glory through the dangerous waters of WWII. It’s a solitaire game, so you always have an opponent, and take its inspiration from the venerable B17 Queen of the Skies game for the feel of the game the designers were after. It’s on p500, and with a successful print run already under its belt, it’s unlikely to need 500 orders to make the cut, but it cold still use some nudging from y’all to move it along, so hit the p500 page and make your pledge today >>
Game On!
6 – 9 Feb, Seattle, WA
Feature the 2d Annual Lock’n’Load World con, too
•Monster Games – with the time and space you need to play them
•8th Annual NW ASL Championships
•Combat Commander Tourney
•OCS/SCS/TCS
•CDG’s and Euros
•Swap meet
•Or any other game you want to host
Williamsburg Muster
7 – 9 Feb, Williamsburg, VA
The Williamsburg Muster is an annual wargaming convention in Williamsburg, VA, hosted by the Hampton Roads Wargamers.
Our goal is to host a convention that is both family friendly and appealing to a wide variety of gamers. We primarily feature historical miniature wargames, but we also showcase a board-gaming room with many of the most popular titles currently on the market, as well as science-fiction based and role playing games. We want and encourage visitors, whether experienced gamers or first time visitors, to participate in as many games as possible. Check out our Primary Events List as we get closer to the convention dates for more details.
DundraCon
14-17 Feb, San Ramon, CA
Includes a West coast edition of the War College (with Dana Lombardy, among others) and a pretty robust event calendar.
OwlCon
21-23 February, Houston, TX
Pre-registration open, includes a variety of role-playing, tabletop, and minis games.
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
Authors: Brant Guillory and Jim Zabek
If this winter has taught us one thing here in LongBladia, it is that it can always get colder and snowier. The highs next week are forecast to be subzero Fahrenheit. Simply put, it would be wise to stay indoors, peruse some crowd-funded gaming projects, and sip hot cocoa. If you must go outside, make sure you run by your local game store and thank them for getting out in the cold to open their doors and sell you games. It’s the least you can do.
But, what we can do here at GrogHeads is share some of the recon we’ve conducted on upcoming projects. So grab your mouse and hot cocoa and get ready for some temptation!
Wise Bayonets by Acies Games
Available for Purchase
When a Napoleonic wargame is published in the Italian peninsula about a battle that took place on their soil, it’s worth a gander. Acies Games has published a number of games that range from ancient Rome to control for the island of Sardinia and beyond. To call these battles “obscure” is to deny our wargaming roots; we love this stuff! The chance to learn about the nuances of forgotten conflicts, to possibly change the course of history…this is the meat and potatoes of wargaming. And gamers seeking to refight the battle of Trebbia now have the opportunity to do so. No, it’s not crowd-funded, but it’s definitely worth checking out: http://www.aciesedizioni.it/trebbia-eng.htm
Fief – France 1429 by Academy Games
$47,524 pledged of $20,000 goal, ending February 11th
Academy Games is no stranger to porting foreign language games into English, polishing them, andreleasing them to the English-speaking wargaming wilds. Fief – France 1429 is an existing French language game of medieval “dynastic ambition.” Players take control of one of four families, with which they use to attempt to gain control of various villages on the map. Players must both cooperate and compete with each other through marriages and alliances. Events such as papal annulments, good and bad harvests all pop up to help keep things interesting. And having already met its successful threshold for fundraising, players can expect unlocks of stretch goals to continually improve this game. Check it out on Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/617871702/fief-france-1429
Gathering Storm by GMT Games
P500 not yet filled
What’s that you say? A World at War wasn’t big enough or long enough for your gaming tastes? Fear not, for Gathering Storm is here to fill the void. With Gathering Storm players can start the ramp-up to the Second World War as early as 1935. This prequel allows gamers to fiddle with the “what-ifs” leading up to the war, which can range from Doenitz successfully getting a significant investment in his submarine fleet to the French extending the Maginot Line, to the conflict breaking out in other parts of the world first, such as a French pre-emptive attack, or Germany going after Russia first. Crazy? Crazy like only a wargamer can be. This is the stuff we live for, and if you’re man enough to play A World at War you’re definitely going to want to get in on Gathering Storm’s action. Check it out here: http://www.gmtgames.com/p-467-gathering-storm.aspx