Tag: Sci-Fi

10/17/15

GrogHeads (p)Reviews Rebel Galaxy

Rebel Galaxy is about to come in for landing, but until it does, we’re here to tide you over with a look-see from Cap’n and Mrs Darwin ~

Jim & Beck Snyder, 15 October 2015

Who are the Darwins?
Before we dive in and tell you about this game of interest, we should be kind enough to let you know who we are, what we do, how we game, and what gives us enough GrogCred™ to post a review on the Mythical Front Page™[1].  We’ll wait.

Back?  OK, good.  Technically, this is a preview of the near final code. Double Damage has been making updates and little tweaks as we have written this so some things may be different at release.

RebGax-Start Screen - More Demo Battles
Start Screen – More Demo Battles

What are We Reviewing?
Rebel Galaxy is a single player sci-fi spacefaring epic from Double Damage Games (a new development team from the cofounders of Torchlight’s Runic Games). From the Steam page, Rebel Galaxy is billed as

a swashbuckling space adventure, with action-packed combat, exploration, discovery, trade, and “negotiation” with the outlandish denizens at the edge of the known universe.

As the commander of an immensely powerful star destroyer, you’ll battle pirates, explore anomalies, befriend aliens, scavenge battle wreckage, mine asteroids, and discover artifacts. Choose your path as a roguish do-gooder, crafty space-trader or power-hungry privateer – or maybe a little of each! Buy larger and more powerful craft with your hard-earned credits, and outfit them with a variety of wicked weapons and defenses. Set in a galaxy of fantastic sights, and secrets to be found, Rebel Galaxy is above all a space epic of adventure, exploration, and combat.

The edge of the universe is a pretty dangerous place, so watch your back.

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10/8/15

Birth of the Federation, an AAR, Part 16

CHAPTER XVI: MAKING FRIENDS AND INFLUENCING ALIENS

BOTF-16-001

Well, I offered a Friendship Treaty to both the Edo and the Xindi. I didn’t expect the Xindi to offer me their own Friendship Treaty, which I accept heartily. I can now establish trade routes with them, and make even more money! Woo-hoo!

The Edo, unsurprisingly, rejected my Friendship Treaty. It’s going to take a little while before they’ll warm up. Usually, bribing a minor alien race is best done when you put about five turns between bribes, to ensure their effectiveness. So it’ll be about 20 turns or so before they warm up. Meanwhile, the bug-faces find themselves inundated by human trade ships, in something very akin to a California Gold Rush, or the Great Beanie Baby Scam of 1995.

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10/7/15

Tiny Epic Galaxies – First Look!

The Kickstarter sensation is starting to land on peoples’ tables.  What’s inside? ~

Brant Guillory, 7 October 2015

We first brought up Tiny Epic Galaxies in our GARPA column, where we noted how quickly they blew through their initial funding goals in 90 minutes, and hit six-figures within their first day.  Now that it’s arrived, here’s what finally shipped after all the stretch goals piled in.

TEG-1-Cover
The box. Standard size small Gamelyn box, but feels sturdier than the others like TEK.
TEG-2-Back
Nicely-illustrated back cover

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10/2/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #78

Oh so much GARPA goodness for you this week…

Brant Guillory, 2 October 2015

Bear’s Claw 1941 (GMT Games / Consim Press)
P550 – not there yet

What the world really needs – just needs! – is another East front wargame, huh? Well, it’s printed by GMT and designed by CP, so it’s going to be a solid, quality production. And unlike those massive drive-to-the-Urals-at-company-level monster games, these battles are bite-sized games of specific actions. Over-runs, morale, unknown Soviet unit strengths, and air support all contribute to a solid level of detail. The counters are a little busy, but still gorgeous, so don’t hesitate to march off to GMT’s pledge site and get on board.

C&CNapoleonicsbn1(RBM)

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09/18/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #77

Hey now, it’s been a few weeks, so we thought we’d throw another GARPA at you.  Plus, y’know, we had it on the schedule and all…

Brant Guillory, 18 September 2015

 

Mech Deck (Patrick Fahy)
$19k of $75k, ends 1 October 2015

These guys may have over-reached with the funding goal, but it’s because they’re committed to the quality of the manufacturing.  “Manufacturing what?” you ask.  Customizable, multi-component, build-your-own mech-walker-battle-droid-giant-fighting-thingees (trying to avoid inadvertently violating someone’s copyright here, work with me).  It’s a hex-and-minis skirmish game, but with mech figures that you can literally assemble on-the-fly to customize your arms, torso, legs, and “backpack” (back of torso) to make your own mech and then duke it out for bragging rights, or beer.   There’s some card-based randomizing as well as a geomorphic map.  Stomp over to the campaign page and fire off your pledge.

g77-mech

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