Tag Archives: VPG
Thunder in the East: A First-time Player’s Perspective
Our guest author takes us to ConSimWorld Expo for a report on VPG’s upcoming east front mini-monster ~
Christian Snyder, 21 July 2018
I recently had the amazing opportunity to sit down with some good folks at ConsimWorld Expo’s Monster Conand play Frank Chadwick’s Thunder in the East for the first time; it was fantastic! Full disclosure: I am currently awaiting my Kickstarter copy of the game and had seen some Vassal play prior to arriving in Tempe, Arizona. Seeing the game on videos and reading the rulebook, however, are nothing compared to sitting down to play with the printer’s proof copy at the show. Since the game is not available, this is not a review, but a first impression focusing on what impressed me about seeing, playing, and meeting the development team for Frank Chadwick’s ETO Vol. I: Thunder in the East.
Frank Chadwick’s ETO Vol I: Thunder in the East! Nice maps, charts and counters!
Thunder in the East is a dynamic, action packed game covering the entire Eastern Front of World War 2 in six scenarios starting with the German Operation Barbarossa and ending with the Soviet Operation Bagration. You can do each scenario singularly or start a full campaign from these points with incredible systems for morale, seasonal activities, economy and unit reorganization. My experience consisted of three playthroughs of Operation Barbarossa using the optional and campaign game rules. For each of our playthroughs, we were typically unconcerned with capturing Moscow. However, to capture Moscow, along with Stalin, would have been a scenario automatic victory.
GrogHeads Reviews High Treason!
See you in court! ~
Jim Owczarski, 18 February 2017
Function before form!
My love of the Napoleonic era is high, wide, and deep, but I’ve always taken the age of empire to be my second true love, if such a thing can be countenanced. Much of my early study of the era came from Jan Morris’ Pax Britannica trilogy, particularly the first volume, Heaven’s Command. Far from an academic exercise, it’s an evocative series of sketches of the men and women who peopled the British empire, giving more weight, it has always seemed to me, to the interesting as opposed to the more objectively significant, although one can certainly be both.
The Tuesday Interview – Wargaming Luminary Alan Emrich
The man behind Victory Point Games, and much more, joins us for this week’s chat ~
Michael Eckenfels, 24 January 2017
What was the first wargame you taught to someone else?
I started with a subscription to S&T, and so taught NAPOLEON AT WATERLOO to my gaming buddies. One of their dad’s had a treasure trove of Avalon Hill games in the garage, and we played those all summer! That was… 1973, I think.
What was the first wargame you ever designed (even if it didn’t see the light of day)?
Really, I’m more of a developer than a designer. I did some very satisfying work on Cosmic Encounter (designing a lot of expansion material) “back in the day,” and have done so much development work on some games I have ended up their “co-designer,” but I’m a rare bird in our industry to is happy developing games for others.
GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #84
Give us a break… we’ve been watching football all day ~
Forgotten War, The Korean War ASL (MMP)
Preorder price $96
ASL goes to Korea… officially! Seriously, what else do you need to know. OK, how about what’s in the box? 7 countersheets and 4 maps, plus a bunch of rules additions. Now, the caveat – you need the ASL base rules to play, so in addition to your $96 here, you still need a bunch of other stuff to play. But hey, you can finally get off the Eastern front, or the beaches of Normandy, or wherever you’ve been treading water in your ASL games. Storm over to MMP’s site and place your pre-order and re-fight the first conventional battles of the Cold War.
GrogHeads Reviews A Blood Red Banner: The Alamo
By: Michael Eckenfels, 27 September 2014
The siege of the Alamo, a thirteen-day struggle from February 23 to March 6 of 1836, is probably one of the more well-known battles from history. Anglo, Hispanic, or a combination thereof, it’s difficult to have grown up near the shadow of the Alamo in San Antonio and not have heard of it, or imagine how the battle was fought. Originally constructed in the 18th century by the Spanish, the Alamo mission was very much a centerpiece of the budding town in central Texas, which eventually became San Antonio. While among Tejanos and Texians, the Alamo was a symbol of healing and faith, it soon became the focal point of Mexican military might and Texian independence, in more ways than one.
A Blood-Red Banner: The Alamo is a solitaire game from Victory Point Games that, in a very simple and straightforward manner, simulates this focal battle of Texas independence.
