07/10/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #72

Hey, it’s still Friday somewhere.  Here’s GARPA, just a little late

Spearpoint 1943 Eastern Front Heavy Weapons Expansion (Collins Epic Wargames)
$1900 of $500, ends 17 July 2015

Bringing some new toys to the East Front action of the Spearpoint 1943, this expansion lets you add new vehicles, and even some bombers, to your deck before launching death and destruction toward your opponent.  We discussed the game in GrogCast 16, and if you didn’t listen – WHY NOT?!  One of the pledge levels nets you the base game with the expansion, and another also stages the other expansions for you, so you’ve really go no reason to avoid this game.  It’s fast, furious fun with a cinematic flair and a perfect lightweight wargame when you lack time for a big game, or lack opponents willing to take the plunge on something more hex-y.  Rumble over to the Kickstarter page and check out all the toys you get.

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06/21/15

GrogHeads Reviews Quartermaster General

Euro wargame?  Card-driven Diplomacy?  The first fun game of logistics?  Michael reveals all.

Review by Michael Eckenfels, 20 June 2015

Click images to enlarge

Quartermaster General is a board game focused on World War II. “Oh great,” you’re probably thinking, “another World War II board game.” The issue with thinking like that, though, is that you might think that for just about any game coming out about World War II, especially one named “Quartermaster General.” It’s not exactly a name that inspires fascination or even interest. For me, the title itself might be somewhat uninspired, but this is precisely why it caught my eye.

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The name alone indicates there’s much more to this game than what its title is letting on to. It sounds like it’s more a game about supply and logistics, which is not something that’s covered solely in any board game I’ve ever heard of (feel free, though, to correct me in the forum’s Feedback page for this review, as I’d love to learn more about them). To me, though, the idea of a game solely revolving around logistics sounds incomprehensibly boring, compared with pushing minis or cardboard counters about a map in a struggle for supremacy!

And that’s precisely what this game says it is about, though – supply. As a player in this game, you are one (or more) of six countries involved in the planet-engulfing conflict that was World War II, and the game’s system revolves around spreading your control via Armies and Navies and trying to keep intact lines of supply to keep them operating. The six countries are divided evenly between the Axis and Allies – Germany, Italy, and Japan on one side, and the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union on the other. The game is for two to six players, with players doubling up on countries if there’s less than six.

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06/12/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #70

After a hiatus, GARPA is back, and has some great new pre-orders for you to totally cave into your game lust with.

 

Urban Operations (Nuts! Publishing)
€59.00 preorder (MSRP €75.00)

The long-awaited modern urban warfare game from the artistic geniuses over in France, the guys at Nuts! have finally put Urban Operations up on preorder. A combination of blocks and cards, with over a dozen scenarios to keep you challenged, Urban Operations is looking to fill that modern tactical niche that ranges from Cold-War-goes-hot through the 90s world of “peacekeeping” up to today’s counter-terror operations. Why are you still reading? Go order it already.

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06/3/15

LNLP’s Dawn’s Early Light and Rommel at Gazala – First Look!

Brant Guillory, 3 June 2015

Lock’n’Load is pushing out reprints and new editions from their new digs in Colorado.  What’s in the new boxes?  Let’s take a look.

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First up, the new edition of Jim Werbaneth’s Rommel at Gazala, which got a significant graphic upgrade.

Inside the new Rommel at Gazala, with the box in the upper left of the photo.
Inside the new Rommel at Gazala, with the box in the upper left of the photo.

 

Player aid cards.
Rommel at Gazala – Player aid cards.

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05/8/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #69

The siren song of pre-orders, begging for your wallet to open up and dispense your hard-earned shekels within.

Fog & Friction (Pondfoot Games)
£2k of £14k, ends 31 May 2015

Another WWII card game?  Why not?!  Fog & Friction gets you into the battles of the Western front with a nifty two-battlefields-at-the-same-time mechanic that forces you to balance your efforts to keep your opponent guessing where the damage is coming from next.  The artwork is period-evocative, and because the designers are based in the UK, the Commonwealth are not given second-shrift by the over-abundance of Yanks running around the game like they saved the world by themselves.  Flip over to their campaign page and shoot off a few bucks.  Half of our forum crew are already backing them, so you’ll have plenty of folks to play and discuss with.

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