Reblogged from STALKER7:

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Tonight was to be the first mission in a linked series.

A small detachment of Vityaz MVD troopers was on a routine sweep near the south west edge of the Zelyony Forest. At mid day, they caught the feeble, static-washed signal of a distress call claiming to be from the survivors of a scientific research team trapped in the abandoned URAN base seven kilometers away.

Read more… 153 more words

Reblogged from STALKER7:

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stay out of the scary, abandoned research facility!

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I can’t find much more information on this yet other than what was in last month’s Game Trade Magazine:

‘The Ships: Armada Invincible’
First Naval Combat Game to Use ‘Art of Tactic’ System
Published: 02/11/2013, Last Updated: 02/12/2013 03:39am
Russia’s leading game manufacturer, the Zvezda Company has announced the upcoming release of The Ships: Invincible Armada, the first naval combat game to use the Origins Award-nominated “Art of Tactic” game system devised by Konstantin Krivlenko for simulated military encounters. The Ships starter set plunges players back to the 16th and 17th Centuries. Each competitor becomes the captain of one or two sailing warships, English or Spanish.

At the beginning of each turn the captains write out their orders on special laminated cards. The captains have to be mindful of wind direction, the depth of the water, and the condition of their ship. They also have to anticipate the movements of their foes. Once all the orders have been written, they are revealed and resolved at the same time. The battle continues until one side is victorious, either by the destruction of its enemy or the completion of its goal.

The battles are presented on a modular game board. The game comes with 9 double-sided boards with the sea on one side and coastline on the other. Also included are a number of scenarios that gradually increase the complexity of the action by allowing captains to load their cannons with different forms of shot and issue more complex orders as they become more familiar with the game. Future expansions will add new ships, new scenarios, coastal fortifications, and landing actions.

I have started a Tumblr page.  Mostly images that I have already shown on this Blog in slideshows but I am posting them randomly with my comments. 

Just something for those who Tumble.

Me and my 21 year old son made a 12:00 a.m. viewing of the The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey.  What initially surprised me was how full the parking lot and the theater was.  Here in Michigan you don’t usually associate the blue collar community with Lord of the Rings but not only was the theater full but there were several people in costumes of hobbits, elves and wizards.

I had heard a lot of controversy about the new 48 fps (frames per second) speed of the film and how it detracted from its reality so I initially asked to see it in normal 3D but the regular 3D theater was sold out.  I was intending to see it in all three formats anyway (3D, regular and 48 fps) so I went ahead and did the 48 fps first.

First of all, most of what I heard about the fps was true.  It does detract from reality especially with the fight scenes where you can literally see the blows missing.  There are also things like rain and fire in CGI that are clearly not touching characters or burning items that are on fire.  That’s the downside, the upside however is the clarity and the realism of the scenes are so vivid and so stark that my son commented “it’s like we are on set as they are filming”.  As for me at times I literally felt like I was standing in the shire or walking through Erebor – literally.  Clearly the 48 fps technology has a way to go but based on my first experience with The Hobbit I will certainly experience it again whenever I get the chance.

Another new technology for the franchise was the 3D.  And while I initially feared using 3D on a world like Middle Earth would make it feel more like Narnia than the real world, this did not turn out to be true.  Not only is the 3D passive in most of the movie but the few times it does extend out into your seat are really effective and thrilling.

Finally, as for the movie, without spoiling any of the plot or how Peter Jackson put the story together, I totally enjoyed the movie.  Like its predecessors once it began in earnest the pace was fast and action packed, the acting was genuine and spot on and the movie just felt “grand” or “epic”.  Having seen some initial trailers I had large reservations about the dwarves and even Martin Freeman as Bilbo but halfway through the film all of them had endeared themselves to me as genuine occupants of Middle Earth.  Freeman in particular does an excellent job of portraying Bilbo with heart in a very understated way.

The other stand out actors are Sir Ian McKellen of course as Gandalf again and Richard Armitage as Thorin.

Start Rating:  8.9/10

Recommendation:  GO!

World War II – Blitzkrieg.

This is an expansion to Operation Barbarossa 1941 by Zvesda.  But this introduces the British which I have really been anxious to see.  The models for the base game are really nice even if the poses are a bit odd so getting the British would really be nice.  Also since you can add pieces like planes and tanks for this system for as little as $4.00 I am looking forward to being able to field some real nice British units.

Assassin’s Creed – Heroclix.

This game is mentioned solely because I have been wanting a good miniature of Ezio for some time and hopefully out of of all the bad sculpts this game is bound to have there will be one worth rebasing as Ezio!

Axis & Allies Europe 1940 and Axis & Allies Pacific 1940

Anyone that even remotely follows the Axis and Allies series knows these two games have been going for over $200 a piece for some time now.  So when I saw the latest Game Trade listing a reprint for both of these they moved very quickly up my want list.  Then when I saw the list price of $90.00 – the settled further down the list just as quickly.  Hopefully though the reprint will either bring down the price of the originals or eventually sell for less online once the initial demand is sated!

Warhammer 40K Dark Vengeance

Seeing as how I have not played Warhammer anything in many years and have never played Warhammer 40k this almost missed by radar.  But when putting together my first list I came across it and was intrigued.  What really has me interested in this is that it appears to contain all Space Marines (admittedly one side is chaos marines) which are not that hard to proxy into other sci-fi games.  Being plastic you could even cut or file off all the skulls and such.  Problem is it appears to be retailing for about $137 per box which for GW is a new high for a “starter set”!  Though if GW stuff holds true to form the box will probably sell for twice that in a year or so.

No. 10 – Dystopian Legions

I will probably not buy this game but I have always liked Pulp games.  Usually I like to play in them rather than game the period but this is one of the first attempts to really do this genre in the way other miniature games are done so that alone has me intrigued.  There are also some good individual miniatures that I could see using in some American west games like this FSA (Federated States of America) Buffalo Hunter:

No. 9 – Infinity by Corvus Belli

This game is not new but with the recent announcement of new releases at GenCon this game cannot be ignored any longer.  I already have individual miniatures from all the collections and for pure art in a miniature these are hands down the best on the market period – there is none better!  Sadly the game itself is a near future high tech warfare game that I have never played.  Even my near future stuff I like to look more like WW2 or Navy Seals modern ops stuff.  Nonetheless most of the miniatures with a little conversion work can be proxied into any existing game including some fantasy and medieval games (i.e. convert guns to crossbows).
No. 8 – STAR WARS – X-WING

I am not a big Star Wars fan but my favorite part of the movies is the ships so this game interests me.  I have played it once and it was very intuitive to play and still retained a lot of theme.  If I get it I will probably proxy the ships and game into my own sci-fi games and use it to play out ship to ship to combat.  This game also just has a lot of glitz and visual appeal.  This game is out now.

No. 7 – Dust Warfare – IS48 Super Heavy Tank

This game began as a board game that I demoed at GenCon.  I was not really impressed with the board game as it was very simple and did not offer very many tactical options.  Since that time FFG has published wargame rules for this game called Dust Warfare and more importantly it has started releasing a fantastic range of vehicles including super heavy tanks.  I have already picked up the Allied Super Heavy Walker and will definitely get this IS48 Super Heavy Tank.  I also have the rule book for Dust Warfare which I have not looked at yet.  For now, I have no interest in the infantry figures so most of these vehicles will probably be drafted into some of my near future WW2 games.  I picked up some old Mongoose Battlefield Evolution figures at GenCon and these would fit real well with those.

No.  6 – Freeblades!

I did a post on this game after Origins.  I had a chance to demo it at GenCon and I really liked the combat system.  This game just has an old school, pure middle ages fantasy game that I grew up with.  Right now I am just collecting what I can of the miniatures as the release schedule for this game is somewhat slow.  DGS games just did a Kickstarter which was not all that successfull ($6,000 raised of $5,000 goal).  Hopefully they will learn from that and try again with a better offering to really get some momentum.  For now these will fill in my own games with me using the combat system and miniatures to represent some skirmishes.  The rest of the game world and fluff will have to wait until more of the range is available.

No. 5 – Fireforge Miniatures

I have frantically been trying to get my hands on a box of these since I first saw them online.  Unfortunately very few US Distributors actually carry this product and with the European VAT and shipping I am willing to wait until I can find someone locally.  Right now this appears to just be miniatures with the Teutonic Knights, Crusader Knights and Mounted Sergeants out.  I am unaware of any game rules that these are specifically designed for which may explain why they are not carried by more s US stores.  Still this is high on my list of products to get around to purchasing.

No. 4 SAGA

This is the most popular game that no one has ever heard of.  I even went to GenCon 2012 and couldn’t find a copy anywhere in the exhibit hall.  Saga has been out about a year now and combines miniatures with special dice and a special reference board to really give its factions unique abilities and qualities.  Everyone I know that has played it has really enjoyed it and I had a chance earlier in the year to demo it at a local convention but didn’t know enough about it at the time to sign up; something I now regret as I cannot even find a demo taking place anywhere.

No. 3. – Bolt Action WW2!!

Now I have been wanting to get into WW2 for the better part of a half decade.  In fact at most conventions I usually play WW2 games.  The draw back has plain and simply not been wanting to get into a new army with the costs and painting.  However, when Warlord Games started putting out its plastic WW2 stuff and then announced they were putting together a set of wargame rules by Alessio Cavatore and Rick Priestly I had to make the jump.

What has really got me buying into this game is the range of miniatures is not just limited to infantry but Warlord games is putting out a rare selection of heavy weapon and support plastic models like AT guns, flak guns, mg teams and jeeps and halftracks.

No. 2 Flames of War – Open Fire!

Flames of War has gone plastic and WW2 miniature gaming will never be the same.  Everyone of us grew up with the 40mm plastic green army men and fought countless battles on our living room floors.  Well these miniatures are more like 20mm and these battles are meant to be fought on the tabletop.  But having got a first hand look at these sprues at GenCon I am all in.  I have known Flames of War players for a while and they all boast huge metal armies composed almost to the man to actual fighting units or elements.  The downside was that was about $500 worth of investment.  Now with the plastics and box sets like Open Fire you can get a complete battalion or company for less than half that and the entry door to casual WW2 gamers like myself has been opened.

I have even picked up the starter Achtung set at GenCon just to get some extra tanks for the $20 deal they were running

But having seen the infantry sprues up close I can tell you there is nothing like this in this scale for WW2 right now and they are beautiful!!

This is the one game that may actually move me from being a 95% solo gamer to a 80% solo gamer!

No. 1 – Megalith Godslayer Game!

Now unless you follow this blog regularly you have probably never heard of Godslayer.  But it is a new game from a French company called Megalith games.  It is high fantasy and faction based and the miniatures are some of the best since I’ve seen a quite a while for a complete game.

The factions have some historical basis to them so they have the potential to be used as proxy in a lot of existing historical and fantasy games.  The quickstart rules are available at the website at a free download and if you order before October you can get a 10% discount direct from Megalith!

Well that is the list and its a lot of good stuff!  I will keep you posted as I add one or more of these to my collection!

I had a chance to play X-Wing by Fantasy Flight games and Star Trek Fleet Captains by Wizkids this weekend.  While I did not play solo I did have a chance to learn the game mechanics and give my opinion on solo playability.
STAR WARS X-WING MINIATURES GAME

X-Wing is a miniature game of starship combat in the Star Wars universe pitting the Rebels against the Empire.  In X-Wing players select ships and pilots (using card overlays on the ships base) and then fight to eliminate the oppossing Rebel/Empire player.  The game is amazingly straight forward although the rules do have some clarifications issues.

Basically gameplay consists of plotting movement using a dial with images of moves such as turns or banks.  Once plotted movement is resolved from least experienced pilot to most experienced.  After movement actions are selected.  Actions allow you to prep for combat and include focus, evade or targeting.

Combat occurs next starting from most experienced pilot to least.  Attacks are made by rolling dice and obtaining hit symbols.  The defender rolls dice and tries to obtain evade symbols.  If more attacks than evades are made the attack hits.

Then you start over.

Solo Playability:  [ 7 ].  I would give this game a 7 out of 10 in solo playability because the turn order and attacks are so straightforward one person can easily handle several ships per side (i.e. five or six).  This to me separates it from games like Wings of War and Check Your Six where the card decks for each ship really limited you solo to controlling one or two at most.  With the dials in this game you can set the moves for five or six ships very quickly.  And the BEST part – no two dials are alike.  So depending on your ship the maneuvers available to it will differ on its dial.  So basically its uniqueness is built in for you.

The game loses playability points because actually moving involves plotting and then placing a movement band on the table and moving the ship to the new position.  While this is easy enough, it is also the key to combat and lining up attacks in your attack arc.  Guessing where you opponent will be at the end of all the movement is what makes the game challenging.  Obviously playing both sides you would know where you just plotted the movement for the other ships.  You could probably come up with a way to work around this but how much it takes from the game will depend on how serious you take the combat.

STAR TREK FLEET CAPTAINS

Star Fleet Captains is a board game where players play Fleet Captains in the Star Trek universe.  The consists of selecting ships and specialized command decks and then drawing missions to complete.  The first player to earn 10 VPs from completing missions wins.

Missions consist of various actions such as scanning, exploring, surveying, attacking, destroying, etc.  so each Fleet will be better equipped to fulfill certain types of missions than others.

Each Captain gets three ships chosen at random and turns consist of moving or scanning, performing an action or using an ability.  There are A LOT of tokens and cards in the game for keeping track of all that is happening but depending on the missions and the encounters you get one player can win fairly quickly.  In our game the Federation player earned his ten VPs in about an hour doing mostly exploring and surveying (scanning).

I was Klingon and needed to get into combat with the Federation player to really start earning VPs but by time I reached his side of space the game was over.

Solo Playability [ 8 ].  Despite all the bits and all the cards and all the tokens and all the missions and all the ships and all the encounters this game really can be played solo quite easily.  In fact if you aren’t concerned with combat you can play with just one Fleet on the map and try to complete the missions to reach a certain level of VPs.  Although that wouldn’t be as much as the only thing to really hinder you other than time would be the built in hazards in the encounters.  Instead, simply taking one side like the Klingons and selecting three straightforward combat missions for them (i.e. destroy enemy Starbase, inflict 2 damage on Size 4 ship) you can play them fairly straight up with a solo rule that they must attack whenever they can and as soon as they can.   You won’t get to do any of the cool exploration stuff with that side though but still I give this a solid 8 out of 10 in solo playability.

The last three images are not from Fantasy Flight but are D&D figures to be produced by another company (don’t recall the name at the moment).

Pictured are the upcoming Dust Warfare releases – which look really impressive:

Shortly after the convention I took the plunge and bought the armored assault walker.  I am thinking of using it in my bolt action games as an advanced german tank that the allies are trying to capture!