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gaming
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Monday, October 31, 2005
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Rick is Back!
Rick Thornquist, famed game reporter who just left GameWire, is starting his own site. Read more here.
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6:32 AM :: link ::
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Monday, October 24, 2005
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Pure Fun - Hex by Hex
It has been WAY too long since I've posted some meaty content here. I'd rather be playing games than writing about them, but it's still been way too long.
My latest game crazes have centered around three things - war, expansions, and hexes.
 In March I dove headlong into the HeroScape craze. There was a Toys R Us bogo (buy one, get one free) deal and I purchased Heroscape on the buzz alone. I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about. I got it home and started assembling some warfields and got hooked. It's like Legos and action figures with a simple but expandable ruleset. For those who know the reference, I call this wargaming lite. Or maybe Diet Wargaming sounds better?
The game can be played with a predetermined scenario that comes with the Master Set or some of the bigger expansions. But you can also just set the board up in a neat configuration, pick armies and go at it. This is normally what I do. I just do a stream-of-consciousness setup and go with pre-set teams. I let my opponent choose the team and starting position and we play until one team is eliminated.
Another great thing about this game is that there are many game types with different objectives for each. For example, one scenario is a capture-the-flag variant. Another is area control. You could also create your own style of game.
The icing on this cake is really the miniature figures (called 'minis' in the hobby). First of all, they are prepainted - which is a prerequisite for me. If I'm going to spend time detailing, the object of the project needs to be my Chrysler. Secondly, the figures are really well sculpted in their detail and poses, as you can see above.
I also have to say that Hasbro has done a good job of keeping interest high for HeroScape. Every few months since it was released last summer, there has been a wave of expansion packs. I am both proud and ashamed to say that I have one of each. They're just too stinkin' cool!
HeroScape is best played with two, but works also up to four if you have two master sets. The game can last between 60 and 180 minutes, depending on team size. The Master Sets go for about $40 and the expansions run from $10 to $20. This is a rough overview of the game. For more details, see the BoardGameGeek entry for HeroScape. Also check out the best fan site for the game: HeroScape Headquarters
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Almost a year and a half ago, I preordered a game called Memoir '44. Like HeroScape, it is also a light wargame. One of the main differences is that there's a bit more structure to it. You can use one of the many scenarios found in the rulebooks or online. All of the official scenarios are based on actual WWII battles. Additionally, movement and battle are restricted to a hand of cards that you have at your disposal.
 Recently I purchased the Eastern Front and Terrain Pack expansions as well as a new board for winter expanse/desert battlefield. These expansions give some variety to the game and allow for scenarios in Russia and Africa.
Also included (in Eastern Front) is a set of Russian infantry, artillery, and armor (tanks). One thing that I noticed was that the quality of plastic used in this expansion is a cut above the original. Especially pleasing is the fact that the artillery are solid, unlike the flimsy artillery offered in the base game (one of the few complaints I have).
I've only played a few games with the new expansion, but I like some of the new features such as minefields, artillery sighting, and combat engineers.
Memoir '44 is easily in my top three favorite games of all time, even without these expansions.
Memoir '44 is best played with two, but can be played with up to eight if you have two sets and download the Overlord rules. A 2-player game can last between 45 and 90 minutes. The base game retails at $50 and the expansions cost $25 for Eastern Front and Terrain Pack, $10 for the extra board. This is a rough overview of the game. For more details, see the BoardGameGeek entry for Memoir '44. Also check out the official site for the game: Memoir '44 Website
Read my initial review here.
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4:27 AM :: link ::
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Thursday, October 20, 2005
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Wire Down?
I just saw a notice on my Gaming RSS feed that the GameWire may be no more. Rick Thornquist has been posting very detailed gaming news on the Gamefest site for a couple of years now. It would be a shame to lose him as our gaming reporter. But it seems that he might be heading in another direction.
Story
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12:48 PM :: link ::
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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
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Gamey Dream
The night before last I had a dream where I went on a ski trip. Most of the dream is fuzzy, but aren't all dreams that way? Anyhow, we were all ready to go when I realized I was missing something. I asked the group to wait while I went inside to what was apparently an oversized Matchbox garage-style house (or apartment?) complete with elevator to get it. I went inside and got two games - Memoir '44 and Medici. What can I say? Have games, will travel I guess.
The weirdest part of the dream was that I remember actually putting thought into what games would be appropriate. I thought that if there was only one other guy interested in playing, Memoir would be great. Then if 3 to 6 of us wanted to play, Medici would work and it's simple to teach.
How much of a geek does that make me? :)
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3:28 AM :: link ::
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Monday, October 17, 2005
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Gamer's Testimony
This is a neat story about how one guy got into modern-day board games:
Sean's Story
I almost never played board games growing up - we just didn't have any. I had a chess and checkers set, but no one would play with me after I got a rep for beating them (and I'm not even very good). The Game of Life was also around, but mostly my brother and I played with the little car and people tokens rather than try to play the game proper. At some point (maybe around age 13) I got Monopoly and ended up playing it for almost an entire summer with a cousin (seriously long games - often, I think, due to mis-reading the rules). After that summer, board games died out for me until just last week when I suddenly decided out of the blue to buy some old games I remembered hearing about but never getting to play as a kid. I drove to the store and bought Stratego. I played it for the first time with my fiancee and we had a blast! I wanted more...
The next day (this past saturday), my fiancee and I were out with my parents and brother eating and I was talking about how fun the game had been and how it was cool to play a board game again. As we were all driving back to my parents' place, we pulled into a store and I ran inside to buy Risk because it was pretty much the only other game I knew much of anything about. We got home and my mom, brother, fiancee, and myself played for around 3 hours! That was a shocker! We were up until 1am when my mom normally goes to sleep around 10:30! Must.. play... more!
This Monday I started browsing the net for information about board games in general. Their history, variety, etc. I wasn't even aware there was this whole culture of board games out there until I ran across this site (BoardGameGeek). The existence of the large euro/german market totally surprised me. I had become so used to the dozen or so variants of the same old classics on the shelves at Target that I never paid them much mind. I discovered Settlers of Catan and became instantly enamored by the described game play and ordered it from Amazon. It just arrived yesterday and I'm hoping to get to play it for the first time tonight. I can't wait!
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I know the feeling, Sean. Welcome to the hobby!
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10:46 AM :: link ::
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