Sunday, May 31, 2015

The Sunday Miscellanea - Whiskey Dice, Blick Clearance, & Clip-on Doors

Over on Artisan Dice, have a look at the Full Polyhedral Set they make from "Jack Daniel’s Oak Whiskey Barrels" here.


Also, if you don't already swing by from time to time, bookmark the dickblick.com clearance section and keep an eye out for good deals on good products here.


Finally, check out the nifty way that Wyloch's Crafting Vids handles "Doors for Modular Tiles" in a recent video on their YouTube channel.



Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on MFWARS.com
not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Systems Saturday - Guildhall (2012)

Guildhall (2012) has been out for a few years now and I've played a handful of times.  It's a fine looking game and can move very quickly allowing two or four players to finish it in less than an hour.  There are six types of cards and each comes in five colors.  Collecting a type in each color allows you to bank that set and trade it (and possibly a second) for victory points and a bonus action.  You can also collect coins for victory points but that is slow-going and better used to supplement the VP cards.


From the description on Board Game Geek:
Progress! That's what these Dark Ages need, someone with a little get-up-and-go. You've been a serf in this one-pig town long enough, and it's time to shake things up. You've opened a guildhall for like-minded professionals from all over Europe to work together, build their trades, and get some economic stability.
Now if only everybody else didn't have the same idea...
Well, you'll just have to do it faster than those other guys! Gather professionals into chapters, and use their combined might to reach for victory. Collect complete color sets of professions (all five colors of Trader, for instance), which you use to buy victory points (VP). The first player to gain 20 VP on her turn wins.
In Guildhall, each profession grants you special abilities, and these abilities grow stronger the more of the set that you complete. When you cash in the set for victory points, however, you lose the ability until you can build it up again. Which professions are worth risking VP to keep?

Guildhall (2012) is a fun card game that moves quickly once you understand the mechanics.  The iconography might feel a bit confusing at first since there are some subtle differences in the symbols but that doesn't take too long to clear up and master.  I'd recommend at least three players and four is better with this game, as it can be quite cutthroat and spreading that joy among more players can ease the pain engendered.


A look under the hood of various Games, Rules and Systems.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Friday, May 29, 2015

Tabletopper Friday - Realm of Wonder, Dino Race, & XCOM: The Board Game

Over on the GMSMagazine YouTube channel, a new video features Paco Garcia-Jaen unboxing and taking a very close look at Realm of Wonder (2014).  Watch and learn.



Also, on TheBoardGameFamily YouTube channel, Caleb checks out Dino Race (2014).  Enjoy!



Finally, on the Board Game Geek TV YouTube channel, the GameNight gang plays XCOM: The Board Game.  It's the original four back and having fun.


Mostly about card games and board games,
unless they have a decidedly wargamey feel.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Nostalgia Thursday - Those Were the Wargaming Days

A bit of humorous one-upmanship transpired over the weekend in the Facebook Wargamers group when someone posted a pic and mentioned "The last Christopher R. Wagner Strategy & Tactics, 17 May-June 1969. Excellent artwork by Redmond A. Simonsen."


Naturally, someone else, not to be outdone, posted an image with the caption "Christopher Wagner – Founder Strategy & Tactics Magazine – Jan 1967, Issue Nr 1."


Finally, someone slipped in another and wistfully posted "Ah those were the days, we turned up wearing ties to play wargames and here is the proof Charles Grant (Snr) and his son Charles S Grant (Jnr)."


Focusing on the roots of current tabletop gaming
with an eye toward the last century and before.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Wargaming Wednesday - More from Huzzah! 2015

If you haven't caught them yet, or even if you have, check out the Facebook photo album showing off some wonderful wargaming from Huzzah! 2015 here.  They've added more pics and there is lots of inspiration for terrain and gaming to be had.


Also, as the reports roll in from Huzzah! 2015 from various quarters, one that caught my eye was the blog from historicalgamingguide.blogspot.com here.


Finally, on AJ's Wargaming Blog, check out his Huzzah! 2015 report and photos here.


A closer examination of board and miniatures Wargaming.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Terrain Tuesday - Vatican Enterprises, 3D-Print Spiral Stairs, & Inner Courtyard

Over on wargamescenics.com, check out the fantastic set pieces they have available for wargames and other tabletop games here.


Also, the ever-so-clever Kevin Rau has a nifty 3D-printed solution to adding some spiral stairs to "Open Forge, Dwarven Forge, Dungeonstone, and Hirst Arts" that takes up a 2" by 2" space here on Thingiverse.


Finally, from the EpicFantasy YouTube channel, Storm the Castle has uploaded a video showing the latest installment of the castle build featuring the Inner Courtyard.  Enjoy!



For purposes here, the term Terrain is used broadly
to cover 3D and 2D maps, foam, felt, and such.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Monday, May 25, 2015

Minis & Modeling Monday - Little Weirdoes, Adhesives, & Wargames Foundry

Over on littleweirdos.net, they have the most wonderful collection of Mini figures, monsters, and "weirdo toys, new and old" here.


Also, henkelna.com has instant solutions for your adhesive needs here.


Finally, have a look at wargamesfoundry.com, to see some of the most fantastic 28mm figures here.


A look at prepping and painting Miniatures,
crafting buildings and paper Models,
and other non-terrain stuff for the tabletop..
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Sunday, May 24, 2015

The Sunday Miscellanea - Counter Trays, Yard Dice, & Forge Welding

If you make your way over to GMT games here, you'll find that they have their counter trays back in stock for the time being.  Grab them quickly because they don't last long!


Also, over on Amazon, you can snag some Snake Eyes Yard Dice here.


Finally, Storm the Castle has a new video on their Epic Fantasy YouTube channel showing "blacksmithing - How to Forge Weld."  Watch and learn.



Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on MFWARS.com
not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Systems Saturday - 14 Winning Strategies, 1E Weapons v. Armor, & Designer Interviews

Over on washingtonpost.com, they share "The mathematically proven winning strategy for 14 of the most popular games" here.


Also, on the RPG.net forums, I uncovered a three year old thread that asks the question, "So, how does weapon to hit bonus by amour type work?" in regard to 1E AD&D here.


Finally, over on the Dice Tower YouTube channel, they shared a video with a "Q & A [Featuring] - Uwe Eickert / Eric M. Lang / Chris Cieslik."  Enjoy this for almost an hour and a half!



A look under the hood of various Games, Rules and Systems.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Friday, May 22, 2015

Tabletopper Friday - Argent, Sellswords, & Libertalia

Although the video came out at the start of their Kickstarter campaign over a year ago, now that it is available Argent: The Consortium (2015) is one I wanted to learn since some friends are looking to play soon.  Check out this demo from the designer on the David Talton YouTube channel.  Watch and learn.



Also, from Episode 33 of The Dragon's Table, earlier this month they taught us how to play Sellswords (2014).  Enjoy.



Finally, join Wil Wheaton on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel for is TableTop show while he is joined by Seth Green, Karen Gillan, and Clare Grant to play Libertalia (2012).  Great fun!


Mostly about card games and board games,
unless they have a decidedly wargamey feel.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Nostalgia Thursday - Outdoor Survival (1972), Springboard to RPGing

It was recommended that every person who purchased the original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set of booklets own a copy of Outdoor Survival (1972).  It's boardgame map was meant to be used as a de facto outdoor setting map until a GM could fashion his own campaign setting.  It worked well enough and the idea of the "hex crawl" where players moved their characters from hex to hex on a top-down map while a GM rolled for random encounters was virtually born from this map used with (O)D&D.


Not long ago, a gamer-friend and myself broke out the old (O)D&D rules and my Outdoor Survival map to kill a short afternoon.  We rolled up a dozen low-level characters and controlled two each as we began to haphazardly explore the map.  I had not gamed this way since 1974 when first playing, as my first-ever GM at that time was quick to put together a setting, as was I for when we switched off who ran the game.  It was every bit as brutal as I remembered it.  Granted, we mostly tried to evade and get closer to civilized areas but even then we burned through our pregens faster than a Magic-User uses up spells and potions.  Mind you we were not giving ourselves much leeway, since we were GMing ourselves, essentially.  As I recall, when we first played way back in the day we were fairly tough on one another as well.  A player would go through a lot of characters before one managed to survive to get a foothold in a campaign world.  Yeah, I know: walking to school, snow, uphill both ways, etc.  It was certainly a different game than most I see played nowadays.


I mean that when I say, "a different game."  Too often I hear or read people suggesting that something is a matter of "playstyle."  I'm not sure how this word gained traction but it often gets used to describe not just different ways of playing with a particular set of rules but rather which additions to the game are being used.  A "Sandbox" game, for instance, is essentially what is described above with the possible addition of some nouns (people, places, and things) fleshed out in advance by a GM without regard to where the player character might decide to go.  If something is hidden, they might not find it even if they are looking.  A campaign setting wasn't static, mind you.  It just existed, in theory, whether the PCs were there or not.  If the PCs interacted with some portion of a campaign setting, that portion reacted and consequences were handled by the GM, and described to the player within the scope of their knowledge and senses.  How far a ripple depending on the size of the impact and the weight of the consequences.  This was the essence of how a roleplaying game worked.


In a follow up post, I will discuss the addition of game elements that altered the game in how it was played and how the game itself fundamentally altered based on those additions.  I'll also look more closely at a better example of "styles of play" within a roelplaying game.  In the meantime, think of it this way.  Below is a video of how to play Outdoor Survival (1972).  If I use the boardgame map to play (O)D&D that's not me exhibiting a different playstyle.  I'm playing a whole different game.


Focusing on the roots of current tabletop gaming
with an eye toward the last century and before.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Wargaming Wednesday - A Successful Huzzah! 2015

Just this last weekend in South Portland, ME, a great many gamers went to experience Huzzah! an Historical Wargaming convention for New England.  Too far for me to make it this year but it is certainly on the must-attend list for someday in the future and a must-see by way of pictures already.  I keep up with the Barbarians Facebook group and Mike Paine is kind enough to Share information and photos from the festivities.  Here are a few examples below though I would urge everyone to check out more of them in the "public" album here and Like the Huzzah! FB page if you are a wargamer, love terrain and beautiful tabletop setups, or are simply curious to see reports from other members with links to their own albums.




A closer examination of board and miniatures Wargaming.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Terrain Tuesday - Fae Stones, Cork Rocks, & Putty Reviews

Over on The Lost and The Damned under "Miniatures" in the "Fantasy Painting and Modeling" section, check out the work Mortis has done on Fae Stones here.


Also, the Terrain Tutor has uploaded a video on his YouTube channel showing "How to make cork bark rock faces for your wargaming scenery."  Very cool!



Finally, late last year and early this year, on the Terranscapes YouTube channel, a couple of videos take a closer look at "Milliput, GreenStuff, & Procreate" sculpting putties.  Watch and learn.




For purposes here, the term Terrain is used broadly
to cover 3D and 2D maps, foam, felt, and such.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Minis & Modeling Monday - Fossils, Pennants, & The Spanish Inquisition

Over on prehistoricstore.com, check out some of the cool things you can repurpose for your tabletop games here.


Also, on capitangames.com, they have some "Downloable Flags & Pennants" here.


You probably didn't expect me to post about what can be found on victoriaminiatures.highwire.com here.


A look at prepping and painting Miniatures,
crafting buildings and paper Models,
and other non-terrain stuff for the tabletop..
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Sunday, May 17, 2015

The Sunday Miscellanea - Firefly Playing Cards, LEGO D&D Mosaic, & LEGO Millennium Falcon

Over on qmxonline.com, you can pick yourself a handy little deck of "Firefly Playing Cards" here.


Also, from technabob.com, where they tell us that a "Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Mosaic is Epic" here.


Finally, on kotaku.com, they reveal "It Took 10,000 LEGO Bricks To Build The Millennium Falcon's Interior" with photos here, and there are even more pics on flickr here.


Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on MFWARS.com
not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Systems Saturday - Star Wars: Armada (2015)

Star Wars: Armada (2015) has a lot going for it. I had the chance, about a week ago, to sit in on a demo game at my local game store, Lake Geneva games. My friend Wayne was running it and he will run a tournament for it in a couple weeks. In the demo, our factions were made up of about 200 points. They will be twice that in the tournament.


The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:
Massive Star Destroyers fly to battle against Rebel corvettes and frigates. Banks of turbolasers unleash torrential volleys of fire against squadrons of X-wing and TIEs. Engineering teams race to route additional power to failing shields. Laser blasts and explosions flare across the battlefield. Even a single ship can change the tide of battle.
In Star Wars: Armada, you assume the role of fleet admiral, serving with either the Imperial Navy or Rebel Alliance. You assemble your fleet and engage the enemy. Using the game’s unique maneuver tool, you steer your capital ships across the battlefield, even while squadrons of starfighters buzz around them. Then, as these ships exchange fire, it’s your job to issue the tactical commands that will decide the course of battle and, perhaps, the fate of the galaxy.
Maneuver Tool 
The maneuver tool is one of the game’s most innovative features and adds a unique feel to the way your capital ships must accommodate for inertia as they maneuver through the stars.
It consists of a number of segments linked with hinges, which is used to plot the ship's course. More nimble ships are allowed to turn the ship further at each hinge.
Command Stack 
Armada balances the awesome scale of the Star Wars galaxy’s ships and space warfare with intuitive ship designs and accessible rules for issuing commands and resolving combat that make for rich, engaging, and highly tactical play experiences.
Capital ships are extremely powerful war machines, but they’re also massive and sophisticated vessels that can’t swiftly react to every development in the heat of battle. Accordingly, the key to flying these vessels effectively is learning how to plan ahead. You want to issue your commands in such a way that your crews will be ready to execute them at just the right times.
Each of your pre-painted capital ships has a command value, which determines how many commands it will have in its stack at any given point in time. During setup, you secretly build your initial command stack, selecting from any of four different commands, each of which provides a different advantage. Once you have locked your selections, you place the commands in your stack in the order of your choice. Then, during each round of game play, you secretly select and assign a new command to your ship, placing it at the bottom of your command stack, before you reveal the command at the top of your stack and gain its benefits.


If you care to watch a demo of this game on video, the Gamers on Games YouTube channel has one where they take 180 pt fleets for Star Wars Armada (2015).  Make it so!  Wait.  What?



A look under the hood of various Games, Rules and Systems.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Friday, May 15, 2015

Tabletopper Friday - Twixt, Evolution, & Dread (Part 2)

Over on the100gamesproject.com, the first game being played and reviewed is Twixt by Alex Randolph published in 1962.  Learn more here.


Also, on the Board Game Geek YouTube channel, the GameNight gang tackle Evolution (2104).  Fun!



Finally, from the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel, Wil Wheaton is joined by Laura Bailey, Molly Lewis, and Ivan Van Norman to play Dread (2010) (Part 2).  Enjoy!


Mostly about card games and board games,
unless they have a decidedly wargamey feel.
Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!