Below is Part 2 of 2 in Mark McLaughlin’s article titled, “Solitaire Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea”. To read Part 1 of the article, follow this link.
Pericles: Strategy in the Archidamian War
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For me having a new design enter the gaming fray is like XMAS where everyone else gets to open the present. I opened a new copy yesterday to check that it was packed correctly and I was struck by that new game smell. I love that smell… far superior to what I usually smell in the NYC subway. As I have done in the past, I thought it would be helpful to pen a short piece on strategy beyond what is already well covered in the game’s playbook (page 35). I would also like to reiterate at this point that I strongly urge you, even if you have been gaming like myself for over 40 years, to make use of the games training regime (14.01). It will only take about an hour and the War in the Aegean scenario is quite fun, short, and interesting history. If you follow this sequence, you will come to 14.01 F, where you take the training wheels off and play a two turn scenario that I consider the tournament scenario for this game.
Solitaire Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea (Part 1 of 2)
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Introduction by Game Developer Fred Schachter – Prior InsideGMT articles concerning Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea focused on the multi-player versions of the game… and there’s more to come as the game’s development continues. This particular article by Designer Mark McLaughlin provides the reader insights as to the game’s basic systems and the cards that add so much entertainment, excitement and fun to the game.
With this article, Mark shares one of the nifty solitaire versions he’s designed for the game. We hope you find this article of sufficient interest to incite a P-500 order for Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea if you’ve not yet done so.
It should also be noted that this article provides a “first peek” as to the game’s mechanics. Let Mark and I know if this provokes any question or request for clarification.
Why We Do What We Do in LHY: Mortars
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This is the fifth part of the series regarding “Why we do what we do in The Last Hundred Yards.” This article deals with the use and effects of Mortars.
A Look at Strategy & Tactics for the Germans in Combat Commander by GMT Games
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Today we present another excellent strategy article from our friends at The Player’s Aid, this one by Grant Kleinhenz. I encourage all of our readers to take a look at the outstanding content on their website, and particularly at several of their recent GMT-related articles:Â
- Review of Wing Leader: Supremacy
- Video AAR of Labyrinth
- Strategy Advice on Playing as the Jihadists in Labyrinth
- Video Review: No Retreat, the Russian Front
As always, we are thrilled to have the team from The Player’s Aid contributing their strategy insights about our games here in InsideGMT. Enjoy the article! Â – Gene
The Pendragon Chronicles – Vol. 7 – Control, Population and Prosperity
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Like all games in the COIN series, Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain represents the political and economic geography through a combination of parameters including who controls the space (Control) and how large its population is (Population). Unlike most previous games however, Pendragon does not complete this trio with Support/Opposition, as, over such a long period, the only comparable measure would have been adhesion to Romanitas versus “barbarian” values, and I highly doubt any Roman Dux or Saxon war leader ever saw the situation he had to deal with in terms of “not enough Roman” or “not enough pro-barbarian”. So this aspect is modeled through events and, indirectly, the Imperium Track, and Pendragon instead adds for each Region and City the concept of Prosperity, and represents it in a wholly new way, by placing small golden Prosperity cubes on the map!
Tank Tales #3: Advanced Command Pt. 1
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In our last post, we discussed the detailed Fire Action Resolution Procedure in Tank Duel: Enemy in the Crosshairs. While that example is typical of normal play, there are many different options available to Commanders who wish to outwit the enemy. In the next two articles, we will use a series of examples, each building on the last, to more fully explore the possibilities of a Tank Action, and see the consequences of our actions play out through the Administration Phase of the game.
Red Storm – Scenario Design and Testing
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In designing Red Storm: The Air War Over Central Germany, 1987, I wanted to provide a diverse mix of scenarios in terms of content, balance, and size. To give a sense of my design process, this article will share some insights into the scenario design and testing of “Breakthrough,†one of the larger scenarios in the game. “Breakthrough†features a new rule mechanic as well, so I wanted to put it through its paces to make sure the size and balance felt right, in addition to kicking the tires on the new rules.
An After Action Report for Mission: 3.0 Bump In The Road
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Overview: This was my first real playtest session of the LHY game system. I had experimented with Missions 1.0 and 2.0 but it wasn’t until I played Mission 3.0 that I started to see nuances within the game and how they could be put to use tactically. I will go over the strategies and details of Scenario 3.0 and then dive into some of the observations about the rules. So, here goes…
Colonial Twilight: Playing the Game Solitaire
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In previous Inside GMT articles, the designer Brian Train has written extensively on the various game play features of Colonial Twilight. In this article he asked me –the solitaire designer for Colonial Twilight– to talk about playing the game solitaire.