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People Power Development Update

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The People Power Development Team has been working on a revamp of People Power after testing revealed some gaps in the narrative that we wanted the game to tell. People Power is focused on the period between the end of Martial Law in the Philippines and the flight of the Marcos family in February 1986. This roughly 5 year period was marked with both violence and protest, and ended in the dramatic events of the People Power/EDSA Revolution in February 1986. Here’s a summary of the changes we’ve made:

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Inside SpaceCorp: Ventures — Stellar Security HQ

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John Butterfield has been hard at work on SpaceCorp: Ventures, the first expansion to his hit space-exploration game SpaceCorp. Developer Jason Carr is here to share the final of four sneak-peeks at what comes in the Ventures box. This week’s Corporation is Stellar Security, providing best-in-class security operations… for a price.

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Imperial Struggle Strategy Analysis: Initial Game Setup

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While I deem it too early to provide a definitive review or a solid strategy guide for Imperial Struggle, some aspects can definitely be analyzed. One of them is of course the initial set-up of the game, which is specific to each nation and provides different opportunities. What follows is analysis of the major game dimensions with a brief summary of each. A more detailed article – what to do with those opportunities – will follow once I play more games of this fantastic title.

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Inside SpaceCorp: Ventures — Humanistics HQ

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John Butterfield has been hard at work on SpaceCorp: Ventures, the first expansion to his hit space-exploration game SpaceCorp. Developer Jason Carr is here to share the third of four sneak-peeks at what comes in the Ventures box. This week’s Corporation is Humanistics, which is known for their iron-clad stance against any form of genetic manipulation.

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Combat Commander: Europe Scenario 11 Narrated AAR

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Background, Notes, and Setup Information:

For those who have not played Scenario 11 of Combat Commander: Europe or need a refresher on the backstory, it is set in France, in July of 1944. A few beleaguered American troops from the 743rd Tank Battalion are supposed to hold a captured German hilltop position until help can arrive. They have the assistance of an immobilized M4 tank, but at dawn the reinforcements have not showed up and the Germans launch a counter attack.

The Americans set up with the “M4 tank” in I4, 4 hexes straight north of the I8 objective on the other side of the woods. Sgt. White and an Elite squad set up in I8 with a foxhole, while a Line squad with a panzerfaust takes the foxhole in J7 below them. The remaining Line squad and panzerfaust are one hex farther north, in the woods of J6.

The Germans place an SS squad with an LMG in O9 behind the hedge. Sgt. Ganz starts in O8 just behind the building with an SS squad and LMG. Lt. Lauerbach, a weapon crew with the HMG, and one SS squad take position in O6, and the remaining SS squad takes O5.

I decided before playing the scenario to narrate it through White’s perspective. The action is short and brutal, as a lot of Time triggers brought about the end of the game on the 10th turn. The narrative is in the typeface you are currently reading,

while explanation in game terminology of foregoing or intermediate events will be shown in type like this, with foregoing events usually explained in past tense and intermediate ones in present tense.

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Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul, A Crossover Game

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If you are looking for a game to teach your child or to introduce somebody to the hobby, I think Caesar: Rome vs Gaul would be a good choice.

There is no hexagonal grid, few pieces, and the rules are easy to learn. Your opponent will be impressed by the game board, the illustrations on the playing cards, and the amount of history packed into a game that takes about 3 hours to play.

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Inside SpaceCorp: Ventures — Next Generation HQ

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John Butterfield has been hard at work on SpaceCorp: Ventures, the first expansion to his hit space-exploration game SpaceCorp. Developer Jason Carr is here to share the second of four sneak-peeks at what comes in the Ventures box. This week, he looks at a Corporation pushing the boundaries of human evolution: Next Generation.

Last week we looked at the most basic of the 14 unique HQ boards included in SpaceCorp: Ventures. This week, we are looking at a much more complex Corporation; while SpaceCorp stuck to the usual paths to victory, Next Generation goes off the rails.

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Inside SpaceCorp: Ventures — SpaceCorp HQ

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John Butterfield has been hard at work on SpaceCorp: Ventures, the first expansion to his hit space-exploration game SpaceCorp. Developer Jason Carr is here to share the first of four sneak-peeks at what comes in the Ventures box. This week, he looks at the original space corporation: SpaceCorp.

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Border Reivers Two-Player Playtest AAR

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Those of you who have read the Border Reivers rules will know that 2 and 3-player versions of the game exist, even though the expected number of players is either 4 or 6. I’m trying to get the 4 and 6-player versions finished first, so even though I’ve experimented enough with 2 and 3-player to be confident they work, I had never finished a full game of either. Until today. And it’s a story worth telling.

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Congress of Vienna July 2020 Development Update

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The Congress of Vienna (CoV) Design and Development Team is ever so appreciative of the fine support and enthusiasm being shown this upcoming P500 “Great Statesmen” GMT game. To those who placed orders for CoV and helped it “make the cut” to an ever-increasing extent; thanks so much!