Boulder Games Continues to Take My Money

Boulder Games, my "go to" source for online Euros and especially wargames, is quitting business. Unfortunately, they are selling off games at extra low prices, and I can't resist a sale.

I purchased a bunch of Avalanche Press's Panzer Grenadier stuff. I also decided that I would give their Great War at Sea series a try by picking up a copy of Avalanche's Great War at Sea: Mediterranean. For some reason, I find the big ships with big guns of WWI more interesting than the carrier actions of WWII. (I feel the same way about "Star Trek" vs. "BattleStar Galactica".) That was order #1.

I noticed the other day that they were selling off GMT games at special prices. I managed to hold myself back from picking up a bunch of stuff, but I posted a note on BoardgameGeek on their "Hot Deals" forum. Apparently, some people referenced my post when they bought their stuff, because Jim, the owner of Boulder Games, sent me a $10 gift certificate. So, I decided to take the plunge and pick up a copy of GMT's War Galley. I've been thinking about doing some ancient naval stuff and thought this might be worth it. Perhaps it will keep me from buying a couple of fleets of 1/1200 scale ancient naval miniatures. Of course, if they're on sale...

Review of Gio Games War to Axis Posted

To go along with my review of Yankees and Rebels, I've now posted a review of Gio Games War to Axis. I plan to complete the "trilogy" by doing a review of their newly-updated release Advanced Vive l'Empereur.

Review of Gio Games Yankees & Rebels

I've posted a review of Yankees and Rebels, a Euro/Wargame hybrid American Civil War game on BoardgameGeek. If you've played Battle Cry and like it (even if you liked the simplicity but didn't like some of the mechanics), you should check out this game.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/517922/

First Play of Washington's War

Yesterday, I got to play my first game of Washington's War, the reissue Avalon Hill's We the People (the original Card-Driven Wargame which spawned an entire genre). It took us about 2.5 hours for our first game. I hadn't reviewed the rules beforehand, but I remembered enough We the People mechanics that I could stumble through it. I had a great time and want to play it again.

The game could really use some better charts. The combat system is well described, but the rules for placing and flipping PC markers could be better summarized. Sounds like a project...

New Version of Tattered Flags

This week I received a new version of the Tattered Flags (now renamed "Gettysburg: The Wheatfield") board/miniature game for playtesting. It seems to be a minor revision--just cleaning up the rules a bit. I want to get another game in this weekend. I hope it will be more than a solo game.

KublaCon Games

For me, the nearest game convention is KublaCon, which is held in Burlingame, CA over the extended Memorial Day weekend (Friday afternoon through Monday morning). I try to run a few games each year, since volunteers get their admission fee refunded. This year I've signed up to run:

- Commands & Colors Fest: I ran this event at Conquest SF last year over the Labor Day holiday. It's an open gaming format. I bring multiple copies of all 4 Commands & Colors games (Battle Cry, Memoir '44, BattleLore, and Commands & Colors: Ancients), let people choose their own scenario, set up and play whatever they like. Players can come and go as they like while I can hover around to teach the rules, answer questions, or leave people alone as they prefer. This event worked really well when I ran it at Conquest on Monday morning, the convention's final day. The last day of a convention, in my experience, is always difficult for events, as people are packing up and getting ready to leave. Yet, many people may be in for a short game of some kind. The Commands & Colors games work well for this difficult time slot because they're easy to teach, play fast, and each game only requires 2 players.

- Learn Panzer Grenadier: I've been enjoying the Panzer Grenadier line of tactical WWII games. Unlike many tactical WWII games, PG units are platoons rather than a squads or individuals, so the game makes some abstractions that make the game easier to play (e.g., there is no concept of unit facing). In addition, the rules are only 16 pages in length, and there is a huge wealth of scenarios available. My goal in this event is to identify some low-counter-density scenarios that only last 8-12 turns or so that can be used for teaching and let people play them.

Battle Cry Online!

I'm a big fan of the "Commands and Colors" games by Richard Borg. For those of you who don't have (or can't find an opponent for) his ACW game Battle Cry, the Game Table Online site allows you to play against other players or against an AI.

Now this isn't particularly new; Battle Cry has been on Game Table Online for quite some time. What is new, at least for me, is that I've been able to play this game on my Mac. In the past, Game Table Online has only really supported Windows; the Java applications have not run well on Macs. Now however, I've played several solo and opponent games on my Mac (using the Firewfox browser) with nary a glitch. This is really good news.

If you haven't tried GTO, give them a visit. They have quite a few games online including Axis & Allies, Tigris & Euphrates, etc.

By the way, if you don't have the rules for Battle Cry, you can download it from Wizards of the Coast.