catching up with zombies and leprechauns

A couple diverse catch-ups today.

After trying out Tomorrow's War in November, I sat down with the gents to play Zombicide. Mostly letting the other guys explain how things work, and suggest what my dude should do, as it's one of those cooperative games. For instance, Maurice suggested I tack along with his guy, and try to strike out on our own to collect a couple of the far objectives.

And then Maurice got me killed. I was the orange guy.

The game is pretty fun. The survivors have a lot of character, and as they gain experience they play quite differently. That combined with different scenarios means a lot of replay value in my book, although I fear there's a bit too much fiddly-ness to have the game catch on with non-minis gamers. Time will tell. Formally, I regret that I didn't cough in for the kickstarter deal, because those are some pretty models. 

(I did see that it definitely won't supplant my desire to play a nice sturdy zombie miniatures game, however. Currently looking into rules I'd like to try out. Logically, either 7ombieTV or No Room Left In Hell, since I, you know, own both.)
 
Last week, we started playing around with the Mercs campaign rules (PDF free to download here,) just rolling through a few turns to see how it works. Definitely a good start, but some kinks that will need to be worked out. I'm OK with building up forces to viable strength, but it's missing a sense of... competitiveness? Something.

While the other guys played their campaign game, Aaron taught me how to play Smash Up. As you may have ascertained by now, I am a man who enjoys board games, and I have a sordid CCG past. So the current trend in deckbuilding games is OK by me. Smash Up is straightforward and fun. The cards are very clear, and the trick of combining two forces (Faerie-Dinosaurs vs. Pirate-Robots!) is a great hook, and allows some interesting strategies. Definitely looking forward to trying out some more games in the future.

We were also going to try out Matakishi's fantasy rules CROM, but didn't get around to it. Soon! I even painted up figs and all. 15mm fantasy has arrived.

And finally, for the five of you still reading, if you haven't coughed in for the AE-WWII Kickstarter, now is the time. The game is a personal fave, and I would love to see it get a new roll-out. Yes, December is a rough month for everyone financially, but good games is good games.

something is wrong with me

One of the top rules of gaming: you play what your group is playing. Yes, you can try to sell them on your favorite(s) to win them over, but when something catches on, you eventually ride the wave. It's all about the playing, after all.

Originally, I said that I would play Flames of War only when I could use rebased Monsterpocalypse figs as kaiju as my army. But again, over time, I have slid on this restriction, and I find myself reading through the rules seriously, and thinking about what faction I'd like to select.*


And nonetheless, I'll just be reading along, and it'l pop into my head, you know, you could totally do a WW2 version of Cobra Command. And it'd be awesome. I mean, part of the selling point of 15mm is that vehicles and terrain are easier, right? And you have to admit, a line of HISS tanks would be intimidating! Etc., etc.


I just can't help myself. This is why I wasn't cut out for historicals.




* - My amigo Imam has offered to loan me a Brit army to run, which is tempting.

AE-WWII revival

I don't do news often, but this one makes me happy: Matt Hope of Blackball Games announced they have picked up AE-WWII and AE-Bounty and are looking forward to supporting the games. Darkson was the company that I worked the booth for at Gencon two years ago, and I am a big fan of those guys. They really put a huge amount of work into things, and a lot of energy. But the games have not received a lot of support as of recent. I love the system and the setting, and am crossing my fingers that the new owners pick up the ball and run with it.

7tv episode: Pilfering the Plans!

Every now and then, a game catches my eye and becomes the new hotness. As noted earlier, 7tv completely caught my mindspace a while back, and I've been reading up on it, writing up characters and ideas and painting and what-have-you-ing. And, last week, headed out to VA to, you know, actually play it. I've been looking for a good pulp action game, and this one looked to fit the bill. Adaptable to different settings, focused on the personalities, and easy to play.

Episode synopsis: the year is 1948, one of the last years of World War II. The AE Division, a breakaway Axis faction, has completed its secret plans for an outer space satellite. Hellbaby and his British allies, including the ineffable Leftenant Cumberbatch, are charged with breaking into a mysterious warehouse/laboratory to steal the plans and get them safely into the BPRD's hands.

I wanted a nice simple scenario so I could get down the system. (We did skip the Gadgets; the Plot Twists cards were event-ful enough.) Approximately 125 points each, using figs from our AE-WWII forces. Adapted one of the scenarios right from the book; if we continue with the plotline in future episodes, we'll likely maintain that trend. Possibly decades later, when the mysterious AE Division returns!

(Side note: when I get into a new game, I write up easy playsheets, telling me the basics of play order for each turn, what to roll for most of the basic actions, what to do before the start of the first turn, etc. And true to form, within ten minutes of playing, I had a list of five things to add to my 7tv playsheet. Heh.)

Hellbaby is a Million Dollar Marvel, His co-star Cumberbatch is, naturally, a Dependable Deputy. They were accompanied by four Soldiers. Figs painted by Maurice, who I have noted, has won awards for his paint jobs. The bastard.

For the AE Division, Maxim is a Failed Experiment. Ilsa is a Nasty Piece of Work (gave her Leadership, just to get the bad guys moving.) They brought along two AE Security Guards, two Attack Dog Handlers, and two Attack Dogs. These broke up into two patrols, with the guards near Maxim giving him a little distance. As you may have guessed, I have not won any awards for my paint jobs (but I do enjoy painting.)

Took a bit to get used to the activation rules, but once we had it down, it was a breeze. With the game, you only get to activate about half your figs each turn, but can jigger that number using Leadership or Audience Appreciation points or the like. By the middle of the game, was definitely a tactical choice as to who to activate when. Pretty keen.

No play-by-play. The Brits slowly infiltrated from the top of the board, while the AE forces slowly ambled around looking for the intruders. A soldier tripped the alarm by trying to sneak out the plans from the lab equipment in the middle of the board, and all heck broke loose. The good Leftenant flanked to the left and took out some troops with his Eagle Eyed shots. Ilsa used her Signature Weapon, a fierce bullwhip, to eliminate one soldier, while Maxim charged in and destroyed another.* Booby traps triggered explosions, to no effect, but man, the ratings. Expecting a charge from Hellbaby, the AE troops moved to deal with the 'infernal child,' but instead, he shot in at top speed, grabbed the plans, and hightailed it out of there!  The good guys win the day, and the AE troops will have to answer to their unknown master...

In short, great game. The scenario flows very naturally into the story, and it adapts well to the pulp setting. Plays quickly and cleanly.

* - Not coincidentally, this was the same tactic I used with him in AE-WWII. Parallelism!