icemann on 15/6/2017 at 03:41
Only downside was how long the matches would go for. You'd do 18 holes of golf in less time.
Renzatic on 15/6/2017 at 06:49
You know, talking about this gives me an idea...
demagogue on 15/6/2017 at 07:20
One thing I like doing is playing fan made maps for Axis & Allies. It's on a game engine called TripleA, but in theory you could print your own board and play on it (which I want to actually do someday). My favorite ones are the Napoleonic Wars and WWI, but I also like the Punic Wars, Game of Thrones, Middle Earth, the US Civil War, Arab-Israeli wars, and Sengoku Japan.
I made one on Cold War Asia (Chinese Rev, Korean, & Vietnam wars cir. 1949 linked), and WIPs on the Russia Civil War and ISIS Crisis in Iraq & Syria. The best maps have multiple opponents in two or more alliances (or free for all) that have to prioritize or coordinate. Lately I think I'm as engaged in just making the maps & balancing the gameplay as playing them. It's also a good way to learn the history of the conflicts & get a kind of inside view of them, which any well designed war game does (so "fun" isn't always the right word, although they can also be fun just in terms of pure gameplay and if it's a fantasy or very old conflict that's completely detached from modern politics, but there's also a feeling of accomplishment or deep respect about getting a better understanding of history, even painful history of more recent conflicts). The Axis & Allies model is also such a great gameplay model that I'm happy to see it opened up to different maps.
There were some other war games I liked but I can't remember their names. The one WWII battle level one where you lay down one of the dozens of premade maps, take actions by cards, then roll a dice for them, and you ultimately have to occupy like three target spaces on your opponant's side of the map.
And speaking of cards, I love this WWII dogfighting card game where the cards are arieal maneuvers. You basically lay the move card in front of your plane widget (a little plane on a thin retractable antennae on a square platform) & move your plane platform to the new marked place on the card, and you can ascend or descend & lose or gain speed. Then you can take a shot if another plane is inside a certain arc in front of your platform & roll a dice to see if you hit (the more centered & directionally-aligned your opponent is the better chance of a hit). It plays super fast; it just looks very cool to see these war planes swooping around in mid-action above the table; and has the feel of a tight and tense dogfight.
Tony_Tarantula on 26/7/2017 at 17:29
Quote Posted by demagogue
And speaking of cards, I love this WWII dogfighting card game where the cards are arieal maneuvers. You basically lay the move card in front of your plane widget (a little plane on a thin retractable antennae on a square platform) & move your plane platform to the new marked place on the card, and you can ascend or descend & lose or gain speed. Then you can take a shot if another plane is inside a certain arc in front of your platform & roll a dice to see if you hit (the more centered & directionally-aligned your opponent is the better chance of a hit). It plays super fast; it just looks very cool to see these war planes swooping around in mid-action above the table; and has the feel of a tight and tense dogfight.
Wings of Glory, right?
I've got something related to that....made by the same company and largely the same gameplay but with a different theme:
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/48s3svr.jpgI don't really play it much because the miniatures are a bit expensive without providing me any hobby aspect (they're pre-painted) and time....Warmachine has a steep learning curve and a more robust competitive scene. However, X-wing is absolutely great for friends/family because the gameplay is intuitive, fast, and easy to pick up.
I've also found a group nearby for Battletech. It's a bunch of old guys but a fun group:
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/6bZ4Sps.jpgInline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/juaqvV4.jpgWhile Battletech is usually played on a hex-based mapsheet, these guys play on an open table using 3D terrain. It changes the game quite a bit because it favors durable mechs and long-range weapons.
I've also made some hobby progress:
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/QDeJOan.jpgTwo Warmachine solos (named units with individual rules, as opposed to "units" which are a group of grunts that move as a unit). These two are the "Piper of Ord" and "Gorman de Wulfe: Rogue Alchemist" (a bomb-throwing debuff unit):
Here are two other themed units, again from my religious fanatic army:
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/6iktsLE.jpgThe one on the left is one of the game's original WarCasters (the "king" piece that controls your warjacks and wins the game if you kill him). On the right is the "errant Seneshal"....which is an oddball miniature in that it's technically a solo but it also auto-buffs nearby knights by making them harder to damage while in melee combat.
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/eLGprbm.jpgIt's an "Argus". I don't actually play the faction yet, I just got a starter kit for almost nothing from a guy who was getting rid of his stuff. I may pick it up at some point because they're basically if Greenpeace organized into a Druid army: they're a glass cannon, high mobility melee faction that can move through terrain without a penalty (consistent with the woods/druid theme) and uses "shifting stones" to quickly reposition their units around the board. Their units are a mix of "Werewolf", "Druid" and "Stonehenge" look with a lot of their larger units looking like Stonehenge morphed into a transformer.
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/Cm7HNfZ.jpgNear-complete character warjack (gains bonuses if brought with a specific warcaster) called "Eye of Truth". There's a few gems that need finishing, a few highlights, and the shoulder pads need to be painted with a Copper metal second layer (to contrast with the regular Gold). It's a nasty unit on the table because it has a high armor, can ignore damage from one attack per round, and has some extremely hard hitting attacks....but it takes a lot of your Army points up.
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/Ltj6opb.jpgCurrent work in progress. It's what it looks like except there's going to be a priest-guy in a worshipful pose on the front stand.
Volitions Advocate on 29/7/2017 at 06:15
Quote Posted by icemann
Oh and Hero Quest, though that's more a board game.
Albeit one which was licensed by Milton Bradley to use Fantasy Warhammer designs and a vaguely linked backstory. My copy of Hero Quest was pilfered and all but destroyed about 15 years ago. I've been working on rebuilding with with a combination of scans from the internet, cereal box cardboard, and 3d printing.
I always loved Blood Bowl. I would get into 40K if I had the money, it is worse than ridiculously expensive. I don't know how anybody could get into it. A decent army for a large tabletop campaign will cost you $500 and that's before you buy the paint and spend all the time assembling them.
Lately I've been playing the more complex boardgames like Space Hulk (also a 40K license) and Descent. Descent is really cool.
icemann on 29/7/2017 at 11:02
I still have the majority of pieces for Hero Quest + the 3 expansions we got over here in Aus. The main box is falling apart, and most of the minatures are painted, but it's all there mostly.
Tony_Tarantula on 29/7/2017 at 16:45
Quote Posted by Volitions Advocate
Albeit one which was licensed by Milton Bradley to use Fantasy Warhammer designs and a vaguely linked backstory. My copy of Hero Quest was pilfered and all but destroyed about 15 years ago. I've been working on rebuilding with with a combination of scans from the internet, cereal box cardboard, and 3d printing.
I always loved Blood Bowl. I would get into 40K if I had the money, it is worse than ridiculously expensive. I don't know how anybody could get into it. A decent army for a large tabletop campaign will cost you $500 and that's before you buy the paint and spend all the time assembling them.
Lately I've been playing the more complex boardgames like Space Hulk (also a 40K license) and Descent. Descent is really cool.
That's pretty much anything Games Workshop. They make nice figures but they have a bad reputation in the industry for being expensive and borderline abusive of their customers, although the latter part may be changing now that the old CEO was ousted.
If you want a cheaper one to get into look at Warmachine but be advised it's a learning CLIFF....it'll take months to start winning games). They have some of the best starter sets in the business. There's a two-player box with small armies for two factions((
http://privateerpress.com/warmachine/gallery/starter-products/warmachine-two-player-battle-box)), as well as a matching box for "Hordes" if you prefer monsters over robots. Alternatively you can buy a battle box for about $30 in most game stores, and there are larger "All in one Army Box" products that come with an almost tournament-ready selection of miniatures and can be had for about $80 if you're not paying MSRP. It's also easier to get into the painting because they sell faction-specific paint bundles that I highly recommend. Their P3 line of paints is easily better than the competing Citadel and Vallejo lines.
Another one I'd like to play at some point that comes with a game-ready starter box: (
https://www.hawkwargames.com/products/2-player-starter-set)
I tried a demo of it at one event and was impressed: it uses a somewhat more intuitive and fair system where players alternate moving one squad at a time, and is a relatively fast paced game.....plus the design of the minis is the best I've seen to date.
