I had the Chance to look at the New Heavy Gear Blitz Beta Rules for Tabletop Wargaming. These will debut at Gen Con. Matt chat a little about the changes he noticed. DP9 is at booth 1904.
After thinking about the game on my drive to Gen Con I really think the game is going to play a lot better.
Well it’s the last day til Gen Con. It is going to be an amazing show. If you’re a Heavy Gear fan or interested in Heavy Gear I have one more thing to say. Today August 12th I will bring you a handful of videos on Heavy Gear including a Flip Through (4:00P.M. E.S.T.D. on YouTube) of the New Heavy Gear Blitz Beta Rules for Tabletop Wargaming. The Heavy Gear Blitz Beta Rules are the most anticipated event of the show for me.
Heavy Gear is a combined arms game that is set in the future, where humans pilot armored battle suits into battle. The settlers of Terra Nova have been cut off from earth and they struggle for political power. This often creates hostile actions that can lead to war.
The planet of Terra Nova isn’t too different from our Earth. It has jungles, forests, mountains, lakes, and a vast desert that runs through the center of planet that separates the north from the south.
With only two days left I’m super anxious, I want to give out prizes, see friends, make new ones, and play some games. In fact I’ll be running an event that materialized from my kickstarter, a scavenger hunt. While the hunt is largely for the backers there are a couple of ways others can join. The first is to be asked by one of the backers to play. The other is for you to find me on Friday and mention this article, I have three slots that I can award out.
All players will receive a set of cards that have instructions on the back. Most of these involve exploring the exhibit hall to play a game demo at particular booth. Since it’s a scavenger hunt there are a few quests like find your favorite cosplay and get a picture with them.
When the exhibit hall closes all players will meet near the stage for a drawing. I have a quite a few prizes to give away like Mage Wars core set, A looney labs bundle, The Amega Weapon, and more.
With only three days left I have way too much to do. The excitement is building.
Today I’d like to focus on RPG’s that I’m looking forward to; Numenera and Mindjamer.
The internet has been buzzing about Monte Cook’s Numenera well since before the kickstarter. The world he has created must truly be phenomenal. It features an amazing setting, where a future earth is a playground of past technology. The humans use these artifacts to achieve all kinds of weird. Numenera uses a fast play character system that allows players to enter the story more quickly than other games.
Mindjamer is another Science fiction RPG that looks more than promising. Set in the far future this game uses the Fate Core System. Like Numenera it is a story focused game. But since it is a complet rules set it does include some really cool rules sets, like starship construction.
If you’re a science fiction role player looking for a new experiences these two worlds should fill your cup.
Tomorrow I might rest, but I look forward to writing you again.
Sorry I didn’t post Yesterday, I had a a ton of computer problems.
Anyway, with only four days left I was reminiscing about conventions I had been to in the past. one of the things that came to my mind was Mech Pods
These massive cockpits Are rolled off the trucks and made ready for players to ensue all kinds of Battletech carnage. Virtual World Entertainment has done a great job with the programming for all metal mashing mayhem. Any one can easily climb in and get lost piloting an Atlas. The only problem I have is I haven’t hear anything about the this year.
Paizo Inc. returns as a co-sponsor of Gen Con 2014 with a slew of new releases for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Pathfinder Tales, and exciting new licensed products! Members of the design team are available for interviews, including Publisher Erik Mona, Creative Director James Jacobs, Editor in Chief Wes Schneider, and Senior Editor James Sutter.
Well with only 6 days left I’m getting antsy. New announcements are rolling in everyday, ranging from new tournament software to the next new release. It is getting overwhelming, I’ve scheduled eighteen interviews, and I’m going to get some great games in their somewhere.
With that being said I’d like to share with you my thoughts on Munchkin! Steve Jackson Games will be there and they are releasing Munchkin Pathfinder deluxe. Munchkin is a great game that lends a role playing feel to a tabletop game. It brings spirit to the table that rings the tone of a drinking game with out drinking. Do you now what I mean? The suspense build up while the players concoct their scheme to win. Then the tension breaks and there is laughter and loud roars of joy that grow more deafening as the game goes on, drowning out the bar next door. At least that has been my experience, – fun exploding at every turn.
Beyond that I’m really looking forward to the Deluxe version of the game. It includes a board, standies and well great art.
I really don’t need to ramble on and on about Munchkin. It’s been around long enough that you should know. If not check it out.
Since that was so short I am really going to work my way into the Cryptozoic area and explore some of their games. They have done a lot in the last couple of years and I really need to catch up. I’m told that ROFL, The Hobbit, and the DC Comics Deck Building Game are all must haves. I’ll do my best to get you the skinny on that.
Only one week left and I’m really working my rear end off to be ready for the show. Today I’m including an announcement from Ares Games. It’s below.
Ares Games pre-releases The Battle of Five Armies
at Gen Con Indy 2014
The game publisher will also present the upcoming family game Dino Race and the 4-engine bombers coming in the WW2 Wings of Glory line, and promote with events the new games released earlier this year Sails of Glory and Galaxy Defenders
Ares Games will attend Gen Con 2014 (Booth #459 August 14-17, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis) presenting the awaited new game The Battle of Five Armies, with the first copies arriving for the show.
The Ares Games booth will also hold a preview of the upcoming family game Dino Race and of the WW2 Wings of Glory Special Packs featuring the 4-engine bombers B-17 and Avro Lancaster.
Demos and several events are planned for WW1 and WW2 Wings of Glory, Sails of Glory and Galaxy Defenders.
One of the authors of Galaxy Defenders, Nunzio Surace, will be present at the Ares booth through the show.
A special event is scheduled on August 14th, at 10 am: the attempt to set the record for most players in a Sails of Glory game, with 50 people at the same table.
The Battle of Five Armies (releasing at the show) is a new game in the War of the Ring line. It’s a stand-alone board game for two players, which recreates the fierce struggle witnessed by Bilbo Baggins at the end of his quest for the Lonely Mountain, in “The Hobbit”, the world-renowned masterpiece by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Developed by the same designer team of the awarded War of the Ring board game (Francesco Nepitello, Marco Maggi and Roberto Di Meglio), The Battle of Five Armies is based on the mechanics first used in that game, merging action dice and event cards. The system has been further enhanced by the addition of the “Fate Track” mechanic, handling the arrival of the allies and the triggering of special events. All the key characters in the battle – Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, Dain, the Elven King, Bard, Beorn, Bolg – are featured with powerful special abilities and unique sculptures.
The first copies of the game will be available at the show, and it will be in distribution in the second half of August.
Dino Race(in preview, releasing Q4 this year) is a fun, simple and fast game, for two to four players, age 6 and up. In a crazy race, each player controls a couple of dinosaurs, running away from a raging volcano and a river of lava, toward safety. A precious dino egg must be carried out – and as precious as it is, it’s quite a burden to carry while you are running!
The dinos run through plains, swamps, woods and deserts, playing tricks upon his opponents and avoiding the nasty tricks of them. Players must bring their dinosaur duo to the end of the race track, scoring points when one of their dinos finishes the race. They also score points bringing the dino egg to safety. The player with the highest score wins the game.
Dino Race game includes 8 beautiful figures of pretty dinosaurs (two for each species) and one dino egg, sculpted by Michelangelo Ricci– a sculptor with a great experience of dinosaurs and prehistory. Dino Race is scheduled to pre-release at the Spiel 2014 show, in Essen.
The long-awaited WW2 4-engine bombers (releasing Q4 this year) in Wings of Glory will be also previewed at the show. In the Ares Games’ booth, attendees will see the four bombers to be featured in the Special Packs: B-17F “Memphis Belle,” B-17G “A Bit of Lace,” Avro Lancaster B.III “Grog’s the Shot,” and Mk.III Dambuster “Popsie”. Each pack will include a 1-200 scale miniature, a special base with gaming stats, a variable altitude flying stand, and a specific deck of maneuver cards, as well as specific rules and components necessary to use the airplane. These Special Packs will also include the Industrial Complex card and rules, and in the case of the Dambuster, a paper play mat representing a dam and the surrounding area, additional counters and specific rules.
More information about these games are available at Ares Games website – www.aresgames.eu. At Gen Con 2014, visit Ares Games at booth 459.
About Ares Games
Ares Games is an Italian board game publisher established in 2011 to create quality hobby products for the international audience. Ares Games is the publisher of the award-winning “War of the Ring” board game, of “Wings of Glory” range of airplane combat games and miniatures, recreating aerial warfare in WW1 and WW2, and more recently, of the tactical ship-to-ship miniature game “Sails of Glory” and the cooperative tactical Sci-Fi miniatures game “Galaxy Defenders”. Ares Games’ catalog also includes Family Games and Euro Games. For further information, visit the website www.aresgames.eu and the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/AresGames.
It’s clear that Ares has it going on at Gen Con. I am super interested in the Battle of Five Armies. I have wanted to learn more about the game ever since I saw the pictures of th emini’s in Meeple magazine. I really don’t know much more than that … but I will.
See you at Gen Con!
Only 8 days left, are you excited yet? Well yesterday we discussed a Dropzone Commander. A game that when it came on the scene it hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped since. Today I’d like to talk about Golem Arcana from Hairbrained Schemes. Hairbrained Schemes is a small group of passionate game developers lead by Jordan Weisman, complete list here.
Golem Arcan is a new game that could potentially hold some keys to the future of gaming. Let’s start with the basics. Golem Arcana is a miniatures board game that is striving to incorporate the use of smart devices. I did get a look at the miniatures at Origins and the are excellent. Beautifully sculpted with dynamic poses and painted with vibrant colors, what you would expect from an average to an above average hobby painter. While the miniatures are an important part of the game I don’t believe they are the focus.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 I have managed to get some rest. I hope that mu post yesterday made sense, because I was out of it. Anyway I’d like to chat today about Dropzone Commander from Hawk Wargames. Since I first saw the pictures of these minis nearly two years ago I have been drooling over this game. I know it has been out for two years, but I live in a smaller city where the game stores focus on a handful of board games and Magic the Gathering. So I really haven’t seen it yet. Yes there are a lot of pictures and on the internet, but I like to examine minis. I did manage to get my hands on the starter though and I’m extremely impressed.
The story takes place far in the future (2670) where humanity barley exists. The race is scattered across frontier planets and Earth has been lost to an alien race. But after being forgotten the humans have decided to start fighting back, thus the war begins! It has a great storyline.
The basic game has two small forces, UNC and Scourge. The starter also includes a great rulebook, and terrain. Oh I forgot to mention dice and a measuring tape.
As I said before the miniatures are gorgeous. There is four factions and resin scenery. My favorite faction, based on looks, is either the PHR or the Shaltari. The PHR are a small tribe of humans that have really cool looking walkers. While the Shaltari are a technologically advanced civilization with some well weird looking vehicles that look like a lot of fun to paint. The Scenry is absolutely phenomenal. I have to get some of these. I play a lot of games and these kits are universal. Check out the Monorail.
Hawk Wargames have been busy with this game in the last year, They have added the United States to their convention tour. I have recently learned that the game has box sets designed for tournament play. What a great idea. Sadly, that has made me realize that I know far less about Hawk Wargames and Dropzone Commander than I though t I did. I really am excited about interviewing them and checking out the new releases.
I am going to come back from Gen Con with a lot more knowledge about Dropzone Commander. Of course I will share everything I learn with you.
Til tomorrow have fun.
Matt
