Fortress: Ameritrash Articles, News and Blogs

Analogue gamer finally grokks digital? #1. In which I neither got nor 'get' computer games

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:58:42 GMT

My sorry excuse for a computer game collection …

I noted the paucity of my digital gaming experience last September in my review of Death Ray Manta. Getting a bit more precise: as far as I can remember I’ve only ever owned 5 or 6 computer games, and only 5 which I can remember for sure:-

Quake 2: played a few times but abandoned in frustration when I couldn’t get past the first level (I ended up running around banging on the walls hoping to find the secrets I knew I hadn’t uncovered).
Abe’s Oddysee: this charmed me but otherwise ditto because I couldn’t solve the problems of the more difficult screens- running around in endless frustrated circles was no fun, however cute.
Close Combat III: The Russian Front: my most-played computer game and my favourite, naturally enough- abandoned after

Financial Simulation Board Game. Good or Bad Idea?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:52:58 GMT

America has just gone through a recession. So it might be to safe to say that the good ol’ U S of A might do well with a little financial advice. Are there any board games out there that give you any clarity on how the financial system works? Does a board game that weaves finances and gameplay together even sound fun? Should children be taught how to handle finances better so they don’t make the same mistakes we have?

Man of Steel - Tow Jockey Five Second Review

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:34:00 GMT

Holy Mother of God! Do you like the shakey cam? I said "Do YOU LIKE THE SHAKEY CAM?". I sure as hell hope so because your going to get it every damn second of this movie. Bring along some dramamine and an inflight barf bag. Did I mention there is a lot of shakey cam going on here? If I didn't, be advised that your longing for pseudo documentary footage, your dream of seeing every trick of coveying action that was used and over used in Battle Star Galactica, and your undying hatred of anything remotely resembling a fucking tripod will all be validated in this overlong master class in this hateful technique. Does the movie look cool? I dunno....you are never allowed to focus...that is until at 2 hours and ten minutes in Superman takes a break from causing untold amounts of horror through collateral damage as he fights Zod and company to make out with Lois Lane...for that we can have a steady shot for exactly five seconds. Look, there are some good bits. The basic story, after we get through the required hour of origin. The character of Zod is much better developed than he ever was

My Obervations; Wars of the Roses games

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:07:22 GMT

The Wars of the Roses Triple Hit

In this post I’m really going to look at GMT's recent Crown of Roses, but I think the best way to do this is by comparison with two earlier games on the topic of the English Wars of the Roses; Columbia Games' Richard III and Avalon Hill's King Maker.

In brief I've had a lot of fun in my ten or so hours of playing Crown of Roses, but that ten hours comprises of two 2 player games and one four player game. For most people reading this that time investment will tell you what you need to know.

A History; I don't know how much Shakespeare you've read or watched but he covers much of the build up to the Wars of the Roses. “Let us talk of the death of Kings” is the famous line uttered by Richard II (1400ish) not long before he is usurped by his cousin Henry Bollingbroke who becomes Henry IV (another very good

Fading Glory Review

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:00:00 GMT

I’ve always wanted to like traditional hex and counter wargames more than I actually do. The idea of recreating the strategic intricacies of historical battles is wonderful, but the execution too often involves hundreds of counters, irritating mental maths and quickly becomes dry and stolid. The aspect of Generalship they seem to reward is logistics rather than strategy.

Enter Fading Glory. It’s a collection of four scenarios based on Victory Point Game’s Napoleonic 20 series which is simple to learn, has no more than 20 counters per side, and will play in an hour or two. It’s been given a visual makeover by GMT who’ve added lovely art, mounted boards and a new scenario, Salamanca, not in the original VPG lineup.

It’s a luscious package, a cut above the bland art and drab components that most wargames are saddled with. Unfortunately the revision process has completely screwed up the rules. It really isn’t a difficult game but with rules sections that are never used, discrepancies between the rulebook and the player aid and often confusing terminology, neophyte players are unlikely to realise that. It should be simple, but

Those Who Are Dead and Those About To Die: A Review of D-Day at Omaha Beach

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:40:16 GMT

"You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months..." Dwight Eisenhower

D-Day at Omaha Beach is a solitaire war game put out by Decision Games back in 2009. In it you command the men of the 1st and 29th infantry divisions as they storm the beaches of Normandy on that fateful day in June 1944. Your mission, and let us not fool ourselves in thinking you have the option to "choose to accept it", is to clear those small valleys called "draws" at the back of the beach so that the heavy equipment and troops of the second wave can push through and liberate all of France. If you fail...so to does the invasion and that is not an option.

The game is split into two different theaters of operations. The eastern half is assigned to units of the 1st Infantry and the west to the 29th. It is forbidden for units of either division to cross the dividing line that runs up the center of the map of their own accord. Thus as you play the game you are really playing two separate mini-games at the same time.

Each

Barnestorming- TWBG HD#2, Guacamelee, Gangs of New York, PWEI

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:56:00 GMT

More money than most game shops make.

What The Market Will Bear

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:26:20 GMT

How much are you willing to pay for a boardgame? Logic dictates that prices will keep on climbing, which is to be expected. It’s just the world we live in, and publishers have to make money somehow. But since the advent of Kickstarter, I’m frankly a little shocked at how high some people are willing to go to get a game. The game that has put this in my mind is Cthulu Wars, which launched its own Kickstarter campaign just last week.

Casual Gamer Appeal

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:22:09 GMT

I’m in the midst of working on creating the rules for a board game that I’ve been working on for quite awhile. I plan on making the game for an expansive multi-generational target market, so I need the game to be somewhat simple in play. However, the game mechanics I have so far seem complex.

Here’s the setup. I have a scoring scheme that involves accumulating money, points while you maintain a balance of tokens for certain categories (Fun, Health, Spiritual and Success) The main goal is accumulating the most points. You play through the board and accumulate tokens and money. You also gain points by answering questions based on where you land. At the end the tokens, money and the amount of turns it takes you to finish all add with your current point total to give you a score at the end. The player with the most points when all the players are done is declared the winner.

My main question is whether a casual gamer would find this set up fun to play?