The Midnite Gamer

Union Pacific, Schotten Totten and more expansion maps

2006-11-05T21:35:00Z

Essen 06 is over.. so what new games did I get? None! Yup that's rite... no new games (yet). But I did manage to get some OOP games which I've been tracking, and also the new Power Grid maps (Benelux/Central Russia). 1. Union Pacific. Designed by Alan Moon before his famous Ticket to Ride series; this one caught my eyes because it seems to be a cross between Ticket To Ride routes and some share-trading mechanics from Acquire. Was waiting for this game to be reprinted (it's rated quite highly...(read more)

Victory in the Pacific - an Avalon Hill classic revisited

2006-11-05T20:25:00Z

After acquiring 2 good wargame titles (Europe Engulfed and Rommel in the Desert), the next wargame in my favorite Pacific Theatre arrived from eBay yesterday. It was the classic Victory in the Pacific (VITP) game from Avalon Hill (1977). Took me some time to find one from eBay that's unpunched and yet going for a reasonable price (I got it for USD30).

VITP uses the same system as its sister game War At Sea (also from AH). While War at Sea covers the Battle of the Atlantic, VITP covers the Battle in the Pacific Ocean. Almost all the ships from the Japanese and Allied navies are represented in this game (in little square counters, not miniatures)!

The game is a strategic fight for POC (Points-of-Control) over 13 sea areas. Like all historical wargames, there is the Turn of Appearance (ToA) chart which dictates what units each Commander gets at each turn therefore you need to base your game plan based on this TOA.

You fight for control of POCs via two types of ships - Patrollers and Raiders. Patrollers help you keep control of the sea areas you are in (for POC) while Raiders are used to invade another sea area in an attempt to wrestle the POC from your opponent. The Allied player also gets Marine forces which you can send to invade island bases.

This classic game is still being played competitively as one of the entries in the World Boardgaming Championship held yearly.

A more comprehensive treatment of the Pacific Theatre can be found in the another game from Victory Games - Pacific War. This game is not for the faint-hearted having more than 2,000+ tokens! A buddy of mine has this awesome game but has yet to play it. So still hopefully one fine day he gets fed up of this game and sells it to me? (Dave, you reading this ar? keke)

For those who prefer a more modern approach to the Pacific Theatre, you may also want to check out the recent MMP release Fire in the Sky by renown Japanese wargame designer, Tetsuya Nakamura.

Will post a review and/or session report when I manage to get a game of VITP. btw if wargames are your "poison", you are most welcome to come and game with us. Check out the KL Meetup Wargames SIG.

Okie, anyone willing to fight with me over Midway?

A Grognard I Become?

2006-09-22T06:19:00Z

Aieh.... after having play so many Euro Games, my recent three purchases seem to be out of sync to my collection. In many ways, I *did* get started with boardgaming by playing Risk (oh yes you all know this don't you) and then progressing to Afrika Korps and Battle of the Bulge ('91 ed), two Avalon Hill classic hex-grid wargames back in those good old days.

So let's look at my recent acquisitions.

1. Rommel in the Desert. Not really a surprise since I've mentioned above that I started off with Afrika Korps hence I've always been fascinated with the North Africa theatre. Rommel calls North Africa "a tactician's paradise but a logistic officer's nightmare".

This is the first wargame that uses the Block System from Columbia Games which have went on to produce hits like EastFront (and its sisters EastFront II and WestFront).

2. Europe Engulfed. Have always wanted to play grand-scale WW2 wargames in Europe. Axis & Allies came closest to meeting that (in fact would luv to try out A&A again). Rick Young started designing this game when EuroFront's release to the general public was stalled, and his buddy (and co-designer) challenged him to design one WW2 Europe campaign wargame of his own.

Thirteen years later, Europe Engulfed was born. It has enjoyed tremendous support from the wargaming community and is one of the popular games in ConsimWorld. Heard Rick/Jesse are working on Asia Engulfed - can't wait for this!

Note: The 1st edition for this game has sold-out but GMT is re-printing the 2nd Ed. No confirmed date but as soon as that's printed, we shud have this in our webstore. This game is retails at USD99.90.

3. 7 Ages. A game that's reputed to take 16 hours to play the entire campaign ie. all seven ages of civilisation from 4000 BC to 2000 AD. That's a little over half a day's time. Plays up to 7 players.

When you choose to commit your time to play a game of such length, you are not in it to win or lose but to enjoy the experience of taking your empire(s) through the various ages. Unlike other Civilisation game, this allows you to "keep" your empire when the ages change.... but the again your empire could very well have been decimated by a natural disaster or man-made intervention.

A chess set for a cool USD 1m?

2006-09-21T21:15:00Z

The "Royal Diamond Chess Set", an extraordinary luxurious version of the classic chess game. Designed by renowned French artist, designer and master of jewelry Bernard Maquin as part of the Gem Stone King collection, this is a rare and precious work of fine art jewelry.

Entirely handmade by 30 craftsmen over 4,500 hours, using 14k white gold and set with no less than 9,900 natural black & whire diamonds weighing 186.98 carats, this beauty is a real diamond and chess lovers dream!

How much? Eh... it's retailing for a cool USD 1.2m.
You want one? Okie.. drop by their webstore then.

Note: To put this into the proper perspective, the entire Eagle Games inventory was sold to Funagain.com for about USD75,000 only. Hmmm.....

Cute Amoebas anyone?

2006-09-07T17:27:00Z

Hands up those of you who bought Primordial Soup because you thought those amoebas on the game box look cute! Yes indeed they do... However on opening the game box, most would be disappointed with the actual amoeba playing pieces. Let's just say they are "functional" (see below).

Amoebas that came with the game. Not bad actually....

However I just came across a Boardgamegeek Joe Grundy, from Australia who's asking whether anyone is interested to buy custom hand-made cute amoebas for this game! He's looking at USD15 for one full set excl shipping to wherever you are.

How do they look like? Check these pics out... Apparently the amoebas below are designed by Frenchman Pierre Lefebvre. But pls note Joe mentioned "similar but not necessarily exactly like".

If you fancy one, please shout Aye at his thread in Boardgamegeek. Click here... We may even be able to combine shipping for these cutie little ones. I'm sure a certain Dave would simply luv to have them!

Edited 4 Nov 06: The price for these cuties has been announced. A set of 6 will set you back RM645 (including shipping). The game only plays four so they also offer a set of 4 for RM480. Pricey yes. But if you still wish to order one, go to this page.

Can't Stop - New French version

2006-09-05T11:26:00Z

Can't Stop
Since I was introduced to this game by Andy, Singapore Boardgame Meetup's organizer at last year's GAMECON-1, I have been looking to track down a copy of the game. Unsuccessfully of course.

Dale (Pintoys), Andy (Spore Meetup) and Tom (Dice Tower) playing Can't Stop

Yes there are many copies of the Parker Bros (1980) version of this game available from eBay but I am referring to the wooden version, which I understand is a limited edition release by Franjos (1998).

The Parker Brothers version

The Franjos version

For those who do not know this game, it is designed by Sid Sackson. Yes the man who did Acquire and Can't Stop is one of his many classics.

Recently it came to my attention from a post in Boardgamegeek that Asmodee is releasing a French edition of the game, and while I think it does not look as good as Andy's copy, it's much better than those Parker Bros version.

The Asmodee version

Click here to visit Asmodee's page for this game

So expect to see this game in a month or two in good ol' KayEl. While waiting, maybe you wanna listen to some Red Hot Chili Peppers songs. Uhm.. one song in particular, Can't Stop.

Learn more about this game from Boardgamegeek.

Celebrate the Age of Railroads on Merdeka Day @ Toybox

2006-08-23T21:36:00Z

On Merdeka's Day, we revisit the Age of Railroads
One of our local hobby store, Toybox is organizing a Merdeka Day event primarily with the intention of teaching newbies to Euro Gaming some good gateway games, like Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, etc.

While Nick (of Toybox) is going to conduct workshops for newbies, a group of us seasoned gamers are thinking of meeting up for some brain-burning games. And what better game to bring to the table than Age of Steam (AOS)!

I started a call for gamers and almost immediately the 6 seats for Age of Steam were filled up!

Hopefully my gaming buddy Ainul (aanemesis) is able to make it for that day as he has another AOS board (Chua being the other one with AOS board) that we can use to run two tables of AOS.

Toybox has recently seen a lot of activities on Railroad Tycoon and Nick is ready to bring this game to the table anytime since Toybox has a large fanbase for RRT.

We are not forgetting the newcomers to this hobby as Ticket to Ride is one of the gateway games Toybox will be doing demos on the Merdeka Day event.

With Age of Steam in play, and if I bring along my 1856, it looks like we have (almost) the entire Railroad games on display!

Level 1: Ticket to Ride (TTR) (IMHO) The best gateway game to introduce newbies to Euro Gaming. Takes no more than 1.5 hrs and the newbies are hooked. Enuff said. :)
Level 2: Railroad Tycoon (RRT) The best game to show gamers what's next after Ticket to Ride. This game is a step-up from TTR yet does not burn too much brain and offers good fun for 2-3 hrs. This is also the perfect game to introduce them to the mechanics of Age of Steam should they decide to make that move-up.
Level 3: Age of Steam (AOS) For the seasoned gamers who wanted to do brain-burning railroad-theme game. Gamers who have already played RRT would have understood the basic gameplay in this game, but the extra complexity moves them up one or two notch. Plays just sweetly under 2 hours.
Level 4: 1856 (18xx) While most of the games above are pickup-n-deliver games, the 18xx series offer a different challenge. You are practically running a railroad business, with involvement in the share market and dividends coming into the gameplay. This game offers more complexity, absolutely zero luck (no dice or random good cubes). Its downside is perhaps it plays longer (4 hrs) than RRT or AOS.

Other Railroad games of note:

TransAmerica - lighter than TTR
Union Pacific - another Alan Moon OOP game that I've been eyeing. Good news is that a reprint may be in the pipeline.
1830 - the game that kickstarted the 18xx series. If you luv no-luck railroad business management game, you MUST play this.

So let's make Merdeka Day an age of railroads!

p/s Hmm.. maybe I shud do a Lupus in Tabula (aka Werewolf) session too if we get enuff gamers on that day. No need to wait for Halloween.

Who do you think will win IGA 2006?

2006-08-17T20:36:00Z

Antike Finalists for IGA 2006
Antike, a fave game of mine, has been nominated as finalists for the 2006 International Gamers Awards!

What is the International Gamers Awards?
The International Gamers Awards were founded in 1999 for the express purpose of recognizing outstanding games, their designers, and the companies which publish them. The awards have gained widespread acclaim and have helped bring these outstanding games to the public's attention.

The individuals who serve on their General Strategy and Historical Simulation committees are extremely qualified, knowledgeable and respected within the gaming hobby. Each and everyone have extensive experience in the playing, reviewing and critiquing of games.

You can learn more about the International Gamers Awards by visiting their website at: www.internationalgamersawards.net

Okay so who are the other finalists? Here is the full list, in alphabetically order

Multi-player Category

Antike
Blue Moon City
Caylus
The End of the Triumvirates
Hacienda
Indonesia
Jenseits von Theben
Mykerinos
Railroad Tycoon
Thurn and Taxis
Um Krone Und Kragen

2-player Category

Historical Simulation Games

Bonaparte at Marengo
Empire of the Sun
Fire in the Sky
Men of Iron
Silent War
The Mighty Endeavor
Twilight Struggle

Source: International Gamers Awards

Put your vote here, or tell us which is your fave game in our Games Talk forum.

New maps for Power Grid, and yet another 18xx game

2006-08-17T19:55:00Z

New Games Announced!
Two new games (one of them actually an expansion rather than a full game) that have been announced recently would interest most of the gamers here.

1. Two more expansion maps for Power Grid: Benelux and Central Europe

Benelux? where's that? Anyway descriptions of the new maps from Rio Grande's site

Two new maps for Power Grid. This is an expansion pack, so you will need the PowerGrid game to play with it. As with the original, the board has a different map on each side: Benelux on one side and Central Europe on the other. Along with the maps are small rule changes to reflect the power culture in these two countries. As the Benelux countries support ecological power, players may have greater opportunities to acquire such power plants. Also, oil is more available and coal less available in these countries. As Poland has large coal supplies, coal will be much more plentiful then elsewhere in Central Europe. However, due to political stands taken by some countries, players may be limited in their access to nuclear power. The result is not just new maps, but new ways to play this great game!

2. A new 18xx game, this time we visit Russia in Ian D Wilson's new 1861. This game was formerly known as 18RU.

Game plays similar to other 18xx games but this one is set in Russia prior to the Bolshevik revolution (a time of war). You play the role of investors in railway companies (what else) and attempt to balance your spending on Private Railways and/or Minor Companies and later in Public Companies.

Link from Boardgamegeek

Meanwhile we take Funagain's news that it has acquired all inventories of Eagle Games with mixed feeling. Firstly there's no mention of Railroad Tycoon in that report (have they all sold out?) but on the other hand, we've already started bringing in games from Funagain ie. Havoc (100 Years War) and Carcassonne The Discovery so we expect to be able to get our hands on some Eagle Games stock from Funagain.

Read Funagain's statement published in Boardgamenews

Deluxe Kill Dr Lucky?

2006-08-15T05:37:00Z

Hmm... a Deluxe ver of Kill Dr Lucky? Perhaps but I wouldn't mind playing on this colorful board.

Caylus vs Caylus

2006-07-26T13:34:00Z

Take a look at the two box covers below. Which one do you think was done by the publisher/developer of the game Surprising isn't it?! Why didn't they hire this guy Mike Doyle in the first place. duh...

Original cover by Ystari

Cry Havoc!

2006-07-17T07:27:00Z

Are you ready to Cry Havoc? Ever since I introduced this game to the Games Circle regulars, it has seen many playings in our Sat meetups, and looks like it could be a regular game there. The GCers led by their boss, Richard Nga are so into this game, they are now calling for a League Tournament!

HAVOC is a poker-variant card game where you recruitment soldiers into your armies (ie. take cards from the draw deck into your hand) to form poker sets such as Full House, 2 Pairs, Three of a Kind as your battle hand when fighting the nine battles that form the Hundred Years War.

Each battle gives out points to the victor, and some battles reward those who are 2nd, and third. Some battles are brutal for eg the Battle of Agincourt which winner takes all.

The winner is the one who has amassed the most points over the 9 battles though you do not necessarily have to join all the battles. I've seen players who banked on the Battle of Agincourt (for the very strong 8 points it awards to the victor only) but when they lose in that battle, their armies became so depleted they literally couldn't take part in future battles and were more or less out of the game.

Play this if you like Lost Cities, Battle Line and Poker. If you wish to play this game, join us at Games Circle (Sat 2.30pm onwards) and we'll gladly play a learning game with you. But be warned, you can get ADDICTED to this!! hehe..

Discuss the upcoming league "Wreak Havoc" in our forum. Boardgamecafe.net will hope to partner with Games Circle and possibly GAMECON to stage the Wreak Havoc League. :)

Alan Moon looking for Bahasa Indonesia translators!?

2006-07-06T17:28:00Z

Alan Moon (serious ok) is looking for ppl fluent in Bahasa Indonesia to translate rules of his games. He's willing to give free games or pay cash. A free Ticket to Ride: Indonesia perhaps? :)

Check this thread out

Nice travel cases to take your Catan sets with you when traveling

2006-07-05T09:50:00Z

Some entreprising people at FunCases.com have made nice fitting travel cases for your Settlers of Catan game! They didn't forget about your expansions too. It only costs US$6.00 to ship to M'sia.

For Carcassonne and San Juan fans, fret not. They are planning to make cases for your games soon. :)

For more pictures of the cases: http://www.parknstore.com/casepictures.htm

Storage / Travel cases for Settlers of Catan , Seafarers and Cities & Knights. Available at www.funcases.com.

Now available for immediate shipment are a production run of these cases. Proto run of 20 cases were sold on EBay last November with great acceptance.

Designed after carrying around cardboard boxes and always chasing pieces for these fine games. My family (6yr to adult) became addicted to Settlers of Catan two years ago and enjoy an evening round many nights a week. It even went on vacation in a box out of the country, the box did not return to the States.

Get your game out of the box! Protect it and travel in style.

Thank You, John

john@funcases.com
Funcases.com
Indiana, USA

We also would welcome thoughts for improvements and additional games needing cases. Please send to : john@funcases.com

The big one - Age of Steam cover art in eBay

2006-07-03T03:57:00Z

Arguably Martin's finest.. the Age of Steam's cover art is now on sale at eBay. Part of a series of his games' art cover he's putting up on auction as part of a charity drive.

Current bid is already USD369.00 woooo....... If you are loaded and interested, bid here.

Here's the link to the Geeklist that's tracking all the auctions for his art cover.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listid=15057