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Post by Whiterook on Feb 12, 2023 21:55:13 GMT -5
New year, off to a late start, but start it did! A “Ghosts of the Jungle” upgrade going on for me! Upgraded to miniatures with terrain tiles, and a minor tweak with a new terrain piece (rice paddies).    |
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Post by mikeh on Feb 13, 2023 11:47:43 GMT -5
That really is nice looking. No road tiles?
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Post by Whiterook on Feb 13, 2023 18:48:08 GMT -5
That really is nice looking. No road tiles? Actually, there are… I’ve not finished them yet. There’s a mechanic in the End Turn Events roll where an armed truck can fly by, hosing any Unhidden Green Beret down! …I’ve wanted to allow a tile with open ground or a jungle tile with more than one image (you can see a small dirt road between the images) to do that event, to see how that works, but just haven’t rolled that event! I’m not sure what would be better… that, or just tiles with dirt roads… any thoughts? |
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Post by Whiterook on Mar 26, 2023 16:57:59 GMT -5
 Reading the rulebook to Stout Hearts …planning on playing in the next few days. |
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Post by Whiterook on Apr 7, 2023 8:48:29 GMT -5
…I got sidetracked with home stuff and errands this week, but I managed to get halfway through a second read of the rules and plan to pop this on the table today. Yeah, I still find it necessary to go through the rules at least a couple times on a new game…though I seem to be comprehending things a lot easier now; my previous, over multitasked worklife brain is starting to finally cool down, lol. You know, seriously, I was working at such a high overload capacity that I knew I was not functioning the way I knew I could…I was just always at full throttle. I think this is one of the greatest opportunities of retiring… reestablishing *yourself* as the priority in life, which includes, restricting the amount of crap you put on the docket! …OK, a little too *deep* for this early in the morning  I'm liking what I’m seeing in this game… at first, I was wondering if I had another Dog Sector on my hands, where it was the same endless, one scenario mission that, while fun, starts ti feel too repetitive in consecutive plays… since you’re basically working your way up the map through enemy lines seeking victory points; the way the game is designed, you’re basically hammering your way through endless defensive lines the whole way, so a shitload of *hidden* (blank topped counters that are revealed as you go) position hexes in what looked like a cluttered map board. But that’s honestly, just impression on my part… I think it will play not only well, but with enough in the design (particularly with all those hidden German units, which many are dummy units) to make this a little less repetitive than DS. As for the rest of the mechanics, a lot of 5is is quite elegant and novel… I’ve played similar style games (with lots of these style mechanics (like Zones of Control), but this takes unique twists in overall design. I’m excited to give it a try. I need to get this played now, ‘cause I have to get Lock ‘N Load Publishing’s, Nations at War on the table the rest of the month to prep for Compass Games Expo in May! |
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Post by Whiterook on Apr 19, 2023 17:42:36 GMT -5
 About to go on the table! Will be the frost play with this newer version, second edition…many upgrades and new features in the rules, and new design on counters, maps, and charts. Should be interesting…I’m a Pisces so, I generally hate change of any kind, but the frost edition had the worst maps! |
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Post by Whiterook on May 4, 2023 19:24:53 GMT -5
Played the Vierville scenario for White Star Rising last weekend, with my good friend Brian at the Gaming Garage (Chuck Tewksbury’s place) in Gardner, MA.  It was my first playing of the 2nd edition game (3rd edition rules), and the new maps are so much better! ….I prefer the counters on my 1st edition game more, but these new versions are pretty nice; they just rely too much on color and have too many disparities in variation in hues within formations. The system has many cool upgrades in mechanics, too, which bring a lot more substance to game play. As the Germans, I conceded the game, unable to get to the American paratroopers held up in a city…I just plain ran outta time! But my whole goal was to not only see the new version in action, but to reacquaint myself the system after a loooooooong time away! |
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Post by mikeh on May 4, 2023 23:13:20 GMT -5
Pretty cool. Can you use the 1st games counters with the new version?
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Post by Whiterook on May 6, 2023 10:26:48 GMT -5
Pretty cool. Can you use the 1st games counters with the new version? Thank goodness, yes! The only issue is there may be a few units (like some air) that weren’t in the 2st edition…I’m not sure if the units names have been changed…sound like the seeds of a thread on comparisons! I started switching out my 2nd edition counters from counter trays to baggies last night  …baggie per formation, so it’s easy to grab what formations you need. The baggies I have on hand are 3x5 inch… I ordered 3x4 inch on Amazon last night and they should be here tomorrow or Monday…I’ll switch them to those. My dilemma at present is, I have a week and a half until I leave for Compass Games Expo - May Edition, in Connecticut… I’m bringing and playing three specific Wargames: White Star Rising, Pacific Tide, and Memoir ‘44… I want to p,at a couple scenarios of each, as I’ve not played them much in a bit and want to be able to teach them effectively. I was going to play a couple scenarios this weekend but, I got my new playtest endeavor in the mail from Decision Games Thursday, and am reading the rules today… It’s called Eleven Days War: Final Offensive In The East 1918. It’s due to be in one of Decision Games’ magazine game issues in 2025. It’s a 2-player wargame covering the final Central Powers offensive on the East Front, February-May (Operation Faustschlag). It features the initial 11-days of offensive operations against the Bolsheviks and the ensuing pursuit into Ukraine. It’s the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and allies) against the Bolshevik’s and allies. It models the chaotic situation of the Eastern Front during the opening of the Russian Civil War. About 14-pages of rules, which I’m halfway throug at the moment. I’d like to get it on the table (prempting WSR/PacTide/M44) so I can maybe play it against my buddy Tim at the Expo; but also, because my first of four required reports is due May 23rd, two days after my return from the CGExpo! Reports are then due every two weeks, concluding on July 4th… it’s a much more aggressive timetable than the other two playtest games I have in the pipeline…hey, didn’t I retire? |
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Post by mikeh on May 6, 2023 13:38:44 GMT -5
That is a lot on your plate! Your play test game sounds interesting.
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Post by Whiterook on May 7, 2023 10:46:54 GMT -5
That is a lot on your plate! Your play test game sounds interesting. The good news is that I’ve played all three systems, so it’s a matter of refreshing my grasp on the rules… the mechanics I’ve got down no problem, but it’s all those pesky little bits of rules that make this such an amazing and fun hobby, where we get to relive history. I could likely bumble my way through game plays as is, but my mood OCD (if that’s what I have) dictates I know with fair certainty, how to play fully so that I can just relax and play  On the WWI playtest, I’m halfway through the rules (14 pages, so not a big stretch) and I’ve thought a couple times, this is right up your ally! It’s a much larger scale than I’m used too (Corps/Divisions/Brigades)l so a total shift in mindset for me, which is a good thing… stretch and push that comfort envelope! A couple things have thrown me a tad so far, like: “LOS” standing for Line of Supply (not line of sight); no “Agitprop”, which I still don’t have complete grasp of, but is basically a politician unit or component or mechanic, for Agitation & Propaganda for the Russians… a marker you can buy, but I do t know what for just yet. |
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Post by mikeh on May 7, 2023 14:06:42 GMT -5
I don't like it when they change meanings on us, LOS becomes LOF or Line of Fire or some such, I always find myself tripping over these little things.
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Post by Whiterook on May 7, 2023 17:49:44 GMT -5
I don't like it when they change meanings on us, LOS becomes LOF or Line of Fire or some such, I always find myself tripping over these little things. Exactly! I actually pointed this out in my first report play test report, due in a couple weeks. I recommended they change the acronym to “LOSup”, for line of supply, of they want to keep an acronym…but feel they should just write out the verbiage of maintaining a supply line through friendly hexes. |
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Post by mikeh on May 8, 2023 10:42:25 GMT -5
Is it just to put their own personal stamp on a game I wonder? Another one is, from Fortress Berlin I think it is, is where DF for Defensive Factor is PF for Protection Factors. Come on! Lets all speak the same language, or as you suggested change it up a bit LOSup works, if they really feel they must.
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Post by Whiterook on May 8, 2023 19:22:47 GMT -5
Is it just to put their own personal stamp on a game I wonder? Another one is, from Fortress Berlin I think it is, is where DF for Defensive Factor is PF for Protection Factors. Come on! Lets all speak the same language, or as you suggested change it up a bit LOSup works, if they really feel they must. It may be… I would have been more positive this was the case, but I found another one today that makes me wonder if they (or me) just don’t know traditionally accepted rules standards… I saw for movement, it costs 2 movement factors (MF) to move into an open hex, but only 1 MF to move into a town or city hex; I have never known that to be so in other games and in fact, it has always been the reverse, in my experience… it’s harder to move into a city so, that’s generally been the 2MF cost, where it’s easier to move in the open, thereby being less movement factors. |
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…baggie per formation, so it’s easy to grab what formations you need. The baggies I have on hand are 3x5 inch… I ordered 3x4 inch on Amazon last night and they should be here tomorrow or Monday…I’ll switch them to those.