The CGC's
Gaming News Online

Featured Articles

Honor Andy and Dave
Tribute to Daddy
Northeastern Epic Armageddon Tournament
Warhammer 40k Army for Sale
The Army of Ireland
Command & Colors Online
Hartford Area Historical Gamers Society
Battleground: Fantasy Warfare
Empires in Arms
NASCAR Fantasy League
Thank You Andy!!!
Sunday Miniatures Anyone?
My Best War At Sea Game, Ever!
E-Mail Games: World at War
Is Hardcore Miniatures Gaming Being Dumbed Down for the Masses?
In Honor of Those Who Served in WWII
National Game Survey
Parting Shot Depl.

Gamer Hall of Fame Dept.,

Guys,

I definitely think Andy and Dave deserve to be honored in this slide show at Origins. Can anyone find/make slides to send to Phil Lacefield?

I don't know whether Andy's resume would be considered strong enough for a national hall of fame, but it would be interesting to try.

Best,
Carl

Gamer Hall Of Fame and Obits

Jurors,

As preparations continue for the Origins Awards ceremony later this month, there are two things that need the input of the Academy (which, at this point, is essentially this esteemed group.) Please feel free to chime in!

First, I am accepting nominations for inductees into the Origins Hall Of Fame. The list of previous inductees can be found here:

http://www.originsgamefair.com/aagad/awards/hall-of-fame

Please take a moment to look over the list, and if you think of something or someone who you feel should be inducted, by all means let me know. Please do this offlist (email me direct at phil@lacefield.com) and I'll soon have a full list to present.

Second, every year at the awards ceremony we put together a slideshow of industry notables who have passed away in the previous year. This year includes such sad passings as Gary Gygax, Chuck Crain, Bob Bledsaw and Robert Asprin. If you are aware of an industry notable who has crossed over since last summer, please let me know and I will do everything I can to honor them as well.

As I will be leaving the country this Friday and won't be back until the Tuesday of Origins, I'd like to know your thoughts on these topics just as quickly as you can put fingers to keyboards and get back to me.

Andy Zartolas Jr. Dept.,

You Tube Tribute to Daddy

By Alana Zartolas

Click Here to view the tribute

Please share your thoughts with Alana

Epic Miniatures Dept.,

Northeastern Epic Armageddon Tournament

Come join us for what we hope will be the first of many Northeastern Epic Armageddon Tournaments, NEAT I.

Hosted by Time Machine Hobby, 71 Hilliard Street, Manchester, CT 06042. This is a one day event on Saturday, June 21st 2008 from 9:00AM to 10:00PM.

Entrance is FREE!

New players and old hands are welcome, (we're only playing for fun and bragging rights after all). Even if you don't have an army, let us know and we can see what we can work out.

Three 3.5 hour rounds are scheduled with a one hour break between each.

Rules:
The Epic Rulebook and Swordwind supplement will be used, as well as the recently released Epic 2008 Errata and Epic FAQ 2008. All of these are available free here: http://www.specialist-games.com/epic/rulebook.asp

Armies:
Armies should be 3000 points and selected from army lists in the Rulebook or Experimental Rules sections of the Specialist Games Epic web site, or the Tactical Command forums. http://www.tacticalwargames.net/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi

Registration:
You can register by sending an email to the.epic.gamer@gmail.com. Please provide your name, phone number and email address so we can contact you with further information about the tournament.

Miniature Market Dept.,

Hey Gang,

I'm testing the water here. I'm looking to sell one of my armies, one 40K army is enough.

I'm thinking of selling my Inquisitorial Army.

So the list is as follows:

One Inquisitorial Land Raider (forge world pieces)
One Inquisitorial Chimera (forge world pieces)
Two Inquisitorial Rhinos (forge world pieces)
One Imperial Guard Leman Russ
Two Imperial Guard Chimeras
Three Imperial Guard Sentinels
Lots of Imperial Guard figures
Three Heavy weapon teams
Squad of demon hosts
Inquisitorial Retinue Pieces

Every Inquisitor Sold
Full squad of death cult assassins
All other assassins
Lots of Grey Knights in Power Armor
Lots of Grey Knight Terminators
Two Grey Knight Dreadnoughts (forge world pieces)

Looking for $450.00 or best offer

Email Joe Lotano

Boardgame Market Dept.,

Schenectady Wargamers Association member David Cuatt announces the release of his newest game by Fiery Dragon Productions: Army of Ireland, The Battle of Ridgeway 1866. Special thanks to all the SWA folks who helped in the development and playtesting of this game.

Army of Ireland is a tactical level recreation of the historically significant Battle of Ridgeway, where encroaching Fenians (Irish-American ACW veterans) clashed with spirited Canadian militia in what is now Ontario.

You can get a lot more details about Army of Ireland here: Boardgamegeek.com

Online Tournament Dept.,

Command & Colors Online

An online tournament using the Vassal C&C Ancients module.

The Game:
Commands & Colors Ancients is a board game designed by Richard Borg and published by GMT Games (http://www.gmtgames.com/), which allows you to re-fight epic battles of the ancient world.

The Vassal Game Engine:
Vassal (http://www.vassalengine.org/) is a free software utility that allows you to play board games in real time over the internet. A module for playing C&CA is available from the Files section of its webpage on the Vassal website.

The Tournament:
The tournament is hosted on the C&CA Vassal Players Yahoo group (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ccavassal/). It features two phases of play. In the first phase, players will be organized into a Swiss system draw for match play (playing both sides of a scenario against their assigned opponent in each round). In the second phase, the top 8 players are placed in a singleelimination quarterfinals bracket to determine the ultimate champion. The full rules for the tournament can be found in the Files section of the Yahoo group.

To sign up for the tournament, you will need to join the C&CA Vassal Players group and go to the Database section where you will enter your information in a tournament player database. Registration is open until May 22, 2008.

The Sponsors:

The tournament winner will be awarded a $65 (US dollars) prize voucher provided by Strategia e Tattica, the finest game store in Rome, specializing in board games, role-playing games, collectible card games, and military and fantasy models. This voucher can be spent on any products offered on their main website (http://www.strategiaetattica.it/) or their eBay store (http://stores.ebay.com/strategiaetattica/) and includes free shipping worldwide. The runner-up finalist will receive a $50 prize voucher from GMT Games (http://www.gmtgames.com/).

Miniatures in CT Dept.,

Hartford Area Historical Gamers Society

There is a new venue for historical miniatures. The HAHGS (Hartford Area Historical Gamers Society) will meet on the fourth Sunday of each month at the Levi E. Coe Library in Middlefield (click here for directions), beginning on June 22nd. There will be an inaugural meeting in Middlefield on Sunday, May 18th.

HAHGS also meets at the Time Machine in Manchester on the second Sunday of each month.

Currently they are doing a lot of Field of Glory, along with Flames of War, Warhammer Ancients, and some other rule sets.

They are hosting a 15mm Field of Glory tournament on May 10th at the Time Machine, and expecting at least 12-15 players.

Contact them at hahgs@yahoogroups.com

Your Move Games Dept.,

I was introduced to a great game at last month's Total Confusion convention: Battleground: Fantasy Warfare (BFW). The manufacturer, Your Move Games, is a Massachusetts company, and they were onsite to showcase their game.



BFW is like a miniatures game, but the cool innovation is that your units are printed on 2D cards. You can have a whole army's worth of units in single deck of cards in your pocket. Aside from the nice presentation, the rules are very good too. Annother innovation is that casualty hits are marked right on the card with dry-erase marker; at the end of the game, wipe your cards clean and you're all set for the next time.

There are currently eight fantasy armies/factions: The Men of Hawkshold (feudal humans), Orcs, Undead, Ravenwood Elves, High Elves, Dwarves, Lizardmen, and the Umenzi tribes (like Zulus with magic). There will be more armies in the future, and historical earth sets are in development (Roman Punic war is coming soon). Each army has at least a dozen different unit types, and their unique special ability. For example, Orc generals can "lash" their troops to move faster and fight harder. The Undead can heal their units by creating new troops from the battlefield dead.

Good stuff!


You can learn a lot more about the game at the official BFW web site:

http://www.yourmovegames.com/battleground_index.html

This site includes lots of detail on each faction, discussion forums with hundreds of posts, and even a Flash animation showing how game play flows.

I was so impressed with the game that I contacted Your Move Games to ask how I could help promote BFW. They would like us to be one of their Beta playtest groups for the new Campaign system they're developing.

Just from showing the game to a bunch of folks around the SWA, we've already got over eight potential players lined up. But there's always room for more. We'll be starting some time in the month of April, and we'll probably be meeting on Saturday and/or Sunday afternoons. Location will probably be Zombie Planet game store, or the Studio of Bridge and Games, or a mix of the two. We'll see who's playing and what works best for the group. If we get enough players, we may even have more than one group, for better flexibility with scheduling and such.

If you'd like to give the game a try, some of us will be getting together this Saturday. Newbies welcome!

If you're interested in either this weekend or the Campaign idea, please reply to this message, or contact me directly.

Dave Cheng
dave@swa-gaming.org

It's Finally Here Dept.,

Empires In Arms

I know at least a few of you have been waiting for the computer version of "Empires in Arms"

Boogity Boogity Boogity Dept.

Once again this year, Ritch Flynn will be running a fantasy NASCAR league on Yahoo. All CGC members and all friends of the CGC (and possibly one of Ritch's co-workers) are welcome to join.

The league is free, and anyone with a Yahoo account can join. The league has not yet been set up becuase Yahoo hasn't opened its fantasy NASCAR section for 2008. But in another 2-3 weeks or so, the league will be opened. Anyone who wishes to participate should e-mail ritchflynn2005@yahoo.com and request an invitation to join the league.

Reach up there and pull those belts tight just one more time! Boggity, boogity, boogity, let's go racing boys!

Thank You Dept.,

Andy Zartolas left $1000 to the CGC!

Middlefield Miniatures Dept.,

Sunday Miniatures Anyone??

Anyone up for a miniatures game on Sunday? I realize it's the day after Stratford, and the time is weird, but that is what is available. If someone wants to volunteer a house on 1/13, or can suggest another place, that would be cool. Let's see who is available and then pick a game. Many people on this list have a game or two to run, so there should be some options. Feel free to invite others I left off the list.

There is a kids group using the Levi Coe Library on Sundays from 2-4. We can start setting up at 4 while they are picking up. (For directions, click here)

I'd like to get a regular Sunday miniatures day going, if possible, and I don't mean just a FoW or D&D minis group. I'll happily play them, but my interest is in trying to playtest rules and/or scenarios. Marty, James, Mutley, Vic, Matt, Roland, Patrick, and I all have rule sets and/or convention scenarios to playtest. Others may also.

While we're at it, any interest in Feb 3, 10, or 17? Yeah, I know the 3rd is the Superbowl, but it's also my birthday and I'd rather play. :-)

Best,

Carl

Games We Play Dept.,

My Best War At Sea Game, Ever!

Although i had intended to play A to Z games in honor of Andy Zartolas (who passed away at the end of November) at the club yesterday, Phil had to cancel, due to horrific plumbing problems (a broken tub etc).

So i quick put together a war at sea scenario -- a hypothetical Sea Lion, invasion of England.

It turned out to be one of the best games of War at Sea (modified) that i ever ran....i gm'd, and was greatly impressed by the thought, care, planning and playing style of all of the participants, including a couple of guys who had never played the game before. Proof that although a very simple system, with some modifications it is a good thinking man's game....a point two of the new players made repeatedly.

Free Onling Gaming Dept.,

E-Mail Games: World at War

http://members.shaw.ca/emg.pbm/emg.htm

If you are not a true war-gamer you need read no further.

World at War first began in 1997. At this time is was absolutely the best online war game available. It is now ten years old and it doesn't show it's age well. There is
no glamor or glitz, no sound or video clips. The graphics are plain, boring to some. The interface  is dated and requires a little computer savvy to use.

Are you still reading?

I am a true war-gamer, I know of what I speak. I began to play before computers  existed. I was a mere child when in 1976, I found Tactics II (by Avalon hill) in the local hobby store. I was immediately hooked, I have played every game that I could get my hands on and find opponents for. (and still do today) Then computers came along and with them the internet.

In 1999, I stumbled onto E-Mail Games. This is one of the best thing I have ever  done. There are a number of different games played there, but only one for me. "World at War"

World at War is a WW2 style game. It is played on the  strategic/operational level. You cannot master this game. A strategy that brings you victory in one game, will be the root of your defeat in the next. Each game starts with a completely different setup and map. Speaking of the map, it wraps around itself. You can attack in any direction and meet up with  yourself. Of course the reverse is true, you can be attacked from any direction. There are no safe
positions in World at War. I have found no other game to compare, with the pure satisfaction and  total despair of playing World at War.

If you have made it this far, you maybe the true war-gamer I'm looking for. When  you have a little time to spare, come to E-Mail Games and have a look around. Try a training game if you think you are up to it.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Kevin,
a World at War Player

Where is the Miniatures Hobby Going Dept.,

There is a growing anger in the miniatures community (and among some board gamers as well) about where the hobby is going. Long gone are the days of complex rules with the current crop of game systems ignoring real world tactics in favor of a design that emphasizes quick gameplay (along with a requirement for a ton of figurines!). Likewise, the arrival of the 'Clickies' (i.e., pre-painted, clickable miniatures for games such as Battletech, Star Wars, and Axis & Allies) has brought about the rise of a new type of miniatures gamer, one who just wants to be able to go into a hobby store, pluck down some cash, open a package of pre-painted figs and immediately start playing the game. In and of itself, this is no big deal but it becomes one when the average gamer throws a tantrum because, instead of encountering an entry into a game system, he will actually have to paint his own figs, maybe do some research, and learn to apply the actual tactics of the period. Regretably, many game companies are moving in the direction of primarily catering to this type of casual gamer. How long will it be before you'll go into a gaming convention and see Napoleon and the Guard on a tabletop, flanked by his British allies, an all cuirassier cavalry force, and only one regular infantry unit (because that is all that is allowed in the army list)! And, of course, facing them will be a Russian force getting ready to use their special scorched earth army tactic where each opposing fig has to roll to obtain forage or immediately die due to hunger. Maybe a few optional rules involving machine guns and submarines will be included as well.

The hobby is not changing for the better. Therefore, with this in mind, I have written the following miniatures primer as a much needed splash of cold water to bring casual gamers to their rightful senses. Hopefully it will serve to remind the gaming community that miniatures wargaming is no different than life in the real world---the more you put in, the more you get back.

1) No, you can't play Waterloo with ten 25mm figures!
There have been a number of threads lately on The Miniatures Page where people see a beautiful Napoleonic game, but don't want to paint the 500 or so miniatures to play the game properly. They then ask if there is a watered-down version of Waterloo where they can just paint a handful of figs.Guess what? Doing something right takes time. Regrettably, the current generation of gamers just cannot be bothered about painting large armies. Here's a suggestion; turn off your Playstation, quit watching the same anime episodes over and over, and sit down for an hour a night and paint some figs.

2) A fad is a fad, nothing more.
Has anyone else noticed the alarming number of gaming forums thread concerning such hypothetical scenarios as 'What if Hitler had survived?'; 'How do I game Van Helsing?'; 'Why don't people buy more zombie rules?' and 'Why won't gamers sell off everything they own and get into Victorian science fiction?'
These are niche periods at best and some, like VSF or Pirates, are little more than fads. Despite all the hype, these periods will never be as popular as WW2 or Ancients---no matter how much gamers want it to be true (most of the gamers who are into these alternative periods try to defend them with a religious zeal that makes the Inquisition look like an afternoon tea party!).

Now, I?ve seen some pretty impressive games for some of these obscure periods and I salute those people who enjoy 'em. Bur I do take issue with the many gamers who spend a lot of time trying to convince others that their period is mainstream and ACW or Ancients are just a fad!

3) Could we inject at least some realism into rules?
In the last few years I have seen the following: modern jet combat where altitude isn't important, rules with no command and control, and armies taking over 50% casualties without a morale break. Why? Because all of these games are united by the common desire to make a game that meets a demand---namely, 'I only have two hours for a game tonight and I feel like WW2. So let's throw some stuff out there and kill things!'

Likewise, some gamers even state that they can achieve the same result in less time with these ridiculously unrealistic rules. That may be so, but did you learn anything about the period? Probably not. Were you using real tactics or just 'special rules' that helped you to win? Probably the latter. You might as well just put tank silhouettes on round pieces and play checkers with them---which is about the equivalent of what you're doing anyway.

For example, if you're running a scenario where a Chinese task force is intercepted by Taiwanese subs and jets, you can probably use Shipwreck and finish the game in about two hours. Will you have learned anything about the period or its tactics? No. However, if you play the scenario using Harpoon 4, I guarantee that you will gain a deeper understanding of weapons, sensors, and modern tactics. Will it take longer to play? Yes. Is there more of a learning curve? Yes. But wouldn't you rather do that and get something out of the game rather than roll a bunch of D10s and try to sink targets with weapons that you know nothing about?

4) Reality sucks, doesn't it?
I just love the discussions about how to make Desert Storm scenarios 'more fair,' i.e., making all the M1 Abrams tanks broken down for maintenance, grounding American and British warplanes, or postulating a rolling mirage that prevents coalition forces from firing at targets further away than 10 feet!

Here's a hint: if you have to go to those kinds of lengths to game a period or battle, don't bother. Can these periods or battles be gamed? Yes, but you really have to be creative with the scenario objectives. Unfortunately, most gamers simply are not that creative with you ending up with a period so bastardized that it becomes a parody of itself.

5) Why does the terrain for most games still suck after all these years?
Time and again you see pictures of ugly terrain---badly painted buildings, a lack of trees, or some aquarium piece out of its tank and placed upon a gaming table. Why do gamers gleefully spend big money on figs and then put them on such disappointing terrain boards? Considering the many companies that now produce ready-painted buildings (such as Crescent Root Studio and Miniature Building Authority), not to mention the incredible selection of items available from model train stores, there is no excuse for not being able to display attractive and appropriate terrain while gaming.

Here's a hint; next time spend some money on something other than that new Terminator Overlord Death Squad which will set you back $75. That money could buy a few ready painted buildings, or a few bags of trees. Then invest a few hours working on the terrain and 'guess what' You're game will not only look better, it will also make the game more challenging now that the players are utilizing terrain that is more complex than a green cloth with two rocks on it.

6) Please don't tell me that there's more 25mm Napoleonic figures coming out!
Yes, imagine that, another range of 25mm Napoleonic figures! How many are there now? Fifteen? Twenty-five? Fourty? With all the periods that require figurines and terrain, why do manufacturers keep producing more 25mm Napoleonics? Don't they know that every pose possible for the Napoleonic era has already been sculpted? Surprise, surprise, many of these companies eventually go out of business, leaving me to surmise that they found out that the 3.2 million 25mm Napoleonic figures that have already been made were probably enough.

Final Thoughts

No doubt many of you may come away with the idea that I'm bitter---this is not the case. I love the hobby of wargaming, I love painting, and I love reading military history. If I hated it, why would I spend several weeks a year putting out a free wargame magazine (available at www. wfhgs.com)? Simply put, my major concern is that the hobby is going in the wrong direction. Are the figs better? Definitely yes. Are the rules more attractive? Again, definitely yes. Is the selection of periods, terrain, and painting guides better? You bet. So if this is the 'Golden Age of Gaming,' what's the problem?

The big problem is that gamers are gaming for the sake of gaming. It's become just one more way to kill time between taking the kids to soccer games and having lunch with the wife/girlfriend. What has become of the days of hobbyists investing some time and artistic talent in the hobby? What has become of the gamer who participated in such martial fare not just for the opportunity to kill things, but to obtain a deeper insight into military history? Sure, in this day and age, we are all pressed for time. But does that mean we should sacrifice the essence of our hobby for the sake of expediency? I say 'no!' Let's all stop this mad rush towards quantity gaming and return to the days of quality gaming. Invest the time and effort to fully appreciate the glory of our hobby and you'll soon realize that, like Rome, no great wargame experience can be built in a single day.

This artile is from the Game Squad: http://www.gamesquad.com/index.php?option=com_sections&id=6&sid=762&index=1
 
 

D-Day Dept.,

Here is something "Historical" worth looking at: http://www.army.mil/d-day/

And note: The photo's are public domain.

"Play Up!"

Pete Panzeri
President@hmgs.org

"Play Up! Play UP! And PLAY THE GAME!"
50th Infantry Regiment Motto from "Vitai Lampada" by Sir Henry Newbolt

State of the Hobby Dept.,

National Game Survey

Ohio State University's School of Communication, in partnership with GAMA and The Wargamer, are undertaking a follow-up to last year's large and comprehensive study of hobby game players. The researchers are investigating patterns of motivation and usage by tabletop (card, role-playing, minis, and board game players), digital (computer, console, MMORPG), and other gamers (such as LARP). The survey takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

Building on lessons learned from last year, as well as some ongoing analyses of the existing data, the project is seeking continue expanding the knowledge of the games world.

We invite you to participate at www.gamesurvey.org.

The study will be focusing on these key areas of motivation.

What do game players like in a game? What do they dislike? And why?
What motivates continued game play and preferences for types of games?
Where are games bought and what influences those purchase decisions in light of preferences and motivations?
What interactions do gamers have with others?
With whom (and where) do gamers play, and how frequently, and how do these decisions influence preferences and motivations?

Official Q&A forum can be found at
http://www.wargamer.com/forums/tm.asp?m=229482

Please contact me with any questions.

Brant Guillory
School of Communication - Ohio State
guillory.2@osu.edu
http://www.bayonetgames.com
http://strayvoltage.blogspot.com

CGC NEWS Dept.,

Parting Shots Dept.,

"The universe is so vast and ageless that the life of one man
can only be measured by the size of his sacrifice." (or how he lived...)

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