WWII Africa Campaign Map: Resin Casting and Prep for Envirotex Light
Last time we looked at the rationale behind making a WWII African Theatre wargames map from scratch and laid the foundation of the board. This time we’re making resin casts of land and ocean hexes and small items like convoy markers. We’ll assemble the map, prime it, and work toward getting ready to pour Envirotex Lite to make realistic looking water.
The Clarion Call of Cthulhu: How I Learned to Love the Beast, Part 1
The Cthulhu mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft has far outlived its creator. In addition to a loyal readership, the canon stories have also gathered an equally enthusiastic gaming audience. These gamer initiates have summoned Cthulhu and its kind from their slumber through untended gates to lie glistening on gaming tables across this world. And if you truly believe, across tables in other worlds as well. Asking “why” the Ancient Ones have chosen to be present in this world at this time is pointless. All we can attempt is an explanation of why Lovecraft is compelling and why so many play in the ooze of Lovecraft’s mythos, and enjoy every minute of it.
Roll Call: Guillotine, Dead of Winter, Mansions of Madness
Roll Call summarizes the past week’s gaming exploits, and who was doing the exploiting. This past two weeks had 6 gaming sessions. The highlights are reported here. Mansions of Madness spoilers at the very bottom of the post below the poll. Don’t forget Seth’s suggested poll about your favourite zombie game near the bottom.
How to Build a Successful Games Club: High School Edition, Part 3
In Part 2 of this series we picked some great games for the club. In this installment we’ll talk the long game for the club and how to keep it healthy and fresh. You want to end up with a situation where the younger brothers and sisters of past graduates are as keen to come to the club in grade 9 as their older siblings were.
Imperial Assault: The Emperor reveals the power of the pesky white defense die
Imperial Transmission Intercept: Fett! Where’s Fett? Ah, there you are. Stop skulking! Boba, listen: Hunt down that infernal “X” and destroy it. What’s that? Yes, yes, go ahead, in fact I now encourage disintegrations. It’s my new bidding.
Did you hear that Vader? No? Breath quieter. Next time I let off a burst of force lightning I expect results! I’ve fizzled for the very last time.
It’s all about the Foresight reroll!
Roll Call: Dead of Winter, Game of Thrones, Kill Doctor Lucky, Mansions of Madness
Roll Call summarizes the past week’s gaming exploits, and who was doing the exploiting. This past week had two gaming sessions. Thursday Night games and Friday Night Mansions of Madness. The giant chess board and new chess clock at the school club continue to be big hits. Feel free to leave comments and questions at the bottom.
WWII Africa Campaign Map: Base Layer and 3D Printing
The task is simple: Game on a new continent by creating a WWII Africa campaign map in 3D to encompass the whole African theater. It must be worthy of wall space and provide context to any and all game systems that mine the WWII desert sands for the many opportunities it offers a gamer. Why the Africa campaign? For a scratch built campaign map the scope seems more manageable than, say, the D-Day landings and after a couple of years of driving the most powerful armour around Normandy I’m looking forward to a theatre shift and trading in my Panzer IVs for Panzer IIs.
My father’s war medals
My fascination with WWII came naturally. My father, a journeyman electrician at the outbreak of WWII, was denied entrance to the paratroop school he had hoped for and assigned instead to the Royal Artillery keeping searchlights up and running during the blitz in Southampton, and then again in Sicily. Next he joined the Allied advance toward Rome on a motorbike with sidecar, repairing electrical problems in everything from Triumphs to Shermans, from rear HQ to forward observation posts. I hung on every word on the rare occasion he talked about his service in the army. I knew, however, that those days stayed with him. Fifty years later he would still get emotional on Remembrance Day. A rare twitch from a truly stiff upper lip.
How to Build a Successful Games Club: High School and Youth Edition, Part 2
Part 1 of this series got our Chess Club started, funded, and furnished. Now what? You have a venue with tables and chairs and a few regular attendees through facilitating chess, or you might be going straight to a games club from scratch. Either way it’s time for the fun part: getting the games needed to put the “Games” in “Games and Chess Club” and get your numbers up so that it can become the broader reaching Games and Chess Club we’ve been aiming for.
Imperial Assault: How to Tweak a Campaign to Make it Better
Last time we looked at campaign play for the board game Imperial Assault and Imperial class decks that keep campaigns fun. The conclusion was that some Imperial class cards are joy killers. The sweet spot is a set-up where the Imperial and Rebel forces are balanced. In a perfect campaign every mission should reward good play and then ride on the last activation and die roll of the game. We can tweak campaigns in subtle ways to make sure they play balanced and enjoyable.
Roll Call: Escape, Pandemic: The Cure, Love Letter, Incan Gold, Mansions of Madness
Roll Call is a new series that’ll summarize the past week’s gaming exploits, and who was doing the exploiting. This week had two good gaming sessions in it. Players and viewers alike are welcome to add their thoughts to the comment section at the end of the Roll Call. Spoilers for games like Mansions of Madness are clearly marked.
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