On a related note, if you don't have time for gaming with others, you start to look at what systems are great for solo gaming.
Obviously, computer games are great for solo gaming but I want a ruleset that I had more control to tweak to my personal tastes.
Two rulesets that look to be good for solo gaming are:
* A Song of Blades and Heroes
* Two Hour Wargames
Both systems are similar in that the behavior of your opponent can be unexpectedly. Song of Blades and Heroes is the simpler ruleset to grasp. However, the more I look at Two Hour Wargames, I realize it has alot of depth and can be excellent for solo gaming.
A Song of Blades and Heroes(SBH) has a low entry price of $4 for the basic set.
Two Hour Wargames has free demos. If you join the yahoo site, you can download a complete copy of Mayhem:Warrior Heroes. This is a skirmish fantasy ruleset with magic.
My opinion is that Two Hour wargames is the more polished product between the two systems as SBH has been around for six years. One of the highlights of Two Hour Wargames is its Zombie game All Things Zombie.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
PBEM - Vassal Modules
So I'm back to looking at Vassal modules for games. I own quite a few games, so I have the rules for a vast majority of simple wargames.
At a glance, these systems look to be the right mix of complexity and simplicity:
* Battle Cry
* Command and Conquer: Ancients
* Battlelore
* Cry Havok - I intend to use the hexmap and counters to run "A Song of Blades and Heroes" if I can teach my friend the rules online.
* Manoeuvre(http://tnfc.blogspot.com/). I have this but haven't played it. The simplicity of the rules appeal to me.
* Epic Duels - There are large number of custom decks. We used to play this alot before Heroscape
* Heroquest - I think I can convert the module into a simple skirmish game if my friends are interested.
At a glance, these systems look to be the right mix of complexity and simplicity:
* Battle Cry
* Command and Conquer: Ancients
* Battlelore
* Cry Havok - I intend to use the hexmap and counters to run "A Song of Blades and Heroes" if I can teach my friend the rules online.
* Manoeuvre(http://tnfc.blogspot.com/). I have this but haven't played it. The simplicity of the rules appeal to me.
* Epic Duels - There are large number of custom decks. We used to play this alot before Heroscape
* Heroquest - I think I can convert the module into a simple skirmish game if my friends are interested.
PBEM - Steel Panthers World At War
While looking at matrix games, I learned that they had Steel Panthers world at war for a free download. For some reason, I thought the game "Soldiers at War" which sounded like "X-Com for WWII" was part of the package.
A quick download and the game was at my fingertips. I quickly booted it up and found it was a WWII engine very similar in appearance to something like Panzer General. It seemed to move quickly when I tried it. Again, it looked a little too complex for a quick spin. I'm really pressed for time and I need a set of rules I can grok immediately.
If the rules aren't straightforward enough to keep in my running memory, I don't want to learn it right now. The engine looks great but too more time for my needs.
A quick download and the game was at my fingertips. I quickly booted it up and found it was a WWII engine very similar in appearance to something like Panzer General. It seemed to move quickly when I tried it. Again, it looked a little too complex for a quick spin. I'm really pressed for time and I need a set of rules I can grok immediately.
If the rules aren't straightforward enough to keep in my running memory, I don't want to learn it right now. The engine looks great but too more time for my needs.
PBEM - The War Engine
After looking around, I found out that the War Engine ( http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/thewarengine/full-game/23299.html) is available for download.
The good thing is that it looks like it is packaged for modern computers. It also contains a scenario design kit for creating your own wargames. It sounds great!
I downloaded it and installed it. It has 7 campaigns spanning fantasy, modern, and sci-fi. The campaigns show the depth of the wargame engine.
Unfortunately, I didn't find the system fun. It had LOS, fog of war, and a few other nifty elements. It just was unsatisfying to play. There is a PBEM option but I'm not willing to learn the system.
The good thing is that it looks like it is packaged for modern computers. It also contains a scenario design kit for creating your own wargames. It sounds great!
I downloaded it and installed it. It has 7 campaigns spanning fantasy, modern, and sci-fi. The campaigns show the depth of the wargame engine.
Unfortunately, I didn't find the system fun. It had LOS, fog of war, and a few other nifty elements. It just was unsatisfying to play. There is a PBEM option but I'm not willing to learn the system.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
PBEM - Mission Force: Cyberstorm
Mission Force: Cyberstorm is a great mech strategy rpg game that was created during the mid 90s. You can find more info here.
The latest patch boasts a PBEM campaign. I had an old copy of the game back from college days, so I dug it up and tried to run the game on my new XP computer.
Unfortunately, the game seems to run in Win 95 compatibility mode but I can't get it to save any games.
This is a great game but the inability to save games and thus try the PBEM force me to rate this game as 0/10 for PBEM.
The latest patch boasts a PBEM campaign. I had an old copy of the game back from college days, so I dug it up and tried to run the game on my new XP computer.
Unfortunately, the game seems to run in Win 95 compatibility mode but I can't get it to save any games.
This is a great game but the inability to save games and thus try the PBEM force me to rate this game as 0/10 for PBEM.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
PBEM - When time is minimal
Play By Email Games look like the best option now. I need something that's quick and can be done at odd hours.
What to play though? The criteria needs to be fun, simple to install and simple to run.
The first stop is VASSAL.
Basically, Vassal allows you to play board and card games online or via PBEM. It acts as a virtual board. Its a little confusing at first if you're expecting the game to handle the rules for you but it does work quite well.
So far, I've started a battle cry game with another busy gamer. It is working out great as battle cry is a relatively simple game. I recommend starting off on a game you and your opponent know well.
My rating is 8/10 for VASSAL for PBEM.
What to play though? The criteria needs to be fun, simple to install and simple to run.
The first stop is VASSAL.
VASSAL is a game engine for building and playing online adaptations of board games and card games. It allows users to play in real time over a live Internet connection (in addition to playing by email). It runs on all platforms, and is free for personal use.
Basically, Vassal allows you to play board and card games online or via PBEM. It acts as a virtual board. Its a little confusing at first if you're expecting the game to handle the rules for you but it does work quite well.
So far, I've started a battle cry game with another busy gamer. It is working out great as battle cry is a relatively simple game. I recommend starting off on a game you and your opponent know well.
My rating is 8/10 for VASSAL for PBEM.
What's this?
The real world has finally intruded on my gaming. I've seen my average number of games per month go from 10 to barely 1. Career, Baby, and other responsibilities have taken over but I still want to engage in some good old gaming.
So this blog just chronicles my search and interest in the best bang for the buck gaming.
So this blog just chronicles my search and interest in the best bang for the buck gaming.
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