Archive For The “Analysis” Category
Armchair Dragoons Public Affairs Office, 30 December 2019
2019 was a ‘building’ year for us here at the Armchair Dragoons.
With the regiment established the year before, we focused on the core idea we wanted to build around: helping strategy gamers get the most out of their games. We spent the bulk of our time on our live broadcasts, continuing our podcast, and articles that make you want to read & discuss gaming. While the forums are a key piece of our community, they are not the only focal point, and the slow-and-steady-growth of that part of the Dragoons has been fun to watch, even if we haven’t over-emphasized “everyone come register!”
So while 2019 wasn’t quite as momentous as 2018 – the year we founded the regiment – it was still a solid year of getting ourselves grounded for more adventures to come, and we appreciate everyone whose joined us on the march.
2019, though, also gives us an endpoint at which multiple numbers roll over on the calendar. So while the most pedantic among us (you know who you are) will argue the decade doesn’t end until 2021, we’re taking this opportunity to look back on the decade in gaming, and we’ve asked a few friends to chime in, too.
“What’s been the biggest story in the gaming world over the past 10 years?”
And wow, we got responses all over the map. Some were short, and some were paragraphs. Some were unexpected, and others were predictable (especially given who they were from). (more…)
Brant Guillory, 14 May 2019
originally published at GrogNews.com
Note that this is a companion piece to the original column on recon & intel in tabletop wargaming.
In the tactical world, we have several different tools we use to ensure that we get the right data at the right time.
One of the key methods involves the use of map graphics. We use transparent overlays on standard-size military maps (1:50k) and use graphics to indicate enemy actions: locations of units, routes for movement, places we expect them to attack or defend, etc. (more…)
by Gary Mengle, 8 October 2018
Around 1998 I declared wargaming as a hobby finished, washed my hands of it and sold off most of my games.
Yeah. That was dumb.
I mean, it seemed logical at the time. The wargame-as-simulation designs that the hobby was then still in the grip of could clearly be better accomplished on computers. Non-CCG tabletop gaming was getting crowded out of retail spaces and conventions. Gamers’ time was increasingly being devoured by computer games. And wargaming, by then a niche for the better part of two decades, was the first to vanish from the major convention scene.
Digital wargaming
by Jim Owczarski, 2 October 2018
Given what is about to happen here, I really ought to establish my bona fides. I am a huge fan of Richard Borg’s Commands and Colors series. I own the entirety of the Ancients series and have taught it as an introductory wargame at Origins. I think its clean design and relative simplicity make it one of the the best gateways to this hobby of which I am so fond.
Despite this, when GMT Games announced that it had partnered with Hexwar to bring C&C:A to the PC, I was skeptical. For me, C&C in all its flavors is the perfect game for face-to-face play. The learning curve is reasonable, the time commitment is modest, and it still brings a decent amount of historical flavor. As much as I love more complicated games, my ratio of C&C played to any other system these days is very high. As a result, I felt no particular need for a digital version.
And then there is the fact that Field of Glory 2 exists. (more…)