Archive For The “Reviews” Category
On #TBT, we bring you the occasional classic article – an older review or analysis piece we wanted to rescue (more…)
The Cold War at sea seen thru the lens of 2020
Undercovergeek, 7 May 2020
Shadow Empire is an immersive and complex turn-based game that combines traditional hex-based wargaming with 4X and RPG elements, all in a procedural world representing the remnant of a once vast interstellar empire. Each game begins hundreds of years after the fall of humanity, with the survivors scattered in isolated pockets among the stars. Shadow Empire players will have the chance to lead small resurgent cities in an effort to reconquer a lost world while rediscovering forgotten technologies and the entire concept of civilization.
For those familar with VR Designs previous titles some key parts are instantly recognisable in Shadow Empire but in the main it feels like sweeping changes have been made for the new title. The game installs with a partially complete manual and reading it unveils some intriguing ideas and mechanics. The eager starter should not ignore the first 20 pages of the manual however, where some immersive background and lore has been lovingly written by the designer. For those fans of the TLDR tag – Previous technologies have been lost in the dust and ashes of centuries of war – barbaric city states and small nations are all that survive now, do you fancy being elected the new ruler of one of these small nations with the dream of reuniting the shattered planet devastated by war? (more…)
Michael Eckenfels, 30 April 2020
The American Civil War was not a simple affair. Mention this event, or any battle during those bloody years of American history, and you’re sure to have a debate on your hands – political or otherwise. The period evokes a certain amount of interest from those of us uninterested in the political side of things and more interested in the combat and strategic decisions made. There’s also a certain amount of fascination with a war fought with deadly weapons yet using massed tactics that harken back to the days of Napoleon and before, ensuring mass slaughter and a nation that took years to lick its wounds – and in some places, still licking them.
Michael Eckenfels, 23 April 2020
On #TBT, we bring you the occasional classic article – an older review or analysis piece we wanted to rescue (more…)
Brant Guillory, 16 April 2020
On #TBT, we bring you the occasional classic article – an older review or analysis piece we wanted to rescue
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There are several reasons why A Distant Plain can be tough to review. That said, they are all the same reasons that make it a compelling game. How many multiplayer wargames have you played where the players are not simply extensions of a team, but rather working at cross purposes as often as not? How many wargames have you played with an elastic time scale? How many wargames eschew anything resembling unit factors or quantified values? And now take all those tweaks and roll them into a single game, and drop into an ongoing conflict whose outcomes are not yet truly determined.