Marriage, so the saw goes, has many pains, but celibacy few pleasures. (That's the PA literary content for the issue). So it goes with boardgaming and computergaming.
As David Fox notes when you find an error in your Talonsoft Battle its damn hard luck on you, because there is nothing you can do about it. The transparency and flexibility of the boardgame are lost (until we all learn to hack patches) but I doubt many ever used these facilities. What is becoming unfortunate for the computer fan is spec-creep. The new Star Trek game requires a 166 Pentium and 32 Mb of RAM. My current machine was top spec when I bought it two years ago, and my work could finance (and demand) moving towards the 128 RAM you need for real graphics, but how many are there like me? It is one thing to get the computer game cheaper than the boardgame, but add in a grand or so of upgrading and the genre seems the exclusive property of teenagers or wealthy forty-somethings (spookily enough the preferred mating groups for teenage Essex Girls - photos on application).
The kindly offices of the Laird of Buckhurst Hill see me trying out Talonsoft's Waterloo. It is indeed a remarkable piece of work. With all the resources that the computer gives us the game has managed to perfectly recreate the mind-numbing, stomach-churning, narcosis-inducing boredom of a Richard Berg "process" game. It even does it on hexes and uses phases! It is as if NASA were to design a rocket based on Flash Gordon's (no, don't tell me that they did!).
You have pretty much to do anything and the insolent wee machine even tells you the scores and calculations. There is a variety of Artificial Intelligence where you can make most of the activities automatic on both sides and only intervene to give a few orders. You still need to tap through the phases though. Much of the opportunity that computers offer us seem to have been abandoned. Of course, if like the Foxy One you like battery-sighting and dressing your ranks then it is bliss in this dawn to be alive. Those of us who employ people to do this sort of thing will find it materially less joyful. I found Age of Rifles much more appealing (and have passed a copy to The Siggoid to see what he feels) but I suspect that is because it follows the figure-gaming model from which I come. The marching tunes are better on Waterloo, I am sure I heard the slow march "The Bonny Earl of Foppington" as well as the one with the chorus "He climbed up the steeple and p*ssed on the people" - what is its real name?
Game Kit News
Les Quatre-Bras: In holding pattern while the Death Ride icons get manufactured.
El Rye Prudente: Held back after reading two biographies of the Catholic King
Gesta Regis Stephani: A further downsizing sees all the noble counters and the "which hex they own" detail subsumed into the Event Pack. We may be within range of proceeding again. My thanks to S. Madincott's Simon de Montfort that inspired me to the change. Another draft of rules being produced.
Chariotlords: Finished in playtest form and off to Clash of Arms to see if they want to publish it. First draft rules reviewed and turned round. Counter size has been agreed but is smaller than I would have liked, and larger than CoA would have preferred. We are seeking a kerplunk factor here.
Death Ride: Mars-La-Tour: Play test copy off in the States and given the tremulous state of rule reading over there this is proving very useful. Cruel Peter Perla is out-dumbing Chris Russell (leave even a inch of double-meaning and they'll be up it like a rat up a drainpipe). The game is still being re-tested to balance the victory conditions. Excellent test game with Gareth Simon saw the French getting some good Impulse scores and having enough time to "do it properly" this opened up a lot of new questions about entering occupied Areas and other stuff not previously encountered. I am busy reading an artilleryman's version of the battle, tactical scale a bit low for this game though. Work on the sprites has begun, we are using full colour on 1" square counters (commanders, cavalry and French artillery) and 5/8" by 1" rectangular counters (infantry and German artillery). Mike Siggins builds these masters and I paint them. They look very good indeed. The scans of the generals are also going into position handily.
Vae Victis: The Chevalier de Monnier K.C.M.G. reports that the October Vae Victis will be on The Crusades and in 1998 we may see an 1859 (Franco-Austrian) campaign game, but whether it will be operational or tactical is not yet decided. Splendid! Put me down for translation duties.
Ted Raicer Ted has announced (see bits elsewhere) two new World War One designs. One on Cambrai will use the Courtney Allen/Peter Perla Area systems to cover both the attack and response. Nothing complex to worry about, derivative rules with some neat specials. Those of you hooked on the Mark Herman cards games (Mark is producing his own ACW game but its a lot bigger than We The Peeps) will be thrilled to know Ted is going to produce a World War One version, lots of cards and stuff (variously referred to a We The Strosstruppen and We The Trenches). I feel this system may not be that applicable to W.W.I but its availability is a big hit with gamers. Oh and let's not forget.....
Richard Berg (who?) with his great new Habeas Corpus game on the immediate Successors to Alexander, which is a Herman-Simonitch derivative for four players with the (very) aptly titled Tyche Deck. Also new (indirectly) from the Herman-Bergoid is the Computer version of Alexander (see elsewhere).
David Fox Rumour hath it that our battalion-level chum is working with German cheese-millionaire Ulrich Blennemann's Moments in History on something Napoleonic.
Kevin Zucker: e-mail address was requested last issue and a message from a USN carrier strike force reveals the tango is to be found at kzucker@charm.net. Found fixed and friendly.
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© Copyright 1997 by Charles and Teresa Vasey.
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