Quinns: Morning everybody! This is the second time we’ve used Colt Express’s 3D train as our header image, but that’s because it’s a 3D train. I live in hope other board game publishers are reading this and paying attention.
Heralding the game’s release in a few months, Ludonaute has published an exhaustive official site. The site contains a manual, and the manual contains good news! This game’s going to be an absolute cluster****. But in a good way!
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Ooh, it’s an exciting day. Not only is Five Tribes one of the year’s prettiest and most anticipated boxes, it’s also the most Paul and Quinns have disagreed on anything. EVER.
Sit back, relax, and watch the sparks fly. Or just hit play to watch Matt furtively cover his nips. You… you’ll understand in a minute, ok.
(Bruno Faidutti’s blog post on the game’s theme can be found here.)
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Crossing into the Land of 1001 Nights, your caravan arrives at the fabled Sultanate of Naqala.
The old sultan just died and control of Naqala is up for grabs!
The oracles foretold of strangers who would maneuver the Five Tribes to gain influence over the legendary city-state.
Will you fulfill the prophecy? Invoke the old Djinns, move the Tribes into position at the right time and the Sultanate may become yours!
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Quinns: This weekend I did something a little scary (and a little sexy). I’ve been attending casual Netrunner meets for almost a year, but this month I finally took the plunge and organised my very own tournament. Forty strangers and a few of my friends were brought together under one roof for the noble pursuit of cyber-warfare.
I thought sharing how I did it (and what I learned) could be useful for a few of you guys, and maybe coax you into running something similar. Due to having all the fun in the world I’ll now be holding these monthly.
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Quinns: While SU&SD’s Star Wars RPG campaign will continue unabated like some grimy, stuttering starship, I’ve also been playing the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Did you know how good it is? It’s Chaotic Good. Good like a +3 Long Sword of Goodness and Being Clever.
This week I filed a Kotaku column all about just how smart and timely it is. The words include, but aren’t limited to, these ones…
“You know how when movies or sitcoms depict D&D, people sit down and within 60 seconds they’re being ambushed by goblins, panickedly figuring out who they are and what they’re carrying? That’s what the beginner box offers. Printed on the back of each character sheet are instructions on how to level up, especially relevant in this version because (again, just like video games) the many and varied power trees of your character class open up gradually. Only once you’ve been playing for two evenings will you be asked whether your Rogue wants to be a Thief, Assassin or Arcane Trickster. And if you decide to pick up the Player’s Handbook for the full rules, you’ll find funny, witty charts to help players down the unsettling path of roleplaying.”
But I also manage to squeeze some sex and glassblowing in there. Go read!
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Quinns: Morning, everybody! For the second week running we’re leading with our Kickstarters, this time with action movie RPG Feng Shui 2.
I know about the original Feng Shui because of the time my friend was breathlessly espousing one of the mechanics. Your character is more likely to pass a check if they’re doing something ludicrous. So, shooting two bad guys is a harder check to pass than throwing a bottle between them, then shooting it so it explodes. Or dodging a falling rock is harder than uppercutting it in half.
If that hasn’t sold you on it, I’m not sure there’s anything else I could say. But I’ll try!
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Hello everybody!
It’s an exciting day for us. First off, our fourth ever donation season is now open but will close at the end of September, so if you’d like to support us or want in on the 4th Gold Club please pledge in the next 12 days. Unless you’re a subscriber, of course, in which case you can sit back, crack your knuckles and feel a sense of harmony with the universe.
But wait! There’s more! An early test version of the official SU&SD forums is now open to anyone who’s ever made account with us by donating. There’s no need to be in the Gold Club to get an account. Whatever donation you like will get you in there if you’d like to chat about board games, roleplaying games, or just how to fix Finland.
Thanks so much for the support, everybody.
— Team SU&SD
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One of the first reviews we ever wrote was of Antoine Bauza’s Ghost Stories, back when SU&SD was little more than a twinkle on our camcorder’s four gig SD card.
Clearly we’re getting old. This year will soon see the release of Samurai Spirit, an all-new Bauza game of protecting an all-new village. What will Quinns make of it? More importantly, what will he make of that box?
Have you heard about the box? Oh dear. We have some bad news. Are you sitting down?
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No gas, no ammo, no food. No time to spare to cross the Rhine before the enemy closes all the gaps. You need to secure the bridgehead before others do. That’s the only way to Victory and your personal glory.
1944 Race to the Rhine is a new game experience. You can’t win this game without proper planning. Your tanks need gas to move and ammo to fight. But don’t forget to feed your GIs. So what would be your transport priority?
Will you follow general Patton’s strategy to discard ammo in order to bring additional fuel barrels along to move boldly forward? Would you risk your prestige and gamble on Market-Garden as marshal Montgomery did? Would cross the Rhine quicker than general Bradley did, with the help of your hard work and a little luck?
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(Images courtesy of BoardGameGeek.)
Thrower: General Patton chewed his cigar and look East, over the Rhine, into Germany. He’d done it. By loading his divisions down with fuel, he’d stolen a coup on the other Allied commanders and made it to the river first.
Now, only the 155th Panzer Brigade stood between him and the history books. Disorganised and demoralised, they were no match for his crack US corps.
Suddenly the field telephone crackled into life. “Sir? Sir! We can’t action that advance order. The troops have no ammunition. Montgomery requisitioned the lot.”
“WHAT?” bellowed Patton, spraying out a mouthful of cheesy wotsits. “That British f*** took EVERYTHING? Jesus!”
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