In this VERY SERIOUS podcastery from renowned “Men of letters” Paul and Quinns, we answer the questions that some people, somewhere, might want answered. Are board games cool? When is it about American-style boardgames? We also wonder if there’s a The Matrix board game but there isn’t. On the way we discuss all sorts of … Read more
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Paul: Now Quinns, I know you’re still obsessed with Mage Wars-
Quinns: WIZARD! Oh my God did you read the part where your spells-
Paul: But if you don’t mind, I want to INTERJECT with an alternative game people could buy this week. Something sleeker and easier, that I think anyone can play, not just the people who wanted to be manticores when they grew up.
Quinns: I don’t understand. Are you still coming over tonight? I wove you a beard to wear out of my armp-
Paul: I’m SAYING I’m coming over, but I’m bringing Libertalia instead. I want to recommend this one to everyone. I think it’s really quite special.
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FIRE! What is it? We don’t really know. Except that it’s excellent. Fire? It’s pretty great.
In this inaugral episode of The Opener, Matt looks at opening your game night with a fiery game of Flash Point: Fire Rescue and a cocktail that’s literally on fire. Because you can never have too much fire, and that’s a fact.
EDIT: OK so we just got a call from Paul screaming that he tried to make the cocktail and now has “Too much fire,” so we may have to temporarily redact that.
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Mage Wars is the customizable strategy game of dueling mages. Players take on the role of powerful mages, stepping into the arena to battle for supremacy. Mage Wars is a unique genre-breaking concept, combining the best elements of customizable card games and tactical miniature games.
Players can play as a Wizard, Warlock, Beastmaster or Priestess; each with their own unique strategies and style of play. The game is fast-paced and exciting, with tough tactical decisions every turn.
Players build their own custom spellbook, with over 300 spells to choose from! The game is not collectible – players have equal access to the same spells. There is no random card drawing – players choose exactly which spells to cast, when they want to cast them! This allows for an unprecedented level of rich strategy and tactics.
Summon powerful creatures into the battle, hurl lightning bolts and fireballs, adorn yourself with mighty weapons and armor, or lay a network of hidden enchantments to take your foe by surprise. All of this and more awaits you in the arena of Mage Wars! With subtle strategies and diabolical surprises, the balance of power can shift each round, keeping the game exciting and victory unpredictable.
Future expansions will offer new mages, spells, and strategies! Very important: Mage Wars is customizable, but not collectible. Everything you need to play is in the box, and players can carefully choose just the expansions they want.
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Quinns: Readers, viewers, assorted junkies of SU&SD, I’m SORRY.
Mage Wars came out last year. I heard it was stunning, but seeing its box in my local game shop, with its non-standard dimensions and underwhelming logo, I was warded away like a vampire. Hsss!
If you’re going to ask me to be a wizard, at least give me the style of Summoner Wars. The global scale of Mage Knight. The sense of humour of Wiz-War. Don’t ask me to summon unicorns unironically.
But the praise didn’t stop. This year I heard it was the Dice Tower’s 4th favourite game of all time. Rab, of RPS’s wonderful Cardboard Children column, assured me it was “the real deal.” And oh, yes. Oh, baby. This game’s just wonderful.
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Bring even more adventure to Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition campaigns with Lair of the Wyrm, an expansion that introduces new heroes, classes, monsters, quests, and more! Heroes can now discover secret rooms and investigate suspicious rumors, while the Overlord equips himself with deadly never-before-seen tricks as he fields a powerful new lieutenant. Dark secrets await within Valyndra’s lair. Do you have the courage to face the dreaded Wyrm Queen?
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Quinns: oh my god what’s going on where am i
Paul: HELLO.
Quinns: GOD WHAT’S HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE
Paul: So I hear you’ve been playing the new Descent without me.
Quinns: Look I-
Paul: I think it’s time we had a chat, don’t you? Would you like to sit down?
Quinns: I can’t sit down because you’ve amputated my bum and also I’m hanging from a hook.
Paul: Then let us begin.
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2001: The “American Century” had closed with a single Cold War superpower standing and a pause in conflict that some at the time dubbed “The End of History”. It wasn’t.
Labyrinth takes 1 or 2 players inside the Islamist jihad and the global war on terror. With broad scope, ease of play, and a never-ending variety of event combinations similar to GMT’s highly popular Twilight Struggle, Labyrinth portrays not only the US efforts to counter extremists’ use of terrorist tactics but the wider ideological struggle — guerrilla warfare, regime change, democratization, and much more.
From the award-winning designer of Wilderness War and later Andean Abyss, Cuba Libre, and A Distant Plain, Labyrinth combines an emphasis on game play with multifaceted simulation spanning recent history and near future. In the 2-player game, one player takes the role of jihadists seeking to exploit world events and Islamic donations to spread fundamentalist rule over the Muslim world. The other player as the United States must neutralize terrorist cells while encouraging Muslim democratic reform to cut off extremism at its roots. With the game’s solitaire system, a single player as the US takes on ascending levels of challenge in defeating al-Qaeda and its allies.
The jihadists must operate in a hostile environment — staying below the authorities’ radar while plotting terrorist attacks and building for the Muslim revolution. Will Iran’s Shia mullahs help or hinder the Sunni jihadists? Will the gradual spread of Islamist rule bring final victory — or will it be a sudden strike at the United States with an Islamic weapon of mass destruction?
The United States has the full weight of its military force and diplomacy at the ready — but it can’t be everywhere: will technological and material superiority be enough? US forces can invade and topple Islamist regimes, but how will the Muslim “street” react? And if quagmire results, how will the US find its way out?
Labyrinth features distinct operational options for each side that capture the asymmetrical nature of the conflict, while the event cards that drive its action pose a maze of political, religious, military, and economic issues. In the parallel wars of bombs and ideas, coordinated international effort is key — but terrorist opportunities to disrupt Western unity are many. The Towers have fallen, but the global struggle has only just begun.
“Let’s roll!”
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Memoir ’44 is a unique historical game where players command a horde of little plastic Army men facing-off in dozens of WWII battles on an oversize hex game board.
Each battle scenario mimics the historical terrain, troop placements and objectives of each army. Deploying forces through a variety of Command cards, the smart commander uses the unique skills of his units – infantry, paratroopers, tanks, artillery, commandos and resistance fighters – to its greatest strength.
Easy to learn and fast-paced, Memoir ’44 requires strategic card play, timely dice rolling and an aggressive, yet flexible battle plan to achieve victory!
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(SU&SD is proud to introduce Matt Thrower, Pro Wargamer, who offered to cover wargames for us. It all sounded a bit suspect, so we sent Brendan to investigate.)
Brendan: Hi. Matt, right?
Matt: Hi there! Come in, come in. Did you have a pleasant journey?
Brendan: I don’t know. What was that waste I had to cross?
Matt: Not now, Brendan. Come with me. The US has declared victory in the war on terror.
Brendan: Right. Wait, what was that? And how do you know my name?
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