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Posted on Dec 12, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

The Grizzled is Top Notch! A Card Game Representing the Human Experience of World War I

The Grizzled is Top Notch! A Card Game Representing the Human Experience of World War I

The Grizzled Game Review. Publisher: Cool Mini or Not (CMON Limited) Designers: Fabien Riffaud and Juan Rodriguez Artist: Tignous Price: $24.99 Greg Johnson Passed Inspection: Gameplay: Simple, direct, intimate. Playing through the game once will be enough to continue play without much additional learning. Artwork: The art stands out on the box and cards as elegantly simple and eye catching. It has a comic strip style and appeal with an intimate personality that suits the game perfectly. The art brings this writer to the mind of the Valiant Hearts –The Great War 2D video game. The same setting, different artists yet the style feels exactly right. Failed Basic: The instructions for The Grizzled is not actually a fail. Instructions are always one of the toughest areas to get perfect in any game and one of my pet peeves. The Grizzled gets most of it right through organization and simplicity, but there are a couple of areas of game play that could benefit from some additional clarification. I seem to...

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Posted on Nov 21, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Conflict of Heroes Eastern Front Solo Expansion and Awakening the Bear Fire Fight Generator Game Review

Conflict of Heroes Eastern Front Solo Expansion and Awakening the Bear Fire Fight Generator Game Review

Conflict of Heroes Eastern Front Solo Expansion and Awakening the Bear Fire Fight Generator Game Review. Publisher: Academy Games Designer: Uwe Eickert, Gunter Eickert and John Butterfield Price $45.00 (Solo Expansion), $45.00 (Fire Fight Generator) Rick Martin Passed Inspection: High Quality Components, Great “AI”, Atmospheric Failed Basic: A little too overwritten. High Price as both expansions could have been in one box and one release. Needs more complete enemy morale and retreat rules. As the morning fog burns off, a German scouting force comprised of a half track, an 8 wheeled armored car (8 rad) and an anti-tank gun hears Russian motors in the distance. Can they hold the farmhouse they rested at or will their light force be destroyed? As the fog continues to burn off and with motors in the distance, a Sdkfz 8 rad becomes the target of a Russian gun crew who wheeled their gun towards the farm under cover of the fog! Fire is traded. The gun is eliminated by 20mm fire from the...

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Posted on Nov 9, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Hot War: Battle for Oil Game Review

Hot War: Battle for Oil Game Review

Hot War: Battle for Oil Game Review. Publisher: Zvezda. Designer: Konstantin Krivenko. Price: $69.95. Game Review by Ray Garbee Ray Garbee Passed Inspection: High quality components. Heavy duty cardboard map boards. Full color rule and scenario books that are well illustrated. Detailed example of play that demonstrates the mechanics. Cleanly integrates ammunition and casualties into the game system. Failed Basic: Game only provides data for units included in the box. Missing the canopies for both helicopters. A plain vanilla model of the M1. “Hot War: Battle for Oil” is a Zvezda board game that is part of the Art of Tactics series. It shares the same game system as the Barbarossa 41 game. The game is set in a fictional historical past of the 1990’s where the Soviet Union did not dissolve. Instead, the Soviets and the United States (and presumably the rest of their respective allies) have escalated their competition into open war. The setting is an un-named Middle Eastern state that serves as a faceless backdrop for...

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Posted on Oct 6, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

New Wings of Glory World War I Aircrafts Have Taken Flight!

New Wings of Glory World War I Aircrafts Have Taken Flight!

Wings of Glory World War I Aircraft Booster Packs Game Review. Publisher: Ares Games Designer: Andrea Angiolino and Pier Giorgio Paglia Price $14.90 to $19.90 Passed Inspection: Significant aircrafts, wonderful detail, nice selection of paint jobs and types, another Turkish aircraft is added to the fleet Failed Basic: Nothing at all! Wings of Glory is the successor to the extremely successful line of Wings of War World War I and World War II cards and miniatures game which has been available since 2004. While the game started as a card game where each card represented one airplane, anti-aircraft gun or balloon, it has evolved in to a non-collectable, non-randomly packaged, air war game where players could purchase a starter set and then purchase “booster” packs with individual airplanes or even large models of observation balloon and bombers. Ares Games new Wings of Glory air plane packs integrated with their tactical airplane combat system makes for a wonderful gaming experience. Their four new 1:144 scale World War I aircrafts feature...

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Posted on Sep 20, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

James Day’s MBT – MAIN BATTLE TANK Game Review

James Day’s MBT – MAIN BATTLE TANK Game Review

MBT Game Review. Publisher: GMT Games Designer: James M. Day Price $95.00 Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Tons of content. Complete rules for armor infantry and airpower. Multiple levels of play from beginner to advanced player. Beautiful components. Complete table of contents and index. Failed Basic: Some confusion as to air power attacking armor using armor piercing ammunition. MBT is the newest release in the reconstituted series of armor games by legendary game designer James Day. While earlier releases from GMT have been updates of the classic Yaquinto Panzer and Armor World War 2 games (still waiting on an update to the North African themed “88” which is my favorite of the series – come on guys!), GMT’s MBT is an update of the Avalon Hill released MBT which focuses on Nato vs Eastern Block “what if” battles from 1987. As I stated in my original review of Day’s updated Panzer: “Back when I was in 8th grade (I’m 46 now – you do the math), I discovered military and...

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Posted on Sep 16, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Interview with Legendary Game Designer Richard Berg

by Richard Martin September 2016 Award Winning Game Designer Richard Berg is a living legend amongst war gamers. He is one of the most prolific designers of games, if not the most prolific designer, and many of his games are considered classics. After service in the military, Berg went on to practice criminal law in the 1970s and 1980s. Holding a Bachelor of Art Degree in Asian History and a Juris Doctor Degree, Berg has brought his passion for education and history to every game he designs. Armchair General is honored to have been able to ask Mr. Berg a few questions about his experiences in the board games field. 1) How many games have you designed? Richard H.Berg: Oh, around 160+ that doesn’t include the ones that never got published, of which I have around 30-40 sitting around. 2) Of all the games you have designed, what is your favorite? RHB: That’s like asking a parent who his favorite child is. There is no possible cogent answer for...

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Posted on Sep 13, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Age of Conan – Adventures in Hyboria Expansion Game Review

Age of Conan – Adventures in Hyboria Expansion Game Review

Publisher: Ares Games Designer: Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi Price $34.90 Review by Shawn Johnson and Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Adds more Conan to the game. Tracks Conan’s abilities at different levels of his experience, great content, great artwork Failed Basic: A shorter campaign could have been included for gamers who have less than 6 hours to play. “KNOW, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars—Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen- eyed,sword in...

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Posted on Aug 31, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Battles for the Galactic Empire Game Review by Greg Johnson

Battles for the Galactic Empire Game Review by Greg Johnson

Publisher: Decision Games Inc. Designer: Joseph Miranda Price: $19.95 Greg Johnson Passed Inspection: A simple game in a folder, an elegant and attractive presentation. The art was simple and does the job. Failed Basic: The instructions, while complete enough to eventually get it figured out, were a bit cryptic when deciphering game play. Adding a round of play example would allow the reader a chance to see the features of the game being played once and would probably alleviate a few question marks. This is a two-player game with no solitaire option. Players must provide their own dice and create their own screens. I used the folder and found another folder to hide each player’s secret moves. If you enjoy tactics and strategy, Decision Games’ Battles for the Galactic Empire offers a fun and enjoyable two player battle with some variant scenarios to play through. The two players will send their forces of Chaos and Imperial to fight for control of six quadrants of the galaxy. The two fleets...

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Posted on Aug 15, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Zipang Card Game Preview – release your inner Samurai!

Zipang Card Game Preview – release your inner Samurai!

Zipang Portable Card Game preview. Publisher: Engine-ID Game Designer: Ko Sasahara Expected Price: To be determined Passed Inspection: Easy to learn. Very fast to play. Lots of play options. Can accommodate up to 6 players. Failed Basic: A little fine tuning needs to be done to the rules. Optional rules would be nice to add more depth. No solitaire playability. By Rick Martin “Zipang” is one of the ancient names for “Japan” aka “Nihhon”. Zipang Portable the card game is a sweet little card game coming out from Engine-ID. The card game is set during the Sengoku Jidia – the age of civil war in feudal Japan which lasted from approximately 1467 –1603. Zipang Portable is the companion card game to an ambitious Zipang Samurai board game to be put out in the near future by Engine-ID. Currently prototypes of Zipang Portable can be purchased on-line from The Game Crafter for $24.95. The rules are still in development but current editions of the rules are available for download. Designer Ko...

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Posted on Aug 14, 2016 in Electronic Games, Front Page Features

Wings Over Flanders Fields Give Away!

Wings Over Flanders Fields Give Away!

Armchair General and OBD Software are working together to give away the main Wings Over Flanders Fields software plus expansions 2 and 3! All you have to do is leave a comment below as to why you would like to win Over Flanders Fields and on or about September 6th, 2016 we will randomly select one person from the comments to win this amazing flight simulator! This prize package is worth over $60.00! Good luck and keep the dirty side down! For a video of this simulator in action, click below: title=”Wings Over Flanders Fields...

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Posted on Jul 31, 2016 in Electronic Games, Front Page Features

Wings Over Flanders Fields Expansion 3 Game Review

Wings Over Flanders Fields Expansion 3 Game Review

By Rick Martin Publisher: OBD Software Games Price $39.99 Passed Inspection: Completely immersive, control over difficulty levels, amazing graphics, realistic flight models and AI, more flyable aircrafts than any other WW 1 flight simulator Failed Basic: No multiplayer OBD Software continues to expand on its award winning World War I flight simulator Wings Over Flanders Fields with this 3rd expansion to their simulator. For a complete review of the game and its first two expansions, see: http://armchairgeneral.com/wings-over-flanders-fields-pc-game-review.htm While many enjoy playing the graphically gorgeous but solitaire impaired Rise of Flight, Wings Over Flanders Fields (WoFF) gives the players a fully immersive world to play around with. Covering from 1915 to 1918, WoFF with this 3rd expansion now features 83 different aircrafts including trainers, scouts, two seaters and heavy bombers — Nieuports and Fokker Eindeckers to Albatroses, Be2cs, Se5as, Gothas, Zepplins and Spads Oh My! WoFF 3 is not just a flight simulator but a fully crafted dynamic World War I environment with role playing elements in that you can track...

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Posted on Jul 29, 2016 in Front Page Features, History News

Interview: Louis Valiante, WWII P-61 Black Widow Crewman

Interview: Louis Valiante, WWII P-61 Black Widow Crewman

Heatherly: Tell me about your early years. Valiante: “I was born in June 11, 1922. We lost my maternal granddad in 1927. Also my paternal grandmother the same year. They both were our favorite grandparents. I loved them both. I went to Catholic school and the first and second grade were in the same room. I was appointed to read to the first graders while the nun taught the second graders. Then in 1928, my Dad who had been in the World War One, was very sick. He had been mustard gassed and had to have a major operation. He did not go to the Veterans hospital. Our home doctor said he knew a surgeon who would do the operation and my dad would be recuperating at home. My Dad did not go back to work until 1933. Our doctor came to our house twice a day until my Dad got up his stamina. Being a vet he was given a very easy task for the city. Then in...

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Posted on Jul 25, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Long Range Desert Group – Special Operations Against Rommel 1941 – 1942 Game Review

Long Range Desert Group – Special Operations Against Rommel 1941 – 1942 Game Review

Publisher: Decision Games Designer: Joseph Miranda, Chris Perello, Eric Harvey and Christopher Cummins Price $12.95 By Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Great value for price, high quality components, interesting subject, fun with tons of replay value, great solitaire experience Failed Basic: Some slight rules clarifications needed “I was never scared of the Germans,” commented legendary actor Sir Christopher Lee (Dracula in 9 films, Count Dooku in Star Wars, Saruman in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and an actor in over 200 more films) “but I was scared of other members of the Long Range Desert Patrol…” During World War II, Sir Christopher Lee was an RAF attaché to the Long Range Desert Group. Their exploits in gathering information and harassing the supply lines of Rommel’s Africa Corp would forever burnish their names in to history. Decision Games release Long Range Desert Group – Special Operations Against Rommel 1941-1942 (LRDG) not only provides a fascinating look at the missions of this special forces group but also provides an extremely satisfying...

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Posted on Jul 22, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Lost Interview with Zvezda Game Designer Konstantin Krivenko Who Passed Away in 2014

Lost Interview with Zvezda Game Designer Konstantin Krivenko Who Passed Away in 2014

By Rick Martin (Konstantin Krivenko passed away in July of 2014. This is an interview conducted in 2012.) Rick Martin: First of all, I am a fan of World War II games and a huge fan of Samurai movies and literature, so let me say thank you for designing these fascinating games. Please tell us about Zvezda. American gamers may not be too familiar with this company. Konstantin Krivenko: The history of our company started more than 20 years ago with plastic models, and “Zvezda” is now a leading manufacturer of plastic model kits and at the same time one of the largest board game publishers in Russia. Our products are represented by official distributors in more than 50 countries. Today our product range contains more than 350 items, including over 80 board games. We have achieved world-wide success and recognition in the hobby segment of the business. RM: Tell us a little about your background as a game designer. KK: My job is completely different. I’m a founder, co-owner,...

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Posted on Jun 27, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Wings of Glory World War II Fighters and Dive Bombers are on the Prowl!

Wings of Glory World War II Fighters and Dive Bombers are on the Prowl!

Wings of Glory World War II Aircraft Booster Packs  Game Review.  Publisher: Ares Games Designer: Andrea Angiolino and Pier Giorgio Paglia   Price  $14.50 By Rick Martin Passed Inspection:  Beautifully sculpted and painted, new rules Failed Basic:  Nothing at all! Wings of Glory is the successor to the extremely successful line of Wings of War World War I and World War II cards and miniatures game which has been available since 2004.  While the game started as a card game where each card represented one airplane, anti-aircraft gun or balloon, it has evolved in to a non-collectable, non-randomly packaged, air war game where players could purchase a starter set and then purchase “booster” packs with individual airplanes or even large models of bombers. Ares Games new Wings of Glory air plane packs integrated with their tactical airplane combat system makes for a wonderful gaming experience.  Their new 1:200 scale World War II aircraft packs feature two late war fighters plus two dive bombers to add to your air fleet. The new...

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Posted on May 31, 2016 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Odyssey: Wrath of Poseidon Game Review – Release Your Inner Kraken!

Odyssey: Wrath of Poseidon Game Review – Release Your Inner Kraken!

Odyssey: Wrath of Poseidon  Game Review.    Publisher: Ares Games   Designer: Leo Colovini  Price  $39.90 By Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Great, family friendly game play. Excellent Concept. 1 hour or less per game! Easy to learn. Failed Basic: Rules are a little unclear at times. No solitaire capability. Ares Games should be respected for continually branching out in to new genres of the wonderful hobby of board gaming.  Best known for their amazing World War I and II air craft game Wings of Glory aka Wings of War, and for their outstanding age of sails game Sails of Glory, Ares Games has released games based upon the Lord of the Rings and Conan the Barbarian as well as science fiction, family and now Euro Games! Euro Games are an interesting, unique style of board games which have their roots in Germany. Per BoardGameGeek.com : Most Eurogames share the following elements: Player conflict is indirect and usually involves competition over resources or points. Combat is extremely rare. Players are never eliminated...

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Posted on Apr 22, 2016 in Front Page Features

“I was Rommel’s Barber” – Interview with Helmut Thomasite, an Africa Corp. Tanker

“I was Rommel’s Barber” – Interview with Helmut Thomasite, an Africa Corp. Tanker

“I was Rommel’s Barber”  Interview with Helmut Thomasite, an Africa Corp. Tanker by Mike Burnside and Rick Martin What did you do before the war? I was born in a very small town.  It was so small that there were only several people rich enough to be able to afford cars.  Most of us walked or rode horses or bicycles.  It was a strange experience because I learned to drive a tank before I ever learned how to drive a car.  When Hitler came to power, my parents had very bad feelings about him but he was so popular it was difficult to criticize him or his policies since everyone in town knew each other’s business.  When I was ten or so we had to join a civilian works organization which was like a very political form of the Boy Scouts in America.  Of course, it was controlled by the Nazi party.  It was also the stepping-stone for the Hitler Youth.  They recruited from that organization and, if you...

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