Posts

Crossfire - World War II simulation review without measuring distances or counting turns

Image
Most wargaming games revolve around three things that are present in virtually every title: measuring distances, rolling dice, and alternating players along clearly predetermined turns. In WWII Crossfire, only the dice rolling applies! It may sound novel and innovative, but now comes the second bombshell. The game was released back in 1996, so this innovative approach is from the last century! The creator of the rules, Arty Conliffe, thought it was more important to "play by feel" using logical historical approaches than using artificial boundaries that don't match reality. A soldier running from cover to cover isn't going to stop an inch from a trench because his movement just failed, and the enemy machine gunner isn't going to just watch and wait his turn to open fire either. Now surely someone has thought that this can't possibly work, because it must either be complete anarchy gameplay-wise, or the game is completely drowned in rules to compensate for the

1 hour of Eerie Haunted Mansion Background Soundtrack for Horror-Themed Tabletop Game/RPGs

Image
  Explore the eerie and foreboding atmosphere of an haunted abandoned mansion with this 1-hour soundscapes video. Designed for tabletop gaming, wargaming, and roleplaying games like Mansion of Madness, Call of Cthulhu, Arkham Horror, Cthulhu: Death May Die, and other horror-themed games, this ambience track will transport you and your players to a spooky and unsettling world of mystery and danger. Throughout this haunting ambience track, you'll hear a variety of sounds that will keep you on your toes. From the eerie creaking of the mansion's floorboards to the howling of the wind outside, every sound is designed to immerse you in the world of horror. You may even hear the faint whispers of ghosts in the halls, or the distant roaring of some monstrous creature lurking in the shadows. And of course, don't forget the occasional clang of metal or the shuffling of footsteps, hinting at some danger lurking around the next corner. With this ambience track, you'll be fully enve

Review: Patrick Miniatures - 15mm Arab Urban Buildings

Image
It is said that in wargaming, even in a two-player game, there are always three armies on the table. One of player A, one of player B and the third is the table itself, or rather the terrains on it. That's why today we're going to take a look at the Patrick from Patrick Miniatures . Patrick is from Germany, which is a huge advantage for us in the EU, because we don't have to worry about any customs duties or other extra fees and taxes when we order. As well, the terrains will arrive within a couple of days. Patrik designs and creates his own 3D renderings of terrains for 3D printing. These terrains can either be purchased as .stl if you have a printer at home and print them yourself, or you can order them directly from Patrik printed like I did, if you don't have your own printer at home.  The set we're looking at is a quartet of "Arab" buildings , inteded for modern wargaming, but without problem usable on the North African battlefields of WWII. I myself

1 Hour of American Civil War Battlefield Sounds for Tabletop Gaming

Image
  Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the American Civil War with this 1-hour tabletop gaming ambience video. Perfect for enhancing your gaming experience or creating a relaxing atmosphere, this video features realistic sounds of battle including gunshots, cannon fire, and officers orders. Listen as you strategize your way through the conflict or simply enjoy the peaceful ambiance of a bygone era. Whether you're a history buff or a gaming enthusiast, this American Civil War tabletop gaming ambience is sure to transport you to a different time and place. Perfect for ACW wargaming games like Brother Againts Brother, Johnny Reb, Black Powder, Sharp Practice, and Muskets and Tomahawks, as well as other conflicts from the Black Powder era such as the Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and Crimean War, this ambient music will transport you to the heart of historic battles. So why wait? Press play and let the sounds of the battlefield transport you back in t

Ruthless - review of the fastest game in the Wild West

Image
Northstar's plastic cowboys are a great box to start playing. | source: North Star Games. Wargaming rules can be thick books of hundreds of pages containing a plethora of (in the vast majority of games, useless) rules, sometimes spread over several books, which in theory a player needs several to play (I'm looking at you, Warhammer!). Similarly, rules can be a couple dozen pages long so that one doesn't have to spend a weekend going through the library before one can finally start playing. And then there's the game Ruthless, which has the official subtitle The Fastest Game in the Wild West. And he's probably right. The game is not only fast to play, but also to read and learn. It has two pages of rules. Yes, TWO pages. So the whole game is actually just a two-sided reference sheet! The game's author is Mark Fastoso, who also offers it for free on his Fireball Forward website , but it only got more exposure thanks to the YouTube channel LittleWarsTV , which produ

1 hour of Napoleonic Wars Cavalry Skirmish Battle Ambience in Rain - Wargaming Ambient Music

Image
Get ready to be immersed in the sounds of a Napoleonic Wars cavalry skirmish battle in the rain. This one-hour video is the perfect background music for your wargaming sessions or to simply relax to. The sound of cavalry charges, musket fire, and cannon blasts will transport you to the heart of the battle, while the soothing sound of raindrops adds a layer of calming ambiance. This video is not only suitable for Napoleonic wargaming games, but also for other Black Powder era conflicts such as the Revolutionary War, American Revolution, American Civil War, and Crimean War. The carefully crafted soundscape in this video was designed to be both immersive and relaxing, making it perfect for tabletop wargaming, miniature painting, or simply unwinding after a long day. So sit back, relax, and let the sounds of this Napoleonic Wars cavalry skirmish in the rain transport you to a different time and place. Thank you for watching and we hope you enjoy this video. If the embed doesnt work, here i

Saga - Review of universal, historical wargames

Image
Saga is a historical wargaming game for two or more players that focuses on battles in medieval, ancient, and even fantasy worlds. The game allows players to take on the role of commanders in larger skirmishes , primarily with 28mm figures . The game was first launched back in 2011 and originally focused purely on the dark medieval Viking Age, hence its name - Saga, a Norse epic about the heroic deeds of fearless warriors, which players also tried to do on the tabletop. An expansion on the Crusades and the fall of Rome was eventually released, whereupon the game got a second edition in 2018 (which now gets a reprint for Christmas 2022, complete with new FAQs and errata) and a bunch of rulebooks for each period since. For the second edition of Saga, the game's publisher Studio Tomahawk has switched to the model it follows for its other main game, Muskets and Tomahawks, which is that it publishes "generic rulebooks" that describe the basic mechanics of the game (i.e. how t