I saw this on my Google+ feed, I think from Jeffro Johnson.
It's a really interesting article looking at the designer of wargames such as A Distant Plain and The Labyrinth. If I had a regular wargaming group, I'd get these. The games look outstandingly interesting. They'd probably make great learning tools in a political science course, too.
In the world of war games, Volko Ruhnke has become a hero
Really interesting stuff, and the games look like a lot of fun. I'll keep an eye out for a chance to play them.
One thing about GMT games. They seem to be insisting that games like this one (and Space Empires 4X, too, for example) include a solitaire scenario. If I'm on the fence about dropping the cash on it, this is what pushes me over the edge. If I don't immediately find an opponent, then I play it solitaire enough that I know the rules well enough that I am better able to teach and run the game when I do find one. In a sense, the solitaire mode helps to keep the game "warm."
ReplyDeleteThat I didn't know. The games mentioned look amazing, but I expect I'd get to play them rarely at best. Solo play would help but $78 for a solo game is a bit much, as interesting as A Distant Plain looks . . . if I taught PoliSci I'd buy it in a heartbeat and run it to teach the intricacies of dealing with policy when everyone in the conflict has different motives. It's so easy to think of "our side" versus "their side" but that's an unusual model of conflict when it comes right down to it. "What I want, and who does that overlap with right now?" is so much more common . . .
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