Unboxing: I, Napoleon (GMT Games)

A recent release from GMT Games is I, Napoleon, a solo, card-driven role-playing game where you take the role of Napoleon, from his early career to his final days (through death, exile, or whatnot). Cards present challenges, assets, and opportunities, and your goal is to equal or exceed his historical achievements. It is an interesting design idea with a lot of potential, so of course I had to order it. It arrived a few days ago, and I tore it open immediately, eager to investigate the game and get started on learning it. In the process, I figured I should take some pictures and post an unboxing, since I would already be examining the components anyway.

As with any unboxing, we start with the box:

A beautiful cover (by Domhnall Hegarty, according to the playbook), with a very understated, but evocative piece of art, and a title that feels perfectly sized. GMT is doing a fantastic job with their box covers lately, very well done!

The back provides us a lot of information:

As I stated, this is a solitaire game, and the complexity is apparently pretty low.

On to the rulebook:

GMT has posted the rulebook here for your viewing pleasure. I am most of the way through it, and there are a lot of interesting things going on, but it does not seem too difficult to get into.

Next up is the Playbook:

This one comes with a very detailed example of play, notes about each card, design notes, and a high-level chronology of Napoleon's career. As with all GMT products, the quality of these playbooks is fantastic, with a lot to read and enjoy, even when not playing the game.

Next up is the Player Aid Card, with a Campaign Battle Mat on one side, so you can easily fight your wars, and a Campaign Selection Table (not pictured) on the other, which provides the pre-conditions for the various campaigns you may fight during the game.

A small sheet of counters is provided, which track various resources, the status of diplomatic relations with other nations, income modifiers, and whatever else needs to be tracked.

The pre-rounded counters will save me a little bit of work, so no complaints here.

Now, onto the game board:

This is a 22"x34" mounted board, with spaces to track a variety of game effects/resources. The larger boxes are for placement of cards, both in draw/holding boxes, and for placement of cards that are currently active and affecting the game. The game board itself seems fine- maybe not the most visually exciting, but it certainly gets the job done.

We are given one (1) ten-sided die to resolve campaigns, random results on various cards, etc. One cool thing to note about the die rolling is that once a turn (once a year), Napoleon can re-roll the die (tracked by the "Napoleon's Luck" counter) if the result is not to his liking. Of course, he can also use his luck to draw a different card or avoid paying a cost. Another resource to manage in the game.

Finally, the meat of the game, the cards. There are cards that will be drawn throughout the game, cards that are used as dividers/reminders of when to add/remove cards, cards that are played as the results of other cards. The contents list on the box mentions 222 cards are included. I did not count to verify.

The previous two pictures are the front and back of the divider cards, which are not shuffled into the deck, but handle separating out cards for easier searching, and in some cases do enter play.

There is also the large pile of cards that get added to the main deck throughout the game, year by year, which create situations/opportunities for Napoleon. The cards are nice quality, well-illustrated, and in my brief look through them, are very easy to read.

This game has a lot of potential, both as a fresh, interesting take on Napoleonic gaming, but also opens the door for future topics using a system like this. I would not mind seeing an I, Alexander, or I, Frederick, for instance. Nothing of the sort has been mentioned, I should rush to add, but it is a really cool concept that I hope plays as well as it presents. I am working to clear up my second gaming table to try to put this out and try it, and if I do, I will make sure to post about it!

That's all for this post- thanks for reading!

Unboxing: Velikiye Luki: Stalingrad of the North (Legion Wargames)

Man, I buy too much stuff. I really do, don't I? The problem is, I really like supporting different designers/publishers/series/whatnot, and when new stuff comes out, I feel compelled to keep at it. Alas, until I get a product that isn't great quality, I have no real reason to stop. The trials of a board game collector, I guess.

Anyway, on to today's topic, Velikiye Luki: Stalingrad of the North by Legion Wargames. What does my opening have to do with this? Well, Legion Wargames caught my eye because they had a CPO (similar to GMT's P500 system) for a game on the Russo-Japanese war, a conflict I was interested in, and a game that seemed very intriguing (funnily enough, by the same designer as today's subject, Michael Taylor). Looking through the preview components, I fell in love, it is going to be a great game... when it comes out (I came across it several years ago, so it has been a while). While looking at the game, I decided to see what else the company had on offer, and there were a lot of designs that grabbed my attention. A solo game about the B-29 Superfortress? Or a great looking game on the battle of Dien Bien Phu? Well, there was a lot to like (although these were not out yet either, I did CPO them and have them now). I have been keeping an eye on Legion since then and have purchased most of their releases as they come out. They do not put out a huge amount of product each year, so keeping up has not been too bad at all.

Velikiye Luki: Stalingrad of the North came out late last year, and I waited a little before ordering it so that I could combine shipping with other releases coming from Legion Wargames that were coming out (in this case, Invasion Malta, and the Target for Tonight expansion). It has gotten complimentary reviews so far, and it is pretty inexpensive for such a nice-looking package. It is a ziplock game, but it has a fantastic looking table footprint, and good-looking rules. Let's take a closer look at the contents.

First, the front and back of the ziplock:

The front is a cover page on thick cardstock, which is very nice, and will be used whenever I move this to a permanent storage solution with some other games. The back is the back of the rulebook. It contains a small map from the Soviet perspective, but there is no description of its source in the rulebook.

Moving on, we have a one-sided terrain chart, on nice card stock.

Next up is the map, measuring 11" x 17".

Feels very clean, and very well presented. The size of the hexes is quite roomy, when you compare them to the size of the counters, which is extra nice for a game that may be a really perfect introductory game.

Speaking of the counters, let's have a look:

There were some errata for some of the counters, but they have been fixed with stickers applied by Legion Wargames already. The counters look very nice and clean and are cut well.

Finally, we have the rulebook, which is only six pages of rules.

And really, given that the front page of the rules is all background, the rules are only five pages! I have read through the rules, and it seems pretty standard wargame fare, ZOCs, replacements, combat which is not mandatory. Again, this seems like a completely perfect intro wargame. Might be just the thing to try with my nephew (and my brother, if I can get him to try it). We will see.

And that is a quick look over the components for this game. It is very affordable and has Legion's typical great quality. Definitely recommend taking a look!

Unboxing: Drive on Leningrad 1941 (Decision Games, Campaigns in Europe I, World at War #97)

The second issue of my World at War subscription arrived about two weeks ago, and I have been excited to talk about this, but have been delayed due to illness. However, I am recovered enough to write about it and share some excitement about this new game. This will be a pretty short post, just to show the components.

This is the first release in a four-game series called the Campaigns in Europe, all to be released in World at War magazine, which will use the maps from the old SPI War in Europe game, but with new rules (and new units and such). The four games' maps will connect with one another, but will not connect in any particular scenario, needing an expansion kit Decision games will sell in the future. Plus, it looks like there will be no way to play a full European War scenario, with the game focused on individual campaigns rather than the full war itself. Anyway, it is a pretty exciting concept, and one I am interested in seeing happen, whether or not I end up getting the additional package.

As with all magazine games, my focus is on the game itself. The articles are great and well worth the price of the magazine (they sell this without the game, after all), but today, it is the game I am talking about.

So, let's start with the cover:

Very nice cover, with the contrast between the black and white image and the colorful labels creating a very visually appealing combination.

Next, the Table of Contents:

The main article, of course, is on the topic of the game, with the background and history of the topic. The other articles are sure to be fantastic (although I admit I have not read this issue yet). Prior experience has taught me that these magazines are always really good, informative reads.

Now, let's get to the game, looking at the rulebook, first.

The rulebook is really great quality- full color, lots of clarifications, and the ruleset seems a bit more on the complex side than what I would expect out of a magazine game (which is great news). One nice thing about the Decision Games rules nowadays is that they are attached to the magazine's subscription card with a sort of tacky glue, which you can peel off, allowing you to remove the rulebook without damaging it (and the magazine). A great change that I wish other magazine publishers would do as well.

I looked through the rules a little, and they seem pretty standard to me. That is hardly a bad thing, and there is likely some depth that was not immediately obvious to me, something to discover when I actually set the game up and give it serious study.

This issue comes with a number of player aid cards, which feels different than the usual World at War release. These include scenario setup information, and charts for terrain and combat (pictured are the front and back):

Next up, we have the counters, one countersheet worth:

Quite sharp looking! Distinct colors for the different nationalities, and the factors are very clear. Nicely done sheet of counters.

Finally, the map:

As mentioned above, this is apparently a map from the old War in Europe game. Not a game I own or have seen, but the map is really nice looking, clear, and has plenty of interesting places to fight over. Not much to quibble about.

Overall, it is a great looking package, and one I cannot wait to play, whether or not the other games in the series connect to one another in any meaningful way. The components are great, the rules look perfectly fine- it is looking to be a pretty good product.

Monthly Summary for June, 2024

I wanted to post some pictures and thoughts of games I have played, so I am bringing back my 'monthly summary' posts, but with a lot less filler than my previous version.

Games Played

• Star Wars Unlimited - seventeen plays. Five games against Matt (going 4-1), two games against Elias (going 2-0), five games against Braden (going 2-3), three games against CJ (going 1-2), one game against Mark (going 0-1), and one game against Peggy (going 1-0). Tried out a variety of leaders: Palpatine, Cassian Andor, Chewbacca, and Grand Inquisitor. This remains a very enjoyable game... but I admit the fact the game is so aggro/rush focused is something that I think will hurt it, long-term. The games are fast, which is great, but it means that any other style of deck just does not work, flattening the meta quite a lot. I am hoping this improves with the upcoming release of the second set, but this is a serious concern I have with the game.
• Blue Moon Legends - two plays. Rob agreed to give this is a shot with me, since I have owned it for about ten years. We played the first game using the first two decks (Hoax and Vulca), with me winning as he runs out of cards. The second game I take the Mimix deck, and he takes the Flit deck. I spent the entire game thinking I am crushing him, but he stalls me out enough to win. Blue Moon Legends strikes me as an interesting game- a former German CCG repackaged by FFG into this self-contained game. I feel like I would need to play this a lot for the games to evolve past our experience here, where the individual battles lasted nearly the entire game (the dragons did not move all that much). Maybe someday.
  
• Stranger Things: Upside Down - two plays. I play this with Peggy and Braden, after all of us learn the game. The first game we struggle to do much, bouncing off several tasks, until I make my first attempt to rescue Will, fail miserably, and get terrified, which causes a game loss. Oops. We set up and try again, this time making an effort to reduce the number of demogorgon stacks (which reduces the difficulty of some of the checks). We play for quite a while, getting good equipment, taking the fight to the demogorgon once or twice, and finally winning the game. The game itself seems fine- it does a good job capturing the show, I think, with decisions and progression roughly reflecting the events of the show. There is a second scenario that seems to cover the second season, but it feels like the replay value of the game would be somewhat limited- you have your two scenarios, but the play of each of them is going to unfold the same way. Not a bad game though, not at all.
  
• Disney Lorcana - one play against my wife, re-teaching her the game, and then losing to her. I am sure there is some depth to this game that justifies it being popular, I just don't see it yet. We will see if she keeps playing it with me enough to get there.
• Fallout - one play against Bob. We both learn the game and sit down to play it. I take the Brotherhood guy, he takes the... survivor? I think that's right. Anyway, we play the first scenario, explore the map, chase down a bunch of random quests. We get a few agenda cards (whichever cards give you victory points). The problem is that all the agenda cards we draw are related to the difference in standing between the two non-player factions... which are neck and neck. So each card is worth one point. And we do not get many of them as we play through the game. Anyway, after two hours of this, we call it (with Bob up three points to two). The game was fun, the storytelling using the cards was great, the combat system was different than I had seen before, and really, we will probably play this again in a cooperative mode, but as a two-player competitive game, it seemed pretty rough.
  
• Judge Dredd: Helter Skelter - one play against Bob. I play the Slaine against Bob's Judges. With the 1995 Judge Dredd movie playing in the background, I use an early interrupt to reveal Slaine, who kills one of his judges, at the cost of nearly my entire hand. He manages to claw back in, grabbing some shards, killing one of my guys, but my aggression puts me in position to win, and I end up with the 5-3 victory. This is a system I found to be really cool, and one I spent some days after the game thinking about, although Judge Dredd is not a particular draw for me (not a negative, just not a draw). There is apparently a fantasy version of this game, and I 100% plan to check that out. Really, a lot of potential here.
  
• Space Hulk - one play with Bob. We play the third scenario, using a set of rules allowing the Genestealers to be played automatically. The third scenario is a good candidate for co-op play, with two squads separated by location. We go through the early part of the game without too much issue. However, things go downhill fast, when some Genestealers contact his squad, beginning to chew through them. We keep escorting the little bot off the map as we battle Genestealers all over the place, and at the end, all but a single one of our marines, carrying the bot, has been killed, and we barely manage to get the objective off the board, giving us the win. What is there to even say about Space Hulk? It is a great game. Constantly a fantastic, tight experience. This cooperative mode worked better than expected and will likely see the table again.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Tiny Epic Zombies: Deluxe Edition - one play with Bob. We play the cooperative mode against the AI zombie, pulling the quarantine, virus cure, and army escort objectives. We end up losing, running out of search cards. This was a lot of fun, and a game that I have owned for quite a while, so was happy to finally play. Bob had ordered the Tiny Epic Game of Thrones game on Gamefound and asked about the Tiny Epic series in general. I mentioned owning this, and he agreed to play it, so I brought it up, set it up, and we went to town (well, we went to the mall). It is incredible how much gameplay they pack into this little box, and how many different choices they give you. I have had a lot of fun with the other Tiny Epic games I have played (like Tiny Epic Tactics? That was an absolute blast), and this is no different.
  
  
  
  
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Rivals Expandable Card Game - one play with Rob and Joey. I took the Brujah deck again, which is the only one I have played, Rob took the Ventrue again, and Joey took the Tremere, which is apparently his favorite clan. This was my first three player experience of the game, and it scaled pretty well from two players. There is a bit more interplay, a bit more going on, and just feels like a more complete game. Also, it felt like I agonized a lot more over discarding cards to pay for effects/overcoming secrecy, etc. Anyway, after this game, I went home, opened and sleeved another expansion (The Wolf and the Rat), and disassembled the Brujah starter, which will force me to play something different next time.
  

And that is all my gaming for June. Next month's post will not be so delayed (hopefully I do not spend a bit over a week fighting illness next month, as well, bluh).