Mastodawn

It is always somewhat sad to sell games. Just boxed up 10 games for an order.

What I enjoy most is the extra space in my office. And my remaining games are that much more visible and more likely to be played.

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PaulC Feb 21

I've finished reading the Advanced rules and am ready to start scenarios 4 & 5 and then add optional rules. This ads HQ rules more similar to other VN games where a HQ is mostly limited to activating units of its own corps. The non-phasing player can now attempt to add support in hexes it is defending during combat. Air Units can now fight each other with rules similar to Blitz in the East. It is possible to rebuild HQs and units. A strategic phase and army HQare added, similar to other VN games. And there are logistic units called Freights which get shipped from Europe assuming the are not sunk on the way to Africa. Freights can rebuild units, and with the optional rules also activate units, temporarily motorize foot infantry, enhance artillery, and other 1 time improvements to units.
2/2

PaulC Feb 21

I've replayed scenarios 1–3 of The Lions of El Alamein and am ready for the real meat, the Advanced scenarios (4 & 5) which cover the 2 and 3 battles of El Alamein. This is a block game with large hexes.

1–2 use the basic rules and are more training games. They cover the north and south parts of the 3rd battle of El Alamein. Terrain affects combat but not movement. The HQ activation is simpler than in the other VentoNuovo games. But you learn the basics. Scenario 1 is in the south and more of a puzzle for the Commonwealth (CW), Axis has little to do. In Scenario 2 the CW is still the driver but there is more for the player Axis to do. Players of other VN games should find the basics familiar.

Scenario 3 is the 1st battle of El Alamein. Terrain now affects movement, special Rommel rules, supply, ability for a player to have 2 tactical phases in a row, effects of air superiority, fast infantry, and the roaming sandstorm. At first I had major problems as the Axis. Most of the units are at 1/2 strength and I'm thinking “How do I advance, in too many cases the units aren't strong enough to attack." Then I realized that it is a game of maneuver and you need to bypass the strong points, put them out of supply and wait for enemy blocks to starve. Still haven’t won as the Axis but did much better last time.

A key point of Scenario 3 is that the CW has only 2 HQ units and the Axis has 4. Every time a HQ activates it loses a pip and once down to 0 it ain’t worth much. So the Axis needs to keep its advantage by activate only 1 HQ most turns. And the CW has to do many passes in the early game so it doesn't find its troops immobilized by lack of leadership.

1/2

PaulC Feb 15

SlyFlourish.com Feb 15

RPG tip: Leave a little decompression time at the end of a session.

#dnd #ttrpg

PaulC Feb 12

I took some photos of The Lions of El Alamein set up for scenario 5.

PaulC Feb 12

The Lions of El Alamein. The standard board has plenty of room for the maximum number of pieces—3 blocks per side plus 2 mines and 1 Defensive line—but the larger board with the larger hexes are divine.

Though the larger maps takes up almost 2/3 of my big dining room table.

PaulC Feb 9

I am thankful that the Blocks game companies have not substituted plastic for wood. I suspect it would lower costs but nothing feels as nice as a block or cube of wood in your hand.

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PaulC Feb 8

It was approved today. I figured it might take some time to be reviewed since it is volunteer labor.

PaulC Feb 6

Board Game Geek question.When uploading files there is a question about if you have permission from the copyright owners. Considering the many uploaded photos and scans of games, some of which the publishers are lost to time, how do you handle it. I don't want to lie and say I got permission when I didn’t.

BTW, I uploaded a player aid for The Lions of El Alamein to fix the one thing that bugged me in play testing. I have icons on from the game on the player aid, so that is a copyright issue but the designer likes what I did and he knows I'm uploading it to BGG.

I have uploaded some old photos in the past of a game and BGG didn't accept those due to not getting copyright permission, which I understand.

PaulC Dec 26

Just played my first game of Norad 3 solitaire. I had the original Norad but would find the counters but not the map or visa versa. I was wondering if I missed something in reading the rules 15 years ago. Nope. Send bombers with some decoys, intercept with fighers, some decoys. Some ground defense missiles. Combat always results in both destory if the fighter isn't a decoy. Bombers always destroy cities if they reach them. Optional rules for the Dew line, Cuba, launching bombers from Siberia, subs, and the Canadian Air Force. Or play PVO Strany which is the same game except the US is bombing the Soviet Union. Or play the combined game which adds NATO bombers and fighters. There are optional rules for movement which take into account that this is a rectagular grid and optional rules for fighter combat. The last is just for people who must have more complex rules and is discouraged from use by Dana Lombardy. I think the most interesting rule is to have the bombinng player set up a target list for each bomber before the game begins. The over 1 page of designer notes are worth reading and emphasizes that this is an abstract strategic game. Very simple game. But are those initial bombers decoys or the real thing. Don't want to waste fighters on decoys. There are many appealing counters but those are for another game that was published in the same issue of Banzai magazine.