FACTORY GAMES UPDATE 6.1.06

FACTORY GAMES UPDATE 6.1.06
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WARRIOR KNIGHTS IS HERE! WARRIOR KNIGHTS IS HERE!
And boy does it look _great_. The classic Games Workshop game of medieval baronies duking it out for some chunk of vaguely European land has been reissued and refurbished with all new mechanics (including a more manageable playtime) and of course the great components we've come to expect from FFG. This has been my "game to watch" for a while and after reading the rules and trying a couple of turns, I'm not disappointed. This looks like it could easily be the game of the year for me, combining as it does smooth Euro mechanics with good, old-fashioned wargaming and a delicate sprinkling of CHAOS. Get 'em while they're hot- $34 is your buy-in price, tax excepted.

THE BELGIAN TREK HAS BEGUN!
Belgophile DAN CORNETT is currently waiting in the Airport security line to board for Brussels, so if any of you folks asked for something, the list is in his hands. I will contact you individually if we find anything for you. Pricing will be on par with Our Esteemed Competitiors in Macon, GA. Billy R.- the Van Damme autograph is out of the question.

A GAME WITH LASER BEAMS???
What is this, the future? Yep, it's DEFLEXION, a really nifty game that uses REAL LASER BEAMS (OMG!!!)...kidding aside, it's a neat looking abstract that's going to have oldtimers trying to fire up Laserchess on their antiquated Apple IIe. If anyone would like to order a copy, please contact me- They're $32 plus tax. They will be in stock soon, so please let me know ASAP. This is a "limited time" deal, when they're gone it might be a while before I can get more.

A LITTLE GAMER NETWORKING!
Hail to Mike Yearick of Iowa, who just traded me a copy of MUTANT CHRONICLES...he also sent me a message asking me to post the following:
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Would you mind posting a notice and spreading the word to your regular customers that I have a room and am looking for a roommate for ConCarolinas and need space at Origins? Thanks.

Looking for a spare bed at one of the Origins hotels listed below and would like to share costs.

Hyatt Regency Columbus (Attached)
Crowne Plaza (Walkway)
Drury Inn & Suites (Walkway)
Hampton Inn & Suites (Across St.)

0. I am interested in sharing a room but NOT sharing a bed (don't mind extra people in the room but want a bed of my own).
1. Must be a non-smoker.
2. Must be a non-party-animal (actually I don't care if you party all day and all night but the party CANNOT be in our room).
3. Must understand the importance of personal hygiene and the value of showering at least once a day.
4. Would prefer a board gamer but card gamers, RPGers and mini players are OK too.
5. Must be male. OK with sharing with a M-F couple but my wife has “suggested” that I NOT consider a single female.

My room at ConCarolinas is at the Marriott (host hotel).
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Take note of point #3 folks...I think that includes belting your trousers if your a$$ is showing.

NEW RELEASES
Other than WARRIOR KNIGHTS, which I'm convinced that every man, woman, and child should have as part of their game collection this week also sees the release of SPIRITS OF NIAGARA ($17) the expansion to last year's deserving SDJ winner; Caylus nuts will likely want to take a look at Ystari's new MYKERINOS ($20); Rio Grande reissues a fairly well-regarded reissue of Dirk Henn's TIMBUKTU ($30); the very underappreciated CATAN CARD GAME ($14) and the expansion (also $14) gets a facelift and if you have the old set you can completely upgrade including the new Barbarians set for a measly $7. Solitaire gaming and submarine enthusiasts will be thrilled with Compass Games' SILENT WAR ($50) and those of you who salivate when you hear the phrase "tactical hex-based space combat simulation with playable vector movement based on a Newtonian physics model" will likely flip your wig over ATTACK VECTOR TACTICAL ($39).

FEDERATION COMMANDER- BRIEF REVIEW
Speaking of tactical space combat simulation blah blah blah...former AGF hired hand BILLY "MOTION" RAWLS roped me into playing Amarillo Designs' supposed simplification of the Star Fleet Battles system FEDERATION COMMANDER: KLINGON BORDER ($42). Now, let me get two things straight. One, I like the nimble and grossly unrealistic space battles of Star Wars over Trek's impetus on making friends with aliens with bizarre facial structures and two, the image of seeing grotesque, hulking men pouring over grotesque, hulking rules binders whilst playing SFB in the basement of Dragon Con circa 1992 is a harsh warning about what sort of company you're getting close to by getting involved with perhaps the most nerdly of all the nerdly games. Sorry, but the energy allocation was closer to filling out IRS forms than "having fun". That bit of nastiness out of the way, I'm pleased to report that the game is a smash, it's extremely playable even though the rulebook and the player aids still have that "written by an engineer" look (Tech folks, I'm pointing at you). Between the easy-to-use player aid cards, the ship diagrams, and the extremely structured sequence of play this is a fairly easy game to pick up even for a first-timer. Billy still has to coach me from time to time through bits but I found it fairly easy to get the hang of halfway through the first session. The game offers two scales/levels of detail and features all the familiar Trek vessels- at least the Federation and Klingon ones. I was really surprised at how viscerally exciting the game was as our ships closed in on each other and started to unload phasers, photon torpedoes and the like and I was also surprised at what a huge difference a simplified energy allocation mechanic made in terms of bringing out the fun of the game. As the batteries and warp drives get shot up, the tension rises as you try to determine how to wisely spend your energy- and when. Unfortunately, it does feel like an Age of Sail naval battle at times more so than a starship game since it doesn't have any sense of moving in a 3D environment (that's vector movement, BTW) but that's not necessarily a bad thing since it models the way the ships fight in Trek pretty well- broadsides and boarding parties, indeed! The production is utilitarian at best with simple typesetting and fairly plain graphic design, but given that this is a small press game it's a quality affair and you even get a FedCom pencil. I'd definitely recommend it to sci-fi nerds like myself, Trek fans (who might openly weep happily throughout the game), and anyone who wants to make decisions that don't involve sets of colored, numbered cards or area control of any description. Billy suggested we "Euroize" it by auctioning the ships off before the game but I threatened to figure out some way to stab him with a brown wooden cube. There's plenty of support for the game and expansions are on the way, so get in on the ground floor- it's definitely worthwhile.

Nothing left to see here...unti next time!
Michael Barnes
Factory Games
www.factorygames.blogspot.com
404-839-0664

Factory Games Update 5.18.06

Hello again- first of all, to "Anonymous", who left some negative posts in the comments- I know who you are, you're not a very clever guy for someone that's been to law school. Anybody care to take a guess as to who it was? ;-)


EUROPEAN GAMES!
Right, now that's out of the way...Factory Games associate DAN CORNETT is traveling to Belgium at the end of May and we are extending an offer to you guys- if you want anything that's available only in Europe- say, a copy of something like DIAMANT or CASH N' GUNS- email me as soon as possible to get on the list. This list will go with Dan to Europe and he'll do the best he can to get what you're looking for. Prices will likely be around European retail, we unfortunately can't run our usual deep discount but hey, you save on shipping at least.

NEW RELEASES
Before you ask- no, Face 2 Face's WINNERS CIRCLE ($20) is _still_ not out yet. A couple of review copies have been in ciruclation, giving rise to that rumour. WARRIOR KNIGHTS ($35) should be available next week or possibly the week after- I'm hearing conflicting information, but Fantasy Flight is usually really good about shipping when they say they will. Usually. The new Ystari game MYKERINOS ($20) arrived today, so fans of YS and CAYLUS- get excited. Looks dull to me, but hey, I like rolling dice and CRTs...I should also have Compass Games' SILENT WAR ($50) next week, a few folks have asked about it, also Kenzer's THE GREAT SPACE RACE ($34).

Slow news week...that's all for now!

Michael Barnes
Factory Games

Factory Games Update 5/7

Hi all...just a few updates for ya...

WAR OF THE RING: BATTLES OF THE THIRD AGE will be available this week! I'm pretty excited about this one myself, those of you who know me best know of my fondness for WotR- I think it's the best light wargame on the market. Factory Games is pleased to offer this extraordinary (I hope) expansion for $34- as always, it's 35% off the retail price. Please contact me if you want want by wednesday- those of you who have, I already have you taken care of.

MERCER MEEPLES!
I attended the MERCER MEEPLES group last thursday night and I have to say that it's a great group- I was definitely pleased to see old-school nerd games like TALISMAN and DUNGEONQUEST going on as well as newer Euro stuff (KRONE UND KRAGEN!) and classics like AVE CASEAR. I will be attending the Mercer Meeples group on a regular basis from now on and I will typically bring an assortment of new-ish/hot-ish titles with me, all available for purchase at 35% off retail as usual. If there is anything anyone wants in particular, please let me know ahead of time and I will make sure to bring it for you. I won't be able to take credit card payments, so please either bring cash or check or arrange with me via paypal.

SOME STOCK UPDATES!
Just a couple of new things here and there, mostly restocks since there's been very little released lately...HACIENDA, RAILROAD TYCOON is back in stock, FAIRY TALE, SETTLERS, T2R: MARKLIN is back but DoW has jacked up the retail price on it, causing you and I both to pay more for it (it's now $29), CELTICA, VINCI (used, $20)...despite my best efforts TWILIGHT STRUGGLE slipped through my wanting hands and it won't be back for a while.

COMMAND AND COLORS: ANCIENTS Mini Review

I really loved MEMOIR '44 at first...I thought it was a great lightweight wargame with some cool bits and the best elements of BATTLE CRY welded on to an all-around better chassis. However, after playing it into the ground and realizing that the system really portrays something completely different than squad-level WWII combat and tiring of the "cute" Euro graphics, I sort of waned on it and then the expansions with their exorbitant retail pricing and ludicrous packaging sort of sunk it for me. Now, Richard Borg unleashes the third iteration of the Command and Colors system and it's a total knockout. The system seems like it's found the place where it belongs now, and that's in epic, set-piece sword & sandal battles. With new cards such as Line Commands and a much more detailed order of battle, the game approaches simulation a tiny bit more, adding a little extra complexity but without sacrificing accessibility. I was really impressed by the way momentum and melee are depicted a well as the effectiveness of battlefield command- things hinted at in previous incarnations of the system but brought to full fruition here. Materially I think it's the best production GMT has ever done- even the virtually indestructible box is top-shelf material and the rulebook is- get ready- in COLOR! Much internet drama was made over the decision to use blocks over miniatures and as an old-timey chit pusher, I have to say the blocks were the best way to go in terms of clarity and value. Remember in M44 trying to keep those stupid Ranger badges with the units? No more. Each unit is distinct and easy to identify after the first game and they aren't nearly as cumbesome to move around. The dice do, in fact, suck as everyone has said but so what? The internet has created a pandemic of crybabyism, and all the fuss over the dice is a good example. They function just like any other D6. Live with it. In all, I think C&C: Ancients is a tremendous game that really reaches the potential that BATTLE CRY and M44 fell short of in different ways and is probably the best (and most playable) tactical Ancients game I've ever seen. The promise of expansions has me pretty excited too, here's hoping for an Alexander versus Persia set with a Gaugamela scenario!

That's it for now, be seeing you!

Michael Barnes
Factory Games