Escape Pod Games, Gunship First Strike

I was browsing Kick Starter and came across a game that looked interesting called Gunship First Strike by Escape Pod Games.  While not a miniature game, the mechanics looked cool.  Here is the free ruleset.

Board Game Reviews

Well just in case you haven't noticed, there is a new tab on the blog called "Board Game Reviews".  Over the coming months Peter will be reviewing various Board Games.  This means Peter and his friends will be playing the heck out board games to give a pretty good overall review.

So without further ado, please check out Peter's 40 Something Game Reviews

Neuroshima Hex, iPhone, iPad

For those of you who have an iPad or an iPhone, Neuroshima Hex is available.  The cost is only $2.99 and is well worth the money.  The developers for this application are Big Daddy's Creations These guys have done an absolutely amazing job on the application.  I would have to say it is probably one of the best iPhone board game apps I have ever played.  You can download the Neuroshima Hex application at the iPhone Store.

Game display

 Artwork from the Neuroshima Hex world

Closeup of the board tile

Z-Man Games, Neuroshima HEX

In 2008 Z-Man Games released a board game called Neuroshima Hex designed by Michal Oracz.  I had never heard of the game before last night.  Neuroshima Hex is a strategy game placed in a post-apocalyptic world of Neuroshima (a Polish RPG). The game is for 2 to 4 players.  Each player leads one of four armies: Borgo, Hegemonia (Hegemony), Moloch and Posterunek (Outpost). Each army deck consists of 34 tiles - soldiers, support tiles and special actions. You win when you destroy all enemy H.Q.'s or your H.Q. is the least damaged one at the end. There are also 2 additional expansions for the game including Babel 13 and Duel.  Babel 13 includes rules for setting up a campaign.

The game mechanics are really ingenious where every unit has the ability for close combat, range combat or a combination.  The game involves a lot of tactics and some luck.  Last night we played both the 2 player and the 4 player game.  I have to say both versions were fantastic.  Every army or race in the game has some really unique units that have very special abilities.  Learning how to effectively use these units takes time, but once you figure out their strengths and weaknesses, you will have even more fun using them.

Neuroshima Hex Contents

• 140 army tiles
• 4 mercenray tiles
• 1 Mad Bomber promo tile
• Gaming board
• 4 army reference cards
• 16 wound tokens
• 8 HQ damage tokens
• Rules

Neuroshima Hex Quick Overview

• No. of players: 2-4
• Playing time: 30 minutes
• Price: $49.99

Clever Mojo Games - Ogre Castle

I received a review copy of Ogre Castle last week from David MacKenzie of Clever Mojo Games.  I really like this game.  It has all the elements you would want in a game including suspense, back stabbing, monsters, treasure and knights.  Ogre Castle is a ton of fun pitting players against each other in a winner take all game.

The game is easy to play, with simple mechanics.  The game requires 4 players, 3 of which are knights trying to plunder treasure from the Ogre's Castle and 1 person who plays the big bad Ogre.  Being the Ogre means you get to beat the heck out of the knights and take treasure back.

The base game retails for $25 or you can buy the game with a booster deck for $35.   The booster deck can be used instead of the standard deck or combined with the standard deck, in part or in whole, to vary the game play experience.  For people who prefer to play games using metal figures instead of paper figures, this can easily be done using any 28mm fantasy figure range.  My plan is to use some Reaper miniatures I have, painting them up in the red, blue, yellow and green color schemes.

Game Components include
1 Game Map
1 Accessories Bag
1 Deck of Magic Scroll Cards
1 Ogre Token & 3 Knight Tokens
1 Black Die & 7 Red Dice
12 Armor Chips
12 Colored Gems

Designed by W. David MacKenzie. 
Art by Matthew Silber

Fireside Games, Castle Panic

I got to play a game today called Castle Panic by Fireside Games.  It was their 1 year anniversary and they were celebrating with game demos, cake and a few giveaways.  In the game you try to defend the castle from various monsters (Goblins, Orcs, Ogres and Large Boulders). 

Castle Panic is cooperative strategy game for 1 to 6 players.  Players must work together to defend their castle, in the center of the board, from monsters that attack out of the forest, at the edges of the board. Players trade cards, hit and slay monsters, and plan strategies together to keep their castle towers intact. The players either win or lose together, but only the player with the most victory points is declared the Master Slayer.  Players must balance the survival of the group with their own desire to win.

  Castle Panic includes:

• Gameboard
• Rulebook
• 49 Castle Cards
• 49 Monster Tokens
• 6 Walls
• 6 Towers
• 1 Tar Token
• 2 Fortify Tokens
• 5 Order of Play Cards
• 12 Plastic Stands
• 1 Die