Today’s post is a quick brain dump of stuff that I’m working on, as well as games and toys that have caught my attention. God willing, I will delve into these things in a bit more detail once I break free of the things that are currently constraining my free time. But for now, here are some random jabberings and observations that hopefully interest some of you…
Tanks… Tanks… Tanks on the Brain…
I’m not exactly sure what triggered it, but about a month ago I got the sudden itch to do some research into WWII tank battle games.
My friend Wally and I played What a Tanker! by the Lardies, and while I think it’s a pretty good game overall, there are things about it that frustrate me. The niggles can be house-ruled, but my biggest disappointment was that it’s cumbersome to manage more than a few tanks per player and there just wasn’t enough carnage & decisiveness in the game play for my tastes. That feeling might change with repeated plays, but as someone who often looks at games with a Game Designer Lens, I doubt that I will suddenly fall in love with it.
I started reading about alternative rule sets and it struck me that either (a) they were overwrought with too much detail, or (b) they covered all aspects of WWII warfare, which is a bridge too far for me — I just want to focus on playing with my tanks and blowing stuff up.
About 2 weeks ago I said “you know what, screw this”, and began designing my own WWII tank battle game. My goals were to create a game that plays fast with lots of back-&-forth interaction, lets each player comfortably manage 4-6 tanks, has a satisfying amount of carnage, features card-play that lets you do some fun things outside of the common move/aim/fire actions, and is easy to learn. So, Tiny Tank Blitz was born.
I’ve been buying more 1/72 diecast tanks off eBay to add to my collection. Recent additions include a Panzer IV, M3 Stuart, two Churchills, a trio of heavy Russian tanks, two Tigers, and an Elefant and Hetzer 38(t) on the way. Perhaps I have a problem? LOL.
I’m hoping to give the rules a first playtest spin very soon. More stuff to share on these as they develop.
Pre-Painted Dungeon Terrain
There are only 5 days left on the Dungeons & Lasers – Caves crowdfunding campaign over on Gamefound. This stuff looks really cool. They’re offering both unpainted and pre-painted terrain (using their Prismacast technology).
The pre-painted stuff is impressive and seems reasonably priced. Some of the cave builds they have are uniquely twisted & beautiful. Tempted!!
HeroScape is Back! Really!
HeroScape, my favorite wargame-in-a-box, is officially back after 14 years! Can you believe it?
Renegade Game Studios has three new products available for pre-order on its website: the HeroScape Master Set (Age of Annihilation), an expansion Battle Box (Battle for the Wellspring), and Terrain Box (The Grove at Laur’s Edge). The Master Set is available in both standard unpainted ($129 USD) and premium prepainted ($225 USD) versions, and features 20 miniatures, 74 hex terrain tiles, some wall pieces, and a bunch of game components.
Will I buy this? I already have a crap-ton of HeroScape stuff, but the pull this has on me is strong. I really don’t think the Premium edition price is too bad. Terrain and 20 colorful painted minis (no assembly required) + components for LESS MONEY than a Warhammer: The Old World boxed faction set? Ummm.. Yes Please!
But geez, this and Dungeons & Lasers and diecast tanks — my wallet is probably going to hurt.
Random Tidbits
Other stuff that has plopped on my radar…
I’m not playing D&D these days, but if I were I would definitely grab a copy of The Tomb of Gyzaengaxx adventure set. It has an old school charm with nods to industry legends.
For those board game old timers, you may remember Slapshot, a light and zany card game with a hockey theme. It’s a true classic and continues to be played at the World Boardgaming Championships to this day. Well, it turns out Columbia Games is planning to kickstart a new game called Pigskin which is an American Football game inspired by the classic Slapshot. Color me intrigued. I’ll be watching this one.
While checking out the recent Kickstarter for Ready, Set, Bet deluxe edition (which I didn’t decide to back), I discovered another older board game that combines racing and betting called Camel Up 2nd edition. It seems like the kind of light strategy game that would provide a nice change-of-pace from deeper fare and wargames, and something that my group of friends would probably enjoy. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, but this is on my buy-list for later in 2024.
That’s all for now. Until next time, enjoy the start of Spring!
Tiny Painted Heroes 
If you think you have a problem with tanks, I definitely do! :-) I’ve used my own WW2 rules for decades that get tweaked from time to time but work well for me. I can just use the same rules for quick tank only games as well and, like you, I made some cards that chuck in random or special events or actions. I also managed to get some nice diecast M4 Shermans a few years ago so that I could have a US tank force for North West Europe to pit against my Germans. It’ll be good to hear how you get on!
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