I started out writing a review of the Beowulf movie – you know, the 2007 CGI one with the cockney Beowulf. Unfortunately it turned into a little bit of a rant, so you’ll have to wait till I’ve calmed down a tad for a coherent version of that. It did put me in mind of another discussion topic which I find intriguing: simulation vs game and the balance thereof. So I wrote most of that post too. But it’s another long one. What I really want to do though is just say hi, and that I’ve not forgotten about this site. Thanks for sticking around.
Apart from random observations on various gaming topics, I’ve been busy writing new games and that’s taken up the time I’d have otherwise been using for blogging. Mostly these are things I can’t discuss just yet, though their time will come soon enough.
I’d also like to do some more with recently released games like Tribes of Legend and DKH3: Ancient Grudge (which seems to have been rather missed by most folk). That’s a real shame as there is a mountain of gameplay in there. I have been doing some articles for Tribes, so there’s more coming from Foundry on that front. Not to mention their next Open Day, which should feature a new army for it.
I really do need to manufacture some time from somewhere as the site needs to include more FAQs and articles for both the games that are out plus at least two more which will see the light of day this year. Actually, make that three. One is Project Pandora: Grim Cargo, the second I’ve mentioned several timers before and will be out in the summer (I am told), and the third is currently still Most Secret, but should be out towards the end of the year.
As is always the way, various other projects have been postponed, cancelled or mutated into something completely different during their development. We’ll have to see where they settle. Perhaps a spring clean is in order to tidy up the files…
Quirkworthy 
I still plan to purchase Ancient Grudge as soon as I finish my current model painting projects. I am busy with the dwarfs from Dead Rising. I love hearing this hints about future games. Best wishes.
Thanks redfox. Do send us a link to some pictures when you’re done 🙂
Glad to see you haven’t dropped off of the face of the earth entirely. 😛
I just finished all 12 trials of the Demigod ToL game this afternoon in a sitting, so that was fun. So I’ll definitely be looking forward to seeing more stuff for the main game. It’s proved quite popular with n00bs to the hobby as they can grasp it and feel like they’re playing a game by themselves within a couple of games. Works wonders with kids too.
As to Ancient Grudge my review is trundling along. It’s just I’ve had to adapt my review style for game add-ons and I’m not too sure it’s working right now. It’ll go up at some point next week though as it’s almost done. The cats seem quite pleased again.
“Dropped off the face of the earth entirely”?
Not entirely. Still holding on by my fingernails 🙂
Always pleased to hear the cats like it. They can be a very particular audience as I know from my own lot. Given it’s flexibility, I’d not be surprised if different groups went in quite different directions with Ancient Grudge, in terms of what they got out of it. Regarding review style – what’s so different about expansions?
Well that’s the thing… it depends.
Take Ancient Grudge, it’s not more of the same it’s well… just MORE!!! lol.
It’s not just expanding on say Dead Rising or Green Menace. It’s expanding them and mashing them together, and then as you say offering many different paths for gamers to take. I’ve described it as feeling like scene 3 in Act 1, it’s kind of brought the first two scenes together nicely and feels like it’s set the sory up for growth. We’re all now waiting to see Act 2. Hey you can show this comment to Ronnie, we do want an Act 2!!!
So in terms of reviewing I have to go back to the original games and say how does this expansion effect play? With the expansions I have for other games there’s only one core game, with DKH there are two… PLUS… it brings them together. That’s a lot of ground to cover in a proper review, to give people the answers they want and need. I know I like it, I liked it when I was games testing it, but verbalising that in a useful review for readers and picking up on all the things I’ve seen in the game now has taken some time. But hey, at least it’ll be comprehensive when I’m finally done!
Act 2? I’ve still to nail Ronnie down about that. Well, that and another couple of projects. Currently working on the Big Secret for him, so things are all kind of tied up with that. Act 2’s time will come though. I am sure of it.
Comprehensive is always good. When I’m reading reviews of things I’m considering getting I do get cheesed off when all they do is essentially repeat the advertising blurb – an all too common failing of online “reviews”. The more you can say about something the more useful it should be for people reading it. This, of course, is why the few reviews I get round to doing tend to be very long…
I think we figured you might be doing something crazy like earning a living. Project Pandora looks awesome BTW.
I havent played any more TOL but my hoplites refuse to play without spears and they haven’t shown up yet. The game is still in my thoughts spurred on by a recent watch of “Immortals”
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You figured correctly 🙂
I’ve not seen Immortals yet, but it’s on my list. Very sensible of the hoplites too. Tricky for them without their primary weapon.
Not long now to Salute/Adepticon when Pandora is released. I’m going to be at Salute this year and I think it’s going to be crazy. In a good way 🙂
Say what you like about Beowulf, but there’s nothing to beat Angry Cockney Ray Winstone in a fight. Peter Jackson sure dropped the ball there… :p
The problem with that argument is that it was a slimmer and younger CGI Ray that may well have never existed. And, if we’re picking regional groups to sponsor as nutters, I’d probably vote for something Scottish, or Geordie…
I live in Kuwait currently, so getting hold of DKH3 is kind of tricky, but it’s on my list along with Project Pandora (I’m very keen to see these rules about lights and dark areas.)
Good to hear from you
I can imagine that all manner of gaming supplies could be tricky. Isn’t that what the internet is for though? Of course, that relies on a good connection, no censorship and a reliable postal service. Being largely ignorant of the reality of life in Kuwait, I can only guess. Hope you can get one soon though. It’s always irritating when you know stuff is about but is nowhere to hand (he said, generously naming no names). Let us know what you think when you’ve had a play 🙂
Oh, and while I have you here, I have a question you may be able to help with. Do you have any Finecast models? I’m curious about how they cope with the Kuwaiti climate. One hears about them going droopy in the mid 30s degrees C. Lord Google tells me that Kuwaiti temps can routinely be over that, which would suggest that any armies not living in air conditioned splendour will be all floppy. But this is mere theory. Have you any practical experience of this? Inquiring minds need to know 😉
Well, at least I heard nothing bad about Finecast from friends in Texas and with temperatures there being most of the year above 30s and reaching 50s in August…. I gues that´s a good thing. On the other hand in the short winters in Texas -30 is not unheard of in some areas and their Finecasts also survived this (not being outside the whole time of course, but being carried around in a box to events). Dies this count as a valid temperature test?
It’s all grist to the mill André.
For me, the Finecast question is rather an academic one as I’m unlikely to ever buy any. It is, however, such a big story within toy soldiers that I can’t ignore it.
Well, for a strange reason all the new minis I like from GW are either resin or plastic, but not finecast, so I probably too will not get the chance to see one anytime soon in person. 😉
So I did a little survey, and no one seems to be having any problems. But we are Air-Conned to the hilt, so rarely find temperatures above 30 indoors.
And yes, it is a right pain in the chuff finding any supplies out here.
Thanks bongo, glad to hear the bits you actually can get aren’t melty 🙂
I remember reading a fascinating forum discussion years ago about some chap who was trying to paint in Kuwait, and having trouble following the normal instructions as things dried so fast in the heat. I’d never really considered that sort of thing. Perhaps we need to recognise “extreme” wargaming as a separate hobby. Across the deserts, through the icepacks…
I’m getting DKH3 soon. I love both Green Menace/Dead Rising and even if i play them solo (no multiplayer until the kids grow up), I’m very interested in the point/warband system (lots of idle mantic/nonmantic models around). My main concern with Ancient Grudge (and maybe other people’s too) is the scarcity of models/tiles, comparing to the previous titles and awesome looking Project Pandora (I’m getting that too!).
Ancient Grudge has fewer tiles because it’s an expansion to the other games rather than a stand-alone thing in its own right. As you need either Dead Rising or Green Menace to use Ancient Grudge then you already have a load of tiles.
This is what allows Ancient Grudge to be even cheaper than the other boxes too 🙂
Plus you get the FANTASTICAL berserker lord mini.
Oh yes, I’d forgotten about him. He is rather nice.
You done this one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402057/
Came out a couple of years before the blockbuster version. Slightly more down to earth, but less CGI Angelina Jolie and more Sarah Polley.
I haven’t seen it yet, though it’s on my list to watch.
BTW, you are going to watch Iron Sky?
Looks like an amusing afternoon’s watching.
It is a kind of cinematic expression of Godwin’s Law though 😉
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law
“It is a kind of cinematic expression of Godwin’s Law though”
Wait does that mean it insta=loses? ; )
No, just that now SF CGI extravaganzas have got to the Nazi stage, where do they go now?