|
Archive for Mark Buetow
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
A Song of An Opera, Among the Living
Hearken to this lay, my lords and ladies, lads and lasses, of the adventures of which I, myself, your illustrious entertainer were a part! It is a tale of honor and success in the service of the Society of Pathfinders. Hearken now, to my song! (In my own specialty, named "shifting rhymeeter."
'Twere ne'er so needed as today
To find a man 'twas lost.
Bodiggan Wuthers, be he named,
So saith our captainy host.
To Oppara of Taldor he repaired,
To the House of the Immortal Son,
To dig in the depths beneath its walls
A task that would leave him undone.
We sailed across the Inner Sea,
To Oppara we came prepared,
Dressing with baubles and gaudy clothes,
Our party was bold and not scared!
We took up our seats in this opera house,
Surrounded by courtre and class.
The music began and the singers emerged
Oh how we wished time would fly past!
The opera was bland, mediocre at best,
Its plot and its music a hash.
A bard trained to sing knows the difference, you see
'Tween an opera sublime or of trash.
A shuddering gong suddenly ended the scene,
The actors with haste cleared the stage.
Within a few seconds, some doors opened wide,
Zombies! sallied forth in mindless rage!
The hall was awash in the screams of the dying,
The nobles with jewelry clinkering, flying
But clear through the din rose a song strong and bold
The bard's song rang clear to embolden those trying
To bring forth their weapons and ready their magic.
The party dashed forth to engage the fell undead.
The wolf joined the fray and the creatures were hunted
The bard with his rapier through eye pierced one's head!
With spells and the blast of energy clean
The other adventurers made such a scene
To bring down these creatures of rotting and death
The finishing off of these zombies so mean.
Where next should we go but there was the show,
Our weapons didst serve as our passes backstage.
When the bard in his courage threw open the door,
and dashed in to serve the zombies his rage!
Alas 'twas a witch who cast forth great fear,
The bard, shriekd in terror, "I'm so out of here!"
He ran forth in fright and left to the battle
His daring companions two zombies to rattle!
The fiends were set to by the druid wolf's release
The witch, she fell victim to the wizard's slick grease
While the nobles all crowded in terror and fear,
They watched as the heroes saved their hides dear!
Once Stendup the Brave (oh, laugh if your must)
Had returned to the room to earn nobles' trust,
Another commotion was heard just outside
And more enemies came to challenge our side.
Once bested there yet arose more foul fiends
More zombies arose amid the dull screams
So with weapons and skills upont them we set
Our swords by their foul and undead blood wet.
But soon they were dispatched
And with great trepidation,
We went down some stairs to the depths of the building
With weapons all drawn and our magic as gilding.
We stumbled upon a dais and stairs,
The stone artifact guarded by a cultist and pair
Of a zombie and soldier, ready to fight,
We engaged them with fervor and delivered our might.
Brave bard was full scratched by the enemy's sword
But his concern was for wizard, who lay on the floor,
A victim of zombie, that fell undead horror
The bard pierced him through with his rapier sword!
Attention was turned to the final face off,
An evil cultist who dared at us scoff
Who was brought down with scratches and nicks and small slashes
And finally killed with more bloody gashes.
The stone had been taken but with much debate:
Destroy or preserve it our choice was now laid
To take back to the Pathfinder Society or
Destroy it with sword and magic and more.
But in the employ of the Society grand
We felt there no choice so forced was our hand
And returned to the Grand Lodge with necromantic prize,
Uplifted in all the venture captains' eyes.
Here ends the tale that my skills have been giving
For here did we go to the opera fine
The show was thus called, "Among the Living"
But it was the undead who took up our time.
And now we are heroes, again, it would seem
Our fame and prestige and our gold, they all gleam
Until we are needed again and once more
The missions to do in the service of Lore!
This was Pathfinder Society Scenario 0-07, "Among the Living," played at Castle Perilous, Carbondale, Illinois, yesterday. My firs time going to the store for PFS and it was a lot of fun.
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
British Intelligence Assessment Report, April 7, 1941
The following reports were obtained from assets in Eastern Europe following the German invasion of that area.
Advances in Yugoslavia: Nisava Bridge
The following photo details Yugoslavian preparations in the face of German armored advance to claim bridges in the area.
Note that Yugoslavian leaders and heavier firepower were held back until the German intentions were known. Reports from surviving units indicate a rapid German advance and overwhelming firepower. The Germans were able to drive the Yugoslavian troops off of the bridge and faced little coordinated resistance as they breached the hedge wall and gained the bridge. Leadership casualties were high and the Yugoslavians were dispersed. The bridge was taken and secured by the advancing German forces.
The photo below shows the post-battle disposition of forces.
Metaxas Line Holds Against Assault
The Greeks took a cue from the French Maginot line in setting up their Metaxas Line. This line would eventually fall by being flanked. This was necessitated by fierce resistance along the line itself. The following report indicates stiff Greek resistance and a brief battle ending in a German surrender.
Initial force dispositions are seen below.
A strong position was held on the right by leader, squad and team emplaced in a bunker with a French '75 and HMG. These units were able to stop the German advance on the right. Germans forces attempting to reach the cliffs were halted and eliminated.
The German IG on the left was ineffectual. Heavy fire from the higher Greek bunker's HMG and French '75 dispatched the German leadership, leaving their troops in disarray. A Pionier was able to close on the left Greek bunker but unable to breach the defenses with a satchel charge. It Advanced into melee but those men were killed or captured. The Germans realized that they could not breach these defenses and laid down their arms in surrender.
Photo showing the Metaxas line holding at this point:
Game Notes
Scenario 18 is from Combat Commander: Mediterranean. The Yugoslavians use the French deck. While the Yugoslavians can drop their HMG in anywhere they have friendly units, the absence of Fire Orders for several hands, and the absence of Recover orders made it a bad time for the Allies. The Germans were able to advance quickly and though the HMG and LMG both appeared on the bridge, I couldn't get good shots. Wire slowed them on to the bridge but once they took the first section, it was just a matter of blasting the Yugoslavians off and picking off several more units. The Allies were one unit away from surrendering but the game hit its end by Sudden Death on the first roll. A clear German victory with 12 VPs. It was tough trying to pass that "personal morale check" on this one!
Scenario 19 is the next one in the CC:Med Playbook.
Here the Germans just dashed like waves against a seawall. It's not hard to see why the Germans just ended up going around! Unlike the first battle, the French deck was handing out better cards and rolls. It was, in effect, the opposite result of Scenario 18 we had just played. It was funny to see the Germans drop an '8' smoke marker only to have it blow away by a breeze when I fired on them. More smoke might have been helpful. The French '75's ability to fire twice on one Fire Order was also a big deal. From left to right were the 8FP mines, the wire and the cliffs. There wasn't much room for the Germans to come through and there was a nice HMG crossfire set up.
Our play through of the whole war has taken us just into early 1941. The war rages in Europe but is pretty one sided as the Germans continue their steamrolling. Right now, our series stands at Allies (me)- 3 wins to the German's (Marcuswoot) 4.
It's pretty fun watching the war unfold in little pockets of fighting around Europe.
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
Fascist Aggression Continues! Europe overrun! African Colonies in Peril!
Nazis in Norway!
Hitler has sent his armies north into Scandinavia with an attack upon the country of Norway! Footage obtained from these battles shows this one near the Gratangen Valley on the Narvik Front. Here, Norwegian soldiers attempt a breakout to drive back the Nazis during a blizzard.
The Norwegians advanced steadily, dispersing the Germans slowly but surely. But a German Team with an HMG appears on the Norwegian side and blocks there efforts. Tracers zip through the blowing snow and the Norwegians prepare to advance but cannot do so in time.
Here we see the Norwegians, hampered in their efforts, a victory for the Fascist invaders!
Fierce Fighting in Fallen France!
From the cold and snow of Scandinavia, our next story takes us to temperate France near Gembloux. A small band of brave Moroccan soldiers attempts to hold a sunken road against a German assault.
This is footage of the stalwart Moroccan soldiers fighting for their European benefactors, arrayed at both ends of the sunken road, ready to repel the oncoming Nazis.
The battle is a short one, alas! The Germans sweep in on the left, tearing up the Moroccans with their heavy machine gun, taking the crossroads and then moving onto one end of the sunken road. The Moroccans fight fiercely but are wiped out. On the right, the brave defenders attempt to hold back the German press but are engaged, even as the enemy sweeps on through the battlefield. Horrible hand-to-hand fighting results in deaths on both sides. But the unstoppable fascists are able to eventually swarm the last bitter resistance and there is nothing left of the Moroccans but a few straggles who can do nothing but lay down their arms.
Behold the horrible end of these Moroccan defenders as they are literally swarmed by their German foe!
Singh's Shellbursts in Somaliland!
Somaliland, August 1940, under the hot African sun. The Italian army seeks to reach one of the British held ports but must first clear out some Indian troops defending key passes.
This photo taken as the Italians prepare their opening bombardment shows the Indians in position on a dusty hill.
A withering opening bombardment by the Italian artillery marches along the hilltop, sending British army units scattering and dying. Following the rain of death, the Italians charge en masse put the left-hand slope of the hill.
The Indians, however are not to be outdone. As the Italians manage to continue their climb on the left and come around the front of the hill, Corporal Singh manages to secure his own artillery support! These bombardments fall among the Italian troops with great ferocity, causing them to cower in fear.
Vicious hand-to-hand- combat ensues at the top of the hill as the crest objectives trade hands several times. But by carefully aimed fire and support from behind their own lines, Corporal Singh and his men hold the hill and scatter the Italians!
A photo of the victory shows the meager remnants of the Italian assault.
As war grips Europe, how will the United States respond? Will we be drawn into these battles in foreign lands or will we maintain our careful neutrality? Will our Allies in Europe be able to withstand the fascist onslaught as countries fall one at a time into their clutches? Only time will tell.
Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available!
Game Notes
Scenario 110 is from C3i Magazine.
Each turn, two smoke markers are drawn and the smaller of the two kept as a hindrance which exists in all hexes, representing the blizzard conditions. The Norwegians steamrolled the Germans pretty well in the center. Their HMG not he far hill was hampered by the snow hindrance. On the left, I was able to get some men off and score points. Still, the Germans had a good lead and that meant the VPs swung only briefly to my side before slipping back and hovering near zero. The Germans got a Team with an HMG and I was ready to finish it off when Time came. I had Sgt. Ganz holed up in Objective 3 (which was worth a point) and if I had taken it, I would have won. I had the Advance and Ambush ready! Alas, Time came and I passed the initiative card once to avoid Sudden Death but the second roll ended the game. The Germans won with 3 VPs.
Scenario 16 is one of the Combat Commander: Mediterranean scenarios.
Objective 4 on the left is worth 7 points and 5 on the right is worth 10. The French start with 30 VPs but when those objectives go, so do the VPs in a big way. My own French HMG was early on dispatched. The German squads and HMG manage to get in to the sunken road and take Objective 4. I was able to melee with 3 Ambushes I had been holding on to. I didn't win but wiped out the German HMG. Then, a leader and squad of Germans which had gotten into the middle of the road did the same to me, taking out my two units with a melee involving three of their Ambushes! A brutal turnabout! On my right the Germans began pouring off the map but after having taken out all but two units, they were able to quickly overwhelm the last two units and force a French surrender. Historically the Moroccans fought to the last man. Well, that's what happened in this scenario. (We went back over my notes from other games; I actually won this scenario against Marc, again as the Moroccans, a few years back.) What the French player needs most to happen is the Turns to fly past while they still have a lot of VPs.
Scenario 24 is also a Combat Commander: Mediterranean one.
The British had nothing in their hand that was helpful and their HMG was quickly lost to the artillery and advancing Italians. Things really changed, though, when the Brits got their arty. At one point, both sides were just two units away from surrender but the British pulled an "Elan Event and the squad and LMG with Corporal Singh was picking off Italian units broken by their artillery. A final blast of arty fire caused an Italian surrender which not even the Initiative Card could stop.
This post is one of a series where Marcuswoot and I are playing through the entire war, all of the Combat Commander Series published scenarios in chronological order. You can read about the project in this introductory blog post. So far it's a lot of fun. Current standings are 2-3 in favor of the Axis.
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
Newsflash, Europe, September 1, 1939!
Hitler's armies roll through Poland! The German Fuhrer sends his planes, tanks and men storming into the peaceful nation of Poland. War has broken out!
15 September 1939...Sochaczew, Poland
Advances by the Germans have trapped brave Polish soldiers. These determined troops fought tooth and nail to escape the traps of their Nazi invaders.
In this footage, taken at the start of one engagement, brave Polish troops prepare to cross open ground and fields to break prevent themselves being surrounded by the Germans. The Germans occupy the little buildings and foxholes while the brave Poles sit on the edges, ready to run.
The group on the right makes a successful dash to exit the area, escaping the Germans and moving back toward Warsaw while the leader and his troops next to them lay down heavy fire into the nearby orchard. More troops make the attempt, this time slowed by the appearance of a German Infantry Gun.
But hurray! The Poles manage to hold the Germans off long enough that the Germans run out of time and cannot stop them!
This footage shows the situation when the Germans were frozen by that clock and the Poles saved their men.
More news! In the frozen north near Tolvajarvi, Finland...Russians invade and are driven back!
This is an actual photo of a column of Soviet troops moving along a road, careless to the danger that surrounds them by the valiant Finns defending their homeland.
But, what's this? A troop of Finnish soldiers armed with Molotov Cocktails and loads of spirit are rushing through the woods. They advance right into the column of Russian soldiers not once, but twice! The Russians are cut down mercilessly by the Finns. A few manage to straggle off the trail and escape! Others are trapped back along the road!
The Russians have a few more men that arrive, along with a leader who thinks to rally the men and abandoned the road, getting his men out of the area through the woods. But the wily Finns are too much for them! The quickly move to cut off the hapless Russians. Men are falling like flies from the fire and knives of the Finns and even the shots of their own commissars! Oh, the humanity!
Here is footage after the Russians laid down their arms in surrender, having lost so many of their own they could not continue! Looks like the Finns have wreaked vengeance on their enemy today!
Game Notes
This is the beginning of our WWII Chronological Play through.
I'm the Allies and Marcuswoot is the Axis. The first two scenarios were from Combat Commander: Mediterranean.
In Scenario 14, I managed to exit a leader and several units, swinging the score way over to my side. The Germans, despite getting that IG33, were unable to move the VP marker back in time. My Poles won with 10 VP.
In Scenario 20, the Finns began with two Advance Orders and were able to clear out the road almost instantly. With Double Elimination Points, and 10 of 11 units on the Soviet Surrender Track, the Russians were getting hammered. Kovalev's men managed to get off the map but that wasn't many points. He came back on and tried to get some men straight up and off through the heavy woods, but the Finns got a Radio and began hammering the forest with artillery fire. It wasn't long before they could move some men over to intercept the units in the forest and knife them into surrender.
Very cool to begin this epic saga in the Combat Commander Series
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
Well, It has finally begun.
Marc Melvin
United States
DuQuoin
Illinois
and I are playing through all the published scenarios for the Combat Commander Series in chronological order.
Marc has taken the role of the Axis aggressors, bent upon the conquest of Europe, the Pacific and the world. (The Finns, represented as Axis powers perhaps excepted!) I have chosen the Allies, nations of sometimes far different stripes bent on resisting a common enemy.
We're using the the Chronological List although for the purposes of our über-campaign, I've added the Pacific scenarios into the Europe/Med list for a combined outline of the war.
We'll be using all of the officially published (by GMT) scenarios from which include Combat Commander: Europe, Combat Commander: Mediterranean, Combat Commander: Pacific,Combat Commander: Resistance!, Combat Commander: Battle Pack #1 - Paratroopers, Combat Commander: Battle Pack #2 - Stalingrad, Combat Commander: Battle Pack #3 - Normandy, Combat Commander: Battle Pack #4 - New Guinea, and scenarios from GMT Games C3i Magazine.
I'll detail of progress under this title and I one to do so in a variety of formats some more and some less detailed, much like session reports, and some with pictures.
The words for the title are taken from General Dwight D. Eisenhower's speech given before the D-Day invasion of 1944. They are fitting words for this epic play-through of the Combat Commander scenarios. To war!
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
Introduction
This is the fourth session of our brave band's ventures upon Pathfinder #37: Souls for Smuggler's Shiv. This past year, I've been gearing up to run the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, having given up on Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition) (for reasons best left to their own blog post at some point).
Where are sessions 1-3 you may ask. They're rolling around in my head. I suppose I'll get to them eventually. If George Lucas can go back and add to the story before then so can I. (I note with some amusement then that I'm actually starting with our Episode IV).
Our hearty band includes the following:
Mahmud, human fighter, meat shield and treasure-monger (played by Risdon)
Mushina, human cleric, healer of the wounded, slayer of the evil (played by Rachel)
Nebicus, half-elven ranger, tracker, and raised-eyebrow observer of Mahmud's avarice.Harus Spix, gnome sorcerer, torturer of ghosts (I think that was in part 1.2), and silent partner in battle (played by Will)
OBLIGATORY SPOILER WARNING: Yeah, there are spoilers. The whole thing's pretty much a spoiler, though different groups will surely play this out in a myriad of ways.
Super-Brief Recap
The first three of our party were aboard the Jenivere when they were apparently drugged and found themselves awakening on the beach of an island with five other passengers. THe Jenivere they discovered has wrecked. After getting some supplies from her, they set up camp and began to explore the island, encountering zombies aboard old wrecks, a lovesick ghost captain, evidence against corrupt Sargaavan officials, a "J trap" treasure, a crazy tengu in a giant crab, and the existence of cannibals on the island. Having survived numerous vine traps and gotten an idea that there was a cadre of cannibals near and old partial lighthouse, the party prepares to make a move…
Crashing the Party
Rather than head along the trail directly into the camp, the party dispatches Nebicus through the jungle south of the place to scout it out. Nebicus, who has finally found respite from his persistent bout of Red Ache fever, is approaching the village area when a cannibal sees him. (Failed stealth check!) The cannibal turns and dashes toward the village shouting "Intruders!" Nebicus lets fly two arrows but they merely graze the wild man. He dashes after the warrior and calls for the rest of the party to join him.
The cannibal, harried by the arrows whizzing by, breaks into a small patch of clearing near a tiny hut, dashes across and into another patch of jungle on the edge of the village. Nebicus is in hot pursuit but can't get a clean shot. The cries of "Intruder" still rip from the throat of the harried wild man. Pezock--whose one desire is to "wet my sword with the blood of those cannibals!" and whose confidence is bolstered by his new -found allies, runs full speed through the undergrowth to get ahead of the fleeing flesh-eater. Ishirou and Jask head to the left, to try to get around the little building. Mushina follows. Nebicus had planted himself on the edge of the tangled growth on the other side of the clearing to try to send his arrows after the cannibal who has outrun him. More shouts can be heard from around the building as more cannibals begin appearing. Mahmud gets around the hut and begins engaging the cnanibals who are appearing. They are running from a large hut across a common area with a fire under a sickly smelling cauldron. From off to the left, the piercing shrieks of a woman can be hear in one of the huts which opens on a filthy pit of refuse.
With vicious blows from his sawtooth saber, Pezok strikes down his cannibal. Nebicus, seeing the tengu has prevailed, dashed into the little hut to investigate. It's a two room affair, one a workshop of putrid horrors, alchemical or witchcraft in nature. The second is even worse, the filthy and gag-inducing sleeping quarters of the clearly absent occupant.
In the common area, Mahmud has gotten in near the center to engage the cannibals running out of the buildings. Mushina is soon there as are Ishirou and Jask. Pezock advances, his sawtooth blade drawing blood with every cut. Mahmud's great sword is a flurry of death to the cannibals and Mushina is alternating between healing when her comrades are slashed and driving home the blows of her morning star.
Two cannibals have emerged from the lard hut across the common area. Ishirou is there with his katana, trading blows, when one cannibal slashes him across the chest, opening a horrid gash. He falls and tries to crawl away. Pezock is madly trading blows with another murderous tribesman. While Mushina is tending to Ishirou if she can get close. The cannibals continue to appear, bloodlust in their eyes, blood-curdling shouts in their throats and jagged, rusting scimitars waving. Two cannibals that have appeared are able to savage Mushin with a pair of thrown javelins but Jask is quick to her aid.
Klorak the Red Dead
Pezock has crossed to the hut from whence the woman's screams can be heard, battling cannibals as they appear at the door. Mahmud is near the fire, trying to hold the cannibals at bay and protect Jask who is unarmed. Suddenly a booming voice roars from the low building connected to unfinished lighthouse. A tall raging cannibal with huge gaping earlobes and a gleaming scimitar steps forth. "You're mine! Klorak shall have your blood and steal your power!" He cries and then charges out. The ring of metal fills the little village as the chieftain slams into Mahmud. The fight is on. By this time Nebicus, who has been working his sword-swinging way through the cannibals takes up station near Mahmud.
The door to the little building opens again, revealing two more cannibals (will they never stop coming!?) and behind them a cackling old crone. The cannibals rush out. Klorak, for that is the chieftain's name, has felled Ishirou and has smeared the hapless man's blood all over himself, laughing and shouting, his eyes bulging in an attempt to terrify Mahmud. Mahmud continues to trade blows with him. Mushina looks over to see the crone in the wings and their eyes meet; a feeling of fogginess and despair washes over Mushina and she knows she's been hexed. The crone raises her staff, human bones hanging by strings rattling, and cackles some incantation. Mahmud suddenly bursts out with laughter and begins guffawing, a pained expression on his face as he can't control it and drops to the ground, laughing hysterically and hideously.
Klorak needs no more opening than that and makes some vicious cuts on the fighter. Jask is near now, laying on hands and curing his comrades' wounds. Nebicus is up again, thanks to Mushina as is Ishirou, having had hands laid on him to, to revive him from dying. Malikadna, the old witch crone comes cackling through the doorway. Out past her feet runs Thaltaki, her monkey familiar. He manages to sink his feeth into Nebicus' ankle before being flung away like a rag doll on the tip of Ishirou's katana. Pezock turns to wet his sword with Klorak's blood but while the tengu strikes true, it is for Mahmud, once he has regained his senses, to split the chieftain down the middle.
Shortly the last two cannibals have been slain and the old witch is also put down. Silence settles over the camp. Exhausted, curing spells are applied and potions drunk to give some healing to the wounded party. They follow the screams into the hut to find Sasah, one of their fellow castaways, strapped to a butchering table, her fate having just been averted by the arrival of the party. In a muddy patch of ground, a sort of pen with stakes in the earth, are also chained Aerys Mavato, another castaway and, lo and behold! Harus Spix, the parties' sorcerer. (It was a simple story twist to have him captured and out of the action for the battle as Will was not able to play with us on this evening.)[/i}
The party decided to look around the village. A pen of skeletons was discovered by Mahmud who took a few nicks and cuts while dispatching them. A little hut contained some water casks and some…jerky. The partially finished lighthouse has relics and other items form the Thrune's Fang, a ship from decades ago, though no one in the party could recall anything detailed about the ship. [i](Really! Not a single one of the PCs or NPCs has a Knoweldge(History) ranking!?) A sort of "guest quarters" with food from the Jenivere suggests the ship's captain and his escort (consort? captor?) were here.
After discovering a chest filled with coin for the payroll of the Thrune's Fang's crew, Mahmud and the others determined they might make the lighthouse workable. It would certainly be a means toward getting off the accursed island. But Jask hollers from down below. He has discovered a large bamboo cover over a hole that drops down into the ground. Stakes and nearby vines suggest a way to descend…
Session Wrapup
Pathfinder has been a lot of fun so far. The Smuggler's Shiv is a lot o work for me as GM partly because we're all still learning the system and partly because the "sandbox" nature of the adventure demands good preparation. The characters are pretty vivid and the players a lot of fun. Nebicus' logs have been great displays of creatively recounting the adventure from the half-elf's perspective. I really look forward to Pathfinder night (we meet every other week on Fridays) and seeing how the campaign unfolds!
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
You can't limit the questing imagination to the mere contents of an adventure game's box. Read on to see what I mean.
It was late in my high school years and I was hanging out at a friend's house when I noticed he had a copy of Talisman sitting there. I asked if I could borrow it. Several years before, in the gaming career of my late elementary and middle school years, I had received Talisman and played the heck out of it. When I played it again these several years later, however, it just didn't strike me as really great fun as it once was. Fast forward to today. A friend of a friend has the newest version of Talisman. We played once. It was, frankly, dull. How come? Have I outgrown it? Is it the mere case of "you can never go back" to the magical feeling of when you first played an epic game like that? That's probably part of it. But answer is really this: Talisman isn't really fun for me because we play roleplaying games (RPGs).
A few years back, at a big sale at a Barnes & Noble, I grabbed a copy of Return of the Heroes. The first time we played it, it was fairly interesting. Though my daughter really enjoys it, subsequent plays haven't generated any excitement for me. Why is that? Well, like many of these games, once you've seen the monsters and quests and things, you anticipate them and know what's coming, if not always in the same order. Besides, our regular group had embarked upon some adventures playing Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition). Even though we were using a published module (H1: Keep on the Shadowfell) the adventure unfolded according to the actions of the players, generating a tapestry of unscripted action and humor.
I run a Tuesday gaming group with some teens at a local library. Included in our gaming was some more D&D 4E (a homebrew campaign that has faded) and some Tunnels & Trolls (7th - 7.5 Editions). After diving headlong into the hobby, one of the guys, Josh,(fonebone10) said he wanted to GM a game of Call of Cthulhu (2nd - 6th Edition). We began with some of the stock adventures included in the book and recently finished a short adventure which Josh had written himself. I recall one of the coolest parts of one of the stories. We were headed up into the attic of a house. One of the kids' characters was about to peer up in there when he was grabbed and pulled up. In a moment his body was flung back down to the floor, a hole where his heart had been! The player was stunned. We were all shocked. It was hilarious and freaky at the same time. Cthulhu is an easy RPG and a creepy sort of fun (attended by all the campy RPG jokes that are typical of a group). So when my regular group (includings kids of my main gmaing buddy) got a copy of Arkham Horror they really loved it but I didn't. I've played one full game. To be honest, I didn't read the rules myself so part of my play was that I was being pulled along by others who knew what they were doing. Yet the game was fairly predictable: they directed us as to what we should do and the monsters they encountered in multiple playings they already knew how to handle. It was a bit of rote dullness as a game experience. Why? Because I've played the RPG which has limitless possibilities!
In expressing my thoughts here on the genre of the "adventure/quest" game, I don't mean to disparage any of those games. They are fine games. Back in the day I loved Dungeon!. I've never played Descent: Journeys in the Dark, or Runebound (First Edition), or Prophecy. And I don't think I'd really want to. The fact is, adventure games with a board and a finite pool of cards and encounters just aren't that fun for me. (And, let's face it; expansions just give a bump of interest and are too soon a known quantity). When you first play, they are interesting because you haven't seen everything yet. After that, they become for me exercises in tedium as you go through the material in a mechanical fashion. In a roleplaying game, the possibilites are endless and the story is going to unfold much differently and with a whole different atmosphere at the table. (An exception might be something like DungeonQuest (third edition) which is not an attempt at "serious" adventure but a lighter version of the theme for laughs).
We all have our favorite genres of games. I love epic fantasy and sci-fi. When it comes to enjoying the "adventuring" game, I find I am drawn to the roleplaying experience as the best way of enjoying the "quest." And that's speaking as one who pretty much does all the GMing! The fact is, for certain themes, RPGs are the better choice for creating the "narrative" that every good game should create. After all, one of the best parts of the hobby is the ability to retell the events of a game. Sometimes it's as mundane as "Hey, Grandma, remember that time we crushed Grandpa and Dad because I had that doulbe-marriage in Pinochle?" Other times it's more action packed as in "Remember that time that Smythe ran throught the German trenches with that flamethrower?" Sometimes it's the epic tale of a bad die roll. "Remember when the party was approaching the gate quietly and Kragnok rolled a '1' on his stealth check? 'Kragnok! Stop banging the pots and pans!'" Games are fun because they make memories from which you can tell good stories. And RPGs by nature do the best job of this, in my opinion. (Pehaps what finally spurred me to write this post, which has been percolating in my mind, is that we've just begin a Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign using the Serpent's Skull Asventure Path.)
I guess, in some sense, those adventure games constricted by a familiar deck don't spark my storytelling imagination like a good RPG session does. That's not to say that all boardgames lack this ability. (One of those examples above comes from Combat Commander: Europe which paints vivid pictures of battle.) It's not even to say that those of you who like those games aren't able to tell stories from what happened. It's just me. Just my opinion. I prefer the open-ended "undiscovered country" of a good RPG to the limits of an adventure game constrained by what's in the box. Sometimes, the box is too small. It can't contain all the amazing possibilities that an RPG opens up.
So how about you? Do you like adventure games? Have you taken it to the next level and played an RPG? Is there room in your gaming universe for both or do you prefer one over another? Of course it's great we have all kinds of games both board and RPG. The hobby is richer for having both types. But my own experience is richest in those particular settings when we're roleplaying.
I'll play an adventure or quest game with my daughter or my friends although they're not my cup of tea. But set up the GM screen, get out the polyhedrals and crack open a well-written module and we are transported to a world where anything is possible and an epic saga will be written and told. And that's epic fun!
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
Dear GMT Games,
There are many great game companies out there who produce a quality product and have good customer service. Yet consistently, in my experience, you guys (and gals) repeatedly exceed my expectations in every aspect of the business. Let me highlight a few of these areas in which I continue to be impressed and thankful for your hard work.
First, a little (OK, more) Background Than You Probably Wanted.
I played some wargames and other big titles back in the 80s in the old Avalon Hill days. Things like Tactics II, Up Front, and Magic Realm. Now, with the more complicated games, I didn't really have a good partner. My younger brother suffered me to set the games up and move the pieces around but I never really understood the games well or got to play them much. You can imagine the gleam in my eyes at the age of twelve when I received Axis & Allies as a Christmas gift! But as I headed into High School and beyond, I didn't really do much gaming. Regrettably, I sold or traded much of my collection.
From 2000-2005, I began getting into some gaming again, with my daughters. Such titles as The aMAZEing Labyrinth, Sky Runner, and Heroscape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie became staples. There was a bit of Magic: The Gathering and lots of Chess as I studied the game and ran the Chess Club at my daughters' school. Alas, they began to grow away from being too interested in the more strategic (or, perhaps more accurately the more "battle oriented") games.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit. While we lost a lot of our personal possessions, games were not on the list. We were able to keep most of them. At a time in my life in which I was uncertain what the future held, gaming became much more important. Living with my parents, I found a local game shop in Louisville that had a great selection of titles like Puerto Rico and Ingenious which we enjoyed. Since I had access to my historical and military minded younger brother, I began to try out some games that were meatier and battle-oriented: Hammer of the Scots, Liberty: The American Revolution 1775-83 and then Memoir '44. Being a fan of WWII action, I didn't feel like Memoir was what I wanted. I was looking for something more engaging. I gave Lock 'n Load: Band of Heroes a shot but that didn't click well either.
Then, at some point in those post-hurricane months, I managed to find my way to Consimworld and get wind of a game that was on the books to be printed soon. That game was Combat Commander: Europe. I read voraciously about the game and preordered. Around that time I received a new call as pastor of my current congregation. We found a house quickly and before we moved in , CC:E arrived. There, sitting on my air mattress in an empty house, I cracked the box, punched the counters and read the rules. I was hooked. But who to play with? I got a few games in with two of my younger brothers, but it wasn't their cup of tea.
I think it was here on the 'Geek that Gap10 (Gerry) sent me a note. He was a CC player. He lives in St. Louis which is just under two hours away and he invited me over to play CC. Several times I made the trip over to play CC. Great fun. He's a good wargamer so he challenged me to improve! We still get together as we're able and are good friends.
After a year or so, I became good friends with Marcuswoot who also (conveniently) was just then retiring. Turns out he was an avid wargamer back in the day and his son loves the genre too. His daughter enjoys a wide variety of games and we all began gaming almost every weekend. The first game we sat down to enjoy was Napoleon's Triumph, a game I enjoy but is not one of his favorites. At some point, eager to give CC:E a whirl we sat down and played that. Now, with nearly 200 games under our belts (and his son and daughter too), there is no question that our favorite game hands down is Combat Commander. We've even had Gerry over for mini four-player tournaments!
But wait! They made more stuff. Combat Commander: Mediterranean, Combat Commander: Battle Pack #1 - Paratroopers, and so on. It was great to play these new scenarios with Gerry and to run through whole battlepacks full of battles with Marc and his son Risdon. And GMT just keeps cranking it out! But you know how it goes: When you Preorder from GMT, you get a discount at the end of the year. More games to by. Marc and I share an interest in Age of sail naval actions. Flying Colors was a must buy. And so it goes as I continue to add more GMT titles to my collection than any other publisher.
So enough autobiography! I write all that simply to let you know that after a lifetime of game meandering, I've come to a place where enjoyment and contentment of gaming are fueled most especially by GMT's great product line. So on to my glowing praise of your company!
Subject Matter
GMT has such a variety of themes and historical periods and battles that there is always something to choose from. As a history buff, what can I say? Wargames strike an enjoyment chord of interesting research and action in the game.
GMT and Chad Jensen: A Great Match
I was tempted to make a remark about a "marriage" but I don't want to upset Kai!  And I don't want to sound like a gushing fanboi, but if I do, so be it. Chad makes games that are awesome. Simples at that. Of course, lots of people have contributed to the CC line and that says something for GMT as well, since you obviously know how to gather good talent. But when Chad went all "euro" with Dominant Species (and let's face it, it's not THAT "euro!") I actually didn't preorder it. The theme didn't hit me and my vote was for Urban Sprawl. But then I started reading about it and snagged it in the 50% sale. Outstanding game. Then came the nearly three-year anticipated Fighting Formations: Grossdeutschland Motorized Infantry Division. Wow. Just...wow! Another huge winner. The thing about Chad's games is that they hit a sweet spot of rules-complexity (not difficult but not light either), game-play (the mechanics are always interesting and make for unpredictable and challenging play), subject matter (the guy does his research!), and style (big hexes in CC, rulebooks well-written for learning AND reference, etc.) In my book, taking on Chad's projects now seems like a no-brainer for GMT. As someone said, perhaps you should have a "Designer Auto-order" category!"
Customer Service
Mistakes happen but it's how mistakes are handled that sets a company apart from its competition. The "GMT Office Folks" are so quick to respond and always immediately helpful that I can't but praise them. I know that not every customer is happy and GMT takes it on the nose sometimes in the forums, but that's not been my experience. Ever. Hats off to those ladies who take such good care of us customers!
Community Interaction and Online Presence
This is big. I just don't think you can "hide" in an online world when it is so easy to interact with customers and for customers to interact with publishers (and each other, praising, reviewing, and griping and complaining!) It's surely a difficult thing to put yourself "out there" and while I'm sure you enjoy the praise, and I know you take to heart genuine and constructive criticism, it's gotta be tough to be blasted sometimes by the negative folks. But you guys listen, too and that's important. People recognize that and they appreciate it. Taking a hit on a profit margin to include a mounted board is an example of that kind of response to customer wishes.
But more than that, GMT is a real leader in leveraging the internet for the benefit not just of the company but their customers. PDF copies of the rules and VASSAL modules come to mind as the best examples. While there is always the danger that people would "mooch" such resources, I think (at least I HOPE) that GMT is reaping a good harvest of customer loyalty and repeat business. Now lately, with GMT's presence via Social Media (Facebook and YouTube), you've just added another layer of customer support and service that enhances the upshot of all of this (see below).
Caring for Your Customers
Here I don't mean making sure they get new countersheets if there was a misprint or quickly sending out cards that may have been left out, etc. Here I mean actually CARING. Of all the game companies out there, I don't recall any of them ever telling people, "If you lost your job, we'll GIVE you a couple of games to help out." I don't care who you are, that's just awesome. That shows that there is something running this company besides just profit. Profit is good. I don't know the numbers but I hope that GMT is doing well! But there is more to it than that. I get the impression that you're not at all in it "for the money" but for love of the hobby and it shows in how you run the business. After all, if you guys love the hobby, the people whose hobby is your business will be good customers and that's good for business. Win-win!
Putting it All Together
I suppose it's because of the interaction the internet makes possible but I feel like I know and am friends with many of the GMT folks as well as the community of fans surrounding the games I like. (Even if you never do have a GMT Weekend in Southern Illinois, WE do just about every Saturday!) In short, GMT is like some extended family that is a part of my life. I think you all deserve to know that you have an impact on people. My leisure hours are mostly consumed with gaming and of of those hours and games, the majority of them are GMT games.
Keep up the good work, GMT! Thanks for being great folks, for supporting the hobby and the community and for giving me so many enjoyable hours of entertainment and fun!
Sincerely,
Mark Buetow
P.S. I wanted to throw in something about C3i Magazine too because it's such a great resource in promoting your games and supporting them too! (Thanks, Rodger et al!)
-
Mark Buetow
United States
Du Quoin
Illinois
Best game company ever?
GMT Games, of course!
-
Years ago, when I began hanging out online, I chose "Malacandra" as a username I liked. "Malacandra" is the name of the planet Mars, as called by its own inhabitants. At least that's the story in C.S. Lewis' novel "Out of the Silent Planet." Surprisingly, it wasn't until at least a few years later I realized that, since my name "Mark" is derived from the name of the Roman god of war, "Mars," there is a linguistic irony or pun or something in my choice of username. So here we have blogs. From Malacandra. From the Silent Planet. Another irony, I suppose if this Silent Planet isn't so silent.
 Enjoy!
|
|
|
