The Shattered Crown

Here from Mike Tittensor is a much better worded reason why you should back the shattered crown on kick starter
long gone are the days when you would wander into a game store and gasp in wonder at a set of rules that allowed you to fight historical and fantasy miniatures battles. (A game store is what we old folk use to call the Internet). They are now quite common and over the years have developed from the rules intensive nightmares that required a degree in accountancy to the buckets o' dice systems that suggest the drooling players have at least a mild barbiturate problem. So in this mature market, it takes something to stand out and be worth looking at. The Shattered Crown is one such. Its pedigree is sound, coming from those fine folk who brought you Across the Dead Earth. The premise is straightforward: fantasy island with a quasi High Medieval society fighting a brutal and bloody civil war. Ok, nice enough but hardly exceptional, you might say? Then look again. Look at the artwork. Filip Dudek is one of the most talented gaming artists in the modern industry. I can only assume the rules authors have him locked in a cellar somewhere and exchange first rate artwork in return for meals or something. Whatever. Just make sure he doesn't run out of paint down there. The artwork is gorgeous. Get the rules just for that. There is a figure range going from the nice basic infantry units to the utterly gorgeous....bear riders! They have a range of bear riders! OK, Ok, bear riders, yes, yes, pretty exciting, I suppose but still not unique. Game mechanics? Pretty simple in the attack, defend, will stats and a rather nice preferred enemy system that boosts certain units against others (so, for example, spearmen are good against cavalry). However, the key point that makes this a good investment is the Command System. This is the bit you'll like. Each unit has a card allocation from a standard suit of playing cards. You can even put the card details on the unit banner so everyone knows that the elite Black Spears are the Two of Spades. At the start of the turn, each general plays his preferred unit's card face down. Both then try to guess the opponent's card. They then roll for initiative. If you guessed your opponent's card, you add a bonus to the die roll. The winner then moves that unit. Repeat until one side runs out of cards. Restart the turn. Now only a drooling idiot fingering his comfort dice with sweaty paws can fail to see the tactical options this gives you in a game. You need to learn how to use combined attacks, feints and reserve units. You have to tactically beat your opponent, beat him with a stick until he whimpers like a beggar in the gutters of Helles. No longer can he claim he was robbed by the dice! He was beaten by your enormous Tactical Manhood and nothing else! You know you want this game now, don't you? Yes. That's right. Repeat the words. Enormous. Tactical. Manhood. Only from The Shattered Crown.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chappellm/the-shattered-crown-the-fantasy-war-game-reinvigor?ref=discovery

Go on pledge some money support innovative gaming!!!

Boardgames

I'm quite new to board games, I've obviously played your standard mainstream games (monopoly etc) and a few games of risk. Only recently a friend introduced me to a new sort of game that I never knew existed. Now I realise a lot of these games have been out for ages so excuse my tardyness.
First game we tried was one of bought called Zombies!! Then we played zombiecide and super dungeon explorer. I really like these Co op games (though zombies isn't strictly Co op!). Now I've heard about two games called last night on earth and zpocalypse so I'm on the look out for these now. My friend had a big pile of games and we are planning on working our way through all of them so I'll keep you updated!

Wargaming Reminiscing

I thought I would have a bit of a look back at what games I used to play so forgive me a bit of nostalgia,.
First memory of Wargaming was when I was around 13 ish and my cousins and I saved our spending money from Warwick Castle to buy a box of space Marines from Games Workshop (The ones with the pointy helmets). From there I dabbled in space Marines,  imperial guard,  eldar, orks, empire, dwarfs, Brettonians and Epic 40k (tiny soldiers but massive tanks!).
Then came along Blood Bowl,  Warhammer Quest and necromunda (possibly GW best game system? And multi storey scenery was astonishing to an amateur like myself) I seemed to like these games more as you got to grow a character, team or gang over a period of time that added much more to the gaming experience for me. Slowly I stopped playing mainly because games workshop kept putting the prices up.
Always kept an eye on games workshop as I love the books they release. Then in last few years slowly got back into tabletop gaming where I've discovered the is so much more to tabletop gaming than games workshop!!!
Now I have a dystopian legions force to paint up,  some space Marines (bit of nostalgia for me plus my friend painted me an awesome space wolf for my birthday!) and the newest find across the Dead Earth where I have three gangs painted for that. Also on the horizon mentioned in another blog I've pledged on a kick starter for the shattered crown. If money wasn't an issue there are lots more systems or there I would collect (my wife is dreading a lottery win ha ha ha)  such as Firestorm armada, star wars armada,  dust tactics and this is not a test are just a few!
Barring a lottery win I'll just have to collect these slowly over time!

Shattered Crown Kickstarter

From the people that brought you across the Dead Earth is a game called the shattered crown. A fantasy game with a very unique looking game mechanic (it does not have your standard my turn your turn type system. There be bluffing and trying to outsmart your enemy) awesome miniatures to boot! These guys put everything much better than me in the kick starter page so go and check it out. I have and already pledged.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chappellm/the-shattered-crown-the-fantasy-war-game-reinvigor

Across the Dead Earth Factions #3 Finally I've repainted my first ATDE gang the "78th Smethwick Irregulars " Based out of a settlement made in a ruined sports stadium simply known now as 'the Thorns'. They are led by Sarge. He likes loot and more loot. He's very handy with his axe and shotgun should someone else think that the loot is theirs.

Doc Rita is the gangs medic though she is equally happy dishing out pain with her shotgun or pain relief with her medic bag.

Selene is a born fighter, raised as a slave and trained in the bearwood fighting cages until one day she snapped and escaped after killing her owner and ten guards the new fighting pit owner decided it would be best (for his health to) to let selene go.

Dead Eye Dave is the gangs crack shot, he spent his teenage years high in the watchtowers of the Thorn keeping the borders to the Valley cĺear of God knows what. Sarge offered him a chance to earn more loot and see the world but mainly earn more loot

Adahy was a forest kin living in the Valley until he ate some strange coloured mushrooms and woke up naked in the Thorn's town square. Sarge intervened when some of locals fancied a lynching now adahy is part of the Irregulars

SNAFU is a plain oddball but always good to have around in a fight. If you don't mind him talking to his giant rat skin coat. 'charlie' is snafu's advisor, friend etc he'll always look to charlie in times of trouble.

That's the 78th Smethwick Irregulars all set to fight it out in the ruins of Smethwick.

Post apocalyptic scenery

I'm gathering a fair collection of ruined and post apocalyptic terrain. Mostly  it's ruins made from foam board (£7 for 2 A1 sheets). I made the basic templates my self then cut them out and pva glued them together. This gives the game table a good ruined town feel.  I'm hoping soon to get some roads from
http://www.black-ronin.com/index.html
These guys do awesome pdfs that you print off your self. They do roads buildings rivers etc. You should definitely check them out. Now is love to be able to show you pics as we go except the blogger app does not let you do this easily :-( so I'll stick them at the end. The biggest ruin I have is a line of three terraced houses. This was also the most awkward to pva! That's why there is only one!  Gonna paint them a basic grey and add some flock. Should give with roads a nice ruined town feel. To add to this we obviously need abandoned vehicles. I've got a few so far but need to scour some car boots for the right scale of toy car. I have a few pick up trucks, a lorry and a bendy bus. I also have an abandoned vehicle I entered in an Across the Dead Earth gaming group terrain competition. The bus and maybe lorry need some flock to give them a bit of an overgrown look. Also have started to gather scatter terrain such as trees, craters etc.
Plus all these can be used in other war games such as Mars Attacks etc.

Cheeky plug!

Why not visit my Facebook page for more random things that are a bit short for a blog. Go on! It's only a like. :-)
https://m.facebook.com/trialsofacasualwargamer

Across the Dead Earth Factions #2 The next gang to scrap over the post apocalyptic Smethwick is Section 14. A unit of state troops heading out of New Venice (The flooded remains of London) to spread the glory of the State to the savage midlanders. The state believe they are the government in the. F-UK (former United Kingdom) and everyone should obey them. In the interest of openness and fairness I think I need to share that I bought these pre painted off eBay for £4

Lieutenant Tanner was raised in new Venice and is a firm believer in the state's ideology and is determined to make sure all settlements and cities poverty the state.

Sgt Rico is Tanners right hand man, brought into the state by Tanner after Tanner saved Rico from a tribe of angry forest Kin.

Eddie joined the state's military to get out of the city see the country and kill people. Several higher ups are concerned about Eddie's attitude bit Tanner keeps him in check..

Cool, calm and cold as Ice. Not a lot is known about Kara and that's the way she likes it (if she had feelings) Give her a target and get the hell out the way'!

Natasha is the demo specialist and has an affinity with her missile launcher. Truth be told she likes blowing things up and the state don't appreciate explosions on the capital.

Jessie is the newest member of Section 14. She used to be a Choobie living on the tunnels under new Venice jeweler she have it all up to get out onto the city. Thanks to her Choobie upbringing her sense of direction is second to known. And that's Section 14 ready to do battle on the post apocalyptic battlefield.

Across the Dead Earth!

Last night paid my first game of Across the Dead Earth. If you don't know what that is, it is a new skirmish game set in a post apocalyptic world. The game is based around the UK post apocalyptic setting but  the rules are open to set it anywhere. (new expansion just out with a bit more info on other parts of the post apocalyptic world). Each player controls a gang  and fight over loot and territory.
https://m.facebook.com/acrossthedeadearth is the link to the Facebook page. Also check out the across the Dead Earth gamers group. Great bunch of people always willing to offer advice and ideas.
We played a loot game,  five loot counters were placed around the battle field. The game took a while since we were learning the rules so lots of referring to the book but once you've got the basics down the game flows. The game has event cards you can play to throw a spanner in the works of your opponents plans. They give a nice randomness to any thing you might try. As your opponent may drop a card and ruin your day. My gang the 78th Smethwick Irregulars took a marginal win but my opponents gang the Coggers got a nice haul of loot also. After the game you can upgrade your gang with new skills new weapons etc.
Overall had a cracking evening can't wait for the next game.