Litko Games Accessories New Releases

NorEastCon 2012 was held the weekend of May 5th and May 6th at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, NY. The event was hosted by the Long Island Scale Model Society. This was the IPMS Region 1 contest for the area and modelers from all the surrounding states attended. There were approximately 107 modelers who entered the exhibit contest and there were well over 500 models on display. The dealer area was well represented by companies selling everything from tools to old collectable models.

First of all, I want to say that the staff of the Long Island Scale Model Society and the American Airpower Museum were excellent hosts of this event. Everything from registration to judging ran smoothly without a hitch. The dealers did a brisk business on both days, though Sunday was the busiest day. All the club members were friendly and assisted modelers and dealers in any way they could. As always, their most popular event was the LISMS raffle which was well supported by local modeling companies and manufacturers who donated products. As a hobbyist and photographer I can say without a doubt that the event was a success and it appeared that everyone had a great time.

Written by Steven Zaloga

Illustrated by Steve Noon

This book is number 242 in Osprey Publishing’s “Campaign” series.

Metz was one of the most fortified cities in the Moselle region of France. The forts around Metz were built just prior to the Franco-Prussian War and were in service during the Siege of Metz in 1870. This area has always been considered to be strategic because of its location. Following World War I the French reinforced these forts even further and they became part of the famed Maginot Line. When Germany conquered France in World War II, these forts were further modernized and strengthened by Germany. The Allies in World War II saw Metz as the gateway to central Germany because the city is at a tripoint between France, Germany and Luxemburg.

The fortifications around Metz consisted of casemates, bunkers, fortified infantry posts and, observation posts with connecting entrenchments and tunnels. An entire system of trenches was built to interconnect all the positions.

Penetrating this fortified area was one of the toughest challenges Patton and his Third Army faced in addition to problems with logistics and weather. Because the weather was one of the wettest on record, it hampered Patton’s style of mechanized warfare making it one of his most difficult campaigns in World War II. These battles were fought for nearly four months, from September to December, 1944, and ended in victory for the US.

Metz 1944, Patton’s Fortified Nemesis, is a look at this fascinating campaign. The contents of this excellent Campaign Series book are;

• Introduction
• Chronology
• The Strategic Setting
• Opposing Commanders
• American commanders – German commanders
• Opposing Forces
• US Army – German Army
• Opposing Plans
• American plans – German plans
• Campaign
• Operation Thunderbolt
• Fort Driant
• The October pause
• Operation Madison begins
• XII Corps
• Operation Madison begins
• XX Corps
• The battle for Metz
• On to the Saar
• XII Corps
• XX Corps advances beyond Metz
• The Campaign in Retrospect
• The Battlefield Today
• Further Reading
• Index

This 96 page book by Steven Zaloga provides an impartial review of the entire campaign, noting the successes and failures of both the Allied and Axis endeavors. It contains colorful illustrations, period photographs, maps, and birds-eye-views of the Attack on Fort Driant, September 27 – October 12, 1944; the XX Corps Crosses the Moselle at Thionville, November 9-14, 1944; and the Battle for Metz, November 14-19, 1944. Metz 1944 is an excellent book that provides a unique insight to the campaign that should be of interest to the wargamer and historian alike.

Paperback: $19.95 US; $20.95 CAN

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This book is available on Amazon.com starting at $12.46.  It can be ordered through Amazon.com by clicking on the picture of the book below.

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Death or Glory! #1

The first in the Death or Glory! series, In Magnificent Style is a solitaire game depicting the final desperate Confederate attack on 3 July 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg, popularly known as Pickett’s Charge. As General Longstreet, you must decide how quickly to press your troops across this deadly open ground before allowing the men to regroup for another bound. But time is not on your side, and the longer your stalwart soldiers remain in this maelstrom of enemy fire.. the more dangerous it becomes, and the less likely they will arrive with the verve and numbers required to carry the day.

With only five turns in which to reach your objective and attack, how far can you push your luck? Your options are simple: Death or Glory!

Game Data:

Number of Players: 1
Ages: 12 and up
Playing Time: approximately 60 minutes
Complexity: 3 on a 9 scale
Solitaire Suitability: 5 on a 9 scale
Scale: Each turn is approx. 10 minutes of real time

Game Components:

• One color Rules sheet
• 11" x 17" map
• 1 Player Aid sheet
• 45 double-sided 1/2" round small troop markers
• 28 double-sided 5/8" round large troop markers
• 20 double-sided 1/2" square counters

MSRP $24.95

To order go to http://victorypointgames.com/details.php?prodId=191

New Releases May 2012

The Golden West

Series IV – 54mm

US Cavalry Officer, 1876

The Vikings

SV-06

Two Generations

Black Hawk Toy Soldiers

New Releases May 2012

FW-0213
54mm Captured

Faithful adaptation of award winning  boardgame comes to the PC!

Arlington, VT, May 8, 2012 – Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com), Slitherine (www.slitherine.com) and Western Civilization Software (www.west-civ.com) along with Uwe Eickert (www.academy-games.com) are excited to announce the release of the tactical turn-based World War II game Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear!, which has had its roots in the award-winning current boardgame series. No effort has been spared to bring the outstanding Conflict of Heroes gameplay to the PC, Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! aims to capture the tactical wargamer’s heart!

Set on the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa, Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! tasks players with commanding German or Russian forces between 1941-1942, complete with a historical roster of infantry, armor and artillery units. Players will be able to command the board while using either traditional chit-style graphics or 3D units, as well as either a flexible 3D camera view or top-down 2D view.

Wargamers will have to rely on realistic military tactics to win not only against the AI but also against human players using the in-game multiplayer server complete with a forum for matchmaking and a real-time chat lobby. Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! is loaded with scenarios, ten from original board game in “Awakening the Bear Firefights”, as well as 16 new scenarios along with a very flexible “point-buy” scenario on “Partisan Road”. Players will have a multitude of firefight to keep themselves busy, as well as a scenario and map editor to create more!

The full feature list of Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! include:

• Official adaptation of the multiple award-winning board game Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear!
• Full 3D Graphics as well as board game-style Chit graphics. Supports a flexible 3D camera view or top down 2D camera view.
• Fun: Quick-paced simultaneous play allows both players to interact with no waiting.
• Fast: Scenarios vary in length from only 1/2 hour to 2-3 hours.
• Easy: Teach a new player how to play in ten minutes! Full in-game tutorials included as well as a full color printed manual.
• Historically Accurate: Learn the unique tactics and logistics used by each historical faction.
• Challenging: Realistic military tactics are required to win.
• Full AI: Play any scenario against the computer when a human opponent is unavailable
• Multi-player: TCP/IP Multiplayer support with game lobby and forum for internet play (requires one open port) as well as LAN play support
• Awakening the Bear Firefights: Ten Scenarios faithfully adapted from the original board game
• Commanding Heights Firefights: Five new scenarios set in the Kerch Peninsula in 1942
• Frontier Firefights: Eleven new scenarios set across the Eastern Front in 1941-1942
• Point Buy Firefight: "Partisan Road", a flexible and replayable point-buy scenario
• Full Scenario Editor: Create and share new scenarios using any of the "Awakening the Bear!" units

Get more information on Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! from its official product page on both the Matrix Games and Slitherine website.

ABOUT SLITHERINE LTD. AND MATRIX GAMES LTD.

Slitherine Ltd. and Matrix Games Ltd. are the world’s leading video games producers and publishers of historical and strategy titles. Since 2000, both brands have published literally hundreds of games with many award-winning titles in their portfolio spanning all digital and console platforms. Slitherine is also involved with book publishing, and board gaming and work with a wide array of key licensing partners such as HISTORY™, MILITARY HISTORY™, Horrible Histories™, Showtime, BBC, Osprey, Scholastic, Casemate Publishing and many others to deliver the best blend of historical accuracy in an exciting and entertaining way. The two companies merged in May 2010 and formed the world’s largest organization specializing in this niche but important market sector. Slitherine’s mission over the coming years is to lead the way in innovation and growth in this expanding industry sector.

New Releases May 2012

Available from Lock ‘n Load Publishing

Designed by Peter Bogdasarian

MSRP $34.99

Tank on Tank (ToT) is a tactical level game simulating Tank actions on the Western Front during World War II. ToT is a low complexity game that focuses mostly on armor combat. One thing I can say right from the beginning of this review is that this game is Fun, that’s Fun with a capital “F”. It’s a beer and pretzel game that’s a blast. If you’re looking for an accurate “Historical” simulation, you can stop reading right now and move on to something more to your liking.

The game package consists of the game rules, 40 counters, a players’ aid and two game maps. The quality of the components is up to Lock ‘n Load Publishing’s normal standards. The counters are colorful and laid out in a logical manner. The combat units in Tank on Tank represent hard targets (units protected by some type of armor plating) and soft targets (units not protected by armor plating). Hard targets are such units as tanks, tank destroyers, and self-propelled artillery, while soft targets are infantry and anti-tank guns. Below is an example of each of the types of counters included with the game.

The rule book is divided into 10 sections but is only 14 pages long. That’s right, that’s not a typo, only 14 pages. The pages are jammed full of information and as the complexity level of the game shows, the sections are easy to understand. The sections of the rule book are;

• Introduction
• The Pieces
• The Map
• Facing
• Turns
• Action Points
• Movement
• Entry of Reinforcements
• Combat
• Personnel Units
• Scenarios

The Game

Each turn of the game has an Allied Phase and a German Phase. The scenario will advise who goes first during each turn. During the course of a turn, a player may move and shoot. However, it is through the use of Action Points that a player performs these actions and they are limited from turn to turn. As a matter of fact, it is your opponent who controls the number of Action Points you will receive in your Phase.

At the start of a Player Phase, your opponent randomly selects an Action Point Marker out of an Opaque Cup. He keeps this maker secret for the time being. His opponent begins his Phase and can use up to 4 Action Points per turn. Each action uses an Action Point. However, as soon as the number of Action Points used match the Action Point Chit pulled, the non-phasing player shows the chit pulled and his opponents turn is over. Now the procedure is repeated for the other player and he performs his actions until the Action Point chit total is met.

Using the concept of “Action Points” introduces an unknown quantity to the game that players never know how many moves they can make in a turn. It introduces an unknown quantity to the game because they never know if they will be able to complete their strategy.

Peter Bogdasarian, the designer, even introduces a way for players to play Tank On Tank solitaire. It’s a simple process and works as it changes the way Action Points are allocated. Once you spend 2 Action Points as the Phasing Player you roll a 1d6 and if the result is a 1 or 2 your Phase is over. Anything else and you are allowed to spend an additional AP and roll the die again but this time on a roll of a 1-3, your Phase ends. If you get past this, you spend on last AP and your turn is over. Again, as above in the two player game, you never know how many units you are going to be able to move and/or fire.

Sample Game

Headquarters Units are special units in the game. When a player activates a Headquarters Unit, not only is that unit activated, but all the units in the adjacent hexes can be activated. If you look at the strategy of the game, this makes HQ units very important pieces because of their activation capabilities.

Combat

The final item we will look at is Combat. As in most games of this genre, for it to fire at an enemy unit is has to meet three prerequisites which are;

• Target unit must be in its front Arc.
• Target unit must be in range.
• There must be a Line of Sight to the Target unit

As long as these prerequisites are met, any number of firing units can target the enemy unit providing the Phasing units have not already fired in this phase.

Unlike other tactical level games, Combat Resolution in ToT is straightforward and simple as it should be in a beer and pretzel game. Here I will break it down stop-by-step;

• Roll 2d6 and sum the results
• To this result add the number of firing pieces
• Apply any Combat Modifiers

This final number is then compared to the target units Defense Strength. If the attack roll is less than the units Defense Strength, the attack misses and the unit lives to fight another day. However, if the attack roll is equal to or greater than the Defense Strength of the Target Unit, the target is immediately destroyed and removed from the map.

Scenarios

Included with ToT are six Scenarios. The format of the Scenario layout is you are first told which map to use and who will have the first phase in the game. After this you are given the units that are going to be used to fight this Scenario. Finally you are provided with the requirements that either side must maintain to achieve Victory. The six Scenarios provided with the game are;

• Head to Head
• Frontal Assault
• Last Stand
• Counterattack
• Stab to the Flank
• Night Action

Also, Lock N’ Load Publications publishes a magazine by the name of Line of Fire (which I also write for) that provides gamers with new scenarios, maps, and components for their games. Line of Fire is available in either digital or printed format and comes complete with maps and counters.  The digital format is a Print and Play, while the magazine version provides the physical counters and maps needed to expand the game.  In the last few issues, a number of new scenarios and physical components have been published which has expanded ToT’s scope and play-ability.

Conclusion

Tank on Tank is a serious fun game. I know that sounds like a contradiction but unless you try the game you won’t understand what I mean. Not every wargame/simulation needs to be bogged down in historical accuracy, and complexity to be enjoyable. Here is a game that definitely bucks that trend by giving players a fun little beer and pretzel boardgame that has tanks and infantry slugging it out on small map surfaces. What’s more, each game can be finished in under an hour which means that in one night of gaming a ton of games can be played. I am sure at the end of the night that you will hear gamers laughing, crying, and carrying on about just how much enjoyment they received playing Peter Bogdasarian’s Tank on Tank. So, if you are looking for a fun game to be used to introduce new people to the hobby, or for old grognards to settle their scores across the table Tank on Tank fits the bill and the loser will have no one but themselves to blame for the loss. To the winners all I can say is Good Hunting!!!

Tank on Tank can be ordered directly from Lock n Load Publishing by clicking here.

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