Another computer game... Rocksmith

Yeah, I know this is supposed to be a board gaming blog. But there are only three computer games that I am interested and follow, one being EvE, one being Rockband, and the other is focus of this post.

I have been following Rocksmith for a while now. It is out in the USA, and due for release in Europe on September 28th.

Rocksmith is a music game, with one huge difference. It comes with a usb cable to plug into your guitar. Yes, any guitar. Whilst Rockband 3 had their Fender Squire, it was very expensive for what you got. Now with this game, you can use your own guitar that you learnt to play on. This will make the game slightly easier to play using your own guitar, but no less of a challenge.

On the disc there are some very good songs, such as The House of the Rising Sun, (I cant get no)Satisfation, Plug in Baby and Slither, and the DLC is even better. Freebird, Black Parade, Hanger 18, the list goes on and on.

By the looks of things, put this game on the hardest setting and actually learn to play the songs. So this makes this more of a game, and into the realms of a learning tool. The technology looks sound, but only time will tell if it works. I also think that the style in how you play your guitar could make or break this game, hopefully it will be able to differentiate between different fingerings of the same chord, something that Rockband could not.

Expect a full run down after September 28th, as this is one thing high on my list of things to buy.

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Forgeworld to release new Warhammer?

If the rumours abound on the internet can be beleived, (and there are a substantial amount of them flying around), it looks like Forgeworld, Games Workshops sister company, are about to release a new Warhammer, Warhammer 30,000 (artistic license used with that title)

Based on the Horus Heresy, there will be a series of books similar to the Imperial Armour books such as The siege of Vraks and Battle for Badab, which detail the historical battles taken place during the Horus Heresy.

For people who don't know a lot about their Warhammer 40,000 history, the Horus Heresy was pre M41, when there were huge battles between Space Marine legions and others, about the time when the Emperor was still human, before he was defeated by Horus and place in the Golden Throne. There are lot of books and source material dealing with the subject. On the most basic of levels, Horus was a close leader with the Emperor, but got tainted with chaos, and decided to wreak vengeful wrath on anything and anyone (thats definatly the short story)

So what are Forgeworld going to release? Well, the books look definate, which will contain army lists and history behind the games. Rumors are saying that the first Space Marine legions to be dealt with will be the Luna wolves, Death Guard, Emperor's Children and World Eaters, with Imperial Guard being involved, aswell as some Xeno's. Three Primarchs will also be detailed, Mortarion, Angron and Fulgrim.

New models will be released, and I expect the Primarchs, new HQ units, and special elite units to be created. Maybe there will be special pre-heresy troop models made, but this remains to be seen as it may just be a conversion job.

Games will be centered around 2500pts each side, but there is a snippet of one of the special scenarios being 10,000pts a side and NOT a Apocalypse game.

All in all, looks very promising, with a new take on the game and will spark a whole host of new projects and armies around the world.

Mentioned!

A big thankyou to the people over at the Bearwood blog for mentioning Farlands Games and Thursday Night Gaming!

The Bearwood blog is a great source of information about events happening in and around Bearwood. If your local check them out!

My EvE story so far...

So I have had a while to reflect on EvE. And I must say, this is one of the best PC games that I have ever played.

So far my time has been spent mining a lot, and since I got into a retriever, my mining yield and money skyrocketed (from what it was, mining in a Catalyst..). I know I am still right at the beginning of my journey, and with less than a million skill points, even worse than what could be a noob in this game.

I see in the rookie chat a lot of people are struggling to get to grips with this game, asking questions which answers were glaringly obvious to myself. But that is the pure essence of this game, people need to ask questions to improve their experience. What is obvious to one person, is impossible to see for others. Indeed, I have asked a few questions myself, that with the responses I got, were the same questions mentioned above, but from someone else.

The people are what make this game. Most people will help you hand over fist, especially in high-sec. I have made some new online friends here, and hope to make more. There are, of course, people that just want to blow you up for fun. It happened to me, but instead of being bitter, I learn't from what had happened. Don't go into low-sec on your own in a transporter. Obvious to some, not so for others.

I have not even touched upon the PVP aspect of this game, as I have been playing this game as I would be doing in real life, and that is passively making money from mining and market manipulation. This is the best aspect of the game for me, the market.

Almost completely player driven, the market is subject to the surges of a real market. You can buy up all the available stock, and charge people a fortune to buy the basics, or you can manufacture your own goods and sell them cheaper than everyone else.

This is the type of game that I like. Strategic and quite a bit of skill needed to see the market trades that can be pulled off. I made my first 5 million ISK (the in game currency) doing just this. In the grand scheme of things, 5 million is spare change, but not bad for a 2 day old character.

There is so much to be said about this game. All I will say is this: If you like your sci-fi, and don't mind paying a monthly subscription (although, if you do get good at this game, you can use the in game currency to pay for a sub, currently around 500mil ISK) then play this game. It is such a wide reaching game, there really is something for everyone and every style of play. It is as open ended as you can get, and I hope to be playing this for many years to come.

Game Review: If Wishes Were Fishes

Another Rio Grande game, but is this one any good? In the UK there went a phase where this game could be purchased from a certain chain of discount bookshops for just 7.99, which is a huge discount on a game that would normally retail around the 19.99 mark.

You play as a fisherman, catching fish and selling them at the market to make money. The person with the most money at the end wins. The game mechanics are really simple, but when put together they create a game that can be quite deep.

The fish are put on the table 4 at a time, showing fish in shallow water going into deeper waters. To catch a fish, you have to put bait on each of the fish cards until you reach the fish that you want to catch. You then take that card, and have a choice. You can put it in your boat, which means you can then sell it on the market, or use the wish that the fish can grant you. These wishes range from moving people around the market, doubling the amount of fish you can sell, or giving you another boat. Some of these wishes are powerful, and will send everyone dashing for them.

Then there is the market itself. You choose what fish you want to sell, and sell them. The price you get depends on how many people there are at the particular stall, and this can be manipulated by using the fishes wishes. Needless to say, this part can get quite involved, as you push to manipulate the market to get what you want, whilst trying to bluff (or just deal with) your opponents.

The artwork in this game is fantastic and whimsical. Not realistic at all, my favorite is the catfish, which looks, well like a cat. This makes it a lot easier to see what is actually on the board, and what you should be doing next.

This is a fantastic game for everyone, and I can see the appeal to families with this one. The rules are simple enough that children will understand, and deep enough to keep the adults entertained. We highly recommend this game, as do we recommend most Rio Grande games.

Warhammer 40000: Dark Vengence

Games Workshop released the details of the 6th edition 40k starter box set.

Included in the box, 49 finely detailed miniatures, in the flavour of Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marines, the Crimson Slaughter.
 
What interests me most about this box, is the Dark Angels side. You get some Deathwing, Ravenwing and normal troops, which is a solid start for a new army.

On the chaos side you get a dreadnaught, Space marines and Cultists. Again, another great start for a army.

In the box, you get the usual dice and A5 rulebook (although I really think this should be sold outside the box aswell) and quick start guide.

All in all it looks another fantastic starting point, be it beginners just starting or veterans looking for a new army to try out.

We will have our hands on a copy soon, so expect a full review soon!

Game Review- Bionicle Adventure Game: Quest for Makuta

This was brought round today by a friend who managed to get it cheap. So we decided to sit down and have a play through.

What struck me first was how cool this game looked. I mean, who doesn’t like Lego, Bionicle, and board games? This seemed a like it would be a great mix of the above. Looking through the rule book, this really seemed like a game that we could get our teeth into. There are various monsters, with different strengths, easy, medium and hard. There are also power ups which charge up your characters, and keys that need to be picked up. It was all looking good this far.

Next the game board. A hexagonal, jigsaw type board that is randomly generated and built as you play, each with varying amounts of monsters, exits, power ups and keys.

The goal of the game is to defeat Makuta, who's game tile will appear at some point in the game. Protecting him, there are a series of locks around the tile. Each one has a random set of keys (represented by tokens) that you need to have to get to battle him. What I like about this “boss” character is that he has varying different strengths, depending on where you come onto his board, and what number you roll on the dice.

All good so far.

The we started to play. And this game, as written, has one major flaw. Its to easy to level up. By the fourth turn of each game we played, at least one of us had a strength 30 character, and by the sixth to eighth turn, we all did. Now when the maximum strength monster is 28, (and that’s the boss), you end up just walking through the game looking for the keys and waiting for the boss tile to come out.

There is a power that allows you to steal from a character, and one power that allows you to warp anywhere on the board. But these are few and far between, and when you are powerful characters, there is just no point in using the steal, and the teleport just lets you win.

This game had so much promise from its looks, but just does not live up to it. We played as the rules say, and went back over the rules to see if there was something we missed, but there was not.

Also there are no actual Lego pieces in the box, which is not to much of a bad thing, but I feel that this could be a game that could use any theme, and the theme was pasted onto this to cash in on the Lego name.

All in all, nice pieces, bad use of mechanics. I am going to take a look to see if I can tweak the rules to give this some challenge, but I would just rather play a game that works from the box.

I need to play some better games!

The dice bag range

Here's a picture of our dice bag range, all hand made locally, out of real leather.

Leather Dice Bags: £13
Cloth Dice bags: £7
Necklace dice holders: £6

Custom orders also accepted, choose your colours! From £17 per bag.

All these bags are handmade, and are all unique.
The large bags easily hold 3 sets of poly dice, (21 dice) plus a few extra.

Use these bags to not only hold dice, but game accesories and anything else you can think of!

Coming soon, leather slipcase for your games and bag games. The leather bag that holds all the pieces, and when opened out has the board on the inside! Stay tuned!

Follow Farlands Games on facebook for all the latest updates!

Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game

People who know me will know that I am not a great fan of trading card games. I don’t like the way that you blindly pay to get cards that you probably do not want or need, or have to pay over the top to get the cards that you want.

That may all be about to change however. One of the regular TNG goers brought a few decks to play the other night, and I decided to try something different and got him to show me the ropes. From the beginning, it looked overly complicated, with cards flying from hand to table, and then decks to other decks. But after one round, it all clicked. It became very simple in premise. You play cards from your hand, either face up or face down depending on what type of card it is, and then after they have been played to the table, you play the card itself, and once its being resolved the other player takes their turn.

Now, even though it is simple in premise, there seems a lot of strategy involved, as playing a a card at the wrong time will potentially lose you the game.

I am not going to go any further with the rules of the game, as there are a lot of rules. Do not be put of by me saying that however, as the rules, one you are playing, all flow nicely and make sense. Most of the special rules are are on the cards themselves, much like the Dominion cards.

I think over the next few weeks I am going to be getting myself some starter decks and exploring this game a little bit more, as I enjoyed this game, and it may have also changed my mind on collectable card games...

Fun in a ball

So I picked this up from a charity shop on one of my travels. I think that these are called Mazeballs, but what I do know is that these are a lot of fun.

The idea, get the ball from one end of the maze to the goal at the end. A simple premise, but with (on this example) three different ways to the end, each one getting harder and longer. Even the first track is challenging, a real test of manual dexterity and concentration.

Playing along with the clock is a great way to pass away some time on your own, but, these really shine when you bring in a friend, and a clock, as you race each other to the best times, sharing strategies and ways of beating the game.

All in all, these are fantastic ways to pass some time, especially if you do not want to break out a solo RPG or game that takes time to set up.

I have played this for hours on end, and would recommend that you pick one up if you see one. Even at full price, if I see a different version I shall be picking one up straight away.

Miniature Painting: Cleaning you models

To paint a great miniature, the preparation starts way before you even get to holding a paintbrush.

Every model, be it resin, plastic or metal, will have mould lines and flashing. Mould lines can usually be found around the outside of the model. This is where the two parts of the mould meet, and a small amount of the casting material leaks between it. Most models have this, but it varied how bad it is between the manufacturers, and even the casting runs.

Flashing is slightly different. This is again excess casting material, but this comes from the supply pipes inside the mould. When the models are removed, some don’t have a sprue that some people may be accustomed to (Games Workshop models for example come on plastic frames, whereas Hasselfree miniatures just come in a little bag, model only) Flashing does not really apply to sprue models as you remove these from the frame yourself. On single miniatures however there may be protrusions from where the model has been take from the mould.

Both mould lines and flashing need to be cleaned away before you start to paint the model. Leaving them will greatly deteriorate from the finished look of the model. Even when I paint to tabletop standard, I make sure that all the lines are removed. All you need to do is take a file and start to carefully and gently run the file over these imperfections. Let the file do the work, and don’t press down to hard or you will take away detail from the model, or even cut a deep gouge into it, both of which are very difficult to fix.

When you have done this, wash the models in some warm soapy water and let them air dry. Put your undercoat of choice onto your miniatures, and then take another look to see if you can see any mould lines. If you missed any, now you can remove them here and touch up the undercoat with a brush.

This may take quite a while depending on the models in question, but is well worth the extra effort. This step alone will make your models look better when finished, as even a high end paint job can be spoilt by a errant mould line. Just remember, be careful with the file, as you can always file more away buy you cannot easily, or if at all, put it back.

The past few days..

Have been very quiet around here. After some technical problems setting us back, I can now say that these are nearly out of the way and we are back to normal.

Even though we have not been blogging or facebooking as much, we still have been busy beavering away, playing vintage games for reviews, and keeping a watchful eye over the rest.

Thursday Night Gaming is still going ahead, and hopefully will be the best one we have had so far.

We also got accepted by th UKGMN, which was fantastic news, and something that can only benefit you, the readers.

Thankyou for all your patience.

Bitten by the MMORPG bug...

So my friend had been badgering me for a while to sign up for EvE online, so I decided to take up the free trial and see what it was all about.

Let me just say, I'm not a huge fan of computer games, and over the last few years has mainly been focused on Sonic and Mortal Kombat on the Xbox 360. Stepping into the online world was a odd feeling I must say, 25,000 people all playing the same game, together, was to be frank, a bit odd to me.

EvE is a massive space exploration game set in the far future. Its like a modern day Elite, with a few key differences, but there really are many many paths to glory in this game. No path to win, as its a completely open ended game. Which is something I like about RPG's, so why not a computer game?

So I delved in to EvE, and I have to say, WOW! I could not have been more wrong. It really is immersive, with great sound and graphics, and a real sandbox go anywhere do anything style of game play. I am just looking around at the moment, trying to understand how it actually works. I liken this to trying to learn the whole of the D&D core rulebook in one sitting. Confusing, but there are lots of people in the game who will help you out and point you in the right direction (as well as people who just want to blow you up, but hey, I'm just running away from them until I can fight back!)

I will write a post in the next few days, to tell you all about my impressions of this game. I am just on a trial account at the moment, and do not know yet if I shall subscribe. If the game keeps on delivering though, I may just pay for a extra month...

EvE online has just been updated with a new expansion, Inferno 1.2, and with a 14 day free trial, what’s stopping you?

Aegis Defence Line

These are the latest part of the game table that we are putting together that has been completed.

Great as part of a battlefield, what I like about the new WH40k rules is that these can become part of your army. Fortifications are a new addition, and come in the form of these, skyshields, bastions and the Fortress of Redemption, with more to be release as time goes on by GW.

The Aegis line costs 50 points, and with addition of  a Icarus Lascannon (+35 points) or a Quad Gun (+50 points), this can really sway the tide of a battle. Giving a 3+ cover save, there are a few useful applications for these.

Get your low save troops inside: Imperial Guard players will find these of great use, Hole up in one of these to gain your 3+ save, and issue orders like "First Rank Fire!" and you could have a devastating shooting phase, and at only 50 points, will not take to much from a IG army. Add in a Quad gun, and you have one powerful unit.

Or, take over a enemy line. You will get the save, and being right in their lines could cause some trouble.

The use of these are pretty much down to your imagination (getting a tank behind it to get the cover save...), and its great now that they actually play a part in your army.

Accessories!

We have already posted about the dice bags that we are going to be producing shortly, but we also have a few other products in the pipeline. Gamer inspired jewellery, tile bags and a few little games will be coming in the following weeks.

All are produced by hand and locally, and our minds are going into overdrive at the moment with great ideas. We will be updating over at our Facebook page on each item, and also on here. Members of our Facebook page will get the news first, and special offers will be available over there as-well.

So stay tuned, new releases to follow!

Game Review: Yes! No!

The basic premise of this game: Answer the questions asked you, but you cannot answer yes or no. If you do, you lose. If you get through without saying yes no, then you win the round.

Sounds easy? It's not, especially as all the questions are obviously “yes” or “no” answers, and you cant repeat other answers, so say “maybe” twice and you lose.

This is a game not to be played sober. Neither is it a game to be played whilst drunk. Sober, its boring, and drunk, there is always someone who keeps tapping the bell, doing everyone's head in. So you take the bell away, and it becomes boring.

The only time when this would be fun I feel is after a long party, when everyone has had a lot to drink, and its just played between individual people. We have tried this as a actual get together game at the table, and it quickly got put back. Even I cannot put a silver lining in this one. Pick one up if you see it for 50p or the like, but I cannot recommend buying this new.

A short review, as there really is not a lot to say about this. Maybe if it was reworked it might play better.

Score: 3/10

Game Review: Dawn Under

I have been meaning to review this for a while now, but every time I get this out to look at it in a reviewers eye, I end up playing it for hours and then forget to review it. Yes, I enjoy this game immensely. Here’s why.

It is a very simple memory game. No scoring, no calculations, no difficult choices. But lots of fun. The story behind the game is that in the false dawn before sunrise, all the vampires scramble to find a resting place for the day. This is where you come in. You need to flip over the graves on the game board, and if the colour under the lid matches one of your active vampires, then you place him/her in the grave and replace the lid. Sounds simple? Well, for the mechanics, there are two other rules, and that’s it. But the challenge in this game is immense, and ramps up even more with 3+ players. For if you uncover an grave that’s already filled, you get a stake. Get 3, and you get 2 vampires from every other player, that you then have to place in to a grave. This just gets mean towards the end game, and can actually help you win.

The other, optional rules that can be used are garlic and rats. Each player gets 3 garlic tokens, and can play these if they uncover a empty grave but cannot place a vampire down. If uncovered, even by same player that placed it, every player gives you 2 vampires. The other rule is a rat. If you uncover a rat, you can uncover every grave adjacent to the one with the rat, one at a time, if you wish. You don't have to, and can stop at any time.

So that basically are the rules: You flip a grave, place a vampire, and flip another. Or get a stake, or other vampires.

But that’s the fun of this game. At first glance, it looks simple and unchallenging, just a “kids game” is one response that I had once. Then the same person wanted to play again and again. Its quite addictive this game, and with a short set up time and short games, is a great filler and regularly hits the table whilst we are waiting for people to show up for larger games.

The game comes with a wonderful board and thick, chunky tiles. This a game meant to last, and will stand up to even a group of over excited 5 years old's quite easily. This game has its feet squarely plated in the family market yes, but is great fun with a group of adults.

It is not without its shortcomings however. I just wish it was a bit deeper, a few more rules, not just turn a tile and move on. Towards the end of the game, it can be quite difficult to find a grave without something in it, and tiles swap hands fast, but then the game changes to try and win that way, bluffing people to pick tiles with vampires already buried, to try and whittle your hand size down.

But these bad points are only evident after a few games, and if its a filler game, then you wont play more than a few games in one sitting before moving on to the main event.

Another highly recommended collection game, as this both sits in the kids entertainment as-well as adults entertainment.

Score 8/10

Leather d20 holders

 Added to the range of dice bags we have a small d20 holder!

These would look great on your keys, or around you neck on a necklace. Only £4.99 each, and we will throw in a d20 aswell! A great gift idea for the gamer in your life!

Head over to our Facebook page and leave us a message if you want one, along with any changes to the colour of ribbon or stitching that you might like.

We will be shipping these in around 3 weeks time, so order now to get yours reserved!

Dice bags now available for order

Do you have a lot of dice? Do you need something to keep them all together in?

These dice bags are handmade locally, using real leather and love. There are cloth versions also available, in a range of colours.

We are taking orders for these now, and should be fulfilling order within three weeks of today.

Leather dice bags cost £12.99, and the cloth bags are £6.99. You cannot get these dice bags anywhere other than here at Farlands Games. (P&P extra)

I have these bags myself, and they are the best bags that I have seen in a long time. Especially the leather bags, these are made to last. Hand cut and stitched, these are unique pieces of work. Use them for anything, from dice to coins, even as part of a LARP or fancy dress costume!

We have other items in the pipeline aswell, from a leather d20 holder necklace and a leather tile bag for games such as Scrabble.

If you would like one, send us a message either:

Over at our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/farlandsgames

Or send us a email at: admin@farlandsgames.co.uk

Happy Gaming!

Warhammer 40000 players...

Don't forget to go and check out the updated errata and FAQ's for your armies now 6th edition is out! Here's the link to the official GW page:

GW errata and FAQ page

Be sure to read carefully, there are a quite a few things that have changed with the new rules, like double toughness value models ONLY using the value in brackets, ignoring the (usually) lower value. Well worth the read, and check out your opponents armies aswell so you don't get caught by a nasty surprise!

WH40k table is getting there!

The Thursday Night Gaming WH40k board is taking shape! Boy, do I have a lot of work to do to get this finished, lets hope its at least 50% done by next week!

Its very kill team inspired, and I hope to get game running where one side defends, then switch around for the next game. I might even right up a small campaign to go with this. If you like the look of this, and you are local, then come to Thursday Night Gaming with a kill team army, and lets play the night away!

Thursday Night Gaming is held at the Thimblemill Pub, Smethwick, every Thursday from 730pm onwards, £2 entry. Every type of game is played, from Scrabble and Monopoly right the way up to Warhammer. Go to www.facebook.com/farlandsgames for more information!

Game Boards version 2!

The second version game boards made an appearance at Thursday Night Gaming, and I must say, they looked great! This time they are light weight and modular. We are nearly there! Soon we will be making these to sell, so everyone can have a great, affordable game table for their war games!

 

 

 

Still in prototype stage at the moment, hopefully we will have everything ready in the coming months. If you have a idea of what you would like, drop us a message over at our Facebook page describing what you would like done.

DICE DICE DICE!

We now have in stock lots of dice! d6 just 25p each, and every other type only 75p.

Get yours from Thursday Night Gaming, or drop us a line over at Facebook to get yours!

Painting Commissions

We have decided that we are only going to be making/painting scenery and vehicles from now on.

This decision was made due to the fact that we want to paint with our strenghts, and vehicles and scenery is where that lies. Pictures to come!

Dragon Dice Bags

When is a dice bag not a dice bag? When its a Dragon Dice bag! These dice bags look absolutely amazing, with some truly inspiring designs. Reversable and with a flat bottom, these will stand on the table without spilling dice everywhere.

If there is enough interest, I will try and get my hands of some from the wonderful people themselves. Here’s a few pictures to whet your appetite:

Go and give their website a visit, and see the rest of the range that they have www.dragonchow.com

Caught our Eye

Here are just a few things that have caught our eye over the past few days.

1. Fantasy Flights Relic: Talisman and Warhammer 40k mixed together all in one game? How can things get any better? How about it comes out at the end of this year? This is the most anticipated game EVER for me, and from everything I have seen, looks very promising. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
2. Wargames Factory Zombie Vixens: Zombie women for your games. I don’t think we have to say any more than that apart from “just take my money!” http://wargamesfactory.com/
   
   
   
   
3. 
   Model Maq Workshop Briefcases: Now the zombie take some money, but these take every last penny that I own. A paint studio that packs up into a briefcase? I want one. I don’t need one, but I want one. http://www.modelmaq.es/