Console Review: At Games Mega Drive

Let me say these little Mega Drives are fantastic value, even without their party piece.

Loaded onto a rom in these are 20 classic Mega Drive games, From Golden Axe to Streets of Rage, and Alex Kidd to Altered Beast.

Coming with two wireless controllers aswell, allowing for instant multiplayer, this is a great deal. But the party piece I mentioned? You can play actual Mega Drive games on this. And Genesis. Yes, that slot is not just for show, that will actually take games and let you play them.

Build wise, it feels solid enough, but nothing to write home about. The controllers are ok and feel substancial size wise, but there really is no weight to them. However, on the front of the console, there are two controller ports, so if you prefer orginal controllers you can use these here too.

It runs off emulation, but so far I have not seen any problems. I'm sure not all games will work on this, Virtua Racer comes to mind. But out of the huge amount of games available, theres still plenty of variety.

But the biggest bonus? These will easily hook up to your new TV. So you can have a Mega Drive downstairs in the living room, its wireless and can play most games.

Total win.

New style White Dwarf

So I walked into my local newsagents, and saw the new copy of White Dwarf sitting there, in a plastic outer bag with the words New! splashed across the top. I had vowed not to but another copy after the disappointing decline the magazine has taken over the past few years, but I picked it up and it felt, well, quality. So I purchased it, and eagerly rushed home.

The covers are of a fantastic quality, the pictures embossed on the cover. The magazine now has weight, probably due to the extra 32 pages now packed in. The magazine now has a brand new team, and it shows.

There is a in-depth look/showcase of chaos space marines, and this theme rubs through the magazine. A decent battle report, which shows off the new Chaos codex, and painting guides. Not as in depth as they used to be, but still useful for beginners to learn new techniques and advanced painters to better themselfs.

A new article, called kit bash, looks great. Focussing on the Ork Dakkajet kit, it shows some ideas on how to convert this model into some stunning pieces.

Also in this, which is quite unheard of, is a detailed look at the new Forge World Horus Heresy books, along with the models that Forge World are producing. I never though I would see the day when Forge World would get even mentioned in White Dwarf, let alone have a article about their new miniatures!

The photography has also gone up a lot. There are some really nice, well planned photographs all the way through out. Gone are the boring shots of old, the new photography really brings out the new models, and the mood set by the theme aswell.

There's loads more in this magazine that's new, and whilst being predominantly about Warhammer 40000, I suspect that it will switch between fantasy and sci fi on a monthly basis just like it used to.
It also looks like the 'Eavy Metal team are back on form, the paintjobs in this issue are definatly miles better than the rubbish that has been seen recently.

For the extra £1, this issue is defiantly worth it. If the new team can still keep up this level of quality every month, I may even re-subscribe to the magazine. Yes, it is still a glorified catalogue, but this time it appears to have some substance, with useful articles that you want to read, and fantastic photography. Keep it up guys, and you may have rescued what used to be a fine magazine.

Android Games

 This is a short list of the games that I have been playing on my Android device when I find I have a few minutes to pass. You may have heard of these, you may not have, but I recommend that you give them a go!

The Impossible Game: A paid app, but a nice cheap one. I think this was 80p, but I installed it over 18 months ago. Let that be a testament to this game, 18 months and I still play it. Simple to understand, all you have to do is jump blocks and avoid spikes in a levels that last around a minute, but boy is this difficult! Live up to its name, has great music, and will challenge you for a good while. The only bad point is that there are only 2 levels, but there is a level pack available.

Line Runner: Recently installed, this is along the lines of The Impossible Game. Run, jump and duck along a seemingly endless level, trying to beat your own score. Again good music, but there is a free taster with one level. The paid app has 10 levels, but at the moment 1 is enough. Addictive and fun.

Temple Run: A great game, riffing on Indiana Jones. Wonderful graphics, you may need quite a powerful device to run this on. I think most of the modern android devices will run this, although budget devices may struggle. Grab the idol and run for your life! Levels are randomly generated, so no two plays are ever the same. Uses touch, swipe and tilt sensors, this is a workout for the brain as much as the hands! And for the cheap price of free, a wonderful time killer.

Sonic CD: A paid app, around £1.89, this is well worth it if you are a Sonic fan. Possibly the most underrated but best Sonic game (behind Sonic3) comes to Android. With both the American and Japanese sound tracks, time trial, and a host of unlockable extras, this game will have you playing for a while. Whilst the actual game can be completed in under 40 mins on the first play, this was built for speed running. Shave those seconds off, and try to run this as fast as possible is where the major fun is in in this game. Also available on Xbox live, with achievements to boot!

 

Elder Sign- Omens: Already mentioned on this blog, it gets better and better. I have beat it a few times now, but it is always different, and with the sheer amount of characters available will be playable for a long time to come.

Paper money in games: What do you think?

I have seen this debated many times over the internet on different forums and sites. Following is what I think, and is my own opinion.

I like paper money in games. Its tactile, and I think it makes it easier to see not only what you have yourself, but also what other people have at their disposal, at a glance. I admit that it can wear out and is prone to drink and food spillage, but that should not be a problem if you excersise a bit of care when you are gaming, after all these games can cost in excess of 40.00 each.

What are the alternatives to paper money? Well I see people arguing poker chips. They say you can buy a set of poker chips, and subtitute them in games where you use paper money. They are easier to stack, and less prone to damage. OK, I can see the benefits of not being easily damaged, especially if you game with excitable people. What I don't see is that for every game you need to give each chip a value, one that I could see people getting confused with how much each chip is valued at.

Along with poker chips, any other marker could be used, stones, beads, glass discs, you name it, it could be substituted.

Another option is what the makers of Monopoly went with, and that was to dispense with all money, and use fake plastic credit cards and a credit card machine. A nice gimmick, it can still be cheated however, and you have to use the card machine to even check how much you have. I found it got tiresome after a few games, and dislike how only one transaction at a time can be made.

Call me old fashioned, but I really like paper money. It been around in games for a long time, and fits themes nicely. I cannot imagine playing Railways of the World with poker chips, it just would not feel right to me. I can see the arguments from the side of practicality and durability, but the people that I play with are careful with games, especially if it is not their game.

What are you thoughts on this topic? Should paper money stay, or should we move with the times? Discuss in the comments below or over at our facebook page.

Warhammer 40000, solo?

I think that all of us must have tried it at somepoint. You can't find someone to play a game with, and you think it cannot be that hard to play against yourself. You set everything up, and play the first turn. Suddenly, it dawns upon you that this is a huge undertaking, and you get so confused you give up. Well, that was my findings from trying to play just 1000 points aside. There is just too much that you have to think about, and I always favoured one side over the other.

With the new release of Dark Vengeance, Games Workshop seem to have addressed this fact, even just a small amount. Two of the missions, (the first two infact) are solo missions. The first one pits the Chaos cultists against a out of control Hellbrute, and they must deactivate it before it gets them all. The second puts the Dark Angels Ravenwing squad against three waves of cultists, the aim to get the bikes off the table edge three times.

These missions have been designed to ease the new player into the game, to help them learn the rules on their own before they introduce someone else. There are instructions that control the "enemy" in each game, namely that they will move towards and attack the closest models.

This has got me thinking, that you could introduce these ideas for when you have no one to play with. Using the enemy will move and attack the closest unit, and always following them, some intereting games could be played, and will also teach you more about the game as you play.

Just some food for thought, and I expect solo missions to be popping up over the net over the next couple of weeks, maybe even some will be featured in future White Dwarfs or on the GW website if it is popular enough. I am even going to get my thinking cap on, and may post some of my own devising up here.

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!

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.

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

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!

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/
   

Facebook!

If you read this blog and like it even a little bit, you might like our Facebook page.

Over there will be all the updates on Thursday Night Gaming (if your local), what we generally do gaming wise, latest stock alerts from out shop, and most importantly, special offers for only the members of the group (yep.. very special offers, Dominion for £26.99+P&P?!?).

So if you want to be involved in being able to get cheap games, or generally see what going on, then head over to www.facebook.com/farlandsgames and click that like button to get everything! Ill see you over there!

Relic first look: video

I found this first look on youtube, from Elliot Miller (http://www.youtube.com/user/mylantus100?feature=watch). Its from Games Day Chicago 2012, where FFG are showing this game for the first time. They only announced it the day before (two days ago!)

How awesome do those busts look like? I really cannot wait to get my hands on this game! Some of the mechanics also sound really nice, the corruption deck has peaked my interest. I know some people who will take a lot of those cards!

And, its not me in the video. Just thought I would clear that up. It's Elliot Miller, http://www.youtube.com/user/mylantus100?feature=watch and he has some decent videos over there. Go check them out.

Fantasy Flight Games announce: Relic

Now this is one game that I has gotten me in a bit of a twist. This is a game based on some of my favorite games, Talisman and Warhammer 40000.  Yes you, you read that right, Talisman set in the 41st millenium.  Heres the link, go and take a look.

How cool does that look? We will definatly be following that game here at Farlands Games, and with a release set for quarter 4 2012, looks like we dont have to long to wait either!

Monday Madness!

It's Monday, and that means its time for some madness!

Every Monday Farlands Games will make a deal on a great game that will be hard to refuse!  Open only to the Facebook members, it will save you money AND get you a great new game to boot.

The announcement will be made around 1230pm GMT, and will be first come first serverd on a limited basis. Get in early, as when Tuesday comes, its business as usual!

Go and like our Facbook page to be kept in the loop for these great offers and more.

Thursday Night Gaming 26/07/12

It's nearly upon us again, and boy, is this week going to be a good one!

There shall be this week the following games:

Monopoly
Scrabble
Dominion
Talisman
Formula D
Railways of the World: The card game
LOGO
Chess/Draughts
Cribbage
Packs or cards lying around
Connect4 Advanced
MageStones

And thats all what I shall be taking from my collection! Hopefully there will be many more bought down by other people!

I regret that there will be no Warhammer 40000 this week, as I am in the process of making a new battlefield. A couple of weeks and it shall be back!

So come on down, and lets play some games!!!

Painting Miniatures: Paintbrushes

Painting miniatures is a skill that can be learnt. Of course it helps if you have an artistic flair, but it is one of those skills that CAN be learnt, and learning how to do it well takes a different amount of time for everyone.

One of the main stumbling blocks that I myself came across was paintbrushes, and which one to use and when. I have been through many brushes of almost every size, and have come to the conclusion that I need 3, no more and no less. I think this will apply to most people who just paint for the tabletop and themselves. If you are painting for competition or display purposes, all the sizes will have a purpose, but for the average gamer/painter, I believe that you only need 3.

So which ones? Well, I have a size 000, for detailing, a size 1 for everything else, and a old Games Workshop large dry-brush for, well, dry-brushing. I paint everything from large aircraft to the smallest Grot with these brushes.

The size 1 I use for just about everything. Get a brush that will always come to a good point (personally I use Winsor and Newton, expensive granted, but ALWAYS come back to a point.) With a brush with a good point, no matter what size it is, you will always be able to do detail, and be able to switch in and out of doing large areas, such as armour, back into doing wristbands and necklaces with ease.

The 000 is used for those hard to reach areas and other things, like eyes and gun scopes. That’s all that’s used for, don’t even think to use one of these for flat surfaces, you will get brush marks and be there painting for a long time.

The large dry brush I use is defiantly at the end of its useful life. Any large stiff bristle brush will do the job for dry brushing though, even other brushes that don’t keep the tip can be used for dry brushing, as it kills brushes fast.

The most important aspect however, I practising with a size 1 brush. The size of it at first may seem prohibitive, making you think that it could never be used for detail, but when you get used to using just the tip of the brush with different pressures, you will be amazed at what can be achieved with such a large brush.

Practice, practice, practice. Paint to your best standard you can, and other times just go out and buy a cheap model and just paint. Don’t care too much what you do to this model, keep it fun. Get good brush control and the rest will come.

Vintage Game: Coppit!

The 1964 Spears Games version

Initially released in 1927 under the name Trap the Hat, the version pictured is the definitive version, Spears Games 1964 version, Coppit!

A really fun game, this can be played by just about everyone, from children to adults.

The idea is simple, you have 4 “hats”, which you can manoeuvre around the board with a dice roll. The circles are your base area, and the pink squares represent safe areas. You can have all 4 pieces in play, but you can only move one per turn. The aim of the game is to land on your opponents pieces, “copping” them, and then moving them back to you home base, where you keep them as points. Be careful, however as on the way back, you can be capped again by another player, and then become one of their points!

The pink squares are safe, you cannot be capped on these spaces.

Red has been "capped"! (on the left)

This is quite a random game, being based on a roll and move mechanism, but strategy does come into play as you can set traps to get closer to the other players, such as not moving far away from your own base to lure the opponent around closer to you.

With children this is a great game. Easy to understand, with lots of laughs all around. But I think this is another one of these games, that when coupled with 6 adults and a party, can produce hours of fun. Playing with two people is OK, its still fun, but when all 6 are at the table, this really is a chaotic game for all to enjoy.

The modern version of Coppit

It has been released a number of times since, and a new version can be obtained from Amazon at a reasonable price. One for the collection if you like fast and fun games that don’t last very long. A nice filler game, with just enough strategy even for the most seasoned war-gamer.

Rating: 7.5

Vintage Game: Connect4 Advanced

Every now and then a game comes through the doors of Farlands Games that somehow manages to get everyone who sees it excited. This is one of them.

I have got to say that honestly I had never heard of this, that MB Games had “expanded” the game. Vintage may be a term not used much for games from 2002 (even though its still 10 years ago!), but this is a rarity. Only produced for a short time before disappearing from shelves, this is that rare to find that as of writing this, there is not even a BoardGameGeek.com entry for this.

The idea of the game is still to connect 4 of your coloured pieces in a row, but this game introduces a third dimension. You can connect 4 horizontally, vertically, and diagonal from base to top. This is a real brain bender of a game. The extra dimension is very hard to keep track of, and you might be setting a devious trap to get your opponent, only to be beaten by a very obvious line that you did not see.

Diagonal connect4 from bottom left to top right, yellow

Construction wise, this game is bad. Cheap plastic all around, but it seems strong enough to withstand some vigorous playing. Price wise, it would have been around £14.99 when released, but if you want this now, you will be paying nearly £30 now, due to its rarity. It does however pop up in charity shops and places like that. If you do see one, I would highly recommend that you pick it up, if only as piece of gaming history, as I don't think that this will be released again by MB.

There are wooden versions available from various manufacturers, under the name of 3D Connect4, but to me they don’t have the appeal of this set, because to be quite frank, this set looks cool.

This shall take pride of place in my collection, as a piece of history, and as a game to get out to lure people into advanced strategy games. Don’t be fooled by this being Connect4, this is different beast of a game entirely.