Supercharge Me - Again, But Wait Have I not Told Everyone About This Game Yet?

This is a game that just keeps giving and I am dying to get my hands on my own personal copy. To my shame I may have posted on other social media but not yet blogged about it (which is very, very strange as I thought, with almost complete certainty, that I already had raved about it here).

Board Game Geek: 

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312630/supercharged

Dietz Foundation (Shop):

https://dietzfoundation-org.square.site/product/supercharged-/13?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false

To put it in context, I am no petrol head but this is a racing game I actually enjoy playing. Set in the 1920's to 1930's where motorsports seemed to be the preserve of the richly insane, it has a certain crazy international charm (Siamese Princes for example) and warmth that allows it to be a good family/mates game (despite the natural urge for your team to be winning, it is also a spectator). It lacks the cruel cheesiness of rules from other racing games and here purely finishing a race is in itself something of an achievement. Historically one race was called a draw because nobody finished! Two circuits of the track constitutes the race which sounds achievable, but isn't for most cars (see below, a self assembly track, playing deck and card stock period motor cars playing pieces):

The Race: 

A very busy start (see below, the compressed field on the first two corners means that "spin-offs" are inevitable): 

The advantage of pole position is that you can get clear of the field and end up in an individual one-on-one speed battle (see below, a local bespoke addition to the standard counter is adding orange trim to the car counters side. This indicates the car has moved for this turn, more obvious than the subtle flip-flop position of the driver and helps game play. As the game is played, it is phased, with white trim car to move first one turn and then the orange trim cars to move the next turn. This avoids a needless car flipping reset at the start of each phase - which we first started to do, then wondered why! Keep it simple!):  

You have a huge problem if you get stuck behind cars still yet to move, if you cannot make your minimum move or three (IIRC) you spin (see below, if orange is to go .. they will have a big problem):

The corners can be carnage (see below, note teh colours represent national teams, in two tiers, first rate nations [which have slightly better cars and can go .. potentially .. faster] and the second tier enthusiasts .. which are mainly "bot run", which makes them less aggressive, speed bumps that need to be passed): 

By the time we come to the second lap the car drop-out is over 50% (see below, the field is certainly spaced):   

What I love about the mechanics is the very clever event deck (no scrambling around for dice lost underneath the table) that drives a fast paced game (see below, the crowds cheered and went wild as a sixth car out a field of twenty starters actually finished):

Taken from the Board Game Geek web-site (see photograph below), it shows a little of the back story of Supercharged's development. It started off life as a wargames convention participation game, touring the country with its inventors/designers Mike Clifford and Mike Siggins (of Wargamers Notebook fame in the old school Wargames Illustrated and Miniature Wargames magazines). The 1/72 kit looked absolutely epic (see below, now that looks like trouble ahead at the first bend): 

The game comes down to head-to-head contests of tailgating cars trying to survive the tangle of the bends (classic pile up territory) but tensely waiting for the chance on the straights to push on with a devastating turn of speed (see below, is that not pure atmospheric bliss of the period and also touching your inner child!):  

I consider the above game set up as a "stretch goal" but one well worthy of pursuing!

PS: I think the design is great ub capturing the gentlemanly feel of the period, as there was a lot of respect between the racing enthusiasts (they helped each other out a lot). The designers skillfully avoided the game becoming a Mad Max Rally - which of course is Car Wars!

Next Projects - Wargame Atlantic/Victrix 28mm Figures: Three Boxes

I blame them (Wargames Atlantic), yes them, for making such nice figures you "have to" buy them and then, er, find a use for them? So I have three (new)projects: 

Project One: Wargames Atlantic German Sentries - Coming in useful from being used as nasty Colditz sentries, to combatting partisan operations, commando raids, deadly SAS missions, Para airborne drops on radar installations and even denizens of "Weird WWII"  dark laboratories (see below, all sorts of uses beckon - all being behind enemy lines): 

There is even a healthy proportion of Alsatian dogs to German sentries (10 dogs to 30 soldiers). The poses come straight from the movies and are definitely "behind the front lines" Security Police support troops. The officer literally looks straight from the lead in "The Man in the High Castle" (see below, this is a highly recommended set - no other excuse needed to buy it):    

Second Project Victrix Napoleonic Old Guard Infantry - Next we move on to a "man (or rather a wargamer) of a certain age" issue. One who to his embarrassment wakes up one day and realises that he does not have a unit of French Napoleonic Old Guard in 28mm to show off to his friends (see below,  thank you Vixtrix for coming to my rescue, in fact they do the Middle Guard as well in plastic [but as time of writing I have only seen the Young Guard in very expensive metal]):  

Third Project Wargames Atlantic Pulp Adventure Operators -  Then there was the "buy it" because you saw it and you knew you already had a use for it. Specifically skirmish level gaming with 28mm Modern Special Forces - Terrorists - Hostage Release SWAT - Jungle LRRP/Mercenaries. Twenty Figures in total but four sprues, so a sprue for each of these categories will do (see below, the options on each sprue is fantastic):  

I know one game these are destined to play is Hostage Cluedo, even borrowing a dog from the German Sentries box for a K-9 handler, now that is synergy (see below, a "niche" but also a nice buy):  

I certainly seem to be in a "28mm assembly and paint mode of operations", also fuelled by the range of nice painting tutorials readily accessible on the Internet. Im short I am just having fun!

Remote Gaming over Google Hangouts: Escape from The Dark Sector (Boardgame)

I have played a fantasy board game called "Escape From The Dark Castle" over Google Hangouts with friends several times with good fun results. There, each character's abilities was represented by a special RPC "dice" that scored a result appropriate to their class' abilities - basically their contribution to overcome the challenge card from the story deck. Remotely all the players needed to do was convert a normal d6 to their character dice, as in a simple lookup table (or let me roll the dice for them). I wanted to see if its sister sci-fi board game, "Escape from the Dark Sector" could also be played remotely as well (see below, instead of a castle you have done something wrong in space, and your spaceship is impounded, so you hatch a cunning plan and break out):   

"Dark Sector" is more complicated in that it allows two modes of combat, "ranged" and "close" combat, basically guns of various forms or stabby-spikey-shocky things picked up. This posed a problem as there were far more special dice involved in the range combat. Everybody had to trust me as I rolled the dice (I was also walking through teh rules in the first play but the players were good friends and very patient). It was engrossing and despite the odds our "first time playing the game" luck held (see below, the reverse of the box shows the various its components - notice lots more dice):   

It worked well "as a casual pick-up" game (we finished it over two sessions) and we definitely be planning another outing (a nice dark night sort of game).

Board Game Geek (see link below): 

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/280748/escape-the-dark-sector

Snit's Revenge

I had never heard of this game before, published under Steve Jackson Games,  a "trippy" classic from Tom Wham (circa 1977). Amazing the amount of stuff you are still to discover

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/710/snits-revenge

Despite its age, I am really glad I played it. A treasure from a friend's attic so to speak, I found it great fun (see below, the game board is the anatomy of the terribe Snits predator. the Bolotomus, the idea being you steal the Bolotomus' spark of life [killing it] and escape as a Snit hero into legend): 

The game starts with British typical toilet humour. Gaining entry into the Bolotomos it either through the nose (which is a risky 50:50 "do-or-die" strategy, losers being decapitated, you need a very fast Snit to succeed) or try the "toilet parts" a safer entrance bar the fact you meet anti-bodies pretty quickly - yeah, kids [or adults who are big kids] love this game! Once inside the Bolotomus, red anti-bodies try to kill you as you try to "take out" the Bolotomus' organs one be one, as you are looking for the "spark of life". Lots of antibodies get generated and lots of Snits die but a "lucky" one can/will find the "spark" - instantly killing the Bolotomus (see below, an end game gambit of a successful Snit exiting a dying Bolotomus via the gut):   

There were two teams of Snits (the Green Clan (me) and the Pink Clan [Renko]) and one Bolotomus defender (aka the gamesmaster). At the start there is a brief semblance of teamwork as the Snits scatter to all four corners of the Bolotomus in search of the "spark of life" - fighting anti-bodies (sometimes together) along the way. Once the Bolotomus is dead though, then it is Snit-eat-Snit. Both Clans wanting to be the one with "the spark" and hailed winner (see below, a close up of the winning Snit [a Pink Snit who had killed the Green Snit carrying "the spark" - sniff, yes it was me] looking for the exit [OK let's call it what it is - the anus]): 

A fun game with great replay value. Not chess but cerebral in parts. Best played with alcohol to aid the narrative!

So true .. Hobbies should be FUN .. good video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHAqhP8EeYQ

• Game and have fun!
• Model and paint to have fun!
• Retain the JOY!
• The doing counts ..
• Experience it for the fun of it - fearless and relaxing.
• Laugh and smile, enjoy .. and say I did this!
• Hobbies can be frivolous.
• The best hobbies are frivolous fun!

I LIKE that message ;) 

Easter Project: Jigsaw - Charge of the Scots Greys - Scotland Forever

This is a fine piece of historic artwork with a slight personal touch as the father-in-laws grandfather served in the Scots Greys in the inter-war years in India (see below: 1000 pieces of blended colour fun, note the rest of the experienced jigsaw makers ran for the hills when I opened this one up): 

I literally could only keep my sanity by working a region at a time (see below, the outer frame was done first, then the red uniforms with (annoying black hats), onto the horses whilst muttering under my breath):  

Horse's heads complete I moved onto the bodies and legs (see below, the study in white and cream was a different form of madness, at least the legs helped me segment the very challenging brown earth section):  

The finished masterpiece, I do think it looks impressive (see below, shown with three missing chinks - due to its missing parts and an element f wear and tear I think its active days as a jigsaw are over. Rather than chucking it I plan to slide it onto a board, PVA it into place - then fill in the remaining two spaces): 

Footnote 1: I was mighty glad (aka understatement) to have finished it but slightly saddened about the three missing pieces, which later reduced to "two" when I discovered one in an unusual place. Either I picked it up already "short" from the Charity Shop or managed to lose two with all the holiday travels (I used one of those clever jigsaw zipped portfolio folders to transport it). I also do have a small number of 28mm Napoleonic Scots Greys I was thinking of painting up (a couple of sprues rather than the whole Warlord Box).

Footnote 2: Another lost piece turned up so I am only one down .. who knows it may yet turn up!

A Tale of Peasant Farming: Agrigola

One of the things I got from the Connections UK Wargame Conferences is a hit list of Bucket List games to get. In 2016 Nick Drage's presentation from Aleph Insight mentioned Agrigola as one such game. Therefore I am glad to announce I bagged this from a recent visit to Blackwell's Bookshop Game section in Edinburgh (see below, Agrigola - analysis of my peasant farming skill awaits): 

So far I have got as far as the unboxing, but it just goes to show you don't have to have "tanks" in a game for it to be "good" ;)

Personal D&D Highlight of the current Campaign: "Elven Magic User, do you remember the time when, ..."

Snuggly settled into a quiet corner of a tavern, the players reminisce together: "Elven Magic User, do you remember the time when, ..."

" ... You got scared after a Spectator hit you with a ray and you sprinted off down a random dungeon corridor screaming at the top of your voice until you were out of sight? And then, when we eventually found you, weren't you chained to a large rock, barely clothed, shivering in the middle of a cavern surrounded by [as yet] unanimated skeletons? 

We rescued you but you kindly forgot to tell us about, ... the fact that a Wraith had put you there as bait to lure the party into the cavern and he was coming to get us?" ... pause ...  "And, as the Wraith was 'getting us' you were totally without any magical powers of any sort to help us - being striped of spell books and ingredients for spells, by the clever Wraith. 

And ... if it wasn't for the fact that 'Beady' our lovable, but slightly murderous Gnome thief was secretly [as in unbeknownst to the rest of the party] possessed and under the malevolent power of an ancient, evil, intelligent artefact - which made Beady hand itself over [that is the evil artefact, aka a 'Mark of Chaos' - which everybody is now agreed as a "bad ass" thing for him to pick up in the first place and not tell us] to the Wraith which was then .. to our complete surprise .. was consumed by an unnatural red ball of energy that opened a dimensional portal, out from which stepped forth a Greater Demon spitting forth lightning and destruction - which we narrowly ducked, despite it bringing the roof of the cavern partially down?" 

Gasp of breath and sip of beer, then the Dwarf continued ...

"Which meant that, instead of being simple undead servants of the Wraith, we were alive but now responsible for releasing a terrible monster into the realm of men-elf-dwarf-gnome, the likes of which has never been seen in centuries and something we are desperately trying to hide from all the authorities, despite their persistent questioning?" 

Now that is a good tale for a long, dark, wintry, night in a tavern - providing it doesn't end up in a bar room brawl (see below, the scene in question from the adventure, proof that 'a fellow party character in need' [magic-user chained to a large rock] is definitely a pest of the highest order): 

Meanwhile back at the bar ...

"Yes?" said the Elf rather truculently, "I do kind Dwarf, I do remember the incident in question, but what of it?". "Well I only ask," said the Dwarf sipping his tankard of beer which was almost empty, "because I thought, isn't it your round at the bar?"

Purchase Number 2: Hero Quest Expansions

As I picked up Warlord Games Epic Napoleonic I came across a "must buy it or regret "scenario. I have acquired an original Heroquest but the revamped re-edition has also pushed out the two expansions .. and an irresistible force met my wallet (see below, no regrets .. even on the figure count it was worth it .. and there was some cool dungeon scenery bits too):  

The beasties inside need painting and I now feel as if I have enough undead zombies to chase unwary adventurers through the catacombs) .. Game On!

Old School Friends continue our D&D Dungeon Hack

Damn it, is it not a frustrating blast when those darn adventurers get their act together and bamboozle a clump of dangerous looking monsters (in this case a band of five Bugbears). By deft and cunning use of a magician's familiar, a Dragon Breath spell (see cotton wool below in the picture below) which as it came from a completely unexpected direction, "spooked" the monsters into stampeding into a well set up trap, aka killing zone (see below, as their "singed" [Bugbear] leader fell along side another Bugbear to the deft back-stabbing of the party's two thieves [the tiny Gnome thief dropping down from a point above the archway - a set-up that is becoming his trademark move], the "force morale" of the remaining three Bugbears crumbled [as per the three Bugbears exiting south at the bottom of the photograph]): 

Catching but a short breath the adventurers then moved onto the "next room" and came across another three Bugbears plus their Drow overseer. Two of the Bugbears and the Drow were distracted as they searching in a chasm for "something" (see the figures in the white 'chasm floor' area [top part] in the photograph below). Silence whispers and mutterings  - the PCs were up to something. Sure enough they had a "plan" very similar to their last escapade. However, the party's next assassination plan (meticulously worked out beforehand) came unstuck right at the start of its execution. The magician's familiar was this time spotted and "plucked" from the sky [by exactly "what" the party are not sure of], but at least the party's thieving duo still managed to take out the isolated Bugbear on guard duty up top, already dead as he toppled to the chasm below (see below, the party's killing spree continues, but now the enemy now know they are there):  

I am looking forward to the resolution to this Mexican stand-off in the next session.  

Dungeon Fun: Skeletons

Ain't it always the same, a room described in the most non-descriptive way .. "a room filled with a bunch of trash really, intermixed with the now skeletal remains of the former guards who once inhabited and died in this area" .. the adventures trundle in and start rooting around from loot (see below, notice the eagerness of the thieves to be 'first in'): 

Imagine their surprise and my glee as the skeletons animate and surround the party gaining a two to one attack [apparently when this happens one of the attacks comes in at advantage] which started to beat up the party until the Cleric used his "anti undead" magic .. boo hiss .. and they all relaxed (see below, figures of the skeletons [Warlord games and really nice] are only partially complete [highlights, wash and base work still to be done] but have that lovely Jason and the Argonauts feeling which defines "skeletons" in D&D to me):

So spoiler alert, they got away (how did these guys make it to third and fourth level, I am sure in Second Edition Dungeons and Dragon their numbers would have been long up) but a more serious threat in the form of a guard room full of Bugbears awaits.

Xmas Jigsaw Fun

It may have been a Walt Disney family-themed jigsaw but to me it was a thousand pieces of fiendish family fun that had three generations of family [grandmother to mother to granddaughter] poring over the pieces with intense determination for three whole days (see below, especial thanks goes to Gran's patience in finding all the edge pieces for a sensible "framed"start):

For a moment at the very end we thought it was going to be an "unfinished masterpiece" as there were three missing pieces but thankfully they were found after a hurried search of the floor under the table ;) 

New Year Promise to Myself: Chill and be Kind to Yourself

Note to self: 

I am going to forget or rather ban the terrible word "project", certainly with respect to everything that is related to my hobby. Two years of lock-down has seen me make such an overuse of this simple word. I am also going to forget the concept of timescales and deadlines for "hobby stuff" I was planning for this year (too formal by far). 

Things will either happen or not. If they are fun they will definitely happen, and they will happen all the more sooner because of how "fun" they are ;)  

If I remember correctly my hobby is there first and foremost there for fun and relaxation, or rather it is a catalyst for generating many fun experiences - with me, my family and my friends. I am therefore going to concentrate on things that help generate fun for me, my friends and most of all my family. 

For example Dungeons and Dragons in lock-down has been a blast. 

Re-fighting Ramillies was a blast.

Re-fighting Waterloo was blast.

Reading about the WWII early war Western Desert Force was a blast (all new to me).

Reading about the ACW (from Paddy Griffith's perspective) was a blast.  

The Netflix "Don't Look Up" film was a really big blast and made me laugh. 

Also the world needs more games of "Exploding Kittens".

Feeling guilty over looking at a big, bad, pile of lead; thinking to myself "Have I bought the right stuff?" was 'not fun' and in the end is just plain silly, as it is all the "right stuff" .. there is no "wrong stuff" in this hobby (scale, period or rules) - just stuff people chose to spend their time on :) 

If it all came to pass that the hobby journey was without generating fun "all along the way", then there would be no point taking the first step along the path and doing it in the first place. Enjoy the little things all along the way :) 

PS: Fun does not mean winning; "winning" is a rather random concept in the first place.

Fun does mean getting completely lost in the narrative of the game, rather than any sort of worry of "am I doing it right?" Making sure the game works!

 

Best wishes to everyone in 2022!

May your paint flow freely and your dice bounce untidily in a truly random fashion - enjoy it all the more for it ;)

Now if you can excuse me, I have to understand why these "Babies are attacking Bears" (See below, is this really a 'family game' my responsible wife bought to play with the children?):  

To be continued ... with fun ;) 

"Don't Look Up" - Netflix Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbIxYm3mKzI

This seems to have caused rather a Marmite type of separation in opinion .. some love it but then people some hate it.

I love it ;) 

New D&D Friends for 2022

Courtesy of a shopping expedition in Edinburgh, several monsters were unboxed and are due to hit the Painting tray in 2022 (see below, a Rust Monster, Beholder and "somethings" called Cricks - never met the latter as a player but it is a snakelike thing with a pointy beak): 

Please don't take me as of face value, the kind of DM who just throws high level monsters at a low level party just because he has them in figures ;) 

I am much meaner than that!

Dungeon Hack - Cleaning up the Baddies Lair (Lost Mines of Phandelver)

I like old style D&D despite it being 5th Edition rules. My teenage son favours the computerised Roll D20 with its precision and its magic lighting, but I like pulling together whatever is on  hand and improvising, making a "mash" of it. I like the organic flock and pseudo chaos of that ensues. Here are few shots from early on in the adventure (the Lost Mine of Phaldelver" used in the 5th Edition Starter Campaign). You have my old 1980's 2D dungeon floor plans resurrected from the loft and old school miniatures of the same period plus a few newbies (see below, clearing out the "minor" baddies lair under the ruins of an old manor house a classic party "snaking its way" through the dungeon): 

The rugged cavern section is covered without major trauma, then the party finds a more structured (aka "square shaped") section of storerooms and are dutifully explored (see below, when there are a series of rooms to investigate it is always interesting [fun for the DM at least] to see "who" goes [or is nominated to go] first into the 'next room', a bit of reluctant "turn taking" is always FUN (karma inducing moments) - as in who's time is it for their luck to run out and spring a trap): 

An interesting find. Rinse and repeat. Steps leading down, especially when they are narrow (5' wide which means single abreast), which is always a "bad sign". The classic 10' by 10' cube awaits at the bottom with the classic choice of two doors (see below, "Wasn't this why we brought a thief along, to go first?" says the fighter to the magic-user):

Behind one of the doors .. is a guardroom (what else would you expect) garrisoned by drunken brigands who fight at disadvantage (see below, one sleep spell later and they are tied and bound up and ready to sing like canaries): 

The party advances to meet an important bad NPC (magic user) whom escapes .. with the expense of his beloved familiar -- which all adds rich narrative texture to the adventure which is good stuff! Don't worry they meet up with him later and he has a score to settle (he was attached to that rat [as in it was his "familiar"] the party killed)!

Note: If truth be told the adventure has passed far beyond this point, as I believe the pictures are over two years old (my posting to this blog has really slowed down). The characters have advanced in levels and explored the Sword Coast ;) 

Good Old Fashioned Dungeon Hack: D&D 5th Edition

Mixing the old with the new. Fifth Edition D&D Rules (relatively new), with Games Workshop Figures and Warlord Games (monsters) and forty year old adventurer (Citadel[?]) miniatures and "the classic floor plans" (see below, the old-timer is the Dwarven thief skulking across the large cavern floor [actually invisible courtesy of a friendly magic-user's spell] the angry pack of ghouls [represented by GW Chain Rasps] heads towards the rest of the party - also note the suspiciously "un-animated" skeletons littering the cavern floor [from Warlord Games]):

Thing was the moment we stopped the session for the night/ What they call in the movies "a cliff-hanger". To be continued ...

Airfix 1/48th Scale Spitfire Hanging From Ceiling

I finally got round to doing this for my youngest son, hanging a Spitfire from his bedroom ceiling (see below, question black cotton perhaps but at least it is airborne [alongside a Star Wars TIE Fighter which makes a strange bed-fellow]):  

Yes it is in a rather steep dive. Shade of my bedroom ceiling as a boy ;)  

Beauty is in the "Eye of the Beholder"

This is a Black Tree Design "Evil Eye" which to me equates to a Second Edition D&D Monster Manual picture of a Beholder (see below, a ping pong table tennis ball with pin tacks sticking out of it and a "bitey" mouth on it): 

As they say, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder (and although it does not compare to the Fifth Edition pimped up larger model of the Beholder) and I like its rustic charm. The other nickname we gave it was "the purple people eater"! Time will tell on that one as you have to be fairly high level to be unfortunate enough to meet and greet one! 

Bucket List Item: Accomplished - Catan (The Settlers of)

It was bought, but yet to be played. Then it was played and really enjoyed (see below, the game I saw Chandler play in The Big Bang Theory and knew, just knew I had to play. Also note, the nearby "Nurgles" were an unrelated simultaneous painting project): 

Not only was it played, it was played over three generations. My son, his father (me) and the grand mother! It was enjoyed by all and .. even better .. there are expansions!

Five stars rating .. even though my son beat me!