Unboxing new games

[Bison]

I've read quite a few negative review about the starter set for sog arriving with one of the ships having broken masts in the packaging.  Very sad. Fortunately the wog planes have not had this issue.

[Nefaro]

Just received GMT's Genesis.

Been wanting a Bronze Age grand strategy game & finally got one.  :) 

Not sure how long it will be until I get it punched and onto the table, but I'll put up some pics when I do. 

The map artwork looks good and I'm glad it's paper rather than the folded cardstock.  I like the look of the counters, despite having GMT's typical simplistic art like that in C&C Ancients, because there is a lot of variety between the five main factions, various "Barbarians" (Sea Peoples & others), and minor kingdoms. 

A quick glance through the rulebook gave me the impression that the core rules were streamlined a bit since Pax Romana, but there are still numerous small rules covering specific minor factions, mercs, etc for historical purposes.

[Barthheart]

Just received GMT's Genesis.

Been wanting a Bronze Age grand strategy game & finally got one.  :) 

Not sure how long it will be until I get it punched and onto the table, but I'll put up some pics when I do. 

The map artwork looks good and I'm glad it's paper rather than the folded cardstock.  I like the look of the counters, despite having GMT's typical simplistic art like that in C&C Ancients, because there is a lot of variety between the five main factions, various "Barbarians" (Sea Peoples & others), and minor kingdoms. 

A quick glance through the rulebook gave me the impression that the core rules were streamlined a bit since Pax Romana, but there are still numerous small rules covering specific minor factions, mercs, etc for historical purposes.

Looking forward to your impressions... I really wanted to order that at the same time I ordered Wing Leader... but the drop in the CDN caused it to be too much..  :'(
Maybe I can pick it up next year at Origins....

[Bison]

As i posted in another thread I got ambushed by a sale at the flgs and ended up getting carcassonne, ticket to ride, and smallworld for family gaming time.

The oldest is stoked for carcassonne and the youngest wants to try smallworld.   Next stop family ASL gaming time!

[bayonetbrant]

the youngest wants to try smallworld

The twins are after Smallworld?!?!

[Bison]

I have a herd of four.  The twins are excited to fart and drool.

[bayonetbrant]

You said "the youngest"!  :)

[LongBlade]

As i posted in another thread I got ambushed by a sale at the flgs and ended up getting carcassonne, ticket to ride, and smallworld for family gaming time.

I bought Ticket to Ride just in case a bunch of revolutionary socialists burst into my home and demanded an appropriate game.

[Bison]

You said "the youngest"!  :)

I thought about that afterwards too, but let's be honest here when you have this many running around it all gets a little confusing.

[MengJiao]

And now, Bloody April:

I punched and sorted all the counters late last year but have yet to play it. 

My plan is to run that one with the solo option, then figure out some ways of doing the same with Elusive Victory.  Should be easier with all the dummy counters.

There's a solo scout matrix that comes with Bloody April.  Supposedly one has to be the RFC and the DLS (the Germans) are scouts coming after you via the "matrix" logic.  Scenario 4 has 2 BE2s trying to take some pictures and 3 Jasta of DLS coming after them while DH2s, Pups and Nieuports try to keep them alive.  so that's what I'm doing.

Wing Leader:

[Nefaro]

The Aircraft Data Cards look to have many similarities with the earlier Bloody April/Elusive Victory/Downtown ones. 

I still haven't given them a proper solo go yet;  still on the massive To-Do stack.  Probably why I don't already have Wing Leader.  :-\

[MengJiao]

The Aircraft Data Cards look to have many similarities with the earlier Bloody April/Elusive Victory/Downtown ones. 

I still haven't given them a proper solo go yet;  still on the massive To-Do stack.  Probably why I don't already have Wing Leader.  :-\

  Having survived Bloody April, my impression is that this game (and the cards) is somewhat simpler in terms of representing aircraft performance.  I don't remember much about Elusive Victory, but I have a feeling the aircraft were easier to move around than they were
in Bloody April.  Also, I guess I'm much more familiar with the performance variations in aircraft since 1939 than I am with aircraft before 1939 which might have been one reason I had more trouble with Bloody April's mechanics than with those of Elusive Victory.

[Nefaro]

My copy of Empire of the Sun also arrived so it's counter punching and card sleeving time.

I just ordered Empire of the Sun after finding out it has solitaire rules and seeing the components on various vids.  I've been avoiding most WW2 wargames for years but this was calling to me for various reasons. 

Hopefully the rulebook reads relatively well, being a 2nd edition.  I didn't look around for opinions on that just yet.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

It doesn't read well.  In my opinion, it's not laid out in a logical manner at all.

To save you some headaches.  The ASP term that is constantly referred to but not defined until the middle of the rulebook stands for Amphibious Shipping Point.  You need to use these points to transport troops (except for Japanese naval infantry brigades.  They can hitch a ride on warships.) Japan starts with 7 and can lose them through submarine warfare or event cards.  The Allies start with zero but gain them over time and through event cards.   

LRB is long-range bomber.  Only the Allies get them.  They can't exert a Zone of Influence unlike all other air units. 

Also, I would recommend that you don't put the cards in sleeves.  I did and it was a mess.  The decks are just too large (100+ cards) and they end up spilling all over the place if you sleeve them.

[Nefaro]

It doesn't read well.  In my opinion, it's not laid out in a logical manner at all.

To save you some headaches.  The ASP term that is constantly referred to but not defined until the middle of the rulebook stands for Amphibious Shipping Point.  You need to use these points to transport troops (except for Japanese naval infantry brigades.  They can hitch a ride on warships.) Japan starts with 7 and can lose them through submarine warfare or event cards.  The Allies start with zero but gain them over time and through event cards.   

LRB is long-range bomber.  Only the Allies get them.  They can't exert a Zone of Influence unlike all other air units. 

Also, I would recommend that you don't put the cards in sleeves.  I did and it was a mess.  The decks are just too large (100+ cards) and they end up spilling all over the place if you sleeve them.

Thanks for the tips.  I feared the manual might be a bit disjointed, as that tends to be the rule rather than the exception.  After reading the well-done manual for Genesis, which has the whole acronym description list at the front of the manual (in comparison), I was obviously wishing for lightning to strike twice.

I've had troubles with a few games having large decks, and sleeving.  But this one isn't getting any.  I only sleeve when the cards are cut unevenly, or are exceptionally thin. I've not had an issue with either in GMT games in the past; hopefully that hasn't changed.