Preview of new issue of Battles! Magazine

[bayonetbrant]

flip out!

http://online.flipbuilder.com/khkn/nurc/#p=1

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks for the link.

Unfortunately I couldn't "zoom in" to read it properly.

I picked up a  couple of things from the TAL Review....but couldn't read it specifically to address the "issues" he may have raised.

I do know I have played TAL a couple of times and look forward to playing more of it. Like I said - I can't read the writing in the pdf...so can't give any credibility to his mention/review of it...though he is likely a prominent gamer/reviewer I didn't see too many hang ups with the board game

[Ubercat]

If you're using Windows there should be a magnifier tool under the Start Menu that will do the trick. It may take a bit of fiddling to figure out how best to use it. Worked for me.

[Staggerwing]

That review was a bit tough to read, even with the magnifying tool, due to the author's awkward writing style. It seems to be a 'Bablefish' version of something that was originally printed in a non-English language.

Is the magazine itself also available as a pdf or some other accessible method? I'd like to read more of it but the need for a magnifying glass makes it frustrating. Also, when zoomed in, the text becomes pixilated, adding to the annoyance.

[bayonetbrant]

it's a print-only magazine, and the online preview is just for lathering up the audience.

[Arctic Blast]

Thanks for the link.

Unfortunately I couldn't "zoom in" to read it properly.

I picked up a  couple of things from the TAL Review....but couldn't read it specifically to address the "issues" he may have raised.

I do know I have played TAL a couple of times and look forward to playing more of it. Like I said - I can't read the writing in the pdf...so can't give any credibility to his mention/review of it...though he is likely a prominent gamer/reviewer I didn't see too many hang ups with the board game

His Cons :

-The board is weird. (This is an exact quote. I have no idea in what context he means this)
-Target counters are awful and bland.
-Everything is desert color scheme.
-Pilot card graphics are boring. Pilots are all dull and boring and you end up with a squad of average guys lacking personality. Then later on, he says that the original game had pilots he cared about more because their helmets looked different. Therefore, he could relate to them better. I couldn't make up something this stupid if I tried.
-Weapons do not feel right, with no real profile of their own. They're just Range and Hit numbers. He then rambles about how there aren't multiple variant TOW missiles, and claims that they have a harder time killing tanks than other non AT-specialized weapons (I have no idea if he's right or not, someone who has actually pulled their copy off the shelf and played it will have to answer that).
-The game box talks about close air support, but there are no friendly units.

Totally agree with Stagger...this is just weirdly written. "Once you have selected planes and pilots, you start the intervention in a far away badland." Who writes like that?! Robots?! And then there's his conclusion. I'll rewrite it here verbatim.

Considering its illustrious ancestor TAL is certainly my greatest disappointment of the year. It has a good basic engine, but the implementation is a joke. I will be blunt, but I expected a designer to be able to do proper research, especially if he put this sentence in the product description: "This game is perfect for both expert level military gamers."

???

GAH! That wasn't it! There's another page!

"I think that TAL is the perfect example of why you do not need to heed to these sirens." This is his blathering bit of nonsense attacking those who suggest simplicity in wargames might be a good thing. Or it's a garbled order for pancakes. I don't really know.

He then goes on to talk about how maybe these calls for simplicity and abstraction should be ignored...except when they shouldn't be ignored...and that you need details...but you need a limit on details. Either this is the worst translation effort of all time, or this review was put together by a Speak & Spell that has achieved sentience.

[bayonetbrant]

about half of Battles! writers' are on the continent - France, Germany, Italy - and the translations aren't always great, but honestly I find it part of the charm of the magazine.  There are also times when the Brits/Scots read like a bad translation, too ;)

One thing you can't deny is that the graphics are fucking kick-ass awesome with a side of "hell yeah!"

[Staggerwing]

I found the website: http://www.battlesmagazine.com/eshop/index.php

Wow! That magazine ain't cheap! 100 Euros (inc. shipping to US) for 4 issues!  :o That's about $132 US right now.

[GJK]

I believe that they come with magazine games as well for that price.  However, I don't know of any of their games that got just exceptional reviews.

[bayonetbrant]

every issue comes with a game, and subscriptions come with a bonus game, too.  Some of them are quite good - Hue and Arras come immediately to mind - and some are OK.

I quite enjoyed Night Drop, too, which was one of the bonus games. 

But above all else, the images, graphics, photos, and layouts are just pure wargaming pr0n.  It's a beautiful magazine.

[bob48]

It does look like nice stuff. I know they do a Dien Bien Phu game that I've been considering buying.

Edited for bad memory - The one I'm thinking of is in the 'Against the Odds' mag, so, as you were.

[Staggerwing]

Is that web issue indicative of how many articles each issue sports? With only 4 issues I'd need a lot of content to reach for my wallet. The games do help. I thought about ordering a back issue to try but even that would run about $60 w/ shipping.

[bayonetbrant]

the mages run 140+ pages and a good 14-20 articles in each, plus other stuff

[kellycalark]

Goodbye lame spammer. Your kind ain't tolerated in these parts.

[bickford]

Understand you are proud of your contributions to that magazine yet they crap all over you and the other former/current military designers (Danny Holte etc..) on their secret Perfidious Albion yahoo group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/perfidiousalbion/info