Aaron Bostian blogging at the Fancy Wars.
Wargaming Recon #91: Aaron Bostian and How Wargamers Can Give Back [ 1:38:42 | 45.21 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (92)Aaron shares the many ways that he gives back in his community. Jonathan discusses the 3 mile walk he is doing on May 18, 2013 to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis. You can DONATE HERE.
We also discuss:
I live less than 20 miles from the finish line of the Boston Marathon. While my family is lucky in the sense that we were not personally affected by the bombings, we do know people who were.
Among all of us that have to deal with the senselessness and horror of this event, I know my kids are deeply effected by this. Especially in the case of my younger daughter. Kids don’t always have the vocabulary and certainly don’t have the emotional intelligence of an adult – and it can be very hard for them to verbalize their fears, concerns and questions about events like this. They internalize their fears and just can’t always talk about them easily with us adults. The ones charged with protecting them and easing their pain, both physical and emotional, as best we can.
A few years ago I created a simple little game called Argyle & Crew, partly to address this very issue. Using sock puppets and creative role play, it can be a tool for allowing children to express their concerns and fears in a controlled, fun and positive environment.
If you’re someone with kids of their own, or who work with kids who need a creative outlet – whether to express their feelings or simply take their minds of current events, you may find this helpful. If so, I’d love for you to have a copy. This link will bring you to DriveThruRPG’s site (you’ll need an account there) and put a PDF copy of Argyle & Crew into your cart for free.
Argyle & Crew will be free until the end of this month, for whatever reason you’d care to download it. Please help yourself and hopefully this will bring a few more smiles to life.
Wargaming Recon #51: Black Powder Explosion [ 1:12:52 | 33.36 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (171)
Black Powder Explosion.
This episode predates the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network and it also predates the name Wargaming Recon.
We hope you will enjoy this one from the vault, it is the 2nd most popular episode in Wargaming Recon history! Not bad considering it was originally released April 14, 20111.
Jonathan J. Reinhart and former co-host Tom Barbalet record together for the first time since Jonathan was sick with the zombie flu (actually, a severe respiratory virus that grossly exacerbated his asthma).
As usual the week in wargaming is discussed. Most of it is focused on Black Powder, which the dynamic duo swiftly transition into. A lively debate is had concerning the minimum, or starting, army size for this rule set. Tom reiterates suggestions he previously gave to Jonathan. Jonathan explains how he is attempting Black Powder. He mentions stellar advice from Henry Hyde.
The two move on to the related issue of Osprey Publishing’s New Vanguard, Campaign, and Men-at-Arms series. Tom and Jonathan, briefly, delve into the history of Massachusetts, while discussing Jonathan’s schooling.
Jonathan mentions his wife and her latest painting project, a Thaniras Elves War Dragon for the Uncharted Seas game. Jonathan jokes that it looks more like a drake but perhaps he is splitting hairs. The painting discussion includes Tom mentioning painting greats Kevin Dallimore, and his fantastic Foundry Miniatures Painting & Modelling Guide, personal friend Golden Demon Winner and former ‘Eavy Metal painter Tammy Haye, and Golden Demon winner Kirill Kanaev.
Tom flexes his mathematical muscles reviewing two dice rolling apps for the iPhone. Simple Dice by Nora Krauss and dynamicDICE are both reviewed. Tom alludes to creating his own dice app. Jonathan interjects with his preference for Dicenomicon.
Jonathan discusses his appearance on Episode 1 of The Gate Stormers (be warned of explicit content) in that show). A whirlwind of topics spin about. Tom reminds listeners to participate in the Field of Chaos Political Compass Contest (now closed). An update is given on the Monty & the Fox’s Wargaming Show branding (now Wargaming Recon). The editing schedule is briefly mentioned before Tom does a killer Neil Shuck impersonation!
The conversation ends and paves the way for the debut appearance, on this show, of official gaming music from Bailey Records. “Enter Darkrider [Extended Remix]” from Stratos’ album Autumnal Slumber will please your ear drums for 3 minutes and 28 seconds.
Wargaming Recon belongs to the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network (TCPN). You may like some of the other shows on the network.
Indie Talks – bi-monthly on Wednesdays covering independent games, film, television. Includes many interviews. Hosted by Trollitc owner Ben Gerber.
Geeks Explicitly – weekly on Thursdays covering geek life, movies, gaming, and more. Hosted by Jonathan J. Reinhart.
Monsters of the Shattered World – monthly on the last Saturday. Story of a young scholar encountering strange animals on another world.
– monthly on the 2nd Monday. A podcast that discusses parenting as geeks and using those skills to raise the next generation of awesome people.
Promos for the TCPN podcasts appear at the end of the show. Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew, Troll ITC’s logo designer, for the amazing logos. Check out his portfolio at MightyNightGaunt.com
Need gaming supplies? Please consider our sponsor, 12-7-Games.com.
I want to send out a special word of thanks to the folks behind the following domains that were used to create a new hosting account with BlueHost with my Blue Host affiliate link recently. As you know, I earn a commission each time someone clicks through my link to sign up with Blue Host. So thank you!
Accounts that were created recently:
- Why not consider Blue Host for your web hosting needs (affiliate link)?
Note: The fact that I have linked to these accounts is only to acknowledge that these folks have used my affiliate link to create a hosting account with BlueHost. These links are not an endorsement of any content that may be posted to these sites. If you ever recognize content blatantly offensive at any of these links, please let me know and I will be sure to evaluate and consider if the link should be removed from this post. These accounts are all brand new and may not be active yet. Also, it is possible that some of these domains were previously owned and my not have been transfered to BlueHost just yet.
We hope you enjoy this episode of Wargaming Recon and welcome your feedback. Send it all to:
Our intro song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.
This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
John Anealio has put out an amazing little E.P. of holiday music that I think the geek in all of us will appreciate!
Seasons Geekings contains the songs:
Certainly worthy of downloading and playing over and over and over and over again, much to the consternation of your co-workers!
I’m trying something a little different here. In order to get more play testers involved, I’m giving away free copies of the beta game as a print and play product. It comes with a question form I’d love for you to fill out, but you’re under absolutely no obligation to do so.
Far in the future, war has been relegated to a spectator sport. As humanity has spread throughout the solar system, advances in material sciences have left us wanting for nothing yet craving new forms of entertainment.
3D printers ranging in size from miniscule to mammoth process material known as Nano-Goo (or just “Goo”) into virtually anything a person could need, from food and clothing to massive, space-faring ships. Using these technologies, a few enterprising individuals capitalized on humanities need for entertainment and have brought back to life the ancient custom of gladiatorial combat. Done safely by remotely operating (teleoperating) vastly powerful machines of war known as War Bots.
Large 3D printing structures are dropped onto remote asteroids and other small, celestial bodies. These come with a small compliment of devices which begin to process the raw materials of these asteroids into Goo, which these massive printers can use to create War Bots. Printers use a series of programs called .War Files, which give them the specifics of War Bots which they can then use Goo to print.
Governed by a strict set of rules, and limited by the programs made available to them, contestants manufacture and then fight with these giant machines, for the delight of audiences throughout the Solar System.
War Bots are printed out of Goo, which is programmed to take a specific form with specific functions. Because they are made of self organizing nanomaterials, War Bots can be modified by simple programs called .UPGrade Files – or upgrades. These upgrades can be applied to War Bots while they are in the field.
Upgrade Wars is a deck building, tactical combat game. Players begin the game with a starter deck of 10 resources and two War Bots (the giant robots that do the actual fighting).
Through the course of the game, they may purchase new programs to deploy as War Bots or to Upgrade existing War Bots that have already been deployed.
The battle field is divided into three zones for each player – the Printer zone (where the magic happens), the Defensive Ring and the Front Line – a zone shared by all players.
Your bots traverse the battlefield under your command in an attempt to reach other player’s printers and destroy them.
Complete Victory: The last player with a Printer still capable of creating War Bots wins the game!
Tactical Victory: Each enemy War Bot you destroy is worth 1 Victory Point. Each enemy Printer is worth 5 Victory Points. Once three card piles are depleted, the player with the most Victory Points wins!
Featuring strategic and tactical play – players must decide where and when to spend their resources, which can go to either purchasing new program files or deploying War Bots into the field of battle. At the same time, you must manage your existing War Bots to defend your Printer and attack the enemy.
I’ve done the majority of my hard thinking this week already. Work is going to be long, tedious, badly executed and full of busy for me, so I’m going to make this contest relatively simple and fun.
NOTE: You must enter this contest on REDDIT. Entries here will not be accepted.
Two big winners – but everyone walks away (electronically speaking) with something. Hopefully there are some games going on this weekend and I can provide you with some new, fun stuff.
Tell me a funny story about your game, gaming group, character, NPC, creature encounter, etc. It needs to be about gaming, and it should be funny.
Top voted comment gets one of everything I sell that has a price attached to it (you can grab the free stuff yourself).
I’ll also pick another comment to get the same prize – probably the comment that makes me laugh the most.
Everyone who legitimately enters (i.e. tells a funny story) gets either a copy of Something Went Wrong Gold ,Devious NPCs… or Argyle & Crew - your choice. Just put which one you’d like in the comment or I’ll default to Something Went Wrong.
This contest will run through tomorrow, Saturday at 9am EST. So plenty of time for everyone to participated if they’d like!
As they say in one of the greatest epic quest movies of all time, Have at you!
Wargaming Recon #77: Russ Lockwood Game Designer & Editor [ 1:00:35 | 27.75 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (189)Russ Lockwood, editor of Wally Simon’s Secrets of Wargame Design Volume 1, is the guest. Also discussed:
Wargaming Recon #76: Wally Simon's Secrets of Wargame Design [ 1:09:03 | 31.63 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (248)Wally Simon’s Secrets of Wargame Design edited by Russ Lockwood of On Military Matters takes the center stage. Also discussed:
