Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Rome: Total War

I've been playing this off and on since early this year. Picked it up as one of the two games I bought for $50 in the computer game shop at Arndale. For a couple years before that I'd been playing Medieval:Total War. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I'd not played a campaign through to conclusion. I'd learnt, however, that the game poses different levels and types of problem to solve at differing stages of the evolution of a campaign. The issues in the first turns are entirely different from those in the fiftieth, for example.

Anyway, Rome has been at least as entrancing though possibly not as much fun. The relative 'arcadishness' and board game style of Medieval kept it a simpler interface (both conceptually and aesthetically speaking) than Rome. The later, full of interactive detail and personifcation of the systemic structure of the game, adds a fair bit of complexity.

I guess that, once I reach the level of instinctive interactivity I did with Medieval, the deeper depths of the game experience will unlock themselves and I will be as infatuated as I am intrigued.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Current miniatures project

Sorry it's been awhile, the internet was down.

The present miniatures project is to convert a 7' x 5' sheet of chipboard into a green beige/felt battlefield. This will just fit in the room my wife has so conveniently allowed me the use of for gaming. On this table, I hope to spend many hours with friends pondering the tactical niceties of various miniature wargames. I am playing with 6mm figures and home made rules on a smaller table at present, ironing out the issues in the rules. By the time I have the real table together (there are already of lot of items of miniature scenery to place upon it) I hope to have ironed out the Spanish Civil Wargame rules system I have developed. Then I will gather my troops and we shall have fun.