Tag: star

Roleplaying and board games reviews, podcasts, videos and interviews

Jay Little at the UK Games Expo

By Paco Garcia Jaen Not very often one has the opportunity to host a panel with one of the most successful game designers of the moment and, judging by the stellar success of X-Win, Jay Little is, without a doubt, extremely successful. But since that’s not all he’s done, by any stretch of the imagination,…
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X-Wing

Well, I had a buddy over yesterday for an X-Wing game day, and after playing my third game, I was hooked. If you want me to just cut to the chase, here goes: X-Wing is the smartest, most entertaining fighter skirmish game I’ve ever played. This says a lot, because I’ve played probably twenty of these games, from Full Thrust to Renegade Legion to Battle Fleet Mars to A Call To Arms; I’ve got a lot of experience with these games and X-Wing is easily the most approachable and tightest. The draw, for me, is that the game hits that magical sweet spot where complexity and practicality intersect. Very few games ever hit that spot, generally erring either on the side of simulation or oversimplification. X-Wing, however, gets it absolutely perfect, with enough complexity to make it a game worth playing while having very simple, understandable, and intuitive rules that don’t get in the way of the players. It literally blows every other fighter combat game into itty bitty rippy bits.

The G*M*S Magazine Podcast Episode 85–Cosmic Encounters and X-Wing with Dr Reddy and Kara

Once again we put word to microphone and, with our tongue so stuck in our cheeks that we’re amazed it doesn’t pierce through our faces, we bring you another episode of the podcast with much hilarity and a very healthy dose of silliness. And a lot more, of course. We have a good discussion about…
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ACTA: Star Fleet

For almost 25 years I’ve been playing Star Fleet Battles and its derivatives, and while I’m still no expert, I know as much about them as anyone who has played them for any length of time. Ironically, it’s not that I’m that enamored with Star Trek or the Star Trek universe, but more that I’m fascinated by the level of detail that Amarillo Design Bureau (ADB) has put into the game, as well as the idea of big, cool-looking spaceships chewing through one another with energy weapons.

Star Trek: Expeditions

I don’t hate to be wrong, but I really hate to be wrong like this. I broke my own rules, which was stupid in and of itself, and I deserve the outrage that I will be receiving from people who I told were wrong. So, here goes: Reiner Knizia can make an Ameritrashy adventure game. There. I said it. I’m even prepared to say that as highly improbable as it is, the game he made is not only not atrophy your testicles from boredom, it in fact is brilliant fun. I still can’t believe it myself, but it’s true. Star Trek: Expeditions (ST:E) is a really, truly fun, thematic co-op adventure game that not only adheres to its theme, but does so well.