First time at the UK games expo this weekend. What a treat it was. 
After an early 3:30am wake up I slid down to cork and flew to Birmingham in time to join the queues for tickets. The clever gamers got there on Friday and avoided the Saturday rush. The NEC is right next to the airport and a free monorail zips you over there quick smart. 

The expo is like a smaller version of Essen and by smaller I mean not that small. My understanding was 14,000 gamers attended the one at the weekend (which by coincidence is my target for Knavecon 8 in September) 
The expo concentrates firmly on boardgames. There was a small representation for tabletop stuff but no Warhammer and no collectable card games (you know who you are). There was also a small but well marshaled cosplay section 🙂

Most of the game shop from the UK were there (pretty much) and there was a great lending library available. The buy and sell was BIG. I didn’t get into it until Sunday afternoon as I didn’t fancy waiting on line like a mook for a half hour. When I did most of the good stuff was gone or priced a bit high or of no interest to me really. I saw one or two bits but nothing my heart was set on
Just like Essen, Fantasy Flight, Days of Wonder and all the other big names were running game demos on multiple tables. I got to try out a few new ones (and buy them). A lot of smaller outfits were there too all demoing and selling their wares. GW or whatever they’re called were notable by their absence 

Particularly cool was getting to meet some of the game designers and try out their games. There are some amazing people involved in our hobby. 
Good kids section, good play tester area, good food, great location and I got to meet the nearest we have to celebs, Tom Vassal and Sam Healy (both of which are BIG dudes in person), you could have one or the other at your gaming table not both :). There were a few other celebs there too but didn’t catch up with them. 

Negatives? Sterling difference is a killer. Accommodation was a bit far away but I’ve only myself to blame for doing it last minute. Will I go again? Definitely. Next time with a gang and a bit more organized. 
Bought a tall stack of games which will all appear at Knavecon (more on those later). 

Great Con well worth the visit
Huzzah!
Vic 

I remember watching Band of Brothers many years ago and occasionally mouthing the bad F word, stretched out, involuntarily during the combat scenes.  I’ve done the same quite a bit playing Xcom 2 over the last few weeks.  That a number of other choice expletives.

Xcom 2 has been a slow grower. At first I thought it was just more of the Xcom same but I grew to like it.  Since adding the Alien Hunters DLC which again I wasn’t impressed with at the beginning the game has become my new obsession.  Well let me put it this way, how often do you see me writing reviews on computer games rather than board games? It has to be something rather special for me to break my normal cycle (or I might not has gamed recently and I don’t have anything else interesting to talk about)

Alien Hunters DLC which was recently released is a small add on to the already excellent Xcom 2.  Unlike advent children which is just new and not so good skins this adds a number of small but surprisingly  impressive ripples to the game play pond

Queen Aliens

the Rulers are a group of Super Aliens way WAY more powerful than the already powerful aliens and way WAY faster than them to.  They are quite simply a royal pain the ass.  They follow you throughout the campaign occasionally beaming in during a mission to make a mockery of your cleverly laid plans.  They do make for magnificent arch enemies.  Once they’ve taken a bit of damage they summon a portal and then high tail it away to pop up later in the campaign to cause more trouble.  Like all good arch enemies they are damn hard to kill. 

Xcom has always been you move all your dudes. The AI moves all their dudes and repeat. The rulers unlike the normal aliens move everytime you take ANY action with ONE of your dudes. Reload a gun? The ruler takes a move. Fire one of your dudes. The ruler takes a turn. It’s brutal. A massively overpowered alien kitted out with devastating abilities and moving effectively in bullet time. When you eventually take one out it’s a real achievement and the cue for the next much nastier ruler to appear on the scene. 

New armour

Killing a ruler allows you to research it and gives you access to some unique armour with rather sweet special abilities. I won’t ruin it but some of the new kit is just awesome

New weapons

You also get access to a host of one off weapons some of which are really powerful BUT you need to mind them. They’re irreplaceable and losing a dude in the field is the end of it if you don’t carry their body home 

Overall

The difficulty level on an already difficult game ramps up a bit more. Once you accept this it’s fine. It’s way more exciting. The game is no longer safe and that’s no bad thing. 

And you know what? I haven’t even mentioned the tons of free mods out there for it or had a crack at multiplayer. Right enough talk back to my campaign. 

Huzzah!

Vic 
 

Part one

I spoke about a part one to this article before Knavecon 7 and here it is. Let’s start with the holy grail, the granddaddy, the big cheese, the ayatollah of Rock and rolla!
Diplomacy
Diplomacy or Dip to people who want to sound like they know how to play is the quintessential game of deal making and back stabbing. It’s not IF you’ll be betrayed by your most loyal ally it’s WHEN. you’re no longer a gaming debutante after you play Diplomacy. You’ll remember your first game for life. 
Do onto others before they do onto you. Lesson to learn is when doing onto others just make sure they can never do back onto you again. At least in this game. We can deal with the next game another time 
The term meta game could have been invented for Diplomacy. You may win this game but your card is marked for the next one and the ones after that. Diplomacy is like the black pudding industry. It requires constant fresh blood. At least if you want to win again. 

So how does it all work? Well it’s Very simple. You start the game as one of seven powers (did I mention it’s seven player?) in Europe in 1900. You control three units (either navies or armies) on a map of forty or so locations. All you do is write down a set of orders to move your guys. That’s it. Three orders. Trick is everyone playing does the same SECRETLY so you don’t know what everyone else is up to until all orders are in and the turn happens. Turn happens might better be worded as the results are imposed on you. Yes it’s that simple, but and this is the big but (and I cannot lie) it’s the discussions and deals cut before the orders are submitted that make this game. 
Players can assist each other in attacks against others but remember you can’t trust them. They may SAY they’re going to assist but when it comes to order time they may have lied. May. YOU may have lied. You may have told the truth to lure them into a warm cocoon of friendship. I’m your friend I’m going to help you. Look at the monkey look at the monkey. Sorry about attacking you last turn buddy it was an oversight we can be friends again, Germany hates you. 

I’ve known players to quit games of diplomacy because they become a bit paranoid. They thought everyone else were talking about them. (They were). I’ve seen a lot of underhand behind the scenes work done to gain advantage in a game (I may or may not have done some of this myself). The game gives you back what you put in and it’s all about the players. 
More so than every other game there are no friends just greasy rungs on your ladder. This game is a hard lesson in life (some people are still bitching about being “educated” by me some twenty years later). This is a game that should be taught in school. Once a year for your entire educational career and then well after that too. This is the tai chai of gaming and if you haven’t played this game you really need to get your socks on and try it. Not everyone will like it. Not everyone will get it. But those who do will look at things in a different way. Your so called friends, your job, the world around you, your weak weak self. 
There are umpteen resources out there to play this game. Don’t bother against AIs except to learn. Face to face. Online. Email. You can play it by smoke signals I’m sure. I’ve hosted many many fine games of diplomacy (I even won a game once). Have a Google. Talk to me. I’ll get you in a game. It’s worth the effort. It’s life changing 
I’m Victor Gannon, this is Diplomacy and you need to play this game before you die
Huzzah!
Vic 

Through the ages is a great, great game. The new version “Through the Ages a New story of Civilization” is greater greater game. It’s a refined version of the original. Short version of review. 
TTA is an interesting beast. A civilization builder without a map. It might be more accurate to describe it as an economy builder with the ability to throw a spanner in other player’s works. Usually at the most inopportune time. Don’t worry there’s also AMPLE opportunity to hoist yourself on your own petard. TTA is a hard mistress.  

It’s also a very clever game. There’s several elements to it. A grab for cards that appear on the conveyor belt of history. A juggling of resources to improve your lot and a constant struggle to stay, if not ahead then close enough to everyone else militarily so you don’t get ganked. Repeatedly. 
Like all resource games you never have enough of everything and you have to just do your best with what you have and plan well ahead. There’s no one route to victory. Get big and rich and the others will plunder you. Get ahead technically and the others will plunder you. Get ahead militarily and go out there and plunder others like a good Christian. Military on its own just doesn’t work btw. Some will disagree. As the ages roll by it takes cash money to keep up with the latest tech and sticking all your cash into weapons will leave you with spears and bows against tanks and aircraft. But listen you’re not dumb you figured that yourself. Like all good games it’s a balancing act, making the best worse choices. Working with limited resources. Making do. I’ve started to see parallels between this and Twilight Struggle but this game is two to four players which is sweet. Not by any means the same type of game but similar Ban Ki-moon headaches. 

Say one thing for TTA it demands repeat plays to learn how the cards flow. There are four ages. All the cards in the decks will appear (pretty much) although someone else may snatch them up before you and begrudgery is a key skill. There are certain cards that you really really need like improved mining and agriculture oh and science. The problem is so does everyone else so it’s a scramble. Despite limited cards it’s rarely luck that loses you a game. Someone grabbing the iron before you is not the end of the world something better will appear. Make sure you jump on it this time. 
Again like a lot of games of this sort you really need to play people of your own skill level to get the most out of it unless you want to improve. In which case play against a shark and get a paddling but learn from it. 
Despite what some people contend it is a Long game. You want to budget four hours for it and be thankful if you get out Early. There’s no early wins it always to the biter end. 

In case you haven’t gathered. I really love this game. I rate it up there with Twilight Struggle. It’s harsh, it’s unforgiving but it a joy to play. The new version is like a tweaked version of the original, gone are a lot of the minor (and major) niggles from the first one. The whole thing just looks and works beautifully and It really shouldn’t work. A 4x game missing at least one x. It absolutely and utterly does work. It’s a wonderful game. You need to play this game if you haven’t already and if you’ve played the old version you need to try out the new one and soon
Huzzah!
Vic 

Got to play Multiplayer last night for the first time and was summarily handed my Keister (sign here and here) by an online gaming chum, not once but twice.  I offer no excuses

So what’s Multiplayer like?  It’s excellent.  If you’ve played Total War before you’re in familiar territory.  I played as dwarfs and came close to winning the first time against vampire counts.  I was hammered soundly by Bretonians.  Yes Brets. The multiplayer battles allow up to 3v3 with six races in there.  Empire, Dwarf, Bretonians, Chaos, Vampire Counts and Green skins.

I was impressed with the graphics engine.  I dialed the detail all the way up and it was still as smooth as silk.  The game looks gorgeous.

I think they have the versus battles down pat.  It captures the spirit of Warhammer really well but is still very much Total War.

Campaign

Now the multiplayer campaign is a different matter.  it IS only two players but can be played versus or co-op. Also Brets aren’t in there for campaign. I would have liked more players but it’s OK we can do our campaign map outside the game and do our battles online (I have a plan)….

Right, that’s your lot, back to work

Huzzah!

Vic

Well that’s a first. I logged onto steam late last night and my friends (steam friends) were all playing the same game, Warhammer Total War. 
It’s been a long time coming. Yes there’s been modded versions of the various TWs but this is the first official one and it’s very welcome
Let’s cut this short. Is it any good? Yes. Should I buy it? Yes. 
The game comes with four factions (dwarf, human, vampire counts, greenskins) and a fifth (chaos) if you buy it preorder or within the first week of launch. 

Interestingly dwarfs are easiest to win a campaign with (if the difficulty setting is to be believed). I tried these first. The lack of cavalry was weird having played TW in the past. 
I need to qualify this review. I only got a couple of hours in last night and it was only launched yesterday. The developers did a sterling job getting it back on the rails. The multiplayer servers were over subscribed to and it all went down but was back up again quickly. So as of yesterday evening everything was humming along nicely. Since I moved to a fibre area words cannot describe my Joy as the 10gb game downloaded in 15 mins. (I celebrated by texting my buddy who lives in a broadband black zone but he didn’t share in my joy) 

Graphically the game is a treat. Like all TWs you can dial the detail up to stubble on the chin level if you have the horsepower to run it or down to stockmen on bland backgrounds. The shine on the brasses and armor looks the business. Animations look great. The big units leap in like Sauron and knock everyone flying. Heavy weapons knock troops like nine pins. Troops move “right”. All of it looks just as you (well me) expected these units to move. 
Now I have to qualify this which I will soon but multiplayer campaigns seems to only allow two players which was disappointing. I was envisaging eight player month long campaigns but that ok. I have a backup plan to run that part outside the game. 
You can play one off battles against each other and AIs as normal 
The economy is much simplified but there is a good tech tree and the campaign map is dramatically realized perfectly for the source material
Needs more play which it will get. Check out http://www.cdkeys.com. I picked it up for €36.69 rather than the iron price of €60 from steam
More soon 
Huzzah!
Vic 

Xcom has been around for over 20 years. Probably 30. They’ve been pretty successful when you think about it as there haven’t been any alien incursions to my knowledge in that time. Nobody has been probed since the 70s so job well done all around. 

Xcom 2 arrived a few months back on the PC and I was hesitant to buy it. Surely I had done my bit for world security but like always just when I thought I was out they pulled me right back In

The new Xcom (which the board game is based on) was a good reboot. The enemy within was a much better version. It felt like an Xcom 1.5 and was far superior to its predecessor. Xcom 2 is good but it doesn’t feel like a new game it feels like a very well improved version of the enemy within. A 1.8 if you will. That’s ok. It’s still a really good game and worth your hard earned to buy it

A few things have changed and some extras have been added. The story is a big one. This is set 30 years after the events of the last Xcom and the aliens rule earth all friendly like the lizards from V. They’re bad but they control things now and they have a sinister plan. 

You play the commander of a rag tag group of rebels trying to raise support and stop the aliens. It’s a new slant (if you discount Xcom apocalypse) and it works really well. You feel like a proper rebel when you play, constantly scraping resources together to achieve your goals, always waiting for the hammer to fall and always the underdog. The theme is strong
Gone are the mini games of shooting down enemy UFOs. Instead you react to situations as they occur you take on missions and gather resources. Gone is the globe map, you now start in North Africa and try and take more of the risk style map by completing missions. Getting more support means more precious resources. Time is the enemy here. I’m not going go give the plot away but as time progresses the aliens deploy bigger and nastier aliens to stop you. 

The earth is a different place, the collaborating humans now act as a security force with the exotic aliens hiding in the background to maintain a veneer of normality for the hoi polloi. Gone are the weak aliens. They’ve all been working out for the last thirty years and all of them are dangerous. The sectoids you encounter early on are way way tougher than before and sport nasty psi abilities as well as plasma weapons. You spend a lot of time saying “what the <expletive> is that?” When you first encounter new aliens and reuse the expletives again and again when they run roughshod over you in double quick time. The battles are considerably tougher than previous xcoms and you will not progress without multiple returns to earlier saves mid battle. Play this game hardcore and I wish you the best getting even a few missions done. 

There’s a number of extra features in there I like. You start with your squad concealed and a vital tactic is to slip into a good position first (Kelly’s heroes style) before the shooting starts. The stealth mechanic is welcome but I would have liked to see more. I can’t see a way of completing a mission stealthily. It’s guns blazing every time.  

Weapons can be customized by scavenged add ons dropped by killed aliens. Wounded operatives can be carried to safety. The new aliens are all interesting and a there’s a nice bit of strategy required to defeat them. Taking out certain ones that support others first is key. Missions often see you up against a deadline so there’s no hanging about. Sometimes there is. Some missions are snatch and grabs, some are straight out firefights. To be honest you’ve seen most of these before and more variety would have been nice, but it’s still all good 

Battles are much the same as before. The tactics and weapons will be familiar. Almost too familiar. This is why it feels like Xcom 1.8 rather than 2.0. 

The graphics are really good if a little laggy on higher settings which surprised me. This is more to do with coding than complexity. 
The game is VERY compelling. It’s got the Xcom just one more turn thing switched on to max. It’s hard. You do not want to lose your experienced operatives but it happens. It’s a much tougher challenge than its predecessor and that’s just fine. It is above all a fun fun game to play. 

I haven’t touched on multiplayer but I will 
For now I recommend it and I’m sure the price is going to tumble in time so keep and eye out

Great game well worth a play

Huzzah!
Vic 

I can’t say I’ve read all the Terry Pratchert books but I’m not far off. He was brilliant and the worlds he created were sublime. Ankh Morpork is a fairly simple area control secret mission game set in the titular city which reeks theme and features lovely artwork and good solid production values. 
Each player starts with a lord secretly picked that dictates your win condition. There’s only a few and those are things like, have control of four areas, have some of your dudes in seven locations or spread trouble to x amount of areas. 
The city map is split into a dozen or so locations each with a build cost and a special ability card for the one (and only) who builds there. There’s considerable difference in property prices and money is always short in this game.  

There’s a nice trouble mechanic. A black cube pops into existence when someone enters a location. Evidently nobody in the Disk world gets on with anyone else. It takes cards and effort to get rid of these trouble cubes so you can build there (unless of course your mission is to spread trouble)
The game is straightforward once you learn the icons on the cards. It’s a racetrack type game insofar as you need to learn the cards or have players at your level of stupid to best appreciate the game. All the myriad of characters from the books are in there in card form and act pretty much as you would expect them to. Cards have an icon or icons at the top which allow you to add some of your dudes to a location, bump off someone else’s, remove trouble, build, gain that all important gold or do something else as described on the card. It’s a fast game to learn as a lot of the rules are written on the cards. 

Is it any good? Yes it’s a fun game. Is it really good? Nope. Not as games go but it does have a lot of charm if you’re a Pratchert fan. It’s good for younger players too. Would I recommend getting it? Sure. It’s a good buy but it’s expensive for what it is and like the Great man himself it’s out of print. If you’re a die hard Pratchert fan this is a must or you’ll be cutting your own throat.
Good game, good fun, magnificent theme. 
Huzzah!
Vic 

Roll enough dice and they will all average out. All Great in theory until you roll a one and your opponent rolls a twelve and the difference is how many Damage points you take off your 11 point hull… Xia is a dice rolling fest. It’s unforgiving. If you fall behind its going to be a struggle to catch up. You get picked on when you’re down. You get bad rolls but mostly you make bad decisions and you have no one to blame but yourself (and everyone else). 
Xia is multiplayer elite in board game form. You set off to gain fame (because I assume you want to live forever) and the first to a predetermined score wins. You gain points in a number of ways, trading, exploring, completing missions, rescuing stranded players, killing others, completing missions and rolling a natural 20. So it’s a race

The map is made up of an ever expanding set of hexes each with a dozen or so spaces. The sectors contain planets of varying types, asteroid fields, Jump gates and bloody big lethal stars. As you get to the edge of hexes you flip another one over and reveal it so every game map will be different. You spend most of your time trying to get points whilst occasionally trying to ruin everyone else’s day. Let’s be honest this is the most fun part and unlike a number of other race type games getting up in someone else’s business is the order of the day if you draw and assassination or theft card. 
The game is just like (insert Hollywood star), very well put together. The coins are metal and without doubt the best money in any game ever, the ships are prepainted (in the finest sweatshops) the artwork is good, the pieces are solid. It all oozes qualify. 

There’s a magnificent vibe to the game. It’s a joy to play. It’s like a Mercedes of games. There’s issues true but none that can’t be fixed easily with a bit of common sense and maybe a house rule or two. It’s pricey but you can see the production costs when you crack it open. Is it worth the cost? Honestly no there’s a lot of really good premium games out there at a little less than this. This is more like an expensive wine. It’s a treat. It’s an indulgence. But you know what? I really like it because well, I’m all posh and that
Huzzah!
Vic 

We’ve added two new groups for your pleasure to our Facebook Presence

Knavecon Buy and Sell

A place where you can buy, sell and trade your old boardgames/card games/minis/stuff.

Knavecon Online Gamers

A register of Knavecon players and their online handles and a place to hang out with other Knaves from the comfort of your own keyboard

Get out there, spread the word

Huzzah!

Vic