If you missed our May Game Day at Miniature Market Retail Superstore – Cave Springs, well, you just missed out on some superb gaming that was drawing the eye of many of those shopping and passing by our tables.
We started off in the not so friendly European skies in 1939 as the brave members of the Polish Air Force did their best to turn the tide against the Luftwaffe onslaught in a game by John Nozka. Not too many details on this one as it was a run through for the upcoming Barracks Battles @ DieCon 2024 and will be on the table in Collinsville, IL in just a couple of weeks. So beyond this sneak peak opportunity, you just have to wait.
Next we moved to the steaming landscape of The 1800s Era Belgian Congo in a scenario by Dave Schaffner who treated us all to his impeccable terrain and presentation that had many coming from the nearby GeekWay Convention simply amazed at the detail.
It was Force Publique, Arab Slavers and Native contingents all in the fray, keeping the players engaged in the intricate story as it unfolded during the scenario.
Next we had our Special Treat as Steve Kling of The Historical Game Company presented and play tested his upcoming title “The Road from DisUnion”. This strategic level board game of the American Civil War was a serious hit with our miniature gaming community that had a chance to sample the its play making Big Muddy Historical Gaming Alliance – St. Louis one of just three play test groups from across the countryat this point in the game’s development.
The game plays very quickly, is exceptionally easy to learn, yet offers some serious challenges for the players on both sides as they balance the need to attack their opponent but protect their rear areas with the limited resources they have available. The small sized footprint of the board and components will make it an ideal game for an evening with friends or a travel game to take along with you. Look for this to be available this coming Autumn from The Historical Game Company https://www.thgcpublishing.com and in the mean time be sure to check out their other titles available. BoardGame Geek link https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419065/road-from-disunion-the-american-civil-war
A look at the second game of “Road From DisUnion”. With new players taking command to test their mettle on the fields of honor…..
All in all a great day of gaming and special Thanks to our gracious hosts, Miniature Market Retail Superstore – Cave Springs.
Thanks for the invite to playtest the Road from Disunion, a strategic dice rolling game of conquest covering the American Civil War. The Rebel players did better than expected and Kevin left Washington D.C. vulnerable which was captured by the Rebels and helped secure an ultimate Rebel victory (barely) due to the Union lack of victory points despite capturing the required minimum of 4 of the 6 key locations (Charleston, Richmond, Atlanta and Nashville- and not holding Memphis or New Orleans, if memory serves me). In all fairness, though Kevin lost Washington D. C., he had a substitute player for the last half of the Union side of the game so should not suffer all the loss of glory. The victory points for Washington D. C. would have made the difference though. The Rebel ironclads proved less of a defensive problem for port attacks than anticipated and I may tweak that a bit. Most of them- the Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas and even the Missouri made it on the game board at various times. I came away happy with the interplay of the event cards and difficulty of the various locations to conquer though Washington D. C., Columbus and Chicago may get a tweak. It was also interesting to see different strategies used by the different players and how those worked- or didn’t. Thanks to Patrick for some wording suggestions and art tweaks for the major objective locations. Overall, very helpful insights from all the players. I should get feedback from some playtesters in New York and Tennessee and then will make the final changes before production and manufacture of the engraved dice. A good time Sunday for sure!
Steve,
Had a Grand Time play-testing your soon to be released game. It was an absolute Hoot sweating out the dice rolls and trying to devise a strategy to come out on top or at least not be entirely embarrassed. Great game which was very easy to pick up and easy to play. Winning of course was something rather elusive, but nevertheless we will be back in fighting trim and hopefully some better dice rolls.