Tabletop board games on Android

I have been an Android (smart phone) user for about two years. As a vivid board gamer, it is nice to see how more and more tabletop board games are (professionally) ported into the Android platform.

There is a useful blog over at BoardGameGeek, covering news and posting reviews of Android/iOS board game apps (board games ported from the tabletop world). It's found here: iOS Board Games (despite the name of the blog, it covers the Android platform)

I have so far bought and installed three board game apps:

Carcasonne
An official version of Carcasonne, created by Exozet Games. The app is very true to the original board game. It features one expansion - The River II. Highly recommended if one cannot get enough of this classic. Would be nice if more expansions were added in the future though - would make it more challenging.

Hey, that's my fish!
Also a classic board game, this time from Fantasy Flight Games. Fun, quick and very good looking implementation.

Elder Sign: Omens
An Android implementation of the tabletop board game Elder Sign, also from Fantasy Flight Games. Basically the same game as its tabletop cousin, with very few exceptions (from what I have read; have not played the tabletop version myself, although I would like to).

The future of tabletop board games coming to the Android platform lokks bright. One title that is very welcome, and that is already available on iOS, is Neuroshima Hex. From what I can tell, it will hit the Android Market really soon, hopefully during January 2012. And then we have Victory Point Games. They have some really great tabletop board games (many solitaire titles), and with their entry into the Android development and one title released so far, I'm hoping for more, especially a release of one of their States of Siege(TM) titles.

Save the Princess - Lego game created on the fly together with daughter!

Save the Princess - click to enlarge!

Me and my eldest daughter (5.5 years) created a cooperative Lego game a few days ago. We named it Save the Princess, and it was all about saving a princess from a bunch of bad monsters!

We created a board consisting of areas. In one end there was a castle (with a princess), and in the other end, monsters were spawned. And for each turn, those monster moved one area closer to the castle. Me and my daughter had one hero each, which we moved around and fought the monsters so that they ran away, i.e. protecting the castle and the princess. If a monster would reach the castle, the game would end in a failure for the heroes.

We used this simple turn sequence:

1) Spawn new monsters. We draw small colored Lego pieces from an opaque cup. If the color just drawn, matched a color indicator in a 'monster spawn area', we put a new monster there. If no match, no new monster entered play that turn.

2) Heroes move/fight. We moved our heroes. Up to one area for my (slower) hero, and up to two areas for my daughter's (faster) hero. If a hero ended up in an area with a monster, a fight was initiated. My hero fought with a D8 (a little stronger), and my daughter's hero with a D6 (a little weaker). As the initiators of the fight, a D4 was added in their favor. Monster always fought with a D8. Highest total sum of all dice on each side (heroes vs. monsters) won the fight. If the monster(s) won, the hero(s) backed two steps towards the castle (shortest path). If the hero(es) won, the monster(s) ran away and was out of the game.

3) Monsters move/fight. All monster moved one area towards the castle (shortest path). If a monster ended up in the same area as a hero, a fight was initiated by the monster, meaning the monster would get the extra D4 die.

We ran the game until all monsters on the board had ran away, and there were no new monsters to spawn. Took about twenty minutes. It was a lot fun! Bothing building the board and play!

I will tweak the rules a little bit for the next game round. Make a little bit harder. Make the monsters win the fights more often. It was a little bit too easy during this first play-through.

Miniature terrain: Two abandoned cars (15mm modern/sci-fi)

Final result!

I have created my first piece of miniature terrain! Two abandoned cars, crashed upon a small hill of rocks. The terrain piece is intended for 15mm figures, and the setting would be modern or sci-fi.

The scenery is built on top of an old CD. The hill is created by spackling paste, and surrounded by sand. Then some fake grass (whatever it is called in English!). And of course, the two cars, that I stole (with permission) from my youngest daughter's (3,5 years) toy collection! I asked her if I could use them for a project of mine, and she said okay. I also told her that I have to break them, permanently attach them to a CD and then paint them, and she said okay. I said thanks! Very understanding girl!  ;-)

Final result - another angle!

I had great fun creating this piece of terrain, and it will certainly not be the last one I create. Now I just need MANY more, and also some fantasy themed pieces as well...

Before undercoating and painting.

Board game Tournament 2011 [ended]

I have ran a board game mini-tournament with one of my friends during the year. It ended yesterday. I lost.


15 wins for him, only 9 for me.


Since I lost, I had to buy a board game for him (of my choice). I bought Call of the Cthulhu: The Card Game (an LCG) from Fantasy Flight Games. We had discussed that game for a long time, so we are both interesting in trying it out.


The last 10 games rounds in our tournament, was Warhammer: Invasion - my current favorite board/card game! I really like the idea of the LCG concept.


It was fun running this tournament, and I'm pretty sure we start a new one for 2012. It makes the gaming a little bit more tense and nail-biting!

DungeonMorph Dice

Finally, they have arrived in Sweden - the DungeonMorph Dice!

One set - five dice.

Very cool! I'm really happy with how they turned out. Now I have to figure out in what contexts/projects to use them. So far, I have these ideas:

1) First and foremost, I will use them in a writing exercise I started up a few weeks back. It is a solitaire roleplaying project, where I use the Story Engine Plus Editon as the roleplaying ruleset, together with the Mythic Game Master Emulator. I bought a small (A5 sized) notebook, and I'm actually playing/writing by hand! (Feels great being analogue for once!) In the last pages of the notebook, I have glued photo copies of the Mythic GME tables, and I will glue some Story Engine references too. With this notebook, I can play whereever I want - like at the bus, in the bed just before closing my eyes for sleep etc. I will write more about this project (and show photos of the notebook and how I organized it) in later posts. Anyway, the story I write/play is a fantasy story, so the DungeonMorph Dice will be perfect for creating dungeons that my PCs will explore as a part of their adventure!

2) Song of Gold and Darkness - an expansion to Song of Blades and Heroes (SBH). Not an expansion I own, yet, but it looks interesting. It covers dungeon adventuring, using the SBH rules. I thought I might use the DungeonMorph Dice for creating the dungeon.

3) Create a dungeon crawler game, and use the dice for randomly create the dungeon layout. There are tons of dungeon crawler games out there already, but I have never made one of my own. So perhaps, it has become my turn to contribute in this genre with a tiny game, with simple character characteristics, quick game play, easy rules etc. Nothing serious really, just for fun!

Figure painting: Three rangers

Completed three 15mm figures today: Rangers with sword and bow

I'm no expert painter (as the picture reveals), but the result is good enough for me.

The figures are Chariot Miniatures, bought from Magister Militum (product number: FHM1).

These will be used primary for Song of Blades and Heroes. With these three newly painted figures, I have in total seven humans 15mm figures painted. A few more to paint, for variety, then I have enough for the human warband.

SBH-SOLO [Project update #7]

Okay, so here it is, the first "stable" release of SBH-SOLO (downloadable zip file, containing pdf files, from Google docs):

SBH-SOLO.zip

It is not perfect. I know it isn't. But it is playable. And I find it enjoyable (of course, my biased opinion).

If you want to play Song of Blades and Heroes but have no live opponent for the moment, have no other solitaire rulesets at hand - give SBH-SOLO a try! Any comments/questions/complaints are MORE than welcome! Any feedback is appreciated, really!

I will not stop developing it, this is just the first drop. I have many ideas for its future.

The zip file will also be uploaded to the Song of Blades and Heroes Yahoo group, and possible to the Song of Blades and Heroes BoardGameGeek entry.

SBH-SOLO [Project update #6]

End of November. End of Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month.
Working with my solitaire plugin (SBH-SOLO) for Song of Blades and Heroes has been great fun, and I almost finished it before deadline, which is today!

All rules are there, but more play-testing is still needed. However, it has reached such status, that I have put it into v1.00. It is downloadable from Google docs here: SBH-SOLO-v1.00.zip

(I don't recommend anyone to try it out yet, I will need to run through it a couple of more times. Some rules are still untested, like the updated formula for calculating the number of activation dice the automated enemy will use. I will upload a new, more "stable", version of SBH-SOLO soon, hopefully within a week.)

This project has been quite exhaustive, so after it has finsihed for real, I will need to relax by doing some miniature painting or similar! But I have had a great time being a part of the tabletop solitaire community for this November, especially by reading all other solitaire player's adventures! Really got inspired by all that reading!

My High Elf deck for Warhammer: Invasion

Have played four games of Warhammer: Invasion, and I must say I love the game!

I was sceptic in a previous post, where I complained about a so-so written rule book, a big errata and an even bigger FAQ. I have changed my mind. The game plays smooth, and we just had to pause a few times for looking up rule clarifications in the rulebook/errata/FAQ. We had a great fun playing, and would even call this game one of the best card/board games I have in my entire collection. It is that fun! And a very nail-biting game!

In the first two plays we used pre-compiled decks, but for the last two plays, we constructed our own decks. I went for a High Elf deck, with some elements of the Empire. My opponent went for a Darks Elfs deck, with quite large mix of Chaos elements. My opponent won the first game, and I the second. It was real fun constructing the deck, even though I just have the core game, plus two expansions (Assault on Ulthuan and The Burning of Derricksburg). Will buy more expansion though.

Below is a presentation of my High Elf deck. It is probably a weak deck since I am a newbie in this game, and don't have many expansions. I will tweak it further, and remove a few cards so I land at 50 cards.


Capital: High Elf
Total deck size: 53 cards
Number of High Elfs cards: 32 (~60%)
Number of Empire cards: 14 (~26%)
Number of Neutral cards: 7 (~14%)

High Elfs Units
Sword Masters of Hoeth (x3)
Shadow Warrior (x3)
Initiate of Saphery (x3)
Lelansi (x3)
Archmage of Saphery
Silver Helm Brigade
Caradryan
Illyriel
High Elf Spearmen (x3)

Empire Units
Nuln Tinkerers
Sigmar's Blessed
Gold Wizard Acolyte (x2)
Reiksguard Knights
Gryphon Legionnaire
Pistoliers
Free Company
Pleasant Milita

High Elfs Supports
Blessing of Isha
Dragon Mage Wakening (x2)
The Glittering Tower

Empire Supports
Battle Standard

Neutral Supports
Alliance (Empire - High Elf)
Contested Fortress
Contested Villiage
Contested Stronghold

High Elf Tactics
"Do You Know Who I am?"
Gift for Life (x2)
High Elf's Disdain (x2)
Greater Heal
Radiant Gaze
Tear of Isha

Empire Tactics
Forced March (x2)
Surrender!

Neutral Tactics
Innovation (x2)
Boar Attack

High Elf Quests
Defend Tor Aendris

Empire Quests
Defend the Border

Backed the "D-Day Dice" Kickstarter project today!

Yep, today I went in as a backer of the Kickstarter project for the upcoming board game D-Day Dice. You'll find the Kickstarter page here. And the BGG entry here. (For all solitaire gamers out there, this is a 1-4 [base game] player game, which is a big advantage.)

D-Day Dice started as a print-and-play game. I wanted to give it a try for a long time, but never took the time to do so. But I was lucky, I didn't have to waste my printer ink and time in assemble the game, because it was picked up by an established publisher (Valley Games) and a Kickstarter project was started to finance the production of the game.

First I was disappointed though, since the international shipping was $50. I have bought a lot of games from North America throughout the years, but never at this shipping rate. Usually shipping is around $35. So, I was actually not going to support the project... until...

...more and more extra stuff was added into the project. Stuff that every backer will receive when the game is shipped in March 2012. Everything from special dice, extra cards etc, and even a nice-looking bag for carrying the game! And even more stuff might be added, depending on new total pledge levels the game reaches. It has already reached the number one most funded board game in the Kickstarter history!

So, go pledge, and more stuff will be included in the total package!

SBH-SOLO [Project update #5]

Just a quick update of my SBH-SOLO project.

Here's the latest version (downloadable zip file from Google Docs): SBH-SOLO-v0.25.zip

Comparing to v0.20, the changes are not radical, but rather many few tweaks here and there, both in the rules and in the MicroAIs. There are still unfinished parts in the rules document.

Still one week remains of the Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month, and I will use it for play-testing. My hope is to have the first "sharp" version (1.0?) ready by the end of the month.

Figure painting: Four mounted rangers

Have just finished painting and basing four 15mm figures, each representing a human firing a bow from a horse-back. Have not done much figure painting in my life, so I'm pleased with the result.

The figures are Chariot Miniatures, bought from Magister Militum (product number: FHM2).

Obtained roughly 50 figures (all 15mm) from Magister Militum - humans and orcs/goblins. Will paint them and use them primary for Song of Blades and Heroes.

SBH-SOLO [Project update #4]

The SBH-SOLO project is coming along quite nicely!

I have reached a point were I'm satisfied with the bones of the rules document, as well as the supporting documents (e.g. the document containing all the MicroAIs).

SBH-SOLO is now in version 0.20, and is downloadable via this Google docs link: SBH-SOLO-v0.20.zip

What I will do for the rest of the remaining two weeks of the Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month, is pure play-testing. The rules will probably change a lot when I really start playing, and the MicroAIs will for sure need tweaking.

I have already got some valuable input/suggestions from Aleksandar (http://battreps.blogspot.com/), how to make SBH-SOLO better - thank you! =)

SBH-SOLO [Project update #3]

Hi there!

Time for a short update of my SBH-SOLO project. I have not reached as far as I hoped this week, but still, I have made progress. Here are three (Google docs) links to the latest status of the project:

SBH-SOLO-Rules-v0.1.pdf
sbh-solo-microais-draft.pdf
microais_definitions-draft.pdf

The SBH-SOLO-Rules-v0.1.pdf is the main document, describing the mechanics of SBH-SOLO. It has the near-final layout, but is not finsished, even though a good part of the text is in there. Still need a few days to get all text in there.

The sbh-solo-microais-draft.pdf contains a number of pre-defined MicroAIs. This document is just a draft, so the layout is not set. I have changed the format of the MicroAIs a bit, comparing to my previous blog entry. New keywords, keywords on a higher level, sort of. The MicroAIs are not that detailed anymore, they are a little bit more open-ended.

The microais_definitions-draft.pdf document contains (so far very incomplete) instructions how to read the details of a MicroAI. This information will be transfered to the rules document soon.

Still two and a half week left of November, and I think I'm keeping my time plan fairly well. My goal is to have something playable at the end of November, and the documents (rules, MicroAIs, player aids etc) ready (but as early versions).

Note: I don't encourage, or even recommend, anyone to try SBH-SOLO yet. A lot of vital information is still missing in the above documents, it is still in my head! ;-)  I just wanted to post something, so that you know that the project is ongoing.

SBH-SOLO [Project update #2]

Okay, time to talk about the inner concepts of SBH-SOLO - my solitaire project for Song of Blades and Heroes.

Note: The models controlled by the SBH-SOLO rules, i.e. the player's opponent/enemy, are hereafter referred to as the ENEMY.

The central part of SBH-SOLO is something I call MicroAIs (where AI = Artificial Intelligence). Each of the ENEMY models are given a MicroAI at start of a game. There are a number of MicroAIs to choose from, and it is easy to create new, unique ones. One could say that a MicroAI is a super-tiny little mini-brain, that brings an ENEMY model into life, although a very limited life.

A MicroAI consists of Conditions and Routines, and those together form a flow of logic. A Routine is an action that the ENEMY model performs if a certain Condition is fulfilled. The MicroAIs should be kept simple and not too long, just a few Conditions and Routines, so that game play is not slowed down too much.

MicroAIs can be of general nature, that suites many models. But there can also be MicroAIs that are more specialized, having prerequisites. For example, special rule 'Mounted' is required by the model, otherwise that specific MicroAI cannot be used.

At game start, each enemy model is assigned to one MicroAI each. The player chooses, paying attention to prerequisites and the nature of the MicroAIs. Same MicroAI may be used by several of the ENEMY models. Obviously, models using the same MicroAI will behave according to the same pattern, but since they will not start in the exact same spot on the board, they will start with different Conditions fulfilled, and therefore (probably) act different.

Besides the individual MicroAIs assigned to one and each of the ENEMY models, there are also MicroAIs called Pre-Default and Post-Default. They are used to catch obvious actions, that is, actions that a player most likely always want to do with a model if it's activated, e.g. raise a model if it is fallen.

Each ENEMY turn, there will be mechanics to nominate the next model, and then determine how many D6 to roll. I have not worked out those details yet, just been using random while play testing. Then, when an ENEMY model has rolled the dice and got more than one successful activation, these MicroAIs are processed:

Pre-Default --> Model's own --> Post-Default

Click the picture to the left, to see an example of what those MicroAIs could look like. Note: These are just examples. The exact phrasings are not set. 

In the LOGIC part, you'll see Conditions marked with "IF" or "ELSE", and Routines marked with a star ("*"). If ambiguity ever arises, the rules of SBH always have precedence. In second place, player's best judgement.

I have so far created seven different MicroAIs. A few regular, a few for models with special rule 'Shooter', some for 'Mounted' etc.

Next steps: (1) More play testing of the entire basic concept. Identify the big flaws. (2) Fine-tuning of the MicroAIs written to date. (3) Write a few new MicroAIs. (4) Create mechanics for nominating ENEMY models, and determine how many dice to roll. (5) etc

SBH-SOLO [Project update #1]

SBH-SOLO = Song of Blades and Heroes Solitaire

In other words, SBH-SOLO is the official name of the project that I have undertaken for this November as a part of the Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month, mentioned in an earlier post this week. I am about to create some kind of solitaire rules for the miniature skirmish wargame Song of Blades and Heroes.

This is the first post, showing the progress of the project. Not much details in this post. More details of the basic concept/idea/mechanics behind the solitaire rules will follow tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

Anyway, here's a photo showing early play-testing. I don't even have "real" miniatures (have ordered online, not yet received), so I'm playing with small wooden cubes. Since my goal is play-testing and developing of the solitaire rules, this setup is good enough.

Fury in P500 at GMT Games

One of my all-time favourite two-player boardgames are Manoeuvre from GMT Games. It is a fast-playing wargame of the 19th century battlefield. I have mentioned it in an earlier post, that the Manoeuvre designer, Jeff Horger, is working on a fantasy version, based on Manoeuvre. I'm excited!

GMT Games has put it up for P500 pre-ordering at $45 (USD). So far 78 orders. Since I love Manoeuvre, I'm pretty sure that I will put in an order within a few days (just need to convince my wallet!). This is game I don't want to miss.

There is actually one thing about Manoeuvre that I'm not so fond of, and that are the map boards. The art/design of those are extremely dull. The box, the counters, the cards and the rule book, all have nice and good-looking art. But the map boards, they are really uninspiring and plain boring. I really hope GMT Games invest in a full makeover of those boards for Fury. Nevertheless, Fury will be a great game, I am sure! =)

Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month is here!

It is dark. It is rainly. It is cold. It is a typical November in Sweden.

And it is the Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month!

By an initiative by JF of the SoloNexus blog, this is an event dedicated to solitaire tabletop gaming. Any project related to solitaire tabletop gaming seems to be welcome, so I will join the force of solitaire gamers and contribute with the following project:

A solitaire plugin module for the fantasy skirmish minitaure wargame Song of Blades and Heroes. In other words, my goal this month is to create a set of rules, that (on a VERY basic level) mimics a human player, and could be used as an automated opponent when playing this game solitaire.

I will most likely not have a finished product by the end of the month, but my hope is to have something playable. A draft. I will continuously update this blog with the progress, and in the end of the month, the result.

Warhammer Invasion rushed to the market?

Bought the card game Warhammer Invasion a while back, but have not got the chance to sit down and try it. Two days ago I decided to read through the rules and learn it, so I could play it with a friend the upcoming weekend.

The reading started off quite good and I felt that I had a grip on most of the rules. Yesterday evening I figurered that I should set up the game on the table and try it out solo, just once before running it "live" with my friend. Then the bad feelings started to pop up...

While playing solo, I needed a few rule clarifications, so I went to BoardGameGeek and browsed through the game's rules forum for the answers. Hundreds of questions. Not a good sign. Then I went to Fantasy Flight Games' site and downloaded the official FAQ and errata document... then I went into shock... 18 pages of corrections and questions! Almost as many pages as in the rule book itself!

Okay, I will not give up on the game. I will plow through the FAQ/errata, together with some user-created turn sequence summaries that look nice. But I must say, I get the feeling that this game was rushed into release. I mean, so many questions, and so many printing errors. Okay, it is a big game, many hundreds of cards, so a certain amount errors is of course inevitable, but I do think this was in the upper edge...

A board for Song of Blades and Heroes

Have spent two evenings in creating a simple board for the miniature wargame Song of Blades and Heroes. Went amok with my water color on a large white paper, and created an abstract painting that could resemble (with quite a bit of imagination) some kind of grassy nature area. I attached the painting onto a piece of cardboard and then covered it all in transparent film (normally used for protecting books).

I made the board 60x60 cm, so that it is suiteable for 15 mm miniatures.

Speaking of miniatures... I have no 15 mm miniatures... To start with, I will just use small wooden markers or similar, to test the rule system. Then I will buy a few warbands from either Pendraken Miniatures or Magister Militum.

Shadow Era

Shadow Era is a pretty new digital Trading Card Game, available on many platforms, e.g. Android (which I use), iPhone, web (which I use), as downloadable/standalone game etc. It is similar to Magic the Gathering in play, maybe a little simplier (from what I have heard, have not played Magic myself).

You buy cards, construct your deck(s), play and win so called Shadow Crystals and Gold (so that you can buy even more cards) and so on. You don't have to buy cards with real-world dollars, but you could. And if you do, those cards are still cheap, comparing to physical products.

Nice graphics, smooth/quick gameplay, plenty of cards, ongoing development with more cards added regularly, possibility to play versus AI or real players, and best of all, you can play the game on the run, in your smartphone! I have been looking for such kind of game for a while to pop up on the Android Market, and now it is here!

Very nice game that I will continue to explore! Highly recommended if you like TCGs!

Song of Blades and Heroes

Bought Song of Blades and Heroes today - a set of rules for fantasy skirmish miniature wargaming. About 35 pages of easy-to-learn rules to be used with any kind of miniatures, e.g. paper miniatures, Lego figures etc. Will download or draw paper miniatures for a few races and try this out.

Need to try this on my own first, maybe develop a simple set of solitaire rules, so it will be easier to play on my own. Then try this with my gaming friends.

I have a half-painted Warhammer Fantasy Battle Chaos army deeply buried somewhere on the attic. I love the game, but I hate to paint. Or actually, I like to paint those miniatures, but I cannot spend the required time in doing so. Pity of course, since I really want to play the game, or at least some kind of miniature wargame. So that is why I started to look around for an alternative to Warhammer, and found Song of Blades and Heroes. Simple, quick and cheap!

Rory's Story Cubes

Got these beauties today - Rory's Story Cubes!

Throw the dice and create a story based on the objects/actions shown on the dice. Can't wait to use them in my various (solo) RPG projects, for general story writing and together with my children.

There are two sets of nine dice available - the basic set with nine dice of objects, and the expansion with nine dice of actions.

Legends of Anglerre

Ordered Legends of Anglerre yesterday -- a fantasy RPG using the FATE engine.

I really like the FATE engine, and its way of using descriptive Aspects, how the game deals with FATE points and, of course, the FUDGE dice!

I have read some really good reviews of this game (e.g. this one over at rpg.net), so I'm very anxious about it.

DungeonMorph Dice

I stumbled over this post: Last Call: DungeonMorph Dice over at the Risus Monkey blog.

The DungeonMorph Dice is a set of five dice with a unique dungeon design on each side. These can be used to randomly create dungeons, useful in e.g. fantasy RPGs.

The DungeonMorph Dice is funded via a Kickstarter project. I couldn't resist backing up this project! =)  I pledged for the $20 level (a full set of five dice), but might raise to the $40 level (to get two sets; one with dungeon design and one cavern design). The project will end on Sunday May 22 6:00 PM EDT, so I have to make up my mind before that.

First piece of artwork for my Borås 2045 project finished

My project called Borås 2045 is starting to shape up. I have both been writing on the actual story (built up by solo role-playing using Mythic GME and FU RPG), but also produced the first piece of artwork that I will use for the project:



Borås, year of 2045. A soldier of the invading force, using a classic
Kalashnikov (slightly modernized version; mainly the munition). Apparently,
the air is unhealthy.


I used a mix of pencil and water color to produce the picture. And of course, some digital editing using Photoshop Elements in the end.

My hope is to publish the project within a few weeks. Need to finish a few more pieces of artwork and the first posts of the actual story.

Board game Tournament 2011

I'm running a board game mini-tournament with my most frequent gaming buddy. We play various board games throughout the year, and each win is equal to one point.

The one with most points at the end of the year, will be 2011's grand winner! The loser buys a board game (of the loser's choice) to the winner!

So far, after 13 board game "matches", starting from January 2011, up until now, the score is as follows:

Me: 5 points
My opponent: 8 points

Looking fairly okay for me. Still plenty of time to catch up.

We have mostly been playing Smallworld, Race For the Galaxy and Manouvre, but other games will most likely be a part of the competition before end of the year.

Manoeuvre

Played an exciting game of Manoeuvre (from GMT Games) last night. I lost. But the game was really intense, and ended in a fairly even Nightfall Victory in the favour of my gaming buddy (he = 10 points; me = 7 points).

Manoeuvre is a game that I highly recommend. Probably one of the best two-player games I own.

The designer, Jeff Horger, is currently working on an expension, which includes new armies: Japanese, Chinese, Swedish and Indian

Really looking forward to that expansion, especially the Swedish army, since that is my country! =)

And there is even a fantasy adaption of Manoeuvre coming out, called Fury. Work in progress, by the same designer. Have to read more about this game before (pre-)ordering.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

Pre-ordered The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for my Nintendo 3DS the other day. Will be available in Sweden in middle of June.

When it arrive, it will be my second 3DS game. I'm currently playing the one (3DS specific) game I own, and that is Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars.

While Ghost Recon is not a bad game, I expected more (or something else), since it is developed by the same desinger once developed the original X-Com games, and Ghost Recon was supposed remind on X-Com. And yes, there are similarites; both are turn-based, you command a small team of soldiers, you can equip them (to a limited degree in Ghost Recon) before the missions etc. However, the problem with Ghost Recon, is that it follows a strict story, and each mission looks the same, basically. And there is no research, manufacturing, selling of atrifacts etc at all in Ghost Recon. All that fun, that built the great series of X-Com.

Mythic GME + FU RPG Quick Reference Guide (v1.0)

Have created a Mythic GME + FU RPG Quick Reference Guide (v1.0) that summarizes how I use the Mythic GME to solitaire play the FU RPG.

The guide is downloadade here (pdf):

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BxE4uLoo4hZFOTI5NWQ1ZWUtYzM5YS00ZDNmLWE3MjYtZWE1ZDM2MmEyZTI0&hl=en

I really like how light and easy FU RPG is, and how well it fits the Mythic GME.

Currently, I use them to produce a role-played story (which I mentioned in a previous blogpost: Borås 2045). I'm in the first scene so far, and it is soon to be published. Just need to do a blog banner and some other art before I'm ready to launch it.

Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month -- should I join or not?

Official logo of the Solo Tabletop
Gaming Appreciation Month.

I'm thinking of commiting myself to the Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month (initiative by Solo Nexus) which will set off in November 2011.

The idea is that you undertake some kind of solo tabletop related project during this month. Since solo gaming is something I do a lot, this shouldn't be a problem. However, if I join, I want to do something special, not just a regular play-through of a random solitaire game (which I regularly do anyway).

So far, I have come up with these candidates for a potential project:

* Re-learn the solitaire board-/wargame Fields of Fire by GMT Games, using the new version of the rules (second edition). I currently own the first edition, and have spent a numerous number of hours learning the game to a degree that I was able to play through the first couple of WWII missions. However, the (first edition) rulebook was lacking a lot of details, so while playing, I had to do a lot of forum posting/searching, reading FAQs, go through examples etc. That took away much of the fun/tempo of the game -- a game that certainly has a huge potential. Now, a second edition rulebook has been released, and perhaps I should go for it, and give the game a new try.

* DVG (Dan Verssen Games) is a little game company that makes excellent games, especially solitaire boardgames. One is called Field Commander: Napoleon -- the third game in the Field Commander series (the first two are Rommel and Alexander). The game is a solitaire board-/wargame, where you take the role as Napoleon. I have it on pre-order, since it is not available yet. But it has just recently been sent to the printer, and is expected to return in 12 weeks, plus a few weeks for shipping (so it should hit my desk well before November). Playing through a big campaign and write a nice/special/beautiful AAR (After Action Report) could be a perfect project for the Appreciation Month.

* Another DVG title named Phantom Leader is one of my absolute favourite solitaire board games. A Vietnam air war simulator. I'm thinking that I might run through the biggest campaign and write an innovative AAR (don't what it would look like though, just brainstorming).

* Use the Mythic GME together with some standard RPG (e.g. Call of Cthulhu or FU RPG), and run through a solo role-playing adventure. Have to think about this...

* Read the Strands of Fate rulebook (own the softcover version, but haven't read it yet), and make it work with the Mythic GME for the purpose of solo role-playing. Have to figure out a clever way of dealing with FATE Points etc, in a solo environment.

I need to think about these candidates for a few days or weeks. Perhaps I will join the November solo fun! =)

Option Eliminate

Option Eliminate is my latest musical production. It is a song that probably falls into the ambient genre. The song is soft and slow (and basically instrumental, except for a short speech).

The song is downloadable here: Option Eliminate

I'm exclusively using Propellerhead's Reason (v5.0.1) and Record (v1.5.1). Everything I need, is availabe in these two programs (that actually melt together into one program if both are running at the same time). They contain synthesizers, audio recording support, effects (ranging from regular reverbs, delays, phasers etc, to Line6 POD effects for guitar and bass), drum machines, mixers, sampler, loop players, compressors, mastering tools, and much much more. The coolest thing is that you connect any and all of these devices using virtual cables, in any way you like. By doing that, an unlimited number of amazing sounds and effects may be created.

And best of all - the programs are extremely stable (never had a crash) and very efficient (low on system resources). One reason could be that VSTs are not supported, which I think is good (many others are of opposite opinion). No configuration or compability hassle, just pure joy! =)

Demonic Lyric Generator

Demonic Lyric Generator -
example of card 13

This was a two-weeks project that I made for my colleague/friend. I was invited to a party of his, where he was displaying his newly built home recording musical studio. I wanted to give him something handmade, more or less useful, with a BIG touch of humor. This resulted in the so called Demonic Lyric Generator - a song lyric randomizer using a deck of cards, with a demonic theme.

The Demonic Lyric Generator (version 1.1) consists of 42 unique cards, where each card contains five words, and a set of instructions. The idea is that the user of the Demonic Lyric Generator, will use this deck of cards to randomly produce a song lyric (or at least a part of it) by drawing cards from the deck and following the given instructions. Useful if one is dearth of ideas!

Of course, the result might end up extremely weird and close to unreadable nonsense, but from time to time, surprisingly cool sentenses pops out of the generator.

I did a couple water color paintings (demonic kind of theme, with pentagrams and reddish colors), scanned these, and finalized all cards in Adobe Photoshop Elements. Then I sent them to a regular online photo developer, and got all cards developed on thick paper. After cutting them, I put one front card together with one backside card in standard-sized card sleeve.

Version 1.1 of the Demonic Lyric Generator is available for free download here: demonic_lyric_generator_v1.1.zip  (contains all cards and a pdf document describing how to use the product)

Borås 2045

I have just started to write on a blog-based fictional story about my home town. The town's name is Borås, and the name of the story is Borås 2045, indicating the year in which the story sets off. A doomed, wasted and wartorned future. Only a few survivors left of the native population, hiding, trying to survive the superior force occupying their land, nuclear plant meltdowns, extensive pollution and inhuman life-threatening beings.

The story will be written in classic manner (i.e. story transferred from head to keyboard, and then published), but also using role-playing elements to come up scenes, characters and events. The Mythic Game Master Emulator* will be used for that purpose, in combination with a RPG (haven't yet found a suitable, easy and generic/universal candidate, but are thinking about Strands of Fate or FU RPG).

Unfortunately, the story will be written exclusively in Swedish (my native language, and therefore the language where I have the best possibilities of expressing myself). Even though not yet activated, the blog address is reserved and will be available soon at http://boras2045.blogspot.com/.

* The Mythic Game Master Emulator is a product that enables you to run (basically) any standard tabletop RPG without a game master, which means you can even run solo. Mythic replaces the game master, so to speak. I will most likely come back to this very clever product in later posts.

First post

Hi there,
and welcome to my blog - Mono Desire!

What you will find in this blog, are articles covering my interests. No personal or emotional garbage. Unfortunately, my interests are quite many, but time is limited. This blog is an attempt to keep myself focused on a limited number of hobby related projects at any given moment.

What you will see in this blog, are board gaming related articles (not only about playing board games, which is a big hobby of mine, but also board game design), tabletop role-playing game posts (experimenting playing solo adventures, as well as playing simple scenarios with my young daughters), electric guitar playing and music production stories (using my home recording studio, based on Propellerhead's Reason and Record recording software), drawing and painting fiasco attempts (preferably using water color), video game articles (mainly Nintendo DS/3DS/Wii, because these are the platforms where I currently play games), writing related stories (where I talk foolishly about my fiction writing failures), photography posts (showing what I like to do with my SLR camera), programming articles (since I, occasionally, enjoy writing Java code in my spare time, even though my full-time employment circles around programming), comic book reports (of my slow progress of reading, mostly comic books), and more.

Have a nice stay!