The Drowned Earth | Fortified Niche playtest!

One of the most persistent images of humanity past its fall involves flooded cities that have been reclaimed by the jungle. So if the only thing that that formula was missing was dinosaurs, then The Drowned Earth has you covered. It’s a dynamic skirmish miniature wargame where your hero might just be riding a dino.

Listen to the Fortified Niche episode.

Continue reading “The Drowned Earth | Fortified Niche playtest!”

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin demo review | Fancy sword and magical board

I was there when Kirby slew Warhammer Fantasy. I may not have been in the room when it was all decided, but I was mad when Brettonia died off screen and I was online when points were eliminated. It was heartbreaking to see an old and flavorful setting be replaced with Sigmarines fighting Khorne Blood-blooders forever. Age of Sigmar (the game) and Mortal Realms (the setting) have changed much since then – and my opinion hasn’t remained inflexible. With that said, what did I take away from playing Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin demo? 

Continue reading “Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin demo review | Fancy sword and magical board”

Unity of Command 2: Kursk DLC | Review in 7 Screenshots

The years, they don’t stop coming – and neither do Unity of Command 2 DLCs. At about 176 hours in, I was graced with the Kursk DLC. This baby is huge, featuring campaigns for both Nazis and Soviets in 1943 (and maybe even 1944), And you know what? Unity of Command 2: Kursk DLC is the best one yet.

Continue reading “Unity of Command 2: Kursk DLC | Review in 7 Screenshots”

Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance demo | Argh, my brainworms

On a normal day, I’m very dismissive of movie-franchise games. However, Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance comes from Slitherine, so it can’t be that bad. I even got the demo sent my way in advance. And soon, I broke my brain in half.

Continue reading “Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance demo | Argh, my brainworms”

A War Transformed | Fortified Niche playtest!

World War I is, inarguably, one of the most pointless and disastrous wars in human history. But what if it got worse, with the Moon breaking apart, bringing back old gods and their blood-soaked magic into the field? What if the Great Powers still clung to their trenches even in the face of – and themselves enthusiastically deploying – supernatural monsters? Then the result would be something akin to A War Transformed, a World War I miniature wargame by Frederick Silburn-Slater, published by Osprey!

Listen to the Fortified Niche episode.

Continue reading “A War Transformed | Fortified Niche playtest!”

Starfield guide: frictionless game design

You probably don’t need another Starfield review. But the myriad things that drag the game down still need discussing. I need to vent all that frustration, mostly with all the game design choices that make the game frictionless. And what do I mean by that? For the purpose of this post, friction is “obstacles that require skill and adaptation from the player.” As Starfield stands right now, the only player trait you need is tolerance of checklists.

Continue reading “Starfield guide: frictionless game design”

Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe | Fortified Niche playtest!

After strong recommendations and a bit of wait, the pod finally got its grubby mitts on Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe. Seeing how I have long wished to see reasonable amounts of plate-armored men-at-arms on a table, a late medieval ruleset for small battles and large skirmishes was just the thing.

Listen to the Fortified Niche episode.

Continue reading “Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe | Fortified Niche playtest!”

The Doomed | Fortified Niche playtest!

Once someone spilled the beans that miniature wargames could be played in a cooperative capacity, it was like an opening of a flood gate. Or so it seems from our podcaster ivory tower. In any case, there’s no denying that The Doomed, a post-apocalyptic game of hunting monsters, features quite a bit of cooperation… if you care for that!

Listen to the Fortified Niche episode.

Continue reading “The Doomed | Fortified Niche playtest!”

What a Tanker! | Fortified Niche playtest!

What if your favorite online multiplayer tank game was a miniature game? Fortunately, that’s the precisely the future in which we live in. You can finally have a use for the miniatures from the Gale Force 9 World of Tanks game with What a Tanker! from TooFatLardies!

Continue reading “What a Tanker! | Fortified Niche playtest!”

Your strategy game map campaign is bad

Phantom Brigade and Company of Heroes 3 are two very different games. The former is a turn-based-simultaneous-resolution tactics game about mechs, the latter a base-building WW2 RTS. However, they both feature map campaigns that suffer awfully from lack of variety. We’re fighting boring, repetitive battles against supposedly distinctive enemy formations that all feel the same. These shortcomings do not encourage sticking with it to the end. They’re not, however, unsalvageable. With some elbow grease, we could make them work.

Continue reading “Your strategy game map campaign is bad”