More pics from the #WargameBootcamp at #PaciificonGameeXpo over the long Labor Day weekend.

@zeotter ran A Most Fearful Sacrifice as a participation game across the con. Folks could learn while playing for as long as they wanted. The activation system allowed folks to play small chunks of the game at a time.

Karl taught Prelude to Rebellion by #CompassGames on Saturday.

He also taught Strike Counterstrike (GTS series) by MMP on Sunday.

#hexesforever #boardgames #wargames

2/3 I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with #boardgames published by #compassgames.
Prelude to Revolution has a number of issues:
1. The graphical design has some weaknesses. There are a lot of “organization” counters, that look too similar. In addition the transparent blue plastic cubes are hard to discern. This smacks of a lack of physical component testing.
2. Play balance. This is hard to understand. The developer has released a balance variant. Why was this not caught in playtesting?

Saturday #boardgames at Gameology Pasadena with the #SoCalWargamers
With John visiting we had enough for the planned game of Border Reivers while Steve and I did a 2-player #boardgame
Prelude to Revolution by #compassgames is a CDG on the politics of Russia from 1905 to 1917. Steve played the Government while I was the Revolutionaries. This was my 4th play and it is further clear that this game is biased towards the Government. So much so the developer has now created a balancing variant.
1/3

Just arrived 2040 An American Insurgency #boardgame published by #compassgames
It’s a 2-player CDG with rebels v. the federals in the future USA. The two scenarios have the rebels as the rural mid-west & south or as the coastal urban populace. Red cards are rebels, blue for federals. Familiarity with CDGs or Twilight Struggle #boardgames would make the players feel comfortable.
It’s interesting the designer has taken a generic rebels v government political position. That’s probably wise.

My 2nd play of Prelude to Revolution by #CompassGames. This time I was the Government versus Revolutionary Charles. We played all the way through to February 1917 when the Tsar abducted and the people soon revolted despite the Provisional Government being formed. The loyal troops were more numerous despite the people being rather revolutionary. That sealed the win for me. We had fun and learned valuable lessons in the balance of the Duma and the districts.
2/3

1st play last night of Prelude to Revolution #boardgame by #compassgames
Mark played the Government, I played the other bad guys 😬
The cards were essentially unknown so we dove in and played with little real idea of how it would go. We soon gained supporters, organized Soviets or Unions while gleefully kicking each other out of the Duma at every opportunity. Russia joining the Great War and forced me to bring in Rasputin to foil the gradual increase in the Tsar’s prestige.
#boardgames
1/2

Just arrived from #compassgames
Prelude to Revolution, a 2-player CDG #boardgame on the politics of Russia in the run up to the Revolution. Lots of cards, d6 and custom dice, counters, a mounted mapboard, and a whole bunch of transparent plastic cubes.

#warforamerica #compassgames #disappointment Played 59 hours total and decided to put it away until totally new rulebook will come over (or I will rewrite it myself). We had a nice time with it, but today we had so many rules problems and strange design decisions - I just can't stand it. Away away.

A wide variety of #boardgame demos, teaching sessions, and designer seminars at the today's #SDHISTCON Spring Preparations online game con.
#GMTGames #CompassGames #RBMStudios #boardgames

During weekend we had game of #AttritionofSouls from #CompassGames . I previously thought about selling it, because I already have #LampsAreGoingOut , but I changed my mind and it will be staying in my collection.

I really like the production, quick resolution of battles and a fact, that you can play whole WW1 pretty quickly. It also has simple rules (although rules for movement could be little bit irrational).

Result of the game we played was pretty bad for me, because my wife playing Entente took Berlin in turn four or five, which led to my surrender.🏳

Better luck next time.

#LampsAreGoingOut from #CompassGames . Attrition took a tool on us and we didn't managed to finish it. In spite of that, my impressions are mostly positive. It really captures limited resources and connectedness of various fronts. It also captures well the fell of trench warfare. My minor complaints are, that some information is missing from the player aids and it is a long game.

Can anyone compare it to other strategic WW1 titles like Imperial Tide, Paths of Glory, Downfall of Empires etc.?

I managed to sneak in another game - #HeartsandMinds from #CompassGames . IMHO it is a great design. It has beautiful map. And I think that it manages to capture the essence of the Vietnam war really well. VC ambushes, US mobility and a lot more.
Rules are easy to teach and it plays fast. I have seen the Ken Burns documentary and lot of events from it are on the cards, so if you are interested, you can also learn something from the history.

One question remains. Should I buy #FireInTheLake ?🤔

Finished #Granada from #CompassGames. I had pretty big expectations, since I am a huge fan of #Sekigahara. In the end my feelings are mixed. I am not sure if additional complexity adds more fun. Although it is a really beautiful game, I have some reservations about components. Stacking is harder due to the shape of the blocks. Altough cards have beatiful ilustrations, they could be more legible and made of better cardstock.