Stately Play

Month: August 2018

Stately Scrying: What we’re playing this weekend

August 31, 2018 David Neumann 17

Alas, another week is ending which means there should be loads of free time to get some gaming in. Unfortunately it’s also a holiday weekend here in the States, which means my game time will be spent not playing games and, instead, doing family things. The horror! Actually, I was supposed to have an overnight gaming holiday with my game group, but that was nixed by the wife and, instead, I’ll be heading up to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan to fish. When I say “fish” I mean put worms on my kids’ hooks and remove fish from said hooks when they get lucky. I rarely get to drop my own line in the water. Could be worse. Have a great weekend and we’ll see you again on Tuesday.

Afghanistan ’11 set to expand with Royal Marine DLC

August 30, 2018 David Neumann 11

iPad, PC • It’s been a while since we’ve talked about Every Single Soldier‘s followup to Vietnam ’65, Afghanistan ’11. I’d like to say it’s because there’s just been so much other content that we haven’t gotten around to it, or there hasn’t been much to talk about regarding the title but neither of those are the real truth. The real reason why I’ve been hesitant to talk about Afghanistan ’11 lies with our resident tank-builder, Alex Connolly. Back in 2017 when he wrote about the game his title contained the best pun every unleashed on any website and I’ve been afraid to follow up and taint his brilliance. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you want more Afghanistan ’11 news), this week ESS announced new DLC coming to Afghanistan ’11, Royal Marines, and it’s coming next week.

Warhammer Quest 2 adds new warriors and goes on the cheap

August 30, 2018 David Neumann 0

iOS Universal, Android • Warhammer Quest 2 arrived as a bit of a problem child, but attention paid to it by its creator, Perchang, since then has turned it into a respectable member of App Store society. That’s a really clunky and sad metaphor, so let me rephrase. Warhammer Quest 2 wasn’t as beloved as the first entry when it arrived, but Perchang has turned it into the belle of the ball via updates and expansion content since then. Still clunky, but I think you get point. Today they added more content to the game in the form of two new warriors which you can buy via IAP. To help offset the price, however, they’ve also discounted the base game so, if you haven’t yet pulled the trigger on WHQ2, now’s a pretty good time.

Speak, friend, and enter. The digital Lord of the Rings LCG has opened its doors

August 28, 2018 David Neumann 9

PC/Mac • It was over 3 years ago, when Asmodee Digital was just revving up, when we overheard Fantasy Flight was working on a digital version of their popular Lord of the Rings Living Card Game (LCG). We also quickly learned we weren’t supposed to overhear such things and let it drop with the hope that an official confirmation would be coming soon. It took them a couple years, but confirmation came in 2017 with the announcement of a new in-house developing arm of FFG, Fantasy Flight Interactive. Today, their first foray into the world of board game (card game?) ports has gone live. You can now pick up an Early Access version of Lord of the Rings LCG for PC/Mac.

Tripflare & Torch: Bae Blades and Human Sacrifice

August 27, 2018 Tof Eklund 0

I shouldn’t have been such a hard case about the Black Death last time, I appear to have attracted the attentions of disease spirits and spent much of last weekend sick in bed. I beheld the Angel of Death and prepared to meet my end… but then it turned out that I was only re-watching Angels in America (the HBO miniseries). It’s really good, by the way – if you haven’t seen it, you really should.

Stately Scrying: What we’re playing this weekend

August 24, 2018 David Neumann 19

I know, I know, it’s been weeks since we’ve posted our supposedly weekly Scrying. It’s definitely not an issue with the writers. They’ve been submitting their scryings through the slot on my door every Friday just as they should. I just keep running out of time and, by the time I find myself in front of my trusty laptop, the weekend is already nearing an end. I vowed to not make the same mistake this week, so I carved out time specifically to make sure the Scrying arrived on Friday night. Jump past the break to see if I made good on my vow.

Another quick roll-and-write has landed on the App Store: Noch Mal!

August 22, 2018 David Neumann 1

iOS Universal, Android • Remember Yahtzee, that dice rolling game you were forced to play with your grandparents because if you didn’t the only other option was helping them weed the garden? Anyone? Okay, maybe it was just me, but I grew up with Yahtzee as a gaming staple, spending long days at my grandparents’ house while they babysat my brother and I all summer. While it’s somewhat poopooed these days, I don’t really hate Yahtzee. Sure, strategy is almost nil, but there’s something about chucking dice and filling out that score sheet that hits me in the feels. Today, game designers are turning that simple roll-and-write mechanism on its head with games like the recently released Ganz Schon Clever. A similar roll-and-move game with complex rules just landed on the App Store and it too has a German title: Noch Mal!

Blizzard reveals plan to get me playing Diablo III again. Put in on Switch

August 20, 2018 David Neumann 9

Switch • While the original Diablo and its much-lauded sequel are two of my favorite digital experiences, I have more of a love/hate relationship with the third installment. I bought it eagerly when it arrived, even taking a day off work to really sink my teeth into it. Within a week or so I was done. While the graphics were great and the mouse-destroying clicking was at the correct level, the ridiculous story, killing of the only character you give a shit about, and lack of any high-level content made it a bust. A couple years later the (only) expansion was released and I reluctantly crawled back in. Again I stopped after going through the new areas and leveling up a new Crusader. Eventually, however, Blizzard stumbled on the Season model where you could start a new character every few months, race to level up, with new and awesome loot to discover on the way. This hooked me pretty good and had me playing for a month or so at a time, then wait until the next season and start again. I had been doing this for quite a while until last winter when I’d had enough. Blizzard must have sensed my apathy and in a successful bid to get me playing again are going to offer Diablo 3 on Switch starting this fall.

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