:strip_icc()/pic1586153.jpg)
-----Family/Strategy Games
• A Game of Thrones (second edition) (Giochi Uniti)
• Goa (Asterion Press)
• Legends of Andor (Giochi Uniti)
• Mondo (DV Giochi)
• Ora et Labora (Uplay.it)
• Seasons (Asterion Press)
• Sheepland (Cranio Creations)
• Takenoko (Asterion Press)
• Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Cranio Creations)
• Village (Uplay.it)
-----Children's Games
• Acchiappamostri (Red Glove)
• Caccia al fantasma (Clementoni)
• Dobble (Asterion Press)
• Geistesblitz 2.0 (Giochi Uniti)
These game will be demonstrated – with three tables devoted to each game – during PLAY: The Game Festival, held April 6-7, 2013. Ludoteca Ideale will also be present at other Italian gaming events and conventions during the year.
•••
/pic1586133.jpg)
Several tournaments will be held, including ones for Carcassonne, 7 Wonders, Dominion, Settlers of Catan, A Game of Thrones: The Card Game LCG, Warhammer: Invasion LCG, Dust Tactics, Android: Netrunner LCG, Risk and Combat Commander. PLAY will also host the first round of Italy's Twilight Struggle championship. The finals will take place September 13-14, 2013 during the Asterion Gaming Days, a special event focusing on titles from this publisher, with the winner (and the runner-up) being offered a weekend in New York or Moscow.
People interested in more news related to this convention can sign up for updates on the PLAY Facebook page.
•••
/pic1590974.png)
Inspired by the acclaimed Wings of Glory system, Sails of Glory features assembled and painted ship models that are ready to play out of the box, and a game system designed to accurately represent battles at sea between the large sailing ships of the past centuries. The first series of Sails of Glory is set in the Napoleonic Age, an iconic period for naval wargaming. The initial release, scheduled for August 2013, will consist of the Sails of Glory starter set – an all-in-one starting point to begin playing, including four fully painted and assembled ships – and twelve additional ship packs, some of which are named in this preview post from March 4, 2013 on the Ares Games website. (A second preview post from March 6 covers how to plan and execute movement of the ships.)
I've been able to acquire a preview copy of Sails of Glory – without miniatures as they've yet to be produced – so I hope to be able to write a real preview of the game soon.
•••
/pic1573016.jpg)
Fighting aliens can improve the abilities of an agent; more specifically, during the strategy phase, if at least one alien was killed in the previous round, each agent may try to enhance his rank by rolling three green dice to obtain X icons, with X dependent on the rank to be reached as shown on this table:
:strip_icc()/pic1586136.jpg)
A standard agent starts his career with a GD-Wings rank of Copper, which means that he can count on nothing more than his starting abilities as printed on the Agent Profile Sheet. During the story campaign, each agent may gain a maximum of one GD-Wings rank for each mission. When playing a single, standalone mission on the other hand, there are no limits to rank enhancement; each agent will start the mission with the rank stated in the mission briefing and may reach Platinum GD-Wings status. As he gains ranks, the agent will gain access to advanced powers, which are divided into three categories:
• Basic Tactics & Improved Tactics: Quick aid in battle, represented by minor powers that be used a couple of time for each mission.
• Skills: Greater powers that usually can be used once per round.
• Elite Agent Profile Sheet: When an agent reach the Palladium Rank, he becomes an Elite Agent with more Life Points and – most importantly – a new Armor characterized by the Rechargeable Energy Shield Defense [R.E.S.D.].
In addition to his powers and capabilities, any GD Agent can use technological gadgets in the field because a secret agent without weird devices is like Earth without the Sun – it cannot exist! An agent can use his action phase to activate one of his devices once per mission; the used device will then be returned to the GD Warehouse (the game box), to be available again only if the GD agency sends it back on the battlefield during the reinforcements phase.
The next section includes examples of agent customization. In order to better understand these strategies, we need to briefly explain the different powers. Powers and items can be divided into three categories:
• Standard: The power or item can be used once during the agent turn by spending the Action phase.
• Passive: The power or item is always active and does not require any Action phase.
• Reaction: The power can be activated outside of the agent's turn without needing an Action phase. When used, it will still be turned face-down or discarded.
Powers and items can be tied to a specific class or available for all; to identify the latter, look for the keyword "general", which means that it can be used by any agents, without class restrictions.
/pic1586147.jpg)
/pic1586148.jpg)
We will now peek at two different agents: the Infiltrator (on the left) and the Hulk (on the right); by accurately selecting each power and item during each rank enhancement, the player can build up the perfect agent template for the desired role.
These examples show two different templates for each agent, both based on a Platinum Rank that includes:
• Elite Agent Profile Sheet (B-side of the Agent Profile Sheet)
• 1 Basic Tactic
• 1 Improved Tactic
• 2 Skills
• 3 Devices
All the templates are presented with standard weapons, but keep in mind that each weapon can be upgraded twice by searching for Alien Technology during a mission.
:strip_icc()/pic1586150.jpg)
:strip_icc()/pic1586151.jpg)
The Infiltrator Spy template (on the left) creates the perfect stealth spy, very useful for investigative or search-and-recovery missions. A player with this configuration should try to avoid any direct hostile involvement, attempting to sneak away or kill enemies with the deadly satellite strike.
The Infiltrator Assassin template (on the right) creates a deadly close combat fighter. The assassin can deal a lot of damage to a single target, but at the same time must be careful because the stealth ability will not work while in close combat with an enemy.
:strip_icc()/pic1586152.jpg)
The Hulk Tank template (on the left) creates the perfect defender; his job will be to lure the enemy aggression in order to protect the other members of the GD squad as the Tank does not deliver a lot of damage, but he can stand as a Wall against the alien menace.
The Hulk Smasher template (on the right) creates an impressive damage dealer; the smasher can unleash incredible firepower by using his MG Weapon, discarding ammo to add additional damages.
These templates represent only a few of the combinations that can be created during the game.
:strip_icc()/pic1516670.jpg)
/pic1594427.jpg)
/pic1544756.png)
/pic1483525.jpg)
/pic1591417.jpg)
