Shrapnel Games Blog

Well, here we are. My very first “blog” attempt, and I seem to be suffering from writer’s block! Seriously,…people who know me know I’m rarely at a loss for words, and writing is really no exception.

I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Curt Pangracs, and I am the designer of Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War, published last August 15th by the wonderful folks at Shrapnel. I retired from the US Army in April of 2003 after serving as a combat medic in numerous roles from Armor to Mech Infantry to Cav, and even a prison! Not as an inmate, but running a 24 hour clinic in the Army’s max security prison at Fort Leavenworth. Gives you a new appreciation for freedom, believe me!

I attended the Origins gaming convention in July of last year, and I had the distinct and unforgettable pleasure of meeting Tim and Annette Brooks, Richard and Mindi Arneson, Todd Gillissie of Space Horse fame, and two guys from Sweden or the Netherlands or Norway,…some really cold place that doesn’t have many women! (Just kidding Johan and Kris!). They built Dominions II: The Ascension Wars, and boy, do they know how to knock back a few beverages,…barely! Last, but not least, I met Pat Proctor. We had been dealing with each other by phone and email for the better part of a year, so I felt I had known him for quite awhile, and I think he felt the same. Even as we showed ATF and Raging Tiger at the convention, wheels were turning in both of our heads for the next game I would work on.

At the risk of upsetting Tim or Pat, I think this is the PERFECT venue to make an initial announcement of my next game. Towards the end of Origins, I pitched an idea to Pat about how I would love to use ATF to create a game about the numerous Arab/Israeli conflicts over the years, and how these battles would fit well in the scheme of the ATF engine, especially with all of the new capabilities Pat was planning for the game engine. We slipped easily through the preliminaries, and The Star and the Crescent: The Arab/Israeli Wars 1956 to 2009 was born,…even BEFORE Raging Tiger hit the shrinkwrapping!

Without getting too in-depth, I will say that this game is looking VERY nice, with better looking maps and some very smooth engine and graphics changes. The game will offer a variety of units throughout 50 years of armored combat in the embattled region, with an emphasis on the Yom Kippur or “October” war of 1973. I’ll let Pat add detail if he desires, but my attempt in building this game is to be faithful to many of the weapons of the periods as well as the many challenges the Israeli military has faced (and continues to face) surrounded by enemies for its entire existence, and give the player a chance to fight some of the same battles, on the exact same terrain, as some of the greatest Israeli commanders in history.

I have been interested in this period ever since I created an exercise for the School for Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) here at Fort Leavenworth in the winter of 2003. It was my second project working directly for LTC Hamlet, an instructor there. In researching the period, I quickly realized that concrete ORBATS and TO&E’s are almost non-existent, and vary from source to source. I have always tried to provide the very best for anyone I’m working for, so I threw myself into my research. LTC Hamlet, in no small measure, is responsible for this game being made, and I can only hope I can create something that would make him proud. I also hope that this game will please period aficionados and tactical wargamers alike.

Keep an eye out on the Shrapnel Forums and Warfare HQ for more information as the game gets closer to completion, as well as a call for beta testing. I am confident this game will provide the pickiest and most discriminating wargamer hours of enjoyment, and, as always, the scenario editor and the power toolkit will keep this game fresh and exciting for years to come.

In my next installment, I’ll stress the importance of saving your work and making backups,…GRRRRRRRR! Until then, stay alert – stay alive!

Curt Pangracs
Designer
Raging Tiger