Shrapnel Games Blog

Being the end of the year I suppose it’s time to have one of those retrospective/award entries. Don’t worry, the only time you’re going to read the phrase ‘best game year ever’ in the post is just now. In fact, I don’t plan on talking in terms of best/worst because I’m not the kind of person who can ever decide that this one particular thing is my all-time favorite/better than all/kicks the most ass. What I can trade in though is when something puts a grin on my face, makes me want to come back to it, and tell others about it. Basically, what I found cool.

With that in mind here are a bunch of random geeky things from 2007 that fits my criteria…

Cool Digital Game: Call of Duty 4

Sure, you can complain that the linearity is still there, along with the fact that the world essentially revolves around you tripping invisible triggers to push the AI forward, but the action never lets up to dwell on those issues. And unlike the majority of shooters that seem to all lose steam in the last quarter of the game, Infinity Ward always manages to keep the excitement ratcheting up until the credits roll. Bonus points to them for also featuring realistic enemies in a modern shooter, rather than the usual Hollywood leftist b.s. of neo-Nazi militias or the corrupt military-industrial complex.

Cool Role-playing Game: Delta Green d20

It took forever but the reprint of the original Delta Green sourcebook (which had been going for nearly $300) finally hit. If you were one of the lucky few who were smart enough to pick up the original book (I recall always looking at it and thinking I’ll pick it up next time I’m in. It’s not like it’s going away! D’oh!) the only difference is the addition of d20 stat blocks, but for the rest of us we finally get to experience what everyone had been raving about. Intelligent, intriguing, and an enjoyable read even if you never run a Delta Green campaign, Pagan has always been on top of their game when it comes to role-playing supplements, and Delta Green d20 showcases some of their best work.

Cool Miniature Game: Victory at Sea

A beer-and-pretzels naval miniature system based off a starship combat game. This isn’t the kind of game where you spend half your afternoon computing the angle of trajectory of your secondary mounts, but one in which you grab a bucket of dice and look for those lucky sixes. Because of this large scale fleet actions are doable in a single session, and it also works well for folks who may like to sink some ships but aren’t the hardcore naval elite. Basically, it’s a fun little system.

Cool Expansion(s): Battlelore

Days of Wonder promised that there would be a lot of support for Battlelore and they’ve made good on that promise. The expansions keep on coming and considering the limitless bounds of fantasy, could potentially keep on coming for a very long time.

Cool Magazine: Knights of the Dinner Table

Always fresh, always something to look forward to even after all these years, this year Jolly has outdone himself. Great story arcs, and awesome new layouts. What’s really cool is how he can take something mundane that in lesser hands would just fail (oh look, yet another comic having fun with the World of Warcraft phenomenon), and make it highly entertaining and invigorating to both mind and spirit. The man is a genius!

Cool Comic(s): Jungle chick comics

2007 was the year of the jungle babe in comics, with Frank Cho’s Jungle Girl leading the pack. While moving along nicely I have to say I found Shanna: The She Devil a little more interesting overall. Not only did it feature the requisite dinosaurs, it also had mercenaries, gangsters, and Neanderthal nazis in a secret city!

Cool Board Game: Last Night On Earth

They’re coming for you, Barbara! A zombie game done right, unlike the flawed (but still fun…at least for the first hour of six) Zombies!!!. Scales great for multiple players, is scenario and character based, and has great production values. You can read more about it here.

Cool Mod Friendly Game: Scallywag: In the Lair of the Medusa

By far the most mod friendly game of 2007 was Scallywag: In the Lair of the Medusa. Want to make your own hack and slash rogue-like dungeoncrawl but don’t know how to code? If you can wield a text editor and some imaging software you’re on your way to becoming your own virtual Gygax. And hey, look, it’s published by us. Go and download the demo and tinker with it beneath the hood. Modding has never been easier.

So there you have it, a bunch of random stuff that I enjoyed this year. You’ll note that while I talk about general board gaming I didn’t bring up war gaming. Unfortunately this year the traditional wargames that got the most play on our tables didn’t come out this year. We played quite a bit of Combat Commander, A Victory Lost, and Third Reich (new version). There are a couple of late 2007 releases (Asia Engulfed, Queen of the Celts) that haven’t hit the table yet though I’m definitely looking forward to them.