Episode 23

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Man Battlestations

episode23

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Greetings! In Episode 23 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and Andy discuss the big news about Warcradle purchasing US, DW, and FSA from the dearly departed Spartan Games. Next, they dig into the first ever MBS Faction Showcase, which is dedicated to the Fortune Hunters from DeepWars, by Antimatter Games. In the second segment Greg and Andy review the Naval Command ruleset, from Rory Crabb games.

Fortune Hunters Faction Showcase: 54 Min

Naval Command Review: 1 Hr 21 Min

 

==Links Discussed in Show==

The Fortune Hunters

Naval Command Rules

Warcradle Studios
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Thoughts on DW Flashpoint Campaign Maps

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Ruckdog
Thoughts on DW Flashpoint Campaign Maps

One of the neatest new additions to the DW 2.5 book is the Flashpoint Campaign system. As the book describes it, this system provides a framework for conducting an expansive map-based campaign that will allow players to gain and lose territory, and which forces players to consider matters of supply and logistics. The campaign section of the rulebook also makes numerous references to materials that were to be provided in the future through the Spartan website, including other campaign maps and secret mission briefings for the various participants. Unfortunately, none of these materials made it out the door before Spartan shut down, so that means that we players will need to get a bit creative in order to actually run a campaign with the Flashpoint system. This post will examine one of those aspects that players will need to make on their own; the campaign map.

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Ruckdog’s Report Episode 1

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Man Battlestations

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As discussed in Episode 22 of the MBS Podcast, Ruckdog’s Report has been spun off from the main show to allow for expanded discussion! Join Ruckdog for the first episode of the newly independent Ruckdog’s Report, as he discusses gaming spaces.
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Area Bombardment in DW 2.5

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Ruckdog
Area Bombardment in DW 2.5

For the next post in my series on DW 2.5 mechanics, I’m going to address something that I’ve seen some folks have confusion about: Area Bombardment. This firing option is somewhat unusual across the ORBATs, and as a result it isn’t used as often by most players. I suspect that, in turn, leads to a lack of familiarity with the rules governing this potentially very potent attack option. Heck, this is a rule that I messed up during my first game of 2.5! So, lets dig in…

756440_md-Dystopian Wars, Spartan Games

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Posted in Dystopian Wars | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

MBS Newsletter #38

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Ruckdog
MBS Newsletter #38

Greetings!

Before we get into the usual routine with the newsletter, I have to address The Big News from the last month or so: The closure of Spartan Games. This came as shock for many (including myself), and has been a big topic of discussion. The main discussion thread on the MBS forums is here:

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=1733.0

I also wrote my own detailed thoughts on the MBS blog:

The Sinking of Spartan Games

This has been a saddening and disappointing development for the entire wargaming community, and has also seen a lot of effort by fans all over the Internet to document the rules and other downloadable content that Spartan carried on their website. There have also been quite a few new members joining the MBS forums as a result; welcome to all of our newcomers!

And with that, we are back to the regularly scheduled newsletter. Since the last newsletter, Episode 22 of the MBS podcast has gone live!

Episode 22

In this episode, Greg and I start off with a discussion of the pros and cons of the movement systems used in various naval games. Later, we discuss a recent trend in miniature gaming, where companies release linked ground and naval games.

Also, don’t forget to stop by and vote in the monthly poll, which is discussing the utility of card-only expansions for miniatures games:

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=1763.0

There have been a lot of new files added to the resources threads that are stickied at the top of the sub-forums for the varous Spartan Games. If you have any files (official or unofficial) that you would like to uploaded, feel free to post them or email them to me (ruckdog@manbattlestations.com).

In the Video Games section, there has been some discussion about the new Battlestar Galactica video game:

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=1760.0

FALL CAMPAIGNS

There has been some discussion about starting some on-line campaigns for the various Spartan systems this fall. There is a discussion thread about it in the General Discussions forums, so if you are interested in participating and/or helping to organize one of the campaigns, stop on by!

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=1729.0

That will do it for this month’s newsletter. Until next time!

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Episode 22

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Man Battlestations

episode22

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Greetings! In Episode 22 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and Andy start off with a discussion of the pros and cons of the movement systems used in various naval games. Later, they discuss a recent trend in miniature gaming, where companies release linked ground and naval games.

Naval Mechanics: Movement: 49 Min

Linked Naval/Ground Gamest: 1 Hr 30 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 2 Hr 6 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

Litko AeroSystems

Star Trek Attack Wing Card Expansions

Star Wars Armada Wave 7
Checkout the Latest Episode of the MBS Podcast!

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Carriers in DW 2.5

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Ruckdog
Carriers in DW 2.5

This post is going to be the first in what is intended to be a series; now that we’ve had the DW 2.5 rules in our hands for a couple of months, I wanted to go back and take a closer look at some of the elements of the rules that have changed from DW 2.0, and ponder the effects those changes may have on the game. This first is all about carriers! More specifically, I’m going to be looking at the changes made to both the carrier rules and the SAS/SAW rules.

04 Landlubber Couronne

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Posted in Dystopian Wars | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Sinking of Spartan Games

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Ruckdog
The Sinking of Spartan Games

As most of you reading this are probably aware of by now, Spartan Games announced last Friday (25 August 2017) that the company would be immediately ceasing operations. If you haven’t yet, it’s worthwhile taking a look at the company’s official statement (link is to the MBS forums, since I don’t know how long the official Spartan website will remain active). It’s taken a couple of days for me to work out my feelings and sort out my thoughts on this event, and I feel it’s past time for me to address it here on the MBS blog. I’m going to talk about my reaction to this event briefly, but what I’d really like to do with this post is talk about the road ahead and where we go from here, both generally and for me personally.

3DO1FmF

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Posted in Dystopian Wars, State of the Game | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

MBS Newsletter #37

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Ruckdog
MBS Newsletter #37

Hello once again fellow Naval Gamers!

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Have you listened to Ep. 21 of the MBS podcast yet? This month,Greg and I discuss some of their favorite book series where naval combat plays a central role. Later, we take a look at the most popular naval miniatures scales for historical minis and the pros and cons of each.

Episode 21

In the forums, the monthly forum poll is up! How important is it to have a land game that ties into your naval game? Come by and vote to let us know!

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=1694.0

There has been some big news lately; the Kickstarter for Spartan’s Firestorm Armada is in full swing, Firestorm Strike Force has been announced, and Starfleet Battles comes to Shapeways!

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=4.0

For all of you out there who also play World of Warships, be sure to come by and let us know what you think of the new Royal Navy battleships that are finally almost here!

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=42.0

Vtmobius and I have been hard at work down in the shipyard, so stop by and check out some of our latest WIP models:

http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=9.0

Until next month!

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Episode 21

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Man Battlestations

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Greetings! In Episode 21 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and Andy discuss some of their favorite book series where naval combat plays a central role. Later, they take a look at the most popular naval miniatures scales for historical minis and the pros and cons of each. major changes that have been made in the 2.5 edition of Dystopian Wars. Then, Andy discusses his experiences at Historicon 2017 in this month’s Ruckdogs Report!

Naval Reading: 13 min

Naval Miniatures: 1 Hr 12 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 1 Hr 54 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

Honor Harrington

Star Carrier

Horatio Hornblower

The Destroyermen

GHQ Models

Topside Minis

Panzershiffe

 
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