Champions Clash in 2012

I'll admit it. I'm on a bit of a Warcraft kick right now. I've long been a fan of the original Warcraft computer real-time-strategy games. I recently dug out Warcraft III and have been enjoying the heck out of playing that. I dig the world and lore of Azeroth and the look and feel that Blizzard Entertainment has created for the world of Warcraft.

Thanks to a friend dumping his collection of old Upper Deck World of Warcraft TCG cards on me, I've got a bunch of cards but have never played the TCG. Always thought I might try it, but the opportunity never arose...and frankly, I never put much effort into seeking it out.

I loved the entirely too-shortlived World of Warcraft Miniatures Game (also from Upper Deck). But, sadly the game seemed to be mishandled and died a premature death.

Cryptozoic took over the TCG when Upper Deck lost the license a couple years back, and from all appearances seem to be doing a great job with it. It remains tempting. But, then Cryptozoic announced an all-new World of Warcraft card game for 2012: Clash of Champions, a deck building game. Here's what Cryptozoic says about the game:

World of Warcraft: Clash of Champions takes deck-building games to a whole new level!

Players take on the role of some of the most iconic Heroes of the Warcraft universe, including Thrall, Jaina, King Varian, Garrosh, Sylvanas, and King Magni. When Epic Raid Bosses like Onyxia, Ragnaros, and The Lich King are defeated, your Heroes level up! Each Hero comes with four special cards that are unique to that Hero. When your Hero levels up, you get to add one of these exclusive cards to your deck. Every game plays out differently, and every Hero provides a new, customizable game experience!

Acquire Epic Loot, defeat monsters, and take on Raid Bosses that strike fear into the hearts of mortal men!

Sounds pretty cool to me, actually! Part of what keeps me out of the TCG is the long history the game already has. Here's the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something. The game is supposed to retail for $44.99 but you get a bunch of stuff for the money:

• 423 Game Cards
  • 24 Unique Hero Ability Cards
  • 56 Starting Cards
  • 126 Item Cards (9 each of 14 different cards)
  • 126 Monster Cards (9 each of 14 different cards)
  • 3 Gathering of Legends Cards
  • 9 Epic Boss Cards
  • 32 Boss Loot Cards
  • 20 Poison Cards
  • 26 Randomizer Cards
  • 1 Deleted Stack Card
• 6 Oversized Hero Cards
• 1 Rulebook

I'm definitely going to keep my eye on this one!

Clash of Champions can be played in 30 minutes with 2-4 players. I admit I'm disappointed there is no solo mode, as that would ensure it getting to the table more often. It's due out in early 2012. I believe I heard a February date bandied about, but in the gaming world the release date is the date you actually see it in your local shop!

So, if you're a fan of the Warcraft franchise, or of deck-building games, keep a lookout for World of Warcraft: A Clash of Champions.

Will Mars Attack the Tabletop in 2012?

Topps is looking to bring their Mars Attacks property back in a big way in 2012. It's the 50th Anniversary of the creepily cool trading card series that was the inspiration of the 1996 movie directed by Tim Burton, and Topps wants to celebrate.

According to the press release "major product launches" are planned throughout 2012 and beyond. I, for one, am looking forward to what's coming our way. Already announced are a comic book series from IDW and a new toyline from Mezco.

But, the reason I am mentioning any of this here is the (completely unfounded) hope that Mars Attacks could make it's way to the tabletop in some form. Some may argue that it already has. Unofficially, anyways. Martians!!! from Twilight Creations and Invasion from Outer Space from Flying Frog Productions owe heavily to the original artwork from the trading cards. But, I'm hoping from something new. Something licensed. And, of course, something good (not saying the other games aren't good).

I think Heroclix would be a fantastic fit for Mars Attacks...but, given the history between Topps and Wizkids I don't know if that would happen. But, it could be very cool. A board game could be cool, depending upon the publisher.

All I know is that in 2012 I am going to be reading Mars Attacks comics, collecting a Mars Attacks toyline and wanting to play a Mars Attacks game. I just hope someone in the Topps licensing department is thinking the same thing!

Anyone interested in following the relaunch of this classic property should check out the official Facebook page found right here.

Flying the Unfriendly Skies

First off, allow me to apologize for the sporadic updates lately here at The Rural Gamer. I started working at a local bookstore, and after three years of not work it's taken some time to adjust to the schedule and managing that along with family life, and winding down livestock season here on our little farm. But, I'm striving to keep this place updated and relevant. With that being said...

There seems to be a glut of games coming out between now and the end of the year that I've been really excited about. That, of course, has it's good points and it's bad points. On the good side of things, it's more games! Yea! On the bad side of things, I need to have the money to spend on said games...and there's this little holiday called Christmas that's barreling down on us like a freight train. It can be a dilemma.

However, topping that list is the latest version of Wings of War, now called Wings of Glory. Wings of War, a game of aerial combat set in either WWI or WWII, was originally produced by Italian game company Nexus, and brought to the US market by Fantasy Flight Games. A year or so back the rights reverted back to Nexus, and they formed a new company NG International and distributed their games worldwide themselves. However, that was to be short lived as NG International and Nexus folded earlier this year.

Out of the ashes was born Ares Games. Ares, as I've previously blogged about, bought the rights to produce the War of the Ring boardgame, and then in September they announced they'd be bringing Wings of War back to the market under the new title, Wings of Glory. It was promised the new game would be fully compatible with previously released products.

The Starter Box for Wings of Glory was originally targeted for a November release, which slipped into December and currently the Ares website is listing it as coming out in January. While I can't wait to get the game in my hot little gamer hands, this is not a problem. It puts it past Christmas, which is a good thing financially. Also, I would rather wait for a game produced correctly, than something rushed to market prematurely.

The Starter Box is set in the WWII period, and features 4 planes. On the Allied side we have the Curtis P-40 Warhawk and the Yakovlev Yak-1, and for the Axis powers there are the Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II and the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien. Additional plane models will follow.

(Ares is also currently at work on the World War I version of the game, as well as a naval battle game called Sails of Glory due out in 2012. The initial focus of the game is said to be in the Napoleonic Wars era.)

Of course, one of the biggest obstacles to getting into any new game is finding other people with whom to play. Thankfully, that's where the good folks at the Wings of Glory Aerodrome come in. The Aerodrome is an absolutely fantastic site devoted to Wings of War/Wings of Glory. Through this site you can find other players all around the world. Fortunately for me there seems to be a veritable hotbed of Ohio-based players. So, if you are at all interested in this game, you need to do yourself a favor and check out the Aerodrome. You'll be glad you did.

Look for the Wings of Glory WWII Starter Set in stores in January 2012. You can download the new rulebook on Ares' website here.

There and Back Again

Gaming of all kinds gains inspiration from a variety of sources either directly or indirectly. Perhaps nothing has influenced gaming more than J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga The Lord of the Rings.

The original Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, back in the 1970s, was heavily influenced by Tolkien's fantasy setting. Humans, dwarves, elves, orcs and halflings co-mingling in a fantastical milieu full of magic, dragons and the eternal struggle between good and evil can all be traced to the stories of Tolkien (which in turn had their own influences, but that's neither here nor there right now).

The latest game to be directly spawned out of the stories of Middle Earth is The Lord of the Rings Heroclix by Wizkids. While some may have rolled their eyes at the announcement, I was pretty darn excited by it. You see, back in 2003 Sabretooth Games (a now defunct subsidiary of Games Workshop) released The Lord of the Rings Tradeable Miniatures Game. I was just starting to get back into gaming, and was already a fan of Wizkids' Heroclix game. Games Workshop had already released their Lord of the Rings Strategy Game, but I wasn't interested in painting up miniatures at that point. The Lord of the Rings TMG,with it's pre-painted miniatures, seemed right up my alley.

Through the Sabretooth forums I was able to find another local player, and we would meet up periodically at a local game store and have a great time playing the game. But, the game didn't last long and soon passed the way of many a collectible game.

So here we are a good 8 years later, and Wizkids is bringing out a new LOTR game feature pre-painted miniatures and using their Heroclix ruleset.

The only downside is it was originally supposed to be released next week, but got pushed back to the first week of December.

Wizkids also has a LOTR-based boardgame in the works where players take on the role of the black riders trying to track down the Fellowship and stop them before they reach Mount Doom. I believe this one is slated for an early 2012 release.


On the subject of Tolkien-inspired games, newcomer Ares Games is releasing an updated version of the classic, and well-regarded, boardgame The War of the Ring. This is another game that I've wanted for years, but it was out-of-print. So, I'm really happy to see Ares releasing a new edition of the game. Ares has been publishing a series of articles on their site chronicling the development of this new edition. War of the Ring is expected to be in stores in December. You can check those out here: http://www.aresgames.eu/games/war-of-the-ring-line

Between Lord of the Rings Heroclix, War of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings Strategy Game, The Lord of the Rings Living Card Game and The One Ring RPG it's a fantastic time for gamers who are fans of Tolkien, and gamers in general!

DC Fans! Wizkids Wants Your Input!

Wizkids is looking to the fans to see which character should be included in the next DC-themed Heroclix set due out in Summer 2012!

The first round of voting, which includes 12 characters, is open now and closes on October 5. Round One will narrow the field down to 6 characters. Round Two will narrow the choices down to 3 characters. Finally, the last round of voting will choose the character to appear in the next set.

The initial choices are: Big Barda, Amazo, Captain Atom, Fire, Kanjar Ro, Starfire, Red Star, Gentleman Ghost, Kyle Raynor (Blue Lantern), Red Tornado, Sand and Thorn. Who will make the cut? The choice is up to you! (Personally, I voted for Captain Atom).

Outside of the contest, we now know the next DC Comics Heroclix set is quite a ways off. Summer 2012? That's a long time! I'm willing to bet that the next set will be showcasing the new look sported by most DC characters as a result of the relaunch of the entire DC Comics line this month. I know the relaunch caught many DC-licensees, such as Mattel, a bit by surprise causing the shuffling of product release plans. I don't know for a fact that this is the case with Wizkids, but it seems to be a reasonable assumption.

In the meantime there's lots of other Heroclix to enjoy! And, don't forget to vote! To cast your vote go to: http://heroclix.com/heroclix/dc-fan-vote/, select your favorite character and hit the submit button. Simple as that.

A Call to Arms: Star Fleet

Earlier this year Amarillo Design Bureau and Mongoose Publishing announced a partnership to produce a new game set in ADB's Star Fleet Universe and based upon Mongoose's popular A Call to Arms starship combat rules set.

The result is A Call to Arms: Star Fleet. It's due this November and it just be my most anticipated game of the year.

Seriously.

I love Star Trek, and have since it first aired back in the 60s. I wanted to love Star Fleet Battles, the venerable star ship combat game set in the Star Fleet Universe...but it just was for me. Too much minutia to manage for my tastes. It's a good game, but just not my style.

Federation Commander was released back in 2005 and it presented a simpler (but not simple!) set of rules, and brought in an entire new fanbase. I played one basic game of Fed Comm a few years back at my store, and have been meaning to get back to it but just never did.

But then, this year, two big announcements were made that piqued my interest. ADB and Mongoose announced A Call to Arms: Star Fleet and Wizkids announced Star Trek: Fleet Captains. Both were exciting, but I didn't really need two ship combat games...especially ones that were basically in the same setting ('though with significant differences). But, as details about each became clearer...and, especially after playing Star Trek: Fleet Captains at Gen Con...I learned that they were two entirely different games.

A Call to Arms: Star Fleet is a pure star ship miniatures combat game, whereas the Wizkids game is more of a exploration/combat boardgame. Entirely different.

I never played a game of A Call to Arms, but got a review copy of the main rule book that I still need to review and post soon. However, from a cursory reading I like what I see. I'm really excited about the possibilities of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet as well as the all-new CAD designed resin minis that Mongoose is producing to go along with the new game. They're slightly larger that ADB's Starline 2400 series of minis, and producing them in resin is a nice move, in my opinion.

A Call to Arms: Star Fleet should be in stores in November, with the first miniatures arriving shortly thereafter in December.

Check out www.mongoosepublishing.com for more information

Ares Games Keeps 'Em Flying

Back in July we had some relatives come out from California to visit us here in Central Ohio. While they were here one thing they really wanted to do was visit the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton. I've been wanting to go there for the past decade that I've lived here in Ohio, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

The place was immense and so interesting. Well, this blog isn't about family trips...it's about gaming, right? Well, upon coming out of the museum I found myself really wanting to get into Nexus Games' Wings of War. Wings of War started out as a card based game (and was published in the US by Fantasy Flight Games), but over time morphed into a miniatures game as well. There's two versions of the game. One is set in World War I, while the other is set in the skies during WWII.

It was almost immediately following that visit to the museum that Nexus Games announced they were shutting down operations. Now, I know that there's a bunch of existing Wings of War product out there in stores...but, hearing the company was shutting down really put a damper on my enthusiasm. And, really, like I need yet another game to play? I don't have time for the games I already play, right?

Shortly thereafter a new player emerged in the European gaming scene: Ares Games. Ares announced that they'd be picking up the rights to another popular Nexus game: War of the Ring (based, of course, upon the classic works of J.R.R. Tolkien). Was this a glimmer of hope for Wings of War? Would Ares Games also pick up the pieces to this game as well?

Well, just yesterday, Ares Games issued a press release announcing they reached an agreement to produce Wings of War under a new name: Wings of Glory.

Ares Games reaches an agreement with Andrea Angiolino e Pier Giorgio Paglia to publish the game "Wings of Glory"

The best selling game of WWI and WWII aerial combat comes back with a new name

Camaiore, Italy – September 1, 2011 - Ares Games, a Tuscany-based games publisher recently established, announces an agreement with Andrea Angiolino and Pier Giorgio Paglia, the authors of the best selling game that recreates aerial combat during the WWI and WWII, formerly published with the name "Wings of War".
Ares Games will publish the game under a new brand, "Wings of Glory". Wings of Glory will be published with a new rulebook, while maintaining compatibility with the previous Wings of War products already in the market.
"We are happy to be partnering with Andrea and Pier Giorgio to bring this wonderful game system to market." said Christoph Cianci, CEO of Ares Games, "Thousands of fans worldwide will be pleased to know that their planes and maneuver cards from Wings of War will be compatible with the new Wings of Glory."

Initially, Ares Games will focus on developing new miniatures for the game, but also plans to release new starter sets.

"This game has a very strong and loyal fan base around the world, which gave and will surely continue to give a great help to the success of our game with their support and creativity. They have high expectations of it, in spite of several attempts to imitate it with other settings and chrome," stated Andrea Angiolino, co-creator of the game. "We chose to partner with Ares Games because we believe they understand our game, and that they will take care of the wishes of its fans, as well as be respectful of its creators."

The first Wings of Glory products to be released will be four airplanes for the WWII game series: the American P40, the Russian Yak-1, the Japanese Ki-61 and the Italian Re-2001 Falco. Ares Games will publish a Starter Set with these four models, containing the introductory rules and all other elements needed to start play. The complete schedule of the next releases will be announced soon.
With this announcement, Ares Games now publishes two important games from Italian creators that have achieved international recognition. In July, Ares Games aquired the rights from Sophisticated Games to publish the award-winning board game "War of the Ring", based on the J.R.R.Tolkien's trilogy, "The Lord of the RingsTM", and created by Roberto Di Meglio, Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi. A new edition of the game, in English, will be available this Fall, with other language editions forecasted for Spring 2012.

So, there you have it. Wings of War lives on in a new incarnation. Mad props to Ares of saving these games from a far too early demise. Wings of Glory is back on my gaming radar. I'll be keeping my eye out for the new starter set, and maybe even check out the folks at the Wings of War Aerodrome to get some games in!