Table Top Talk

The other night I had a chance sit down and try out this, fun, new game from Victory Point Games…

Ok, so your first question is: “What is this Toe-to-Toe Nu’klr Combat with the Rooskies business all about?

Well, I’m gonna cheat here and borrow from the VPG website; “Toe-to-Toe Nu’klr Combat with the Rooskies is a fast-playing solitaire game. You decide the payload, pick your targets and must then challenge the Soviet Union’s defenses.”

This simple statement really sums things up nicely. Sure there is more to it than that, but this description was enough to make me want to try this one – in short the game fully lives up to this description. It is a fast-playing game. Pick a target, determine the payload and go for it! easy as pie (really).

The game uses a card & chit (marker) system. Markers are placed face down in each space along your selected flight path. Entry into a space reveals the marker, (a SAM site, MIG aircraft, increased awareness of your ingress, or a random event). Encounters are frequent, and must be dealt with…

Choices, and you do have choices to make, increase altitude to reduce the chance of a SAM hit? Or perhaps go in under the radar? Watch your fule consumption – you do want to make it home don’t you? Perhaps a target of opportunity (a newly discovered missile silo) will appear? Do you hit it or push on to your primary and secondary objectives? Dont forget to use flares (handy when dealing with MIGs) and chaff (if dealing with SAMs)…

All this and more awaits you in Toe-to-Toe Nu’klr Combat with the Rooskies. Wait, we forgot about the fat playng part – an average game can be completed in under 15minutes (including setup) and with a campaign game length of 4 missions you wil have an enjoyable hour!

Yee-Haw!

Victory Point Games (my new favorite board game publisher) hits another home run!

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Recently I decided it was time to introduce Liam (age 7) to commercial war games. Sure, we have played a few home designed miniature rules systems and some of the more kiddie type war-like games, but we’ve never played a commercially published game…

I wanted a simple game – no complicated rules mechanisms or the like. I started by pulling out some of the older Avalon Hill games I have in my collection, but all were more than I wanted for a beginners game. Then I remembered Nieuchess…

NIEUCHESS: AN ADULT STRATEGY GAME – published by Avalon Hill, 1961

A quick review of the rules and I knew that this was the game to start with, a traditional Avalon Hill game, hexes and a combat results table revolving around a 3:1 CRT table. The game board is 25 x 36 hexes and each player commands 20 pawns (pieces). Movement is simple as pie – each pawn can move 5 spaces, we have invasions and a red line (the line is like a railroad, unlimited movement along the line). Combat results are pretty straight forward too – figure odds, role die and apply result (not complicated, and a quick review of the CRT will inform when and how to attack – Liam figured out very quickly). The game ultimately boils down to a battle of attrition – what war game isn’t about attrition at some level.

All in all, a really good introductory game – even after 47 years…

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In keeping up with the ‘hobby news’ aspect of Table Top Talk we bring you a short news item covering a new release from my (current) favorite board game publisher…

New from Victory Point Games Crisis 2020: America Divided. This is an updated version of Joe Miranda’s Crisis 2000 game originally published in the old Game Fix magazine. Today’s edition is a semi-professional desktop published game of low-to-moderate complexity which explores an America divided between Government, Rebels, and Interventionists. The game includes full-color components, 120 mounted die-cut 1/2″ square counters, 80 Crisis cards, plus player aids, various scenarios, and designers notes.

I have yet to pick up a copy of this one, but it is is on my list, as soon as I can find a few local players to give it a whirl.

Price: $24.95

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