Surtur
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Joined: 8/6/2013
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Yesterday we kicked of a short three part series of After Action Reports, summarizing the Home of Wargamers event. Day two of the event was all about the games, showing them, playing them and interviewing the developers about them. Because of the sheer amount of games we presented here, you will understand I cannot go into much detail regarding the games in question, but both on our forums, as well as on the websites of the attending journalists, news about specific games and developers can be found.
Day 2 – Presentations
Awaken by the alarm clock crow of the peacock under the beautiful morning sun, journalists and players emerged from their quarters spread around to castle and gathered from breakfast. It was after this royal first meal and a much needed consumption of coffee (or tea), that our guests made their way to the presentation halls. The presentations of the games were spread among four different Medieval halls: Bishops, Peacock, Crusaders and Cuirasses. The journalists and attending players, who were spread over four different groups, would migrate from room to room in order to see all presentations. This setup allowed for smaller group and therefore a lot of direct interaction between the developers and guests.
In the Bishops Room people were directly treated with some great strategy games. The Lordz Games Studio presented Sovereignty, a grand strategy title set in a world of Medieval-fantasy. Other games mentioned here were Soviet Corps and Commander: The Great War. Next up, it was Polar Motion, the developer behind Buzz Aldrin’s Space Program Manager. Polar Motion talked the guest through the coming release plan and, among other things, showed the new Soviet Space Agency. The final game to be presented in this room, was the long-awaited Warhammer 40K: Armageddon, where Flashback Games showed of a playable demo of the game.
In the Peacock Hall, the amount of games shown was quite overwhelming. War in the West, Distant Worlds: Universe, Brother Against Brother, Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm and the iPad version of Gary Grigsby’s World at War: A Worlds Divided were shown here. This was also the room where Ageod’s Phillipes were present, telling us about their upcoming titles Hannibal: Terror of Rome, a stand-alone game in the Alea Jacta Est Series, and, for the first time, Ageod announced and presented Ageod’s To End All Wars, a new game set during World War 1.
After a couple of stairs and some confusing corridors (and a much needed lunch!), the Crusaders Hall could be found. This hall was mostly dedicated to Battle Academy and Close Combat, showing Battle Academy 2, announcing Pike and Shot and Hell and presenting Close Combat: Gateway to Caen and Close Combat: the Bloody First, which was shown to the public for the first time ever. Other games mentioned here were the tablet version of Qvadriga, Magnifico and Field of Glory. It was in this room that we showed that, just because we make the games, we do not always excel in it. During the presentation of Close Combat, we were caught off guard by some German Panzers, and our own armored vehicle had to be abandoned.
Next up was the Cuirasses Hall, dedicated to some awesome iPad games. 88mm presented their game Frontline: Road to Moscow, (released today for both iPad and iPhone) and Sutdio Nyx presented their game called Legions of Steel, a great looking futuristic tactical game. Cat Rabbit Announced Heroes of Normandie, the iPad version of the kickstarted board game. Finally The Artistocrats showed the latest build of Order of Battle: Pacific.
Day 2 – Interviews and Gaming
After the presentations and a small break, everyone gathered again at the Armory Hall. The bar was open, the beers were cold and the computers waiting. This was also the time for one-on-one interviews, where some of the journalists, if they had some specific questions or where just very interested in a specific title, the developers and staff members were happy to help them. Scattered across the hall and the court yard you could find these interviews taking place. It was very encouraging to see indeed that among the press a great interest in wargames could be found.
Those who were done with the interviews, or waiting for their spot to open, could have some fun with the playable builds, or some of the board games which were setup for the occasion. A special mention should be made for Qvadriga here, for you could identify those playing them by the sounds their reactions and the sounds of the people gathered around the player. Qvadriga must be one of the most social single-player games out there!
Day 2 – Dinner
While the bar did serve the drinks to our guests, a gamer plays on his stomach. The time for a royal dinner was there and the entire crowd moved towards the famous King Arduin’s Hall. Once seated, it was speech time again. JD McNeil thanked all those attending once more, quickly after, the meals were being brought into the hall, the toasts were made and the feast begun. Discussions quickly arose about the different games all guests had been able to witness earlier that day. Al this food made some of us a little thirsty and they took a little detour to their rooms, passing the bar first. At the end, it was a very long day, but a day of great presentations, great games and most of all, great company!
Tomorrow we will continue this After Action Report with Day 3, the Battle Academy 2 contest and the visit to a Napoleonic Fort.
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