Games a go-go

So I managed to get a fair bit of gaming in over the past weeks.

Donald ran some of the Serenity RPG during the WFRP hiatus. I ended up with the PC shipowner, a guy whose backstory included stealing the ship from his former partner- it was the only way to survive the treachery of said former partner. We ended up being unwitting patsies of an assassination plot. I'm a big fan of the Serenity TV series, but I must confess to having mixed feelings about the RPG- about the system itself, and about roleplaying in the setting. More on that anon.

On the Memoir'44 front I've managed to get a taste of both the Eastern Front and the imminent Pacific Theatre expansions, thanks to the rules downloads available from the Days of Wonder website. The new rules for the different nationalities proved to be very colourful and entertaining, with the Japanese human waves proving especially thrilling. At first sight these expansions seem to have passed the key test of giving the new nationalities a distinctive feel. More on these when I get hold of the expansions (next month I'm hoping, fingers crossed...).

While on the topic of Richard Borg's Command and Colours system, I've also got myself a copy of his Command and Colours: Ancients, by GMT Games. I'd read about this on the net, so it was a cinch that I'd pick up a copy on sight. First impressions are simply splendid. The rules changes compared to M44 are relatively few and simple, but they give C&C:A a feel that is quite distinct from that of M44 and- to my mind at least- very authentic. I can remember, as I was looking at my cards for my second turn in my first ever game, that I could feel in my bones that I was in a epoch of war utterly different from my beloved M44. I was impressed, and delighted. Again, more on this anon.

Another game I picked up was Fantasy Flight Games' Arkham Horror. I've been a fan of the Cthulhu mythos for many years, and a victim of its horrors often, so a boardgame about a group of investigators working to prevent one of the Ancient Ones from rising to destroy the earth, well that is a concept that has instant appeal to me. So Arkham Horror has been lingering in the corner of my eye during visits to my FLGS for many months now. And my verdict, now that I've finally got my hands on it? A bit mixed to be honest. As ever, more anon.

Finally for now, we also managed to complete the first arc of my WFRP campaign, completing Ashes of Middenheim in a marathon double session. The finale took place a year and a day after the first session, and the buzz we shared at the climax made all the effort and frustrations of my longest ever stint as GM well worthwhile. More, as before...

The WFRP is going on the back burner for a wee while now, what with the traditional summer escapades of my players, but we plan on being back in the early autumn. No doubt other adventures await in the meantime.

And that's it for now in my quick roundup. ;)