Wings of War

Isto há coisas...

Em tempos andei verdadeiramente interessado neste jogo, mas como acabei por não o encontrar à venda por cá o interesse acabou por desvanecer... mas a visita que fiz a semana passada ao site da Fantasy Flight Games avivou-me a memoria e de novo o interesse...

Falo do Wings Of War, o jogo inicial da serie, mais nomeadamente «Wings Of War: Famous Aces»:





Desde então retomei a minha procura do jogo, mas efectivamente ainda não o encontrei por cá à venda...

Não sendo esse, os volumes seguintes também seriam bem vindos - até porque podem ser jogados individualmente ou em conjunto - mas também também ainda não os vi por cá...

Uma ideia interessante era a de usar miniaturas dos ditos aviões sobre as cartas de jogo, penso que daria uma dimensão extra ao jogo... e parece que mais alguém já teve essa ideia...

A sair em 2006, Wings Of War: Miniatures!



Da apresentação oficial:

Add a new dimension to Wings of War with Wings of War: Miniatures!

The award-winning game mechanics of Wings of War remain unchanged in the Wings of War: Miniatures boxed sets: easy, fast, fun rules for re-creating aerial combat in the XX Century.

But now, beautifully painted and assembled 1/144 scale planes replace the plane cards for an enhanced visual experience and the joy of collectors and aviation fans! Each will have a special playing base with all the information you need play Wings of War.

Wings of War: Miniatures will be available in two formats: complete sets with 4 planes, maneuver cards, control boards; or single-plane blisters, each containing one 1/144 model plane, assembled and painted, its deck of maneuver cards, and decals to customize the plane.

The boxed sets are an ideal introductory set or a gift, while previous owners of Wings of War may directly go and get the single- blisters to enhance their gaming experience and create a unique collection!

The first series will include some of the most popular planes WW1: the Fokker DR.I, the Sopwith Camel, the Albatros and then SPASD XIII, each in multiple versions with different color schemes.

Lojas GAME.net em Portugal

Uma nova noticia para o mercado de jogos em Portugal:

GAME abre primeira loja em Portugal



A maior cadeia europeia de lojas dedicada à venda de jogos electrónicos vai abrir a sua primeira superfície em Portugal no novo centro comercial do Seixal - RioSul Shopping, noticia a edição de hoje do Jornal de Negócios.

A retalhista possui actualmente mais de 700 lojas no Reino Unido, Irlanda, França, Espanha, Suécia e Dinamarca.

Para breve estão previstas novas lojas da GAME para o Centro Colombo, em Lisboa; no Estação Viana em Viana do Castelo; no ViaCatarina no Porto; no GuimarãeShopping em Guimarães, no MaiaShopping na Maia; e no GaiaShopping em Gaia.

De acordo com o referido pela empresa, a GAME escolheu Portugal porque acredita que o nosso País oferece todas as condições de sucesso para os produtos de videojogos em parte “devido à qualidade ímpar dos seus centros comerciais e ao seu horário comercial alargado”.

Pode ficar a conhecer melhor esta loja dedicada em exclusivo ao mercado dos videojogos a partir do seu endereço web em http://shop.game.net.

Bem, a «crise» não parece ter chegado ao mercado nacional de videojogos...

Na zona de Lisboa já tinhamos lojas dedicadas como a Gamestage ou a Replay Zone, agora iremos ter mais a GAME... agora em grande, com varias lojas...

E parece que a fama da «qualidade impar» dos nosso centros comerciais e os seus «hor'arios alargados» já chegou além fronteiras...

Forces Of Valor: Novidades 2006

No decorrer do ano passado já tinha apresentado por aqui o Catalogo 2005 Forces Of Valor da Unimax, que apresentava varias novidades para o ano de 2005 à escala de 1:32 e 1:72, novidades essas que foram efectivamente chegando ao nosso país durante os últimos desse ano.

Agora, eis que chegam às lojas nacionais as ultimas novidades mais recentes de 2006 da Forces Of Valor, com novos produtos à escala de 1:32 e 1:72, tanto em veículos, tanques, como em aviões da WWII, estes últimos bastante interessantes.

Na zona de Lisboa encontra-se material FOV tipicamente na seguintes lojas:

Dentinho (Colombo, Amoreiras)
Plus Ultra
Quitecnica
Kitmania

No melhor do meu conhecimento, estas serão as lojas a procurar para comprar FOV.

Algumas pessoas pode ainda não conhecer este material - de excelente qualidade, diga-se de passagem - ou não ter tido oportunidade de o ver inloco, até porque algumas das lojas tem horários mais «acessiveis» do que outras, pelo que decidi ir colocando algumas imagens rápidas do material que vá encontrando nas lojas, quando a oportunidade se ponha de passar pelas mesmas.

Sem nenhuma preferencia especial, a primeira loja em que tive oportunidade de passar foi pela Kitmania e até foi bom pois esta loja tinha recebido bastante material à pouco tempo, pelo que aqui ficam algumas imagens para que possam apreciar o material:

Kitmania





As imagens foram tiradas com uma DigiCam de telemóvel, a luz exterior também não era a melhor, portanto a qualidade foi a que se pode arranjar na altura.

Mas penso que dá para apreciar o material.
E isto nem por sombras o volume de material que estava disponível na loja.

Mais algumas imagens deste material.
Desta vez:

Quitecnica







As imagens foram novamente tiradas com uma DigiCam de telemóvel, já era de noite e a luz exterior já era praticamente nula, poderiam ter ficado melhor mas a qualidade foi a que se pode arranjar.

Mas sempre dá para ter uma ideia do material mais recente.

A&A Naval Miniatures

Agora a Guerra é no Mar...

Decididamente não param.

Com uma Terceira Expansão de Axis & Allies Miniatures mais do que fresca, falando numa Quarta logo de seguida, nem puderam esperar para apresentar mais uma novidade:

Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures: War at Sea

Um novo jogo... agora com BARCOS, ora pois não...

Collect

Assemble a fleet of the finest vessels ever to do battle on, under, or above the sea.

Battle

Challenge your friends to fast, head-to-head, tactical combat.

THIS TWO-PLAYER STARTER CONTAINS:

• 11 collectible miniatures
• 12 island cards
• Rulebook
• Full-color game stat cards
• 8 six-sided dice
• Quick start rules
• Damage counters

Miniatures are prepainted, fully assembled, and made of durable plastic.

Randomized miniatures include: 1 rare, 2 uncommon, 8 common

Watch the horizon for the new Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures game

Two Player Starter

War at Sea Booster

War Stories

Uma edição que me chamou a atenção este fim de semana, e que comprei de imediato.

Já comecei a ler, e pelo que li até agora, não poderia de deixar aqui uma referencia e recomendação.

War Stories
DC/Vertigo

Um conjunto de curtas historias em torno do brutal conflito da Segunda Guerra Mundial, escritas por Garth Ennis e ilustradas por um conjuntos de nomes conhecidos, como Dave Gibbons, David Loyd, Carlos Ezquerra.

Lançadas originalmente em one-shoots, foram reditadas e agrupadas em dois volumes trade paperback.

Temos então:


War Stories ~ Vol. 1 ( 240p )

Com as seguintes historias:

Johann's Tiger (a Chris Weston, Gary Erskine). [From DC Comics: It's regarded as the turning point of the twentieth century - the greatest of all wars, fought by the greatest generation. But there was nothing glamorous about fighting in World War II. It was the most horrific period of the bloodiest century in modern history. And it was fought by young men and women not much different from any others. This fall, VERTIGO unleashes WAR STORY—a new generation of military comics that tell it like it really was, brought to you by acclaimed writer Garth Ennis (PREACHER, ENEMY ACE: WAR IN HEAVEN, Punisher). These four double-sized one-shots, each self-contained and illustrated by different artists with startling photo covers, go beyond the clichés of bravado and bluster to put you right there: in the tank war of the Eastern Front; in the hunt for U-boats on the frozen Arctic Ocean; in the bloody Italian campaign; and in the final push to Berlin. If you think Ennis will let readers escape unscathed, think again. First up in September is JOHANN'S TIGER, the tale of a German Tiger tank commander and his crew—pencilled by Ennis's ENEMY ACE collaborator Chris Weston (Ministry of Space) and inked by Gary Erskine. Retreating from the Russians on the Eastern Front, Johann's only goal is to find the Americans and surrender to them before he and his men get killed. But even if he can escape from the Red Army and the Nazi Secret Police, Johann can never elude his own guilt over the atrocities he's seen…and committed.]





D-Day Dodgers (a John Higgins). [From DC Comics: WAR STORY: D-DAY DODGERS tells the story of the thousands of war-weary, largely forgotten, young Allied soldiers. This action-packed and powerful story stands as a moving tribute to the too-often mistreated men fighting in the trenches of any war.]
















Screaming Eagles (a Dave Gibbons). [From DC Comics: So far DC has announced two of four VERTIGO one-shots by writer Garth Ennis that explore the true horrors of World War II. The third of these 64-page Specials, WAR STORY: SCREAMING EAGLES, finds Ennis collaborating with the legendary artist of WATCHMEN, Dave Gibbons, offering a breathtaking look at war you won't soon forget. SCREAMING EAGLES begins with an elderly soldier reminiscing about his days in WWII. His kids and grandkids are always asking him what it was like, how he got through it all, and how he survived. But he only has one answer for them… To learn that answer, they must listen to him as he recounts the waning days of the war in Europe, where a battle-weary sergeant and the remnants of his decimated squad are sent to scout a remote chateau on the German front. What they find is a treasure trove of Nazi plunder and stolen luxuries the likes of which they never imagined in the previous months of bloody fighting. But they quickly find that sometimes having it easy can test a soldier's resolve as much as the worst firefight. And the old soldier's answer? You'll just have to read SCREAMING EAGLES to find out, as both Ennis and Gibbons deliver one of their strongest efforts ever in this instant classic.]

Nightingale (a David Lloyd). [From DC Comics: The fourth and final entry of the VERTIGO one-shots by writer Garth Ennis that explore the true horrors of World War II arrives in December in the form of WAR STORY: NIGHTINGALE—a 64-page Special teaming Ennis (PREACHER) with artist David Lloyd (V FOR VENDETTA), who illustrates this book in the same moody, evocative style that made him famous. It’s Christmas time again as the men of the British Destroyer Nightingale guard a convoy of merchant ships steaming through the icy waters of the Arctic Sea, desperate to reach the ports of Russia and resupply the starving Red Armies. After dodging and repelling German attacks from both above and below the water, word comes from British intelligence that the dreaded U-boat Tirpitz is now stalking the same frigid waters. Knowing the convoy is hopelessly outmatched, the orders come to scatter the convoy and hope for the best. This desperate decision proves tragic as, one by one, the Nightingale's fellow ships are destroyed. Somehow, Nightingale survives the attacks and reaches the safety of a home port. But the crew’s joy is tempered by the superstitious belief that they are now a cursed ship—shunned by the rest of the navy as bad luck and a "ship of the damned." It is this knowledge that drives this book's action as the Nightingale—along with her crew of both baby-faced recruits and battle-tested officers—steams deeper into the hellish jaws of war in a quest for redemption of their lost souls. NIGHTINGALE—while packed with plenty of high-seas action—is ultimately a gut-wrenching tale of how in war, more than anywhere else in life, the icy hand of fate is inescapable and redemption so often comes at the price of human life.]

e o segundo volume:


War Stories ~ Vol. 2 ( 240p, Preview )

Com as seguintes historias:

The Reivers (a Cam Kennedy). [From DC Comics: North Africa, 1942: The stillness of the desert night is shattered as a British SAS patrol charges onto a German airfield, destroying everything in sight. Two heavily armed jeeps—filled with the British army's "best of the best"—tear up and down rows of aircraft, machine-gunning them into scrap metal, cutting down any guards foolish enough to get in the way. Then the shadow raiders speed back into the desert darkness, leaving chaos and death in their wake... This is how award-winning writer Garth Ennis (PREACHER, HITMAN, Punisher) begins his latest round of hard-as-nails stories of war. The first set of four WAR STORY tales garnered huge acclaim, and now Ennis is back with WAR STORY: THE REIVERS - the first of four 64-page VERTIGO one-shots that show all the bloody action, black humor and deadly horror of war the way it really is. THE REIVERS - illustrated by Cam Kennedy (2000 A.D.), is everything you've come to expect from one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comic-book writers of our time. The SAS are the original Special Forces: the toughest, deadliest crews, usually fighting deep behind enemy lines and using whatever means necessary to get the job done—never taking prisoners. THE REIVERS tells the story of one such SAS unit fighting Germans in the North African desert during World War II. A unit led by two young officers: Barclay, a by-the-numbers soldier who just wants the job done right, and Nixon, a reckless breakneck who seems to revel in the chaos of war. Their struggle for control of the unit ultimately determines the success or failure of their missions, and literally the life or death of the men in their charge.]




J for Jenny (a David Lloyd). [From DC Comics: It's late 1943, and with the war now turning towards victory for the Allies, great firebombing raids are being launched against German cities and industries. The Americans bomb by day and the British by night - up to a thousand bombers at a time hitting cities like Hamburg, Bremen and Berlin, razing them all. But no matter how tough you are as part of a bombing crew, sooner or later you find yourself wondering who is underneath you when you drop the mother lode... Writer Garth Ennis returns for another hard-hitting tale of war in WAR STORY: J FOR JENNY—a 64-page VERTIGO one-shot reuniting Ennis with legendary artist David Lloyd (V FOR VENDETTA, WAR STORY: NIGHTINGALE), with a cover designed by Terry Marks. The Americans may have had the B-17 Flying Fortress, but the English had the Lancaster bomber—a built-to-spill flying tank that was loaded to the gills, punching Swiss-cheese holes in German industrial facilities. Jenny is one of Britain's tough-as-leather Lancaster bombers, and this is her tale—as her crew wreaks havoc on cities all across Nazi Germany. J FOR JENNY—the second tale in the latest wave of WAR STORY one-shots—shows the very human side of war, living up to the brutal realism and in-your-face storytelling that made the first WAR STORY chronicles such a hit.]







Condors (a Carlos Ezquerra). [From DC Comics: 1938—before World War II engulfed Europe, all eyes were on the Spanish Civil War. It was a war of fascism versus socialism, dictator versus king, Germany versus Europe, and everyone was choosing sides. What happens when a Spaniard, a German, an Irishman, and an Englishman find themselves trapped in the same foxhole? CONDORS tells the tale of four very different soldiers who all want the same thing: to win their war. As battles rage outside of Madrid, the men—each with his own world view and reasons for fighting—find themselves face-to-face with the enemy as they all take cover in the same foxhole. With little water or food and just one pistol among them, they must figure out how to survive the night…and each other.]












Archangel (a Gary Erskine). [From DC Comics: RAF Flight Officer Jamie McKenzie has the worst luck. VERTIGO’s WAR STORY: ARCHANGEL—the final issue in this round of Garth Ennis’ critically acclaimed war comics—features the exquisite art of Gary Erskine (THE AUTHORITY, Star Wars: Requiem for a Rogue) and tells the story of McKenzie as he trains and takes flight in the midst of World War II. Everyone knows that the Japanese had kamikaze pilots, but no one knows about their British counterparts, the CAMship (Catapult-Armed Merchantmen). Due to a shortage of aircraft carriers in 1942, the British began strapping obsolete, single-passenger fighter planes to ancient freighters and tankers, cramming them full of ammunition, and launching them by highly volatile rockets tied to each wing. But here’s the kicker: The pilot must engage the enemy until his ammo is gone, then attempt to land with whatever fuel left or bail out into the sea and hope to be picked up. Not quite kamikaze, but just as crazy. After ticking off his squadron leader, Jaime is "volunteered" for training on the new CAMships. McKenzie has the worst luck, but sometimes bad luck is better than no luck at all. WAR STORY: ARCHANGEL reflects the "by any means necessary" attitude adopted by the Allied Powers in the struggle to defeat Hitler and his forces.]



Recomenda-se.
Sinceramente, a não perder.

Batalhas da História de Portugal

Para os mais distraídos, foi lançado este Domingo com o Correio da Manhã, o 1º Volume da colecção exclusiva «Grandes Batalhas da História de Portugal».

Tratam-se de 22 livros ricamente encadernados e ilustrados, que abordam as batalhas que marcaram a história Portuguesa desde a fundação do território até à guerra em Africa.

Um passado épico contado por ilustres historiadores, com a coordenação da Academia Portuguesa de História ~ Ministério da Cultura.

O primeiro volume tem o preço de lançamento de €1.95.
Os restantes volumes serão lançados às 4ª Feira, com um preço de €6.90 cada.

De notar que a ordem de lançamentos não é coincidente com a sequência dos volumes.

Teremos então:

• 19 de Março - Vol. 22 - Guerra de Africa: Angola ~ 1961-1974
• 22 de Março - Vol. 21 - Guerra de Africa: Guiné ~ 1963-1974
• 29 de Março - Vol. 20 - Guerra de Africa: Moçambique ~ 1964-1974
• 5 de Abril - Vol. 7 - As Campanhas da Índia: Batalhas de Goa, Swally e Diu ~ Séc. XVI-XVII
• 12 de Abril - Vol. 17 - Campanhas Coloniais: Zambébia, Cambuemba, Manjamba da Costa e Barué ~ Séc. XIX-XX
• 19 de Abril - Vol. 4 - Guerra Pela Independência: Batalha de Aljubarrota ~ 1383-1389
• 26 de Abril - Vol. 10 - A Defesa do Ultramar: Guerra da Liberdade Divina, Batalha dos Montes Guararapes e Reconquista de Lunada ~ 1640-1661
• 3 de Maio - Vol. 12 - Guerra das Laranjas: Campanha do Alentejo ~ 1801
• 10 de Maio - Vol. 14 - Campanha de Montevideu ~ 1810-1822
• 17 de Maio - Vol. 5 - Campanhas do Norte de Africa: Tomada de Ceuta, Expedição Conquista de Tânger, Tomada de Alcacer Ceguer ~ 1414-1471
• 24 de Maio - Vol. 11 - Guerra do Rossilhão: Batalha da Montanha Negra e Combate de Banyuls ~ 1793-1795
• 31 de Maio - Vol. 9 - A Restauração: Batalhas do Montijo, das Linhas de Elvas, do Ameixal e de Montes Claros ~ 1640-1668
• 7 de Junho - Vol. 15 - Guerras Liberais: Vilafrancada, Abrilada e Batalhas de Almoster e da Asseiceira ~ 1822-1834
• 14 de Junho - Vol. 6 - Guerra Luso-Castelhana do Séc. XV
• 21 de Junho - Vol. 8 - A Perda da Independência: Batalha de Alcacer Quibir ~ 1578-1640
• 28 de Junho - Vol. 18 - A Grande Guerra: Batalha de La Lys ~ 1914-1918
• 5 de Julho - Vol. 2 - A Definição das Fronteiras ~ 1143-1297
• 12 de Julho - Vol. 16 - Maria da Fonte e Patuleia: Guerra Civil da Patuleia e "Papeletas da Ladroeira" ~ 1846-1847
• 19 de Julho - Vol. 3 - As Guerras Fernandinas: Combate Naval de Saltes ~ 1369-1383
• 26 de Julho - Vol. 19 - Monarquia do Norte ~ 1919
• 2 de Agosto - Vol. 1 - A Guerra da Reconquista ~ 1128-1250
• 9 de Agosto - Vol. 13 - Guerra Peninsular: Batalhas da Roliça. de Vimeiro e do Buçaco ~ 1808-1814

Pela minha parte, irei adquirir alguns dos volumes.

Commands and Colors: Ancients

Dei com este jogo num dos emails de recebi de novidades da AtlanticaJuegos, parece-me interessante, pelo que aqui vai mais um monologo...

Commands and Colors: Ancients
http://www.gmtgames.com/cca/main.html
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/14105

Um jogo de tabuleiro com a mecânica de jogo que já conhecemos de um «Battle Cry» ou de um «Memoir'44», não fosse o designer o Richard Borg. Se a mecânica é a mesma, logo à partida gosto.

Este primeiro volume - estão previstas várias expansões - centra-se sobre as grandes batalhas entre Cartago e Roma, incluindo duas batalhas contra outros oponentes, que permitiram a Cartago aperfeiçoar um sistema militar que chegou ao ponto de dobrar a República de Roma.

Nas palavras do designer:

"Commands & Colors: Ancients depicts warfare from the Dawn of Military History (3000 BC) to the opening of the Middle Ages (400 AD). Quite an ambitious undertaking for one game, yet Commands & Colors by design is a unique historical game system which allows players to effectively portray, stylized battles from this time in history. The 13 battles, showcased in the scenario booklet, although stylized, focus on important terrain features and the historical deployment of forces in scale with the game system. The battles include Bagradas, Cannae, and Zama."

"The scale of the game fluctuates from battle to battle. For some scenarios, an infantry unit may represent a legion of fighters, while in other scenarios a unit may represent just a few brave warriors. But the tactics you need to execute conform remarkably well to the advantages and limitations inherent to the various units, their weapons, terrain and time."

"Unlike its younger brother, Battle Cry by Hasbro/Avalon Hill, Commands & Colors: Ancients is moderately more complex and contains additional historical details without the battlefield clutter. Most scenarios will still play to a conclusion in less than an hour."

"The command card system, drives movement, creates a true fog of war and presents both challenges and opportunities. There are four types of command cards: Leadership cards, Section cards, Troop cards and Tactic cards."

"The battle dice system resolves all combat efficiently and quickly. Each battle die has one Light, one Medium, one Heavy, one Leader, one Flag and one Swords symbol."

"The game mechanics, although simplistic, will still require strategic card play, historical tactics, timely dice rolling, and an aggressive yet flexible battle plan, to achieve victory."

Um jogo à maneira antiga...

Tempo de duração de jogo: 1h.

Algumas imagens:



Mapa:
One 22"x34" full-color mapsheet + three sheets of Terrain Tile Overlays (double-sided)


Unidades
Five full-color sheets of unit labels to affix to the 345 wooden blocks.


Cartas de Comando
60 Command Cards

WE3

Um cão, um gato... e um coelho...

WE3
Animal Weapon 3


Acabei de ler, e de facto foi uma surpresa, e em GRANDE!

Uma história com impacto, passada num cenário misto de horror e sci-fi, onde 3 adoráveis animais de estimação - um cão chamado Bandit, um gato chamado Tinker, e um coelho chamado Pirate - são transformados em poderosos cyborgs assassinos, dentro de um sinistro programa militar secreto de investigação de armamento, tendo em vista a substituição de soldados humanos.

E agora, esses três adoráveis e desesperados animais, apenas querem voltar a «casa»....

Gràficamente muito bem conseguida, no ponto.

The Incredible Journey meets The Terminator...

Não posso deixar de recomendar.

I. M GUD. R. U. GUD 2?


Previews:
WE3 PDF (8.8Mb) Trailer (4Mb QT)