Ep 25: Top Faves With Dave Goes To The Library II: Nonfiction Is Live!

Ep 25: Top Faves with Dave goes to the Library II: Nonfiction

https://soundcloud.com/user-989538417/episode-25-top-faves-with-dave-goes-to-the-library-ii

We talk with Dave Tubbs about the nonfiction books that inspire our gaming.

The Veteran Wargamer is brought to you by Kings Hobbies and Games

http://www.Kingshobbiesandgames.com

https://www.facebook.com/Special-Artizan-Service-Miniatures-1791793644366746/

Join the conversation at https://theveteranwargamer.blogspot.com, email theveteranwargamer@gmail.com, Twitter @veteranwargamer

Follow Dave Tubbs on Twitter @frmrsldrfgtplyr

Other companies we mentioned:

The Face of Battle - John Keegan https://www.amazon.com/Face-Battle-Study-Agincourt-Waterloo/dp/0140048979

Commands and Colors https://www.commandsandcolors.net/

Baccus https://www.baccus6mm.com/

The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History of the Legendary Fighting Force - Douglas Porch https://www.amazon.com/French-Foreign-Legion-Complete-Legendary/dp/161608068X

The Templars: The Dramamtic History of the Knights Templar  - Pierce Paul Read https://www.amazon.com/Templars-Dramatic-Powerful-Military-Crusades/dp/0312555385

The Soviet Army FM Series - US Army Google it for a ton of PDFs

PFC C-in-C http://www.pfc-cinc.com/front_page.html

PicoArmor https://www.picoarmor.com/

The Last Battle - Cornelius Ryan https://www.amazon.com/Last-Battle-Classic-History-Berlin/dp/0684803291

Rommel - Sam Mustafa https://sammustafa.com/rommel/

Rapid Fire! http://www.rapid-fire-uk.com/

Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell https://www.amazon.com/Homage-Catalonia-George-Orwell/dp/0156421178

A World Aflame https://ospreypublishing.com/a-world-aflame-interwar-wargame-rules-1918-39

Empress Miniatures http://www.empressminiatures.com/page9.htm

Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team -  John Steinbeck https://www.amazon.com/Bombs-Away-Bomber-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143105914

B-17: Queen of the Skies - Avalon Hill https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1032/b-17-queen-skies

The Bear Went Over the Mountain - Lester Grau https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Went-Over-Mountain-Afghanistan/dp/1304069451

The Other Side of the Mountain - Lester Grau and Ali Ahmad Jalali https://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Mountain-Mujahideen-Soviet-Afghan/dp/1907521054/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=46F0GWG2NTQZAZ30GFF3

Force on Force - Ambush Alley Games http://www.ambushalleygames.net/force-on-force-core-rules-pdf/

Plastic Soldier Company http://theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=93_94_95&products_id=1673

Battlefront - Team Yankee http://team-yankee.com/

Pegasus Bridge - Stephen Ambrose https://www.amazon.com/Pegasus-Bridge-June-6-1944/dp/0671671561

Stargrunt https://shop.groundzerogames.co.uk/rules.html

Tomorrow's War  http://www.ambushalleygames.net/tomorrows-war/

Cadian Imperial Guard - GW http://solegends.com/citcat1998us/c1998usp281-02.htm

Ork Kommandos - GW http://solegends.com/citcat1998us/c1998usp356-02.htm

Queen Victoria's Little Wars - Byron Farwell https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Victorias-Little-Byron-Farwell/dp/0393302350

The Sword and the Flame - Sergeants Three http://www.sergeants3.com/

Perry Miniatures https://www.perry-miniatures.com/

History of Rome - Livy https://www.amazon.com/Livy-Early-History-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140448098

The Twelve Caesars - Suetonius - Translated by Robert Graves https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Caesars-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140440720/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506815887&sr=1-1&keywords=twelve+caesars+robert+graves

Our Word is Our Weapon - Subcommandante Marcos https://www.amazon.com/Our-Word-Weapon-Selected-Writings/dp/1583224726/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506815906&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=sub+commandante+marcos

AK47 - Rules and figures by Peter Pig http://www.peterpig.co.uk/ak47.html

SASM - Operator Juarez http://www.kingshobbiesandgames.com/Operator-Juarez-s/188.htm

Greece and Rome at War - Peter Connolly https://www.amazon.com/Greece-Rome-War-Peter-Connolly/dp/1848329415

The Black Devil Brigade - Joseph Springer https://www.amazon.com/Black-Devil-Brigade-Special-Service/dp/0935553509/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506816045&sr=1-1&keywords=black+devil+brigade+springer

Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish Mob - J.T. English https://www.amazon.com/Paddy-Whacked-Untold-American-Gangster/dp/0060590033/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506816098&sr=1-1&keywords=paddy+whacked

Mad Dogs With Guns - Howard Whitehouse https://ospreypublishing.com/mad-dogs-with-guns

Music courtesy bensound.com. Recorded with zencastr.com. Edited with Audacity. Make your town beautiful; get a haircut.

The Lone Wolf

What can I say about Wolf that you haven't heard somewhere before? My relationship with Wolf has almost always been complicated. We grew up together and were friends when we were young. We spent most weekends and holidays together back then and we were practically inseparable. We spent so much time playing and talking about what kind of Pokémon we'd train when we grew up, it's crazy to think how far we'd ultimately drift apart. We were like brothers in those early days. The rift began to grow between us when we entered our teens.
It's safe to say I still don't completely understand what happened to this day. We just began to see things differently and move in different social circles. The kids around us were getting their first Pokémon and heading off on their Pokémon journeys, but not us. I didn't have the means to head out with a Pokémon when I was that young. Wolf, however, did have the means to leave on a Pokémon adventure. Wolf had the means to do whatever he wanted, but by that time he wasn't all that interested  in Pokémon anymore. He was interested in money. We didn't see eye to eye, and as a result we really didn't see each other much at all for quite a few years. But over those years a bitterness grew between us.
As I followed those excited youngsters through the streets of Viridian City, there's no way I could have known I was about to see Wolf again. I would never have even imagined that he was in Kanto. The last I had heard about Wolf was that he was running a small but successful business back home. I believe it was a Pokémon Rental service for people wanting to experience Pokémon battles and training, but without the fuss of leaving home or frankly doing any of the work that comes along with it. When I found out, I was hurt that I hadn't been invited to help start it up. We grew up dreaming about working with Pokémon, and then he went and started without me. I felt so left behind by my childhood friend that I completely distanced myself from him. Speaking honestly, I may have always been a bit jealous that success came so easily to him and that he took his family's generous start up money for granted.

I found the mysterious newcomer to town quite near the open field where I caught Nibbles. From a distance I could see him gazing up at Indigo Plateau. I rushed across the field to challenge him. The two city kids were just behind me eager to see a Pokémon battle with their own eyes. When my footfalls came into earshot, the trainer turned around and when I saw the face of my former friend I was completely stunned. My feet faltered to a complete stop. The children behind me almost slammed into my backpack because I stopped so abruptly. The expression on Wolf's face was also one of surprise, but it quickly melted into a sneer.
"What are you doing here, Fox?" I remember him asking.
"I heard there was a trainer out here. I didn't know it was you." I felt my words coming out as a stutter. "I came out here to challenge you."
"Oh. No." His tone was sympathetic. "I mean, what are you doing in Kanto?" I felt stupid that I misunderstood him.
"I'm here to start the Sanctuary. You remember my idea, right? I want to start a Pokémon preservation park. I'm still working out the details, but Professor Oak agreed to help me get started."
"Right. Yeah. I remember." He laughed a little. "It's a cute idea, but I thought you'd have given up on that by now." I remember his tone felt so condescending at the time. I felt flush with anger. He either didn't notice or didn't care. Wolf turned to look back up into the mountains. "I'm here to challenge the champion of Indigo Plateau," he announced smugly.
"I thought you were running some company back home," I asked through clenched teeth. I didn't really want to talk about it, but I also didn't want Wolf to be here right now.
"Yeah. I am." He spoke without looking at me. "I hired some managers, which gives me a bit more free time. It practically runs itself. So instead I'm here to challenge the Kanto Pokémon League." He turned back to look me in the eye. I felt he was mocking me when he asked, "Did you say you wanted to challenge me?" He looked as though the thought was delightfully amusing. He looked as though fighting me was beneath him.
I had a newfound conviction in my voice when I answered. "Yeah. I do. Are you ready or do you need a minute to collect yourself?" I took Kiwi's ball from its holster on my backpack strap.
Wolf looked me straight in the eyes and laughed. "You're so serious, man. I'm ready. I'll fight you with the junkémon I just got." We both tossed out our Pokéballs and both our Pidgeys faced off against one another.

The fight was absolutely nerve wracking. Not only was this my first competitive battle ever, but it was against someone I couldn't bear to lose against. It was an understatement to say I was determined to win. Not to mention, I simply couldn't afford to fail. I needed that money I'd get from a victory over Wolf to support myself in the future. Meanwhile, the look on Wolf's face appeared as if he couldn't care less.
Kiwi and his Pidgey circled each other overhead sizing each other up. Kiwi dove down into the grass and buffeted some dirt and soil up into his opponents face. I stifled a small smile that some of the dirt and grass found its way into Wolf's face as well. The attack was a complete success, for both of Wolf's Pidgey's next couple attacks missed Kiwi outright. Although Kiwi had the advantage, Kiwi only managed to lightly wound his opponent before it landed a very lucky strike on Kiwi knocking him from the sky and into the grass.
I remember my heart leapt into my throat seeing Kiwi hit so hard. I immediately withdrew him and tossed out Rascal. Wolf's Pidgey was significantly weakened now and still couldn't see clearly. Rascal had done most of his training against other Pidgey, so I was confident he would win. He did not disappoint me. Landing a decisive quick attack on Wolf's Pidgey put the bird completely out of commission. I watched as it fell defeated into the grass and I was flooded with a mixture of emotions. I was elated that I was now winning against my former friend, but I was sad that his Pokémon had gotten so badly hurt in the process. This battle marked the beginning of many conflicting feelings about caring for Pokémon and also battling with them.
Wolf withdrew his fainted Pidgey and tossed out the only other Pokémon he had with him. I was surprised to see him with such a rare Pokémon as Squirtle - one that Professor Oak had promised he would track down for me if I could help him test the Pokédex. Then I remembered Wolf came from a wealthy family. It probably was not that big of a deal to him to have this fairly uncommon Pokémon rounding out his team. Wolf made me so angry, so frustrated. He made it all look so easy. I think Rascal could feel how heated I was, because he was also worked up into a frenzy. After distracting the Squirtle with a series of mesmerizing tail whips, he devastated it with a well placed tackle to its exposed head. Wolf was utterly defeated, but I was still angry.
Wolf laughed as he withdrew his Pokémon. He laughed!
"You're really worked up over this, huh?" he asked me.
I denied it even though he could see right through me.
"Well, good match. I'll transfer you the winning credits." He shrugged. "It was good to see you, Fox. Keep training. Maybe we can have a rematch some time."
"Don't you even care?" I demanded as he turned to walk away from me. "You lost! Your Pokémon are completely knocked out." I honestly have no idea what I wanted from him. I don't know what he could have said to make me feel better. Even in defeat his arrogance and his self-entitlement defeated my spirit. My grand victory over my rival felt like a complete failure, in part because he didn't even care.
"Fainting is part of the training process, Fox." He said nonchalantly. "I can afford to help them heal and get back into the fight. It's no big deal. Next time I see you, we'll do it all again." With that our first encounter in Kanto was over as he casually strolled back into Viridian City. The children rushed up to me to congratulate me. Their happy, smiling faces beaming with pride at their new friend's victory made me feel just a bit better. But my eyes kept drifting to Wolf's back as it slowly disappeared into the city.

Current Team:
No Change from Episode 2

UCLan Games Design Experience Of WIG Conference 2019

Two of our lovely Games Design students, Catarina Martins and Stacey Satchell were at the Women in Games Conference 2019 last week.
Here's what they had to say about the experience :)

Catarina:

"Can't put into words how inspiring and amazing those couple of days were in London at the European Women in Games Conference. The gaming industry is filled with strong and talented people and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting some of them. Also managed to make really good contacts with very helpful and super nice people which I hope to see again soon!
Now is time to take all the knowledge and inspiration I received and start applying for jobs. Let the new adventure begin!"

Stacey:

"Women in Games was such a wonderful event full of uplifting and talented people from a large variety of backgrounds and roles. From Keynotes that inspired me as a women in the community to panels that taught me so much about the industry as a professional. I left with amazing advice, a positive attitude and plenty of new friends. 

Looking forward to it again next year!"
















And here's some of the photos they took at the event.
Thanks for sharing, Girls!

All Present And Accounted For

Turns out Friday wasn't a free day after all but the Greys are now done so all is well.

A game was overdue so once I had finished painting, I laid out a One Hour Wargame scenario......

.....but that's a post for another day.

A Bit Of This And A Bit Of That And Voila!

The upcoming game cries out for some emigre units. After consulting various books, my choice of homecast bits, and my future plans, I decided to cobble together an imaginary unit which will be able to find a home in various  settings.

The Regiment de Brouiller

The bodies are slightly modified Meisterzinn ones with my original round hat heads, with crest filled out with epoxy putty. The coat has the general look of the Austrian style cut worn by several Emigre units in Flanders but with white turnbacks and a minimum of lace which can serve in other campaigns.

Thoughts On Super Mario Run: Remix 10 And The Nature Of Rewards

#Nintendo #gamedev #indiedev #SuperMarioRun

In September of 2017, Nintendo released an update to Mario Run which, amongst other things, introduced players to a new way to play, dubbed Remix 10.

Read more »

Louard's game design sounding board and home of the Pro's and Con's reviews.

Games Course Alumni Shares His Top Tips On Art Projects.

A big 'Thank you' goes out to our Alumni, David Woodman, who has shared some of his top art tips on ArtStation for our students to learn from his many years of experience as a 3D artist and Art Director in Research and Development at TT-Games!

Top Tips.

You can also see examples of David's work n his ArtStation portfolio.

Christmas 2018

Thank you all so much for everything this year. It means so much to me that you are all enjoying and contributing to the show. Sarah and I wish you all the best holiday season ever.

Paul Rickards Pen Plotter site
Puerto Rican Christmas music from Eugenio
More from Eugenio
A little bit more from Eugenio 
Pixel Advocate Podcast
Waveback Podcast
Gal Walks Into A Comic Shop Podcast 
Bill's The Escapist website

BT Broadband Network 'Can Cope' With Coronavirus Demands - TechRadar

BT broadband network 'can cope' with coronavirus demands

Frictional Fan Jam: Winter Modding Event

Screenshot from Draugemalf's SOMA Winter Asset Pack.

Quick overview

Duration: 11th of December until 19th January 2020

Theme: Winter/Hibernation

Medium: HPL engine modding

Submission link: Frictional Fan Jam 2019: Winter modding event submissions

Info

Winter is coming for us in the Northern Hemisphere. Get a hot drink, curl up under a blanket, and start up the HPL level editor – it's time for Frictional's Winter Modding Jam!

Join us for a month-long event focused on HPL modding! You're welcome to participate alone or in a small team (up to 5 people). For peer support, head on over to our Discord server.

Are you an artist, writer, or other kind of creator? You can still participate by teaming up with one of the modders. Head on over to #winter_modding_jam on our Discord and find your team! We will also be holding specialised events for you in the future.

Duration

The Jam will start on the 11th of December 2019 and last until the 19th of January 2020.

You can submit your work on the night of Sunday the 19th, as the submissions will be checked on Monday morning.

Theme

Winter and/or Hibernation.

One or both themes should be present in the Fan Jam entry. You are welcome to interpret them however you wish. The mods don't have to have a connection to Frictional Games titles.

Medium

This Frictional Fan Jam is specifically for HPL modding. You are free to use HPL2 and HPL3, or even HPL1 if you're brave enough.

Aside from the game assets, you are also welcome to utilise other assets you can legally use, or have permission to use from the creators.

You can for example use the Winter Asset Pack for SOMA, made by a long-time contributor and one of our Discord moderators, Draugemalf.

Submitting your work

Upload your mod on a platform like ModDB or Steam Workshop.

For entering the event, please submit a link to your work through the following form:

Frictional Fan Jam 2019: Winter modding event submissions

If you worked as a team, have one team member submit the entry.

All works will be showcased on the #winter_modding_jam_showcase on Discord.

Prizes

The jury of Frictional Games employees will pick the winners of the jam. Discord moderator team will not be voting on entries, and are therefore allowed to fully participate in the event.

The winners will receive A5-sized posters of a game of their choosing sent to their home address (team members will be sent theirs separately). The Frictional team from the Malmö office can sign them if you wish. Once our next project is out, the winners will also receive a download key for the game on an available platform of their choosing.

Depending on the amount of entries, the Malmö office Frictional team will stream all of the entries, or only the winners.

Contact

The Fan Jam is organised by Frictional Games' community manager Kira, with support from the Frictional Games Discord moderators. The easiest way to contact either is through the Frictional Games Discord server's #winter_modding_jam channel. The channel can also be used to share ideas with other community members, get feedback, and look for team members.

If you don't have a Discord account, you are welcome to contact Frictional Games through Twitter or our Contact Form, and we will help you as soon as we can.

For general questions: Contact Kira, for example by pinging them on the Discord channel.

For technical questions: Join our Discord server which has an active modding community.

Have fun, we're looking forward to your wintery creations!

SCREAMER RALLY

Back in the mid-90s, the Screamer series was seen by many as the King of all racers. I remember many a worshipper of the PC master race sneering at anything a console could produce in favour Virgin Interactive's 3Dfx enhanced series. Screamer Rally is the franchise's third game but can the gameplay match the visuals?

Read more »

Shell Energy Broadband Deals Currently Come With Big Amazon.co.uk Vouchers - Ars Technica

Shell Energy broadband deals currently come with big Amazon.co.uk vouchers

DreamHack

Attention All!

ProjectMQ is hosting the Indie Game Arcade at DreamHack Atlanta on July 21st-23rd.

DreamHack https://twitter.com/DreamHack originally began in Sweden, and is now the world's largest digital festival for eSports and digital art. DreamHack is partnering with Pharaoh's Conclave, a macro and micro connector of the eSports ecosystem. Pharoah's Conclave is also hosting the Georgia Highschool eSports Invitational at this event. DreamHack and Pharaoh's conclave expect between 18,000 and 24,000 attendees this weekend.

Press release featuring Collegiate Grudge Matches and DreamHack Atlanta event details: https://atlanta.dreamhack.com/17/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/DreamHack.CollegiateMatches.FINAL_.7.10.17.pdf

You will save 20% off your choices of DreamHack Atlanta tickets (Day passes: $20; three-day weekend passes: $45) with promo code: KENNESAW.

The CGDD program has 10 free tickets for student volunteers in exchange for tending to our booth. Time commitment: 5 hours over three days.

If you are interested, please contact Dr. Rongkai Guo or Kyla Craven ASAP!  First come, first serve.

Super Adventures With The Xbox Game Pass, Part 3

This week on Super Adventures, I'm still writing about the games I played last November when I bought a month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. I'm up to part 3 now because it turns out you can play a lot of games in one month if you really rush. You probably shouldn't write about them though, because you likely won't have played them enough to come to grips with the gameplay or get a proper impression of the content.

But I'm doing it anyway because I want to show some games off and I'm hoping someone reading these will discover something new they end up playing and loving, even if I didn't love it myself.

You can find part 1 here: Part 1.
And part 2 is here: Part 2.

The final part is coming tomorrow!

Read on »

All Aboard!

What's going on everyone!?

Today for the #2019gameaday challenge I played a solo game of Ticket to Ride. 

It wasn't a very high scoring game but at least I can say I won, lol. 

I'm hoping tomorrow we'll actually have some time to sit down and play a game together since we didn't get to for family game night.

As always, thank you for reading and don't forget to stop and smell the meeples! :)

-Tim