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In Episode 20 Raef and Russ chat with the owner of Doghouse Systems about their PC's, and about what they look for in a gaming PC.

Later, the team discusses what makes a hobby gaming magazine worth buying.

This episode's largest segment is dedicated to Uncharted Seas, the new hobby war game about fantasy combat on the high seas by Spartan Games.

All that and our usual 'not too horrible' humor, with features such as:

- When Wives Attack
- Rapid Fire
- The Hollywood Minute
- & More


Link to the show: http://www.thed6generation.com/index.php?post_id=407458

Please let us know what you think.

Happy gaming,

Russ


Link to prior episode discussion: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/222354.page

Sounds great... I've still gotta listen to 19, but this sounds like a fantastic episode. The magazine section sounds really interesting.
I think it's worth noting your Serenity RPG review (which I listened to last week finally) got me to stop being lazy and watch Firefly/Serenity, and honestly, I don't know how I missed it for so long. It was amazing.

I'm also curious if you guys will discuss the news of PP releasing plastic models. I'm especially curious to hear your personal opinion, Russ.

EDIT: Long Live Rapid Fire!

Uncharted Seas, I think's For Me!!!!

Good Price as well in BRITISH pounds.

owenrufus wrote:Good Price as well in BRITISH pounds.

Do you have pounds over there in Welsh Wales, Owen boyo? Or do you still use barter?

Osbad wrote:Do you have pounds over there in Welsh Wales, Owen boyo? Or do you still use barter?

The latter, the conversion rate is one (1) punch in the face to one (1) sarcastic Englishman

Thanks for another excellent episode lads,
and good luck with the book review, Craig

All in all an excellent episode yet again.

BUT

I did find the segment on Doghouse pointless, dull, waste of time and annoying. For the first time in 20 episodes I fast forwarded. (Which is a great thing about podcasts).
I realize that you guys are happy with you new rigs and I know the feeling myself, but that is not why I listen to your awesome podcasts. I love the talk, jokes and discussions about games, be it computer, card, board or miniature, but the computer itself is just a medium through which we enjoy the games. I cannot imagine an equally long segment on literacy (which is an important medium through which we learn the rules of various games) or the joys of printing (another much needed medium).

Other than that I really enjoyed the podcast as allways and an awesome thanks must go to the Wives for helping me introduce games to my friends and family of a female persuasion.

Keep it up!

Good, 4 hours. More than makes up for last time's dismally short outing. Listening now, thanks a lot guys.

4 hours, i used to think that and hour and a half for you guys was pushing it, anyway another awesome show again.

Oh and thanks to you guys, i went out and bought the firefly rpg, the rv series and the movie all with never realy hearing much about them, but your review was so good i couldnt help myself. so now im down 200 aus bucks but let me tell you, it was sssssoooo worth it!!!

can wait till the week after next!!

LL

so where can we see pics of your Uncharted Seas stuff?

A good listen. I skipped over the computer stuff at the start as I'm really not interested in online gaming, but that's fair does, I'm sure enough that there are many out there who are interested, so that's fine.

WWA as always was masterly. I've got a couple of questions for The Wives (I note the capitalisation!) so I'll be emailing them soon. Marriage guidance counselling via gamer podcast is too good to miss!

Liked the Uncharted Seas review. Thanks for the effort. It has really helped me make my mind up on this one and avoid splurging on yet more models that would have likely ended up being played with once and then dumped unloved and unwanted at the back of the cupboard. I wish Spartan Games well, with a good quality product, but with minimal fluff and being a "gamers game" of interest to those who dig naval combat, I think this is something that I'm happy to pass on. I had been considering because of the general "positive buzz" around the game, but your in depth review explaining what you liked and disliked was a great service to me.

Like Raef, I feel I may be more interested in the Space Ship game they have coming out soon. If they have developed a basically good ruleset, added some fluff that can get me "into" the game universe, and taken it into space, then I am likely sold. I love BFG and also Full Thrust, but never enjoyed Man O' War, or War At Sea amd other historical naval games I have tried over the years, so that may well be the opening into Spartan Games' offerings that is for me.

In the same vein, your general discussions about Cutthroat Caverns is getting me frothing and I have desperately been searching (so far unsuccessfully - it seems to be sold out everywhere over here) for a UK source for the game as a Christmas present for my wife to buy me...

One other coment to close, and that relates to Russ and Craig's comments re: LotR content in WD. Your dislike of the coverage I understand, as you are somewhat bored with the background and game now. That's fair enough. And to be fair you tried your best to be general in your comments about the weakness being GW's attempt to cover 3 games in the magazine which makes it less likely that any individual gamer will get full value from the magazine.

However, as someone who has played LotR for years, but has not liked WFB since I gave it up back in 2nd edition, nor really enjoyed playing 40k until 5th edition came out, I really find it hard to understand the resentment LotR's coverage generates in non-LotR players as I don't resent the coverage the other two games get in the only magazine that covers my own favourite game. Instead I look and enjoy the elements that are common - hobby and painting tips, an exciting battle report etc. (Although of course I share the general view that the quality of the articles is not a patch on what it was a few years back). And, for a start - LotR did not rob WD of any non-LotR coverage - the page count went up when LotR was first included back in 2001, and in reality LotR gets a lot less coverage than 40k, and marginally less that WFB. Many months LotR gets a single sparse article, if that. Only in months of a major new release (such as the recent Mordor supplement) does it even get near to splash coverage, and even then it is not the TOTAL magazine - as has been the case for major releases for 40k and WFB.

So why do non-LotR players insist on treating LotR as the unwanted red-headed stepchild of the core games? As you have acknowledged in your podcast, it is a good game, and it surely has some of the best "fluff" out there! It also has a large worldwide following (Aussi based Worlds End Radio acknowledges that the tournament scene is strong and the game is fun and covers it in its turn). So please, please D6G, give the game its due, even if you've got bored with it yourself!

As I was giving Owen cheek in the ep 19 thread about the Australia v Wales rugby, I feel the need to give a shout out to Wales for beating the Aussies. Well done, and congrats Owen

Next time...

Adam

Look, I wasn't going to mention the Rugby... we English need to concentrate on defeating ...erm... Italy in our next match, and on current form that's a major challenge we don't want to be distracted from. Those pesky Welsh and their Southern-Hemisphere-beating ways! Damn their eyes!

Lol, I'm wondering if Owen will adopt me so that I can become a Welshman. That way I won't have to care about our national cricket team, our Rugby won't suck, and our footballers would be satisfied with qualification for tournaments..

Comments on Wales trouncing of Oz at Rugby will be covered fully in the Next Words from WALES. As for England , well my Son's under 8s team beat them on the weekend. English Rugby is an utter shambles , and I for one say long may it remain so......

Hi,
quick note before lock down,another fine podcast,my favorite bits are rapid fire and that cheeky bloody Welshman.
Ive got to confess I fast forward over the wife's stuff,well done on getting the new 'puters
damn the guard is coming,and another thing......CLANG....

Great show! Keep up the great work ladies and the guys who natter on before and after the WWA segment!

A couple of comments:

Dungeon and Dragon are no longer in print, but online. I too love print, even if I work with computers. I fear that print is not coming back for magazines, but I hope someone proves me wrong. BTW, you might want to check out Polymancer (http://www.polymancerstudios.com/)

I really enjoyed the review of Uncharted Seas, looking forward to seeing pics of the board in action.

Blatant PLUG WARNING Fantasy Flight Games Warehouse Sale

I know it is a tight year for all of us, so saving a $ is always good. I think your listeners could take advantage of this. Still I feel a little dirty. I have never been a big online buyer of gaming stuff. In fact I have always bought books from my FLGS. BUT this sale on FFG's part is more like 75%. Incredible.

The sale includes a lot of different kinds of games, but the real gems here are for AT-43 and Confrontation. (Even if they don't meet some elitist so-called hobby gamers idea of a minis game -- kidding, no hate from me!) Anyway, if you have been thinking of trying either Confrontation or AT-43, you can pick up a starter set for $20! not to mention units for $10! The sale includes a lot of the Rackham's pre-painted minis lines, but does not include everything, it has a lot, check it out:

http://app.fantasyflightgames.com/5dsale2008.html

The sale is over DECEMBER 9th!

BTW, this sale is due to FFG no longer being Rackham's distributor, Alliance, and other distributors are picking them up starting this month. By January Rackam plans to have their distribution on a regular schedule.
Rackham's general announcement on upcoming releases: http://www.confrontation.fr/images/stories/confrontation/COM/COMJR_UK.pdf


Thanks again!

You guys think of using your M-POC dice for Uncharted C's? Kapows instead of numbers. Action Dice = 4+, Boost Dice = 3+. Probably the Blood Bowl player in me talking.

Just a little bit of friendly criticism here (cuz I love the show):

I have several times now found that with the game reviews, I get a good idea of how the components look and what the rules are, but I don't feel I get a feel for how the game actually plays or what its depth of strategy is like.

Specifically with Uncharted Seas, what I was wondering about beforehand is how interesting the starter fleets are. Is it like with Battlefleet Gothic that what you get lead to very one-dimensional battles as you are not getting a lot of variety and quite few units? If you play the same scenario twice, will the battles resemble each other quite closely? I am a bit concerned that I will grow tired of it quickly since the starter sets only contain three different ship types and 5(?) units.

What do you guys think?

To those of you who fast forwarded through the computer stuff . . . I feel your pain. BUT, that's what the fast forward button is FOR, so it's all good. I'm sure there's more than a few people out there who fast forward through Rapid Fire (STOP! I'm not looking for a roll call here. Keep your snarky comments to yourselves )

As for Osbad's comment, I've got to clarify a bit. If I said I hated the fact that LotRs is in WD, or gave that impression, I apologize. I simply meant that I'm not interested anymore, and at $8 (and you guys in other parts of the world have my sympathy, but a 25% increase in price is a 25% increase in price, am I right? Huh? Am I right?), anyway, at eight bucks, I'd rather get a BL novel than a magazine 1/3 of which (losely, I know it's usually not that much) is stuff I'm not interested in anymore. I don't begrudge fans of the game it's coverage, and I certainly don't care to see it go the way of the dodo. But when the page count went up to accomadate, the magazine cost a LOT less than it does now, too.

Anyway, not only is this the standard D6G "no hate" policy, remember, I REALLY do still love this game, and wish I could find people to play it with me. I've got WAY over 100 figures all painted up and many more waiting for the same treatment.

Next: My friend Joe's wife was the hooker for the USA Women's rugby team back in the 90's (made my best man's speech at their wedding pretty much write itself, I must say), and I'M certainly not going to tell HER that US Rugby stinks. I'll get you guys the address, though. . .

And finally: Depth of strategy in UnSea. The starter fleets each come with a single battleship, 3 cruisers, and 6 frigates, for a total of 4 squadrons, usually. Orcs, for instance, can field a frigate squadron of 6, so they have way more strategic flexibility. I think the game works GREAT with just the starter fleets, mainly because each class of ship is so different, and yet can be utterly important in your success or failure. Last night we saw a squadron of dwarven frigates, due to some good initiative rolls, take out 2/3 of an entire squadron of Dragon Lord cruisers in two turns, while on the other side of the board 2 dwarven frigates tipped the balance when the two battleships clashed. I've played several games now, and each was different enough to keep me going back for more. I'm excited for all the new releases, but I've got to say that as far as differentiation of the ships in the starter fleets go, it's light years (or leagues, pick your poison) ahead of BFG.

And that's all for now. I'm late for school. Generally, that's more frowned upon with teachers than with students . . .

Game on!

~Craig

Master-Terraformer wrote:As for Osbad's comment, I've got to clarify a bit. If I said I hated the fact that LotRs is in WD, or gave that impression, I apologize. I simply meant that I'm not interested anymore, and at $8 (and you guys in other parts of the world have my sympathy, but a 25% increase in price is a 25% increase in price, am I right? Huh? Am I right?), anyway, at eight bucks, I'd rather get a BL novel than a magazine 1/3 of which (losely, I know it's usually not that much) is stuff I'm not interested in anymore. I don't begrudge fans of the game it's coverage, and I certainly don't care to see it go the way of the dodo. But when the page count went up to accomadate, the magazine cost a LOT less than it does now, too.

Anyway, not only is this the standard D6G "no hate" policy, remember, I REALLY do still love this game, and wish I could find people to play it with me. I've got WAY over 100 figures all painted up and many more waiting for the same treatment.

I appreciate the expansion Craig. I guess I'm a bit sore on the subject! And if you're ever over this side of the pond on an *ahem* academic trip you're most welcome to put those figures to use! I guess I'm a bit over-sensitive after years of being looked down upon by snotty 40k-playing teenagers at my local store (some of whom wore red polo-shirts with the GW logo on...) who ignorantly dissed the game, and my purchases, without even having read the rule book. As far as I am concerned, LotR predates 40k in GW and Citadel's history (and I have the the copy of WD from 1984 with a WFB 1st edition Pelennor Fields scenario in it to prove it!), so these Johnny-come-latelies who play this game with laser guns and space-men which usurped LotR in GW's affections a mere quarter of a century ago can take their place in the queue! (An I say that as a nascent 5th edition fan, with a slowly growing Blue Space Marines army....)

I think therefore that we can agree that a) WD is not the value for money it was a few years back, and the latest price rise (here it costs £4.50, having gone up from £4 an issue or so back) doesn't help. And b) the fact that there seem to be many players who don't (or can't afford to) follow all 3 "core" games systems means that any individual gamer is going to not appreciate some of the articles in any given issue, and makes it appear even less value for money.

I would say though that (quality of said articles, and price of the magazine aside) I do think perhaps GW are not alone in this. Look at other gaming magazines (No Quarter aside) and some cover many games, periods and genres. It is rare for one single game system to generate sufficient interest to support a paper magazine alone and 40k and Hordesmachine are perhaps unusual in this respect (and even Hordesmachine perhaps could not do so for Hordes or Warmachine individually. But if GW were to bring out a magazine that supported only 40k, what would they do for WFB and LotR, which probably couldn't support a magazine long term (well, the Battle Games in Middle-earth partwork bubble floating on movie publicity aside)?

I think, just as your podcast provides a wide range of articles some of which I find more interesting than others, yet I find something of value and interest in most of it - even for games I am never likely to play, so I can view a magazine - it may be the fluff, it may be the artistry of the figures, it may be just the interesting writing. So for me the problems with WD stem not from the fact that it covers 3 popular systems, but that it is overpriced and its articles just don't seem to be as interesting as they used. Anyhow. No hate! I still subscribe to WD and enjoy it a bit, for now. I'm just glad No Quarter has resisted temptation to include Monsterpocalypse articles...

I would like to point out that One of the most amusing things I have done to date is copy all of the rapid fires out of your podcast....


....And make them into their own playlist. It's awesome!!

Paul, I couldn't agree with everything you said more. I hear a lot of complaints about GW redshirts (and even black shirts) dissing LotRs, which makes NO sense on SO many levels. My favorite board that I made for GW when I worked for them was an Osgiliath board, complete with river and bridges, and we all used to have knock down, drag out fights over who got to compose and run each week's LotRs events on it.

And in the interest of full disclosure, when pushed for an answer this week by my mother in law . . . I told her to go ahead and renew the subscription . . .

color me hypocritical.

And Fitzeh . . . that's just . . . scary . . . in a flattering sort of way.

It's physically impossible to listen to more than 5 in a row though. It's like noise marines or something.

Hmmmm. A Land Raider with a built in iPod and working dirge caster playing an endless loop of Rapid Fire. I can see the opposition fleeing already.

As to Uncharted Seas, IMHO, the starter set does have enough variability that it does not get stale quickly, especially if you use the cards. Also, with some added creativity you can develop your own scenarios (blockade running, etc.) to keep things interesting. The new group of ships open up other scenarios like troop landings, shelling islands with the new Ork mortar ship, using carriers, and even sea monsters if you like the idea of random destruction (or a sea monster hunt). There are a lot of potential options and I hope the game finds a niche because there is a lot of potential for growth.

It also has me interested in their space game.

I've just finished listening to Neil Shuck's review of Uncharted Seas on his podcast "Meeples and Miniatures".
An interesting adjunct. I'm now swinging back towards a "maybe" for the game... £15 for the Dwarf fleet looks a steal! He also reeviews the Dragonthingies Dragon Carrier and the new Dwarf Heavy Cruiser models, which Raef, Craig and Russ haven't seen yet. (Link: http://www.meeplesandminiatures.com)

So Craig,

What's the new hotness game that Russ has everyone playing instead of BSG?

Well, lately Russ has been playing a lot of Galaxy Trucker (which I like), Descent (which I like but the whole point was to schedule the campaign on my off nights during the play, so now that the play is over, I'm at loose ends as many of my prefered compatriots are in the campaign, Then there's Tomb, which I haven't played, and Race for the Galaxy, which I'm taking a perverse pleasure in being the "Raef" with and not playing. And of course Uncharted Seas, which we're both playing.

As you may have picked up on, Russ is the opposite of that friend that fixates on a single game. I think he's constitutionally incapable of sticking with a single game anymore. After his years of 40K and Fantasy, he's been like a podcasting German jumping bean game-wise for years now.

That was a great episode of Meeples and Miniatures. I checked it out after hearingh the guys on TWiW refer to his review. His excellent review supported everytrhing I'd been hoping was another reason I was so gung ho when Russ suggested we do the package deal.

Great episode as always guys. As a former Man O' War nut who has since sold all his miniatures it was great to hear about Uncharted Seas (although I can't imagine myself playing it unless I find others who are interested in it).

I really, really, really want to see some pics of your minis and especially the terrain table you built Craig. I had a really hard time understanding what you were talking about when you were discussing how you built the table but I desperately wanted to 'get it'.

May I suggest you guys take nice big pictures and upload them to the new Dakka gallery (shameless plug)? If you guys haven't checked out the gallery yet, you should do so because the ability to zoom way in and drag around on hi-rez pictures is amazing and I'd love to be able to check out your Uncharted Seas stuff that way.

And, of course, an Uncharted Seas army (fleet) profile would be fantastic as well!