E is for Errors are always punished in Strategic Surge. I’m really not sure what to make of one of the latest hex wargames to hit Steam. Currently available in two-scenario playtest form only, Strategic Surge looks to be inspired by the ongoing war in Ukraine, and appears to cast the player as the invader. From the Steam blurb: “Excessive aggression will trigger high-tech Lend-Lease support for your enemies, flooding the front with advanced Western weaponry”.
The designers, K-71, seem interested in the ethical and political dimensions of military leadership as well as the tactical – “From silencing journalists who saw too much to sacrificing a battalion for a symbolic victory, your choices define the world’s reaction and your soldiers’ loyalty” – but even if the game has a functioning moral compass its bizarre attitude to luck could cause many wargamers to give it a wide berth. Unlike the vast majority of its peers, Strategic Surge doesn’t role dice when units clash: “On the battlefield, luck is irrelevant. Every shot and every strike is a pure calculation of ballistics, armor, and positioning.”
F is for Full Steam Ahead…
…a free browser-reliant 2D rail sim that asks you to design steam locos and, if you’re in the mood, operate them too. Dev Simulatronator clearly has a deep understanding of what makes iron horses tick, slip, gallop and wheeze. To earn the cash necessary to research new technology, you must engineer motive power suited to specific contracts.
Rather than toil over complicated blueprints, designs are shaped using drop-down menus that lengthen the higher you climb on the R&D tree. Everything from wheel arrangement and cylinder configuration to blastpipe design and fuel type is yours to define. Fascinated by weird and wonderful kettles like the Garratts, Leader, and CIÉ No. CC1? Don’t miss Full Steam Ahead.
G is for Gunship Origins
The two brothers behind Gunship Origins, an upcoming MicroProse heli sim offering flyable Apaches, Kiowas, and Black Hawks aren’t planning to boggle, weary, or humiliate their customers. As the first devlog reveals, GO will be ‘simcade’ rather than rigorous and should run sweetly on older rigs. Dynamic campaigning and versatile co-op will eventually be among the attractions. Not only will you be able to share skies with friends, you’ll be able to share cockpits. There’s even talk of impromptu rescues of downed pals.
H is for Hew history
Orbi Universo, an ingenious pared-down history game I once described as “basically freeze-dried, turn-stripped Civ. Civ without bourgeois luxuries like maps and movable warriors.” gained a well-received sequel last year. If the idea of exceedingly ergonomic/elegant empire cultivation appeals, you might want to enter the following competition. The image below has been created by subtly modifying, in ten different places, the official Orbi Universo II screenshot shown above. The first person to send me (tim at tallyhocorner dot com) a message listing the ten changes will win an OU2 Steam activation code.
I is for Images and info sought
If anyone has encountered line-drawing glitches when playing the weekly web version of Romanesque, I’d appreciate a screenshot of the problem (ideally including the word list in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen) and info on the browser and device you were using when it occurred. At least one tablet-equipped hive diver is seeing garbled word lines at times, and as I’ve been unable to replicate the issue on my PC or phone, I’m struggling to understand the cause of the bug.