2025’s communal Combat Mission game begins on Friday. Probably.

If there are no posts on THC on Wednesday or Thursday this week don’t blame Corsica 1764, Ground of Aces, or the first Strategic Command WWII: War in the Pacific expansion. The lull is probably because I’m busy preparing this year’s communal Combat Mission scenario. Having burnt my fingers experimenting with ambitious PvP variants for the past couple of years, I’ve decided to return to a more traditional PvE format for the coming hostilities.

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In 2004, steam loco sims didn’t come any better than SpoorSim

Microsoft Train Simulator, BVE, Trainz… in 2004 the PC rail simmer had far fewer choices than they have today. Oddly, one of the most realistic options available to desktop train drivers back then featured South African rolling stock. If you’re as ancient as I am and love all things locomotive you may be interested to hear that Charl Vockerodt’s SpoorSim is still available, if you know where to look.

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World War II Armored Recon reconnoitered

Forty plus years of WW2 tactical wargaming leaves an indelible mark on a person. Like most long-in-the-tooth desktop generals, I’m now so used to parsing battlefields, assessing weaponry, and weighing up odds, the process is almost instinctive. StuG there…. dead ground there… possible Pak 40 position over yonder… synapses twinkle, decisions are made, orders are issued. The ritual is so ingrained, so natural and apt, when a game prevents me from conducting it, feelings of surprise and resentment are inevitable.

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Teardown’s bewitching blazes

Like a bone-white ember quietly ticking amongst the feathery ash of a burned-down bonfire, Firefighting Week still has some life left in it. Yesterday, a Cornerite tip-off (Thanks, phuzz!) led me to try blaze battling in Teardown, a voxel-based demolition playground blessed with wonderfully dynamic and destructive flames.

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