Which brings me to “Force on Force:Modern Wargaming Rules” from Ambush Alley Games and Osprey Publishing. This is a hardbound rulebook of 220 glossy pages. Book printing quality is excellent and Osprey provided much of the art. If you a familiar with the Osprey line this is good news. Osprey has some of the most consistent, high-quality art in its reference materials and games of any company in the gaming industry.

“Force on Force” is a miniature game and Elhiem Figures produces an “official” line of 1/72 (20mm) miniatures, but just about any miniature will work. I received the store demo kit which included  some US Marine squads, a pilot and a set of Taliban insurgents.  That said, any miniature you can stomach looking at will work just fine. Stuart picked up a set of green army men for $2.00 and they will make great marines! Different unit types comprise a squad (leader, squad-assault weapon, trooper, etc), so whatever miniaturesyou pick need to vary to make casualty tracking easier.

I did a quick read through the rulebook and decided to give it a try. To give myself a bit of perspective on the game, I chose not to play the review game. Instead I rounded up two-players and ran them through a scenario, marines  rescuing a downed pilot in an Iraqi village while fighting insurgents. Since all of us were totally new to the system, I played judge and rule-monger to keep the game moving.  We set-up at a local game convention (Rincon) and went for it!

Werlen drew the short straw and played the Taliban, Stuart got the Marines.  The scenario defines where each unit starts (called hotspots). When the units are in place, the battle begins!

FoF uses different dice types to define the ability of a given unit. A poor quality military unit like armed civilians or insurgents are “D6″ units. That is they roll die six for shooting and initiative checks. Unit quality advances through d6, d8, d10 to d12, with d12 units equivalent to SEALs and other elite military units.  This is the “Troop Quality” die.  A separate die represents the unit’s morale, with d6 barely holding on to d12 warriors willing to stand in the face of certain doom.  Combat uses these dice to generate dice pools, with rolls compared against a defenders dice pool. As an example, as squad of 4 (d8)marines with a heavy machine gun has a total of 5 d8 in their dice pool. The player rolls and every roll above a “4″ on the die counts as a success/hit.  Our marines dice roll  8, 7,5, 2,2. The five defending Taliban are rabble and only d6 quality and have no heavy weapons.  Their d6 roll produces 6,6,5,2,1.

Both players immediately throw out any die result under “4.” This leaves the marines with 8,7,5 and the Taliban with 6,6,5. The Taliban player arranges his dice as best he can to block the Marine’s shots. The 8 and 7 are unstoppable, but a Taliban “6″ can block the Marine’s “5.” This leaves two hits unanswered and the Taliban player removes two miniatures. Next turn, that unit will have only three dice to throw. Life is hard for the Taliban.

Yes, the dice are totally unfair, but the game tends to make up for the differential with scenarios with many more low-quality troops. Just like the real world, no matter how well you train and equip your army numbers still matter.

Combat rolls are fast, but one of the more interesting aspects of the game is the initiative system. Rather than an “A goes, then B goes” model, it is far more fluid.

Marines win initiative and as a first action move across a street in to cover. By doing so they move into line of sight for a Taliban unit. Before the move completes, the two units have a reaction check (initiative) to determine who acts first. The Taliban win and get a shot at the marines before they reach cover. The marines reach cover, but then discover a group of Taliban concealed in a nearby building. This sets off another initiative check which the Marines win. They got the jump on the surprised Taliban and get off a round of shooting. The Taliban die to a man.  That unit is now out of combat.

Once that player’s turn is over, the second player takes his turn and the process repeats itself.

This example “chain” is very simple, but in practice we had four or five units slinging lead and running around the battlefield.  It takes a couple of rounds to get the hang of it, but it was not overly burdensome.

The reaction tests occasionally set off a “fog of war” card. When you roll a one on the reaction test die, you draw from this deck of cards that comes in the back of the book that you photocopy and cut out or as a printed deck available on the Ambush Alley website. These random events range from the harmless to the lethal. Sometimes a vehicle breaks down or a sniper team arrives to help. However, the fortunes of war are fickle and sometimes the airstrike lands on the unit that called it in!

This is just the basic game, the very basic game. FoF rules are quite modular, so you bolt-on as many or as few as you like. For the hardcore miniature war gamer, there are very detailed rules for vehicles, air strikes, raging mobs and even cocaine use by units! If you can think to do it, there is probably a mechanic. I cannot tell you how very happy this makes me. I know that players always have the option of ignoring rules, but memorizing the book cover-to-cover to play the beginner game is silly.  I got the game up and running in under an hour of skimming and it was very playable.  That said, I am interested in trying the some of the advanced rules, especially in regards to first aid and healing damaged soldiers.

The manual is also packed with stats for different types of units from many nations and periods (post WWII) and rules for making your own units. There are also supplement available for specific conflicts, such as the Iraq invasion.

Although the game is clearly built for serious modern combat, Ambush Alley put out a line of zombie fighting! I am very interested to try this as I am a huge “World War Z” fan and testing a SEAL team against a horde of undead sounds like a blast.

“Force of Force” is great fun for anyone from a miniature beginner to the most wizened grognard.  It is well worth your time.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Description:

100 unique, highly detailed dungeon double-sided geomorphs which can be arranged in hundreds of different patterns. One side shows unfurnished dungeon rooms for you to fill. The other side has furnished rooms.  Together, all one hundred sheets form a massive single dungeon 10 sheets tall by 10 sheets wide. Available at Gamingpaper.com

Retail Price: $25.00

Overview:

The Good: The artwork and printing are of excellent quality with a variety of hallways and rooms. The manufacturer grants the owner permission to photocopy tiles for personal use.

The Bad:  Printed in gray-scale. Not as versatile as some tile sets. Tiles are paper so they are very light weight.

The Bottom Line: A large dungeon map with very good artwork for a good price even though the printing is gray-scale.

First Impression:

With 100 pages this tile set contains a large number of tiles for the $25 price tag.  At first I was put off by the gray-scale printing but after looking at some the pages laid out together they really look nice.  The drop shadowing is excellent giving an almost 3D feel to the map.   The paper is of good quality but its only paper and is subject to tears and folds.  This however can be made up by photocopying the pages before use if you can find a copier that supports edge to edge printing,  The double-sided printing with bare rooms on one side and furnished/alternate dungeon on the opposite side add to the options for Dungeon Masters.  I say furnished /alternate because most of the backsides are just furnished versions of the opposite sides.  Some however are alternate versions showing revolving passageways in different positions or doors opened. This allows for that page to be flipped showing the change in the state of the dungeon. I thought these were clever touches.

Putting Together a Map

Putting together a map was simple enough. Each of the pages is marked with it’s position in the huge dungeon.  I put together about one-quarter of the map.  First I laid it out as shown in the standard dungeon.  I was not quite happy because one of the corridors ended in a dead-end.  This was easily remedied by finding an unused tile that fit in the same place that did not dead-end.  Since I could tell the paper would be sliding all over the table while we played on it I decided to tape the map together using scotch tape.  This worked well and you can see the results in the image below.  I could also see how photocopies of different sections either as whole or partial pages could be put together to form a unique dungeon.

Playing On the Map

Playing on the map was great.  I got together with some of the guys I play D&D miniatures with and played a 4 player dungeon scenario on the map I had made the night before.  We had a blast with it.  The corridors and rooms were well laid out for D&D style combat.  Below is a shot of the action.

Conclusion:

Overall I really like this map set.  With the great art and ability to legally photocopy the pages I’m willing to overlook the gray-scale printing.  This map would serve any Dungeon Master well whether they are looking for a pre-made mega dungeon or want to create a unique dungeon of their own.

Full Disclosure: This item was purchased at full retail price.

Werlen

Choosing an artistic style and artist is the next step.  Options include, black and white, basic color and full color, so I chose the “full color” option. Prices range from $15.00 for the black and white and up to $60.00  for the full color.  I chose the full color option and clicked submit.  A few hours later I received an inquiry clarify some aspects of my submission and offering a suggestion. Specifically, the rpgcharacterillustrations.com representative suggested I use a specific kind of knife as my primary weapon…a cheese knife of course! I happily accepted.

Two days pass….

I received the image below.

These images are the pose and facial ideas from the artist. Choosing one of each would give the artist some direction and make sure they were on the right track.  I had difficulty choosing because I really liked the “B” and “C” poses. The idea of Trask after a mighty battle contemplating his wheel of cheese appealed to me. It was a melancholy image to my mind. That said, I went with pose “B” because it would show off the weaponry and cheese in a more heroic light.  Choices made, I responded to the artist and two days pass.

Behold Trask, The Last Tyromancer! (Click on image for larger version)

The illustration speaks for itself. I loved it!  It looks amazing and integrates all of my requests, including the well-placed wheel of cheese.  The image is 5 megabytes (compressed here to speed page loading) and 3629 × 4000 in dimension. Resolution is high enough to guarantee a nice print out, should you want a hard copy.

I am extremely pleased with rpgcharacterillustrations.com work on this character illustration and will use them in the future for other character portraits. Total time for the project from submission to completion was 6 days. I cannot complain at all about the turn around time.  I highly recommend rpgcharacterillustrations.com if you are in the market for a character portrait.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Full Disclosure: I receive this service to no cost for review purposes.

But, you can’t keep a good thing down. HEX HEX has again been reborn as HEX HEX XL. This new base set takes the best of HEX HEX 1.5 and HEX HEX NEXT and creates a new extremely fun group/party game. In addition to the 150 card core game, there are also two new game variant/expansions included; “HEXED” and “HEXEN STIX.”

The gameplay of HEX HEX XL is extremely easy. If you have played hot potato before, you know the basic concept already. The game starts with a player hexing another player. Each player has a hand of cards that can somehow alter that hex. Mostly bouncing it back, or diverting it to your left or right. There are also more advanced cards that can duplicate hexes, make them more powerful, and other nasty things. The hex (or hexes) keep bouncing around until a player doesn’t have any more cards that can help them divert the attack. Then that person looses points, and the last person to pass it to them gains points (called “voice” in-game). And that’s basically it. You play a predetermined number of rounds and the highest score wins.

The variant games are as easy to pick up. Where HEX HEX has a flavor of hot potato, HEXEN STIX has a flavor of musical chairs. There are wooden sticks (some white, some black) that are placed out on the playing surface and special cards mixed into the deck. There is also a new draw pile specifically for HEXEN STIX.  When someone plays a special card, everyone grabs for the wooden sticks. There is always 1 less stick than players, so someone always is stick-less.  However, this isn’t always bad.  After all the sticks are picked up, a card is flipped from the special deck that says what happens to each player. There is something listed for the white stick holder, black stick holder, and/or non-stick holder. And you never know who is going to get screwed in the deal!

VEXED is the second variant in HEX HEX XL. Now it is time to mix in a little Simon Says. In VEXED there is a separate deck set up, each of these cards has a new rule (curse) to the game. And these are not just mechanical rules, there are curses were you can’t speak at all, or one where you have to always thank the player that gives you a hex. In this variant, when the hex resolves at the end of the round, that player (or players) are under the curse of whatever the card says for the following round. If you break the curse rules, and another player catches you, expect a nasty price to pay!

HEX HEX XL was my first exposure to this game, so I can not comment on how the game differs from earlier versions (if it does at all). However, I can comment on the game as it is now. And it is a heck of a lot of fun. If you are a fan of the stab-your-friend-in-the-back games such as Munchkin or Cutthroat Caverns, you will certainly like this game. Though it is a lot more fast paced, and easier to pick-up and run with, even with players that never played before, then other games in the genre.

The top reason that this game will stay in on my game shelf is its ability to cross the family threshold. I am always looking for those games that a true gamer can play with the family and not be utterly bored. This game is easy to pick up, non-threatening to non-gamers, and an all-in-all hoot to play. I played with my gamer circle and my family and both loved it.

HEX HEX XL is for 3 to 6 players and runs around a half an hour per game. Therefore, it  fits another important niche. It’s a great game to play while waiting for all your friends to show up for the big game. And that isn’t to take anything away from this game. You can easily (and probably will) have HEX HEX XL as the highlight of a game night. However, you can’t take away those complex multi-hour games from us hard-core strategy gamers. And having a fun and quick game like this on hand means that you can warm up the brain cells by playing a round or two while waiting for everyone to show up.

HEX HEX XL is in stores now for $37.95.

A special thanks to Curt Covert who introduced me to this game at GTS last year and provided a copy of the game for this review. The nice graphics are those found on the Smirk & Dagger website (except for the obvious one taken from my last play session).

Stuart

The layout of this book was very similar to their Core Rulebook. And for those not familiar with Pathfinder, it was an OGL d20 product (compatible with D&D 3.0/3.5). When Wizards of the Coast went to 4th edition, Paizo decided to update the 3.5 rules to expand the game further and fix some of the things that they though could be improved.  I have heard players refer to it at D&D 3.75 rules. But in reality, it is the Pathfinder Core Rules.  So, the Pathfinder Core rulebook is the release of the OGL rules in an updated form. This Advanced Players guide takes the game to the next level.

The first chapter has to do with races. It does not add new races to the game, but instead enhances the races that are already a part of the core rules (Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Halflings, and Humans). There are new racial traits, favored class bonuses, and some class descriptors. My personal favorite racial trait is the “Plagueborn” trait for the Half-Orc. This trait places your character from some of the most despicable and disgusting environs, accustomed to all kinds of nasties and sicknesses. Sure, it comes with a bonus to saving throws against disease, ingested poisons, and becoming nauseated or sickened. But, the roleplaying opportunity is endless!

The second chapter is where the book really shines. There are six new base classes for the game, and the reason which a lot of people bought this book. You can now play as an Alchemist, Cavalier, Inquisitor, Oracle, Summoner, and Witch. These are some very interesting and imaginative classes. This is where the game starts to break from its D&D 3.5 roots and really starts becoming something unique. And by-the-way, my Plagueborn Half-Orc will totally be an Oracle. Can the rest of the party really trust the revelations of a creature that smells like 3-day old Dragon poo?

In addition to to the new base classes, they have also added alternate class features to the core base classes. This is similar to the racial traits, where you can take new and interesting class paths by swapping out one of the original ones. A rogue sniper?  Sign me up!

Chapter 3 adds new feats. Chapter 4 adds new equipment. Chapter 5 adds new spells. And, chapter 7 adds new magic items. There is nothing ground-breaking in these chapters, but they do what they are suppose to do extremely well. Give more player options and round the game into something new and Pathfindery.  This book is over 300 pages.  There is a TON of crunch for the kiddies.

Chapter 6 deals with some new prestige classes for the game. They did a fantastic job coming up with some interesting ideas here. We have the Battle Herald, Holy Vindicator, Horizon Walker, Master Chymist, Master Spy, Nature Warden, and the Stalwart Defender. And they also have a great one for my skeezy Orc-Lite Oracle. The Rage Prophet!

Chapter 8 introduces some optional rules for the core game. There are combat maneuvers that give new blood to the list of core maneuvers (e.g., tripping, grappling, disarming). Dirty Trick, Drag, Reposition, and Steal are new tools for the toolbox of all players. Hero Points are now added to the game. It is known in other RPGs as fate bonuses, destiny dice, luck rerolls. etc.  The interesting thing about Pathfinder, they didn’t look at what was out their and pick one.  They picked them all.  You can trade in your Hero Point for a bonus to a roll, an extra action, a re-roll, and many other options. The last new rule is Traits.  This is basically the option to add traits to your character as a background or in-game experience. Now my stinky 2-penny Orcan Oracle came from a Poverty-Stricken home and have had a History of Heresy.

Overall, this is a really spectacular product. When I first started reading it, I was a little upset that there were not any new races. But, by the end of this monster of a book, with all the new and exciting crunch, and all the new things you can do with the old races, I had forgotten all about it.

But there was one thing that really didn’t set right with me.  And I am guessing it didn’t set right with one of the authors as well, as it is mentioned in the book’s Introduction. I don’t feel that this book should not have had “Advanced” in the title. I worry that one would assume that either advanced meant that this book is more complex than the core book, or that the core book was a basic level book. Neither is the case here. So, don’t let the name fool you. There are a lot of great additions and improvements in this book and nothing changes the level of complexity that is already in the rules.

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player’s Guide is a 336 page, full color hardbound supplement. It is available now for $39.99. It is also available on Paizo’s website as a PDF for $9.99. I would like to thank Erik Mona for explaining to me what all the hub-bub at Gen Con was about and providing me a review copy of this book to get my Pathfinder adventuring!

 ”Duck! Duck! Go!” brings the classic rubber ducky race of many childhood bathtubs to the tabletop. The game comes with four random duckies and a bird dog ducky. The rubber duckies are all themed and randomized for each box. I got a surgeon, surfer, construction worker and a surgeon in my set. The bird dog is in every set.  Also included are ten, double-sided tiles to build the play surface, some tokens and a deck of movement cards.

Components are good quality and the play tiles are heavy-duty cardboard. Printing quality and colors are very clean. I even liked the box design.

Play begins with players deciding on a board configuration. The configuration in my test game came off the beginner list and makes navigation relatively easy. More advanced boards have more choke points and increase the game’s complexity. After building the board, players place their ducks and play begins.

The goal is to visit the “buoy” hexes and then get to the drain to escape. Each player has a hand of movement cards and these decide how your duck moves.  The cards have a pre-programmed set of moves (two hexes forward and then you may choose to turn right, left or forward at the end, as in the example below) that determine your  movement.  Movement is simultaneous, so the lowest value card moves first. Order of movement is critical due to the “bonking” rule. Bonking is when a ducky hits an obstacle, either another ducky, the edge of the board or the escape drain before visiting all the buoys.  You movement immediately ends and your duck spins 180 degrees. Since ducky facing determines your next movement starting direction, “bonking” is something to avoid.

These rules and setup are for a basic game. Advanced players may use the bird dog option. The bird dog moves around the board under the control of the player in last place.  The bird dog is an offensive weapon that sends bonked ducks back to a starting space. On some of the more complex board setups, this is a serious threat.  Advanced game players also have some movement tokens available to move their ducky without using cards. Players receive these “Action tokens” when they achieve a buoy, so they are quite rare and powerful.

I enjoyed  ”Duck! Duck! Go!” from APE Games, but the target demographic is clearly families.  Though the strategy component is relatively complex in an advanced game, I think the theme is a hard sell to hard-core adult board gamers. That said, the easy, no reading required mechanics and kid-friendly theme make this game a guaranteed winner with younger children.  The game does need strategy, so parents will not face serious boredom playing with younger children. A low price-point of $24.95 for nice components that will last for years is also a bonus.

If you are in the market for a family game that keeps both parents and kids entertained, Duck! Duck! Go! is a great choice.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Another aspect of a deck-building games are options. I will explain this a bit more later, but there are many types of cards in the box, some of which are not used for every game. Players either decide which cards to use during the game or there is a random draw option, so neither player chooses their favorite cards. Unused cards stay out of play. This configuration change for every game keeps the game “fresh” and tends to stave off the “one good strategy” every player uses that kills many games.

Deck-building games (usually) are not collectible and have no random element. Supplements list their contents and what each card does. This pleases me because I despise the CCG business model

Which brings me to “Thunderstone.” AEG is known for their quality production values and “Thunderstone” is no exception. The box and cards are top-notch and the interior box organizer keeps the cards organized. Included oversized separator cards keep the various flavors of cards separate. As to the art, I thought the card art very good throughout and fed the dungeon-crawling theme nicely.

“Thunderstone’s” premise is that ages ago wizards sealed the “First Thunderstone” inside Grimhold Dungeon. Of course, endless evil minions infested the dungeon and the heroes must use all of their deck-building might to overcome them and recover the “Thunderstone.”

I ran my review game with only two players, but the game supports up to five players. Each player draws six cards and reveals them in turn. In the first round, you might have enough to fight a very small monster in the dungeon, but most likely you will buy something in the village. Some cards in your hand have a gold value on them, so you add up your gold for that round and see what you want and can afford in the village. The village is the four rows of cards below the “Dungeon Hall” board.

The village is essentially a big shopping mall for adventurers. Each turn players choose to either go to the village and purchase equipment and heroes for their deck or use experience points for hero upgrades. So, as a first turn you buy the “barkeep” and add him to the discard pile. After a reshuffle and a fresh draw, the “barkeep” is available for the player. Strategy comes from knowing what and when to buy something and you have only the gold in your current hand.

Once you have an adventuring party worthy of killing something, you head to the “Dungeon Hall.” Defeating a monster is quite simple; use your cards to generate more damage than the creature has hit points. In this, “Thunderstone” plays a bit like “Munchkin.” Problem is, you never really know what you will get on each draw. It is quite possible to get very little (or no) offensive firepower. Or the weapons are too heavy for your hero and you cannot use them. There is also the “light” mechanic. Depending on where the monster resides on the “Dungeon Hall,” there is a light penalty associated with that space. Mechanically it means you need either extra attack strength to destroy the monster or items that generate light to overcome the penalty. Early game, I found myself buying anything that threw light to remove this penalty. I was never so happy to have torches in my entire gaming life!

Defeat a monster and add him to your deck. You also receive experience point cards, useable in the village for hero upgrades/leveling. Beware! Some creatures give you diseases or other ongoing effects that definitely impact your long-term strategy, so stay alert for special powers.

As the monsters fall to the heroes, the monster draw deck shrinks until the “Thunderstone” appears. Once the stone reaches the first field of the “Dungeon Hall,” the game ends. It is possible to claim the stone for some extra victory points, but it is not required to end the game. Players go through their decks, add up the victory points listed on the cards and high score wins.

I liked “Thunderstone.” The game mechanics are clean, simple and straightforward. Most importantly, for me anyway, I got a kick out of the dungeon crawling theme. I am going to give it a run with my regular gaming group in-between RPG sessions.

As much as I enjoyed “Thunderstone,” I do have some advice for players. Because of the many types of cards, organization is key to long-term enjoyment. Never just throw the cards back in the box without sorting them! It just adds setup time on later games and with supplements coming out (Thunderstone: Wrath of the Elements) the card counts will continue to grow…

Remember game mechanics require very frequent deck shuffles. Card protectors are, in my opinion, required.

Have fun storming the dungeon!

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Full Disclosure: I received a review copy of this game from AEG.

Strategy is complex enough to keep adults interested, but not so much as to exclude children and casual gamers. I suggest you have at least three players. Two players is workable, but some of the cards (like reverse) lose their value.  Overall, a fun, casual card game that is worth a look.

Full Disclosure: I picked up this game at GTS from the AEG booth.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

The Monster Manual 2 Cover

My fellow D&D friends, have I got the book for you! As Trask is out on some much needed R&R, I thought I would pop in and take the opportunity to tell you about the new Monster Manual 2. This book is a definitely a required purchase for any 4E DMs out there.

Honestly, for this book, I wasn’t waiting in anxious anticipation for new kinds of creatures to throw at my players. However, I was very interested in some old favorites being delivered down into 4E format. And this book excels at both.

• Djinn, how we have missed rubbing your magic lamp, let me count the ways. (Trask interlude: a very wrong  image came in to my mind when I read this)
• Ankheg, how we have missed you carrying off our allies for some nighttime snacking.
• Centuars, how we have missed you giving us rides in the moonlight on your horse side and beating us down for jumping on your back with your man side.
• Barghest, how we missed you growing stronger by feeding off of us.
• Stone Giant and Frost Giant, can I get a “Wup-Wup”
• Kenku, even though they reused your old art, you are still our favorite avian humanoid.

Kenku from 3.5E MM and 4E MM2

And much, much more…

Many creature types form the MM1 make an appearance in MM2. Some differ in subtype, like the fire and ice archons of MM1 get joined by their earth, storm, and water brothers. Where some just have more to choose from. For example, in MM1 there were several Eladrin. A Level 7 Soldier, Level 8 Controller, Level 19 Controller, an Level 21 Artillery to be exact. Well, WOTC did a great job with giving us a more rounded type, with new options available for different levels. The Eladrin in MM2 are a Level 5 Artillery, Level 11 Skirmisher, and a Level 17 Lurker.

Pretty much everyone has known about the Rust Monster since it debuted on DDI.  However, the cool thing in MM2, is almost a 1/2 page write-up about using Rust Monsters responsibly. And no, telling PC’s that they should carry back-up armor is not listed there.

Also, there are rules for playing three new races as PC races. The Bullywug, Duergar, and Kenku.

Overall, my favorite creature in the MM2 came down to a three-way tie.

• The Beholder Eye of Frost because I love Beholders and I love Frosty things.
• The Human Pirate Captain to kick some ninja butt.
• The Skeletal Steed because I have been wanting to use my Skeletal Courser minis, and here is the reason.

This book comes in at 224 pages for the standard $34.95 price-tag and is available Tuesday at your FLGS.

In early March I blogged about a 4th Edition marking solution using soda rings, that I ran across at a local game-day.

I first saw Alea Tool’s product at their first Gen Con convention several years ago. That same convention, people would keep showing up to tables, with these new magnetic markers. To be honest, I liked the idea and almost bought some, but disliked the 1st generation magnetic marker in play. Mainly because when the piece got too close together, they would either push each other away, or grab each other and snap together, as magnets tend to do. And markers will often need to come base-to-base in D&D on the 1” grid.  However, after checking out their 2nd generation magnet at a local game-day, I was sold.

The new Alea marker is still a 1” round plastic disk with a magnet inside. However, they now use Neodymium magnets. These magnets, while just as strong as their previous counterparts, are 1/5th the size. So, when centered in the middle of the plastic disk, the attraction while stacking them is just as good; however, the magnetic field is reduced preventing the push/pull problem.

Another reason that I like the magnetic markers from Alea Tools, is because they now have 2” disks as well. Perfect for your large creatures!

Also, they sell 1” sticker disks that can stick to the bottom of the D&D mini’s. This allows the miniature to stick to the magnets. The don’t work GREAT with D&D mini’s due to the lip around the edge of the mini.  But it is good enough to be effective.

For my game I placed a piece of sheet metal down under the maps. This allows the magnets to stick to the table. Some like it, because everything stays in place. Others dislike it, because it sticks too much. But to each their own… the Alea Tool’s magnetics work great in both situations.

The only negative comment I can make about Alea Tools is that I wish that they sold their Game Master packs in another configuration. To fill you in, their game master packs are 100 1” magnetic marks in a variety of colors. And they come in a really nice hard-shell carrying case.

Alea Tools Game Master Pack

Interlude from Trask: I have the Game Master Pack and here is a shot of the contents. We now return to our regularly scheduled Haaldaar.

The problem for me is that there are 15 red markers and then 5 each of 17 other colors. This is too may for my tastes. I would rather have more markers of fewer colors. Especially, since I am color blind and can’t tell the difference between the light, medium, and dark shades of the same color. So for my personal set, I bought my markers individually in packs of 10.  Which is great, but it would be nice to have a customizable option for people to still get the hard-shell case and the discount.  Or worst case,  sell the case separately so it is still an option.

But all in all, it is a great product that works very well for many marking solutions. You can use them as miniatures in a pinch, action points, or pretty much anything that you would normally use coins, chips, or beads for. And you can write on them with wet or dry erase markers.

So thank you Alea Tools, for making a product that earned a place at my gaming table.

Haaldaar

Full Disclosure: These markers were purchased with my own cold hard cash. Livingdice.com does have an advertising relationship with Alea Tools.