More OGRE Stuff

Yeah, I'm on a kick.

The SJGames website is somewhat...difficult.. to navigate when wanting to find particular things.  I was asked about OGRE expansions and they are all over the place.  So here is a list of some of them. 

The OGRE Designer's Edition (ODE) was on Kickstarter and included EVERYTHING plus some.  It is out of print but can be found regularly on Ebay. 

Do not fret though. OGRE 6th Edition in the same scale is available. This is the core game. The original nuke blasted map and the original pieces.

More pieces and OGRE's are available in the just released OGRE Reinforcements set along w/ rules, terrain, and scenarios.

Much of what was in ODE can be pieced together. The G1,2, and S1,2 maps are available here. The rule book is here. 'Retail Edition' counters of ODE are here.

The '4.5k' Sponsored Counters from the Kickstarter  (like the fantastic Nihon:North American Divisions set) are available through here. I believe some of them are sold out though.

Other KS exclusives can be found from time to time at outrageous prices on Ebay.

The recent plastic minis Kickstarter units can be pre-ordered here.

Hope this helps.

OGRE DE: Ceasefire Collapse @SJGames

One of my favorite scenarios from the game. A straight out slugging match between forces. 4P Alpha and I played a standard round to get him familiar w/ the ODE / GEV rules.  5P started playing but had to leave to a 4h meeting w/ CinC and 4P Bravo.

Starting out w/ 16 points of armor and 18 points of infantry on the 'G2' map. 

I chose: (Nihon, shock)
Superheavy tank (2 pt)
Mobile Howitzer (2 pt)
2 Heavy tanks
1 Missile Tank
3 Lt tanks ( 1/2 pt ea)
4 GEV's (Hovercraft)
4 GEV-PC's (personnel carriers  1/2 pt ea)
3 Light GEV's (1/2 pt ea)
16 infantry and 1 Heavy Weapons team ( 2 pts)

He chose a heavy, defensive mix (Black Rose Merc's)
2 Howitzers (2 pts ea)
4 Heavy Tanks
4 GEV's
4 Missile Tanks
8 Infantry, 3 Marines (2 pt ea) and 2 Heavy Weapons Teams

starting out:

 He centered his forces around his two howitzers.  I split mine up into two armor squads, three fast reaction teams, and the mobile howitzer w/ infantry support. 

4P-A sent a few units piecemeal  up the causeways which got taken out quickly but built a strong defense position in the two city spaces in the SW map.  That ended up taking out one of my fast reaction teams in its entirety.

 He re-enforced it more by the time my SuperHeavy squad got there. Two of my fast reaction teams managed to get over the bridges and to the SE cities (filled w/ infantry) while he blocked my 2nd armor team w/ a platoon of Marines.

 The Superheavy tank fell to a well rolled Howitzer shot.  Back and forth decimated both defenders and the assault teams. The 2nd tank team and Marines took eachother out but the fast reaction forces in the SE took out the local Howitzer and several of the defenders before moving West. The Mobile Howitzer finally got in range to take a shot at some infantry that had moved out of its defensive position.

Taking out the 2nd howitzer w/ the remaining GEV's guaranteed endgame.  4P-A decided to end w/ honor and have all his pieces end in fire.

 I finished the game w/ 11 scattered infantry, 2 GEV's, 2 GEV-PC's, a Light GEV, and the Mobile Howitzer.

Things we take away from this session.

1) I got lucky w/ only losing a few infantry and disabled units to spillover fire.

2) His choice of 5 special infantry units cost him as he had 30% less to work with compared to me.

3) He used defensive terrain very well but I would bait him to move out of it and he'ld get destroyed.

Looking forward to playing again.

Ancient Dread: The Eight Sided Ambush

Continued:

We move past the wall, writhing and squirming around us in anger. The imposing ceiling is not quite as imposing. The buildings become more densly packed and less fire damaged. The quality of the buildings have become more urban than rural seeming. They are less built than carved from the living stone. Are we actually inside the third island?

We come upon a wall with a gateway. Closed. Two giant brass rings. Opening in. There was once a mechanism to assist opening but it's long gone. Rod casts a Portal spell allowing us to easily pass through. A long, pure white marble walkway stretches out before us, 15' wide. A large, ornate door ends it about 1000' away. On each side is infinite darkness instead of walls. The door, marble and inlaid with gold, an 8 sided design is depicted. A classic octagon. Various symbols surround it. The only recognizable one is an infinity symbol, flames, and some gems icons. Others are wavy lines, a three sided shape w/ one side open, and others. Acdor and Strongbow together open the door.
Inside is, unsurprisingly, an octagonal room, huge, about 25' in height. Seven separate panels circle the room set in from the walls. The six symbols from the door are on the floor, one in front of each panel. Between the walls and panels are circular hatches with a whitish metal. The panel directly across from the entrance has no symbol. Strongbow tosses an arrowhead at one of the symbols but nothing occurs.

We decide to try the wavy lines first, whether air or water, we have a strength there. Echo goes first, stepping on the symbol. Four Shedim demons and three gargoyles suddenly appear, attacking Echo. The blows come fast and furious, hurting several demons, Echo, and Ackdor. Echo summons an Ice Elemental to fight. King fells one of the Shedim. Strongbow uses his bracelet of Charismatic Aura to stop 6 of the creatures but is hit by one of the Gargoyles, tearing his face. King and Ackdor face off against the remaining Gargoyle while Strongbow calls on the demons to return to their fell dimension or face their wrath. They shake in fear and disappear with the smell of sulfur in the air. Rod raises her holy sword and expels the remaining monster. We rest for a few while Rod heals the party.

We move to the three sided square. Stepping on it, the hatch behind the panel opens up. A dwarf sized tunnel is behind it. Ackdor, the shortest of the group, takes point. A room, ten feet in height. A pedastal is in the middle of the room w/ a key. At the high end of the back wall is another tunnel. Rod takes the key. The tunnel leads to another room. Ackdor goes through and calls out that there is a keyhole in the floor. Turning it, there is a grinding noise from behind us. Returning to the octagonal hall, on the North Wall, there is a mural of an octogon. The section of what would be the the three sided square has slid out, revealing the symbol.

Again we move to the wavy lines. The tunnel is filled with water. Brackish and black. Echo summons a phantom to cast breath without air on the party and scout ahead. It returns and describes a room. The party swims down, unable to see but feeling our way with a rope. Pulling ourselves up on a ledge, we send the phantom to find the key which it quickly does. In the center of the far room is the keyhole. We return to the Octagon room. The mural is shifted.

 We move on to the gemstones. The tunnel is sparkling. Jagged. We make it down with only Rod sliding down with some injury. We find three keyholes in the first room. The following room has a wall of solid ruby, one of solid sapphire, and one of solid emerald. The keys are buried inside them about a foot in. Strongbow teleports the gem wall away to reach the keys. The phantom, hauling our a chunk of gem, gets destroyed by energy bolts in the tunnel. We decide to leave the rest. The keys turn. The mural shifts.

Steve Jackson Games OGRE: Old School @SJGames

I'm a huge OGRE fan. I cut my teeth on it w/ a copy of GEV my sister got me decades ago and have picked up most of the stuff for it since then including being one of the custom sheet sponsors for the Deluxe Edition Kickstarter a bit back.

Currently they are running some 40th anniv. specials and re-releasing expansions in .PDF form.

Ogre 40th Anniversary Release: Shockwave

The game of Ogre has evolved over the years. Beginning as a humble Microgame in 1977, it has grown and expanded to become the beautiful monstrosity that was Ogre Designer's Edition, released in 2013. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Ogre moves forward with Ogre Sixth Edition and the upcoming Ogre Reinforcements. This month, we're featuring digital re-releases of three classic, hard-to-find Ogre supplements: Shockwave, Ogre Reinforcement Pack, and Battlefields. 

G.E.V. was the first expansion of Ogre. It was initially published as a stand-alone Microgame, focusing on the non-Ogre units and introducing rules for terrain, overruns, and more. These two Microgames formed the core of all future rules.

The first true supplement to the Ogre/G.E.V. line was Shockwave. Released in 1984 and reprinted in 2000, it brought Light GEVs, GEV-PCs, Marines, and the Superheavy Tank to the game. New targets were published as well, including reactors, strongpoints, hovertrucks, and more. 

But that was not what truly differentiates this supplement! Ever wonder what caused all those craters on the Ogre map? Shockwave details rules for Cruise Missiles (and their associated crawlers) to unleash this massive destruction upon the terrain. Additionally, rules for Lasers and Laser Towers give the poor defenders a chance at shooting these devastating weapons down!

I have multiple hard copies of all of them and they're all great to play.  Most of the material is in the ODE edition but the rules aren't in the OGRE 6e or the pocket edition.

Kickstarter: HopJockey

From the universe of the Gamers and Journey Quest comes Matt Vancil's new book: Hopjockey.

Hopjockey is the umbrella universe that connects the rest of my work. For over ten years, I’ve been setting up the story by leaving clues in the movies and shows (and elsewhere) as to how everything connects.
Narratively, Hopjockey is its own standalone piece of fiction. No wider knowledge of the movies is necessary to enjoy it or understand what’s going on. It’s the main story in a wider universe, and the first in its own series—pending this first one getting funded, of course.

Go forth and support.

More Brady Campaign Nonsense

From their latest mouth foaming hysterical email:

The Department of Justice just removed the names of half a million fugitives from justice from our nation's background check system, against advice from the FBI.
President Trump hasn’t even been in office two months; yet, his administration is now allowing 500,000 people — who just days ago were prohibited purchasers — to buy guns. We’re talking about fugitives and people with mental illnesses so severe they may be a threat to themselves or others. In other words, some of the exact people Brady background checks were designed to block.

Hadn't heard about this one so I looked it up.  To tell you just how disjointed these people are, even Bloomberg's dedicated anti-gun 'media' Trace couldn't spin it as anything more than clearing up some bureaucracy.

Department of Justice officials have settled a long-simmering internal dispute over who qualifies as a “fugitive from justice” when it comes to gun possession — making it possible going forward for some people with outstanding arrest warrants to buy firearms legally....In doing so, the Justice Department effectively sided with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the agency that is responsible for enforcing federal gun laws. The ATF had long argued that language in the Brady Act — the 1993 law that created the federal background check system — requiring federal agents to block gun sales to fugitives should be interpreted to mean people with arrest warrants who have fled across state lines. The FBI, which runs the background check system, had adopted a broader definition, blocking sales to anyone with an outstanding arrest warrant.

How 'longstanding"?  Covering four different administrations, two Democrat, two Republican.

From 1999 to 2015, the agency had refused to track down about 2,000 weapons in cases where the FBI determined after the sale that the purchase should not have been allowed because the buyer qualified as a fugitive under its expanded definition — anyone with an outstanding warrant.

From the ATF:

In an email, an ATF spokesperson cited the federal statutes, which define a fugitive from justice as someone with a warrant who has fled across state lines to avoid prosecution or giving testimony.

Of course the Brady's have to close w/ their trademark stupidity:

93 percent of Americans are with us. The only ones who aren’t are the same number of people who think the moon landing was a hoax, and Donald Trump.

They honestly believe this.

So clearing up some red tape between agencies that has spanned near 20 yrs is all the NRA and Trump's fault.  If you ignore all the facts.

Ancient Dread: The Loch Chess Monster

Continued: 

Moving on to the next room past the next set of double doors. Inside the walls are marble and decorated w/ arms and armor. One side in white metal , the other black.

There are two lances, two long swords, two miters (hats), two breast plates, and two short swords on each side. There is a single crown on the white side.

Strongbow chooses a white short sword. Ivory grip, silver, and white steel for the haft.
Rod chooses the white crown. White gold inlaid w/ pearls, mother of pearl, and diamonds.
Echo begins to choose a white lance but the dwarven spirit inside her compels her to choose a black one, obsidian lance, onyx haft, and blackened bronze. It's weight is nearly more than she can bare.

A checkered board is laid out in front of us. It appears to be floating on water, easily jumped onto. It contains numerous statues, one side white, one side black. We match up our chosen items with those on the board. The black king has the white pearl glowing brightly on his crown. Our third item.

Strongbow leaps to reach an equivalent spot and falls throughthe board onto the water. He pulls himself up onto the board and takes his place along w/ Rod and Echo. A silence befalls the room.
Rod calls to one of the white pieces to move and it responds. The game begins. Pieces swiftly fall through the board as they are taken. Eventually a quandry comes up. Echo is moved involuntarily into a position to take Strongbow. A pawn takes her. She falls through and manages to swim to the shore. We check the king and it falls through the board into the depths below.

Rod and Strongbow feel a loyalty to the Dwarven empire. Echo attempts to have her water wisps retrieve the statue but they are devoured by a sea monster. Rod summons a Shadow Beast to delve and retrieve the statue. After a time, we realize it wasn't coming back up. A combined effort between the two mystical creatures wears down the beast and they manage to drag the statue to shore. Strongbow manages to pry it out of the crown. The geas goes away.

Now we have to obtain the crown. The last door leads to a bridge, unstable looking, a 50 foot span of river to a small island. On the other side is some sort of Dwarven crafts table. Echo ties a rope to a point and walks across, securing it on the other side. On the table is a crown of a meteoric metal. Intricately carved. It seems to have its own presence. It has three spaces for the jewels. What order is the question. We decide that power and loyalty feed into Dominion. Loyalty is on the right hand and power on the left.

Echo calls on the skills of Grim Ax to place the gems. On the table is a case for the crown. We place it in the box and latch it. Echo feels its pull. We return to the Ashman. He is ecstatic and burns through the wall of corpses. Beyond the wall is a tunnel leading to our final destination. The Ashman warns us that his opponent is a Baalrog that is raising an army and will do everything he can to stop us. No more puzzles, just blood and ashes.

Ancient Dread: Roll the Bones or Greed is Good for You.

Continued:


Following intuition, we avoid the North door and move on to the Easterly one. A strange sight befalls us. It is reminiscent of a great hall but is in ruins.

 A small gravel pit is in the center of the room w/ another obelisk. No gem tops this one. A great stone table is on the North side, carved in many Dwarven designs. On the other side, a skeletal dwarf w/ glowing, hateful eyes stands behind a half-moon bar, the back stocked w/ many fine. In the center of the back wall is a chained dwarf corpse, glowing w/ power from its chest. On the obelisk is an inscription which, surprisingly, we are all able to read. It makes itself legible.

To all great leaders, must ye show fealty. Give in not to pride, avarice, or debauchery. Only through these shall ye know truth.

Hung on the obelisk is a large sword, similar to a lochaber axe but with a shorter haft and longerblade , and a battle axe. There are many gouges and divets taken out of the obelisk. The dwarven bartender, as if reading our thoughts, tells us that they have dwarven mead and wine. Echo and Rod suggest that the bar is debauchery, the obelisk pride, and the table avarice. On the table is a very worn but lovingly crafted wooden box. 4” x 8”. There are no outside decorations. Echo volunteers to open the box. Inside is a pair of felt lined wooden cups and numerous bone dice.

Strongbow goes up to the bartender, sits and asks for a glass of his finest wine. The Dwarf asks if I am ready for this challenge and to accept fealty. He places a goblet of fine dwarven crystal in front of the elf and pours a glass of wine. It smells enticing, even for a dwarven vintage. It has an honey and oakey smell to it. Strongbow takes a taste. The bartender states that the challenge is fealty to the Dwarven lords. He continues drinking for a bit then declares he’s done. The bartender states “Your fealty is accepted”. A beam of yellow light shoots from the corpse on the wall and strikes Strongbow in the chest. Completely against his constitution, he feels slightly compelled to follow the dwarven lords. Echo bellys up to the bar and starts drinking heavily. Four drinks later and she is on the floor.

The Dwarf rejects her.

Rod moves up to the obelisk. The bartender follows. “Trial by stone?” Yes, replies Rod and takes the sword. The Dwarf takes the axe. Rod swings and takes a chip out of the obelisk. The dwarf strikes but the axe loses a piece. They continue the duel. After several more strikes, Rod breaks the stone in half. A beam of yellow light strikes her in the chest. She feels inclined towards the dwarves. Stone crumbles down into the gravel and a new one builds up. Strongbow moves up and draws Melina and strikes the stone against the protestations of the dwarf. As a piece comes off the stone, a burst of energy hits Strongbow in the chest, knocking him back several feet. The dwarf looks crossly at him. “You have failed”.

The dwarf walks over to the table and takes out the bone dice. Echo, managing not to waver, sits. The dwarf states that she must make a wager. She places the groups treasure bag, easily worth 200k gold, on the table. The dwarf pauses. Out of seemingly nowhere, he pulls out a beautiful gem and a bag of coins. He pushes the bag forward. “My first bet”. We place several magic items on the table. The dwarf matches w/ several other magic items.

Echo places the pink gem, the entire focus of our quest, onto the table. The Dwarf is befuddled. He glowers at us, filled w/ undying hate. “You have made an enemy this day”. The bones are rolled.
The dwarf rolls a 3.
Echo rolls a 7.

Unimaginable knowledge along w/ our riches are ours.

The wall spectre disappears. We collect the second gem.