GAMEX 2007

I spent a day at the Strategicon GAMEX event this past weekend. Most of my time there was spent helping playtest Modern Combat Simulation Group's Battle for Baghdad. The game is fascinating--even when you think you're going to get hammered, you're still engaged, because victory in a given engagement is not preordained--player decisions before and during combat can flip at least some of the outcome of a given battle. Of course, as this was a playtest session, there were some bugs in the design--Joe Miranda, the designer, took copious notes of our discussions. All in all, it was a fascinating day with some fascinating people.

I'm also going to put in a plug for Strategy & Tactics magazine--Joe Miranda is the editor, and has designed many of the S&T games published over the past 15 years. There is a non-game edition available at newsstands and bookstores, and it's well worth the read if you're interested in military history.