T is for Toy Fair 2018 Reports - GaleForce Nine (GF9) - Battlefront

This is the final last-year's Toy Fair report, both it and the other days Battat post had gone into a self-imposed exile, and I didn't find them until I was clearing out the 'My Pictures' folder. It happens sometimes with Picasa - that it arbitrarily decides you don't want to view a folder anymore and it hides it!

Also I don't know what to say about all this, which will be hopelessly out of day any day now, and of which those gamers who may be interested have much better blogs to go to, while those who don't won't be that bothered!

Battlefront are a New Zealand outfit, GaleForce Nine seem to carry the stuff over here and I think it's all 1:100 AFV's with 1:144 aircraft, and not many figures - which would be a tad fiddly for what appear to be quite formulaic tank-warfare systems.

I think these are Team Yankee which seems to preclude figures all together, so a chess-like (without the skill), systematic slugging-match from rule-book fire & movement-tables?

Ditto

Catalogue pages.

Tanks? A WWII version of Team Yankee? Most of the scenery would scale-up for other 'small-scale' gaming in '76th or '72nd?

The absence of figures is odd; all wars are won or lost on the ground-gains or losses of the infantry! And there's a lot of GW-type emphasis on buying into the whole experience with team-dice and such-like.

Catalogue pages.

The third system in offer - Flames of War actually seems to allow for some soldiers to join the fray! Although this outbreak of largess seems to be limited to anti-tank artillery crews or the odd driver?

Catalogue pages

There are more figures on the boxes than are otherwise in the catalogue!

GaleForce Nine also supply 1:100 (described as 10-15mm) scenics under the Battlefield in a Box label for all their systems and more besides (note the sci-fi gun-towers).

Although smallish at 1:100, some of these modern designs would make very useful background-buildings on HO or OO-gauge model railways, where sub-scale can help give a sense of depth.

Brand-logo's to look-out for.

T is for Toy Fair '18 Reports - GaleForce Nine - Own Products

As well as carrying the D&D stuff, GaleForce Nine also carry three gaming systems from Battlefront, but we'll look at them under Battlefront in a day or three, however they do develop their own games and they are rather special, 'cos they've got figures, and we like figures at Small Scale World!

These were the two on show at the London Toy Fair, Firefly and Dr. Who, you see those two on the same shelf and you know something magic this way comes . . . and you're not wrong - Sir or Madame!

Lovely, role playing 28mm, D&D style with shipping containers as the 'dungeons', lovely figures sort of Wild West meets Steam punk meets Blade Runner! Didn't enquire as to games mechanisms, it's about the scenery isn't it! And the figures!

Dead counters are card flats which is a good idea as it makes them less intrusive to continuing play, but they can build-up in  a gory fashion as the mayhem progresses!

Unit six looks like a rather unpleasant screened field-latrine I once knew in Kenya - yes - 'intimately'; the whole battalion was queuing-up for them, we'd been given some scaled fish when we landed in Nairobi the day before, which looked, cut (read 'sawed' or 'didn't cut') and tasted like gone-off, coelacanth might, I imagine!

Another shot and the catalogue 'flyer'. I've missed Firefly, and I think there was another mid/late-1990's late-night sci-fi serial along the same lines (sentient talking ship?), I'd catch the odd episode, but never stuck with the first and missed the other altogether, but I can see the appeal of this game, with its clear elements of several genres. It reminds me of a few favourite graphic novels too!

Ahhh! More NSD's and quite well detailed ones at that, along with that pesky K9-unit! If I understood the sales-rep correctly, there are four Doctors in the game box, with more planned as separate figures or figure sets, with other 'enemies' to be added or with extension-packs if this does well?

Again; the flyer from the catalogue, no inappropriate memories triggered this time, just me cowering behind the sofa while a giant spider clung to the back of Sarah Jane and a bunch of cultists taught me a Buddhist chant! Ohm-Mani-Padme-Hum, Ohm-Mani-Padme-Hum!

I don't think this was on show in London, but it looks fun for Trekkies (or are they Trekkers?), there even seem to be a few figures among all the micro-space ships, but not enough for me to get excited-about until I see it in a charity shop, and games like this never (or rarely - he says; remembering two Golden Compasses in two weeks!) turn-up in charity shops!

T is for Toy Fair '18 Reports - GaleForce Nine - D&D

One of the few stands to really peak my attention at the Toy Fair this year was GaleForce Nine, who in addition to their own Dr. Who game, are carriers of games by other companies from outside the UK, or under license - one of which was is Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).

Tyrants of the Underdark is a new spin-off from the franchise, being less about Riverdeep and its environs (the only bit of the D&D universe with which I am familiar as my goodly knight [Damocles - I think I pretentiously dubbed him!] is stuck in an waterside-inn there with a sack of treasure and two bastard-swords, awaiting a rematch from 1989!) which veers away from role-playing, being a more traditional tactical board-game.

While it does have a few diminutive figures, most of the tokens are actually shield-like 'stands', so overall - a bit disappointing?

Collectable 'Spellbook' card sets were also on display, along with various guide-books and other paper-based ephemera - I like the idea of a cheat-sheet which also doubles as a screen behind which you do nefarious stuff your opponent can only worry about; although presumably he's muttering to himself and equally worrying you!

The real reason for D&D, 30mm (alright! 28-mil!) figurines, these limited to 1500 units - worldwide! I'd love a Chultan the dino-rider, but the last thing I need is to be spending my dosh on more heavy-metal!