January 29, 2010

No gaming for the last few days -- only work. I have been listening to a (new-to-me) wargaming podcast -- The Noise Before Defeat. Since Point-2-Point has been on an indefinite haitus, I've been looking for another podcast devoted to wargames. Unfortunately, I appear to have the same effect on wargame podcasts that I have on fantasy football players (whereby adding them to my roster causes an injury within one week), since the host of The Noise Before Defeat has now posted that his podcast will be going on haitus.

I did enjoy Episode 8 of The Noise Before Defeat, especially the discussion of Avalon Hill's Republic of Rome. I bought Republic of Rome in the early 1990s, as it was recommended to fans of Avalon Hill's Kingmaker -- sharing its negotiations and political intrigue. It was also groundbreaking in that it was the first title I was aware of where "the game" could defeat the players.

My group only played Republic of Rome once. A gamer (who I believed was named Will) taught Al, Steven and me the game at the first Avaloncon (now World Boardgaming Championships) that we attended (in I believe 1993). In particular, I remember playing the game while Steve was playing in (and almost winning) the Kingmaker finals. I could see Republic of Rome's potential, but it was a little overwhelming in terms of the many options that players have each turn. I also was disappointed in the components. While the map/board was attractive (by wargaming standards of the time) and the cards were functional, the various totals and ratings were marked using cardboard chits with numbers on them (like a cardboard version of a baseball scoreboard from the 1930s).

In recent years the game has sold on Ebay for close to $100, so I often considered selling or trading away my copy. However, I could never pull the trigger on a deal, as I could always imagine playing it again and really enjoying it. As it turns out, Valley Games has published a reprint this month with updated components (that seem very attractive). When I first read about the Valley Games version, I considered selling my old (classic?) version and putting the money towards the more attractive version. But, frankly, that just seemed like a lot of work for a game that I've only played once in almost 20 years.