Behind the Lines
November/December 2005
In This Issue
- A Letter from the Editor
- Christmas Special Offer!
- The Best Laid Plans of Men and Mortar
- Take Me Out to the Ball Game...
- Front Line Recon
- TalonSoft Comes to Matrix
- Whispers...
- A Parting Shot
A Letter from the Editor
The holiday season has begun! November is here, and in the United
States we have a tradition of celebrating the end of the harvest season
with a great feast. Yes, that wonderful Turkey filled holiday of
Thanksgiving is the traditional kick-off of the holiday sales season.
So as our friends in the United States and around the world feast and are
thankful for a bountiful harvest it is with great pride that Matrix
launches our first newsletter, Behind the Lines. You have here a
bountiful harvest of wargaming news and information from your favorite
strategy publisher! So, as the cold weather here in the US drives us all
indoors (at least all of us sane ones) we are going to be strapped for
amusement. But fear not! We have some BIG
announcements to make concerning new strategy games that will be available
for all our snow-bound fans (and those of you in warmer climates down
under).
Before we dive into the feast of information, I have just come back from the
Independent Games Conference (IGC). Matrix Games is a large supporter of
indie strategy titles and we are always on the lookout for new and
innovative titles that an event like the IGC provides. Best of all,
I was a guest speaker for the marketing panel discussion. I, along
with three of my peers, sat down for over an hour and fielded all types of
questions concerning how best to market independent games. In the
end, an important conclusion was outlined: Communication with your
fans is the key to success. So I am going to put my typing hands
where my mouth is and kick-start the Matrix Games newsletter.
Hopefully, when all is said and done, we will all increase our
understanding on what's new, what's cool, and where all the buzz is.
This newsletter is going to be unusually large, perhaps the start of a
November tradition here at Matrix to have a special holiday issue that is
a "War and Peace" sized novel. I'd even go as far to say it's as fat
as a turkey... but much more intelligent.
So, let us now partake of the multi-course meal that will be the first
Behind the Lines issue. Hopefully, when the dust settles, we will
all be a little closer to one big wargaming family enjoying a winter feast
of gaming. Keep in mind that December is going to bring us some
brand new titles to add some holiday cheer to a computer near you!
We'll save all that for the next issue of Behind the Lines.
Joe Lieberman
The Editor
Holiday Special Offer
The holiday season is coming, and with it we are prepping a lot of
great holiday offers. Whether it is a gift for a loved one, a gift
for yourself, or pure serendipity, throughout December you will be able to
save big on Matrix titles! The holiday special will feature some of
the best games in the Matrix catalog including recent releases! To
add even more joy to the season Matrix will be featuring completely new
releases in December, keep an eye open for announcements to that effect.
Award winning games at award winning prices? Your holiday
reinforcements have arrived!
2by3 Games: War in the Pacific:
Download $59.99 Boxed: $69.99
Matrix Games: Steel Panthers World At
War: Download $59.99 Boxed: $69.99
Koios Works: Tin Soldiers Alexander the
Great: Download $19.99 Boxed: $29.99
Destroyer Studios: Starshatter:
Download $24.99 Boxed: $34.99
SSG: Battles in Normandy -
Download $39.99 Boxed: $49.99
SSG: Battles in Italy -
Download $39.99 Boxed $49.99
Enjoy the festivities here at Matrix Games! Sale begins Sunday
November 27th and will last through all of December!
The Best Laid Plans of Men and Mortar
War Plan Orange Launches!
While I am no historian, it didn't come as a shock to me that the
United States was well prepared for another war of global scale following
World War 1. While we now know it wouldn't come until the very late
1930s, in the 1920s we had devised a series of plans in case of war in a
variety of regions. The "Orange" plans created the plan for a war in
the Pacific theater against a resource hungry growing Japan. The
plans would prove useless, for by the time war would reach the states in
the Pacific the dynamics of naval battles and amphibious warfare would
change in massive ways with the ascendancy of airpower and aircraft
carriers as the dominant forces in naval strategy.
But what if in 1922 the powder keg of war once again erupted?
Dreadnoughts in the Pacific 1922-1930 is the accurate subtitle of the latest product
from Matrix Games. War Plan Orange is the depiction of a post-World
War I Pacific war. Based on 2by3 Games' War in the Pacific
engine, War Plan Orange started as a simple mod and grew into a gigantic
stand alone product that almost rivals the size and complexity of the
original War in the Pacific.
We salute the fans, particularly Justin Prince, who worked hard to
bring this project to fruition.
It is a show of extreme dedication to create a product that grows from
being a simple idea for a mod into a full fledged game. War in
the Pacific is hailed by many as the most accurate and detailed depiction
of the Pacific theater. I am confident that you all will find that
War Plan Orange lives up to the parent game's reputation.
Best of luck to Justin Prince Designs and 2by3 Games and all the many
digital dreadnoughts that will sink beneath the waves somewhere in the
Pacific this year!
For more information on War Plan Orange: Dreadnoughts in the Pacific
1922-1930, check out the great forum FAQ from the team on the forum and
the games page at
http://www.matrixgames.com/games/game.asp?gid=326.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game...
Matrix Games Presents PureSim Baseball 2005
Who would have thought that Matrix Games would publish a sports game?
Well, apparently a lot of people thought it! So many, in fact, that
we heard the cries for help and could do nothing other than deliver one of
the finest, most innovative sports titles of 2005. Up to bat at the top
of the lineup, PureSim Baseball 2005.
For those of you who don't know what all the fuss is about:
PureSim Baseball is a simulation where you get to play out any fantasy
match-up you could ever have dreamed. Any real season since 1871 in
fact! If that isn't enough, the robust editor allows you to create
your own unique identity. From fantasy draft to end of the year
awards it is hard to write a pitch for PureSim Baseball that doesn't
sound good!
The careful blend of strategy and sports: Puresim Baseball 2005
Gold Edition is now available as the first Matrix Sports title!
Find out more at
http://www.matrixgames.com/games/game.asp?gid=315
Front Line Recon
What's Next From Matrix Games?
Today's tidbit is a good one! Matrix has struck a deal with
Worlds-Apart to bring Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga to TCG and
Sci-Fi
players around the globe. Some of you may be wondering "What is a
TCG?" or "What is this Star Chamber?"
Well folks, the short answer is a highly addictive abstract strategy
game where you'll never see the same game twice. Some of you may
want the long answer though, so here it is.
A TCG is a Trading Card Game. Now, before you write off this
entire genre as something kids do, you will have to look a little deeper
at what makes Star Chamber different. The methods are fairly well
known, you have a lot of cards with a variety of powers and costs and with
them you construct a playing "deck" of cards. This deck is all you
bring into your match while the rest of your collection takes a rest.
Unlike physical cards, it is very quick and easy to create and change
decks, which is a huge advantage when you want to try a variety of
strategies!
So what makes Star Chamber different? TCGs are often designed
with simple objectives, partially because they are aimed at a young
audience and partially because it is hard to keep track of too many
things. Luckily, the computer will keep track and display those
things that are normally "too much" for a live game. This leaves the
game-play to make up the other difference. There are three goals in
Star Chamber, diplomatic victory (Power Plays), Military Victory (Conquest
of Enemy Homeworld), or Cultural Victory (Acquisition of Destiny Points).
Achieve any of the three first and you win. Simple, right? The
problem is you have to contend with live human opponents! If you put
a lot of pressure on a political victory it means you must hold out and
dominate the Star Chamber (which is like the United Nations, but more
powerful) a MINIMUM of 18
turns. If you put too much emphasis on that you may not have a fleet
strong enough to stop an invasion or enough colonists, troops and fleets
to stop
a cultural victory. And vice-versa. You must strike a careful
balance between military power, expansion, and control of the star
chamber.
It isn't just your cards that determine it either, each
player has a main planet where you can build ships and colonists (and
bombers in case of galactic war) and you can gain minor industrial and
artifact research worlds as well. Cards merely augment your strategies with construction,
unlike many other TCGs where victory is more in the hands of a lucky draw.
If you still believe that the strategy in a TCG is "light," check out
Star Chamber... it is "light" years ahead.
For more information visit:
http://www.matrixgames.com/games/game.asp?gid=314
Talonsoft Comes to Matrix
Grognards Rejoice!
Somewhere in Olympus, Ares the God of War is smiling. Matrix Games
with the help of Chris Mate of Talonsoft and John Davidson former CFO of
Talonsoft has acquired the rights to Publish Talonsoft's great line of
Wargames. These rights also allows Matrix to release updates and produce
add-ons games as well.
So what's the scoop? How will this affect you? What kinds of things can
you expect?
There are two interviews currently available giving insight in what
gamers can expect. One interview can be found at Strategy Zone ( http://www.strategyzoneonline.com/articles.php?p=571&page=1&cat=52)
and the other is at the Wargamer (http://www.wargamer.com/articles/talonsoftmatrix_interview/)
What this really means is that some of your favorite Talonsoft wargames
will be available again at a reasonable price, with updates, upgrades and at
the very least bug fixes and Windows XP compatibility.
It is also possible we will see special scenario packs and add-ons.
Nothing set in stone as to what, where, or when, but we are putting a
priority on getting some new content into these titles without removing any
of the classic content being offered.
For those fans and users still playing the old Talonsoft games, we invite them to participate in our
Talonsoft Matrix Edition forums at
www.matrixgames.com/forums.
The most important thing to note at this time is that what additions and
changes we make will be dictated in part by what code was made available to
us but most importantly by what the players tell us! So get on over to
those forums if you have a hankering for Talonsoft style wargaming!
Whispers...
What on Earth are all these people talking about?
In case you've been living in a shoe box, Crown of Glory has a
great strategy/hint thread started by Ralegh:
Here are 10
steps I execute at the very first turn of a game...
and:
Ralegh Guides
Also be sure to stop by the Matrix Games forum and get a look at
everyone's first impression of Lock 'n Load: Band of Heroes at this thread:
First Impressions
And yes, if you REALLY want to be scared,
check out the
Photos of the gang
: A fun post with a lot of pictures of the many Matrix Games
fans. Get to know them, play them, and beat them at their favorite
games!
Simultaneously and, at the very same time, Matrix has launched a Frappr
Group! Ok, you don't know what that is? It's a gigantic world
map that lists where Matrix fans are located. See if there are any
Matrix aficionados near you and maybe find a new friend. Either way,
it is amazing to look at and see how Matrix Games has brought wargaming from
all over the world together.
Sign up at:
http://www.frappr.com/matrixgames
today!
A Parting Shot
So you've made it through our first newsletter! with the release
of our first board game and our upcoming sports line, Matrix is
expanding! Don't worry though, you computer grognards will still
have a steady supply of digital wargaming bliss, as usual. So as I
sign off on our first newsletter let me say thank you for being a Matrix
Games fan and we look forward to brining you more details on everything
Matrix!
And hey! We want to hear what YOU think. Do you have a
suggestion for the newsletter? A strategy section? Perhaps a
schedule of pending releases? Give me a shout directly at
JoeL@Matrixgames.com with your
feelings on this newsletter (good or bad), and what it needs to make it
worth reading to you!
Joe Lieberman
Newsletter Editor
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