Although my game buying has tapered off somewhat over the past year, I have taken notice of some of the proposed or in-production games at Legion thanks to the recent coverage at Pushing Cardboard.
To date the only Legion game currently on my shelf is the impressive A Glorious Chance: The Naval Struggle for Lake Ontario in the War of 1812. It's a focused, solitaire design that continues to hold my attention: a naval-themed game, interesting choice of setting (Lake Ontario, where the decisive battle never historically happened, but the ingredients and propensity for the big scuffle were ever present), and a clever, limited tactical element nicely woven into what feels more like a game with an operational scope (and suggestions from the designer on how to progress to a full tactical experience using an external game system for those so inclined). Unlike another solitaire naval-game I played years ago, this game has more purpose beyond just "press on and roll until I get sunk" feeling. I like it, and that's what matters most to me
I have high hopes for the upcoming Zeppelins: Monsters of the Purple Twilight. So very interesting to read in the description of this game that a key challenge for the attacking player is to accurately locate the target in those early days of aviation where navigation didn't have the benefit of radio aids or the pinpoint accuracy of satellite navigation we all take for granted today. Back then, it was maps, sextants, mathematics, and the human eyeball. And if you can find your destination, can you be assured of putting the bombs on target? I will be interested to see how the game design handles this. In some ways, this brings up memories of another aerial wargame from 10+ years back: Lee Brimmicombe Wood's Bomber Command, which illustrated the inherent difficulties of both getting to the target, and then actually putting the ordnance on the target. In any case, I'm hoping Zeppelins will provide some meaningful decisions in a solitaire or head-to-head experience (great!) Looking forward to it.
Also on the horizon are the air-war themed Operation Rolling Thunder: Air War Over North Vietnam 1965-1968 and Thunderchief! The former seems more operational-strategic focused, while the latter's description strikes me as being more of a tactical game. I remain somewhat skeptical of portraying tactical jet combat in a boardgame format, but I guess it really comes down to how the designer approaches the task.
I'm in on the CPO for Zeppelins, and hope to read/watch some coverage/demo on the other two games in the months ahead. Would be nice to see all 3 make it to publication.
