Syt happens to play ...

[Syt]

Walking Dead, Wolf Among Us etc.

[Valmy]

Walking Dead, Wolf Among Us etc.

Ah.  Never played them.

[garbon]

You should. Those two are both good.

[Syt]

I've started playing Apotheon. The story: Zeus hates mankind, so he's withdrawing all divine favor from the mortals, leaving them out to die. A mortal, Nick Andros Nikandros is chosen by Hera to ascend Olympus and bash Zeus on the head to set things right.

It's a platformer, with interconnected large levels, with a hub area with shops from where you reach the other gods' realms. You then go out and seek to impress the deities. Demeter sends you to look for her daughter Persephone in Hades, Artemis asks you to accomplish some tasks (remove Satyrs from her forest, kill a Chimera and a wolf - before she plays a "hunting game" with you), etc.

Combat is oddly similar to Dark Souls. A plethora of ranged and melee weapons appropriate for Greek times are available. You can level up your weapons skills and upgrade your armor. You use left trigger for your off hand item (usually a shield), right trigger for your main hand. You have to learn the length of each weapon's animation to time them right, while at the same time blocking/dodging enemies' attacks and learning their patterns (so far it's easier and more forgiving than Dark Souls, though, not least because you find plenty health restoration).

The main selling point has to be the art style, though, which is fashioned after ancient Greek pottery and looks like paper silhouette theater. 90 minutes in I'm having a good time. Also, maybe the only game on Steam to feature naked chicks and erect dicks.

[celedhring]

You should. Those two are both good.

I loved the Wolf Among Us myself, great little yarn.

[Syt]

Vietnam '65 is out for €8.99 (I recovered €2.25 by selling three Steam trading cards I got from the game for ridiculous prices).

It's not a game that sims a historical battle but rather generates a random map on the Ia Drang river in which you have to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese villagers.

You start off with an HQ (I name mine Languish Base) on the Eastern side of the map. This is where your supply and reinforcements come in, and where you heal your troops. You can build one fire base that also provides supply to your troops (plus forward bases that don't create as much supply).

There are ten villages on the map, with the flag indicating how much they support you, ranging from NVA to VC, to South Vietnam  and US. You win hearts and minds by defeating VC and NVA forces.

Your main unit is infantry (view radius 1 hex, good combat strength). Your scouts are Green Berets. They have a higher view radius but are more vulnerable in combat, and they can train ARVN units. Engineers build roads, clear jungle and build bases. Hueys and Chinooks ferry troops and supplies. Arty can shell enemies from bases. Additionally there's Cobras (mobile arty), tanks (against NVA), APCs (ferrying troops and supplies). Also, you can call in air strikes and supply air drops. Supply is crucia. Units can only operate for a few turns before they need to be resupplied. This can be done by returning to the fire base or HQ, or by sending supplies by air.

All those units cost political capital. You earn capital by killing the enemy. Which is the crux of the game. There are several invisible Ho Chi Minh trails on the map that spawn VC units that try to influence villages, set up anti air ambushes or mine roads and places near villages. NVA will come from the Western map edge (=Cambodia) and try to set up bases, ambush US units or attack US bases. If the H&M score drops for three turns in a row, the NVA will launch an offensive to destroy your forces.

You must search and destroy them. Villagers may help – every couple turns you can enter a village trying to get intelligence (if they want to cooperate, better chance with ARVN units).

Other ways to deplete capital is losing units (huge hit), supplying units (a key feature of the game) and flying around with your choppers. And on top you lose points by default every turn. So you have to make sure to deliver results. Just sitting in bases or villages will get you nowhere.

So that brings me to this AAR. I did a test run to get a general idea of the gameplay – the interface feels clunky. Occasionally I wanted to click "skip turn" but instead the game gave a movement order. And I feel sometimes clicks don't "take", especially when deselecting units.  You can tell this game was designed with tablets in mind.

Also, the sound is lacking in variety. Unfortunately, turning it off is not an option, because then you might miss status messages ("Village uncooperative"). A popup with results would be really helpful. A Vietnam-themed playlist (plenty on Spotify) is recommended.

A lot of the game is keeping the supply flowing to your units in an effective fashion, so if managing that isn't your thing, then you should skip this game. Movement (without Huey) is slow and supplies quickly depleted.



Turn 1

So, this is the Languish Sector, commanded by Gen. Sytmoreland:



Villages have been named after the homes of a few  Languishites.

It's not looking too bad. My previous game had more jungle, with 4 villages South of the river and in jungle under almost constant attack from VC. I think I will create the fire base in the Baltimore/Texas/Ohio triangle, with an FoB in the London/Hong Kong/Vancouver/New York area.

I buy an additional infantry and Huey to increase the feet on the ground.

I ferry out Infantry to Kentucky, Hong Kong, Vancouver and New York. Unfortunately, there's no new intel, or the villages are uncooperative (I think the game starts without VC/NVA on the board?). I move out my engineer as well so he can create the FB over West. The Berets are going to check the jungle North of the main base.

So the situation after turn 1 is this:



I will use the strategic map for screenshots mostly, though. You can't name units, and with choppers it's hard to keep track of them, but with ground units it's easier to assign names.

[Syt]

Turn 5.

The fire base is built, and a Huey is carrying in the arty.



The people of London have told Lt. De Money about VC activity in the jungle North. Unless the VC engage, though, it's likely that I'll lose them in the jungle.



I've bought a Cobra, plus another Inf/Huey to keep the East locked down.

[Syt]

Turn 6.

Charlie closes in on London. Lt. De Money engages. VC cadre withdraws, but our unit is wounded. I'll have to bring it back to Languish Base to heal up.

[Syt]

Turn 8

Infantry sent to gather intelligence in Hong Kong. Ran into VC. Instead of calling in the Cobra, infantry engaged and was wounded. VC disappeared. Reports speak of 3 VC and 2 NVA units operating in our sector.

[Syt]

Situation Turn 10:



Both infantry units have healed at Languish Base. I have two units combing the jungle near London, and the engineers clearing the area, so choppers can pick up people if need be.

Intel from Vancouver revealed an NVA unit operating two hexes from our Fire Base. Artillery took care of them.

[Syt]

Turn 12

One infantry had to go step into a minefield. Yay. A Huey sent to pick them up was attacked by an RPG and had t go in for repairs.

Turn 13

Almost out of political capital, but I finally catch the VC/NVA operating near London!

Unfortunately, the NVA attacks my Fire Base and I have to evac an infantry unit back to HQ.

[Syt]

Well, I suppose I can at least bring back the infantry units from the jungle near London.

[The Brain]

Any drag marks?

[Syt]

Situation Turn 23



Rather screwed. I've been chasing VC for a while, losing time because I had to keep sending helicopters and units to heal up. A big blow was losing an infantry unit that ran into a minefield in the NW, and then was overrun by NVA tanks. I'm moving my infantry, my own tank group, and cobra in the direction to repel them and score some sorely needed political points.

I've finally gotten around to creating a forward base where my Green Berets can train some ARVN who can pick up some slack.

[Syt]

Fuck you, Charlie. Seriously.

They built a base right next to my Fire Base. With most my troops in the West, my Hueys are vulnerable to RPG fire in the hinterland. And my cobra, tank, and artillery failed to take out the NVA tank formation.

Again, FU Charlie!