Grenada

[Jeff Conner]

Gentlepeople

There were some questions asked about the new SB Demo, Grenada on one of the other forums. One of the questions was: Is there anything new? Well, the answer is yes and no. The only new addition to the rules that I am aware of is that you can now use grappling hooks to climb high walls. And while this will not have a huge impact on gameplay, I did try to include a couple of new things I have not seen in the other titles. One of these is the use of the asymmetrical scoring rules. These are vastly different than the normal scoring rules and might make you think a bit differently about what it takes to win the game. But, I found that it is pretty hard to balance the scenario (Radio Grenada) and consequently it is not recommended for competitive play. But if you and a buddy would like to try it PBEM and let me know your results and thoughts, I will continue to work on it.

A few of you may know that I spent nine years of my life working in the woods (this is a term used by people (mostly, but not exclusively men) who work in the woods to describe what most people would call a logger). I spent most of that time bouncing around on a Cat (more commonly known as a bulldozer or a track-laying dozer). I have some affinity for the raw power these machines are capable of. So, when I got a chance, they are included in the game and not just in one scenario, but in two. And they have a weapon (dozer blade) that you can use to destroy obstacles making them pretty useful.

Another question asked was does the Demo include Gunny Hightower (played by Clint Eastwood) of Heartbreak Ridge fame. Well, I am happy to announce that it does. I am not a graphics guy, but one of my requests was for a "head" that looked like Eastwood. And I got one (pretty much anyway). There are four scenarios (linked together in a campaign) that covers Recon Platoon's part of the invasion. And there are regular army Cubans (some of which have cigars) for them to fight against.

And on a last note before I run off to work, I would like to run a tournament using the Demo, in part to try and get more SB players (and to help fine tune the play balance a bit). The tournament is going to be open to recruits and new players only. The definition of a new player is fewer than ten recorded games at the time the tournament starts and an ELO of less than 2050. There will be prizes for the top two finishers. It is not going to be the standard mirror game type tournament and you will only have to play one game per round. If there is enough interest from the veteran crowd, I might run a second tournament for you (but I don't know about any prizes). I'll post more information when the tournament is officially announced. In the meantime, you might mention this possibility to some of your non-SB playing gamer friends.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. I am on the forum almost every day and will try and get back to you as quickly as I can. As I am late for work once again, I need to ride.

Jeff Conner

[Many Mariuses]

Looks like a lot of fun! I would be interested in the new player/bootcamp tournament.

[HirooOnoda]

This is the next SB release?

[Jeff Conner]

This is a free demo. It is limited in scope and only contains eleven scenarios. The idea is to try and introduce the game system to those who may not be real familiar with it. The scenarios are small and should play very fast. Hopefully, they will be entertaining too. In any case, you can't beat the price.

Jeff

[Micha]

Just play"d a few scenarios, great work !

[Spud]

I've noticed Point Salines NB map file is missing.

I get missing file notice when try to open.

All other map are there.

Anyone else having same issue?

Spud.

[Jeff Conner]

I am thinking that's a file that should have been deleted and I forgot. If I remember correctly, the initial map was made in the wrong game. They have some type of checksum protection that keeps you from importing maps from different games. Don't ask, I don't know why.

Nice to know that I am not the only person who uses the map editor to open up the maps in a game and see what they look like.

Jeff

[Richie61]

Jeff,

Loving the title!

Question: Was there any reason why hand grenades weren't added like
in FWW and SCW?

Just asking.

[Jeff Conner]

Grenades are generally considered part of the assault value inherent in each man. I can't speak for why Ed or Joao added them in their titles, but in Falklands, I added WP grenades to assist the British in taking Argentine fortifications and to give them an edge at close range combat (and by adding a very generous smoke allowance, most ranges) that they historically had. I didn't feel the need to do that in this case, mostly because there was very little close range combat. The Grenadians or Cubans had already been pulverized by support fires by the time the Rangers or Paratroopers got close.

[Richie61]

Jeff,

Makes sense. The grenades just add to the squad based feel of the game
to me. We have smoke, AT weapons and satchel charges, so why not HE
grenades.

Thanks for a quick response