Yep, you heard me right, Gleemax Games opened its doors today. I had hoped to have an update on the wiki project and first round of contests, but there was a rogue game of Nuclear War that had to be stopped outside the dome. So instead, I’m going to suggest you go over and give Gleemax Games a shot. I’ve already registered, and you’ll likely find me there playing Acquire, so if you see me online gimme a shout and we’ll get a game in!
In fact, if you loyal readers haven’t ever played Acquire, it’s about time you did. It’s the granddaddy of all these fancy Eurogames that are all the rage with the kids these days. If you’re not sure how to play, leave a comment or look for me online…I’m programmed to teach!
The game list is:
- Magic: the Gathering Online (this seems to just take you to the original website, so I think it’s just advertising)
- Axis and Allies
- RoboRally (a classic Richard Garfield game whose recent reprint is beautiful, but lacks character)
- Acquire
- Vegas Showdown
- Desktop Tower Defense
- Guillotine
Of those, I recommend RoboRally, Acquire, and Vegas Showdown.
It is in Alpha still, but it says that “for a limited time, all Gleemax Games are free to play,” which seems to confirm my earlier statement that Gleemax will indeed be a pay site in the future (near, far, how can you tell with WotC?). The interface is a bit wonky, with multiple popups and Java apps appearing and disappearing all over the place, but the games I’ve played have a pretty smooth interface and the AI’s weren’t half bad. I’m not sure how easy it would be to learn a game on there, but knowing these games as well as I do it was easy to play. And certainly better than playing on VASSAL or Brettspielwelt.
