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The Flare Path: A Farrago of FoxersBelated birthday bash
Belated birthday bash
Unlike the tough-as-old-boots co-op foxers postedevery Friday at 1, the brainteasers below are prize bearing and aimed at solitary novice/intermediate defoxers. Send me (timfstone at gmail dot com) your solutionswithin the next 48 hours(COMPETITIONS NOW CLOSED)and you could win up to six of the games that have floated my Schwimmwagen this past half year.
The ‘Stuff Worth Bearing In Mind Before You Get Started’ Section
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Anagrams foxer
(Five copies ofBroken Linesup for grabs)
Danish dev PortaPlay, currently taking five after completinga Switch port, aren’t the only ones willing to mess with WW2. My long-serving Chief Foxer Setter, Roman, has gleefully scrambled the names of eight 1939-45 games for the puzzle below. Unscramble at least six of them (eight correct answers will double your chances) to qualify for the Broken Lines draw. All of the anagramised games are currently available on Steam.
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Missing Vowels foxer
(Five Steam codes forRebel Inc: Escalationup for grabs)
The “How soon is too soon?” question is irrelevant when your wargame is as nuanced and intelligent asRebel Inc: Escalation. Ndemic’s uncommonly fresh counter-insurgency sim is the only game I know of that hasthe approval of an appropriate ambassador, and a recommendation from a World Bank representative on its Steam page (“Rebel Inc. lets everyone wrestle with the messy challenges of post-conflict recovery and better understand the complex realities of building peace.”). The Flare Pathrated it highlytoo.
Now available in Pashto and Dari, and withan intriguing campaign modeimminent, Early Access Rebel Inc could be yours for precisely £0 if your vowel hunting skills are up to snuff. Below is a list of “15 Things Wot You Might Find in Afghanistan” (‘things’ is used here in its broadest possible sense). Entries have been stripped of vowels and had any inter-word spaces repositioned. For example, if Genghis Khan was present, he might appear as…
GNG HSKHN
Kabul would be…
KBL
Send me at least 10 correct answers to qualify for the draw. Provide all 15 and your name will go in twice.
1.PMGRNT2.KNDHR3.KTRN NR4.KJ KDM5.DC TRWTSN6.THHM LYS7.CRC KTBT8.HLM NDPRVNC9.P MPPPY10.HNDGN SHP11.BZK SHPLYR12.SMB NL DN13.SNWLP RD14.BD DHSFB MYN15.HMDK RZ
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Spot the Difference foxer
(Five Steam codes forRadio Commander+ DLC up for grabs)
Mrs Doylewouldn’t approve of the language inRadio Commander. Serious Sim’s fondness for the F word – thebadF word – is meant to bolster authenticity, but at times inadvertently saps it. Don’t be put off though. A manually updated map combined with an intentionally frustrating radio-reliant order system allows RC to simulate something most PC wargames sadly have little interest in: command. Waiting for confusing faraway firefights to resolve or worryingly silent friendlies to report in, RC seeps tension the way a bullet-grazed rubber tree seeps latex. Few wargames communicate battlefield chaos better.
^ click to enlarge
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‘Where am I?’ foxer
(Five Steam codes forRadio Generalup for grabs)
Where am I?
(Answers must be within 10 metres of the actual location)
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Sequels foxer
(Five copies of Unity of Command 2 up for grabs)
Fancy a copy of a sequel that abstracts masterfully, employs 3D graphics beautifully, and doesn’t allow players to deploy unstoppable battlefield super units? Send me the names of at least seven of the ‘sequels’ shown in this image. Identify all ten to go into the hat twice.
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Bovington foxer
(Five copies of Tank Mechanic Simulator up for grabs)
Tank Mechanic Simulatordoesn’t do grazed knuckles, baffling faults, or dismantlable power plants, but plenty of mesmeric manual labour involving impact wrenches, angle grinders, sledge hammers, and spray guns, plus the palpable satisfaction that comes from turning rusty WW2 trundlers into handsome testdriveable museum exhibits, have helped this generously proportioned* paean to caterpillared killing machines secure a ‘Very Positive’ rating on Steam.
- Tiger, Panther, Panzer IV, Panzer III, StuG, SdKfz 251/1, KV-2, KV-1, T-34/85, T-34/76, Pershing, Sherman, Wolverine
