nomad

Set during the early Neolithic era, 2-5 players take charge of one nomadic tribe each. The game is won by either having 50 or more food points at the end of the current round, or by achieving at least 35 advancement points.

The most enjoyable thing about the game is its sheer versitility. Players can choose to be 1 of 3 different styles of tribe, Gatherers (who have the greatest starting population), Hunters (who can gain food the fastest), and Raiders (who can attempt to steal food from other tribes without fighting their guards first, and also have the most powerful warriors). Each tribe type makes for a different play strategy. There are also all kinds of adjustable factors to tweak during play to try and maximize your tribespeople.

The downside of all this customability is that game rounds are rather complex. Each round has a number of phases, including training children, praying, hunting, gathering, war-making, events, deaths, &c. Furthermore, each round represents a different season (starting with Spring), and each season has slightly different environmental effects that give bonuses and penalties to different activities. Play is sped up somewhat due to the fact that during most phases, all players can go at the same time. Still, an average game takes 2 hours, and only lasts 5 to 8 rounds.

Nevertheless, Nomad is a fun game, although it works best with at least 3 players, so that diplomacy can factor into the game a little more, and it's not simply a race to see who can bring down more mammoth.

The game comes with a circular cloth & vinyl game map that has a drawstring to turn into a pouch to carry the rest of the pieces, and 5 cloth & vinyl village mats, over 200 cardboard villager tokens, 16 wooden tokens to show locations on the game map, 50 "event" cards (from whence come advancement points), 10 six-sided dice, and 5 reference cards, to keep track of the order of phases, and assorted tables and charts. The game retails for $50 US.

The only other notable thing about the game is that OSTA's website provides extra support for the game, including optional rules, new village types, and more. The only unfortunate thing is that, though the game hasn't even hit retail stores yet, they already have rules revisions posted on their website.

OSTA Productions' website is located at: www.outsidetheasylum.com/games.htm

In the mid-70's, Steve Rogers in his identity as Captain America fought the evil mechanations of a subversive group known as the Secret Empire. Rogers was able to defeat the group and followed its leader, a shadowy figure named Number One, in hopes of capturing him and bringing him to justice. The trail lead to the very seat of power within the United States, the White House. There Number One was revealed to be a "high placed government official" who rather than face the shame of his misdeeds, committed suicide in front of the bewildered and disillusioned Captain America.

This thinly-veiled commentary on the Watergate scandal and subsequent resignation by Richard Nixon caused Steve Rogers to question the ideals on which the United States was built and to stop adventuring as Captain America. For a number of issues, Rogers spent time in contemplation and though he did fight a number of thugs and the like, he did so without a costume (apart from a ski mask). However, a few issues later in Captain America #180, Rogers became Nomad and fought against the forces of evil. Nomad's costume did not reflect the patriotism of Rogers' other costume, but instead was blue and yellow and for a brief time even sported a cape. Eventually, Rogers returned to his former identity as Captain America when a man who had begun to adventure in that identity was killed by the Red Skull, and Rogers sought revenge.

Flash forward to the 1980's and the reintroduction of Nomad. This time the identity was taken up by Jack Monroe. Monroe and an unnamed man who was obsessed with Steve Rogers and Captain America, became Bucky and Captain America during the 1950's while Rogers was in suspended animation in an iceberg. The pair used a version of the Super-Soldier formula to gain the same advantages that Rogers had possessed, but their version was incomplete eventually leading them to become unhinged and paranoid. They began to see Communist plots where none existed and were placed in suspended animation until a cure could be found. Needless to say, they were thawed and used in a battle between two Captain Americas in one comic and then returned to suspended animation. Eventually, Monroe was cured and became for a time Steve Rogers' sidekick in the identity of Nomad.

Nomad and Captain America fought together for a number of years, until Monroe chose to split off and go solo, finding his methods and those of his mentor were not compatible. Nomad starred for a time in his own series, a comic that came out when dark and edgy were the order of the day. Traveling from place to place, Nomad sought justice for the under-dog.

Eventually, Nomad vanished from the pages of comics, though Monroe returned in the guise of Scourge in the Thunderbolts comics a few years back. Monroe was being used by a shadowy government agency to discredit and kill superhumans, but eventually he was freed.

Nom"ad (?), n. [L. nomas, -adis, Gr. , , pasturing, roaming without fixed home, fr. a pasture, allotted abode, fr. to distribute, allot, drive to pasture; prob. akin to AS. niman to take, and E. nimble: cf. F. nomade. Cf. Astronomy, Economy, Nimble, Nemesis, Numb, Number.]

One of a race or tribe that has no fixed location, but wanders from place to place in search of pasture or game.

© Webster 1913.

Nom"ad, a.

Roving; nomadic.

© Webster 1913.