Simulation games are conceptually an interesting thing to me. They often tackle the most mundane or realistic topics, trying to find fun in things that are usually considered work. Of course, they do this by knowing where to bend reality in order to make things more enjoyable. Extremely complex, chaotic elements are simplified into something slightly less complex and more predictable. Everything becomes tables of numbers and how they interact with each other, more often than not. Any why not" It’s fun, challenging, and satisfying to mentally disassemble these contraptions and become their master. And yet, the human condition is often covered by little more than a random number generator, severely underestimating just how much the whims of one person can swing the most carefully-laid plans. King of Dragon Pass ($9.99) is one of the few simulation games I’ve played that not only carefully considers that ever-present aspect of reality but embraces it, and its long-awaited follow-up, Six Ages ($9.99), doubles down on it.
Like its predecessor, Six Ages is a simulation game set in Glorantha, a fantasy world created more than 40 years ago by Greg Stafford. Glorantha is famous and well-regarded for its careful attention to mythology and folklore. It’s as wondrous and detailed as any fantasy setting could be, but it does enough things its own way to make it feel distinct from the familiar tropes of the genre. Such a setting would be wasted if it were merely t...