Totaler Krieg!
I was able to get my hands on a WWII strategic game called Totaler Krieg! (TK!). For a few years I have heard that it was a fantastic WWII sim, but it has been out of print. I finally got a copy less than a week ago. It seems great, but the rules are something else. Actually this comes out in the reviews.
Has anyone ever played this? I know that Mark owns a copy.
posted by Carlos @ 11:31 AM
31 comments
31 Comments:
I've only heard good things about the game. Alan Emrich, the designer, is a well-respected long-time fixure in the video gaming and wargaming world, though its hard to forgive him for Master of Orion 3. The closest thing I've played to Totaler Krieg is AH's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, which is a truely complex monster. I had heard Totaler Krieg is more manageable and more fun, which sounds good to me. I am itching to get Barbarossa to Berlin under my belt too... I think I have a year's worth of new games to play!
Haven't played it, although I was tempted to buy Krieg when it went to 50% off. (This was way back. During the last glacier advance).
I'm almost ready for B2B, Ben.
Ben, I'd like to try B2B too given the similarities with SS. But then again, trying to get a game of EF2 would be awesome. Still, the logistics...
Don't know much about TK.
I too have heard nothing but good things it. TK! was supposed to be that middle ground between Axis & Allies and Advanced Third Reich in complexity and playing time. I read the rules once and while they're not as bad as A3R, they still require quite a bit of study. I never found anyone interested in putting the effort into it.
Right now I'm committed to learning Pacific Victory and Wilderness War, but I would be willing to give TG a try at some point.
If they're learning B2B, maybe that leaves an opening for Krieg.
Oy! This week I've learned Hannibal, WotR:BoTA, and SoR (again). My head is about ready to pop-off and run screaming down the street due to ruleset overload. Funny, each game has a different number for how many armies can hide inside the city during a siege (as does Wilderness War too).
Still, B2B is high on my priority list. Concensus (at this early stage) on Consimworld is that the new version patches some guaranteed victory strategies by the Axis. Its an all-day game, so we'll have to plan it out sometime. Apparently its pretty close to Shifting Sands in mechanics (closer even than Paths of Glory, which makes sense).
Plus, once I get B2B down, this is yet another game I can play PBEM on ACTS. PBEMing on ACTS has pretty much replaced WoW as my mid-week gaming fix, though the players are very tough there!
I'm very interested in getting Wilderness War back to the table. I think this will be my highest priority after tomorrow's SoR experience.
Speaking of SoR, is it just me or does it look very tough to win as the Greeks? Carthage is totally gunning for you; your leaders are like vampires on your loyalty; and you're spread out between the boot and Sicily. I guess we'll find out...
They must have some advantage to offset that (the loyalty penalty). Hey, I read the rules, but I may need some hand-holding for the minutiae. I'm liking the Etruscans and Gauls. Of course, Romans kick butt, but they seem to require a mastery of SoR rules.
BTW, it seems then that someone else will have to get SS too, now that Ben is shifting to WW again. Jonathan, I think I heard a "maybe" from you... hehe
I'm up for whatever other one from our "set of games for the month".
Thank you for reminding me what our games of the month are. Don't worry, SS is never far from the front of my brain.
Thankfully we have at least 2 copies of both PV and SS in the group. I believe Brian has a copy of WW, but I'd recommend anyone else interested snatch one up ASAP, as it is out of print and rapidly becoming scarce in the secondary market. Folks on ConsimWorld are saying the likelihood of a reprint anytime soon is slim because GMT printed (and sold) 5,000 copies last time, which is huge for them.
Ben and Mark, if there's a European theatre wargame out there more fun than AH's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich that would be quite an accomplishment. Third Reich still ranks as one of the best wargames I've ever played. Still, something shorter these days would be nice.
Rick, Third Reich without a doubt a great game. I first got the second edition back in the late 70s and more than got my money's worth out of it. Based on the good stuff I heard about TK!, and now that I got a copy, I will see about getting a game going.
The rules do not flow in a linear fashion, however and I am not quite getting it. Of course I could always dust off my 3R or A3R.
Mark, have you tried flying TK! yet?
"Flying TK!" ?? Never heard of it.
Yes, A3R is a great game. I have the last AH version of A3R and the far east expansion Rising Sun. Wouldn't mind playing either of those or TK.
TK is supposed to be a faster, more streamlined A3R--but I can't speak from experience since I have trouble finding opponents willing to play anything more complicated than A&A.
I'd be interested in trying TK out. I'm willing to get together on a weekend. Can we get it in on a Monday night? How many can play?
We have officially crossed into hardcore Grognard territory here...
I've been thinking that for the past three weeks, Ben. :)
Anybody wanna play Puerto Rico?
My copy of Blue Moon City arrived yesterday.
I've been trying to buy Scepter of Zavandor for a month now. They made me a grognard, through lack of sales!
Ok, enough said about TK! I'll see if I can figure it out. In the mean time, look out for my posting in a day or two about TI3. I'm going to try to host a game at my house.
M, are you in our area?
BY the way, Jeff, yes I would like to play Puerto Rico. If bring it to the next Monday session at DL do you think we could get a game going?
Highly unlikely that I'll be at the Aug 28th session. My copy of Roads & Boats should be here by the next Monday (Labor Day, right?) and I want to get that on the table ASAP. Still, PR is a game I rate as a 10 and I'll generally play anytime I can, especially since I wasn't part of a boardgaming group during the mega-hype PR enjoyed a few years back when it was released, so I'm nowhere near burnt-out on it. Heck, I'm nowhere near competent at it.
Carlos, I think I could do euros next Monday for change (mainly to rest my brain). I could do Puerto Rico anytime...heck, it's where I'm from AND what started this obsessive frenzy I call a hobby.
I actually have an itch for the basics... Settlers of Catan anyone? I have never tried Seafarers or Cities and Knight expansion.
I played Thurn and Taxis today w/ 3 players. Nothing groundbraking but it's a good game. I'll bring it next Monday.
What if we start an official Grognard night? Tuesdays at DL?
I know 2 nights of gaming may be too much, and it may lead to splitting the group.... ok, probably a bad idea. I enjoy just hanging out with the 10-12 that show up on Mondays.
I'll bring my copy of PR on Monday if I am able to get away. As for settlers, I too have played only the "Base" game without any of the expansions.
A grognard night? I love the idea, but I know that it would probably not work with me on account of family and work obligations. It's hard enough for me to make the regular Monday night sessions.
For gragnard type games, I will probably be best to offer my home when I can convince my wife to visit her sister. In fact, I have already set a plan into action...
Settlers without Cities and Knights is barely a game at all in my opinion. I just got a bunch of party games, so they should mesh well inbetween all the brain burning euros being planned...
Well, M, now you have yet another reason to visit us here in Texas!
SABG goes international... thanks M for coming by.
Settlers without Cities and Knights is barely a game at all in my opinion.
I got Settlers back when I didn't know better. Vanialla Settlers I think is a good starting euro. Then eventually decided that I wanted to get C+K (when I knew a little more). Now that I know so much more, it has just lingered in my wishlist for more than a year, mainly because there are so many other cool new games constantly coming out.
Is it time then to get it? Maybe.
Jeff, I want in on the game of Roads and Boats when it happens.
Oh and I meant to mention: I mostly agree with Simon's comment about Settlers, although it is highly group dependent. With the group from home I would rate it a 1 since they actually prefer the idea of making it into an almost pure luck based no trade game (none seem to really understand the concept that a trade can benefit two sides).
However, I've played alot of team Settlers online with a friend from home and I think the game plays very well as a team game. How well that translates to FTF play is not clear to me since we end up on the phone chatting back and forth about strategy the entire time which would not be possible in a FTF setting. Maybe that could be something we could try at some point just in case it is playable. I think teams knocks out alot of the luck and pushes it more towards a planning and hand management game.
Euros! Oh happy, happy, joy, joy. I'm going to try to make on Monday. I'm dying to get a look at the much ballyhooed Thurn und Taxis. I'd also be up for a game of Cities and Knights and just about any other Euro...Ra...Caylus...Goa...Amun Re...Roma...damn, I'm just itching to game.
There's a geek gold auction going on right now for Totaler Krieg! Looks like a pretty cheap way to get a copy if you have some worthless GG laying around....
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