Since we have a lot of war gamers on here it seems
And I have way way way way too much time to kill today (too bad there was not gaming tonight. So sad) I thought i would share this link.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/304591
Back to twiddling my thumbs and reading papers and things till the next time point.
posted by Unknown @ 5:52 PM
26 comments
26 Comments:
Thank you for thinking of us wargamers.
Personally I don't like playtesting... While living in Ohio, I was once a playtester for one of the big 18XX games in the 90's... can't remember which one, actually. After putting in around 20-30 hours of playtime and feedback into the prototype, I naively asked the designer if I could get a discounted copy once the game was published. I'll never forget the "you must be joking" look he gave me. :) Anyway, I'd do it for a friend, like our own Charles S. Roberts award winner (we're not worthy) Steve, but not a stranger.
Tiffany, have you ever played Twilight Imperium? I'll bet you would like that. I actually started out as a wargamer, but with a wife and kids now in my life I think I actually prefer the euro type games. Tick-to-Ride is now the top choice in my home with Settlers and Shadows competing for second
Ben: I posted it in case someone was interested. It did seem like a lot of work, but someone might have liked it. Or had the time to. ::shrugs::
Carlos: I have played only WoW without the expansions. I suppose on a lot of the battle re-enactment things it just doesn't occur to me as to why one would wish to re-enact a battle and see if it ends differently. I don't know what I don't like about the mechanism. I would be willing to try something shortish -- none of the seven hour inauguration's into the world of war gaming. Is there a gateway war game out there?
Good gateway wargames:
Memoir '44
BattleLore
Combat Commander
Command and Colors: Ancients
War of the Ring
Tide of Iron
Ben: Thanks for the informative list of games. I might even be talked into playing one of them one of these times. I mean I cant say that i dont like war games really until i try one. To be fair.
Combat Command -- is that the one you and Chris were playing the one and only time I have been to saturday gaming in months?
Yes, but that might not be the best one to start with... I think I'd recommend BattleLore first. Its pretty quick, and the fantasy theme may be more approachable than World War 2.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
A few other ideas... Battle Line (euro-war hybrid by Knizia); Twilight Struggle (card driven Cold War game... sort of another euro-wargame hybrid); Shogun (wargame with lots of wooden cubes).
Though its not my cup of tea, others in the group love Hammer of the Scots, which is sort of a wooden block wargame version of Braveheart.
Fast Action Battles: Bulge (incoming to my house in a few days) may be an entry-level game as well.
See -- I've wanted to play Shogun. I have heard good things about it. I will have to look into other things that you suggested.
I have TS and its amazing. Once you get the gameplay down, its actually a better online play game since all the fiddly bits are taken care of for you. I have yet to play 1960, but ive heard good things about it (simliar card/battle system)
TS and 1960 are both very soplid games. My wife is (surprisingly) VERY fond of 1960.
Shogun is a good choice. It's more of a Weuro (euro with wargame elements). War of the Ring may be a weuro too.
The others mentioned IMO, are the opposite: wargames with euro elements.
Note that Wallenstein (which Shogun is a retheming/reimplementation of) is available to play online at SpielByWeb.
Lots of good info here. I would say that for a 2 player game, Battlelore would be the way to go. This game is really a work of art.
I have yet to play Shogun, but I'll bet that is a great choice for 3 or more.
Who has Shogun in this group? I think Jeff and Amy do, right? Anyone else? I'd definitely be up for playing again.
I have to comment that the Weuro sounds more appealing to me than the wargame with euro elements. Maybe thats cause amy has corrupted me -- i mean trained me well. :)
I will try any game once. (though some things i would be more willing to try than others) I just need someone who is willing to suffer through teaching me a war game so i can figure out what i really think of one. cause it would be the hobbling along the beginning training session. and that can be painful.
I own Shogun. I math traded away Wallenstein, which just isn't as much fun as Shogun in my opinion.
Tiffany, if you at all like Lord of the Rings I'm sure Steve, Jon, or I could easily teach you on of favorite epic games: War of the Ring. It plays in under 3 hours.
I enjoy Twilight Struggle more than 1960, but I like both. I think TS is a darker, dirtier, more dramatic game of global domination, but it does have slight balance issues. Still, it is the #3 game on BGG (1960 is #14, which is nothing to sneeze at).
I am amazed that Agricola is #5... at this point hardly anyone outside a few hardcore geeks and the German speaking world have played the game.
Looking at the ratings, almost everything we're recommending is solidly in the top 50.
I have reservations about my starting game being something that you are calling epic -- it just seems -- overwhelming? I dunno. I suppose we shall just have to see what seems interesting. And what presents itself.
Chris, we don't have Shogun, although it was played at our house once. I think it was Rob's copy? Or maybe Ben's.
Tiffany: if I knew that all it took to "corrupt" you was to accidentally RPG instead of RGB when referring to a projector, I would have tried to corrupt you alot earlier!
Stupid non-editable comments... I meant "accidentally say RPG".
Funny enough, I prefer Memoir 44 to BattleLore / Command and Colors BECAUSE of the WWII theme. I'm just not a history nut... (though admittedly I've only played a very basic battlelore scenario)
Tiffany - I'm not at all a wargamer in the traditional sense - "serious" wargames bore me to no end... but I like the simple/fast wargames like those mentioned above. A game plays in an hour, you win by acquiring enough VP tokens, and you don't have to be a scholar of "The Art of War" and "Fleet Battle of the 18th Century and the Disadvantages of Being Outflanked" to enjoy them.
Of course, my wife didn't like Memoir because it had tanks - she just felt bad about the actual "killing" of other characters.
Amy: What can I say -- I am easily corruptible. I am not entirely certain that this is a good thing, but i will take it for what it is.
War of the Ring is easy: just roll lots of 6's.
My Shogun is still undefiled by fingers, so it must have been Rob's.
Sean: It seems like the kind of war games that you like -- the fast and quick and VP scoring sort -- sound much more appealing than, as you called them, the more serious war games. I shall just have to see.
But it looks like I wont be playing this weekend regardless -- since I haven's seen a post about Saturday yet -- which means it isn't happening at this point -- yes?
Which means I will end up at work -- which is sad. Stupid data. Not cooperating.
Nexus Ops hasn't been mentioned yet...
FAB: Bulge looks good, light, and fun, as does Pacific Typhoon.
I just traded away Nexus Ops for Zeus and Hera. Yeah. thats my thoughts on that.
Hera and Zeus is essentially card-based Stratego with more interesting powers, so you get partial credit there in the wargame department. I'm pretty sure its designed by Richard Borg of BattleLore, Memoir '44, and Command and Colors fame.
I have yet to play Hera and Zeus with anyone, but i have read the rules and like the feel of it through that. I might have to bring it to some gaming event and see if i can coerce someone into playing with me.
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