Wargamer's Corner

sh*t, sale will be done by then.

Veloxi wrote:

sh*t, sale will be done by then.

You pick it up, Veloxi?

Nah I waited.

War Thunder isn't really a Wargamer's game, but this is the most grognard-y sh*t I've ever heard.

Also, GAWWWWWWWWWWWD CM: Cold War is making my "Buy" finger twitch.

Prederick wrote:

War Thunder isn't really a Wargamer's game, but this is the most grognard-y sh*t I've ever heard.

Haha, a clear case of winning the argument but losing the war!

Has anyone tried Warplan Pacific? I've been reading Francis Pike's Hirohito's War* so my mind is in this space, and I have my Matrix/Slitherine anniversary coupon itching away.

* takeaway: "MacArthur sucks"

qaraq wrote:

Has anyone tried Warplan Pacific? I've been reading Francis Pike's Hirohito's War* so my mind is in this space, and I have my Matrix/Slitherine anniversary coupon itching away.

* takeaway: "MacArthur sucks"

War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition looks at you with sad puppy eyes.

I have been hesitant to get Warplan Pacific because I heard a bunch of less-than-stellar things about Warplan (the first game). I too would be interested in some thoughts on WP.

Goes back to WitP:AE - why is this damn convoy not loading in San Diego? And why did I move this task force *there* last time I played, dumb past-me?

I had a look at WITP and played a lot of Uncommon Valor back when it came out. But the way it looks now I just want a new game, not a new hobby. I know they reward dedication but right now I don't have enough of that to give.

Armoured Commander 2 just had it's 1.00 update in readiness for final release. Lots of changes and additions, details like dust, weather, radios, new vehicles, etc. Remember you can change time period in the campaign selection screen using the Q and E keys.

Hey all - Been a minute since the thread has been updated. Here are a few of my own highlights from the past couple of months.

I managed to get Catalaunian Plains and the Battle of Tours knocked out in my Twenty Battles series

Got in a full playthrough of Paths of Glory using Stuka Joe's Solo CDG system. This works fairly well for Command & Colors, which I'm using quite a bit for the above series.

Lastly, got a chance to attend ConSimWorld here in Tempe and I got to teach a full playthrough of Cuba Libre with a full table of four (including Stuka Joe himself!).

Link to the short AAR from his channel that includes our game. (I'm the one with the bandaged hand)

Cuba Libre has been great fun the few times I've managed to get it on the table.

GioClark wrote:

Hey all - Been a minute since the thread has been updated. Here are a few of my own highlights from the past couple of months.

I managed to get Catalaunian Plains and the Battle of Tours knocked out in my Twenty Battles series

Got in a full playthrough of Paths of Glory using Stuka Joe's Solo CDG system. This works fairly well for Command & Colors, which I'm using quite a bit for the above series.

Lastly, got a chance to attend ConSimWorld here in Tempe and I got to teach a full playthrough of Cuba Libre with a full table of four (including Stuka Joe himself!).

Link to the short AAR from his channel that includes our game. (I'm the one with the bandaged hand)

Those are superb AARs of the battles. Have you posted those on BGG? I have the Tours game as well and I'm looking forward to getting that on the table if only my son would cooperate.

Natus wrote:

Those are superb AARs of the battles. Have you posted those on BGG? I have the Tours game as well and I'm looking forward to getting that on the table if only my son would cooperate.

Thanks for saying so! And I hear you on finding people to play with. My Junior Marshals tend to stop by for a couple of minutes before scurrying off to play Apex lol.

As far as sharing to BGG, I haven't considered that since the content sharing seems to favor YouTube or extensive blog style walkthroughs. Wouldn't I need to update or port these over to something like that format?

GioClark wrote:
Natus wrote:

Those are superb AARs of the battles. Have you posted those on BGG? I have the Tours game as well and I'm looking forward to getting that on the table if only my son would cooperate.

Thanks for saying so! And I hear you on finding people to play with. My Junior Marshals tend to stop by for a couple of minutes before scurrying off to play Apex lol.

As far as sharing to BGG, I haven't considered that since the content sharing seems to favor YouTube or extensive blog style walkthroughs. Wouldn't I need to update or port these over to something like that format?

I really don't think so. I have a friend who writes extensive AARs and some small hits. Here's his blog. I think it's always important to share impressions of games that are off the beaten track as you have and who have something to say about them.

Natus wrote:

I really don't think so. I have a friend who writes extensive AARs and some small hits. Here's his blog. I think it's always important to share impressions of games that are off the beaten track as you have and who have something to say about them.

Again, appreciate the vote of confidence. I've been considering breaking out the bulk of more personal content out of my technical blog into something more like a hobby blog. Guess I just need to see if I'm ready to commit to something like that.

Anyone still playing Armoured Commander 2? The recent updates have added some tidy small details and a bail-out mini-game, and generally made the game a bit more streamlined and richer (more commands and options). Quite a steal for the price, it’ll eat an hour quite easily once you fire it up. Scratches the tactical itch very nicely.

Came across a recommendation for The Troop, a WWII tactical game that recently put out a free demo while they continue development. Gave it a spin and was super impressed overall -- seems to include everything you'd want while remaining accessible. Was worried at first about the lack of reaction fire, but movement rates are low enough that it mostly worked.

Well worth checking out if you have a couple of hours!

Crossposting since I was told I should:

I'm looking at Hearts of Iron IV / DLC suggestions since my son is asking for it recently. I'd also accept a key for it, if anyone has one laying around.

I stay completely away from these sorts of strategy games so it's a total blind spot for me, and I see a ton of DLC listed on Steam.

Any suggestions on what to get (base game + any 'required DLC') for a 10 year old who likely has no idea what he's getting into and is sometimes a bit too enthusiastic about World War II.

mrtomaytohead wrote:

Crossposting since I was told I should:

I'm looking at Hearts of Iron IV / DLC suggestions since my son is asking for it recently. I'd also accept a key for it, if anyone has one laying around.

I stay completely away from these sorts of strategy games so it's a total blind spot for me, and I see a ton of DLC listed on Steam.

Any suggestions on what to get (base game + any 'required DLC') for a 10 year old who likely has no idea what he's getting into and is sometimes a bit too enthusiastic about World War II.

Since I told you to cross post, I'll offer some keys that I have that may or may not be considered wargames:
Company of Heroes 2 - classic, shooty shooty tactical RTS. I would have loved it when I was 10. Live your army man fantasies.
Men of War: Assault Squad - another tactical rts. More complex than CoH but still something that is quite accessible.
Twilight Struggle - Probably too complicated for a 10 year old, but, Twilight Struggle is a two-player game where players play as either the US or USSR during the Cold War. Using actual events from history, players must plan out their strategies in order to obtain world dominance. Play Twilight Struggle and change the course of history.
Assault on Arnhem - More of a standard turn based grognard style war game. Assault on Arnhem is an operational level wargame for between one and four players, based on the famous Operation Market Garden campaign in September 1944.

If any of these sound interesting, PM me for the key.

Oh, and to answer your original question, HOI 4 is great. It's complex, but the base game may be within reach for a motivated 10 year old. I don't think I'd get any of the DLC before you determine if he likes the base game. It's on Gamepass if you have that.

Has he run through Battle Academy 1 and 2? That would be totally his speed, and they are wonderful games.

No, he has not played any sort of war game before. This is pretty much my son being super into the countryballs on YT and such and wanting something to be able to play as / with different nations. Hearts of Iron IV is what he has focused his attention on after he tried to get something like it out of Civ V (not even close, even though I told him it was not what he was looking for). So this is less about strategy games, and more about playing and seeing history or possibly well defined fictional nations interacting. He even goes on about their different political systems more so than others would of his age, but still only so deep as his 10 year old mind only grasps so much.

Does any of what I said help identify a good game?

Also, I checked my Humble games list and I have access to: Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game. Would that fit any of that? I see it does use real world history as a base, but it was also a fan-made game.

PWAlessi wrote:

Oh, and to answer your original question, HOI 4 is great. It's complex, but the base game may be within reach for a motivated 10 year old. I don't think I'd get any of the DLC before you determine if he likes the base game. It's on Gamepass if you have that.

And I skimmed and missed the end of your post like a shmuck. I'll let him give it a test on there, I guess.

It’s basically a more accurate version of Hearts of Iron… 1 I think? Kind of hard core if I understand correctly.

He can learn HOI IV if he leaves as much as possible to the AI, plays small scenarios (like the tutorial), and repeats several times to work on different systems. As he gets more comfortable, he can start to dig into the details, maybe with Youtube videos and written guides. It just might fully engage him for months, or he might bounce off, but it’s worth trying. Thanksgiving Steam sale starts soon and should see discounts.

I still suggest Battle Academy 1. Cheap and fun.

I’ll think on some diplomacy-based games… But I think most of them are fantasy or SF. Hey! What about Stellaris? Space empires with diplomacy and backstories for the races. Or Age of Wonders: Planetfall, which has a lot of negotiation (but is about tech racing, unit production and the economy turn-by-turn). Run those by him, I guess.

Edit - Try Rogue State? I have not played it but it looks like it might be close.

A question for our boardgaming colleagues.

I'm looking for a solitaire game - I don't have a group nearby, and I'm currently enjoying my playthrough of The Hunters (U-boats, 1939-43), as well as the terror of riding along as medic in Veloxi's LP series of the same game.

I'm looking for a similar game, but based in the air. At the moment, I'm mainly looking at

Skies over the Reich (which is Luftwaffe defence)
Target for Tonight (the British air war over Germany, there is an American equivalent called Target for Today).

Has anyone played either of these ? I've looked on YT, and get the impressions that Skies is a more 'accurate' game, for want of a better term, whereas TfT is more of the narrative style of The Hunters.

These are quite expensive and hard to get hold of in the UK (around £85 each), so I'd rather not buy a dud, as it were.

Robear wrote:

It’s basically a more accurate version of Hearts of Iron… 1 I think? Kind of hard core if I understand correctly.

He can learn HOI IV if he leaves as much as possible to the AI, plays small scenarios (like the tutorial), and repeats several times to work on different systems. As he gets more comfortable, he can start to dig into the details, maybe with Youtube videos and written guides. It just might fully engage him for months, or he might bounce off, but it’s worth trying. Thanksgiving Steam sale starts soon and should see discounts.

I still suggest Battle Academy 1. Cheap and fun.

I’ll think on some diplomacy-based games… But I think most of them are fantasy or SF. Hey! What about Stellaris? Space empires with diplomacy and backstories for the races. Or Age of Wonders: Planetfall, which has a lot of negotiation (but is about tech racing, unit production and the economy turn-by-turn). Run those by him, I guess.

Edit - Try Rogue State? I have not played it but it looks like it might be close.

Stellaris is on Gamepass too.

If you can find a copy of the old Avalon Hill game "B-17: Queen of the Skies", that's the Ur-game for this style of solitaire. I loved that one back in the day. Should be easy to find used.

davet010 wrote:

A question for our boardgaming colleagues.

I'm looking for a solitaire game - I don't have a group nearby, and I'm currently enjoying my playthrough of The Hunters (U-boats, 1939-43), as well as the terror of riding along as medic in Veloxi's LP series of the same game.

I'm looking for a similar game, but based in the air. At the moment, I'm mainly looking at

Skies over the Reich (which is Luftwaffe defence)
Target for Tonight (the British air war over Germany, there is an American equivalent called Target for Today).

Has anyone played either of these ? I've looked on YT, and get the impressions that Skies is a more 'accurate' game, for want of a better term, whereas TfT is more of the narrative style of The Hunters.

These are quite expensive and hard to get hold of in the UK (around £85 each), so I'd rather not buy a dud, as it were.

Target for Today/Tonight are just remakes of B-17 Queen of the Skies. They are all great games. I have them all. I prefer Target for Today as the updates and details are improvements in my opinion.

There are some nice, quick, and simple WW2 Air War solo games called 8th Air Force and 20th Air Force from Fortress Games you might want to check out that are very fun.

Check out Nightfighter Ace and Interceptor Ace by the same designer of The Hunters, Greg Smith from Compass Games. Its flying German fighters against bombers and both are very fun. He also has an Alt-History version out now, Defending America, where you defend America from long range German bombers using planes from the late 1940s.

If your looking for something different from the Hunters type solo games, but still on the same theme check out Corsair Leader or Zero Leader or B-17 Leader by DVG. I own B-17 and Zero and love the entire Leader series (I also have Israeli Air Leader and Uboat Leader) and they are all fabulous. But these differ from the Hunters type game where in the Leader games you must build a team of pilots/machines and then take on a series of targets/enemies. Just be warned that they are NOT hard core war sims, it is team building and resource management with a heavy dose of role play. I guess you could say I'm a fan of the series. They are great fun.

Robear wrote:

If you can find a copy of the old Avalon Hill game "B-17: Queen of the Skies", that's the Ur-game for this style of solitaire. I loved that one back in the day. Should be easy to find used.

I would suggest just getting the Target for Today or Tonight new. B-17 Queen of the Skies and other classic Avalon Hill wargames have become hot commodities lately and the prices are getting pretty high. Plus, you can end up paying top dollar for an old game that has seen better days.

I was looking on Ebay, Taz, and you can find a lot of used copies for $45-$65. That surprised me so I posted.

I agree, TfT both look good. I have the first one but have not got it to the table, just read the rules, and it does seem very similar to B-17. But nostalgia strikes sometimes.

BTW, Wargames Design Studios has purchased all the assets of John Tiller Software (for whom they were contracting) and will continue development. If you have JTS games, when you download an update from them from a previous order, that will activate that game in the online store so you can continue to access it. Details are in the emails they are sending out today.