Archive for Tanks Alot
1 , 2 Next »
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
Lately I have really started enjoying the hobby. I have slowed down quite a bit. For the first 5 years everything was amazing to me. I would see a new game and have to have it, spend hours researching and trying to learn game systems, and beg people to play this game you "gotta see". I sort of started realizing that not everyone could see what I saw in games. Some people just dont get it.
I have cut down my subscriptions on BGG. For lent I gave up buying games (yes it was getting bad), and I dedicated more time to playing games I owned. I started feeling more relaxed about the hobby.
Thanks to vassal and facebook, I am able to keep a pretty good run of games going. I would say I get to play about 2 to 3 games a week, or at least a partial game and I am really enjoying the pace now. I think one thing that happens to wargamers is the deeper you get into the hobby, the harder it is to find opponents. There are so many flavors and complexities, and the harder the games get, the less likely it seems to find an player who has similar interest. I've also come to realize how many gamers just wanna play their games, including myself.
I want to spend more time making videos helping people to learn these games. It makes me pretty happy when I see someone comment how one of my videos helped them get started. For a newbie, some of these rules really are hardcore. Combat Commander is an excellent example. Super games, tight rules, but it's a terrible feeling to open a box and read rules like that for me. I know many people must face the same feeling. One day board game designers will start including video DVD with games with basic turn play and instructions. Getting past that 1st turn is all most people need.
So for those of you who have noticed my slow down in the hobby lately, just know I am having fun. Ive been sort of sticking to one game system for about 2 months and having a blast. Playing with others and even some solo, which is very odd for me.
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
When I started wargaming, all I wanted to do was play ww2. I loved Memoir 44 and all the expansion packs. I liked how it connected the history for me in a fun light way. I never realized how big ww2 was until I played this game. I tried games like Tide of Iron and it was fun, but I never got the big picture with that one. Memoir covered from the beginning to the end, and in an abstract way depicts the different advantages/disadvantages of each army/geographic fighting area. It truly was an eye opening experience.
Then I found a game called Hold the Line which was recommended by Seth Owen. He and I had similar taste in games, and I was looking for a game without cards (my son hated the cards in memoir 44 at first, now he loves the game). So hold the line ended up opening a new era in gaming for me. I remember studying the Am Rev War in school and thinking it was pretty dry and boring. Then you play this game and you really start to understand the struggles. I spent about a year on this game and moved up to a few like 1776, Washingtons War, Liberty. Each game brought a new perspective into how things connected. The game also made me realize how tough it must have been to be just a regular guy facing a British bayonet.
Hold the line also had an expansion pack, Hold the Line: French and Indian War Expansion Set and I am embarrassed to say I really didn't know much about this war. And I was particularly excited to learn about Roger's Rangers. This led me to the war of 1812.
So a friend of mine who is a school teacher, said to me "What was the War of 1812, I never understood that war". Then something odd happened. It finally clicked all the things going on through that period of time. I had always looked at these wars as separate parts of history and never seen how it all connected together.
I love a game that teaches me, and inspires me to learn more. Here are a few games I have really enjoyed besides the ones I mentioned above.
Nightfighter- This game opened my eyes to how important, and the race for technology was in the war. Most games depict a moment in time so its hard to see the advancement of technology but this one blew me away. I tried the first scenario, and it was IMPOSSIBLE. I thought what a horrible game. I complained on BGG and someone said "Its supposed to be hard to show you how hard it is without radar". Light bulb! So I play the next scenario, and I learn about the early development of radar, and how bad it was.
The Kaiser's Pirates in its base form a simple card game with a lot of theme, but I never knew about the history of the germans converting steamliners and sailboats into hidden attack ships and raiding the high seas. This game was more fun to research the history behind it, than the game itself (and the game is fun dont get me wrong)
Jena 20 It's light, its fast, and easy to learn. Has a great feel to it and you can play a game in an hour. It has a great feel to the game, and introduces morale and how important it is.
Lastly Commands & Colors: Ancients This game really opened up my eyes on land warfare. The art of tactic, and surrounding your enemy and dealing with heavy retreat problems if you don't plan correctly. Heavy units moving slow, light but weaker units moving fast. It's an amazing spiderweb of planning and controlling, and understanding your units. It truly has an amazing feel in the game, once you understand whats going on. I have played 30 games or so, and still learning every time I play.
There are many games, and many complexity levels, but games like these are where it starts. The inspiration to learn more grows with these types of games.
https://www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
Mild mannered network engineer by day, british bombardier by night. What did I do before this hobby came along. All those years wasted watching TV or playing Call of Duty were just wasted board game time. I just feel lucky to be able to play them now, and be connected to so many people through facebook, BGG, and vassal that share similar interests or I would have never been able to play.
The big difference to me in a history game and a other strategy games is that when I play some history games, my mind is racing for hours.. researching, studying, and planning the next game night. My latest obsession is Nightfighter by GMT Games. Its just so cool to think about the war of electronic warfare. The game isnt necessarily about combat, which I love, but the battle to build the better technology. Slowly as the game progresses you get better equipment, and advanced technologies. This is pretty cool stuff! If you get a chance to read the designer notes on GMT games website.
http://www.gmtgames.com/p-233-nightfighter.aspx
or watch a couple of these videos I linked on BGG
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/8723865#8723865
Also check out
https://www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
When I was younger I don't think I understood the sacrifice involved in offering your life, your family, and pretty much everything that means anything to serve to protect others. But today I was doing a post online and I said "every time we play we remember", and it's really true. When we study these games, it really makes you feel humbled. There is an interesting thing that happens when you study history as you begin to understand the challenges faced by each side.
There is a phrase that those who don't study history are condemned to repeat it, and man we could all learn a lesson or two from seeing how simple mistakes can escalate into all out war. One of my favorite historical films, although poorly acted was the "Missiles of October" which showed the steps of the Cuban missile crisis and the delicate balance of political influence on preventing war.
Happy Veteran's Day to all you vets out there, and thank you for your sacrifice.
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
There is something about Victory Point Games that I really like. Its almost like a class on wargaming. Most of the games they produce are pretty simple but can have a lot of replayability. One of my favorites was actually Battle for Moscow. What I liked about this game is it simply explained the story of how hard it was to take Moscow. I played this game via email about 6 times and tried all sorts of strategies, and had some really good strategy whooped up on me, but it was nice to play a game without a lot of complexity that still felt deep. I think there are 4 pages of rules.
Another game I liked was Ancient Battles Deluxe. What surprised me about this game was combat rules, and how flanking was critical. Now this one looked like a simple game til combat happened. There were a lot of things to consider when calculating combat, so much it was almost overwhelming. Once I figured it out I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see if I could use that "tactical approach vector"
The Napoleonic 20 (Jena 20, Waterloo 20 , Austerlitz 20) series is an amazing concept of using 20 pieces or less to represent a battle. There is a little bit of historical accuracy lost in the way both sides have objectives in the game but there is also a lot to be learned here about how to use your better units, the terrain, and tactics. Plus the event cards really can change the game for you. I really like this series.
I have to confess I hate solo games, but I had to try Levy en Masse. When I first bought it I was hoping to learn more about the campaigns of Napoleon, but I actually found myself learning about the french revolution. So much I began spending hours studying it. It's a truly frustrating game, yet light enough to where even a non solo player had fun.
Paul Koenig's DDay beach and Operation Market garden are more tactical games, with chit draws driving the game. Very small ruleset but nice demonstrations of the history involved.
In my opinion Victory Point games is doing something more than just creating games here but inspiring history at a level that is often overlooked. Games that are wargamish, and approachable by non wargamers that teach and inspire. I do hope that the rulebooks will be streamlined a little more for younger players or possibly better player aide's to get younger players and non wargamers into the game. Sometimes the cross referencing between a rule book and exclusive rules seems to be a bit much for people new to the game.
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
This week I am getting ready to play my first game of Here I stand, and as I am studying for the game I am impressed by the events and the effects of mandatory home cards. I've played one other game like this, The Napoleonic Wars and the game was a lot of fun but I didnt really get to study the game as much as just play. It really makes me want to look at the games in this series with more detail. These games take a while to play and a bit of a learning curve to "run" a game but they really seem to unfold a story.
Im looking forward to playing more games like this.
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
I played a good game of a house divided last night. I wouldnt say I played well but I learned quite a bit of how cavalry can be used for screening purposes and how reinforcements from an adjacent area can really effect a battle. Unfortunately I learned these lessons after getting my butt handed to me, but I like this game the more I play.
At first it sort of feels like a block game with exposed units. And you look at the beginning setup and think.. that's all I get? But it develops rather quickly.
The game turn begins with rolling for marches. We used the advanced rules with the balanced rolls and it really evened things out. I am well known for my bad rolls and using this rule at least minimized some damage: 
After you calculate your marches, or moves... you can move your units, move one unit twice (for 2 of your marches) or entrench. Entrenching really helps weakened units so this is a good thing to remember when the union is chasing you down through the western territories! Entrenching in a "Control point" costs you one of your marches.
Then battles ensue. Win a battle you get to promote a unit. Lose a battle and your opponent promotes a unit. After Battles you can promote one of your units, then bring in re-enforcements.
The game is I go you go, but it really plays quick so the game isn't painfully drawn out.
I really liked this game, and I really like the ability of the advanced rules to add on to the game. I really like games that let you start simple, and add more rules as you go, letting you experiment and explore different mechanics. I really liked the automatic fortified port rule, and the adjusted march rolls.
If you get a chance to play this game, give it a shot. I think fans of block games will particularly enjoy this game, but it seems to appeal to many different types of wargamers
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
It's one thing to be a wargamer, but its even tougher to be a flexible wargamer. I am lucky in the sense that I enjoy such a wide variety of games. If someone likes history, more than likely find a game that matches my opponent's taste. I like everything from card driven games, to tactical, to dice fest type. Not a heavy grog, but I can hang with the heavier stuff. So it seems all these old school wargamers give up after a while and go hide in a closet, deciding to play solo. Wargamers are hard to find.
1) The best resource is the geek. Find users in your area (under misc, find users) and look at their collections. You can usually find a game by looking at their want to play and ratings.
2) Meetup.com - costs a little money but is a great way to let people come to you to try these games. To play these games you have to have an interest in history.
3) Facebook- Create a group, try and get interesting conversations going
4) Face to face- There is a delicate dance when looking for someone to play games with. I never come right out and ask people if they play board games.. I used to and it scares people off. I always try and mention I was born in Virginia or that I love history, talk about the battlefields, and such. If you do mention a board game, chess or risk is always the best opener.
Suggestions for newbie wargamers...
Battleline- Very good for poker players. So easy to learn and teach
Wings of War- Probably the best of the simple mechanic with some great excitement. Dogfights always rock!
Tank on Tank- Light, simple, quick, and the rules are easy to follow!
Memoir 44 - great for ww2 fans and chess players. Try and play a simple scenario with infantry only. Too much boggles peoples minds
Dos de Mayo- For the risk player, very light and quick and quite a good game. The card play in this one really makes the game.
Frontline General- Operation Spearpoint- Make sure to set up 2 hands and let him choose which hand he wants. Since there are so many options to consider as far as picking your army, it's tough for a new player to decide what he wants. Take away that overwhelming 1st part and its a great game
Hold the Line- is a great light wargame if someone is interested in Revolutionary war. Probably one of the best ones out there to start with in my opinion.
Twilight Struggle- People who love history, but have never played historical games before really seem to like this one. Take your time, mix it up. Let them be the Russians.
Commands and Colors Ancients- Great for the chess player. Teenagers really seem to like this one. There is something primal about ancient warfare to them.
Julius Caesar- Just a great game that looks simple and gats harder as you realize how much there is to the game.
Fires of Midway- This game goes through a sequence of steps that really makes it interesting.. a lot of fun stuff here with Fires on the deck.
Battle for Moscow- Great for the mathematician. Very simple game, but very interesting "calculating odds" type game.
Some ideas for playing younger players or people who get overwhelmed...
1) remove more complex elements and concentrate on the small stuff.
2) Take the position of the attacker in defensive scenarios
3) Talk about his objectives and yours. Sometimes we get so involved in teaching the game, we forget where we are going.
4) Don't totally kick their but the first game. Very rarely have I ever heard anyone who won their first game of something say I hate this game.
5) Make your own scenario, with simple objectives and simnple units for a quick intro. I big scenario can have lots of distractions.
6) Have player Aides printed up for them! This is a biggie as they can see what their options are each turn.
7) Try not to use terms like zone of control or wargame terms blow people away!
To subscribe, click on the word "The Unconventional gamer" at the top, then subscribe to the right
Tanks Alot!
Charles
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Historical-Board-Games/1202834...
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
Sometimes I see great ideas or come up with something that just makes the game more fun or easy to play/keep track of...
Conflict of Heroes- An abacus- $10 at Ikea. Great for keeping track of defense point, die rolls etc.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90064846
Twilight Struggle/Command and colors Epics/Memoir 44 overlord- Card holders. Makes any game where you are holding cards and moving stuff on the board a lot more fun.
http://www.amazon.com/Sunnywood-3325-Wooden-Playing-Holder/d...
Combat Commander- A laser pointer- Great for checking LOS. Home dpot $10
Memoir 44/ 1960 or any games- Mini poker chips- Need a marker to mark a unit as used? Out of red and blue cubes for 1960?
$2 a color- I suggest red and blue
http://www.unclesgames.com/product_info.php/products_id/9511
War at Sea/Tide of Iron- Cotton Balls painted with an orange die and yellow die dabbed with a little glue. Sure makes those hits look pretty cool!
Natural Reader software- www.naturalreader.com Paste in the text of a game manual.. or at least part and let the software read to you while you look at the units. Sure beats taking the glasses on and off but the robotic voice can take some getting used to.
Realplayer- Realplayer can download youtube clips into files that can be copied to, and played on your IPAD/Android phone. Great for teaching games or a video review for other players while you set up the game.
http://www.real.com
-
Tanks Alot
United States
Fort Mill
South Carolina
www.facebook.com/HistoricalBoardGames
-
Julius Caesar is one of those games that is just has to get to the table. There are some really nice things that I like about it. It's simple to learn and deep in strategy. Each time I play it I come to appreciate it a little more. The graphics are beautiful, the blocks are a great size, the map is perfect and even has historical information built into it. Ive played quite a few games and this one is sort of like a design you aspire to for CG. I really hope they use this pattern in designing more games like this. The Columbia games system is tried and true and grown up through the years, and it's also very nice to see the support from the company.
Julius Caesar
1 , 2 Next »
|
|
