Here there be dragonsters

My blog of random boardgamey thoughts.

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My Gaming Journey

Posted by dragonster

27 Jul 2011

Gareth Madeley

(dragonster)

United Kingdom
Wirral
Merseyside

What happened to the last two weeks? Well two weeks ago I was in a foul mood and couldn't concentrate on what to blog about. Last week I was afraid my blog would have descended to OMGOSH I WONS OUTPOST!!!1!!!!11!!! or something only slightly more eloquent (maybe).

The fact that I won Outpost and immediately was thinking "My goodness, how on earth did I win, was it this, this or that? Did I just get lucky or did I have an amazing strategy, what was my strategy." I really wanted to play it again, trying to see if I could win again. As such Outpost is my first 10 (a score I had previous thought to myself I would never give). As such my gaming and thoughts on gaming change again.

But how did I get here? (cue wavy lines and a flashback)

I used to be a massive fan of fanasty and science-fiction. I loved watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and then Deep Space Nine. I loved reading the Wizard of Earthsea and the sequel and even Harry Potter (before he was famous). As such, it probably wasn't very surprising for a young Briton to end up playing Warhammer, Warhammer 40K and (when it came out) the Lord of the Rings. And by playing I mean making, and by making I mean buying. Eventually I managed to stop (my goodness the global campaigns were a trainwreck.)

However, I had joined a forum devoted to Warhammer (the Empire faction, if memory serves) which had started a few online games of Diplomacy. I'd never played any of them, not knowing the rules, but I found a copy and started looking for websites that could explain it or could provide me more information I then (somehow) found a video by the incredible Scott Nicholson. I think it was Friedrich.

I then starting watching all of his videos. I bought Ticket to Ride: Europe and starting buying more and more as I found this site (my bank balance curses BGG as it is surely to curse the Student Loan Company after next year). However I didn't really have anywhere to game and my opponents were limited about three or four other people. I then managed to find a game group in Liverpool (seperate from the RPGSoc at the University) where I remember responding to the question "What's your favourite game?" with the answer "War on Terror" shake

.

As I went week by week, I started playing heavier and heavier games, however keeping a soft spot for lighter games (like Cosmic Encounter). Scott Nicholson had piqued my interest of 18xx games and so when they were brought out I started having a look at them. I now play them fairly regularly (along with Outpost) at the Lion on Mondays, however I occassionaly play "Thematic Games" gulp

or Ameritrash. Which is annoying when 18xx appears on one table and Battlestar Galactica is on the other.

Recently I've been looking at GMT Games and their P500, so I'm now moving into "light" wargames like Here I Stand, The Napoleonic Wars or Pax Britannica, which, of course, are less likely to be played in an evening of gaming, so I'm yet to have played these against people. Shame.

And then I won Outpost last week, breaking my pseudo-taboo on giving a 10 rating. So, where will my gaming go next?

5 Comments

Wed Jul 27, 2011 3:24 pm

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Chris Montgomery

(cmontgo2)

United States
Joliet
Illinois

Dear Geek: Please insert the wittiest comment you can think of in this text pop-up. Then times it by seven.

The Coat of Arms of Clan Montgomery - Scotland. Yes, that's a woman with the head of a savage in her hand, and an anchor. No clue what it means, but it's cool.

Nice reading your update - sounds like you're definitely getting into the wargame genre! If you're thinking about a game like Here I Stand or the Napoleonic Wars, a great place to start is via online PBEM play. Play moves slowly, but it is often the only recourse for players. Check our Vassal for that. The upside is that you can have many games going at once. Just don't underestimate the time commitment or you'll find yourself bowing of games early and irking players. A game of Here I Stand, if it goes into the 5-6-7 turn range, will take 8 to 12 months to complete. Nappy Wars is not much better. Check out Vassal or Cyberboard (Here I Stand is played on Cyberboard, mostly). Also check out the Automated Card Tracking System (ACTS), since most on-line games are organized there.

I know it's a matter of opinion, but I would classify Here I Stand and The Napoleonic Wars as medium-heavy wargames, leaning toward heavy due to the time commitment (8-12 hours). They aren't as simple as Memoir '44 (light), or Tide of Iron (medium), or Combat Commander: Europe (medium) but they are not as complex in their concepts as many other wargames, like 1914: Twilight in the East (heavy), Clash of Monarchs (heavy), or ASL (heavy). Still, a subjective opinion, I know. And this one is just mine.

Happy gaming!

Posted Wed Jul 27, 2011 3:47 pm
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Gareth Madeley

(dragonster)

United Kingdom
Wirral
Merseyside

I'm always confused with the boundaries of what is a light, medium, heavy or even "qualified" wargame. I know that Here I Stand is not far on the light side, hence the inverted commas, but maybe mid-weight would be a better description.

I have Vassal, but I'll need to have a look at Cyberboard.

Posted Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:43 pm
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Warren Bruhn

(Warren Bruhn)

United States
Portland
Oregon

If Here I Stand! and The Napoleonic Wars are medium-heavy wargames, then ASL has to be rated as a "black hole." I think light-medium is a better description of HIS or TNW. The battle mechanics and movement are very easy to learn and remember, about as easy as Axis & Allies. I think HIS and TNW are more about the card play.

Other games in the light-medium class that you might consider are Washington's War (2 player) and Sword of Rome (3 to 5 players. Both of those games are very colorful and fun, and can be played in an evening. Those two are also card driven games. Another quick 2 player game is shipping tomorrow, "No Peace Without Spain!" from Compass Games. I would rate that one as light-medium, but it's not actually a "card driven game," although it uses cards. It can still be purchased from Compass Games at the preorder price. Twilight Struggle is another great 2 player game about war, but without the maneuvering of military units. It's all about playing cards.

Pax Britannica, on the other hand is hard to classify as a wargame. It is really more of a diplomatic struggle, which takes 4 to 7 players more than 10 hours to play.

On the medium-heavy side, there is Paths of Glory. That is a magnificent game, but tough to learn. It also takes new players well over 10 hours to play. The very experienced players can play it out in about 7 hours.

Posted Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:05 pm
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Gareth Madeley

(dragonster)

United Kingdom
Wirral
Merseyside

That's one of the reasons I used light for Here I Stand.

No Peace Without Spain is shipping tomorrow? Grand, I've already got a pre-order for it.

I've played Paths of Glory solo, that took forever, and I'm sure I got a few rules wrong. Might give it another go at some point.

Posted Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:36 pm
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That's not my name.

(Not Sure)

Here I Stand gets played with Vassal as well. In my opinion the current Vassal module is far superior to the Cyberboard one. (This is quite recent, as there's been a lot of development going on). Check the HIS forum here for updates from Joel. 2.2 is a gorgeous module, with lots of helper automation.

If you can get into a fast and consistent group, the games are much more manageable from a time perspective. The Fortress: Ameritrash regulars knock games out at a sometimes astounding pace. However, to be realistic, an "astounding" pace is still measured in months.

There are a few tricky aspects to learning HIS, but most of them aren't about the battles which I agree are quite simple. New players often stumble on siege rules, and interception/avoid battle attempts. The various sub-systems, like reformation attempts or piracy are also hard to absorb all at once, so don't worry too much about that. Like any CDG, knowing the deck does make a huge difference in play.

Posted Thu Jul 28, 2011 5:34 am
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