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Worthington Games April Contest Results- Your Favorite Leader...
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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This is actually my first geeklist...be gentle... Earlier this month we sent word out far and wide that we were putting the following contest into effect, "The Civil War was all about the leaders. The bright (and sometimes not so bright) personalities that determined the fate of a divided nation with their wits and wills. Who is your favorite leader/unit/character piece in boardgaming? Is it Stonewall Jackson from "Stonewall Jackson's Way"? Is it Rommel from one of the many North Africa games? Could it be Joan of Arc? Who is your favorite and why? Tell is in ONE PARAGRAPH. The answer can be related to the history of the person and/or the way the unit/character/piece works in the game. I will be very lenient on the interpretation of the term "leader" as long as you really tell me why he/she/it is your favorite. Entries from all board/tabletop/text/miniature/ladies badminton games are welcome." Pretty much every response we received was well thought out and interesting. I would love to publish every single one of these reponses, but this would take a lot of time. Instead I'm going to post the lucky winner, as well as maybe 9 more that would serve as a general cross-sampling of the entrants. This is not a ten best list, instead it gives you an idea of the range of responses that we received. It will also reaffirm the fact that gamers are very, very smart. Please feel free to add your own as well.
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Posted Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:44 pm
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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Congrats to Aaron Bell for his winning entry. He will receive a free copy of "Forged in Fire" for his following submission.
"My favorite piece is the lowliest of the lowly. History had not even left
us his name; he was just a 1-2. He came into the game when Hannibal, that
mighty 4-6, had faded and passed. It was the final turn of Pax Romana's
Punic War, and Carthage was squirming beneath the boot of Scipio. In a last desperate act, 1-2 led his miserable force of mercenaries to the gates of Rome. He was beaten off with losses, but the next activation was his. Head unbowed, he threw himself and his increasingly meagre force against Rome again, and then once more. The gates creaked, the towers shuddered, and the walls fell. 1-2 is 1-2 no more: from now on he is the Conqueror."
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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I liked this bit of poetry from Jason (Landrieau) Matthews...
We the People
An Ode to Nathanial Greene
"We fight, get beat, and fight again"
Quoth the hero of our soverign domaine
His life is covered in laurels
which history shall ever maintain
A right arm to Washington, and his nation
the saber of George's frustration
A Court house would form the foundation
of his hard-fought southern campaign.
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3.
Board Game: Ogre
[Average Rating:6.85 Overall Rank:443]
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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Something a little different from Ken Whitehurst...
"The OGRE (I prefer the Mk. V) from Steve Jackson's OGRE.
Who needs to write a whole paragraph?
This simple fact will cover it:
A self-aware supertank with nuclear weapons.
'nuff said."
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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Something with a little personal connection from Stephen Campbell..
"My favorite piece of all time is in Avalon Hill's game, Guadalcanal.
The piece is the US Army 57th Engineering Battalion. The reason for
this is that my Uncle Blondie served in that unit. I was about twelve
years old when I got the game and was so excited when I found that his
unit had its own piece. I always made sure that his unit did not die.
This piece had a personal connection to me and made history and these
games much more real for me."
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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No such list would be complete without mention of William Wallace from Hammer of the Scots..this one comes from BGGer Satchmo...
"My favorite leader is without a doubt the Wallace block from Hammer of the
Scots. Not only is he a tactical badass, everytime he mashes a British block the Scots player has a golden opportunity to bug his or her eyes out roar some semi-incoherent phrase like "FREEEAAANNGH!" or "MACAGHALLANAN!".
You can take this to the next level if when declaring the attack you hold
your breath and flex your diaphragm causing your face to dangerously redden. Note: this tactic should not be used by players with high-blood pressure.
Cheers, Satchmo"
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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Andy Daglish presents a compelling argument FOR one General Butler of Union Army fame...
"The "Butler" leader counter from For the People 2.
The ratings of the Butler piece in this game, which are the same as those of Frémont, serve to remind us of the gulf of difference between him and other army commanders in the game rated similarly. Even in error Butler epitomised many of the finest qualities of the successful American. Although military operations were activities to which he was not naturally suited, there is much to be said for the self-assessment that he never met with disaster nor wasted the lives of his troops unnecessarily. In this regard he can be said to have exceeeded nearly all the other generals portrayed in this game. He was perhaps a forerunner of Eisenhower, in that whereas he did not distinguish himself solely as a soldier or as a politician, he nevertheless showed a degree of ability where these spheres overlap, such that he can be regarded as one of the better "military statesmen" of history. His mental abilities were hardly exceeded by those of any other general officer and an example of this was his early realisation of the power of modern military inventions, primarily the Gatling gun, which was both typical and unique amongst his contemporaries. His refusal to be a candidate for the office of the Vice-Presidency of the Unitied States points up that Butler may have been the best Commander-in-Chief the American armed services never had."
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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Ed Ostermeyer delves into a classic for this find...
"My favorite Leader unit is the “Rommel” game piece from Avalon Hill’s
“Afrika Korps.” The benefits of this one unit, (an extra two hex movement bonus for any friendly unit it stacks with, unit does not count against stacking limits, unit cannot be attacked, captured, or eliminated, unit can control ports) have a profound effect on game play. Though most Axis players use the Rommel unit to shoo along laggard Eyeties and supply units, ol’ Erwin really shines when given some panzers to play with. You get a feel for the “war of maneuver” concept that made the “blitzkrieg” such a devastating tactical and strategic doctrine, especially when wielded by its most successful practitioner. To see just how important this one game piece is, try playing a game of “Afrika Korps” without “Rommel” lining up with the “At Start” units at El Agheila. What should be a game of sweeping attacks and dynamic flanking maneuvers for the Axis quickly degenerates into a brutal
slugfest up and along the coast road. Without the “Rommel” unit in play, the south half of the mapboard becomes inaccessible to the Axis, since those wide-sweeping flanking offensives “into the blue” will always outrun supply units, and force the action back to the coast road once more. The tale on the “Afrika Korps” game box lid had it right; it’s not the Afrika Korps against the Allies, it’s “Rommel” against the Allies."
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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Eric Walters brings up a little more classic Avalon Hill, with some Squad Leader information...
"Mine is Lt. Stahler in the original Avalon Hill Game Company SQUAD LEADER. A 9-2 leader (9 is him morale and -2…yes, that's MINUS TWO…is his modifier to fire attacks, morale checks of squads stacked with him, and rally attempts for squads stacked with him), his counter is heavily faded and rounded with age and repeated play. Indeed, I can barely read the print that provides his name. The blue counter color has dulled into nearly a dun grey with a lot of white where fingers have rubbed the finish away. He's my favorite leader because--despite his impressive characteristics in the game system--he never seems to perform up to par. So he's my favorite leader because he is my most "prodigal son"/"damaged goods" leader. His fire attacks--despite the -2 modifier to the dice roll--never seem to have much effect on their targets. His rally attempts never seem to quite work very well--I tend to roll boxcars and lose the squads. And he always seems to break so easily, despite his morale of 9. It's practically axiomatic that when he is on the board for Scenario 2, THE TRACTOR WORKS, he'll break with whatever squads he's stacked with in two turns or less…even given only mediocre Soviet fire. Lesser men seem to stand up better under heavier fire. So every game I cannot help but take him out of the plastic tray and put him in every setup calling for a 9-2 German leader, hoping that he will redeem himself and last--unbroken--through an entire scenario. It never has
happened. But still…I continue to offer him that chance. Yes, other
leaders have performed better than he, those of greater printed ability--like the 10-3 Oberst Greup--to the diminuitive Corporol Uhl, a mere 8-0. But they are not my favorites. They are merely my most reliable. I always have stories about Lt. Stahler's failings in a number scenarios that I'll carry with me to my grave--and recount them over a number of SL and ASL gameboards and beers. I'll continue to provide him future battlefield opportunities to excel…and hope--one day--he will live up to my rose-colored expectations and be prodigal no longer."
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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A bit of the ol' "what if?" from Stephen Crane...
"One of the reasons I play boardgames is for the what-ifs. Stonewall Jackson
from Stonewall's Last Battle is my favorite leader piece of all the games I
have played. Had Jackson lived would the Chancellorsville battle be
remembered as a prelude to ultimate victory instead of a prelude to ultimate defeat as happened at Gettysburg. For that matter could Chancellorsville have been remembered as THE victory. What if Longstreet had Jackson with him to recommend that Lee get between the Union army and Washington, would Lee have listened then? Jackonson's last words were "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees". What river was he talking about? Was it the Potomac? All of these what-ifs spring out of that little cardboard piece that still provides more questions than answers."
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Matt Burchfield
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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What list is complete without an entry from Grognads...
Hello guys, and I have to state that I happen to like the "Eisenhower"
Leader in it's form with any "game" that has this, because "I like IKE!"
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Posted Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:46 pm
Aberdeen
Washington