Wargames On Your Table - February 2012

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

I'm reading the Harold Coyle book of the same name. This game uses the modular-type rules (I think there is a cool name for it, but it escapes me), used in Squad Leader. In this case, you read a few rules, play a scenario, read a few more, play another, but the scenarios are chronologically linked to the book's chapters. So as I read more and more of the book, I work through the game.

Cool idea.

Very simple game, but the book tie-in (to me) is irresistible.

8 comments [Hide]

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:22 pm

Ingólfur Valsson

(KronikAlkoholik)

Iceland

I understand that World at War: Eisenbach Gap is at some level influenced by this book.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 11:40 am
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Kevin Conway

(Rockhopper01)

United States
Boonville
Indiana

I loved this book, along with Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. I vaguely remember trying the game at one point, or maybe I am blurring the memories with the Twilight: 2000 (1st Edition) we used to play a ton of.

Posted Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:07 am
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Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

First scenario did not impress me. Too easy to win as the Soviets and did not follow the book. shake

Posted Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:41 am
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John Kovacs

(Infomanohio)

United States
Elyria
Ohio

airjudden wrote:

First scenario did not impress me. Too easy to win as the Soviets and did not follow the book. shake

I've had the first game go as a rout for the Americans as well...it all depends on who has the better die rolls. It's just an introductory scenario and not part of the book anyway...

Posted Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:44 am
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Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

Ahhh... I thought it was supposed to be Team Yankees's first engagement.

The odds seemed pretty high for the Russians. If memory serves right, they can hit the armored vehicles with something like 5-6 different missile launchers and destroy the APCs on a 1-2. I like those odds.

Nice to know it's not that first attack from the book, because Team Yankee hit them with way more than 2 tanks and caught them in no man's land.

Posted Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:07 am
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2. Board Game: Band of Brothers: Screaming Eagles [Average Rating:8.38 Overall Rank:1489]

Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

I'm playing this every chance I can, in as many games that I can. Sean and I are playing it on VASSAL. Barteus and I may very well join in. MrMarino and I will get some F2F play. If others are wanting to play VASSAL/PBEM, I'm game. I created a teaching log, to teach it. I'm a BIG fan of this one.

14 comments [Hide]

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:24 pm

Ronald Chavez

(ronster0)

United States
Hacienda Heights
California

Just heard of this and am looking to get me a copy.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:26 am
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Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

Wow: I don't have loads of experience with them, but I really dug the quality of Hold the Line and Guns of August. Even Red Baron (A freebie if you bought Guns of August) looked really sharp.

Hearts & Minds had thin cards that needed sleeved, but it was an incredible game.

But this one is great. Counters look great (you can see pics on the page). Maps are paperboard, but 8.5" x 11", so it's easy to put them under Plexi. Counters are plenty thick across the board.

Edited Fri Feb 3, 2012 4:56 am
Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012 4:55 am
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Judy Krauss

(Jude)

United States
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania

but I'm not the only one

My hands are small, I know, but they're not yours, they are my own

airjudden wrote:

Wow: I don't have loads of experience with them, but I really dug the quality of Hold the Line and Guns of August. Even Red Baron (A freebie if you bought Guns of August) looked really sharp.

Hearts & Minds had thin cards that needed sleeved, but it was an incredible game.

But this one is great. Counters look great (you can see pics on the page). Maps are paperboard, but 8.5" x 11", so it's easy to put them under Plexi. Counters are plenty thick across the board.

The Guns of August map was printed badly because the lines were very difficult to see (the explanation was that the proof copy was done on different paper than the final map); some of the Red Baron hidden counters were badly miscut so that they were essentially marked; this was true also with Boots on the Ground where some of the hidden counters had orange lines on them so they were "marked" (and although Worthington promised replacements, I don't think they were ever sent). I had pre-ordered the games, and so didn't get to check BGG for problems about them ahead of time. The problems pretty much made the games unusable for me. After establishing that all copies of the games had those problems, so I couldn't get replacements, Grant was kind enough to let me return them.

If you think the quality of these games is okay, then you must have gotten good copies somehow, or I am pickier than you are.

So, anyways, I am somewhat wary of getting their recent games, because of these bad experiences.

I was really surprised and disappointed with Worthington, because I had previously bought Clash for a Continent: Battles of the American Revolution and French & Indian War and was satisfied with it, and although the tiles were a bit thin, the components seemed fine overall.

Edited Fri Feb 3, 2012 5:18 am
Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012 5:18 am
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Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

airjudden wrote:

I got a VASSAL tutorial file in the game's "Files" section, but I need to update the Rout rules (I whiffed on it). Otherwise, it's a visual explanation of them. Although truth be told, this game has excellent rules.

Still, you might want to look at the module because it has many examples of line of sight with hedgerows.

By the way, I updated the log and corrected it. It is in the Files section.

I have a buddy learning this, so to help him out, I made a step-by-step flowchart for the few actions in the game. They aren't complicated, but it's a nice way to double-check yourself. Then, I made a VASSAL log covering a turn of play, and I demonstrate most of the stuff in the infantry part of the game (The game has 2 parts: infantry and then vehicles).

I think I'll post the step-by-step flowchart, but if anybody wants the VASSAL log, shoot me a Geekmail with your e-mail address (Geekmail's don't do attachments) and I'll send you both.

Posted Sat Feb 4, 2012 4:50 am
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Jared Wilson

(tacman88)

Canada
Port Perry
Ontario

I like the way the American figures are portrayed on the counters; it reminds me of that famous picture from the Pacific, where the Marine is firing away with his Thompson.

The Germans though, left me cold. Too cartoony, and they just don't look believable. I would have preferred something a little more realistic.

I have to admit, I'm a fan of the CC counters; I just love the way all the soldiers are walking along, looking all disheveled and stuff. Very lifelike.

Posted Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:29 pm
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3. Board Game: Empire of the Sun [Average Rating:7.55 Overall Rank:562]

Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

Kevin and I completed our teaching game (about 2 years in game time). Now, we are starting again in a new game. I learned from my errors. Now I will get to learn from my new errors.

I'm also working on a VASSAL tutorial log to lay down some basics. Hopefully, if you go through it, the rules will be easier to visualize. This is another gem I'd like to promote. It's got a lot of meat, but it's very rewarding.

5 comments [Hide]

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:27 pm

Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

I had to mail it in on this game. It's really a work of art, but after 3 months of dedicated play, I just can't get my mind wrapped around the rules. They make perfect sense when explained, but I could not apply them and make a single offensive without screwing something up.

Then again, I'm not a complex gamer (a point that has become abundantly clear to me these last 6 months). My upper limit is probably Paths of Glory. If your threshold is significantly higher, and you like this topic, then by all means check it out. It's a real beauty. I would love to watch 2 experienced players go at it. Even better, I wish I could have got in a game of this down at BGGCon

Edited Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:13 am
Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:11 am
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Darth Pete

Australia
Fitzroy North
Victoria

Dum, dum, dah, dah dah

IIRC Mark Herman runs a game on consimworld. Could be worth checking out.

Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:04 am
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Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

Do you have a link? I think I'll master EotS long before I figure out how to navigate CSW

Thanks.

Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:13 am
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Darth Pete

Australia
Fitzroy North
Victoria

Dum, dum, dah, dah dah

Here's the link to the last page:

http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX/.1dcdfa8d

You can move back and foward from there.

Also there is a link to Mark's designer page which has some great strategy articles as well.

Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:38 am
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Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

OK, so I spoke too soon. We are going to give it another go around with me as the Japanese at the beginning. I think it's easier for a beginner to play the Japanese -- not easier to win: he's going to kick my butt for sure, but I think it's easier to run an offensive.

I could not get my head around playing as the Allies from the weaker position, which caused me to try to elaborate and aggressive of offensives, focusing on the strategy more than the fundamentals of the rules. Playing from the stronger side should make it easier to focus on getting it right, and I've seen how he runs the strategy to see what to do.

This one is still chess-like in it's depth, and I just can't give up on it yet...it just bugs me too much.

Posted Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:35 pm
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4. Board Game: Hold the Line [Average Rating:7.68 Overall Rank:766]

Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

Barteus and I continue working through the scenarios on PBEM/VASSAL. Right now, we are playing the Harlem Heights scenario. Next, I might introduce a scenario from the French & Indian War Expansion.

0 comments

Posted Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:22 am

5. Board Game: Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage [Average Rating:7.93 Overall Rank:32]

Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

Barteus and I continue our 2nd game of this on VASSAL, this time I'm the Romans.

I brought a substantial force to threaten Carthage. I'm not sure it was a good idea, but I'm experimenting. Then I drew a campaign, got some 3 OPS card and Hanno councils Carthage (combat units in Africa cannot leave). So after I got him to pull back a lot of force to protect Carthage, I played the Hanno card and started evacuating Africa, so that I can concentrate my force and take back Italy (a war of attrition with Hannibal) in time for Scipio's landing.

Sweet game. If he lived in the same town, I think we'd play a full game at least once a week.

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:25 am

Jason Maxwell

(JasonRMax)

United States
Arvada
Colorado

How do the battle cards work over VASSAL? Seems like it would be a long back-and-forth with files fore very battle.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 9:19 pm
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Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

We call on the phone (free unlimited long distance).

You could also used Skype.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 11:17 pm
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Joseph Hayden

(halobungieman)

United States
Amelia
Virginia

I just got this one in a trade. I am hoping to get it to the table for a solo learning game in the next couple of days.

Posted Fri Feb 17, 2012 12:36 pm
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6. Board Game: Caesar XL [Average Rating:7.06 Overall Rank:2928]

Judd Vance

United States
Wichita
Kansas

Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"

Barteus and I started a game last month on VASSAL. It's almost over and he's cleaning my clock, but at the very end, I finally figured out the Pompeii strategy that had eluded both of us. At least I got the satisfaction of killing Caesar (not by my own hand, but by the Ides of March): fat lot of good it does me, though.

0 comments

Posted Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:31 pm

7. Board Game: Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #2 [Average Rating:7.96 Overall Rank:221]

Darth Pete

Australia
Fitzroy North
Victoria

Dum, dum, dah, dah dah

More ASL starter kit goodness as I fall deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole ...

1 comment [Hide]

Edited Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:19 am
Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:19 am

Val Ruza

(Belz)

Canada
Elmira
Ontario

The red pill is the good one!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 5:48 pm
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8. Board Game: Valor & Victory [Average Rating:7.89 Overall Rank:1386]

Andrew Walters

(andreww)

United States
Hercules
California

Is V&V the best game ever or should I go back to Squad Leader? I'm going to try to play a half dozen to a dozen games of this next month and see if I can make up my mind.

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:20 am

Adam D.

(TheCollector)

United States
Suquamish
Washington

Don't forget Retro ASL from Minden Games...

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 4:22 pm
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Val Ruza

(Belz)

Canada
Elmira
Ontario

Or jump into ASL itself! whistle

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 5:49 pm
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Peter Martin

(Peso Pete)

United States
Oceanside
California

Definitely V&V. Live it. Love it. Play it.

Posted Thu Feb 2, 2012 3:58 am
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9. Board Game: Battle for Armageddon [Average Rating:6.52 Overall Rank:2164]

Darth Pete

Australia
Fitzroy North
Victoria

Dum, dum, dah, dah dah

And for something completly different a PnP copy of this is also on my table.

(I'm a sucker for Warhammer 40k fluff.)

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:21 am

Lars

(greatredwarrior)

United States
Las Cruces
New Mexico

The Sweetness of Victory and the Bitterness of Defeat are alike a Knife of Dreams

"Even though I don't know anything, I'm still really smart!" Who needs ability when you have self-esteem?

I remember my first game of this ever. The Orks came in en masse. Really smashed their way in. My forces crumbled in the north and he was sweeping around like a clock...knocking out hive after hive after hive. Then, I got drop pods, Marines, and some Lt Cavalry and was able to break his line in the south and occupy all his supply sites...the Orks withered on the vine. It was the only time I ever got a play of this one in...but it was a lot of fun.

Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012 5:12 am
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Darth Pete

Australia
Fitzroy North
Victoria

Dum, dum, dah, dah dah

greatredwarrior wrote:

I remember my first game of this ever. The Orks came in en masse. Really smashed their way in. My forces crumbled in the north and he was sweeping around like a clock...knocking out hive after hive after hive. Then, I got drop pods, Marines, and some Lt Cavalry and was able to break his line in the south and occupy all his supply sites...the Orks withered on the vine. It was the only time I ever got a play of this one in...but it was a lot of fun.

Imperial victory, but only because of the Space Marines and their Ork killing ways.

Like you say Lars this was fun.

Posted Wed Feb 8, 2012 12:55 am
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Lars

(greatredwarrior)

United States
Las Cruces
New Mexico

The Sweetness of Victory and the Bitterness of Defeat are alike a Knife of Dreams

"Even though I don't know anything, I'm still really smart!" Who needs ability when you have self-esteem?

petegs wrote:

greatredwarrior wrote:

I remember my first game of this ever. The Orks came in en masse. Really smashed their way in. My forces crumbled in the north and he was sweeping around like a clock...knocking out hive after hive after hive. Then, I got drop pods, Marines, and some Lt Cavalry and was able to break his line in the south and occupy all his supply sites...the Orks withered on the vine. It was the only time I ever got a play of this one in...but it was a lot of fun.

Imperial victory, but only because of the Space Marines and their Ork killing ways.

Like you say Lars this was fun.

Glad you got a kick out of it! The best part is how realistic it is...really does a great job of simulating the Battle for Armaggedon laugh

Posted Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:24 pm
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10. Board Game: War Galley - Salamis [Average Rating:7.06 Unranked] [Average Rating:7.06 Unranked]

Ryan Powers

(keethrax)

United States
Marble
Minnesota

Continuing my chronological GBoH play-through. Artimisium I is underway now. http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/7543/artimisium-updates

0 comments

Edited Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:31 am
Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:31 am

11. Board Game: Job hunting [Average Rating:5.00 Unranked]

Simply Made of Wonderful

(oscal)

United States

but since its only been 3 weeks since I lost my job I am looking very slowly.. nope no umemployement bennies for me shake

My Axis & Allies 1942 (second edition) is aching for me to play it.

8 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:45 am

Jon Williamson

Canada
Calgary
AB

Good luck on the job search. Positive thoughts!!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:11 am
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Show 3 more comments...

Val Ruza

(Belz)

Canada
Elmira
Ontario

Good luck with the job hunt and on getting a great Valentine's gift in Band of Brothers!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 5:50 pm
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Charles Lewis

(Meisterchow)

United States
O Fallon
Missouri

wifwendell wrote:

Not a wargame!!! devil

Just joking - good luck with the job hunt.

In this economy? It sure is!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 7:35 pm
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Philip Thomas

(Philip Thomas)

United Kingdom
London
London

Good luck with the job hunt! There are jobs out there- I'm starting one tomorrow! meeple

Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012 11:21 am
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Simply Made of Wonderful

(oscal)

United States

Congrats!!! I know its just the starting over after 12yrs to look for another job. My daughter also has a job interview tomorrow and she is excited and hopeful.

Please cross your fingers for me that she gets it.

Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012 5:28 pm
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12. Board Game: Guderian's Blitzkrieg II [Average Rating:8.29 Overall Rank:1079]

4.1 Rules

(billyboy)

United States
Rutland
Vermont

Drop the dice and step away from the table!

Move along, nothing to see here!

Back in the U.S.S.R.!
Our 6 player mega-monster game of Guderian's Blitzkrieg II/Case Blue continues. Moscow 'feels' somewhat secure but the rest of our front is a shambles. When I say 'feels' thats because with the FOW (especially using vassal) nothing is quite certain.

4 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:21 am

Jon Williamson

Canada
Calgary
AB

Absolutely stunningly magnificent(ly).

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:24 am
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Val Ruza

(Belz)

Canada
Elmira
Ontario

Wow just wow!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 5:52 pm
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Steve M

(garysax)

United States
Lubbock
Texas

Nice!

Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012 2:12 am
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Steve Arthur

(Atraxrobustus)

Australia

New South Wales

I can't look!!...I got agoraphobia...

Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012 1:59 am
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13. Board Game: Sekigahara: Unification of Japan [Average Rating:8.04 Overall Rank:255]

Bob

(Ashitaka)

United States

Nebraska

Don't squat with your spurs on.

Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.

I finally located a copy and should have it by Monday. I'm ready for some serious Daimyo (大名) action... cool

6 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:32 am

Chris B

(boisse)

Canada
Victoria
British Columbia

I got a few playings of this in last month. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:57 am
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Bob

(Ashitaka)

United States

Nebraska

Don't squat with your spurs on.

Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.

Thanks Chris! Been looking forward to this game for several months... gulp

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:59 am
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Jon Williamson

Canada
Calgary
AB

Jim and I got in session .... ummm.... four I think via VASSAL/Skype. This time we switched sides and I was Gold whereas Jim was Black for the first time.

So, what happened? Good question. It certainly felt different to play Ishida. I was aware of the time crunch prior to playing, but somehow developed amnesia early on and forgot all about that until about Turn 5 of 7. I am not sure if it would have helped me to be more aware anyway since that time crunch was even more pressing than I had anticipated. I was disappointed not to attack the Fukushima recruiting grounds early on (I just did not have the troops/cards to do it), so I satisfied myself with building a stack nearby. I wanted to dork around a bit with the eastern castles and that kind of worked, but I did not have a real viable threat in the west to help take advantage of Jim needing to spend some card effort to deal with the eastern hijinks.

Jim build up at Fukushima in the west and eventually took out the eastern castles and resource points. That meant he had both the card and recruit block advantage by about Turn 5. A couple of battles took place in the west that did not work out in my favour and so by Turn 6 I was dealing with a need to push, but not really having the time or the troops to do it. I took at shot at bagging Tokugawa himself in Turn 7, but that too failed. Jim won handily on VPs.

Jim's play was solid as per usual and we had a lot of fun dealing with the different circumstances facing each army. The lesson... push earlier with Ishida. However, I am not sure exactly how to do so when feeling weak. Perhaps one needs to just take a chance? Oh and we had a nice visit from Bill who spotted us playing which was very cool.

On to Wilderness War next.

Posted Thu Feb 9, 2012 4:44 am
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Ae2 DL2o3DG

(kiraly)

United States
Fort Wayne
Indiana

Pre-order the reprint!

OCS Korea

Another enjoyable game and it certainly was interesting playing Tokugawa for the first time. After playing both sides there seems to me to be a bit of an advantage playing Tokugawa. First, you start off with a castle advantage, you're basically winning from the start and it's up to Ishida to change that, so you can take a more reactionary role is you wish. If the Tokugawa players takes the initiative, starts sieging the easternmost Ishida castles and making a run for resources it will be hard for Ishida to keep up during the first part of the game. The card and reinforcement bonuses that come with that are huge over the course of a game.

Secondly there are some advantages to the Tokugawa deck. Tokugawa's highest card is higher than Ishida's and his lowest card is higher that Ishida's lowest. When both players bid for initiative a Tokugawa "throw away" card is always going to beat an Ishida "throw away" card. There also appeared* to be quite a few more Loyalty cards in the Tokugawa deck. I just always seemed to have one or two Loyalty cards in my hand at any given time. These played a huge part in our game, as two very important and very close battles were won due to my play of Loyalty cards. They were used to gain auto-initiative a couple times as well which came in handy when I had left Tokugawa himself alone on the highway within striking distance of a small Ishida army.

In our game I was a little suprised that Jon did not try to grab the castle south west of Sekigahara. It was garrisoned with just a single block and a huge Ishisa army stood adjacent for a couple of turns. It does no good to siege a castle that you can't take however, so I'm guessing that Jon just didn't have the cards needed to make it work.

Speaking of which, for most of the game the two large armies I had sitting in the Sekigahara area were toothless. Lots of blocks, but no way to deploy them. An attack on either would have gone bad for them, as they'd basically have to sit idle while Ishida could have been able to deploy as many blocks as he could. By turn five, however, I had scraped enough cards together to launch a two prong pre-emptive attack into a nine block Ishida army in Kyoto. I wasn't hoping to win, just to weaken them a bit, but Jon just didn't have the cards and had to retreat back to Osaka. I really like how a dangerous looking army can basically be worthless depending on the cards you hold. It adds an element of bluffing that I don't think either one of us has fully learned to take advantage of.

One thing I need to work on next game is to be more careful with my ultimate leader! Once again I somehow managed to stick my leader in a dangerous position that cost me the game last time and nearly did again this time. Loyalty cards saved Tokugawa's ass twice in this one, once when played for initiative to scoot him out of danger, and once again to sway a battle in which he was involved. I wasn't as lucky in our last game which ended with Jon killing off Ishida. You'd think I'd learn from these experiences, but I won't. :-)

* [I suppose I could just count the cards/blocks and find out, but I hate doing that. Just takes away some of the 'thrill of discovery' that attracts me to playing games in the first place. SO DON'T TELL ME ABOUT THE COUNTS! :-)]

Posted Fri Feb 10, 2012 5:19 pm
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Jon Williamson

Canada
Calgary
AB

I too feel that Tokugawa (Black) has the initial advantage. At least in board position and initial castles. Certainly with the relative point values on respective cards.

There must be some manner in which the Ishida (Gold) side can gain the upper hand. Hijinks around the eastern Gold castles can help delay Tokugawa from taking them which I think is a must. One can even hold one with some effort as Jim showed in our second to last game and I partially did in this one. The Black Date clan are vulnerable given the right circumstances and effort.

But I think the game may be won out west. Jim is right in that the big stack of units that I had near his one-unit-held castle were pretty toothless. Actually, the stack of units that starts in Osaka are not all that strong (two-strength blocks or less) and so the random initial muster draw into Osaka and Kyoto is important. In my case these were also pretty weak blocks except I did get a three-strength one in nearby Gifu. For those that are not familiar with the game, you need seven Impact points to take out a one-unit defender in a siege. Ideally the attacker would be a two block three-strength same clan stack else a leader combined with a three-strength-same-clan block plus a two-strength block from any clan. That way you are spending only two cards for the siege. In my case, I did not initially have the strength to implement the siege and by the time I had the cards a few turns later, I still would have needed to detach a fairly large number of blocks to make the siege successful, which was not something I wanted to do when facing a large, newly reinforced Black stack at Fukushima.

Of the games that we have played, Ishida won but one and part of that victory was due to taking out the Fukushima position. I am not saying it is the only sure path for Gold, but I suspect it is a viable one. It greatly disappointed me that I was not able to do so early in the game (before the position gets built up by Black). There was a moment when I had good cards (around Turn 4 or 5) and so thought long and hard about trying it, but I just did not feel comfortable with it and recoiled to Kyoto. I pretty much ensured my loss at that point as I shortly thereafter realized that I was not in a good position to reverse the castle / resource VP advantage that Jim had gained.

No, Ishida must take risks I think. And relatively early. Perhaps a push against the northern Black castle/recruiting ground?

Posted Fri Feb 10, 2012 6:04 pm
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Dave Terhune

(Volfield)

United States
Colorado Springs
Colorado

This is a blatant example of frivolous spending.

I spent 100 geek gold and all I got was this lousy overtext.

A reprint is on the P500 list. I was the first to sign up for it.

Posted Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:25 am
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14. Board Game: Reichswehr & Freikorps [Average Rating:6.78 Unranked]

ER Bickford

(ermj1986)

United States
Auburn
Maine

0 comments

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:51 am

15. Board Game: Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #1 [Average Rating:7.80 Overall Rank:123]

Ryan Powers

(keethrax)

United States
Marble
Minnesota

Just picked up a game of this with

J Fro

(jfro)

United States
North Tonawanda
United States

I just want to say, God, on behalf of all of us thank you for all of the good things we do in your name, like charity and forgiveness. That’s an idea we would never come up with. That’s for sure. You know that better than anybody.

from the http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/104873/the-vassalcyberboar... geeklist.

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:51 am

Ryan Powers

(keethrax)

United States
Marble
Minnesota

Game one went to jfro's Germans over my Americans. Time to see if my Germans can return the favor vs his Russians in game two. We just traded setup files and the month isn't over yet, therefore it counts.

Posted Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:00 am
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16. Board Game: Infidel [Average Rating:7.84 Overall Rank:1652]

Chris B

(boisse)

Canada
Victoria
British Columbia

Still playing this solo. Going slow and reading "The Crusades" by Thomas Asbridge at the same time.

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:59 am

Ae2 DL2o3DG

(kiraly)

United States
Fort Wayne
Indiana

Pre-order the reprint!

OCS Korea

This is a very enjoyable game!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 3:02 am
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17. Board Game: Hold the Line [Average Rating:7.68 Overall Rank:766]

Barteus Maximus

(barteus)

United States
Parsons
Kansas

AirJudden and I are playing this via VASSAL/PBeM. I like HtL. Granted, it is a simple wargame, but it plays quick and effective via VASSAL and gives me an excuse to research Revolutionary War battles. Hoping to play Trenton next...

0 comments

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 3:06 am

18. Board Game: Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage [Average Rating:7.93 Overall Rank:32]

Barteus Maximus

(barteus)

United States
Parsons
Kansas

I'm playing the Carthaginians, which is a switch for me (obvious from my avatar, lol). This is only the second game I've played against AirJudden and I am still trying out different angles and strategies. Scipio is going to appear any day now, and I am anticipating a big push-back. Great game, very enjoyable.

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 3:08 am

Joe Heaney

(jheaney)

United States
Shoreview
MN

Starting to think I really need to get a copy of this.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 7:51 pm
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Blake Phillips

(Yaboo)

United States
Montague
Massachusetts

jheaney wrote:

Starting to think I really need to get a copy of this.

I feel that way about almost every game on this list... every month...

Posted Sat Feb 4, 2012 11:39 pm
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Ae2 DL2o3DG

(kiraly)

United States
Fort Wayne
Indiana

Pre-order the reprint!

OCS Korea

Yaboo wrote:

I feel that way about almost every game on this list... every month...

The pre-order lists aren't much help in that regard either.

Posted Sat Feb 4, 2012 11:54 pm
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19. Board Game: A Most Dangerous Time: Japan in Chaos, 1570-1584 [Average Rating:7.44 Overall Rank:1323]

Joel K

(JoelCFC25)

United States
St Louis Park
Minnesota

Very early days (Turn 3) of a PBEM game--I'm playing as Oda. Right out of the gate I had a sensational stroke of luck with my first drawn card at the end of Turn 1, which was the card that lets me burn down the Enryaku-ji temple (with those troublesome monks inside). Oda Nobunaga is now free to roam the interior with a big killing stack without having to assault the Enryaku-ji, which would have sped up the arrival of the Takeda, Mori, and Uesugi factions.

Still, it's way too early to say how things will go--this is a really swingy game. You might even say "chaotic."

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 3:32 am

Charles Lewis

(Meisterchow)

United States
O Fallon
Missouri

I really enjoy this one. Someday I might even get an opponent!

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 7:37 pm
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20. Board Game: Solitaire ASL [Average Rating:7.63 Unranked] [Average Rating:7.63 Unranked]

Cpl. Sadler 8-0

(BeatPosse)

United States
Rockville
Maryland

Hey, MMP! I want Marines, not Finns! RISING SUN NOW! HAAKAKAKAKA PALAAAAAAA LATER!

I am following a German Rifle Company from the 17th ID through the course of the war in the east. From the initial invasion, to Moscow, then Romania, and finally the end in Germany.

Up Front will hit the table when I actually play games with other people. I've been thinking of mirroring the campaign games from ASL and playing that as a campaign too.

0 comments

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 3:34 am

21. Board Game: Guadalajara [Average Rating:6.41 Overall Rank:4012]

Brian Gannon

(sassypickle)

United States
Indianapolis
Indiana

Get your stinking mouse-pointer off me!

After a recent spat of East Front gluttony, I was in the mood for something different.

It was this or Yom Kippur. Guadalajara won the die roll.

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 4:19 am

Mike Szarka

(mcszarka)

Canada
Oshawa
Ontario

This game does not seem to get much love, but I have been keen to pull out my copy and give it a go. I guess it was a bit of a slog, but the history is interesting.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 1:31 pm
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ER Bickford

(ermj1986)

United States
Auburn
Maine

There is some important errata on thgis game. It is available in the support section of the MMP website.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 2:22 pm
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Steve Arthur

(Atraxrobustus)

Australia

New South Wales

I want this game...I always had a perverse side interest in 1930s conflicts eg.The Chaco War..The Winter War..Spanish Civil War...

Edited Sun Feb 5, 2012 10:43 pm
Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012 2:02 am
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22. Board Game: No Retreat! The Russian Front [Average Rating:8.30 Overall Rank:296]

Jeff Kinney

(jakinney)

United States
Winthrop
Iowa

Just started via Cyberboard. Oh how I love Cyberboard!

The evil axis has opened with the text book (or play book anyway) opening. Surrounded the West, Northwest retreated to Riga, Southwest is in the destroyed unit box, and the South front has retreated to Odessa.

You know for a game called no retreat, I must not be playing right...

7 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 4:33 am

Brandon Pennington

(TGov)

United States
Springfield
Missouri

If your orange juice doesn't burn on the way down, then you need more vodka!

I finally got this one to the table as well. What a great game, and quick to boot.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 5:39 am
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Show 2 more comments...

Joel K

(JoelCFC25)

United States
St Louis Park
Minnesota

realgabriel wrote:

Why Cyberboard instead of VASSAL?

Probably personal preference.

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 6:51 pm
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Jeff Kinney

(jakinney)

United States
Winthrop
Iowa

realgabriel wrote:

Why Cyberboard instead of VASSAL?

I like Vassal too, I just love Cyberboard.

1. I love the Game Project page, where each individual log entry is saved in chronological order. You can highlight an entry and see the notes that were saved with the file. You can start a replay from there.

2. This brings me to the replay controls. Simply click to go forward or back in the replay a step at a time. You also have 1 click options to jump to the beginning or to the start or the next log.

3. I love the plotted move feature, where each step of the units move is traced out.

Overall I just find it intuitive and easy to use. I know there are thousands of people that will say the exact opposite. I know it doesn't have the real time option either, which I do like about vassal.

I guess it's as Joel said, personal preference.

Posted Thu Feb 2, 2012 3:52 am
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Filipe Silva

(realgabriel)

Portugal
Santa Maria da Feira

jakinney wrote:

realgabriel wrote:

Why Cyberboard instead of VASSAL?

I like Vassal too, I just love Cyberboard.

1. I love the Game Project page, where each individual log entry is saved in chronological order. You can highlight an entry and see the notes that were saved with the file. You can start a replay from there.

2. This brings me to the replay controls. Simply click to go forward or back in the replay a step at a time. You also have 1 click options to jump to the beginning or to the start or the next log.

3. I love the plotted move feature, where each step of the units move is traced out.

Overall I just find it intuitive and easy to use. I know there are thousands of people that will say the exact opposite. I know it doesn't have the real time option either, which I do like about vassal.

I guess it's as Joel said, personal preference.

In my limited experience, I think Vassal has the feature 2 and 3 that you mention.

Posted Thu Feb 2, 2012 10:30 am
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Jeff Kinney

(jakinney)

United States
Winthrop
Iowa

I managed to avoid the suddend death conditions for turn 3! Yay me! I believe he only had 18 of the needed 20.

I am finding the cards very powerful. In my very limited experience, we've already seen a monster attack where most of the German army would have advanced after combat across the steppe, turned into a coin flip with no advance after combat at all. Also a card play where the German panzers where allowed a limited move and attack during the Soviet turn.

Does anyone have any observations/thoughts they would like to share on this?

Enjoying the game.

Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012 12:07 pm
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23. Board Game: Thirty Years War: Europe in Agony, 1618-1648 [Average Rating:6.73 Overall Rank:1249]

Luis Martinez

(zebediah1016)

United States
San Francisco
California

I finally got this to the table last month. Very cool game with a tough opening position for both sides. Lots of great back and forth manouevering for victory points. Not sure why this game is so lowly rated here, I've had a blast playing it so far.

4 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012 5:49 am

Jon Williamson