Games on my radar
Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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This is a glorified wishlist.
I rank them by want, and I'll keep it updated.
A lot of games, I take a "Wait and see" approach, so any feedback (good or bad) is appreciated.
Here are my definitions:
Level 1: Going to be on the next Coolstuff or NWS order!
Level 2: Has a strong chance of jumping up on the next order or has an outside chance of making the next order. If it is unreleased, all I need is a release and a couple of good comments to order it.
Level 3: Very interested. Have a few lingering questions.
Level 4: Take it or leave it. Many questions. Not a high priority. If the right offer comes along, I'll take a look.
Level 5: I'll keep it on the radar for a rainy day. I'll get around to looking more at it, or I'm waiting on a VASSAL module to come out. I keep it on the wishlist only so I don't forget about it.
I'll make it a living list, so feel free to subscribe and comment often. Be one of those bad influences that make me spend my money. 
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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DEFINITIONS
On a lot of these games, I ask repeating questions. For clarification:
COMPLEXITY: Using this rough scale, what would you consider the complexity of the game on this list to be most comparable to?
0 = Memoir '44, Tank on Tank, Afrika Korps
1 = Twilight Struggle, Commands & Colors: Ancients, Hammer of the Scots
2 = Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, Rommel in the Desert
3 = Wilderness War, Saratoga, EastFront II
4 = Paths of Glory, For the People, The Korean War
5 = Empire of the Sun, Rise and Decline of the Third Reich
6 = Vietnam 1965-1975 and up ... in other words, too much for me.
VASSAL/PBEM Suitability:
I make about 2-3 plays per day. I am ok with interrupting logs (ex: for opportunity fire), but Hannibal's battlecard system TOTALLY does not work by e-mail. I play all of my games by e-mail, so live VASSAL is not an option.
Solitaire Suitability:
If a game uses hidden movement, blocks, dummy counters or double-blind mechanics, it has none.
Card Driven games and Command & Color games have little.
A lot of old Avalon Hill games have a lot (ex: The Battle of the Bulge.
GMT's American Revolution Series (ex: Brandywine and Germantown) have lots. When you skip the tactics chit, it is perfect for solitaire.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 1:
Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's broken. So what. I'm pretty sure I came up with a rules tweak to fix the Hammer. No convincing me here. I've got 9 games under my belt and really like it.
It's not a wargame. It's not a simulation. It can't carry Wilderness War's jockstrap in a suitcase. No argument from me on any of these. I don't care. I like it. It's fun.
So why is it at Level 2? Level 1 means it's on my next Coolstuff order. If one of my other Level 2's shake out, it will bump this one back. I have buddies with this game. The only reason I want it is to try some solo strategies (so maybe I can win, for a change).
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL: 2
I was not aware of this one until I read it on Gittes Geeklist of Mark Simonitch-designed games.
I love Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, so an expansion seems a must. I'll wait until the initial reviews come out, and if they look good, this goes to LEVEL 1.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 2:
The War of 1812 (I dig American Revolution/War of 1812): Check.
Card Driven Game (my favorite mechanic): Check
GMT (great company): check.
I am going to hold out and see what the initial reviews are. Just because it's a CDG doesn't make me jump immediately. I held out on Stalin's War, even though Ted Racier is a proven winner, and it seems to have been the right choice, as the initial reviews were not favorable.
If they appear solid, this one jumps to Level 1.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 3:
I just learned about this, so there are a lot of questions I have about it, but until it gets a VASSAL module, I'm going to have to keep it buried, because that's the only way I'll be able to get it played.
Edit: Now that I know why there is no VASSAL module, this one just went up a level. See? This Geeklist has already helped out.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 3:
I kind of like Victory Point Games. I like playing games about the French & Indian War. I'd like a little more feedback on this before it moves up (or a good trade offer).
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 3:
Any American Revolution game has my interest.
With that said, I know NOTHING about this. When it comes out, I will take a "wait and see" approach, but because it's not by GMT, it may take awhile to get enough feedback to find out if it's worth getting.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 3:
I hear this one is pretty good. Just wondering how the solitaire AI works, as well as the complexity level of it.
Edit: Move up from Level 5 to Level 3. NOW it's getting interesting (Thanks, Blake)!!!
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 3:
It's pretty easy to get on EBAY. I like Victory Games (I) a LOT. Great looking games and well-written rules. I heard this game and For the People are the best Civil War/Grand Strategy games out there. I have the latter and want to play it first.
Their games do tend to go on the complex side, though, and I think that's the biggest thing holding me back. What say ye? I put up a scale as the first item. Where would you rank it? Am I over my head?
Also, how is the solitaire suitability? Because let's face it, with it's playing time, I'm not getting in any face-to-face games.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 4:
Like No Retreat! The Russian Front, this one gets a LOT of praise from highly respected wargamers.
Knowing so little about it, in order to climb up the wishlist I have to know about the three main questions:
Complexity level (what would it be comparable to? I listed a scale as the first item in the this Geeklist)
Solitaire Suitability
VASSAL-PBEM capability (again, see the first item).
I heard it went out of print, but if those 3 questions are right, I'll look for it when it is reprinted.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 4:
This one has fluctuated from Level 2 to 4. On the good side is that I like the publisher (Worthington Games) and have, so far, liked what they have turned out.
I heard it called "Hammer of the Gauls" (give credit to where it is due: Gittes said this) and I really like Hammer of the Scots (the game this was referencing). Put the Hammer system into a Caesar game (yes, I own Julius Caesar) and I'm interested. At the same time, it has 2 negatives working against it: no VASSAL module (BIG negative) and I hear it's really messed up historically, although I am not enough of an expert to know. Without the VASSAL mod, it had better play in about 2.5 hrs. Any thoughts? Feedback?
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 4
It's an Avalon Hill wargame, so there is a 93.2% change that I will like it. It is a solitaire game which is a big plus.
What's holding it back? Well, not all solitaire games have great AI engines, so I'm waiting on more feedback. I tried getting this on EBay, but kept losing bids. I would get it for cheap, but it kept going out of my cheap price range, so before I shell out more than cheap dollars, I need to know that it's a good one.
Edit: Moved down from Level 3 to Level 4. It sounds like the years have not been kind.
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13.
Board Game: Mohawk
[Average Rating:7.28 Unranked]
Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 4:
I really like to game the French & Indian War. This one has high marks, but they are few and far between (14 ratings), plus it appears to be high priced (out of print), so it had better be really good before I get serious about getting a copy.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 4:
I've liked Spidey since I was 5 years old. This one seems to be better regarded than the lame-brain movie tie-in games. But it stays low on the list until I find out more about it.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 4:
A purely solitaire game by Avalon Hill. OK, that makes me interested. But how good is the AI engine? Complexity level? How does it compare to Ambush! or D-Day at Omaha Beach?
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 4
I guess the biggest question about this is "How does it compare to Ambush!? I heard it's the same engine. Is it as fun?
Price also seems to be a big hindrance. From what I have seen, it's not cheap.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
I got Storm over Arnhem. I hear this an even better area-impulse WWII wargame from that era. I want to play Storm first and find out about this game's solitaire suitability/VASSAL capability, etc.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
All I know about Napoleon is that he was a "short dead dude" (A Bill & Ted reference) and that he lost a big battle at Waterloo. Seriously, that's it. Yep, I'm an ignorant wretch.
So why get this? I heard it's the best of the Command & Colors games. But also, Richard Borg made reference to have an American Revolution C&C game in the works. I thought long and hand about that and there is no way the game can have plastic pieces. It cannot copy the Battle Cry system (artillery, leaders, infantry, and cavalry) because you have various types of infantry: militia, grenadiers, fusiliers, light infantry, etc). When I thought long and hard about it, militia, with their long range hunting rifles (as opposed to short range muskets), and inability to fight regulars in melee combat would make them resemble long range slingers in Commands & Colors: Ancients. That means it is going to be a block game, and since this one has a time period closest to the American Revolution, I am betting it will be an expansion to this game.
Right now, I am holding out to see if this is true, because left to its own devices, a Napoleonic-only game doesn't excite me...then again, I thought the same about C&C:A and Battle Cry, and now I own various Ancients and Civil War games. Maybe that is the real reason I am hesitant to buy this... afraid it will be that good and become a gateway game that causes me to get interested and spend a bunch of money on Napoleon games and have to read books, watch documentaries, and such... (sometimes ignorance is bliss) 
Edit: GMT confirmed that the American Revolution game will be self-contained. Since Napoleon doesn't really interest me, this drops down from level 2.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
Babylon 5 is probably my all-time favorite TV show.
That is why I am interested.
Why I am hesitant: How good is it? Does it have solitaire capability? How does it compare to Babylon 5 Wars (which I own?) Does this follow the show? Is this a bigger system? Is it just combat (much like Star Fleet Battles is to the original Star Trek) and leaves out so much of what I loved about the show? More research and answers are needed before this budges.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
Any American Revolution game has my interest. I also have a good experience with my only game by this designer.
With that said, I need to know much more about this game. I saw it has some big historical flaws (not cool) and it lacks a VASSAL module (that's a deal breaker unless it has perfect solitaire suitability).
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
I like the time period and the theme. I have no age of sail games (outside of Enemy in Sight, which is a bit on the silly side).
I'm looking for an age of sail game without loads of complexity. (Probably a 3 or less on the scale I put in the first Geeklist item). It needs a VASSAL module. High solitaire suitability is nice. Don't really want a long game (not much more than 2-3 hrs) unless it plays really well by VASSAL/e-mail.
Because this is Avalon Hill, that has me interested. I'll wait and see, and there is a chance I could find it cheap.
But if there is another game meeting my needs, I'll look into it, as well.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
I like the company, but know very little about this game. Looking for the main questions about solitaire suitability, complexity, and VASSAL/PBEM capability.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
This one got up to Level 2 and I was just about to order it until I got Band of Brothers: Screaming Eagles. That game scratched every itch that I had for such a game. So this one fell down a lot.
It also didn't help that I wasn't impressed with the quality of components of Tank on Tank and stories I heard about a horrible white-honeycomb map in this game and the publisher's attitude toward it.
So for now, I'll keep this one buried until I see if there is anything lacking in Screaming Eagles and then if there is, if my concerns about this are unfounded, and it has the right combination of solitaire suitability or VASSAL/PBEM capability as well as not past my complexity-threshold, then I'll take a look at this one again.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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LEVEL 5:
Any American Revolution game catches my interest. (And for that matter, you can add The Battle of Monmouth, a sister game to this by the same company).
Now, this one sits on the extreme back-burner for a variety of reasons.
1) How does it compare to GMT's Brandywine and Germantown? Both are excellent games (I have them each rated at '9'), so for me to get this, it had better be significantly better than these. (Ditto for the Monmouth game, because GMT's Monmouth is my favorite from that series).
2) Solitaire suitability?
3) Complexity?
4) No VASSAL module is a killer without excellent solitaire capability.
It's a lot of money to spend on an unknown, so I'll keep it back here until I learn more.
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Judd Vance
United States
Wichita
Kansas
Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
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ACQUIRED:
I love block games. Mistermarino and I took this for a spin and I really liked it (despite the huge butt-kicking he gave me).
I am seriously considering adding it to the next order, or at worst, the order after that. I just need to make sure I can get VASSAL games lined up with this one, because it's just too good to put on a shelf.
Also, Coolstuff's price wasn't that good. I was really surprised. For the price they had it, I may just hold out for my next trip to Oklahoma City and get it at the awesome FLGS. Problem is, I don't know when I'm going down there.
Update: I traded for it. Woo Hoo!
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Now when I say, "Who's the master?" You say, "Sho Nuff!"
Probably one of the worst design decisions I've seen in a wargame. There's a reason that window screens are black and not white!
