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Tekopo posted:The scale works for its intended purpose and the half-sticky EZOCs work well. For me, what work REALLY well and even better than TK is the use of the panzers: you seem to be able to replicate maneuvers much better than the two impulse system of TK. The turns do take long because you have to activate each unit separately rather than the standard move/combat of most other games. I have to say that I somewhat like the economic system/diplomacy of TK better though. Overall I'm really unsure of which one I like more: I feel USE is easier to play and less fiddly but at the same time it doesn't feel as wild and full of possibilities like TK. I'd love to see a mix of TK's card system and USE's basic mechanics. That would be my favorite, really.
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Aug 3, 2014 15:19
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I have to say that if one thing USE did right, it was the movement system. It kind of feels weird in retrospect how kind of weird the standard move THEN combat system is. It seems to suggest that in the same length of time, a unit from the extreme of its range is still able to combat the same amount of times that a unit that stayed right next to its enemy can. The mobile combat really adds something: having your panzers next to the enemy means that if you manage to smash through you can exploit within the same combat turn and make use of that exploitation immediately. It also means that you have to be VERY careful about unit placement in defence and that usually a defence in-depth is better than a solid front-line (which is something also caused by the sticky EZOCs). But yeah, the card system used in TK would make the game amazing, but it's difficult to see how it would work without removing the beautiful simplicity of USE.
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Aug 3, 2014 15:33
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Oldstench posted:I'll play with you on Vassal w/Skype chit chat if you're interested. Appreciate the sentiment, but I'm a face to face guy. So I guess my problems are self-inflected.
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Aug 3, 2014 18:40
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I've only managed to recover after losing my wargaming buddy after he moved away. I played most of the wargames with him when I first started.
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Aug 3, 2014 23:42
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Has anyone been following the prerelease stuff for Fire in the Lake? Would it be a dumb choice as my first COIN game? Edit: looks like Cuba Libre is the easiest to pickup but I'm and idiot and waited till everything is OOP before finally getting into COIN. dishwasherlove fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Aug 4, 2014 |
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Aug 4, 2014 02:45
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dishwasherlove posted:Has anyone been following the prerelease stuff for Fire in the Lake? Would it be a dumb choice as my first COIN game? It'll be my first COIN game (P500 price & being available to buy were what pushed me over) and it doesn't look too bad if you're playing the short scenario. I'm currently going through the rules to summarize them for my play group. They're not big wargamers so I want to make sure I have the rules down before I throw them in the deep end. For comparisons sake the only wargames I've played are Combat Commander (~4 plays), Twilight Struggle (~1 play) and Origins of World War II (~6 plays). There's an okay tutorial of play by the designers and both the rule and play book are out there to read so you should be able to figure out if you can handle it.
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Aug 4, 2014 04:06
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Yeah I only just read about the short scenario and the points you mentioned are pushing me over the edge. Preorder price for Cuba Libre is good but who knows when that reprint will ship.
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Aug 4, 2014 04:45
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I feel FitL is going to be slightly different from the standard COIN fare because it has two very distinct sides, which I think will make the game feel more wargamey and less like a COIN, in a strange way. I do believe CL is the best beginner one but yeah, a reprint seems unlikely until way into the future.
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Aug 4, 2014 08:01
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Are there any decent wargaming blogs or websites for beginners? Like something not so groggy for those segueing from board gaming?
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Aug 6, 2014 03:35
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dishwasherlove posted:Are there any decent wargaming blogs or websites for beginners? Like something not so groggy for those segueing from board gaming? Shut Up & Sit Down's wargaming articles by Matt Thrower, though written tongue-and-cheek as if he were the most grognard, does a good job of covering a wide variety of approachable war games.
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Aug 6, 2014 04:25
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Trynant posted:Shut Up & Sit Down's wargaming articles by Matt Thrower, though written tongue-and-cheek as if he were the most grognard, does a good job of covering a wide variety of approachable war games.
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Aug 6, 2014 13:03
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Tekopo posted:I would like them more if it wasn't for the forced conversation style reviews. Those just put me off completely and they aren't really that amusing. I agree, but then again I'm hard pressed to find any introductory wargaming journalism at all.
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Aug 6, 2014 18:38
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Oh hey, Fire in the Lake Vassal. Sign up here.
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Aug 7, 2014 22:45
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Tekopo posted:Oh hey, Fire in the Lake Vassal. Sign up here. Yo yo yo.
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Aug 7, 2014 22:46
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We are going to give it a spin RIIIIIIGHT NOW. EDIT: Also sign up for monster game this weekend.
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Aug 7, 2014 22:47
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Tekopo posted:Oh hey, Fire in the Lake Vassal. Sign up here. Get me in on a long scenario.
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Aug 8, 2014 01:10
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So are we ever going to finish USE?
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Aug 8, 2014 01:16
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Tekopo posted:Oh hey, Fire in the Lake Vassal. Sign up here. I wanna play.
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Aug 8, 2014 04:38
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Post pics if you got them 
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Aug 8, 2014 07:20
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Numlock posted:So are we ever going to finish USE?
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Aug 8, 2014 07:42
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I'm free all day Sat until 7pm EST so if your gonna play FiTL in that time I'm down 
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Aug 8, 2014 07:46
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I'm free Friday and Saturday evening if anyone's up for a Short or Medium game.
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Aug 8, 2014 16:19
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I'm free today for a medium game?
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Aug 8, 2014 20:58
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Tekopo posted:I'm free today for a medium game? Can't do it tonight, unfortunately.
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Aug 8, 2014 21:02
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Who's up for a Medium game of FITL right now?
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Aug 8, 2014 22:27
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dishwasherlove posted:Are there any decent wargaming blogs or websites for beginners? Like something not so groggy for those segueing from board gaming? Three Moves Ahead is pretty solid.
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Aug 9, 2014 03:19
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Played another game of USE, this time as the soviets/allies, going east first this time. So the Axis smashed Poland in one turn, as per usual, then started fighting the USSR in Eastern Poland, but my opponent didn't want to enter the USSR proper until the the weather got better in order to not trigger east invaded. So we waited until may for the weather to break and then the invasion of the USSR proper started. I have to say I got smashed as the USSR: it's really hard to defend, especially since Romania joined the Axis. On the bright side, I managed to snag the Italians as the Western Allies while the Axis managed to get Finland instead. The USSR lasted until the gates of Moscow (pretty much the line that Germany took by the end of the summer) before collapsing: the Moscow Treaty came into effect. The germans started to swing West, but before they declared war, I managed to get some lucky draws to get Yugoslavia on my side! After a quick invasion of Denmark (which still took 3 turns due to bad weather), Germany finally declared war on the Western Allies, invading the Netherlands and Belgium in the process. The invasion of Yugoslavia and Italy did not go to a flying start, with the rivers and Alps really not helping the Germans. The Netherlands and Belgium collapsed quickly, but since the germans had gone east first, my french army already had two guards infantry, two tank token and a tank unit on the way. So the Blitzkrieg stalled, unable to push through the upgraded french units. I sat tight for the time being, but June brought a stroke of luck: poor weather in the mild zone. With the poor weather, there was no way that germany could push through into France proper and I managed to upgrade a couple more french units. With two french air and two UK air units, I ruled the skies, so much so that the germans were forced to pull their air forces back because I kept pounding them into the ground. Come July, I was actually counterattacking and I managed to recapture Belgium and destroy a panzer army in the bargain! Unfortunately, things were not looking good in the southern front. Yugoslavia collapsed after a last ditch attempt to take Romania out of the war while Italy lasted only a few more months before collapsing as well. Fortunately, the Moscow treaty was likely to end soon and the russians had rebuilt substantially since their defeat. The US would enter soon as well. We ended the game on September 1941 with things not looking good for the Germans: their best bet would be to retreat to the Rhine and send their troops back east. I really liked how France becomes a much tougher nut to crack once they get their upgraded units: collapse is still possible, but with Italy in the war it was obvious that the germans wouldn't have enough armies to crack the french in our game. I really enjoyed it and i'm liking the game more and more the more I play it.
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Aug 9, 2014 23:57
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Another thing: I'm playing VQ tomorrow, wish me luck. Also, CALLING PEOPLE TO PLAY FIRE IN THE LAKE
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Aug 9, 2014 23:58
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Tekopo posted:Another thing: I'm playing VQ tomorrow, wish me luck. I've been working on a house-rule 2d6 combat resolution to replace stuff like combat and conversions. Hopefully it'll work! Trynant fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Aug 10, 2014 |
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Aug 10, 2014 00:13
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Trip report for VQ: I like the game, I hate the combat system. I wish it was better.
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Aug 10, 2014 22:40
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Is there still FITL space? I'm working nights but I should be open next weekend.
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Aug 11, 2014 00:20
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Tekopo posted:Trip report for VQ: I like the game, I hate the combat system. I wish it was better. Do you think there's any way that the combat system could be translated into a 2d6 + modifiers CRT system, assuming a bit of houseruling?
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Aug 11, 2014 02:42
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Trynant posted:Do you think there's any way that the combat system could be translated into a 2d6 + modifiers CRT system, assuming a bit of houseruling? Unless you could keep the rate of of unit destruction the same I would worry about throwing balance off too much. If troops become more durable you suddenly have more Ops to spend on other things and that changes the event values of some cards. VQ and HIS are focused on diplomacy first, good card play second, and combat about a thousand miles behind those two things. I am usually playing 2-3 games of each via ACTS/VASSAL but would happily get in on a goon game if there is enough interested people.
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Aug 12, 2014 15:55
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Yeah, I'd be up for it although Vassal VQ seems to lose the charm of head-to-head diplomacy.
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Aug 12, 2014 16:02
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To carry this over from the grognard thread, what's so great about The Barbarossa Campaign? The Quarter to Three guys were also raving about it
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Aug 15, 2014 09:26
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It's fun. 
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Aug 15, 2014 09:29
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Haven't really got to try it yet, but it's interesting to attempt a solo scenario on the eastern front and since I do enjoy my solitaire games, I might give it a shot. I know blackmongoose must have tried it, any thoughts?
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Aug 15, 2014 09:50
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I played it a lot, it's a really interesting game. It's amazing how well it works at giving a believable account of the eastern front with a single player. The main reason it is different from other hex and counter games is that there are only very few actual "units" among the counters. Most counters rather represent the shape of the frontline. The combat system during the Soviet turn also ties into this, with the most important combat modifier being how many Soviet hexes are adjacent to the attacked hex. The Soviets keep attacking every possible hex in order of vulnerability until they can't attack anymore. This has to be seen in action to really be understood, but it's a simple rule that leads to believable results without any "roleplaying" as the other side. In fact, in order to win the (Axis) player must keep making the worst possible decisions for the Soviets within the rule. Other interesting things that it does is an initiative tracker that tracks the overall state, command, and equipment of the armies as well as the political will of the countries, as a unified system that is hugely important in most of the game. There is also a chit-pull mechanism for resolving most combats, where some chits have an "X" and get removed from play after being pulled. This means that every time you pull a chit, you are potentially permanently worsening the potential future pulls, as a way of simulating strategic exhaustion. I could write a lot more about it, it's really a one of a kind game that does so many things right. That said, I would still wait for the 2nd ed, if only because the counters in 1st ed are tiny and I have fat fingers.
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Aug 15, 2014 10:08
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I have The Barbarossa Campaign, and it's a really impressive attempt at a solo wargame because it feels a lot more freeform than other solo games. Unfortunately, basically there's no way to win the game after the Russians get their steamroller on, you're basically just there for the ride at that point. Basically, while in the early game the Soviets do normal attacks everywhere they can, later on they can literally just grab hexes where they like once the initiative goes their way, and the problem is, VP scoring is based off of the initiative, so there's no way to score VPs when it turns away from you. VPG has some really clever games in there, beyond their fairly derivative States of Siege series. For example, Bulge 20 is a neat little game based on bluffing and secrecy with the idea that instead of hamstringing the Allied units in place, it uses uncertainty to prevent quick reactions to the German attack. The Allies don't have enough troops on the board at the start to stop an all-out race to the Meuse, but the Germans don't necessarily have to be doing the all-out gambit. If the Allied player calls in all his reserves and the Germans choose a limited offensive, the Allies lose a lot of VPs, so as the Germans you can do a lot of bluffing to try to draw Patton away from his operations in the Saar against a spoiling attack on Luxembourg. Panzeh fucked around with this message at 11:26 on Aug 15, 2014 |
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Aug 15, 2014 11:18
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Well VP is only one of three ways to win. In fact, when I played last week I got a (minor) victory at the end of the game in 1945, by slowing down the Soviet advance enough. It was a pretty intense game, I encircled Moscow in 1942 but kept getting events that refortified it. I never too the city. In '43 the initative dropped to Contested but I managed to capture Archangelsk and stop the Lend Lease, which meant I was able to keep the initiative until '44 when the Soviets finally started pushing back in earnest, finally breaking the two-year siege on Moscow. I agree that it can snowball really hard if you make a mistake or get unlucky - being in Axis Collapse means that the frontline will move 4-5 hexes per turn without you being able to do anything about it.
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Aug 15, 2014 14:16
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