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Southern Heel posted:EDIT: Decided to buy ASL SK 1-3 while I ordered the corner clipper. You people are a bad influence. pfft this from the guy willingly jumping into ASL lol
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Jun 9, 2023 23:44
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A perfect time to bring up World in Flames, for starters
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Jun 10, 2023 00:25
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actually re ASL as a totally new player to it i found making one of these markers really useful i made mine from art store paper and glue. link below has a version you can use in VASSAL http://www.gamesquad.com/forums/index.php?threads/phase-counter-extension.25657/
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Jun 10, 2023 01:37
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Sleekly posted:actually re ASL as a totally new player to it i found making one of these markers really useful You have the phase wheel automatically with VASL on VASSAL.
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Jun 10, 2023 02:28
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On to Richmond II coming to my place tomorrow.
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Jun 10, 2023 03:25
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First game of SE4X down, this was my fleet against the final doomsday machine: I didn't build any offensive ships until turn ~5, then built cruisers. then battlecruisers and finally a few battleships: the final DM just couldn't cope with +2 attack, +2 defense, Level 2 tactics whilst also defending (i.e. all of my ships bar the destroyer fired first). They chomped their way through my empire, taking out at least one colony each - but by that point I had enough critical mass to plough onwards. I deliberately let a planet fall in order that I would have overwhelming force - rather than step in to defend with a potential loss, and then risk the DM eating the planet and getting back health.
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Jun 10, 2023 22:11
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Southern Heel posted:First game of SE4X down, this was my fleet against the final doomsday machine: I haven't played SE4X in ages, maybe I should set up a game. I've got the first expansion, been tossing around the idea of getting the other 2.
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Jun 10, 2023 23:02
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SavageMessiah posted:I haven't played SE4X in ages, maybe I should set up a game. I've got the first expansion, been tossing around the idea of getting the other 2. Yes, I'm not sure of the next part of the progrssion - 2p solo, 1p alien empire, or Doomsday with advanced rules / higher difficulty - thoughts?
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Jun 11, 2023 09:12
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I played baby's first game of Unconditional Surrender today, it was very fun: Unlike SE4X where the previous owner had meticolously sorted all the chits, this one was just bagged up as a group and I had a merry time of it indeed trying to sort the counters. I played the Poland 1939 scenario, where you play only one phase of the game: Operational - which is essentially just army movement and combat. The objective is to play Germany, and attempt to conquer Poland in a single game turn (i.e. Month) - any other result is an Allied victory. Poland is essentially a passive player in this, their only actions are: 1) Choose to commit ground support in one combat (+1 to your combat dice roll total) 2) Choose where to Retreat units 3) Roll defender's combat dice. I went with the historical deployment and then got out my quick reference sheet. Golly, this is a bit different:  With no need to preserve my Luftwaffe squadrons for future turns, I used them in every assault I could as early as possible - Germany needs to (broadly speaking) push the Polish forces back, capture the western cities and the capital. At the end of September this was the situation:  Knowing the Polish forces were unlikely to react effectively I should have struck south from East Prussia to cut off the western units - but as it stood I had to play a time-intensive game of cat and mouse with them. I had forgotten to place an 'Axis Control' on Posen, but I think I actually ignored Danzig, which yielded a victory to the Allied Forces. I bet that doesn't happen very often in this scenario!!
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Jun 12, 2023 21:22
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It's very much a solo scenario there for you to learn basic combat mechanics- there's no shame in losing them when you're still learning, or honestly, ever. Also, got On To Richmond II, of big note is, Petersburg is an absolute slugfest and they don't even tally VPs in that game. The only wrinkle in the game is if/when the CSA declares an evacuation, they can force a draw by evacuating enough units off the map.
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Jun 12, 2023 23:01
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After eight years, I got the shipping notification for Mr. President today.
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Jun 12, 2023 23:08
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Can't wait for Mr. Prime Minister to come out
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Jun 13, 2023 08:32
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Tekopo posted:Can't wait for Mr. Prime Minister to come out if it comes with a fresh lettuce timer im in
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Jun 13, 2023 08:41
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Southern Heel posted:Yes, I'm not sure of the next part of the progrssion - 2p solo, 1p alien empire, or Doomsday with advanced rules / higher difficulty - thoughts? all the expansion stuff is extremely plug and play. after enough games of base version to know id always play this game i just got them both. you can insert any bit or bits you like and ignore all the others and its not complicated at all
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Jun 13, 2023 08:45
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I replayed the scenario and it was a good deal more straight forward the second time, as expected. Germany pushed southward from East Prussia at first, then sent another army northward via Krakow - these captured Warsaw and Krakow and set up a cauldron, and Germany ground units on the border pushed eastward capturing Lōdz and Danzig. The unplanned coup de grâce was forcing a Polish army unit to retreat while it was surrounded by enemy zones of control and thus eliminated. As I understand it if I played the next turn (i.e. Oct 1939) then assuming they survived, the two Polish units in the east would have supply issues?
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Jun 13, 2023 09:12
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I really liked the poland scenario when I played USE way back when it was first released, it's a really good and smart little tutorial on how to conduct an attack and leverage your advantages. I wish more games had these sort of solitaire tutorials. ib4 someone says that all wargames are solitaire.
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Jun 13, 2023 09:16
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Yeah it seems like a very elegant way of introducing layers of complexity. ASLSK1 and my corner cutter turned up yesterday and... you guys enjoy clipping corners? They do look better, but gosh... Southern Heel fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Jun 14, 2023 |
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Jun 14, 2023 08:19
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Well, I've been making my way through the Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #1 (henceforth ASL) first scenario "Retaking Vierville". It pits a small troop of US troops in the middle of a town being attacked by an East/West pincer of German troops, who are then relieved by another platoon of US soldiers from the North. In terms of differentiation, the American troops have a better range, can assault fire but in general have a lower morale (to represent diving for cover, etc.) and typically have better leadership bonuses from their leaders. The Germans have higher numbers of troops on the ground initially, but must press their advanced to take and hold key buildings in the village before the US forces can consolidate. The biggest problem I found with ASL is that there is lots of 'how' - dropping support weapons, the effect of being fired upon while moving by a troop which has fired already this turn, what happens when a platoon of troops fails a morale check to such a degree they drop a troop quality level, etc. etc. What I am missing is the 'what', and 'why' - there are SO MANY choices - as an attacker do I fire from a prepared position, or move (firing at half efficiency) then advance (potentially into close combat)? Moreover, should I concentrate my troops into stacks or move them separately to draw out defensive fire? As Defender I have an embarassment of choices: in the attacker's movement phase I can defensive first fire (at full strength), subsequent fire (half strength), final protective fire (adjacent, causing a moral check on my own troops), or firing in my own phase of defensive fire (if I didn't fire in the attacker's movement phase). I don't post this for answers particularly. rather to illustrate the density of the decisions that must be made whose effects are (for me) only tangentially understood.
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Jun 21, 2023 12:37
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Southern Heel posted:Well, I've been making my way through the Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #1 (henceforth ASL) first scenario "Retaking Vierville". It pits a small troop of US troops in the middle of a town being attacked by an East/West pincer of German troops, who are then relieved by another platoon of US soldiers from the North. There are some tutorials on BGG I used with SK1 that might help you https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/44413/aslsk1-tutorial-eop-no1-s1-retaking-vierville
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Jun 21, 2023 12:50
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all i know for sure is def dont stack them. thats a baaaad idea in ASL
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Jun 21, 2023 12:51
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Southern Heel posted:Well, I've been making my way through the Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #1 (henceforth ASL) first scenario "Retaking Vierville". It pits a small troop of US troops in the middle of a town being attacked by an East/West pincer of German troops, who are then relieved by another platoon of US soldiers from the North. The best way to look at what you should be doing with your units will typically revolve around equal parts the scenario's objectives, your available resources, and the current state of the game. Are the Americans weak enough that the Germans can try to advance on their positions? Is there a (set of) building(s) that you can move into and grab the defensive bonuses from? Do you have Assault Fire and how good is it? Can your infantry pop smoke in order to cover an advance by the troops with Assault Fire? The beauty of ASL is in the choices that you can make, and while its hard to suggest exactly what to do, especially without seeing the situation, there are some maxims that people will preach, such as not stacking (Stacking can be good, or necessary, sometimes). You can also shoot in the Defensive Fire Phase even if you shot in the MPh, but its restricted.
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Jun 21, 2023 13:52
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So, the On To Richmond II vassal module is out now, which is nice. One of the good Romero modules. The next GCACW things will be Skirmisher #4, a magazine that will include the Bristoe/Mine Run campaigns, if you own Stonewall Jackson's Way II, and after that Vicksburg, and after that probably Stonewall In the Valley II, which will include Sheridan in the Valley.
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Jun 22, 2023 12:41
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FoF III announced 
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Jun 22, 2023 20:08
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FoF3: Bugles in Afghanistan
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Jun 23, 2023 05:36
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Reading through it looks like more mechanics/complexity is getting added to FoF. So now... Advanced FoF 
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Jun 23, 2023 15:44
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Played the third game in the Undaunted Stalingrad campaign with my son this evening. This game is fantastic. The tension as you try to preserve your mans while driving to the objective is excellent.
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Jul 3, 2023 12:50
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I'm watching the ASL Academy videos about Vierville in an attempt to give it another bash and I've noticed a few things I'd not grokked from the rules: Sometimes, the player is putting down a DM marker on a broken squad when it is fired upon without rolling any dice. There seem to be some criteria for this, something like "if it is possible to cause a morale check if you factor in all the negative modifiers and if the shooter was cowering" ? Defensive first fire can be at any unit that moves within range/LoS, but subsequent first fire cannot be targeted against units which are not the closest unit? I understand that for a unit to be a target of SFF it must have moved at least 2MF (not two hexes?) - but in the videos the chap declares that a unit has only moved '1.5MF' and as such couldn't be eligible as a target of SFF. Those units have moved way more than 1.5MF, is it something to do with the movement from the point that Defensive First Fire is declared onward? The player/aujthor suggests that 'failure to rout' is one of the most effective ways to remove units in ASL - which materially seems to be 'keep a unit broken, apply a DM by firing upon it, then surround it so that it must move away from an adjacent unit but cannot?' Southern Heel fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Jul 4, 2023 |
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Jul 4, 2023 15:22
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Southern Heel posted:I'm watching the ASL Academy videos about Vierville in an attempt to give it another bash and I've noticed a few things I'd not grokked from the rules: A10.62: With respect to a unit becoming DM when fired at on the IFT – Does the actual dice roll or result on the IFT matter in determining whether or not the target unit is placed under DM? If a unit capable of Cowering fires a 1 +1 shot on the IFT , and actually rolls doubles, is this sufficient to DM the target unit? If the firing unit actually Cowers on the dice roll (rolls doubles) is the FP reduced by two columns to determine DM? A: The actual DR does not matter. Despite the answer, you still need to roll for effects of the shot in Full ASL (Where Snipers exist) Correct. Subsequent must be at the closest unit - this is why sometimes it is best to move up a unit that you can "sacrifice", have them absorb the shot, then move priority units afterwards. Similarly, a defender that opts NOT to shoot the unit that approached may now have to face them in Close Combat afterwards. Keep in mind that the restriction for SFF is Nearest known, ARMED, enemy unit, within range. Its Movement Factors per hex, not total. A8.3 "The same unit/weapon can never fire on a moving unit in the same Location more times than the number of MF/MP expended (FRD, but a minimum of once per hex)" Failure to Rout is a good way to kill units, because it usually means none of YOUR units are under threat while doing so. This, however, is highly dependent on your opponents setup, the map, your objective, your mobiility/units, etc etc etc. Essentially, preventing a unit from routing typically requires 3 of your units, all within LOS, and able to interdict. Shooting at a broken 5-morale squad, however, may use up fewer resources and overall be faster. If you DON'T DM your enemy's units, they still may not rally them without a leader - focus on those whenever possible, imo.
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Jul 4, 2023 16:01
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I asked for recommendations in the general board game thread (5E), and some suggested I ask in here as well. Basically my desire is to dip my toe into something wargame-ish. Something that plays great at two (supporting more players is fine too) and lasts somewhere between an hour or two. I read the op and have looked at lot of articles and videos about beginner friendly wargames. Sekigahara and 1812: The Invasion of Canada both seem like great games for that task. But I really want something with a great table presence, preferably minis and not paper chits or wooden cubes. Because of this I've looked at 878 Vikings and Memoir 44. The former is pretty much impossible to get. Memoir looks pretty cool, and oozes theme. But reading reviews some people say it is too basic? So I guess what I'm asking is: For someone who really wants some sort of figures and a decent amount of depth in their first wargame, is Memoir 44 a good choice or is there another one I should consider?
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Jul 26, 2023 17:15
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I think Memoir 44 is a fine choice if you are really intereted in getting minis on the table. M44 is basically a bridging gap between DOAMs (dudes on a map) games and wargames proper, and it does a lot with a relatively basic package. Most of the other games that regularly feature in this thread are more things like block games or hex and counter though, and I'd usually recommend block games because they have a relatively good table presence and can look pretty evocative, especially sekigahara. I would still recommend the latter even if it doesn't have minis because it is such a tightly and well-constructed game.
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Jul 26, 2023 19:50
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Hex and counter are the games with paper tokens? And block games are all games that use wooden tokens (regardless of hexagonal map or not)?
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Jul 26, 2023 20:05
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Yeah, pretty much, although you also have games that have counters but no hexes as well. Block games use (usually) wooden blocks.
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Jul 26, 2023 20:07
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I’ll toss in my two cents and add a recommendation for Polis: Fight for the Hegemony. It’s more than just fights and tends to straddle a line between dedicated war game and economic strategy.
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Jul 26, 2023 21:27
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I find with wargames, that the topic matter matters a lot: what are you interested in as a wargaming topic? WW2? Samurai? Medieval armies? US Civil War?
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Jul 27, 2023 01:31
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So i discovered recently that theres a super edition ultra complete version of world in flames. Almost makes me want to learn the system. I miss the LP of it 
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Jul 27, 2023 01:41
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tomdidiot posted:I find with wargames, that the topic matter matters a lot: what are you interested in as a wargaming topic? WW2? Samurai? Medieval armies? US Civil War? Quoted for truth. I can slog through an almost unplayable mess of tables and hexes if I like the topic
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Jul 27, 2023 02:05
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tomdidiot posted:I find with wargames, that the topic matter matters a lot: what are you interested in as a wargaming topic? WW2? Samurai? Medieval armies? US Civil War? Any good Samurai hex-and-counter games?
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Jul 27, 2023 02:23
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I'm going to throw Ogre out there for a recommendation. It's got old-school hex and chit wargaming roots, including an odds ration combat results table. It also has miniatures available as add-ons. https://warehouse23.com/collections/ogre/products/ogre-sixth-edition
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Jul 27, 2023 03:04
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Jobbo_Fett posted:So i discovered recently that theres a super edition ultra complete version of world in flames. Almost makes me want to learn the system. I miss the LP of it I've got it. I can barely fit both of the main maps on my 72x48 table, even!
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Jul 27, 2023 10:23
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Panzeh posted:I've got it. I can barely fit both of the main maps on my 72x48 table, even! I hear that comes with the official version of the VASL module for it!
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Jul 27, 2023 11:56
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