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TheCosmicMuffet posted:Obviously. When you're ready to get serious.... http://www.albertozecchi.it/home_eng.html *checks amount in savings account* hm...................
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May 21, 2015 18:30
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I am sadly at the same point but with the ASL starter kit. I can't seem to get any oft friends interested in it and trying to learn solo it just isn't clicking.
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May 22, 2015 16:09
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bunnielab posted:I am sadly at the same point but with the ASL starter kit. I can't seem to get any oft friends interested in it and trying to learn solo it just isn't clicking. Well then you're in luck! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6YHlyRqRRg Really good 6-part video series that goes over the basic rules of ASLSK. I just skimmed the first two videos, but they seem polished and clearly organized.
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May 22, 2015 17:08
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Man the Twilight Struggle rulebook is a thing of loving beauty. I hope the CC: Europe book is as wonderful.
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May 23, 2015 16:29
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YeaCOOL CORN posted:Well then you're in luck! Yeah, I have used those videos and the Jay Richardson (?) tutorials to figure out what I have so far. I really think one live f2f game with someone who knows the rules is what will make it click. My work schedule is such a poo poo show that it hasn't happened yet.
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May 23, 2015 16:44
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T-Bone posted:Man the Twilight Struggle rulebook is a thing of loving beauty. I hope the CC: Europe book is as wonderful. CC's is widely regarded as one of the best. Read it until you have a general sense of what's going on and then read the example of play in the playbook.
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May 23, 2015 21:20
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So I've got the itch to get some new cardboard. I'd like to solicit some opinions on a few things: Empire of the Sun - is this the nigh-unreached middle ground between hex and CDG? I recall a few people in this thread having moderately high opinions of it. I have a good relationship with CDGs, so it was high on my list when I started looking again. 2nd edition just dropped, does it offer much besides an NPC chart a la COIN? Churchill - I've heard some positive rumblings in regard to this one. Should I be apprehensive about the 3p aspect? I feel like it's harder to get three players rather than two. Basically I'm saying I only know cursory stuff about this title and I'm asking you to sell me on it. Block games akin to Napoleons Triumph - any of these that 1) are awesome and 2) don't cost 100+ USD? I know NT isn't in print, so it's not a great alternative, though it may be the best in the field. I would also like to hear what the best drat American Civil War game is. Hex, CDG, block, chit, whatever. My MARSOC brother-in-law has developed an interest in the ACW, so I want to find a really great game to play with him as a means to soften dropping A Distant Plain on the table. He was in Afghanistan, so I want to hear his thoughts on the gamified abstracts in the COIN system. But first, the ACW, then we get into the poo poo. Thanks for your help grogs.
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May 25, 2015 01:49
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You can fix the last two problems with Guns of Gettysburg, which is Napoleon's Triumph in an ACW setting. As far as I know it's not as good as NT, but it's available. I have no idea how it stacks against other ACW games in general, though.
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May 25, 2015 07:36
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Tevery Best posted:You can fix the last two problems with Guns of Gettysburg, which is Napoleon's Triumph in an ACW setting. As far as I know it's not as good as NT, but it's available. I have no idea how it stacks against other ACW games in general, though. I honestly wouldn't even say it's NT in ACW setting. While it sure is a block wargame, and is by the same designer, and *looks* like it's the same system, the combat and movement is so wildly different so as to make it a completely different beast. Still very good, I like NT more but one of my friends who also plays Simmons games likes GoG more so it's hard to say. ...I literally would pay $100+ for NT if I didn't already own it, it's the jewel of my collection and my favorite game I own, bar none. So take what I say with some salt, I guess.
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May 25, 2015 11:00
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Sekigahara is a good block game.
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May 25, 2015 11:10
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Lord Frisk posted:So I've got the itch to get some new cardboard. I'd like to solicit some opinions on a few things: As an experienced player of Empire of the Sun, it is probably the most involved CDG out there. It's a really good game, but you do have to be ready to handle it. The big thing that puts people off is probably the very first two card plays which are the huge Japanese move that defines the game start, and it's the largest activation of the game. If you're new, I recommend starting with the 1942 scenario so you don't get bogged down with IAI #1. Basically every card is potentially a whole offensive, allowing you to grab units from anywhere within an HQ's range and move them around to do an operation. The big limiter on operations is that the larger the scope of an operation, the larger the scope of a potential enemy reaction. 1 OP cards have a lot of use in trying to keep something local, so as to say, prevent the Kido Butai from stopping an air raid to knock out one of the irreplacable Japanese air units. That being said, I can't speak to the solitaire options in the 2nd edition.
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May 25, 2015 11:15
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Isn't GoG sort of a betrayal of the Simmon's luckless ethos with the combat results (e.g. tiebreaking) dependent on the draw of artillery chits (sure, there's some hand management so it's not exactly just cardboard dice, but still)? I guess that's the price one has to pay for abandoning the exquisite balance and tactics of the Napoleonic era for the redneck mosh pit of massed infantry and OP artillery? 
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May 25, 2015 11:45
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I think we're still waiting for someone's promised manifesto!
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May 25, 2015 13:34
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Its existence was conditional.  Nevertheless a version in progress might or might not await re-writing.
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May 25, 2015 13:38
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Baby's first Twilight Struggle was everything and more -- what a great loving game. I won a US victory by points at the end after basically forcing the USSR player into a last round influence arms race in Italy because I was close to a control win in end game scoring (which allowed me to protect my slender advantage in Africa/S.America). The game had some awesome swings throughout, going from +11 US to +10 USSR within the space of 3 turns at one point, and I think if he had a better hand he may have pulled out a midgame 20 point victory because I made a serious misplay trying a bunch of ill advised realignments/coups in Asia (specifically in South Korea which became my Vietnam) when I should have conceded and moved on to Europe a lot earlier. My brother who plays a bunch of medium/heavy Euros but hadn't been exposed to wargames outside of like Risk/Stratego/A&A thought it was outstanding too and he also asked hey are there any wargames you know of that play 3-5 (our usual group count) and why yes I have this little thing called Fire in the Lake sitting on a shelf right over there (but not before I hook him into CC: Europe too  )
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May 25, 2015 15:54
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Lichtenstein posted:Isn't GoG sort of a betrayal of the Simmon's luckless ethos with the combat results (e.g. tiebreaking) dependent on the draw of artillery chits (sure, there's some hand management so it's not exactly just cardboard dice, but still)? Guns of Gettysburg is a bit different, and somewhat flawed to me, honestly. The gameplay itself feels a lot more rigid than NT, but the scenario is way more dynamic. The stances and zone of control stuff really limit what you can do but the game will provide significantly different battles of Gettysburg every time. I'm torn.
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May 25, 2015 16:11
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Panzeh posted:Guns of Gettysburg is a bit different, and somewhat flawed to me, honestly. The gameplay itself feels a lot more rigid than NT, but the scenario is way more dynamic. The stances and zone of control stuff really limit what you can do but the game will provide significantly different battles of Gettysburg every time. I'm torn. Would you mind elaborating on why it feels flawed? What distinguishes the stances from NT? Gettysburg seems really tempting if only because it's in stock. drat you, war games.
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May 25, 2015 18:50
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Lord Frisk posted:Would you mind elaborating on why it feels flawed? What distinguishes the stances from NT? I'd get it. Basically the huge difference in the game is the way that units on a front control an area in front of them that can be quite huge and when you enter it you can only do so to attack the controller of the area. Also, some of the gettysburgs the game will create will make for awfully dull day 1s, even if it self-balances.
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May 25, 2015 19:05
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Say you had $200 in your PayPal account and wanted to spend it on war gaming, and were wanting to take a break from ASL, but also really liked monster war games... What would you buy? Asking for... A friend.
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May 28, 2015 04:49
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A World at War, or put it towards a fancy new table.
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May 28, 2015 05:19
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I wouldn't buy World At War  Probably one of the OCS monster games if it was me.
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May 28, 2015 10:40
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If I had spare cash and more time and patience for monsters, I'd buy Where Eagles Dare & The Devil's Cauldron. Both, since they combine into one uber-monster. Then again I'm a sucker for interesting command and control systems and grand tactical is pretty undergamed too.
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May 28, 2015 11:00
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I like The Dark Valley as a monster game, it actually has a really interesting thing where the phases have variable order- the supply check in relation to the movement of everything is random.
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May 28, 2015 11:21
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I've had my eye on Devil's Cauldron, but ooohhhh, I hadn't thought of The Dark Valley. I just want to get DAK2 for less than like $300 
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May 28, 2015 13:10
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I'm also thinking of making a wargaming purchase, but i'm unsure whether I want Empire of the Sun or The Barbarossa Campaign. I'm leaning towards Empire since the P500 should be expiring soon, but i'm feeling a bit doubtful as to whether i'll ever get to play it with anyone else. It would probably be a solitaire purchase and i'm not sure if maybe Barbarossa would be better for that. Any thoughts?
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May 28, 2015 13:53
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Mori posted:I'm also thinking of making a wargaming purchase, but i'm unsure whether I want Empire of the Sun or The Barbarossa Campaign. I'm leaning towards Empire since the P500 should be expiring soon, but i'm feeling a bit doubtful as to whether i'll ever get to play it with anyone else. It would probably be a solitaire purchase and i'm not sure if maybe Barbarossa would be better for that. Any thoughts? The upcoming version of EOTS has an AI/solitaire rules built in 
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May 28, 2015 14:27
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COOL CORN posted:The upcoming version of EOTS has an AI/solitaire rules built in Indeed! Hence my wavering on the issue. I think that if EOTS was 2 player only I wouldn't bother, or at least try and get a copy in one of GMT's regular sales. But with the AI it's more tempting, and I've been playing a lot of War in the Pacific lately so i'm pretty interested in a Pacific wargame. The only problem is that nobody has the game yet so we don't know what the solitaire is like, as far as I know. I'm not sure i'm up for another game with COIN-esque massive flowcharts. On the other hand, with only one AI faction to control, it may not be that bad. So yeah, i'm quite unsure.
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May 28, 2015 15:22
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If I'm used to heavyish Euros and want a block game would I be ok to skip on up to something like GoG or East Front? Or should I start with say Hammer of the Scots? Also -- are there any in print CDGs that would be a good bet to go to after Twilight Struggle?
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May 28, 2015 16:41
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What kind of euros do you play? The issue is that many block games are quite a lot more wargamey than euroy, the only exception being GoG/NT/BaM. I think it would be relatively easy to try out BaM (Bonaparte at Marengo) and then upgrade to NT/GoG, but good luck finding it since it is out of print (and so is NT). If you aren't that familiar with wargames I would suggest you try out Hammer of the Scots first since it is a good game in of itself while also being a good introduction to Block Games. Rommel in the Desert isn't too difficult either, although you have to keep track of logistics (the game primarily resolves around a supply system). If you want something that is almost completely like TS, 1989 isn't too bad (although it has a few issues). If you want something more wargamey, Washington's War is a good step up and a good first 'wargamey' CDG, which you can use to step up to Paths of Glory/EotS later.
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May 28, 2015 16:49
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Tekopo posted:If you want something that is almost completely like TS, 1989 isn't too bad (although it has a few issues). If you want something more wargamey, Washington's War is a good step up and a good first 'wargamey' CDG, which you can use to step up to Paths of Glory/EotS later. Exactly this. I know Labyrinth gets lambasted (by Tekopo, no less!), but it's decent for what it is - very similar to TS, but a little more randomness. Also there's Hearts and Minds, about Vietnam, and 1960: Making of a President, which is about the JFK election campaign.
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May 28, 2015 16:52
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Someone up thread mentioned sekigahara as a decent block wargame. Any further thoughts on this?
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May 28, 2015 16:54
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Tekopo posted:What kind of euros do you play? Pretty much anything short of 18xx/Splotter. Thanks for the recs, I think I'll probably start with Hammer and Washington's War. I've got FiTL and CC: Europe too, so that should keep me busy for a while. e: Probably grab Sword of Rome from the FLGS too T-Bone fucked around with this message at 18:56 on May 28, 2015 |
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May 28, 2015 18:52
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Lord Frisk posted:Someone up thread mentioned sekigahara as a decent block wargame. Any further thoughts on this? I only played it once (it will be twice after tonight) but it replaces all the dumb dice rolling from conventional block games with a nice hand management system. The cards are used for both movement and battle so you have some interesting decisions to make. The map is pretty interesting, too, in terms of what kind of movement is feasible. Also for those lamenting the unavailability of Napoleon's Triump you can always try it on vassal. A couple of computers hooked up locally isn't optimal but it's better than never getting to play it. Or you can always get it the way I did: have a random BGG user offer to trade it to you for Commands and Colors Ancients.
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May 28, 2015 20:45
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cenotaph posted:Or you can always get it the way I did: have a random BGG user offer to trade it to you for Commands and Colors Ancients. Fuuuuuuuck you. C&C is back in stock, so that trade will never get made.
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May 28, 2015 21:03
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Lord Frisk posted:Fuuuuuuuck you. C&C is back in stock, so that trade will never get made. I think C&C might have been in stock at the time and he either didn't know how expensive NT was or didn't care. I didn't feel the need to point it out. Played my second game of Sekigahara with Ilthe. It got a little solvable in the endgame but that was because I had a manpower advantage. We had some decent sized battles and I think I improved my hand management a bit. I was actually thinking more in advance about my future hand than I was in the first game.
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May 29, 2015 02:50
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The 2nd Battle of Miyasu castle effectively ended the game on Turn 5A or 5B I think, but it was still a very close game that came down to points, about 14-13 or something like that. Fun game, lots of action. Hand and block management is so much more preferable to rolling dice. The end game was just a formality of trying to secure castles and resource locations, but it didn't take very long.
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May 29, 2015 03:26
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Ithle01 posted:The 2nd Battle of Miyasu castle effectively ended the game on Turn 5A or 5B I think, but it was still a very close game that came down to points, about 14-13 or something like that. Fun game, lots of action. Hand and block management is so much more preferable to rolling dice. The end game was just a formality of trying to secure castles and resource locations, but it didn't take very long. I like that the game mechanics tend to lead players into having a big decisive battle around the middle of the board, as is what happened historically.
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May 29, 2015 06:00
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So Dawn of the Zeds and Nuklear Winter 68 look interesting. How good is Zeds? Is it worth getting as a solitaire game? I could get the 2nd Edition + Expansion for a reasonable price. Or should I just wait for the 3rd Edition? Nuklear Winter interests me as a wargame. And I like the theme. And so do some of my board game playing friends and it my help getting the game on the table. How does it Play? Has anyone played these two?
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May 29, 2015 07:50
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Lord Frisk posted:Churchill - I've heard some positive rumblings in regard to this one. Should I be apprehensive about the 3p aspect? I feel like it's harder to get three players rather than two. Basically I'm saying I only know cursory stuff about this title and I'm asking you to sell me on it. I haven't fully grasped the rules yet or seen any reviews but this game looks really cool and I am excited to play it - assuming I can find two friends up for a non-war wargame! The negotiation aspect of the game and necessary cooperation among rivals seem to have a lot of potential.
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Jun 2, 2015 03:52
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I haven't fully grasped the rules yet or seen any reviews but this game looks really cool and I am excited to play it - assuming I can find two friends up for a non-war wargame! The negotiation aspect of the game and necessary cooperation among rivals seem to have a lot of potential. There will be bot rules along the lines of the COIN series, so it can be played 2-player or solo in a pinch (though I suspect it won't shine quite as much as the full 3-player game). I think I saw one post from Mark Herman saying he even ran a couple 0-player games to test the bots, so in theory you don't need any human players to finish a game!
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Jun 2, 2015 04:48
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