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Tekopo posted:So yeah, almost through my first campaign of The Hunters and here's my thoughts: Thanks for the write-up! I absolutely adore QOTS (my avatar was supposed to be noseart for a PbP) and The Hunters seems right up my alley.
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Jan 20, 2014 15:57
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 07:34 |
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I just played through a game of The Hunters and I mostly agree that it's a great sub-flavored Queen of the Skies, but with more player control. The first patrol I ran, I managed to sink a 5000 ton freighter, but ran into nothing else. So far so good. On the second patrol, I was spotted by a plane right out of port, but managed to crash-dive before it do anything. I get to the patrol area and spot an 8000 ton freighter. Sank that with 2 eels no problems. On the last leg of the patrol off the British Isles, I run into the HMS Nelson and I'm blinded by the prospect of a 34000 ton prize and an instant Knight's Cross. I get in close and launch a surfaced night attack with all 4 forward torpedo tubes. Two eels miss, but two others strike true and the Nelson capsizes and sinks in less than 15 minutes. It was at this point that I realized that a combination of attacking a capital ship, using steam torpedoes and attacking from close range means the escorts are going to have a real easy time detecting me (need to roll a 5 on a 2d6 to escape!). Under a carpet of depth charges, the first thing to go is the diesel engines, followed by the periscope, then the dive planes, then the aft tubes, and the flooding just keeps increasing with each succeeding attack. Finally, after 7 rounds of depth charges, the flooding reaches critical levels. I'm forced to surface the boat, but I do manage to scuttle her before the Royal Navy closes in. Two short patrols ending some time in Oct 1939, with 47000 tons sunk.
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Jan 21, 2014 20:08
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Tekopo posted:Mostly? Any misgivings? I like to hear people's opinions, good or bad. About the only misgiving that I have is that sometimes it's a bit too easy to sink stuff (especially caps), but that's about it. If you stick to medium range it feels weird that you never get detected prior to attack either. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who picked up on that! I did think it was odd that you couldn't ever get detected prior to launching torpedoes as long as you stayed far enough. I haven't encountered any convoys yet nor worked with a wolfpack, so I can't comment on those areas, but the other thing that stuck out to me was if the extra DRMs persisted across multiple combat rounds or not, like the ones for using steam torps and close range. I just assumed that they do persist because DRMs that only last 1 round are labeled specifically about it. I also couldn't make heads or tails of deck gun ammo: The board says "Ammo (10)", but the counter says "Ammo (2)", does that mean I put in 10 counters or 5? Does assigning 1 ammo counter to the attack mean I roll for hit/damage once or twice? On the realism front, I was wondering where the North Sea patrols were between Sep-1939 to Jun-1940 when your U-boat would be coming from Kiel/Wilhelmshaven instead of from the French coast. Sinking ships off the eastern coast of Britain and passing the Pentland Firth was kind of a big deal back then, but it's forgivable I guess if you just imagine Biscay is labeled something else for the moment. Otherwise the progression of Allied lethality seems appropriate. And yeah, I'd be down for adding historical fluff to an LP. Davin Valkri posted:If not him, then I'm sure someone else will fill in the blanks. Xenocides ran a pretty successful Silent War LP, and the LP forum loves the Silent Hunter series. It'll go over great, don't worry. steinrokkan has a chillingly encyclopedic knowledge of merchant shipping
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Jan 21, 2014 20:37
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Can I get a recommendation for a hex-and-counter wargame that's maybe a step up from Battle for Moscow? Something as simple as No Retreat!'s combat and supply rules but without the card-playing would be just about perfect. I was looking at Mark Simonitch's France 40 but I thought it was just a little too big and complex (hex-bond-ZOCs!  ) for my inexperienced self.
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Feb 25, 2014 12:08
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Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll check out Red Winter and will keep plugging away at France 40
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Feb 26, 2014 14:30
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Tekopo posted:Might get to finish my game of Totaler Krieg tomorrow: I might throw an AAR of it as some point. Don't have many pictures but I can bring a narrative if necessary. Anyone interested? Definitely interested in this!
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Mar 2, 2014 01:52
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What time are people usually on for these games? I'd like to get in on some VASSAL action too but I maintain odd hours.
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Mar 4, 2014 08:07
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B17 Queen of the Skies and The Hunters can be played without any charts or maps set out. You might still need the dice roll tables, but those you can print out on regular sized paper or a notebook
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Mar 9, 2014 16:18
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This is more of a general design question, but for games that do tackle WWI, are there any that tackle the Western Front and specifically covers a time-period beyond Aug 1914? I'm curious as to whether such designs assume that it would have been possible to produce a win (either by breakthrough or attrition) after the front had hardened into trench warfare and how such a thing might have been accomplished. For that matter, being able to produce a situation where the Germans get to the Marne and possibly further when the French/BEF player has the advantage of historical hindsight seems to be a design "problem" as interesting as producing a plausible result in a Barbarossa game.
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Mar 13, 2014 13:51
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Tekopo posted:Having tried the AIs on various COIN games, I can still say that playing COIN with AI is still better than playing Labyrinth. You mean artificial intelligence? Care to share? I googled "coin game ai" and it just lead me to a Bitcoin variant
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Mar 26, 2014 17:03
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Ropes4u posted:Are there any good war games that have been ported to iOS ? Battle of the Bulge and Drive on Moscow don't have paper versions (unless you ordered that special kickstarter bonus) but they're board-wargames through and through
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Apr 27, 2014 04:00
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Tekopo, have you taken a look at Tabletop Simulator? Seems like it'd be somewhat relevant to this thread as an alternative to Vassal provided people actually make the modules for it
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Apr 27, 2014 17:11
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Are there any games that are particularly suited for PBEM play over Vassal that I could look into? That seems to be the only good option for me given my wonky timezone
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May 8, 2014 14:37
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FebrezeNinja posted:Also Twilight Struggle Digital Kickstarter at a much better price point than GMT's effort.  Welp, there goes 25 dollars!I wish Memoir 44's digital version moved away from the penny-pinching model and was more like Ticket to Ride
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Jun 7, 2014 07:37
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Quarter to Three did a podcast with Dan Verssen just 2 weeks ago and, among other things, they do talk about the differences between the three Leader games in both theme and mechanics. http://pca.st/04Ld
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Jul 2, 2014 21:44
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There's nothing like a good ol' whole-day blackout to make you realize you don't have enough wargames. I got my brother to learn and play a few turns of Twilight Struggle by candlelight before the power came back on. I think I'll look into some Dan Verssen games to pick up next
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Jul 16, 2014 20:05
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I wonder what the Philippine one will be about. Counterinsurgency implies either the Filipino American war at the turn of the 20th century or against the Communist Huks in the 50s, but I couldn't think of a 4th faction after the US, the insurgency and the national government
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Jul 28, 2014 11:11
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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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Selecta84 posted:I thought about Vassal, too. Is there a KI for Vassal? Or do I have to play as both sides? VASSAL is simply digitized versions of map boards and counters/chits and sometimes automation of tedious tasks like shuffling/randomization and card draws. There is no AI. If a game has "solo rules" you still have to implement the movements yourself.
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Feb 4, 2015 09:04
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Grey Hunter's Over the Top thread got me thinking: are there people that play miniatures wargames using virtual tabletops like VASSAL or roll20? I suppose that sort of obviates the point of playing that kind of game if you're just going to abstract your Napoleonic regiment into a NATO counter, but then it would come with the advantage of pixel-perfect positioning and measurement, freedom to shape terrain as you wished, freedom to have army compositions that aren't limited by your budget and/or handiwork, and all the rest of the advantages of storing the game digitally over the internet.
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Mar 13, 2015 12:38
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Does B-17 Queen of the Skies count as a wargame? Because I just had an incredibly lucky first mission. The only thing that would have made it better would be if I had hit the target more, but the plane didn't get hit and nobody got hurt!
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Jan 25, 2016 17:13
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That orchard thing made total sense to me though and I've never played ASL. I guess the one bit that didn't quite sit well with me was that the 4-6-7 and the 4-5-8 supposedly don't have LOS when the orchards are in season when intuitively it'd look like you'd have partial visibility since it's passing on a hex border between an orchard and a clear hex.
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Feb 1, 2016 13:10
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Jobbo_Fett posted:That's because you need the rulebook to understand that (which is understandble why anyone without the terrain chart or prior knowledge would miss that). Yeah I figured it was some gamified abstraction like "never mind what it looks like as an arc, if the LOS line from center-of-hex to center-of-hex passes or touches through this kind of hex, LOS is blocked completely"
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Feb 1, 2016 13:25
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I finished crafting my print-and-play version of Battle for Moscow: I think I made the counters too thick at 4 layers of folder material, which made it difficult to cut the last two/three counters of a sheet, which is why some of those counters are awfully mangled. Next time I will try with just two layers. I also could have used better glue - I used a glue stick, but it was thin enough that I had to do a lot of regluing of spots that I missed that should have been covered before I did the individual counter-cutting. I think it's not too bad, though. Suggestions on other nice P&P games to consider? EDIT: I'm particularly looking for anything solitaire, and/or something involving Vietnam gradenko_2000 fucked around with this message at 12:02 on Oct 27, 2016 |
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Oct 27, 2016 11:48
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So I'm trying my hand at learning ASL, and this is my attempt at the initial set-up of the Retaking Vierville scenario: 1. Did I do that set-up about right? 1.1 Can I rotate the map to a portrait/vertical orientation? That's actually what the scenario guide suggests:  but since I couldn't make it look like that I just eyeballed it. 1.2 I know that technically the Germans don't "enter" the map until it's their turn, but I wanted to check if I was getting the board orientation right. That is, according to the scenario set-up, the "y" is on the south-east corner of the map, which means the three 4-6-7 first-line squads and the 8-1 leader are supposed to enter from there:  And then the three 4-4-7 second-line squads and the 7-0 leader are supposed to enter from the west edge ... which would be opposite.  2. Would anyone be willing to be my opponent? From a quick scan of the Starter Kit document, I don't think this scenario is meant to be played from any one particular side as a tutorial (unlike the starter scenario of, say, a computer wargame), and I'd like to have someone to play against to keep me honest. Specifically, I was thinking of doing something like a play-by-post/let's-play thread where I do all the turn-processing myself so that I can teach myself the game and show it to the peanut gallery, but you tell me what you want your side to be doing and I'll try to execute those orders per the rules.
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Apr 16, 2017 16:53
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https://lpix.org/sslptest/index.php?id=147331 I put up a test post for an ASL thread, and I wanted to ask if I was able to do my starter run-through correctly.
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Apr 17, 2017 14:38
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quote:This should be "Prep Fire counter" Oops, my bad. quote:See 3.3.1-- FFMO (First Fire (against) Movement (in) Open (Ground), these acronyms are garbage) would apply as well. Assault Movement only cancels out the FFNAM modifier (First Fire (against) Non-Assault Movement). So the final would be a 8 -2 shot. Okay, so if you Move into an open hex, the First Fire against you is at a -2 DRM, -1 because it's open ground, and a second -1 because you Moved instead of Assault Moved. If you Assault Move into an Open Hex, you're still at a -1 DRM, because it's still open ground, even if you're using Assault Movement. And both of these -1 DRMs only apply if the shooter does not have a First Fire counter on it yet. Is that right? quote:BOTH sides roll for CC. The Germans would roll on the 1-2 ratio (5:6, not quite 1-1). You could advance into a hex, fail your CC roll, and then the enemy could kill you in return. It's dangerous! Noted! quote:All in all, I think you're grokking the rules SUPER well. Way better than when I started playing. Thank you so much!
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Apr 17, 2017 15:32
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What do you call the tool they use to pick up counters? Are those just regular-rear end tweezers? Also, is it true that there are tools specifically made to let you clip counter corners? Finally, what about actually getting the counters out of their cardboard backing? Is that easy enough to do by hand? Sorry, I've never actually had to do this before, and I'd like to get ready before I order my first real hex-and-counter wargame. (I did buy a copy of Paul Rohrbaugh's Day of Infamy back in I think 2014, but I never got the nerve to actually set it up for fear of ruining the cardboard)
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May 2, 2017 04:13
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I did it. Pulled the trigger on ASL Starter Kit #1. If it all goes down like it should, I should have it by June. and I'm already eyeing the Mark Simonitch games from GMT ...
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May 4, 2017 17:51
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the information density on those counters is fairly impressive
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May 14, 2017 16:29
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My Starter Kit 1 box finally arrived! I'll try to get some pictures up and some turns in tonight, live and in cardboard
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May 20, 2017 09:46
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I forgot to take pictures, but the wife wanted to learn how to play and we played up to turn 4 of Retaking Vierville before I conceded. My southern flank had completely collapsed and the Germans held a firm grip on the two objective buildings, and there was no way to recapture both in the one turn I had left. That was a fun two hours.
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May 20, 2017 16:28
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So given that the Starter Packs 2 and 3 and out-of-print in most places I've looked, what comes next for ASL? If I got something like Yanks or even Beyond Valor, I'd still also need the 2nd edition rulebook, yes? I guess Decision at Elst is the other boxed set that's self-contained outside of the Starter Packs?
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May 21, 2017 02:53
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Jobbo_Fett posted:Edit: DON'T get the most recent edition's rulebook's binder. Its not big enough to fit the rules + all the various modules. Ask me how I found that out! Are you saying get the paperback version or ??? COOL CORN posted:To add on to what Jobbo said, I'm worried part of it may be misleading. That looks like an MMO raid attunement guide. Thanks, though! Looks like the Starter Kit Expansion 1 is available, so I miiiiight get that first.
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May 21, 2017 03:21
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Thank you! On a different topic, I'd like to ask for some game recommendations: 1. is there an ASL esque game set in Vietnam? 2. is there a hex and counter game in the divisional to. corps scale for WWI? either front is ok
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May 21, 2017 06:23
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I'd like to get a clarification on how MGs work in ASL: My turn - Prep Fire Phase: I shoot with an MG, and the colored die is is less-than-or-equal-to the Rate of Fire number. That means I can shoot with it again. but the Squad that owns the MG is already marked with a Prep Fire counter. Does that mean that the MG only fires "on its own" on this second (and even succeeding) shots? I shoot again, and this time I don't get to keep ROF. Opponent's turn - Movement phase - my defensive fire: I shoot with an MG, and the colored die is less-than-or-equal-to the ROF number. That means I can shoot with it again. again, how does "keeping ROF" interact with the base squad already being tagged with a a First Fire counter? how do MGs interact with Subsequent First Fire and/or Final Protective Fire? I get that if I shoot with an MG as a First Fire and I lose ROF, then I can't shoot with it again for the rest of the phase, but what if I still have ROF and then an SFF or even an FPF opportunity arises? I get that if I keep ROF, then the MGs FP doesn't count for residual FP (because in-universe the MG is sweeping to somewhere else) If I lose ROF during the Movement Phase, does that carry-over to the Defensive Fire Phase? Advancing Fire Phase Can I shoot with an MG during this phase? And finally, I get that what's supposed to discourage you from going balls-out on MGs all the time is that if you roll a natural 12 (or whatever the explicit break number is), then the MG breaks, and you have to repair it during the rally phase (and it might be eliminated completely too)
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May 22, 2017 16:31
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Thanks all for the responses - I'm gearing up for War of the Rats and that's going to come in handy.
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May 23, 2017 05:57
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so how does Hide In Plain Sight and Concealment markers work? I don't need a full explanation, just the cliff notes so I can follow along when people talk about it and stuff like Dummy units in AARs and videos
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May 23, 2017 18:00
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COOL CORN posted:HIP actually stands for "hidden initial placement" Jobbo_Fett posted:Concealment is gained based on certain things. Generally speaking, if you are out of LOS of any/all enemy units and in the proper terrain you automatically gain ? counters for each applicable unit after setup. You can also gain concealment during a game, but only during your turn and ONLY at the end of the turn. This usually involves rolling a die too. Dang if the Festung Budapest AARs don't sound cool as heck though. StashAugustine posted:loving hell why are all grog developers garbage But kickstarter isn't supposed to be a *gets buried in an avalanche*
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May 24, 2017 06:52
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 07:34 |
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So I found out and read about this thing called the Incremental IFT, which seems to fill in half-values on the lower band, and every integer value going up to 36. My initial reaction is that this is one of those D&D grognard things where you have to like get more realistic by drilling down to more precise values so that you don't lose the odd 1-2 FP from rounding, but I wanted to ask if there were any opinions about it besides that. Also, I was watching a playthrough of Fighting Withdrawal, and I discovered a really cool piece of "chrome" in the Russian Commissar - they increase the morale of the squads they're with, and they make them immune to Desperation Morale, but if they fail to rally, the squad gets Replaced and might even get casualty reduced 
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May 24, 2017 10:44
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