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I've always wanted to get into board game wargaming. I've played some PC wargames (Hearts of Iron, C:TGW, WinSPMBT, etc.) but never any board games really. I think I'll hang out in the IRC chat sometime this weekend and see if someone can show me a game on Vassal - I'm more interested in counter/block games as opposed to CDGs, but I'm willing to give anything a try! I think I tried to play Twilight Struggle once, but it was late and night and I wasn't really absorbing the rules at the time.
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Sep 26, 2014 22:07
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| # ¿ Apr 30, 2024 01:47 |
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Tekopo posted:What sort of era/game are you interested in? There's quite a lot of introductionary WWII stuff and the OP of the thread has some good starter, but it really depends on personal tastes. I like the look of C&C: Napoleonics, Strike of the Eagle, and Rommel in the Desert. I don't really like the look of some of the other C&C games, but maybe that's just my addiction to NATO counters making me twitch when I see figures used in a game  Era-wise I'm interested in WWs I & II, and I know there's no shortage of games in that range. Battle for Canada looks pretty neat too. I guess I just need to try one, see what I do/don't like about it, and go from there!
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Sep 26, 2014 22:18
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Tekopo posted:C&C, especially Napoleonics, is very good but I sort of mildly dislike Memoir '44 because the game system really doesn't represent WWII that well, the idea of only certain flanks being able to move makes less sense when the communication systems in WWII were much better than their Napoleonics/ACW counterparts. I had looked at Red Winter, but hadn't seen No Retreat - both of those look good. I am a sucker for anything in the Soviet theater, so those look great. I'll probably find some rules and play around with them in Vassal to see if I can get the hang of one or the other before pestering people in IRC.
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Sep 26, 2014 22:28
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Morholt posted:What timezone are you in? I'd be up for some No Retreat in the weekend. EST
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Sep 26, 2014 23:03
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I've got Fire in the Lake coming to me tomorrow  I played through most of the walkthrough book for Andean Abyss on VASSAL to kind of get an idea of what I'd be getting into. FitL is basically the same, just with a different setting/characters/map, right? All the COIN games have the same basic playing style?
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Oct 30, 2014 23:12
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Welp! Sink or swim I guess.
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Oct 31, 2014 01:27
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CaptainApathyUK posted:My copy arrived earlier this week. It's easily the most complicated game I've ever bought, but I'm already finding that it's not nearly as bad as it appears. Everything kinda makes sense thematically which kinda helps, and there's a pretty decent tutorial walkthrough that I just got through this afternoon. Are you talking about the included Playbook walkthrough or something else? I'd like to see it if it's something else. I just played through the first few rounds of the Playbook, and it's (understandably) a lot less in-depth than the Andean Abyss Playbook. I really enjoyed that one because it would say, "okay, now stop and read this section in the Rule Book and then come back." I guess with this game being volume 4, the Playbook wouldn't be as dumbed-down I suppose. Either way, I have a good idea of what's going on and it's fun so far!
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Nov 1, 2014 23:54
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I've finally got a decent grasp on Twilight Struggle, and can see why it's ranked as high as it is, holy poo poo. Even though I'm still pretty terrible at it, I can see the depth and strategy involved; it's really a gem. Two questions: 1) What's the general consensus on Labyrinth: The War on Terror? As far as I can tell it's basically a modern analogue to TS and seems to play very similarly. Might be fun for when I want a change of pace from TS. 2) Would anyone be interested in a PBEM game of TS via WGR or VASSAL or that Excel spreadsheet that's floating around? I'm starting a new job tomorrow and won't have time to play real-time, but would probably be able to email back and forth throughout the day. Also, that way I can analyze my moves and get to know the cards really well.
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Nov 3, 2014 07:24
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I'm tempted to do a PBP of FitL now that I have a good grasp on it. It's also held fun solo, even though I just don't use the flowcharts because they hurt my brain. I'll get to those eventually.
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Nov 4, 2014 15:57
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CNN Sports Ticker posted:Do you just play as all the factions yourself? I started off playing as the two COIN forces against the flowcharts for the insurgents. Eventually it was getting late and I had two more coups to go so I just played all four myself because it was a lot quicker. I've been playing Twilight Struggle the same way. It's a lovely life I lead. Edit-- I meant to type lonely. Either works.
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Nov 4, 2014 16:39
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Tekopo posted:COINs are doable in a day, most monster games are not (I'm guessing that Trynant didn't mean COIN because he mentioned paper maps and chits). People might be willing to play a 7 hour monster, but you get something like the 50 hour full campaign of Unconditional Surrender and people start to think you have some sort of mental condition. And then there's stuff like Battle for Normandy    
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Nov 5, 2014 17:59
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How much is it recommended to get into ASL, or at least dip my toes in the water by getting the Starter Kit #1? Will it be a pain on my wallet and/or soul? I've heard stories of 2-3" thick binders holding all the applicable rules, and that scares me. I have enough of a hard time finding people to play more "casual" games with me.
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Nov 10, 2014 07:33
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Trynant posted:Starter Kits are $30-$40, the first one (with infantry rules) has 11 pages with the third kit having 30 (infantry, guns, tanks). As impenetrable as the full game can be (the one you've heard horror stories of), the Starter Kits are a great way to see if you at least like the system. Thanks, the "pays off in spades" is the part I was looking for. I've heard so much talk about it, but most of the talk I see is just about how complicated it is, not as much about how good it is/whether it's good.
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Nov 10, 2014 14:17
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I just played through a couple missions on B-17: Queen of the Skies, and would definitely recommend it. There's almost no strategy, really it's just dice rolling to see what happens, but it's a fun time waster and if you like to get into the narrative of a game, it's a good one for that.
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Nov 10, 2014 22:38
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Are there any decent, free print-and-play games out there? I've heard good things about Napoleon at Waterloo. I've gotta wait until I get paid again before I can consider buying anything else, but I also want something to while away the boring evenings
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Nov 12, 2014 14:12
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Here's a question for you guys. I've been looking at a ton of different games and testing on VASSAL, reading rules, etc. But, I know myself, and I know that I would buy up a whole bunch and play a little bit of each one instead of just really getting into and learning one. So, I'm looking to buy a hefty game, learn it well, and play it often (99% solo, I'm fine playing both sides, so a CDG where hidden cards are important isn't a good thing). I'm thinking about Empire of the Sun, since it looks to be the depth and size I'm looking for. I like WW2, I like the Pacific theater, I would also be into WW1 or Vietnam... I'm open to ideas. Would EotS be good for me?
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Nov 13, 2014 02:00
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Lord Frisk posted:Orphean nailed it. You described a COIN game.There's no hidden information at all, and unique actions for each faction, so different sides of the war play extremely differently. Well, thing is, I already have Fire in the Lake I enjoy that a lot, but honestly I'm looking for a hex-and-counter game to scratch this particular itch.edit-- D-Day at Omaha Beach looks like a good complex WG that's also solitaire, which looks like it'd be right up my alley! Count Thrashula fucked around with this message at 04:53 on Nov 13, 2014 |
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Nov 13, 2014 04:41
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CNN Sports Ticker posted:Is there any reason to not just jump into Fire in the Lake by playing a solo game with the flowcharts and all that? FITL was my first COIN game, and I ran through the playbook once and then jumped straight into a solo game with me (US/ARVN) vs the AI (NVA/VC). It was a blast.
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Nov 13, 2014 07:03
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Well, the system lends itself to mass production! I just wish I could find a copy of Cuba Libre for less than like... $150.
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Nov 13, 2014 07:18
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Lord Frisk posted:There's a scheduled reprint for 2Q 2015 of all the current COIN games, so maybe throw in a p500 for that. I'm still waiting for the war of Irish independence game. That's the only one I'm really excited for. poo poo I didn't even think about that, but it would be amazing.
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Nov 13, 2014 13:57
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Put in my first P500, for Gallic Wars. Fire in the Lake is so damned good that there's no way I can pass it up, especially since I love Rome-y stuff.
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Nov 13, 2014 22:53
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Hey, someone get on IRC and (begin to) teach me a new wargame! Something hex-y. edit-- Thanks Panzeh for your "Here's Why You Do What You Do In Empire of the Sun" class.
Count Thrashula fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Nov 14, 2014 |
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Nov 14, 2014 00:58
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My goal for today is to learn Navajo Wars on VASSAL, because it just looks like too innovative of an idea to not be in my collection (when I get paid)
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Nov 14, 2014 14:40
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Dre2Dee2 posted:Did you see they are coming out with a sequel to Navajo Wars, called Comancheria? I did! I looks good. And doh, I can't learn on VASSAL because even though I have the rulebook and playbook, I don't have the charts to resolve random cube pulls. Oh well, it can wait until I get paid I guess.
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Nov 14, 2014 15:22
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blackmongoose posted:If you're on IRC tomorrow evening or possibly Sunday I can run you through a learning game if you'd like. Awesome. I did put in an order on the BGG marketplace for a copy though - $25 isn't bad! I guess that's a fair price for the amount of enjoyment I imagine I'll get.
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Nov 14, 2014 16:35
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Ropes4u posted:MMP is having a pre Black Friday sale, are there any of their games I have to own? To expand on this, here is the exact sale: quote:Advanced Squad Leader
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Nov 14, 2014 19:49
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rchandra posted:I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, but Thunderbolt-Apache Leader should be a fine choice if playing as aerial units only is acceptable. The ground-heavy ones I've seen seem to be mostly WWII? If that's OK there's D-Day at Omaha Beach, or Fields of Fire for the moderate grognard. Fields of Fire has Korea/Vietnam missions too, so a little more modern. Only problem is Fields of Fire is (proving to be) difficult to find for a decent price. D-Day at Omaha Beach is still in print and I can confirm that it's super fun. The solitaire mechanic is really well-implemented.
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Nov 16, 2014 05:11
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Just picked up ASL Starter Kit #1 at a local game shop for $20. I don't know what the "tossing money up in the air" emoticon is, but I feel like it's going to apply here before long. I feel like this is akin to someone giving me a first little bump of cocaine and then saying, "yeah, no problem, this one's on me, look how easy and fun this is!" Next thing I know, I'll be broke and lying in a ditch somewhere trying to find LOS to my next mugging victim. Also got the C3i issue with Soviet Dawn in it. I'm excited to try that out.
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Nov 16, 2014 21:29
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War is hell.
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Nov 17, 2014 05:53
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Tekopo posted:Yessssss Things I learned last night: - Clipping counters with a tiny pair of nail clippers for 1hr+ really makes your hand cramp up. - ASL, even if it's just the SK, is actually really cool, and not bad at all for solo play.
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Nov 17, 2014 18:32
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Personally, on the following continuum... Free-form <--------|--------> Scripted ...I prefer a little left-of-center. I'm a big fan of "what if" scenarios, which is why COIN games and Twilight Struggle appeal to me so much. You're perfectly within your rights to say, "what if the whole Che Guevara thing never happened," or whatever, and that makes the game more fun for me. I guess that's why I like CDGs more than totally open-map tactical games
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Nov 17, 2014 22:15
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I just played through Soviet Dawn during my lunch break, and it's a really fun ~30 minute filler. It's part of the "States of Siege" series by Victory Point Games. It is somewhat linear, but has great theme, and can have a very panicked Whack-a-Mole feel to it with all the different fronts encroaching in on you. Definitely recommended. Paid $20 for C3i magazine with Fire in the Lake on the cover, and this game was in it.
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Nov 18, 2014 19:56
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Dre2Dee2 posted:So which do you think is the strongest one, Distant Plain? Best intro game is probably Cuba Libre or Andean Abyss, since they're simpler and smaller than ADP and FITL.
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Nov 19, 2014 04:32
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Dre2Dee2 posted:Oh oh, in terms of teaching people. I thought Tekpo meant FitL was the worst as in it was the least fun game No, it's a blast of a game! It's just the toughest to teach I have a 4-player PBEM game going right now which has 2 first-time players, and almost every single turn is like "no, no, you can't do that, because of this rule over here... no, there either. Yeah, I guess you could do that... wait, no, the rule says 'an', not 'any', so you only put one there."It's been going for a week and we're like 7 cards in.
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Nov 19, 2014 15:14
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Quick question - is there a consensus on the "best" large-scale game? I want something to play solo in VASSAL during slow times at work, and just keep a running save file going. I understand that the SCS system (Afrika, Bastogne, Stalingrad Pocket, etc.) is really well-liked and very approachable, how does it compare with the OCS system? Looks like Tunisia, Burma, and Case Blue are the top rated OCS games, but I know nothing about any in that system.
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Nov 19, 2014 15:21
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Morholt posted:Then he told me a story about how this SS fallschirm regiment was encircled once, the Americans asked them to surrender, and the SS commander's reply? "Nuts!" ("Nüsse" presumably?) Got it backwards. This was at Bastogne; US General McAuliffe was asked to surrender, and his reply was "NUTS!" The German translator translated it back to the German General Luttwitz as "go to Hell". ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bastogne#Battle ) Morholt posted:Wehraboos Ahahaha.
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Nov 19, 2014 20:51
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Trynant posted:It continues: I'm going to resume clipping more Advanced Squad Leader counters. ...Jesus. In other news, Navajo Wars just came in the mail. Paid $25 for it and it's in perfect condition and all the counters are punched. Score! Can't wait to break this out.
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Nov 21, 2014 22:01
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I played through the Navajo Wars tutorial with the physical game set tonight and... I'm really blown away with how elegant and well-designed it is.
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Nov 22, 2014 04:19
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Wow, NVA expanded a lot. Looks like a close game on all sides.
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Nov 22, 2014 23:04
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You're like a PSA for counter clipping, wow. edit - oh welp
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Nov 25, 2014 00:36
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