A quick recommendation please

Started by acctingman, June 02, 2021, 04:48:40 PM

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Father Ted

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 03, 2021, 08:34:38 AM
Remember...its only a game. If you lose, nobody dies and you can start over. Have fun!

My twopennorth would be to reiterate JH's comment above and also to suggest that you try to include the learning process in the fun.  Both WitW and WitE are often on steep discounts, so giving them a go doesn't have to be too painful wallet-wise.

Phantom

I tend to disagree here. Jumping into a complex game (especially WitE, which I'd define as a spreadsheet type game) may well put you off for life. Until you have all the mechanics of the game tied down it could be a real chore and you'll find yourself reading the manual more than playing the game just to find out what the hell happened & why you lost all those men.
Personally I'd go for Decisive Campaigns - probably Warsaw to Paris, which IMO you can play with limited knowledge of the internal engine as, if you do something logical militarily, it will normally pan out well in the game. Also 90% of the info is up front on the counters, so following even a multi hex combat is fairly simple. Its just more of a fun gaming experience, and if you enjoy & master it AND feel the desire for another level of detail, then by all means try something harder (though if you're keen on the engine the next step may be DC Barbarossa - which has a fantastic strategic/political overlayer).
That said, with regard to transitioning to WitE, on my gaming path I discovered more complex doesn't mean better, and since then I've gone for better designed games that give similar outcomes for less rules overhead & less micromanagement.
That's me however - different strokes & all that!
Regards

acctingman

Quote from: Phantom on June 03, 2021, 01:22:22 PM
I tend to disagree here. Jumping into a complex game (especially WitE, which I'd define as a spreadsheet type game) may well put you off for life. Until you have all the mechanics of the game tied down it could be a real chore and you'll find yourself reading the manual more than playing the game just to find out what the hell happened & why you lost all those men.
Personally I'd go for Decisive Campaigns - probably Warsaw to Paris, which IMO you can play with limited knowledge of the internal engine as, if you do something logical militarily, it will normally pan out well in the game. Also 90% of the info is up front on the counters, so following even a multi hex combat is fairly simple. Its just more of a fun gaming experience, and if you enjoy & master it AND feel the desire for another level of detail, then by all means try something harder (though if you're keen on the engine the next step may be DC Barbarossa - which has a fantastic strategic/political overlayer).
That said, with regard to transitioning to WitE, on my gaming path I discovered more complex doesn't mean better, and since then I've gone for better designed games that give similar outcomes for less rules overhead & less micromanagement.
That's me however - different strokes & all that!
Regards

Phantom...I'd be interested to know which games you prefer over the WitE/W series. Thank you for your comments.

In fact, thank you all for the comments/suggestions. I might just go the route of the DC game then WitE/W. I've read so many good things about the DC games and while I get that each game is different it wouldn't hurt me to chew on a nice t-bone before I try and eat a filet mignon!

Phantom

Quote from: acctingman on June 03, 2021, 01:51:25 PM
Quote from: Phantom on June 03, 2021, 01:22:22 PM
I tend to disagree here. Jumping into a complex game (especially WitE, which I'd define as a spreadsheet type game) may well put you off for life. Until you have all the mechanics of the game tied down it could be a real chore and you'll find yourself reading the manual more than playing the game just to find out what the hell happened & why you lost all those men.
Personally I'd go for Decisive Campaigns - probably Warsaw to Paris, which IMO you can play with limited knowledge of the internal engine as, if you do something logical militarily, it will normally pan out well in the game. Also 90% of the info is up front on the counters, so following even a multi hex combat is fairly simple. Its just more of a fun gaming experience, and if you enjoy & master it AND feel the desire for another level of detail, then by all means try something harder (though if you're keen on the engine the next step may be DC Barbarossa - which has a fantastic strategic/political overlayer).
That said, with regard to transitioning to WitE, on my gaming path I discovered more complex doesn't mean better, and since then I've gone for better designed games that give similar outcomes for less rules overhead & less micromanagement.
That's me however - different strokes & all that!
Regards

Phantom...I'd be interested to know which games you prefer over the WitE/W series. Thank you for your comments.

In fact, thank you all for the comments/suggestions. I might just go the route of the DC game then WitE/W. I've read so many good things about the DC games and while I get that each game is different it wouldn't hurt me to chew on a nice t-bone before I try and eat a filet mignon!

I started playing computer wargames years ago, and one of my first (possibly THE first) was Gary Grigsby's 2nd Front, I think I was playing it on the Commodore Amiga then - shows how old it (& I!) am. This was the forerunner of War in Russia then WiTE IIRC. I played 2nd Front for hours & hours at a time, at the time it was easily the best "grognard" game out there. Since then its been improved/expanded/enhanced, but its roots are still visible. Here's where me & the game diverged - as it evolved it became far more complex and whilst I suspect I could still play & enjoy it, it would take a large investment in time, and whilst I suspect its very accurate, its a little dry for my taste now.
So in a nutshell, I tend to enjoy simpler games (though not too simple) with more flavour & colour. TOAW is about my grognard limit these days. My favourite WW2 games are the DC series - Warsaw to Paris for straight combat, Barbarossa for a clever nuanced game with a political element, which, when dealing with the war in the east is a crucial (arguably THE crucial) element. I've not played WiTE so maybe I'm doing it a disservice, but I don't think it includes this. DC also includes a lot of colour - bio's on commanders which ties into their usefulness, plus card play - a great innovation in board games, and IMO a great one in PC games too.
I also like the Command Ops games as you can delegate a lot of micromanagement to your sub-commanders, though I appreciate watching the game play out and the very sketchy intelligence isn't to everyone's tastes, but IMO it does realistically represent that upper command perspective. At the tactical level I play Combat Mission & Tigers on the Hunt, again for a good balance of realism & playability.
Hope that helps and that you enjoy whatever you settle on.
Regards

ArizonaTank

You might also look at Matrix's The Operational Art of War IV (TOAW IV for short).  You can play without diving too deeply into the rules, but there is plenty of detail when you are ready for it.

What is nice about the game is that there are many, many, many scenarios (over 200) of very diverse size and length. There is also a very robust scenario editor if you get ambitious.   

TOAW IV is an older game however, so you might want to wait for a sale if you decide to pick it up.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/792660/The_Operational_Art_of_War_IV/

Also +1 on the Decisive Campaigns series...also by Matrix/Slitherine.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/337760/Decisive_Campaigns_The_Blitzkrieg_from_Warsaw_to_Paris/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/354600/Decisive_Campaigns_Case_Blue/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/454530/Decisive_Campaigns_Barbarossa/


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