Tide of Iron review

[DicedT]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpeck/2013/07/23/tide-of-iron-is-a-storm-of-steel/

[bayonetbrant]

I remember when FFG first came out with it and I reviewed the original for Scrye.  Great game, enormous box.  I donated it to CABS before I left Columbus rather than haul it around with me anymore.

Good review - nicely sums up the game, too.  It shares a 'toy factor' with M'44 but not much else, as it's much closer in kin to ASL than M'44 or any of the other figure-based board games out there.

edit: here's the interview I did w/ John when it first released.  the pix are borked and the article is still credited to Scott Parrino, but it's my interview...
http://wargamer.com/article/2433/Tide-of-Iron-Interview

[bayonetbrant]

aha - I found the info where FFG is licensing it to 1A Games

http://fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4025&epn=0

and Lombardy and Jaffe are the gys behind 1A?  Hmmmm... that's some good firepower there :)

[GJK]

...it's much closer in kin to ASL than M'44 or any of the other figure-based board games out there.

Careful!   ;)

[bayonetbrant]

I didn't say it was ASL!

M'44 is an abstract operational-level game that uses the figs to score the number of steps a unit has when taking damage.

ToI takes all that one step further by chancing what the figs represent.  In some cases, they change the weapons (MGs / mortars) and in others they change the quality of troops (reg vs elite).  You can also customize the sections by giving them abilities as medics or bazookas in addition to their baseline (think of a section with combat lifesavers, or carrying an extra AT weapon).  Once you layer on concealed movement and spotting, suppressive fire, extended ranges, flank attacks on vehicles, etc, you've got a pretty solid squad-level game with a nice visual toy factor and a box you could hide a newborn in.

It's a very, very good game for someone bringing the kids into serious wargaming.  They think they're playing with toys, but they're learning wargaming 101 while they're at it.
Unfortunately, the original scenarios that shipped with the game were a bit unbalanced, and about half of them are unplayable.  But the Designers' Series book is pretty good and has some great scenarios in it.

[Arctic Blast]

I had this one but ended up unloading it. It fits awkwardly between being a simple game you bust out with non-wargamers and being a full fledged wargame, and doesn't really satisfy either condition. Definitely interested to see what 1A do with it.

[bayonetbrant]

they're unlikely to change much of the rules engine underneath it all - after all, Lombardy was part of the original design team.