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IRL (In Real Life) => Music, TV, Movies => Topic started by: besilarius on February 10, 2018, 05:24:15 PM

Title: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: besilarius on February 10, 2018, 05:24:15 PM
The Big Bang Theory episode on March 1, will have an homage to CNA.

Well, if anyone can figure out the logistics, it would be Sheldon.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: Staggerwing on February 10, 2018, 08:23:54 PM
The pasta should be al-dente before serving, after rinsing away any unwanted sand.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: JasonPratt on February 10, 2018, 08:52:36 PM
I thought... whatever-her-name-was-next-door (the original protagonist next door) had left the show?  ???

I haven't kept up in several years, although my parents kind of adore the prequel series about young Sheldon (which is very different in tone and writing). Apparently they had at least one son like that themselves once upon a time, so they can relate.  :coolsmiley:

Someone should AAR this episode's sequence, in the spirit of the thread!  O0
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: besilarius on February 10, 2018, 09:09:49 PM
One problem for the Axis was the Italian troops required extra water supply for boiling their pasta rations in CNA.
I can only imagine how Sheldon will react to that.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: mirth on February 10, 2018, 09:17:37 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on February 10, 2018, 08:52:36 PM
I thought... whatever-her-name-was-next-door (the original protagonist next door) had left the show?  ???

She is still on the show. She and Leonard are married now and live together.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: airboy on February 10, 2018, 10:20:40 PM
CNA? 
There are so many North Africa WW2 games.

OK - looked it up. 
Campaign North Africa by SPI.  Anything that came from SPI that claimed "super-detailed intense simulation" told me "run away, run away fast!"
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: mirth on February 11, 2018, 10:52:41 AM
Quote from: airboy on February 10, 2018, 10:20:40 PM
CNA? 
There are so many North Africa WW2 games.

OK - looked it up. 
Campaign North Africa by SPI.  Anything that came from SPI that claimed "super-detailed intense simulation" told me "run away, run away fast!"

CNA is the Monster of Monster games. It came up on of the Grogcasts last year. Not even the designer has played it to completion.

https://warisboring.com/the-wretched-excess-of-the-campaign-for-north-africa/ (https://warisboring.com/the-wretched-excess-of-the-campaign-for-north-africa/)

https://kotaku.com/the-notorious-board-game-that-takes-1500-hours-to-compl-1818510912 (https://kotaku.com/the-notorious-board-game-that-takes-1500-hours-to-compl-1818510912)

Quote
Berg has never completed a playthrough of The Campaign For North Africa. The game never received any of the compulsive testing required to iron-out inconsistencies and balance issues that are usually present in a freshly inked rulebook. Berg didn't care. He never saw the point. "When I said 'let's publish this thing' they said 'but we're still playtesting it! We don't know if it's balanced or not. It's gonna take seven years to play!' And I said 'you know what, if someone tells you it's unbalanced, tell them 'we think it's your fault, play it again.'"
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: besilarius on February 11, 2018, 12:54:03 PM
Vaguely recall a married couple who played wargames.  Rob and Alicia, I think.
They played monster games against each other.  A standing joke was they couldn't invite friends over because they had Wellington's Victory set up on their dining room table, for one and a half years.
They were going to celebrate Bonaparte's victory with a bash for the local club, but got carried away and set up Terrible Swift Sword instead.
However, Campaign for North Africa was too much.  They divorced six months into the game. 
Irreconcilable differences indeed.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: Con on February 11, 2018, 02:07:11 PM
Quote from: besilarius on February 11, 2018, 12:54:03 PM
Vaguely recall a married couple who played wargames.  Rob and Alicia, I think.
They played monster games against each other.  A standing joke was they couldn't invite friends over because they had Wellington's Victory set up on their dining room table, for one and a half years.
They were going to celebrate Bonaparte's victory with a bash for the local club, but got carried away and set up Terrible Swift Sword instead.
However, Campaign for North Africa was too much.  They divorced six months into the game. 
Irreconcilable differences indeed.
Is that a true story or a sitcom synopsis?
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: JasonPratt on February 13, 2018, 08:56:34 AM
Quote from: mirth on February 10, 2018, 09:17:37 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on February 10, 2018, 08:52:36 PM
I thought... whatever-her-name-was-next-door (the original protagonist next door) had left the show?  ???

She is still on the show. She and Leonard are married now and live together.

Awwwwww.  O:-)


....and CNA is her reward!  :D  >:D

(Just don't let her near that Conan MMO again...)
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: mirth on March 02, 2018, 09:26:18 PM
Just saw the episode. Made me chuckle. One small step for nerdom.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: mirth on March 02, 2018, 09:30:06 PM
"You wish. You are hundreds of hours away from the middle."

:DD
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: DoctorQuest on March 02, 2018, 09:36:31 PM
I thought of the Grogs as soon as Sheldon showed up with the game.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: besilarius on March 03, 2018, 08:57:41 AM
Would love to know the back story on how the producers found out about CNA.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 03, 2018, 09:34:46 AM
Quote from: besilarius on March 03, 2018, 08:57:41 AM
Would love to know the back story on how the producers found out about CNA.

Probably this one

https://kotaku.com/the-notorious-board-game-that-takes-1500-hours-to-compl-1818510912
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: undercovergeek on March 03, 2018, 01:34:44 PM
seen on a few forums people searching for the game since it aired
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: besilarius on March 03, 2018, 04:37:00 PM
That sounds pretty close to what people said about CNA.
My attention was grabbed by a different piece of glitter, GDW's Operation Crusader.  It was not quite so detailed or intensive, but it did take the club almost two months of gaming to reach a point where we could believe the brits were winning.
Looking  back on that, it was a great experience that brought out the tactical problems of both sides, specific to that month in time.

Hint: there is an optional rule that allows the brits to use their 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns against tanks, like the germans did with the 88.
The automatic Bofors burns through a ton of ammo, but they turned the armor of the Ariete division to confetti in no time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSp7CipN1pw
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: JasonPratt on March 03, 2018, 06:19:22 PM
It occurs to me that this game should be convertible to a PC game. A lot of the finicky under-the-hood things could be done automagically by fancy calculators prepared to look for, crunch, and adjust the data.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: Staggerwing on March 03, 2018, 08:04:32 PM
I'm sure Gary Grigsby is already on it.
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: JasonPratt on March 04, 2018, 12:32:01 PM
Exactly my thought.

Although WitW may fill in until then!  :bd:
Title: Re: Sheldon Cooper takes on Campaign for North Africa
Post by: mirth on March 04, 2018, 12:37:49 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on March 03, 2018, 06:19:22 PM
It occurs to me that this game should be convertible to a PC game. A lot of the finicky under-the-hood things could be done automagically by fancy calculators prepared to look for, crunch, and adjust the data.

Why not? It worked out well for World in Flames :P