As the title - any exist? I'd love to have a small scale infantry boardgame
I know of Ambush! but cannot seem to find a copy anywhere.
I guess Lock n Load might be one publisher? If so - any particular game? I'm not fussed whether it's WWII or modern - so long as it's small scale
So mentions of any others would be nice.
I'm currently working on a boardgame conversion that utilizes the advanced combat system from Phoenix Command RPG. The system will utilize play aids that will minimize all the chart referencing.
Otherwise, I'm not a fan of Ambush. Looking up paragraphs for every freaking hex entered gets old to me. WEG's Soldiers looks pretty good. I have copy a copy but have not played it. There's a copy up for sale for $10 on the CSW marketplace.
AH Firepower is probably the most tactical game out there. I'm assuming that you're looking for individual men/crew level.
Lock 'n Load series is my favourite squad level tactical game series right now. I have all of the WWII stuff and all the WWIII stuff.
Band of Heroes and Heroes of the Blitzkreig are WWII base games. BoH might be hard to find.
Forgotten Heroes is the base game for Vietnam, also hard to find.
Heroes of the Gap is base game for WWIII, great fun with M1's and T72's. These tend to be larger battles ie more counters.
Day of Heroes is base game for Somolia, think Black Hawk Down. Very interesting scenarios.
Just got Sergants Miniature Game: Day of Days and Road to Caretan. Individual soldiers. Battles up to about 3 squads worth.
There's always ASL starter Kits, they get really good reviews as a way into ASL.
Not necessarily individual men - perhaps squad leve is more what I'm looking for.
Simple is a good key word. My memory isn't great so anything that requires a considerable amount of memory storage wouldn't be a good choice (I'm thinking (from what I recall of Avalon Hill games) that they would not qualify)
I used to have an AH game about tank warfare...MBT? Individual tanks I believe. Anyway - it was way too complicated for me to play...so never got round to it.
I still have to get into World at War Blood and Bridges. What's actually holding me up here is I need a strong "board" to put the mounted map on. I only have a small table in my room, so I need a nice strong thick piece of cardboard or wood to sit the mounted map on...so I haven't managed to get into it yet.
But something piqued my interest re small scale infantry combat - and as it's my birthday soon, I thought "why not?"...
I see Lock n Load has Band of Heroes and A Day of Heroes might be the ticket?
Thanks BH. I was also thinking LnL
I saw Band of Heroes Second Edition for £38 - so I might pony up for that...maybe Day of Heroes or Forgotten Heroes if I can find it.
Thanks.
The LnL series is easy on the brain... at least once you learn it. Some people have a bit of trouble with the conversational style that the rule book is written in. However there is a great series of vids on BGG that show how the game is played. Go watch them to see if it's your cup of tea. I was just at a tourney and we had to use the rule book maybe 1/2 a dozen time in the 4 days of playng.
If you are looking for something interesting and different go for Day of Heroes.
Another vote for LnL Band of Heroes. Once you make it through the rule book and play a game or two it clicks and then it is alot of fun!
The Day of Heroes rules gave me fits. As much as I wanted to play it, I wound up selling it.
Another that I forgot about (that is a true solitaire game) is GMT's Fields of Fire. I heard that it's an intense game (the bomb!) but the rules are a mess (better in v2). I'm awaiting the new reprint that is supposed to clean it up (preordered already).
Not to be pedantic (but I will be so, anyways) but are you looking for:
a) a true SOLITAIRE game...one where the game rules and mechanics are specifically designed to be played ideally by one person (and two-person games therefore are a variation of the rules) or,
b) a game that can be played SOLO...means, a game that was designed to be played by at least two players, but with minor rule changes, modifications, or simple "Point-of-view" shift, can be played by one player?
Also...do you want something that is true boardgame...or can it be virtual game on your PC?
Also also...there are some great rules (not too hard to figure out) that are written for miniatures but could be played with home-made counters...any interest in that?
Also x 3...any interest in a melieu or age beyond those mentioned (wwii and modern)? any interest in stuff about ships, planes, tank - themed games
And finally...any preference on expansion, add-ons, etc? Meaning...some great solitaire games focus on a single event (Rourke's Drift, St. Nazaire, the Battle of Britain), which of course is very different than, say LnL.
Conflict of Heroes games are excellent squad level games with very nice components and a very dynamic system which is a breeze to learn.
LnL also has Space Infantry. A solitaire game with various missions and bad guys.
Or if you want to go to platoon level, then LnL's Nations at War series is absolutely the best :-)
lol - ok - America woke up ;)
Right -
GJK
why did Day of Heroes give you fits? The rules? Scenarios? Something else?
Jack NastyFace (love that name)
I prefer solitaire - but I can do with solo so long as the house rules are not too difficult to implement
I prefer true bordgame. Moreover, I do not want miniatures. I really prefer the look and feel of chits - and no home made stuff. I need the art - and good art too
I'm only really interested in WWII and anything after - most especially Vietnam, Cold War, Falklands. Mainly I would like squad level, possibly at most platoon. At the minute I'm not interested in anything naval or air campaigns (I have my leader games for air!)
No preference to whether there are expansions or not - as long as the game has replayability.
bob48
I totally forgot I had Conflict of Heroes (which I now have on PC now that they have implemented the boardgame look and rules) however I do recall something that stopped me playing the boardgame and why I was looking forward to a PC game - some of the scenarios have mines/pre-determines arty fire etc - and whilst I can profess to saying I CAN play a 2 player game solo wothout ANY bias, those parts are kind of tricky!
But I will keep in mind I have that.
Capn Darwin
Not at all interested in anything sci-fi I'm afraid
bob48
Platoon level could be a consideration. How do you rate Nations at War over Day of Heroes or Band of Heroes?
Thanks all.
I'm definitely leaning to Band/Day of Heroes...or possibly another WaW game.
One other question - any Falklands games out there. I had heard of one that went out of print...can't remember the name...but are there any others?
Ring of Hills from LnL covers the Falklands conflict. Same system as Heroes of the Gap and other Lock n load systemg games.
Having trouble finding it in Google for sale in the UK - looks like the thing I'm looking for - though I wouldn't be too averse to a complete Falklands campaign game - naval, air and ground combat
JD, there are some pretty good solo rules for CoH, so I would not let the mines / OBA stuff put you off. Besides which, they only apply to a few of the firefights. There are also a good batch of extra firefights that you can download from Academy games website. It does play well as a solo system, although it obviously comes into its own as a multi-player game where it can be truly nail-biting.
As for NaW, well, I admit I'm pretty biased about this. Its a very easy to play / easy to learn / teach system and is a lot of fun. Its simple without being simplistic. Although there is only one full game currently available (WSR), there are a couple of small expansions and a brace of scenario's in Line of Fire magazine, plus Desert Heat should be out within the next month or so. On top of that, Stalin's Triumph (Kursk) is on pre-order and will hopefully hit target.
I've been fortunate enough to be involved in some of the play testing (Cobra and LoF) and am also currently engaged in helping design and develop several more expansions that may see the light of day.
This game hits the spot for me, and it deserves to do well and spawn many more add-ons. Highly recommended.
Oh, and if you want to play WSR and the Cobra expansion on Vassal, then fellow Grog Barthhart has done an excellent job of putting them there for us to enjoy :-)
If you want any more info on either CoH or NaW, just PM me and I'll be more than happy to help.
As a last parting shot - if you like NaW, then there is a heap of games in the WaW series as well. This is the system that NaW is derived from, but in a fictional 1985 WW3 setting.
Quote
why did Day of Heroes give you fits? The rules? Scenarios? Something else?
I don't know. As you may know, I play ASL and that game is not difficult for me at all...in understanding the intent of the rules and how they are applied to the game. The "learning curve" is simply remembering all of the details of when to apply what modifier. That is the where I think the game gets its label as being "uber geeky and difficult to learn". It really isn't though.
DoH/LnL rules just made no sense to me. I found lots of contradictions, rules referenced all throughout the rulebook (ok, ASL does this too obviously) and the layout was atrocious to me. Also the style or wording was just too much to parse. I probably over-thought each rule and maybe should of just tried to play it with what I could figure out, but even that seemed like too much work. I posted several messages on the LnL CSW folder with rules questions and the answers that I received were also contradictory. I would be amazed if two people played that game the exact same way with their interpretation of the rules.
Well, I guess its a subjective thing. I played ASL a lot a few years back and my memory retains almost non of the rules. I would have to relearn it all. However, I can sit down and play CoH or NaW / WaW almost without having to refer to the rule books.
I agree that maybe LnL rules may not be the best laid-out, but there are a lot of games (and publishers) who's rule books are are a damn sight worse. Yeah, there were a few ambiguities, most of which have now been resolved as far as I'm concerned, mainly thanks to Cap'n Darwin's excellent Q/A and rules clarifications. Again, we are used to having errata for just about all published games, so that's pretty normal for the hobby.
I've played all the CoH games, WSR / Cobra and some of the WaW games with buddies and we don't have any issues about interpreting the rules for any of these games. On the other hand, I can't say that the same was true with ASL.
But, as I said at the beginning, its a very subjective thing.
Here's my review of Band of Heroes from back in 2005 when it first game out. Note that it's talking about the v2 rules, and not the newer v3 rules
http://wargamer.com/article/2097/Lock-'n-Load:-Band-of-Heroes
the kicker for the v2 rules is in the summary at the end
QuoteThe mechanics make for a very playable game. These impulses break up the action so that both players are constantly watching the action, looking for their next move, and trying anticipate their opponents'. The varying options of movement, firing, and assault movement keep players planning on the fly: should I assault move with the Fallschirmjaegers, and try to get a shot off after only moving 2 spaces? Or should I try and close to an adjacent space where I can bring my heavy firepower to bear on a unit that may poke a lot of holes in me next impulse?
The bad news? The rulebook. This game is fun, but the rules get in the way. More specifically, the presentation of the rules gets in the way. The rulebook is confusing and difficult to navigate. Counters are explained on page 7... and page 18, and page 19, and page 20, and page 25, and page 35. While it certainly makes sense to talk about armor counters in the same chapter as armor combat, a reference page grouping all counters together would be much more helpful during the game. Spotting, which is a prerequisite to firing, is introduced on page 15; fire combat is on page 11. And while no visual key to terrain hexes is only a frustration to a veteran gamer, it is a solid roadblock to a newbie.
Lock'n'Load: Band of Heroes is fun. It's just challenging for a novice to learn as it is presented.
you can find a scan of the v3.1 rules from Heroes of the Gap here
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/files/thing/42731
give it a read and see if it's something that catches your fancy.
You can also get the free print'n'play mini-game called Checkpoint Calvi that's a good introduction to the rules w/o too much chrome
http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/62036/check-point-calvi-english-version
There is also this "alternative" version of the rule book that I found quite good.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/84737/unofficial-rulebook-a-rewriting-of-the-official-v3 (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/84737/unofficial-rulebook-a-rewriting-of-the-official-v3)
It's amazing what a few bullet points and paragraph structure can do for clarity. The rules for spotting are so obtuse...this explains them nicely.
Lock n Load also has some demo versions of their games, available here: http://www.locknloadgame.com/_store/download.asp?Category=11 (http://www.locknloadgame.com/_store/download.asp?Category=11)
Includes Falklands, Band of Heroes, and Forgotten Heroes (Nam).
Although I have not played it, I have heard very good things about Phantom Fury, from Nuts! publishing. The board and counters look great, the game was nominated for a Charles S. Roberts award. There are also some youtube videos, and a few good AARs at BGG. Admittedly, the game does cover only one battle - the fight for Fallujah - but small mod is available at BGG to extend play.
Similarly, A Week in Hell (battle for Hue, Vietnam) which is frequently advertised on the side banner of Grogheads has had very good reviews.
Notable mention should probably also be given to Ranger, which provides a very unique game solitaire game experience in so far as route planning is key component of the game. Two expansions are available. I think Marco does a video review of it on youtube.
Thanks for the link to those alternative rules - that is so much better! DoH came with the 2.0 rules and I never could find a download for the 3.0 rules when they came out (frankly, I had given up on the game by then). Might have to go find another copy of DoH now (doh!!) :)
Quote from: JudgeDredd on February 21, 2013, 05:01:09 PM
Having trouble finding it in Google for sale in the UK - looks like the thing I'm looking for - though I wouldn't be too averse to a complete Falklands campaign game - naval, air and ground combat
You probably won't find it. Ring of Hills was an expansion (for the WW2 based Band of Heroes, oddly enough) that I'm pretty sure has been out of print for awhile.
AB - I just bought LnL Band of Heroes 2nd Edition for £39.
Thanks all. That'll do me for now, but feel free to mention other things.
Oh - and if ANYONE comes across a solitaire/solo Falklands game (either just squad/platoon based or the entire conflict) then please feel free to drop me a note...I desperately want one. ;D
Quote from: JudgeDredd on February 22, 2013, 02:18:49 AM
AB - I just bought LnL Band of Heroes 2nd Edition for £39.
Thanks all. That'll do me for now, but feel free to mention other things.
Oh - and if ANYONE comes across a solitaire/solo Falklands game (either just squad/platoon based or the entire conflict) then please feel free to drop me a note...I desperately want one. ;D
Feel free to ask questions about BoH. I cam certainly help you. We could even play through VASSAL.
As for The Falklands try and find
Where there is Discord: War in the South Atlantic.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/35614/where-there-is-discord-war-in-the-south-atlantic
Thanks
That is The Falklands game I was referring to - I can find references to it but never found a copy for sale - unfortunately :(
Oh, THAT Falklands game. Yeah, it occasionally shows up on a BGG auction. I don't think I've ever see it go for less than $250.
It's apparently up for a reprint, though.
Just took receipt of my Band of Heroes 2nd Edition game today. It looks amazing!
Rule book looks "heavy"...but the artwork is just that - pure art!
Quote from: JudgeDredd on February 25, 2013, 05:31:19 AM
Just took receipt of my Band of Heroes 2nd Edition game today. It looks amazing!
Rule book looks "heavy"...but the artwork is just that - pure art!
Marc does great work.
I'm having some trouble taking these rules in.
I tend to learn "by example" as I have quite bad memory retention - I'm only on page 8 or something and struggling to remember what I've just read, let alone pages ago and nevermind what I have to go!
I want to do it as it's a beautiful game and I'm sure once the rules are in there they will stay - but the system is against me at the moment. :(
JD, do yourself a favor and download some of the game guide sheets on BGG. I couldn't make heads or tails of half the rules in the game just because of how the rulebook is written, but a few pages later I was good to go.
Here's an example of play that looks pretty good : http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/68920/lnl-ewells-charge-example-of-play
Here's a Terrain Effects Chart that I use : http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/33862/terrain-effects-chart
A 1 page reference that covers fire modifiers and everything of that sort : http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/33861/reference-chart
And actually, here's a two pager that covers the above 2 for the newest rule set. Hmm...I need to download this! ;D http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/33703/band-of-heroes-summary-card
This at least makes it easier to find fire/cover modifiers and understand how combat actually works.
Thanks for those links
I'm sure they will help hugely - but - I still feel I need to read the manual through.
I do have the 2nd Edition which comes with the v3 rules - which are apparently better laid out...and they may well be - but all I can say is they are considerably more diificult (or at least there's alot more to take in) than the Leader games or even Conflict of Heroes
But I'll stick with it - it looks a fantastic game.
Thanks again
Yeah, you do need to read through it once.
My issue wasn't with the initial read through, it was with finding information in there once I was playing. Conversational style rulebooks are HORRENDOUS for in game reference. I'm really not a fan.
I would also recommend downloading some of the player aids, etc, from boardgamegeek (the 5 minute guide to LnL, etc). Once you "get it" the system makes sense...but as Arctic B. mentions, the lack of structure in the rule book makes things unnecessarily difficult. It took me about 4 re-reads to figure out basic combat...
I couldn't figure out the damn spotting rules, and it isn't as if they turn out to be all that difficult. ;D
on CoH 2nd edition solo play add-on
JD, i had a chance at the Spiel in Essen to sit down with Uwe Eickert, who invented the Conflict of Heroes series and he gave me a deep preview/introduction -still on preliminary sheets- of the upcoming solitaire-rules-add-on for CoH 2nd edition game. ...and it was estimated for a release in Feb.
I searched BGG for some news and found this:
info from Oct.
The solo module will most likely include 3 solo firefights. But they are very re-playable and each is almost like a stand alone game. A firefight has no set number of turns, but follows a historical story board. Once the story is finished, the firefight ends. (It takes a tremendous amount of time to build each solo firefight, MUCH more effort than an regular firefight.)
The rule system has been finished for almost a year and we have been tweaking it ever since. It is very tight and wonderful to play. I have been hesitant to give out more information, since we have had some intellectual property issues in the past year and want to have this system in print and protected.
The module will include a deck of cards that drive the unit activation and game, extra counters for 'rumored enemy' and stray cows, etc., Story board layouts for each firefight, rules, AI map movement priorities, and the box.
from: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/936530/guadalcanal-or-this-for-solitaire
and from yesterday
...we will be including 3 solo firefight storyboards in the AtB Solo expansion box, but are already working on more. The box includes everything needed for playing solo, including counters and solo card deck. We will be creating more story boards for additional AtB firefights.
Guadalcanal's Solo expansion will also be sold separately (and included for pre-order customers.) We just add too much extra stuff in the solo expansions to be able to include them in the game itself.
from http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/936530/guadalcanal-or-this-for-solitaire
Check out DVG games. They have a card based game like Up Front but caters to solitaire play. It's called Front line DDay. But links in the DVG site are dead. http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39383/frontline-d-day
I'm now looking at a game called Phantom Fury. A solitaire game about 2nd Fallujah.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91010/phantom-fury
Phantom Fury was on my radar but I'm reading that it gets too repetitive and the replayability is limited once you've gone through the puzzle. If I find a cheap enough copy though I'll probably spring for it.
I also had a look at Frontline: D-Day and I would love to watch someone give that a play. I'm a huge fan of Up Front (can't wait for the new KS release to come out!) so I feel that I may be disappointed by Frontline but I'd still like to see a playing before just ruling it out.
Speaking of solitaire games - and it's been mentioned - but who's the big Carrier player here? I believe he uses VASSAL. I'd love to get some of his VASSAL logs so that I can jog my memory on how to play it again. That is one fun game but very rules heavy.s
I'm not into card based games - thanks though and Phantom Fury looks like it falls short of my requirements.
Personal preferences that I don't want to forfiet
- Mounted game play surface
- Chits/counters (whatever they are called in your neck of the woods
- Absorbing art - it has to "look" the part
Clearly I've left gameplay out - goes without saying - but I wouldn't take a game without the 3 above regardless of how it played.
The DVG Leader games are right up there with my personal favourite. Great rules, great gameplay, mixture of card based and chit based and easy rules.
Conflict of Heroes is a fantastic looking game, rules were a bit more complicated (but I should expect that from the small unit action type game) but were easy to lookup for refresh. Beautiful mounted board and chits.
LnL Band of Heroes. Again beautiful chits and mounted boards. Rules look considerably more complicated than either of the above - but hopefully that will transpire to great gameplay.
I'm not a fast reader. Takes me about 2 or 3 months to read a 300 page book - mainly because I generally tend to read at night in bed. I haven't touched a computer game since getting LnL and I
still have only read a dozen pages!
I downloaded the docs for gameplay and reference cards - thanks for the links - and hopefully I might just play through the example this weekend.
Not only does time seem to be running out as you get older - but it doesn't seem to last as long! :)
Boots on the Ground?
http://www.worthingtongames.com/detailbotg.html
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68876/boots-on-the-ground
Worthington's Band of Brothers looks pretty good too.
http://www.worthingtongames.com/detailbob.html
Thanks for the heads up on Band of Brothers - I'll keep that in mind (although it does say 2 players)
JD, check out this blog on BGG. Jonathan has done a really good job of laying out what happens in a game of LnL's Band of Heroes. Down to writing down his plans and all the number crunching and die rolls for all the combat.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/16497/carentan-illustrated-session-report-rules-primer
Nice one - thanks
I guess if I utilised my membership over there, I might find some of this stuff!
I'm a bit disappointed with the print work. It seems there's considerable run on some counters (below are only the worst I've found). Whilst some are cosmetic, others are just missing parameters.
I don't know if I've just been spoiled by the other games I've bought and it's the norm to have overprint? But it seems a waste to me for Mark to go to all the trouble of making a beautiful game only to have a printer screw his work up.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FMisc%2F20130302_092827001_zps3697eda2.jpg&hash=af8014ddc6e7c671005163011ce1d87b7c3c6eb8)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FMisc%2F20130302_093024003_zpsbd66aeb6.jpg&hash=9bac895aacfbf971a3c1ac4197df22d36853f44b)
Damn, that's pretty bad. You should email LnL about getting replacements.
edit: Oh yeah, OT but good win for your boys last weekend. :)
I have emailed LnL just now.
It's such a shame to go to all the trouble of making a great game and it's spoiled by a misalignment at the printers!
OT - yeah - very tough game for us. On paper we should've won (and one could argue more convincingly than we did) with Ireland having so many injuries. But a few bad decisions from the Irish (kicking to touch instead of going for points) and a stellar defence gave us the win. The stats showed a stong Scotland defence.
As I said to a guy at work - you can have 100% possession - but if you don't turn it into points you won't win.
It was a damn good try for a young Irish team though.
Wow those are bad. That' the worst I've seen.
Try sending those pics to Mark and I'll bet he'll send you a new set.... he's like that. :)
Seconded note about Mark making good on production problems.
My 1st ed Band of Heroes was perfectly cut, and so much so that they almost fell out of the countersheets when I first picked them up
Wow those are some badly cut counters JD. Like the others have said I am sure Mark will make it right.
Well - I hope so. It kind of spoils the look.
I have emailed LnL using the email on their website and sent the pictures - so here's hoping
Where did you order the game from? I'd contact them about exchanging it and it would hurt to send LnL an email with pics.
I'd rather not return it if I can help it...that involves repackaging, posting, waiting on a new one and there's no guarantee the box will not be the same.
I've also just noticed (as I was about play through an example) that there are no Victory chits in the package...and that makes me worried there are more chits missing because all the boards I had were complete...so unless the victory chits were on another missing board - I don't know where they are. I've also only got 3 Fire for Effect markers...which I believe are used for off map arty? So I can't give both sides their allowed OMA markers
Have to say...my enthusiasm is draining somewhat
usually Mark just sends replacement countersheets
I say "usually" - I don't work for LNLP nor do I pretend to represent them. I'm just a big fan of the company and the family that runs it.
Quote from: JudgeDredd on March 02, 2013, 12:46:55 PM
I'd rather not return it if I can help it...that involves repackaging, posting, waiting on a new one and there's no guarantee the box will not be the same.
I've also just noticed (as I was about play through an example) that there are no Victory chits in the package...and that makes me worried there are more chits missing because all the boards I had were complete...so unless the victory chits were on another missing board - I don't know where they are. I've also only got 3 Fire for Effect markers...which I believe are used for off map arty? So I can't give both sides their allowed OMA markers
Have to say...my enthusiasm is draining somewhat
There are no Victory (?) chits in the board game, you are not missing anything.
Yes there are only 3 FFE markers. They are used only to mark where it lands on the map and it only last for the dureation of that turn. It is very rare that you would have that many on the map at one time. You keep track of each sides allotment on a piece of paper or memory.
Ah...ok. Thx.
However...no victory chits is kind of weird. And one of the examples I downloaded from boardgamegeek shows victory hex chits. If they aren't included that's alot of stuff to remember. Best I print some.
I'm a wee bit disappointed just now so I've boxed it up and I'm back to reading the rules.
Is there anywhere you can buy accessories for boardgames...like generic victory chits? And in the UK peferrably
The victory hex chits you sse in examples are probably from the VASSAL version of the game, they never existed as actual physical markers.
The best way to learn the game is to throug a few squads and stuff from each side on a map and have at it while reading the rule book.
Use anything to make victory locations, pennies, glass beads, etc.
I wouldn't buy anything, you can make your own. The VASSAL module is just a relabled .zip file.
Change the .vmod to .zip then you can open it with any .zip program. All the graphic files are in there.
You could extract the victory chit graphics and then print them on card stock, or do what I do and print them on label paper and stick it to cardboard or matte board or chip board....
Thanks as usual Bartheart
S
Quote from: JudgeDredd on March 02, 2013, 05:43:19 AM
OT - yeah - very tough game for us. On paper we should've won (and one could argue more convincingly than we did) with Ireland having so many injuries. But a few bad decisions from the Irish (kicking to touch instead of going for points) and a stellar defence gave us the win. The stats showed a stong Scotland defence.
As I said to a guy at work - you can have 100% possession - but if you don't turn it into points you won't win.
It was a damn good try for a young Irish team though.
Ah, didn't know the Paddys were under-strength, I just heard you guys won. 6N is on Sky down here in NZ so I don't get to see much. I have to do something semi-illegal to watch any Super rugby.
Keeping with the rugby and getting semi back on topic, have you checked out Crash Tackle (http://www.crashtacklerugbygame.com/)? I still haven't taken the plunge but I've heard great things about it.
^Sky - "if we can - get exclusivity!" I hate em.
In fact I'm not a huge fan of exclusivity for any TV organisation - moreso when it comes to national sport. National sport should be allowed to be aired on all channels willing to pay the asking price - I don't like that companies can bid huge amounts more for exclusivity.
I hadn't seen that game. I'm not sure a rugby board game is something I could get into. A rugby game along the lines of OOTP or Football Manager - then I would have a problem holding onto my money.
Hello all, like Judgedredd recently I was also looking for a tactical solitaire game.
However for my purposes I was in search of something to simulate modern or contemporary engagements if possible.
Having failed to find anything suitable I then turned to possibly adapting a WW2 game.
To that end I found Fields of Fire by GMT, it was designed my a USMC officer and many of the doctrinally correct military concepts were very familiar to me.
Unfortunately those same concepts befuddled many civilian gamers and the rushed to print foggy rulebook did not help at all.
The development and publication of the game having been hurried while the designer was deployed to Iraq and then worse post publication support stalled while he was again deployed to Afghanistan.
However the 2nd edition rules available online help immensely and he is back to answer questions.
So now I have slowly been working through the scenarios and I must say it is the nearest thing I have found to match personal experience.
It is my game of choice for now, I see they have posted examples of a Vietnam Hue urban fight scenario, that concept is very exciting to me and exactly what I want to do.
Band of Brothers I found a bit too simplistic, a Hollywood movie version of WW2 (and the designer is a....bit full of himself)
-Mike
Welcome Mike!
That's some good info Mike, thanks for posting. I have FoF 2nd on Pre-Order but I may have to look for a cheap copy of the 1st edition for use with the posted 2nd ed rules. I've heard nothing but good things about the game; if/when you get over the learning curve. The game looks like nothing else I've ever played and frankly images like http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic818628.jpg make it look like a confusing mess but I'll take yours and others word that it's one hell of a game.
FWIW...I do indeed like "boots on the ground" for some quick and dirty modern warfare ops...but ONLY if you use some of the common house rules readily found on the internetwebs. A big problem with the default rules is the lack of an "opportunity fire" mode...so it is entirely possibly for a player (say a US rifleman) to complete his actions for a turn, then have a insurgent step out from a door way in front of said soldier, run around past him, turn and rotate to get a shot on his unprotected backside.
Game benefits from fully supported solo-play mode, and having a number of interesting scenarios (search for ied's, hostages, etc). Not bad if you can get it on sale.
Quote from: GJK on March 03, 2013, 09:31:02 PM
That's some good info Mike, thanks for posting. I have FoF 2nd on Pre-Order but I may have to look for a cheap copy of the 1st edition for use with the posted 2nd ed rules. I've heard nothing but good things about the game; if/when you get over the learning curve. The game looks like nothing else I've ever played and frankly images like http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic818628.jpg make it look like a confusing mess but I'll take yours and others word that it's one hell of a game.
Fields of Fire, I really like that game too, but as noted it has growing pains that hopefully now that Ben Hull is back from Iraq-Afghanistan (and when he is finished with his 30 years war series) GMT can finally dedicate assets to properly streamline and lock down the more confusing aspects.
The use of pyrotechnics is one clear example, mostly because the game relied on the player to use them doctrinally correct, whereas wargamers were always accustomed to a rulebook on/off switch to tell them explicitly what they can/cannot do.
Some prerequisites Judge Dredd mentioned was no CDG and that he needed a physical map, at first glance that would seem to disqualify FoF because it does use cards (but is not a CDG) it also uses cards to build a random map.
However I'll attempt to address a few.
Why is it not a CDG? Think of the cards in
Fields of Fire as the dice combined with the charts. They are random number generators.
Need to perform an action or resolve a combat? Flip a card and look for a number or symbol. Simple as that.
The cards just sit in a pile and you flip them as needed. No hand to manage. You barely touch them.
The map. A map built by random card draw is one of the biggest conceptual hurdles for veteran hex&counter gamers to jump, but IMO is one of the genius aspects of the design.
Don't think in terms of an old standard hex map, look at the terrain cards like a military commander would look at a topographic map.
The cards represent key terrain, the LOS borders represent avenues of approach between key terrain features. (Green = LOS stops in card, White = LOS through to next card)
The Hill, Town, Village, Open Field, Gully, Woods, Hedgerow....you lay out terrain cards and visualize a topographic map of the same terrain elements.
Sure, it is random...but doesn't have to be, setup whatever terrain board you wish....it's as if we have all the geomorphic maps possible.
But the best part is the "Cover markers", they represent the micro-terrain that is not on a map but is exactly what soldiers use to hide behind.
Each terrain card is rated for an amount and type of "Cover", if you want/need a unit to hit the dirt you need to find Cover on that terrain card (flip an action card, look for "cover" icon)
Here is the genius, a terrain card can have a number of cover markers all occupied by opposing forces. So you are fighting across the map but also, possibly, within each piece of key terrain.
You also need to setup phaselines, primary and secondary objectives, assault positions, casualty collection points, TRP's, unit boundaries, main lines of resistance....you have CO, XO, 1SG counters....you need to establish and maintain field-phone land-lines....leaders have limited command and control...you need to evacuate casualties...
You are issued "Assets" that you need to distribute pre-mission and key to command options: various colored smoke grenades, star clusters, parachute flares, anti-tank grenades.
In
Fields of Fire you need to think like a Company Commander, not a wargamer. US Army Normandy, Korea, Vietnam...2nd ed will be USMC Pacific, Korea, Vietnam
It is solitaire but it also has alot of RPG aspects if you wish, like B-17 or Hornet Leader, there is a Company Roster you use to keep track of experience, casualties, assets, promotions.
IIRC one can use the VASSAL module and downloadable rules to "free demo" the game 8)
Good stuff there guys, so thanks for that (and welcome Mike).
I agree with Mike with regards to Worthington's Band of Brothers, a game I was very tempted by, but for one thing, the cartoony style graphics put me off a little.
'Boots on the Ground' does look interesting though, and maybe I should investigate that a little more, but your comments about FoF, a game about which i know nothing, have piqued my interest, and I'll be taking a closer look at that one.
I know some pretty well-respected wargamers that LOVE Fields of Fire
^Just been looking at it in BGG - there's a lot of components there. Now to check the GMT site and get a little more info.
Now if I can just find out where Mrs.B has hidden the credit card..................
^^ it's taped to the frying pan
you don't need to find it, it'll find you
Argh!
Fields of Fire is great and it teaches you infantry doctrine.
Command and control via action points is cool. You first draw how many actions your company commander can make. Then he uses the points to activate platoon leaders. Platoon leaders then draw action points to give orders to the squads. After all this, you can also give limited orders to unactivated squads and leaders via initiative. Take note that solid lines of communications are needed to be able to give orders through the chain. In world War 2, you need to lay out telephone lines for company co and platoon co to talk. Squads need to be within visual /shouting range from platoon Co to be able to take orders. At least once you get to vietnam, you get wireless radios.
It is a bookkeeping nightmare. :-( this is what prevents me from fully enjoying the game. Not to worry a digital version is announced but not sure if it is mobile or PC.
Also FoF2 is also announced. It will cover the USMC this time. I also taking you through ww2, Korea, and vietnam.
I think I'm going crazy - I'm 100% certain I posted on this thread last night!
Anyway - the upshot of that post was that LnL Mark (or actually Tracie I think it was) replied that there was nothing they could do as they didn't have any spare sheets.
They are pretty much cosmetic issues, but I explained my disappointment (it does spoil the purchase somewhat) and requested that at the very least they have a word with their printer and try and help it not happen again.
I'm not going to return it. I don't think I could take sitting there cutting out and trimming little bits off hundreds of counters again. Besides - there's no guarantee the one I receive as a replacement would be any better.
So I'm stuck with it. There are bigger problems in my life and around the world to let this bother me anymore.
Back to reading the manual.
Oh - I did find another issue with the game I received...the rules mention a red dice for performing some action (I can't recall what it was - see how bad my useless memory is and why I find it infuriating to read a manual!) but there were no red dice in the box - only white.
I've since ordered some other dice (a few different colours, 10 sided, 12 sided, 20 sided and 6 sided) as one of the examples I was looking at the guy was using dice as a "reminder"...saves writing things down I guess.
Again you're a not missing anything, the game only came with white dice. Everyone had to supply their own. It was a rulebook thing left in before it went to publishing.
Too bad about the counter sheet, they are a very small company and don't keep much stock. For the really bad counters you could always make your own. I can send you the graphics to print and mount.
Ah ok - rule issue.
Well I've ordered some dice like I said. They will help with keeping "score" when working out attack and defence
No thanks BH - thanks for the offer but as I said they're mostly cosmetic.
I will be printing some victory hex ones though. Weird the game has victory hexes but no counters though.
But still those counters need to be replaced... small company or not. Everyone who buys boardgames are not looking forward to printing their own stuff.
I don't want to turn this into a bash LnL thread, but their printing contractors need a lesson in how to do their jobs. I bought The Swift and the Bold a while back and the counters were backwards! backwards as in the reduced strength half squads were on the smooth front of the counters, and the full strength squads were on the wrinkled back of the counters. No, of course it doesn't break the game, but it's annoying and slightly immersion breaking, especially after paying good money. I'm not the only one who got a crappy SaB counter sheet.
I had this reply from Tracie
***********************************
Thank you Billy. Unfortunately, this problem did arise with many customers. We have used many different printers since to be sure that the mistake does not occur again. Again, I apologize!
Please let me know if I can help with anything else!
***********************************
So - apparently I'm jus unlucky in that I guess any spares they did have were already dished out.
Really!?
They didn't offer to exchange the whole game if they were out of the separate components? I'm surprised. Did you get it directly from them or from a reseller? If the latter I'd try to hit them up for an exchange as well or at least some credit.
Quote from: Staggerwing on March 06, 2013, 06:58:48 PM
Really!?
They didn't offer to exchange the whole game if they were out of the separate components? I'm surprised. Did you get it directly from them or from a reseller? If the latter I'd try to hit them up for an exchange as well or at least some credit.
If they didn't offer any sort of exchange, I suspect they don't have anything Band of Heroes sitting around at the moment.
It's fine - I'm cool. I'm over the initial disappointment and if they can't do anything - well...they can't.
I'm not sending it back because, as I said, it's more cosmetic and I've no need to report t to the reseller so they give me something back for something that isn't their fault.
It's all good. The rules are starting to make sense and I'm looking forward to an outing sometime in the week...just a few units on the board to work the rules.
Now you're making me want to break out my copy of 1st Ed. Forgotten Heroes and Anzac Attack...
I'm a bit confused by the Ops Complete section - when to use the marker and who can and cannot do anything if they have one.
The manual says
Units that Spot, attempt to lay smoke, or perform other actions described in the subsequent rules as rendering them Ops Complete are marked with an Ops Complete (Operations Complete) marker. Except for the instances described below, units beneath Ops Complete markers may not Spot, fire (including sniping), move, or use their Leadership ability.
MMCs under an Ops Complete Marker may Opportunity Fire, but subtract two (2) from the total Firepower of the attacking stack. The Firepower is modified BEFORE considering any other Attacking Unit's Die Roll Modifications.
However, further on it says
A unit under an Ops Complete marker may fire at FULL Firepower at a hex it Spotted, during the same impulse in which it Spotted the hex. By the same token, Leaders under an Ops Complete marker may add their Leadership to this fire's 1d6 roll, but only if directed against a hex that the Leader Spotted during the current impulse. In other words, a unit may immediately fire upon any hex it has successfully Spotted.
Designer's Note: The intent is to allow a unit to fire at an enemy hex that it Spotted. It only makes sense that if a unit was focusing on a specific area, it would have time to fire its weapons at it.
All units in the same hex with a unit that has successfully spotted an enemy unit can fire with their full FP at the just spotted hex, along with the spotting unit. Note that in the case of multiple attacking units, 5.2 applies as well.
I'm confused :o
I mean, one minute it's saying a unit under an Ops Complete marker can't fire or give it's leadership ability bonus, and the next it's saying a unit under an Ops Complete marker can fire at full value and leaders can give their leadership bonus?
Only to the space that the leader successfully spotted. If he fails to spot, he's done. If he succeeds, he can help attack THAT space (the one he just spotted).
Remember, a spotting attempt does not cost an impulse. If the leader succeeds in spotting a hex, you can immediately attack that space with the units in the leaders hex, using his leadership modifier. If the leader fails, he's done for the turn, but you can immediately do something else with the units in his space as your impulse action(or leave them for now and use units somewhere else.)
Out of the 3 games below, which one has the better solitary play? Not just can, but has enough randomness to make it interesting.
- CoH
- BoH
- Screaming Eagles
I'm personally leaning towards SE just on simple elegance but I'm not sure it plays well solitaire.
Quote from: JudgeDredd on March 08, 2013, 08:21:57 AM
I'm a bit confused by the Ops Complete section - when to use the marker and who can and cannot do anything if they have one.
The manual says
Units that Spot, attempt to lay smoke, or perform other actions described in the subsequent rules as rendering them Ops Complete are marked with an Ops Complete (Operations Complete) marker. Except for the instances described below, units beneath Ops Complete markers may not Spot, fire (including sniping), move, or use their Leadership ability.
MMCs under an Ops Complete Marker may Opportunity Fire, but subtract two (2) from the total Firepower of the attacking stack. The Firepower is modified BEFORE considering any other Attacking Unit's Die Roll Modifications.
However, further on it says
A unit under an Ops Complete marker may fire at FULL Firepower at a hex it Spotted, during the same impulse in which it Spotted the hex. By the same token, Leaders under an Ops Complete marker may add their Leadership to this fire's 1d6 roll, but only if directed against a hex that the Leader Spotted during the current impulse. In other words, a unit may immediately fire upon any hex it has successfully Spotted.
Designer's Note: The intent is to allow a unit to fire at an enemy hex that it Spotted. It only makes sense that if a unit was focusing on a specific area, it would have time to fire its weapons at it.
All units in the same hex with a unit that has successfully spotted an enemy unit can fire with their full FP at the just spotted hex, along with the spotting unit. Note that in the case of multiple attacking units, 5.2 applies as well.
I'm confused :o
I mean, one minute it's saying a unit under an Ops Complete marker can't fire or give it's leadership ability bonus, and the next it's saying a unit under an Ops Complete marker can fire at full value and leaders can give their leadership bonus?
Here's how I interpret the rules...assume events occur in 1 game turn.
Situation 1: Leadership bonus allowed
Allied Impulse 1.1 - Lt. Nastyface (SMC, but stacked with an MMC) successfully spots German MG. Mark Lt. Nastyface "ops complete" and mark German MG "spotted"
Allied Impulse 1.2 - Because it is the SAME impulse...Nastyface can "call fire" for the MMC. ("Kraut MG! Easy Company - open fire!") As per rules above, this is the ONLY allowed action that Lt. Nastyface can make on this impulse (ie: can't call for mortar fire, move, etc) because he is "ops complete"
Allied Impulse 1.3 - MMC fires. Because the MMC elects to fire on the SAME impulse that Nastyface spotted the MG, AND they are in the same or an adjacent hex/square, AND they are firing at the unit that was spotted by Nastyface...they can add his leadership bonus to their firepower calculation.
Situation 2.
Allied Impulse 1.1 - Lt. Nastyface (SMC, but stacked with an MMC) successfully spots German MG. Mark Lt. Nastyface "ops complete" and mark German MG "spotted".
Allied Impulse 1.2 - Allied MMC does nothing (except takes smoke break and complain about rations). Since no ops taken, impulse/action is over to the Germans.
Axis Impulse 1. - MG attempts to spot Nastyface et alia, but fail. Mark ops complete
Allied Impulse 2.1 Allied MMC elects to direct fire at German MG. The German MG is SPOTTED because Nastyface spotted them in impulse 1, BUT because the MMC is firing in a diffferent impulse, no leader bonus added.
Situation 3:
Allied Impulse 1.1 - Lt. Nastyface (SMC, but stacked with an MMC) fails to spot German MG. Mark Lt. Nastyface "ops complete"
Allied Impulse 1.2 - Allied MMC successfully spots MMC, but decides not to attack. Mark MMC "ops complete" and German MG "spotted"
note: - Nastyface and / or MMC CANNOT: move, rally troops, call mortars, etc...cause they are ops complete.
Axis impulse 1 - MG moves into open ground in LOS to allied MMC.
Allied Impulse 2.1 - Allied MMC CAN Opfire at MG at penalty, but not "full direct fire" because they are "ops complete" for this turn.
So...if you DO something, you are ops complete for the turn.
If you SEE something, then you are ops complete for the turn UNLESS you want to immediately (in the same impulse) blast the thing you just saw.
That's how I play it, anyways.
FWIW...just re-reading the rules on Ordnance vs infantry....now that's an obfuscated couple of paragraphs....
What I'm finding a tad confusing is the To Hit values - the modifiers are reveresed and yhou ned to get LESS than the To Hit value rather than normal attacks where modifiers (leadership etc) are POSITIVE and terrain is NEGATIVE and you have to roll MORE than the value...I can;t really understand the logic behind coming up with an attack formula - and reversing it
I'm desperately wanting to get into this - but I'm finding the rules very confusing. And these are the "enhanced" v3 rules. Maybe I'm just too old to take new things on board. Perhaps I should have stuck to my modelling and Leader games!
Oh well...I'm finished the example tht was linked to earlier - and it's certainly clearer - but it'll be quite some time I expect before I can go hammer and tongs at a scenario without looking at every rule for every action.
LoS looks to be quite confusing too - that's going to need a few reads!
Glad I wasn't the only one! Well, not glad because I too VERY MUCH wanted to give DoH a play but got so frustrated trying to decipher the developers intent on all of the rules. And coming from an ASL background, I think the reversal of the modifiers as mentioned just really threw a wrench into the whole thing. I couldn't understand how I could learn and play ASL, with it's reputation of being this beast of a game, yet couldn't get this one. It just started to become a chore to learn. Very disappointing.
Okay JH, it's time for the tutorial videos :
Lock n' Load Boot Camp video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bid3chlDkJI
Band of Heroes Tutorial Video 1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdmN9r0e8L0 -There are a series of these done using the Vassal mod.
Thank you AB :)
I hadn't seen the first one, before...thanks...that's a great one.
No problem, guys.
As Barthheart said in the other thread, once you have the moment where the light bulb comes on over your head, you'll pretty much never refer to the rules again.
And the great thing is that once you learn one of the Heroes series, you know the basic rule set for all of them. You'll still need to learn module specific stuff like helos and missiles, but you'll understand the nuts and bolts of how it all works.
I found the bit about damage not being inflicted until both sides were resolved - it's Melee...not normal or Op Fire.
My bad and thanks for poiting that out Ubercat.
Quote from: GJK on February 28, 2013, 10:17:21 PM
Speaking of solitaire games - and it's been mentioned - but who's the big Carrier player here? I believe he uses VASSAL. I'd love to get some of his VASSAL logs so that I can jog my memory on how to play it again. That is one fun game but very rules heavy.
That's probably me, but I don't have any log files right now I don't think. I never got further than scenario 3 or 4.
But I've been thinking of getting back into it. I'll hang onto the log files this time around.
Quote from: Toonces on March 16, 2013, 03:21:30 PM
Quote from: GJK on February 28, 2013, 10:17:21 PM
Speaking of solitaire games - and it's been mentioned - but who's the big Carrier player here? I believe he uses VASSAL. I'd love to get some of his VASSAL logs so that I can jog my memory on how to play it again. That is one fun game but very rules heavy.
That's probably me, but I don't have any log files right now I don't think. I never got further than scenario 3 or 4.
But I've been thinking of getting back into it. I'll hang onto the log files this time around.
Carrier is in my regular rotation of solitaire games but haven't used VASSAL with it much and have no logfiles to share.
If you need some motivation for dusting your copy off I suggest you check out the updated map which is available for download on BGG:
(https://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1p25oa5inwBft0EZKKfrpZTdJf9T9Lxr_89tZCi-EU-cYoI51b69qeqBela8UUYjCx/2013-03-16T20-03-46_0.jpg?psid=1)
Also worth pointing out that GMT Games announced a new edition of the Fields of Fire earlier this month:
http://www.gmtgames.com/p-432-fields-of-fire-vol-ii-with-the-old-breed.aspx
Volume II appears to be a completely new game, not to be confused with version 2 of the original game (also on GMTs P500 list)
Fields of Fire looks like an interesting system.
@Rekim: I've seen that redraw, I'll have to download and have a copy printed. He did a great job spicing up the charts and carrier layouts around the map. I've redrawn the Carrier map and counters so many times it makes my eyes cross over. It's such a basic, simple almost bland map that works perfectly for the game. It's very easy to recreate. Here's a sample that I did just messing around for some "Google Earth" effects. I think this may be the map in the ZunTzu module actully.
At any rate, if you do ever decide to try Carrier on VASSAL and could create same game logs from it - that would be an awesome learning/re-learning tool!
Edit: I just noticed that there's video's going through a number of turns of Carrier posted on the Geek!
Quote from: Rekim on March 16, 2013, 07:24:54 PM
Also worth pointing out that GMT Games announced a new edition of the Fields of Fire earlier this month:
http://www.gmtgames.com/p-432-fields-of-fire-vol-ii-with-the-old-breed.aspx (http://www.gmtgames.com/p-432-fields-of-fire-vol-ii-with-the-old-breed.aspx)
Volume II appears to be a completely new game, not to be confused with version 2 of the original game (also on GMTs P500 list)
I've pre-ordered both the reprint of Vol. I and the new Vol II. I've heard too many good things about it. I was watching the videos on BGG where the guy goes from setup and plays a number of turns. Gives a very good idea of how the game plays (obviously) if you're on the fence about it.
Quote from: GJK on March 17, 2013, 09:18:37 AM
@Rekim: I've seen that redraw, I'll have to download and have a copy printed. He did a great job spicing up the charts and carrier layouts around the map. I've redrawn the Carrier map and counters so many times it makes my eyes cross over. It's such a basic, simple almost bland map that works perfectly for the game. It's very easy to recreate. Here's a sample that I did just messing around for some "Google Earth" effects. I think this may be the map in the ZunTzu module actully.
At any rate, if you do ever decide to try Carrier on VASSAL and could create same game logs from it - that would be an awesome learning/re-learning tool!
Edit: I just noticed that there's video's going through a number of turns of Carrier posted on the Geek!
Wow, impressive looking map that you threw together there.
As for getting back into Carrier; IMHO the single best feature of the game is the turn sequence chart/markers. The way that the chart/rules are laid out it is entirely possible to jump into a game while still rusty and reference the rules while working through each step in the turn sequence.
The next time I have a quiet stretch of night shifts I'll see about firing up CV on VASSAL and post the logfile. I usually play at home and prefer to use the board game.