Advanced Tactics Gold or Gary Grisby's War in the West/East?

[Phantom]

If you're looking at Advanced Tactics maybe consider Decisive Campaigns: Warsaw to Paris instead. Just as easy to learn and has the history AT doesn't. Made by the same developer and also on sale.

This.

Also the sequel(s).  Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue (East Front) for example. 

The DC series has some extra mechanics that make it more interesting than a run-of-the-mill counterfest, and isn't as overwhelming.

DC: Barbarossa is more expensive, of course.

...what he said

[CJReich46]

WITW is the XL bad dragon dildo of wargames

This guy nailed it in one sentence. ;D

WitW is actually quite enjoyable if you're into EXTREEEEEEMLY detailed games. WitE is much the same, though I'd argue it's more so because of the scale (though each game has scenarios that limit the size/scope for something more manageable).

ATG, I've never played, so I can't speak to that.

Memo: Wipe Monitor.

:DD

[jomni]

If you're looking at Advanced Tactics maybe consider Decisive Campaigns: Warsaw to Paris instead. Just as easy to learn and has the history AT doesn't. Made by the same developer and also on sale.

This.

Also the sequel(s).  Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue (East Front) for example. 

The DC series has some extra mechanics that make it more interesting than a run-of-the-mill counterfest, and isn't as overwhelming.

DC: Barbarossa is more expensive, of course.

Barbarossa is a gem.

[jomni]

WITW is the XL bad dragon dildo of wargames

This guy nailed it in one sentence. ;D

WitW is actually quite enjoyable if you're into EXTREEEEEEMLY detailed games. WitE is much the same, though I'd argue it's more so because of the scale (though each game has scenarios that limit the size/scope for something more manageable).

ATG, I've never played, so I can't speak to that.

Memo: Wipe Monitor.

:DD

And what would you call WITP?  That's still the most complicated of the lot.
By the way WITE is hardly complicated.  There are stuff under the hood but not too complex.  You just have thousands and thousands of counters to push.  WITE is somewhere in between.

[BanzaiCat]

WitE/WitW are "complicated" because there's a lot of moving parts to them, which might seem overwhelming to someone who is just now approaching them with cautious interest (such as the OP).

I would not recommend WitP to ANY person new to computer wargaming. Not because it's a bad product, but because you're going to be futzing with stuff down to the molecular level. I think you'd need to either have a serious fetish for the Pacific War and logistics in general to want anything to do with WitP. That said, it has no equal when it comes to detail and immersiveness. (I wrote the manual to it for Matrix, and though it's been a while since it came out I still recall how deep in the weeds you can get with that game.) There's also an AAR in these very forums on that game that UCG and KyzBP did a few years back that shows off that game well: http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=13984.0

[Nefaro]

If you're looking at Advanced Tactics maybe consider Decisive Campaigns: Warsaw to Paris instead. Just as easy to learn and has the history AT doesn't. Made by the same developer and also on sale.

This.

Also the sequel(s).  Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue (East Front) for example. 

The DC series has some extra mechanics that make it more interesting than a run-of-the-mill counterfest, and isn't as overwhelming.

DC: Barbarossa is more expensive, of course.

Barbarossa is a gem.

The DC series must be good, and rather unique, because I normally just bitch about too many WW2 themed land warfare games.   Yet still recommend those.   :nerd:

[bbmike]

Does it matter which game in the DC series you play first?

[-budd-]

Not really, but Barbarossa is different as it has an RPG element to it and Case Blue has the highest counter count. There all solid games, people seemed to forget about WTP but i find it to be a really well balanced game.