Steam & Iron

Gusington · February 18, 2013, 07:01:32 PM

Did you guys get the download or the physical copy? How is the printed manual?

Nefaro · February 18, 2013, 07:08:15 PM

<- Download. I was an early adoptee.

The PDF manuals have been updated at least once after updates, and a new one created regarding the Campaign. I'm not too worried about printed manuals anymore as I got a Kindle Fire last year and that's about all I use it for - masses of PDF manuals and a few books.

I found the manual to be informative but it still isn't terribly huge as some wargames. Straight to the point of what does what, although I don't recall it having listed all the specifics going on under the hood (like an exhaustive list of fire modifiers, for example). But it does a good job of telling you how to play.

I think the manuals can be downloaded by anyone, on the NWS forum, if you want to check it out.

Gusington · February 18, 2013, 07:13:14 PM

Hmm let's check. Either way, when available I still like the option of a disk.

Grim.Reaper · February 18, 2013, 08:12:10 PM

I think the size of the game install file was something like 3-5mb....very tiny. You can easily download and put on cd if needed. I don't believe the physical cd version comes with anything special like printed manuals.

Gusington · February 18, 2013, 08:36:01 PM

^Ah ok. Kinda disappointing.

LongBlade · February 18, 2013, 10:31:18 PM

Quote from: Gusington on February 18, 2013, 08:36:01 PM
^Ah ok. Kinda disappointing.

Don't let the size fool you. It's a good game, but very non-graphics oriented. Instead you should kick back and enjoy the show as these behemoths blast each other out of the water.

Sir Slash · February 19, 2013, 10:18:49 AM

Hey Gus. When you think you're really good, try playing the HMCS Rainbow vs the Leipzig. I went 0 for 4 against her.

Bismarck · February 19, 2013, 12:00:47 PM

@Gus,

If you want to know everything that went wrong at Jutland for the Brits, read Rules of the Game[/i ]by Andrew Gordon.

LongBlade · February 19, 2013, 12:04:03 PM

Quote from: Bismarck on February 19, 2013, 12:00:47 PM
@Gus,

If you want to know everything that went wrong at Jutland for the Brits, read Rules of the Game[/i ]by Andrew Gordon.

Found it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591143365/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1591143365&linkCode=as2&tag=grogheads-20

Gusington · February 19, 2013, 01:35:14 PM

Thanks Bismarck, LB and Slash. I really fell for the propaganda and thought Jutland was a clear Brit victory...before I started to look more closely and found out about the battlecruisers. Turns out I knew next to nothing!

Bismarck · February 19, 2013, 02:20:53 PM

I marvel at Jellicoe's comb AWAY from the German torpedoes.

MengJiao · February 19, 2013, 02:47:08 PM

Quote from: Gusington on February 19, 2013, 01:35:14 PM
Thanks Bismarck, LB and Slash. I really fell for the propaganda and thought Jutland was a clear Brit victory...before I started to look more closely and found out about the battlecruisers. Turns out I knew next to nothing!

Clearly the RN lost since they didn't annihilate the High Seas Fleet when it presented itself in a pretty suicidal way. The book
the Rules of the Game describes the suicidal moves of the HSF and the blunders the RN made. Basically Beatty (not Jellico)
fouled up his handling of the 5th BS thanks to not understanding Evan-Thomas (and vs versa). Beatty then led the HSF into
a horrific trap which Jellico sprang as well as it could have been sprung given the overall aims of the Grand Fleet. But the author concludes in a strangely
surreal and strangely moving paragraph that it was still a battle that served the purposes of Great Britian. He says something like,
"All of the blunders and flaws of the RN don't cancel the fact that after Jutland, the Grand Fleet could have substituted giant cardboard
cut-outs for warships and the Germans still would have run for their lives."

Oh, battlecruisers -- well the RN battlecruisers did their jobs, found the main body of the HSF and led it into a trap.

The German scouting force (battlecruisers) let the RN battlecruisers (and cruisers) spot the main body of the HSF and then let the main body of the HSF steam right into the massed broadsides of the Grand Fleet. The RN lost 2 old BCs (Inflexible and Invincible) and one very fine BC the Queen Mary. The Germans lost the very fine Lutzow and almost lost the Seydlitz (damaged about as much as a ship could be and still make a very near-by port). if Beatty had been more careful keeping control of the 5th BS then probably some of that could have been avoided, but as things were the RN BCs did a good scouting job and the German BCs did not.

panzerde · February 19, 2013, 07:45:55 PM

You know, you guys and your recommendations don't help my budget at all. Not only have I added more games in the past week I don't have time to play, now you having me adding books to my stack I don't have time to read. ;D

Took a stab at Dogger Bank last night at Admiral difficulty. Things got very confused, very quickly. I did manage to pound one German BC into scrap, but still hadn't sunk her by the time I had to give it up for the night.

Bismarck · February 19, 2013, 07:49:50 PM

You gave up for the night? man, they're not making gamers the way they used to. ;)

panzerde · February 19, 2013, 08:01:57 PM

Quote from: Bismarck on February 19, 2013, 07:49:50 PM
You gave up for the night? man, they're not making gamers the way they used to. ;)

I'm an old man now, can't play until dawn like I used to! Having said that it was after midnight, and I had been up until nearly 2AM both nights before...

I can tell I still have some of the old addiction though when I finish up a game of Jutland around 12, and say to myself "Yeah, I have time to get through a Harpoon tutorial or two before I go to bed!"