Field Commander?

Nefaro · October 15, 2013, 08:48:45 AM

Picked up Thunderbolt Apache Leader not long ago, and it's been a nice getaway during PC game burnout.

However, I'd like to try a different style of solitaire strategy game other than the 'Leader' series. I was told that Field Commander was also another good series from DVG, and I was specifically steered towards waiting on the reprint of Field Commander: Rommel. However, some of you know how much I avoid WW2 stuff these days. I don't plan on picking up any WW2 ground warfare stuff. So on to my questions...

1) I know where a new copy of Field Commander: Alexander is for sale. It's currently Out Of Print. Considering this is one of my favorite periods, I'd prefer to pick this one up before any of the others. Is there any downside to it, in comparison?

2) I'm also a bit tempted by Field Commander: Napoleon, although that may be something for the distant future. The price scares me away from making this my first foray into the series. Am I missing anything if I put this one off?

Also.. unrelated from the Field Commander series.. are there any good solitaire naval tabletop games that are currently available? WW2 is okay, in this case, especially if it's submarine-related.

Thanks for any wisdom you can share.

Nef

Barthheart · October 15, 2013, 09:05:14 AM

I've never played any of the Filed Commander games, but I've read the Alexander one is not the best, Nappy is supposed to be the best of the series so far.

For naval solo gaming this one is due out very soon (read: end of Oct./early Nov.):

http://www.gmtgames.com/p-374-the-hunters.aspx

Kind of like the old B-17 Queen of the Skies but in a U-boat. It's getting good preview reports.
I have it on pre-order. You can still get the pre-order price according to the link. For only $28 it's a deal.

bayonetbrant · October 15, 2013, 09:06:55 AM

VPG has the States of Seige series that I've found to be entertaining, but there's no WWII sub game in there.

They do have Nemo's War, which is a solitaire submarine game, but less "wargame" and more "adventure game" - still a lot of fun if that's your thing.

Nefaro · October 15, 2013, 12:20:00 PM

Quote from: Barthheart on October 15, 2013, 09:05:14 AM

For naval solo gaming this one is due out very soon (read: end of Oct./early Nov.):

http://www.gmtgames.com/p-374-the-hunters.aspx

Kind of like the old B-17 Queen of the Skies but in a U-boat. It's getting good preview reports.
I have it on pre-order. You can still get the pre-order price according to the link. For only $28 it's a deal.

I recall seeing that a year or two ago... that was one I had hoped someone would mention since I could not recall the name. However, after some searching I found it and pre-ordered. :D

Quote from: bayonetbrant on October 15, 2013, 09:06:55 AM
VPG has the States of Seige series that I've found to be entertaining, but there's no WWII sub game in there.

They do have Nemo's War, which is a solitaire submarine game, but less "wargame" and more "adventure game" - still a lot of fun if that's your thing.

I've never owned a VPG title before, so I'll have some general browsing to do there.

Thanks guys.

GJK · October 15, 2013, 04:09:51 PM

I have The Hunters on pre-order as well. It's close to completion (at the printers IIRC).

Nefaro · October 15, 2013, 06:45:01 PM

Quote from: GJK on October 15, 2013, 04:09:51 PM
I have The Hunters on pre-order as well. It's close to completion (at the printers IIRC).

When I ordered yesterday, I saw a recent announcement that it should be shipping in November.

Staggerwing · October 15, 2013, 06:53:19 PM

Compass Games had two solitaire sub games (US in the Pac, KM in the NA) but they cost big bucks.

http://compassgames.com/show/product/steel_wolves $130

http://compassgames.com/show/product/silent_war $75 (but currently $10 off)

GJK · October 15, 2013, 08:03:44 PM

I was really interested in Steel Wolves (and even Silent War) but managing the entire sub fleet just didn't appeal to me so much as commanding a sub. And this was years before The Hunters was even announced. Something else about the Compass games that I read in a review just didn't sit well with me. Maybe it was the randomness or luck factor or something. I don't recall. At any rate, B-17 but in a German sub is going to be really cool (fingers crossed!).

Rekim · October 16, 2013, 09:30:01 AM

I spent yesterday afternoon applying a clear coat to my new copy of Steel Wolves + expansion Fleet Boats. I was fortunate enough to grab them both at the %40 off discount price that was available when pre-ordering Fleet Boats. This brought SW down to a more reasonable $71. SW comes packed with 12 counter sheets, a good sized paper map and loads of charts, making it a reasonable bargain for the price. Fleet Boats includes a single counter sheet and a few pages of rules...a bit light as far as components, but should add plenty of flavour to the game. I learned to enjoy Silent War and am looking forward to trying the Battle of the Atlantic using the same system (with added chrome).

I own a copy of FC:N, still un-punched after >1 year. Not sure why this is as I've only heard good things about it. FC:N would likely be receiving some love right now if not for my Fleet Boats pre-order ;D

Rekim · October 16, 2013, 09:40:47 AM

Quote from: GJK on October 15, 2013, 08:03:44 PM
I was really interested in Steel Wolves (and even Silent War) but managing the entire sub fleet just didn't appeal to me so much as commanding a sub. And this was years before The Hunters was even announced. Something else about the Compass games that I read in a review just didn't sit well with me. Maybe it was the randomness or luck factor or something. I don't recall. At any rate, B-17 but in a German sub is going to be really cool (fingers crossed!).

There was some talk on CSW about a year ago of an expansion for Silent War (called Blood-Tempered Steel) that would allow subs to be operated with similar granularity to B-17

http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX?14@@.ee6ccee/6526

Nefaro · October 17, 2013, 01:06:46 PM

I did order Silent War.

While I agree with GJK that I'd prefer the 'B-17 style' solitaire style of The Hunters (also pre-ordered), I can certainly make room for one of much larger scale, especially since others have generally enjoyed it. SW also seems to be the preferred system over the recent DVG sub game, although I could be wrong here.

Quote from: Rekim on October 16, 2013, 09:40:47 AM

There was some talk on CSW about a year ago of an expansion for Silent War (called Blood-Tempered Steel) that would allow subs to be operated with similar granularity to B-17

http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX?14@@.ee6ccee/6526

Wow. That certainly looks pretty.

Rekim · October 18, 2013, 09:05:16 AM

I've never played B-17 Queen of the Skyies but tried B-29 Superfortress for the first time over the summer

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28907/b-29-superfortress

AFAIK B-29 == B-17 but in the Pacific theater. I was underwhelmed with my first experience. It struck me as exceedingly linear with very few decisions being made by the player. I'm not ready to write it off after a single play but am not holding out much hope for it to compete for time on the table with some of the more recent solitaire systems that I like to play. Titles like Fields of Fire and VG Carrier and are super dynamic in comparison. That said, I must admit that I felt somewhat underwhelmed by my initial experiences with Silent War. Luckily I stuck with it long enough to discover some techniques which greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the game...and now here I am dropping a sizeable chunk of change upgrading to Steel Wolves.

I don't know much about the system that Field Commander uses. It is unlike any of the solitaire games that I've played before. As I mentioned, I have only seen positive comments/reviews of FC:N and am confident I will enjoy it. I expect that replayability may be an issue, however FC:N includes 7 different (mounted) campaign maps, so shouldn't be a problem for many moons.

Arctic Blast · October 18, 2013, 05:26:53 PM

Quote from: Rekim on October 18, 2013, 09:05:16 AM
I've never played B-17 Queen of the Skyies but tried B-29 Superfortress for the first time over the summer

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28907/b-29-superfortress

AFAIK B-29 == B-17 but in the Pacific theater. I was underwhelmed with my first experience. It struck me as exceedingly linear with very few decisions being made by the player. I'm not ready to write it off after a single play but am not holding out much hope for it to compete for time on the table with some of the more recent solitaire systems that I like to play. Titles like Fields of Fire and VG Carrier and are super dynamic in comparison. That said, I must admit that I felt somewhat underwhelmed by my initial experiences with Silent War. Luckily I stuck with it long enough to discover some techniques which greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the game...and now here I am dropping a sizeable chunk of change upgrading to Steel Wolves.

I don't know much about the system that Field Commander uses. It is unlike any of the solitaire games that I've played before. As I mentioned, I have only seen positive comments/reviews of FC:N and am confident I will enjoy it. I expect that replayability may be an issue, however FC:N includes 7 different (mounted) campaign maps, so shouldn't be a problem for many moons.

I had and enjoyed FC:N, but I traded it away once I'd finished the grand campaign precisely because it felt finished. I liked the system, but there wasn't much drive to replay it. Of course, that's just me.