Showing posts with label wargames. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wargames. Show all posts

B-17 Queen of the Skies Review

B-17 Queen of the Skies
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While modern computer games may do a better job of simulating the sights and sounds of air-combat and flying bombers over Germany, this game is MUCH more realistic in regards to understanding what was actually happening. There are a lot of charts & tables and dice-rolling, but overall you get a very realistic idea as to just how tough it was to survive 25 bombing missions!
My two brothers and I played this one repeatedly over one weekend, dividing the members of our B-17 crew evenly among us, giving them names, and cheering their successes, like when they'd shoot down an attacking German plane or complete a highly successful bombing mission. Likewise, we felt the terror of having our plane badly damaged by flak and being forced out of formation, only to then be hunted down by German fighters. Once we were even shot down, and everybody had to bail-out. Several individual crewmen didn't make it. Over the course of completing 25-missions, we felt like we'd experienced the real thing. This is an educational game that's a LOT of fun!

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Squad Leader Review

Squad Leader
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Wow, this really old school!.Squad Leader was the most awesome board game and so detail-rich..like a sand-box simulation but portable. The game set the tone for what was needed to play war games on PCs. Squad Leader was the entry level game that opened to a whole series of Avalon Hill games that built upon this game as a system.SL is a dozen scenarios designed for WWII Eastern Front action. The opening scenario pits the Nazis against the Red Army in Stalingrad, with action centering around a tractor factory, played on the squad-single man level. There is the most awesome details to add to the action..charismatic leaders,demoralizing leaders, sewer movement, Russians that have the potential for going battle-crazy(berserkers),authentic machine gun characteristics ,elite veterans,green troops,tanks, flamethrowers you can even add weather or night characteristics..terrific! The BIG drawback to Avalon Hill games of that era is that when it's time for battle, there is this huge list of modifiers to the randomness of battle (done in the form of a dice roll).It takes forever to figure out all these modifiers before you roll and it's all done with a pencil and paper. Plus the rules are very,very,long, detailed and legalistic. So it makes for lots of rule 'discussions'. But keep in mind this was pre-PC and all these rules and modifiers were in effect computer-code for the nuts and bolts of game operation. At the time, while it was tedious to go thru these manipulations, it was none the less fascinating to think that the game designers could actually think about game mechanics in such detail,apply history to those mechanics, and then create a game that was FUN to play, if you had that sort of mentality.Like I said before, this is really 12 games in one and there are 4 or 5 more official games that are part of the Squad Leader series. These other games go on to cover WWII action in the West with the Allies vs the Germans. (If you can find any of these other games, it is highly interesting to see how the Americans are constructed-not quite Audi Murphy). If you really look around there was several 'unofficial' versions of Squad Leader that went into the Pacific and pitted US Marines and Japanese for some terrific island action. But AH eventually pinched those guys out for legal reasons. But they were very well thought out game mechanics and great historical game simulations. When PCs came into being,surprisingly SL never followed. The game system screamed for computer assistance.Amazingly to me, it just sort of got left behind. In 2011 there is Call OF Duty and those sorts of games that do an admirable and modern job. But if you have a interest in seeing the lengths that people would go to play Squad Leader..pick this up. It's a window into a time forgotten.

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Very detailed WWII military strategy board game. BIG 22" X 28" four section, full-color Geomorphic mapboard which can be arrange to make literally hundreds of different terrain configurations that can represent large cities, small vilages, wilderness or even the flat plains of the Ukraine. Squad leader is rated Tournament Level IV on AH Complexity scale.

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Axis and Allies Minis 1939-1945 Booster Review

Axis and Allies Minis 1939-1945 Booster
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At first I was upset that they changed scale with these newer sets in the Axis and Allies game. I had bought some of the previous packs and the new vehicles are much bigger. However, I discovered that the new vehicles are full 15mm scale. The previous vehicles were smaller than 15mm, though the soldiers were 15mm. Now that I've gotten over the change, I love the new sets. They are much more compatible with other standard 15mm mini games, like "Flames of War" or Two Hour Wargames' "Nuts!". The quality is pretty good for prepainted miniatures. I will be buying a lot of these. Do be advised though that the airplanes are still a smaller scale than 15mm.

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Roll Across the Battlefield and onto Victory!Get you and your friends into the all-new Axis & AlliesTM 1939-1945 expansion. With 60 authentically detailed miniatures, gamers, collectors, and history buffs will be able to do battle in World War II. Fast-paced and action-packed, this exciting miniatures game will let players recreate historical battles or go head-to-head in competitive warfare that rages across massive 20"x 30" battle maps.Each Axis & Allies 1939-1945 Booster Pack contains 5 prepainted plastic miniatures with stat cards.

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Wings of War WWI: Burning Drachens Review

Wings of War WWI: Burning Drachens
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This game adds a new dimension to the other wings of war games if you own them. Of course this can be played on its own.
I love the history of the balloon observers in trench warfare.
Timmy

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Wings of War Burning Drachens is the third set in the Wings of War collection. It includes some of the most used airplanes of the WWI as the Nieuport 17-23, the Albatros D.III, the Pfalz D.III/D.IIIa. It also includes optional altitude rules, anti-aircraft guns and machineguns. Other additional rules are proposed for a more intriguing and varied simulation of WWI air combat, even if the basic system is the same, simple one of the first two sets. The set is totally independent, but it can be mixed in the others in the collection for larger scenarios.

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Axis & Allies Miniatures Game North Africa 1940-1943 Map Pack Review

Axis and Allies Miniatures Game North Africa 1940-1943 Map Pack
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Now first off, I am a major Axis & Allies fan. I play both the widesweeping Axis & Allies 1942 (originally I played the Axis & Allies Revised game) and Axis & Allies Miniatures game. I also own some of the Naval Miniatures, but find that I do not enjoy them as much as the Land Miniatures.
I do, however, try to be frugal with my booster buying, always wanting to find the best deal, even when I am asking for them for Christmas. Which brings up odd thing, I own no North Africa units. I own some that were in other packs, but none from the North Africa line. Yet on Amazon.com, the North Africa map pack was the best deal.
It was rather odd asking for some plastic coated pieces of paper, but I knew that the new maps would change the dynamics of play, as the three double-sided maps had desert on one side and jungle on the other.
But ach! I was rather disappointed in some ways. For one thing, the makers could have spent a little more time in simply using a spell checker for their new terrain-specific rules. The terrain rules themselves were very good, but spelling errors were throughout (assult?!) and little things I didn't expect, like Vehicles being told that they had cover on a 5+ roll in jungle hexes - terrain impassable for them - and unclear rules regarding barrens. (However, at the maker's website they have a very good comprehensive terrain chart that clears things up.) Then also, no information on where to place objectives was provided, forcing me to choose hexes on my own, trying to be as fair and realistic as possible. This might not be so bad for someone who plays mainly scenarios, but it was annoying for me, a standard battle player.The scenarios, however, seemed good, though I don't play scenarios. Nevertheless, on top of requiring many specific units, one of them required the players to put three maps together, something requiring a very large table. Then too, no jungle scenarios were provided, only desert ones.
Well, now that I have thoroughly played down this product, on to the good stuff: The maps themselves were amazing. If you only own the maps that came with the 1939-1945 Starter, this will be no more of the same. The desert maps are great, forcing the commanders to think much differently (fancy tank manuevers galore) and for me, an infantry endgame nut, the jungle maps were extremely interesting. I found myself slugging it out in the jungle more often than the desert, something I didn't expect. Indeed, the maps themselves nix any of the other defects. A little research online, and the text errors are cleared. A little creativity, and the objective problem is solved. The maps are well worth any extra effort you have to put in.

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Battles rage across the sands of North AfricaConduct operations in the desert terrain of Tunisia and Egypt with the North Africa 1940-1943 Map Guide. This companion item to the North Africa 1940-1943 expansion will equip players with battle maps, scenarios, and terrain specific rules to conduct battles fought between the Axis & Allied forces in the North African theater. Additionally, each map will offer jungle terrain on its opposite side for use in Pacific theater battle scenarios. Battle scenarios challenge players on either side of the battlefield, putting tactical skills and strategic planning to the test. Large double-sided battle maps feature detailed artwork and allow players to make use of maneuverability and tactical placement of their units.North Africa 1940-1943 Map Guide Contains:· 3 full color, double sided, 21” x 30” hex maps with desert & jungle terrain· 2 North Africa 1940-1943 expansion battle scenarios· North Africa 1940-1943 set list insert

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Days of Wonder Memoir, 44' Review

Days of Wonder Memoir, 44'
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I've been playing hundreds of wargames for over 35 years and this game is one of the best I've come across. My 13-year old daughter likes it too (she beats me regularly), and even my 20-something sons enjoyed playing. Memoir'44 has some subtle but effective wargaming tactics to it in the card play and movement of the units. The terrain pieces determine "kill zones" for units in overwatch and "sanctuaries" for spent units. My daughter caught on very fast and this is a wargame for people that would never play a complicated wargame like "Command Decision", but it still gives the grognard the "feel" of a real wargame. The games play out quickly also for time-contrained individuals. Up to 4 can play with one game, but for 4-6 players on two teams, buy 2 games and put them together for real command and control experiences. The game comes with over a dozen historical scenarios and many more are avaailable on the "Days of Wonder" website. The Memoir '44 website supports additional scenarios, FAQ, and player interaction. Highly Recommended. High replay value. There are many small plastic pieces and cardboard terrain pieces so small children should be monitored (as always).

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Memoir '44 is a unique historical game from Days of Wonder where players command a horde of little plastic Army men facing-off in dozens of WWII battles on an oversize hex game board. Each battle scenario mimics the historical terrain, troop placements and objectives of each army. Deploying forces through a variety of Command cards, the smart commander uses the unique skills of his units to their greatest strength. Easy to learn and fast-paced, Memoir '44 requites strategic card play, timely dice rolling and an aggressive, yet flexible battle plan to achieve victory. There are 17 unique historical scenarios, including a monster-size double-board version of Omaha Beach. The game has a double-sided, three section board map of the battlefield, featuring beach landings and countryside terrain. There are 44 lavishly painted double-sided terrain hexes, along with the 3D miniatures and obstacles to go on them. Also included are 60 Command cards, including 20 WWII Tactics cards and 40 troop movement Section cards, and two Army bags of incredibly detailed miniatures. You also get a cardholder to share with your "command staff" and some time-saving Terrain summary cards.

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