Grognard Wargamer Thread!

What’s this criticism of there being “no campaign”? Does that mean there isn’t a full Desert War in North Africa scenario with this?

Scenario List:

2nd Battle of Bardia (introductory scenario)
Operazione E: The Reluctant Offensive, 13-20 Sep 1940
Into The Blue: Battle of Sidi Barrani, 9-12 Dec 1940
Beda Fomm: Death of an Army, 1-7 Feb 1941
Battle of Sollum: Operation Battleaxe, 15-18 Jun 1941
Sunday of the Dead: Battle of Sidi Rezegh, 18-24 Nov 1941
Rats vs The Ram: Battle of Bir el Gubi, 19-21 Nov 1941
Gazala–First Five Days, 26-30 May 1942
Gazala–The Cauldron, 29 May - 10 Jun 1942
Gazala–Fall of Tobruk, 11 - 21 Jun 1942
High Tide at Alam Halfa, 30 Aug - 5 Sep 1942
2nd Alamein: From Lightfoot to Supercharge, 24 Oct - 3 Nov 1942

Right, currently there’s no linked campaign. People are speculating that some modder will make one eventually. It’s not a deal-killer for me, but I haven’t decided yet whether to buy the game.

The supply system looks neat. I like the distinction between basic, movement, and combat supply. I’m reading through Slick Wilhelm’s tutorial, trying to learn more about this and other systems of the game.

Lack of a campaign doesn’t really bug me at all. This theater isn’t one that, to me, cries out for a campaign type treatment. The fighting was in a few distinct stages, there was a lot of back and forth over the same ground, and really, in the end, once the Axis can’t take the Canal, it’s pretty much over except for a long slog. Plus, any campaign would be 90% logistics/10% fighting, which while cool in some ways doesn’t make for the same sort of gaming goodness as, say, a whole Barbarossa campaign or a D-Day to the Rhine rumble.

Well, it’s a little misleading, then. “Desert War” is technically applicable. Very strictly speaking. But the name implies that it covers “the Desert War” writ large. I had no idea that it was really an operational level game. Or even just a battle game. Or portion of a battle game. Given its WEGO system, that’s understandable.

It should, though, be called something more like “Battles and Engagements of the Desert War”.

I’m actually not a big fan of North Africa, so the individual battles at this scale don’t grab me. I do have more interest in the campaign possibilities though, but this isn’t that. So… meh.

Makes sense, when you look at it that way.

From the first sentence on the product page at Matrix. My bolding:

Desert War is an operational level, ground-centric wargame that recreates the epic tank battles fought between the Axis and Allies for possession of Libya and Egypt.

Which is why No Retreat: North Africa is so brilliant.

Well, yeah I guess. But I didn’t read that. I’m not saying they’re trying to mislead anyone. Only that I was, in fact, misled on the name.

And… it is technically possible to have an operational level game that covers the major portion of the entire campaign. Like the venerable SPI title “Campaign in North Africa” (which, incidentally, I just sold a mint copy of for $430!).

Don’t forget Mark Herman’s Pacific War. Although Mark tells people not to play the campaigns.

I still have my copy of CNA but it’s not in mint condition. I still look over many of my old games from time to time but don’t have the time to play them or the heart to sell them.

I had been that way – not having the heart to sell any of my collection. But I suddenly realized that I’d never play some of these games, especially as I acquire new ones, so I began selling off a few games I know I’ll not really miss. Especially ones that might be getting a remake soon, like CNA.

Who is remaking it? SPI is long gone of course.

Decision Games, I assume? They own the copyright to all the old SPI games.

Wacht Am Rhein, Highway to the Reich, Atlantic Wall. All republished.

Ah, ok. Thanks.

Interesting, I did not know that.

Fellow grognards, Decision Games are now having a $30 off for purchase above $120. I’m very interested in Axis Empires: Dai Senso as I always wanted to play a WW2 Pacific Campaign that involves Sino-Japanese War as one of the important theater to play. Has anyone tried Dai Senso before? how does it compare to other Pacific campaign games like Empire of the Sun… and yes… another Mark Herman’s game–Pacific War. Should I wait for P500 reprint of EOTS and for the latter, Pacific War, there’s a senior grognard happens to own this game and we both agreed to tackle it once we’re retired.

Incidentally, I also know about War of the Sun from MMP, I don’t think I can bring myself to play this in my lifetime. Do recommend if you guys know any great Pacific Campaign or 2nd Sino-Japanese War wargame.

I know nothing about these games, but I’m certainly intrigued in theory (ain’t no way I’m buying these sorts of games any more) about the Second Sino-Japanese War as a subject. It’s sadly under-studied in the West, even though it had and continues to have long-lasting significance.

For instance, much of the leadership in the South Korean military during the time of the Korean War and afterwards got their start with the Imperial Japanese Army in Manchuria. Even Park Chung-hee, president of South Korea from 1963 to his assassination in 1979, got his start with Japanese imperial military training and service, and kept a life-long admiration for bushido and the general philosophy of Japanese military thought. Likewise, many of the Communist leaders who fought in the Korean War and were prominent in politics afterward (until Kim Il-sung purged most of them) fought against the Japanese in that war, with the Chinese usually.

The Japanese imperial expansion from 1931 to 1945 still casts a long shadow in other ways, too, so it’s really cool that there are people looking at the Sino-Japanese war for simulation subjects.

Mark Herman and I talked for a while about Pacific War wargames here:

Verdict: Fire is the Sky is great, his own Pacific War is good but the campaign doesn’t hang together and doesn’t really fit with the design so just play with the scenarios. He likes War of the Suns but I don’t know because it is sitting on my shelf unopened.