Hi everyone,
Last note from me on this - Brother against Brother is available now!
If you missed the Twitch livestream yesterday, you can now watch it here and this should hopefully help answer some questions.
Brother Against Brother is an excellent game, and I’m not one to normally enjoy games that are just tactical battles.
I’m a sucker for the Great Patriotic War. What was the previous game in the series like?
The first game, Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg Warsaw to Paris was pretty similar but with somewhat smaller scope. It covered the German invasion of Poland, the invasion of France, and Sealion. The game system is a nice balance between simplicity and complexity; it is far, far more accessible than, say, War in the East, but more complex by far than Panzer Corps. Some of the UI elements are a bit wonky and it can be hard to get a solid feel for exactly what is going on (at least for me) under the hood, but overall it’s a very solid operational gaming system.
If someone’s interested in buying both Case Blue and Warsaw to Paris, you can get them for half price in the Matrix/Slitherine store - add Case Blue to the shopping cart ($20) and then you’re prompted and asked if you want to add Warsaw to Paris for another $20.
So… I am in the mood for a nice, deep ,difficult wargame. Case Blue or Empires in Arms?
Both on offer from matrix this weekend. Advice?
I own both Case Blue and Warsaw to Paris, but to be honest I haven’t played them nearly as much as I feel they deserve, as I tend to just go straight to War in the East, whenever I feel like some WWII strategizing. I was trying to write out a post detailing what I liked about the Decisive Campaigns system, but I honestly can’t remember the specifics anymore. I do remember liking the linked scenarios (somewhat akin to Panzer Corps), as well as the ability to purchase different options at the beginning of a given scenario, which will change the historical setup.
Thanks Nikolaj. Hmm, I already own War in the East. Maybe I should just revisit that…
That’s what I usually do, although as I said, I think those other games deserve to be played too. It’s just that I feel there’s so much left for me to do and try out in War in the East, I honestly don’t think I’ll ever need another east front game. :)
I don’t know about Empires in Arms, and I’ve never played it. It looks a bit like Risk with some bells and whistles, which is enough to make me take a big step around it, although I’m sure that’s a wildly unfair comparison. :)
I’ve started a Brother Against Brother Video AAR, with getting to the end of Turn 1 taking me 40 minutes of waffling on about the mechanics. But hopefully you’ll see some of the complexity, yet accessibility of the game…
I would go for Case Blue everytime, in this choice. The Empires in Arms title is old, very clunky and makes you work for any pleasure you can eek out of it. I got it years ago in my Nappy phase, and tried my hardest to get in the swing of it. Perhaps its been overhauled since, but I’ve not heard about it.
The Decisive Campaigns series is a polished operational wargame, with a lot of history wrapped around the chit shuffling the event cards help with emphasizing specific happenings that will affect your decisions. The leaders are there and exert special boosts to your troops which can really drag the dry chit action up to memorable actions.
They are two very different games, and if you’re not in the mood for WWII again, then perhaps you should whip yourself with the EiM lash, but if “good times had by all” are what you’re seeking then, IMHO, its a no-brainer.
Thanks! I will go for Case Blue!
I’ve completed part 2 of my AAR for Brother Against Brother, its another 40 minute session, but at least this time I managed to get some musket volley action in.
Did anyone else miss this announcement? Apparently, they’re making a Scourge of War game set in Waterloo, which sounds awesome to me. Maybe they’ve talked about this before, but it’s the first I’ve heard of it. While I very much like Histwar, I think SoW has a (much) better interface, so this is a must-buy for me.
edit: There’s some preview footage here.
Troy Goodfellow has mentioned it a few times on 3 Moves Ahead, and I’ve been hearing about it on and off for the last year.
I really should pull the game out and give it another go. never made it through all the tutorials before.
Huzzah! A new Ageod game is coming and it’s the Thirty Years’ War! I’ve been wanting Ageod to make this game for years, and IIRC it was one of the most popular choices in a vote they had a few years ago.
However, from what I can tell, it’s not actually made by Ageod, but by another team, like Revolution Under Siege and España 1936. RUS is my favourite Ageod game, though, so I’m not too worried about that. I’m more interested in what the scenarios and campaigns are going to look like.
Speaking of this. I’ve been trying to engage with Ageod games forever, without much success (tried Alea Jacta Est and To end All Wars). Any pointers as to what I am supposed to be doing in that system (other than moving armies around, that I understand…?
I haven’t tried To End All Wars yet, but I honestly didn’t think Alea Jacta Est was that good. I know plenty of people like it, but I don’t think the ageod engine is particularly well suited to ancient warfare.
But yeah, you mostly move troops around, although most of the games also incorporate other aspects like recruitment, political decisions, etc. Supply plays a huge role, and you want to always look for a way to cut off your opponent’s supply lines, while keeping your own intact, while also trying to take the objectives the game lays out for you.
I’m pretty much over the AGE engine at this point. I’d like to see them move on to something else.
In general, me too, but damn, the Thirty Years War…one of my favorite eras. And one that actually fits the AGE engine, much better than most. Still, I have Civil War II and The War to End All Wars sitting on my PC and languishing, so…