1701

At the beginning of the game you can select which countries you want to play.
Time of Wrath is a steal for $6.80. It’s very similar to SWiE but the scale is different. Better if you want to control more units.

1702

Picked up Thunderbolt Apache Leader thanks to a bitt of buzz over on Boardgamegeek. I’m new to the Leader series (though I seem to recall a similar game way back on on my early 386 PC). It’s solitaire, though I imagine could be played cooperatively by a couple of players working together to manage a squadron.

Verdict: A heck of a lot of fun. Some abstraction in the name of playability. Tons of tough choices through all game phases, from picking your pilots and planes, to arming them, to selecting forces for a mission, to the turn-by-turn angst of a mission itself. A bit fiddly with numerous chits (though I am sure this will swell the heart of a true grognard), but actual play is pretty fast and I imagine when I get up to speed I could set up and fly a mission in 30 minutes.

Highly recommended if anyone’s interested in a solitaire game to get them through the long, dark winter.

1703

The Leader series is actually pretty good. I have Phantom Leader & U-Boat Leader, with Hornet Leader arriving today. As far as being fiddly with “numerous chits”, naw. The Leader games are actually pretty mellow as far as chits and record keeping goes. There are few alive today who would put up with the old AH/SPI rulesets, record keeping, and counters (we call them ASL players)

1704

What’s your thoughts on U-Boat leader? The subject is of interest to me, but the reviews on Boardgamegeek are only so-so. They’ve got a Gato Leader in pre-order and I’m thinking I’ll hold out for that.

Yeah, I’ve got very little to compare to, since my physical wargame experience is limited to something like the Command and Colors series.

I did order a bunch of counter trays yesterday, which I think will vastly improve my experience. I spent too much time digging through my tackle box organizer trying to find a specific chit.

1705

It was rough to begin with – the balancing was way off, making U-Boats far more survival than they should (realistically) be. Revisions to the rules toned down the most exploitable rules and got things to where they should be, IMO. So, recommended, as long as you print out and use the rule book that’s on the DVG site since it contains all of the tweaks.

I am probably going to skip Gato Leader, since Silent War has thoroughly scratched my US Pacific sub war itch.

Yeah, I’ve got very little to compare to, since my physical wargame experience is limited to something like the Command and Colors series.

I did order a bunch of counter trays yesterday, which I think will vastly improve my experience. I spent too much time digging through my tackle box organizer trying to find a specific chit.

Trays are awesome. I just use small ziplock bags myself, and have a handy set of little bowls repurposed for chit-drawing duties.

1706

For anyone interested, Gamersgate has Storm over the Pacific for $5.99.
It might fill your need for a Pacific wargame without having to “play” WitP.

1707

Second this. Storm Over the Pacific has more than enough to keep most normal human beings busy and interested.

(I actually prefer Shrapnel Game’s War Plan Pacific more than either of the games mentioned above, because it plays so much faster, but Shrapnel’s more-retarded-than-Matrixgames-pricing kinda makes it an anti-bargain).

1708

Alea Jacta Est, the latest Ageod game, was released a few days ago, and I finally got around to buying it today. I’ve only been playing for an hour or two, but it seems quite good, so far. It uses the AGE engine, so it’s similar to most of Ageod’s other wargames, although since it’s set in Roman times, several of the systems have been somewhat simplified, which should make it a bit more accessible to those who aren’t familiar with the AGE games.

The game comes with 5 scenarios (plus a tutorial scenario), including Caesar vs. Pompey (from HBO’s Rome), and Marius vs. Sulla vs. Mithridates. I’m currently playing the second one, as Marius, and there seems to be quite a few both random and historical events, which I like. Also, the game has lifted the province decision feature from Pride of Nations, which is a most welcome addition, in my opinion.

Anyway, I’d say this is the game for those with an interest in Roman history (and wargames), or those who’re interested in the AGE games, but found them too hard to get into.

1709

Thanks for the update. I have several of the AGE games, but always got sort of fed up with them and the obtuseness of some of the interface stuff after a while. I like the idea that this one is a bit more streamlined. But too many games on the plate right now, so I’ll hope for a sale one day ;).

1710

Unity of Command has made it to Steam, and is currently 25% off for $14.99.

1711

This thing fall apart on you? Haven’t seen any updates.

1712

I have two coupons codes for a $20 discount on Conflict of Heroes: one for the Matrix store, and one for the Slitherine store. I’m not getting the game myself, so if anyone is interested, just send me a PM.

1713

If anyone likes turn-based war, Gamersgate has the Wastelands Strategic Bundle for $17 (that’s 66% off). The bundle contains WW2: Time of Wrath, Storm over the Pacific, and Strategic War in Europe. I thought that’s a pretty good deal.

http://www.gamersgate.com/DDB-WLSB/wastelands-strategic-bundle-bundle

The sale came up again, but this time I posted it for you grogs, rather than put it in the bargain thread.

1714

Just noticed that desura has a couple of those Wastelands games at 75% off right now:
http://www.desura.com/games/world-war-2-time-of-wrath $5.00
http://www.desura.com/games/storm-over-the-pacific $7.50

1715

Thought you all might be interested in our latest release, Scourge of War: Chancellorsville:

http://matrixgames.com/products/447/…ancellorsville

Also, we are releasing Commander: Great War next week and have a preview AAR going:

http://www.slitherine.com/forum/view…?f=131&t=38749

1716

Commander releases today, and I have to admit I wasn’t particularly interested, having played the previous two Commander titles, but that AAR stoked my excitement quite a bit.

1717

Could you elaborate a little bit on what was wrong with the previous two Commander titles? I’m interested in this game, but haven’t played the previous ones.

1718

I’ve been looking for a good WWI game, and this one seems to be the front runner. World War One Gold was too damn weird and hard to figure out, Guns of August was a bit too primitive, and the Strategic Command WWI game (only played the demo, but I have played other SC WWII themed games) left me feeling kind of “meh.” This one has hexes, what seems to be a reasonable UI, and a manageable scale. I confess, though, that I’ve never played the other Commander games, having burned out kind of on WWII grand strategy. But for WWI I’m game.

1719

Nothing concrete - they just didn’t hold my interest. It could be that the previous two topics (WW II & Napoleon) have been done to death. Anyway, this is a new development team, and it appears they updated the graphics and streamlined the interface.

I’m interested in giving it a shot, but the $40 price stands in the way. Being Matrix, the odds of it being on sale before sometime next year are slim, so I may cave anyway.

1720

Surprise surprise surprise! I took the plunge. Here are some impressions after playing a couple of turns of the 1914 campaign (and not reading the manual).

First of all, I love the look of the game. The map is great and the sepia-toned information cards fit in nicely, as do the faux-newspaper headlines that announce major events. Anyone that has ever played a Panzer General styled game will be able to jump right in, as combat, repairing units, and recruiting new ones is straight out of that playbook, which is fine. The big difference is that each country starts with a finite level of manpower that never replenishes, and as you get closer to the bottom of the well, the quality of your troops diminishes, so you have to be careful not to go repair and recruitment crazy.

One difference between this and PG (or the other Commander games) is that leaders are not purchased like ordinary units. They appear when certain milestones are reached. For instance, Von Hindenberg only becomes available to the Germans when a) they are at war with Russia and b) the German infantry has destroyed 20 enemy strength points (note - not units, so knocking a French unit from a strength of 10 to 6 counts as 4 for this purpose).

Likewise, diplomacy is handled uniquely. The 1914 campaign starts with Austria-Hungary at war with Serbia, and 21 neutral countries in the bleachers. Rather then sending diplomats or spending PP’s to influence them, they all react to player actions, and that’s what makes them more or less likely to enter the war. For example, if the CP player parks a couple of naval units outside of Constantinople, it increases the likelihood that Turkey will enter the war.

Research is handled a bit differently as well. At the start of 1914, you can only invest in infantry research, with the other schools (naval, aircraft, etc.) only becoming available after a certain number of turns. I’m not sure how I feel about that, since it seems a little gamey. Why CAN’T I build labs to research naval tech in the first turn if I want to?

So, right now I like what I see, but I feel I have to RTFM. The only thing I haven’t yet found is a way to see the supply situation, but it may be hidden in there somewhere.