Hard to know why they are targeted. It could be just the fact that they’re a wargames company, which can bring out some nuts on either side of the fence.
It could also be noted that Gene Billingsley, the sole remaining original founder of the company (the “G” in GMT) is a registered sex offender in the state of California, and plead guilty to “LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH A CHILD 14 OR 15 YEARS OF AGE” to the offense several years ago, serving a sentence in prison. I don’t know the circumstances of the case at all, other than the fact that he quietly rejoined the company to run it after he got out of prison, but it could be some kind of revenge act. Pure speculation on my part.
— Alan
Despite this Eurogamer Dad’s every effort, my 11-year-old gamer son tells me he likes “wargames.”
His birthday is coming up, so I’m looking for something that will really fit the bill. (It was after I showed him Tom Vasel’s review of Mice and Mystics and he shrugged at it that he told me he likes wargames.)
To be clear, by “wargame” he’s talking about games like OGRE, Battle Cry, Risk: Legacy, and Battlelore. (All of which I have.) Not Advanced Squad Leader.
Any recommendations?
It can’t be super-complicated, or he’ll never play it.
I think games where you move around a bunch of units is what he’s looking for. Not abstracted battles.
If it has solo rules, that would be a big plus.
He likes fantasy settings more than historical. Historical is fine, but he’s not playing to geek out on the history. (Not yet.)
Does anything remotely fit this bill?
It warms my heart that 11 year olds are learning to love Ogre. That was my first wargame, which I encountered in high school.
Unfortunately, my wargaming period was 20 years ago, so my fantasy recommendations are all out of date (I.e. Dragon Rage or Ragnarok.)
Edit: it’s too bad Space Hulk is so pricey. It’s awesome, and the rules are quite simple.
SlyFrog
5744
Hmmm. You say wargame, but then you say fantasy. Then you also say solo would be a plus. Not that these things are impossible, but they usually don’t fit together.
Looking over on my shelf, I see some possibilities. None match up your requests exactly.
Claustrophobia - Not a true “wargame” in the sense that it is small unit/individual tactics, but it is fantasy (well, sci-fi) and a really good game.
Runewars - Fantasy wargame, not too heavy (for a wargame -it’s not Advanced Squad Leader). Needs at least two players, however, and probably shines better with more (though I’ve played it two player and liked it).
Eclipse - Sci-fi grand strategy 4x game. Again, however, really needs multiple players to shine.
War of the Ring - A great game. Fantasy. Only needs two players. Might be a bit complicated, but again, if he is serious about “wargames,” he’s probably going to have to deal with some complication, and this again isn’t Advanced Squad Leader.
Hannibal - A card driven game. This has the “drawback” (for you) of being historical, but it is a more approachable wargame.
Advanced Squad Leader - Just kidding.
There are obviously more possibilities if you need them, but these came to mind from a quick look at my game shelf.
JoshL
5745
I’d recommend Small World or War of the Ring, but neither is solo. Good solo wargames are a rare breed. There’s Ambush! and… well, there’s Ambush!
Great suggestions, SlyFrog. I think those are definitely in the realm he’s interested in. I had already started looking at Runewars while doing my own research. I know not all the the attributes I mentioned are going to be met. I’ve noticed a lot of grognard-style wargames play single-player for some reason (because grognards have no friends?), but I would be surprised to see many simpler or fantasy-themed ones.
Thanks. I’ll take a closer look at some of these.
Heroscape would also fill the spot that you are looking for. You build the plastic hex terrain and push all sorts of pre-painted historical and fantasy warrior models around in a basic skirmish war game. 11 year old heaven.
Ogre’s coming back, you know…
— Alan
JoshL
5749
An excellent suggestion. Unfortunately, Heroscape is out of print. You can pick stuff up used, but it’s a bit of a hassle. You can’t have mine! I’ve got them squirreled away for when my kids are old enough <maniacal laugh>
To be clear, by “wargame” he’s talking about games like OGRE, Battle Cry, Risk: Legacy, and Battlelore. (All of which I have.) Not Advanced Squad Leader.
Any recommendations?
You already have BattleLore, which is the first game that came to mind. Among fantasy war games, there’s the old classic Divine Right. I don’t know if card battling games like Summoner Wars fit the bill (in a similar vein there’s Pixel Tactics, Battleground Fantasy Warfare, War for Edaðh).
I enjoy playing war games solo: Space Infantry, Nuklear Winter '68, Space Empires 4X. There are a number of good ones I’ve heard that Conflict of Heroes and Thunderbolt Apache Leader are excellent.
Thunderbolt Apache Leader is a semi-complex wargame. Probably not what he’s looking for…
— Alan
I haven’t played Thunderbolt. In that case, Nuklear Winter '68 (3.2), Space Empires (3.1), War for Edaðh (3.2), Conflict of Heroes (3.0), Divine Right (3.2) are the same or about the same BGG weight (which, granted, is ambiguously defined) as Thunderbolt Apache Leader (3.2).
Along the lines of miniature fantasy battling games, there’s also the new Dungeon Command series.
Ah “wargamer” aka “enjoys pushing around plastic pieces and rolling dice”. Good memories.
You can’t have my multipe copies of Heroscape either. They’ll stay right there on the shelf until my boys grow up.
If Space Hulk weren’t OOP again, it would probably be ideal. But check ebay - you might be lucky to pick it up at a reasonable price, and it remains one of the best squad combat games on board or computer.
I would also look into one of the newer Axis and Allies releases. I’ve lost track of which edition is current (A&A’42 2nd edition, perhaps?), but the games remain popular at the local club. Plastic tanks and infantry, and right into the action in '42. Much more streamlined than the original and I believe they also have different levels of complexity in the rules, so one can make it pretty straightforward and simple or relatively complex.
Ikusa could also be an option, if your boy likes to play Shogun: Total War. It’s a reprint of the old Milton Bradley classic “Shogun”/“Samurai Swords”. It is best with more players than 2, though. And it is not a very simple game. There might be nuances there that an 11-year old might not have the patience for.
The reprinted “Fortress America” could also be an option, though again it might be a bit heavy. Another MB classic.
I was going to say Fortress America. Some grognards in my group love that game. Plays best with 4 though.
I wonder if Mage Knight might be a good fit? It’s not a wargame. You control a single unit (though you recruit allies throughout the game, building up a group of 3-6 guys typically). It’s more like a Heroes of Might and Magic type game where you go around trying to conquer everything.
I recommend it for a few reasons:
[ol]
[li]It’s great solo
[/li][li]It has a more combat oriented theme, but the in game mechanics feel more like a Euro, so you may both enjoy it
[/li][li]It’s also great with 2-3 players (but not anymore).
[/li][li]It’s fantasy.
[/li][li]This may not matter, but it’s got great cooperative scenarios (especially in the expansion) if you prefer lower conflict / competition.
[/li][/ol]
The box says the recommended age is 14+. The game is meaty and complicated. I don’t know what your child can handle, but if you played a few games with him and walked him through everything, he may be able to play on his own.
What is the deal with this? They reprinted it and did a short run? This is one of those games that people are ALWAYS looking for. Maybe the components are too expensive to keep making them or something? Just seems like a game they’d have no trouble continuously selling if they kept it on shelves.
Thanks, everyone. I kinda wish I had grabbed those Heroscape sets when the kids were younger…
Can anyone tell me how the Conflict of Heroes games work for one player?
Scamper
5757
No way Mage Knight fits here. Way too complicated and you only push around one bit. Plus it is horrible and slow, IMO.
Try Columbia Games Wizard Kings. Solo play is fairly low though. It also opens the door for some of their more complex block games. Its ready to pick up and play.
Mage Wars might fit if he doesn’t mind the bits being cards.
Conquest of Nerath is not overly complex and has a great theme. No solo option though.
Syzygy
5759
Slow, yes. Horrible – strongly disagree.
I think Mage Knight the boardgame could work well as the dad could start out with co-op or competitive scenarios with the son, until he’s more comfortable with it. (And the euro loving dad may appreciate the deck building engine at the core of the game.)
It ticks the major boxes of being about conflict, having a fantasy theme, and being able to be played solo.
The base rules of Mage Knight are not that complicated. It’s only all the exceptions and interactions of the powers that ticks up the complexity level. If the son makes mistakes while playing solo, who cares?
WIzard kings is a great suggestion I would never have run across myself. I love the look of those block games. Looks like the perfect middle ground between Euro meeples and cardboard chits. Thanks, Scamper.
By the way, I think my son would very likely enjoy several of these other games like Mage Knight. But after we talked about what he was really into, I’m trying to find something that fits his specific current interest, if I can. Either way, all suggestions are helpful!
