Asia Engulfed and your board game habits

[Titanwarrior89]

Bought this board game. The players reviews looked good. Was wondering if anyone else has played it before and what they thought of it.

Secondly it got me to wondering how much time do most players spend on their computer wargames as compared to their board games. Like many of you I have spent years wargaming with board games. But I sold my collection and it's now only the computer ones. So I decided to buy one and only one covering the area I am most interested in.

[Jeffrey H.]

I seem to go back and forth between board games and comp games. When I started out gaming, I was a board gamer, because that's all there was. When computers came along I was really too poor to own one but I had a friend who had one and I really enjoyed those old C64/Apple II+ games. I sold off my boardgame collection for food money, (no kidding) and pretty much all that was left was my friends computer. He was off at college so I used it now and then. All my gaming friends pretty much scattered so the computer was about the only opponent I had.
 
After college, I had some money so I got my own computer and the games came along with it. After many years of computer gaming, I got tired of them and I wanted to get back into ftf board gaming. Slowly that's been happening and I've began to collect more and more boardgames again. I still play computer games but I'm pretty much exclusively old school hex and counter type stuff these days.
 
I think the boardgames are more mentally challenging that computer games, but sometimes I'd rather fire up a session of my current computer obsession and go until I can't see straight and my arm is numb.
 
Back and forth.
 

[Titanwarrior89]

Jeffrey, One good thing about board games you don't have to worry if they'll run on some system in the future.  If you take care of them barring accidents they last forever.[:)]

[JudgeDredd]

I'm like Jeffrey, ever since I got Memoir '44, I've been between that and the computer.

In fact, I post this right now just prior to closing the computer down and firing up a game of Memoir '44...the reason?? My much loved/hated relationship with Theatre of War. I love it. It's stunning. Hard work and very, very micro manage heavy...but worse still....3 crashes in the 2 hours!

Love it and hate it!

So Memoir '44 it is! I'm also thinking about expanding my board game collection...just need to stop buying crap computer games (GTA IV anyone!?).

See ya [:D]

[Warfare1]

I started off playing board wargames many years ago. Of course, like a lot of others, I sold them off. How I regret that decision.

Now I am enjoying a sort of "retro" gaming - going back to board wargames. In particular, I am looking for board wargames that can also be played solo.

I find that Memoir 44 and its expansions, plays solo quite well. I have also started to add some nice miniatures to the game for specialty forces (Panther tanks for elite tanks; half-tracks for Panzer Grenadiers, etc).

Although I like playing war games on the computer, I find I am spending more time playing the board games. No eye strain; no computer crashes; no computer upgrades needed down the road; and when the power goes off, I have something I can play.

[Titanwarrior89]

Judge, I Looked at Memoir. Looks to be a good game. Do you have all the exspanions that go with it? What scale is it?

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

I'm like Jeffrey, ever since I got Memoir '44, I've been between that and the computer.

In fact, I post this right now just prior to closing the computer down and firing up a game of Memoir '44...the reason?? My much loved/hated relationship with Theatre of War. I love it. It's stunning. Hard work and very, very micro manage heavy...but worse still....3 crashes in the 2 hours!

Love it and hate it!

So Memoir '44 it is! I'm also thinking about expanding my board game collection...just need to stop buying crap computer games (GTA IV anyone!?).

See ya [:D]

[Titanwarrior89]

Warfare1, I may take a look at Field commander: Rommel. I kind of wished I had looked at it and Memoir before buying Asia engulfed. But who knows I may get them all.[:D]

ORIGINAL: Warfare1

I started off playing board wargames many years ago. Of course, like a lot of others, I sold them off. How I regret that decision.

Now I am enjoying a sort of "retro" gaming - going back to board wargames. In particular, I am looking for board wargames that can also be played solo.

I find that Memoir 44 and its expansions, plays solo quite well. I have also started to add some nice miniatures to the game for specialty forces (Panther tanks for elite tanks; half-tracks for Panzer Grenadiers, etc).

I bought "Field Commander:Rommel" a short time ago, and just finished playing my first game last night. This war board game is specifically designed for Solitaire play. The Allied opponent kicked my butt - heheh. I am starting a new game today. I love the tactile feel of the pieces; seeing the whole map; agonizing over choices. Excellent game. I continually think about the game and strategy while I am away from it.

Although I like playing war games on the computer, I find I am spending more time playing the board games. No eye strain; no computer crashes; no computer upgrades needed down the road; and when the power goes off, I have something I can play.

[JudgeDredd]

I don't have all the expansions. I only have the original, the Winter/Desert map and the Eastern Front add on at the mo....

I like the game very much...my daughter loves playing "the army game", and she is getting very clever at it too...in fact, I find she quite often points out the rules to me, what with my bad memory and all.

Scale? I'm not sure what you mean. It's not strategic...tactical if that is what you meant. So the board may consist of several woods, villages, a river or two.

Haven't actually played the Eastern Front expansionyet. I've had it ages, but never had the winter/desert board, so couldn't really play it. We were going to play the expansion tonight, my daughter and I, but I said we'd just go with the normal, being as we already knew the rules.

Great game though and worthy of the money. A game will last my daughter and I from 1 to 2 hours.

[GJK]

I did the boardgamer to PC gamer and now back to boardgamer dance within the past few years. I just get so much more enjoyment out of boardgaming (ASL in particular). I like doing all the things for myself - I don't care for computer games that do too much for me (and assumes it knows how best to do those things or what my intentions were) and I don't care for games that let me micro-manage yet I have to wade through several layers of menus/options to get to what I want. I like being able to see unit information right there on the counter at a glance and not with a mouse-over.

[JudgeDredd]

The single biggest problem with boardgames is solo play. Most AI in computer games is good enough for a couple of passes.

I simply have no one to play with, and it's difficult to understand how you can play some games solo...no ambush for example? I mean, I've heard people talking about Memoir '44 being a good solo game...but there are cards that make it difficult to play solo. For example, the "Counter Attack" card. If I know "my opponent" (me) has the Counter Attack card...do I play my Armoured Assault card? And if I do, am I playing it in the interests of not being a "cheat" or am I playing it because I want to play that card at that time? How am I sure?

lol...I mean, the card/chit play goes a ways to make it solo play...but there simply are things you cannot do.

I think I read somewhere that someone doesn't "look" at all the cards issued in Memoir '44, but simply places them face down and draws a random one...ok, but it seems that that kind of takes the little tactical edge that you have away from you...then again, maybe it enhances it...I'll have to try it.

[GJK]

I get all my boardgaming fixes via VASL/VASSAL/ZunTzu when I don't have a ftf game planned. I have a great pbem game of ASL going right now....just played my turn last night; retained rate on my 88 FLaK that chewed up a building containing an American paratroop squad with a medium MG. My playing partner is going to weep when he plays back that log.

[Titanwarrior89]

Judge, On the scale - How much time has passed on a turn. What hex scale is it-such as 40 meters to hex or what ever it is?[:)]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

I don't have all the expansions. I only have the original, the Winter/Desert map and the Eastern Front add on at the mo....

I like the game very much...my daughter loves playing "the army game", and she is getting very clever at it too...in fact, I find she quite often points out the rules to me, what with my bad memory and all.

Scale? I'm not sure what you mean. It's not strategic...tactical if that is what you meant. So the board may consist of several woods, villages, a river or two.

Haven't actually played the Eastern Front expansionyet. I've had it ages, but never had the winter/desert board, so couldn't really play it. We were going to play the expansion tonight, my daughter and I, but I said we'd just go with the normal, being as we already knew the rules.

Great game though and worthy of the money. A game will last my daughter and I from 1 to 2 hours.

[Titanwarrior89]

Gjk, Ive never done it so- what is the Vasl/Vassal/ZunTzu and how does it work?

ORIGINAL: GJK

I get all my boardgaming fixes via VASL/VASSAL/ZunTzu when I don't have a ftf game planned. I have a great pbem game of ASL going right now....just played my turn last night; retained rate on my 88 FLaK that chewed up a building containing an American paratroop squad with a medium MG. My playing partner is going to weep when he plays back that log.

[JudgeDredd]

The game doesn't work on "time"...in other words, you simply play out a tactical battle. The battle can take between 1 and 2 hours in real time, but there is no concept of time in the game...you simply play the battles.

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: Titanwarrior89

Warfare1, I may take a look at Field commander: Rommel. I kind of wished I had looked at it and Memoir before buying Asia engulfed. But who knows I may get them all.[:D]

ORIGINAL: Warfare1

I started off playing board wargames many years ago. Of course, like a lot of others, I sold them off. How I regret that decision.

Now I am enjoying a sort of "retro" gaming - going back to board wargames. In particular, I am looking for board wargames that can also be played solo.

I find that Memoir 44 and its expansions, plays solo quite well. I have also started to add some nice miniatures to the game for specialty forces (Panther tanks for elite tanks; half-tracks for Panzer Grenadiers, etc).

I bought "Field Commander:Rommel" a short time ago, and just finished playing my first game last night. This war board game is specifically designed for Solitaire play. The Allied opponent kicked my butt - heheh. I am starting a new game today. I love the tactile feel of the pieces; seeing the whole map; agonizing over choices. Excellent game. I continually think about the game and strategy while I am away from it.

Although I like playing war games on the computer, I find I am spending more time playing the board games. No eye strain; no computer crashes; no computer upgrades needed down the road; and when the power goes off, I have something I can play.

Titanwarrior89:

I'm thoroughly enjoying Rommel - three campaigns, lots of options, and the campaigns can be linked into a "Career Mode", carrying over units, etc... from one campaign to another.

DVG has also just released Field Commander: Alexander. It's a solitaire game depicting the campaigns of Alexander the Great.

For Rommel, I laminated all three campaign maps, and color photocopied the original three maps. The laminated maps will last for years and I can play them at home, while the copied maps can be taken on the road when I travel.

Here's more info on Rommel:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/28829

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

The single biggest problem with boardgames is solo play. Most AI in computer games is good enough for a couple of passes.

I simply have no one to play with, and it's difficult to understand how you can play some games solo...no ambush for example? I mean, I've heard people talking about Memoir '44 being a good solo game...but there are cards that make it difficult to play solo. For example, the "Counter Attack" card. If I know "my opponent" (me) has the Counter Attack card...do I play my Armoured Assault card? And if I do, am I playing it in the interests of not being a "cheat" or am I playing it because I want to play that card at that time? How am I sure?

lol...I mean, the card/chit play goes a ways to make it solo play...but there simply are things you cannot do.

I think I read somewhere that someone doesn't "look" at all the cards issued in Memoir '44, but simply places them face down and draws a random one...ok, but it seems that that kind of takes the little tactical edge that you have away from you...then again, maybe it enhances it...I'll have to try it.

JudgeDredd:

Here's what I do when playing Memoir 44 solo:

1) Deal out only two cards per side face down. Then for side A select the best card to play and discard the other one. Do the same for Side B.

2) Ambush card - either remove it from the deck OR use it as a "free" card, meaning the side that draws it may move one unit of his choice regardless of the "zone" it is in.

3) Counter-Attack cards - Because you're only drawing two cards for each side, you will never know which side has the counterattack card until you play the side that has it. A nice FoW.

4) My house rule for armour - All tanks can move two hexes and fire OR move three hexes and NOT fire. Medium tanks fire three hexes away (3,3,2). Elite tanks (Panthers, etc) also fire three hexes away (3,3,3). A subtle change, but I find it works nicely and alters one's strategy.

[GJK]

ORIGINAL: Titanwarrior89

Gjk, Ive never done it so- what is the Vasl/Vassal/ZunTzu and how does it work?

Those programs that I mentioned are electronic representations of the board games.

VASL is for ASL.
VASSAL covers many different games and can be played in real time (live) or by taking taking turns and emailing them (pbem).

ZunTzu looks really cool but is real-time live play online only.

Cyberboard is a nifty application that has been around for years but currently only allows you to pbem.

And a new one to add to the list is GameTableOnline though it currently supports more "Euro-games" than it does "Wargames" at this time.

Ownership of the original games required. It doesn't tell you if you goof up a rule and there is no AI. You find real humans and match wits with them, i.e., you actually interact with other people instead of just the PC.

[Titanwarrior89]

Thanks for the answer, if I appeared on-I forgot to closeout. I was doing some turns of Witp.

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

The game doesn't work on "time"...in other words, you simply play out a tactical battle. The battle can take between 1 and 2 hours in real time, but there is no concept of time in the game...you simply play the battles.

[Titanwarrior89]

Okie doe, thanks.

ORIGINAL: GJK

ORIGINAL: Titanwarrior89

Gjk, Ive never done it so- what is the Vasl/Vassal/ZunTzu and how does it work?

Those programs that I mentioned are electronic representations of the board games.

VASL is for ASL.
VASSAL covers many different games and can be played in real time (live) or by taking taking turns and emailing them (pbem).

ZunTzu looks really cool but is real-time live play online only.

Cyberboard is a nifty application that has been around for years but currently only allows you to pbem.

And a new one to add to the list is GameTableOnline though it currently supports more "Euro-games" than it does "Wargames" at this time.

Ownership of the original games required. It doesn't tell you if you goof up a rule and there is no AI. You find real humans and match wits with them, i.e., you actually interact with other people instead of just the PC.

[Titanwarrior89]

By the way have either of you guys played or heard off a game "The Great war in Europe: The deluxe edition?  Its covers ww1(by GMT).