Cody’s top 10 ww2 2:38 Honourable mentions: Absolute War 3.27 10. Atlantic Chase 4:47 9. 1944 Battle of the Bulge 7:05 8. Pavlov’s House 8:47 7. Black Orchestra 9:59 6. Origins of WW2 11:35 5. Struggle for Europe 1939-1945 12:26 4. Combat Commander Europe 15:39 3. Undaunted Normandy 17:30 2. Company of Heroes 20:25 1. Warroom
I have gone past hours of play on Squad Leader I have years of game play. I have 2 copies of Squad Leader, Cross of Iron Crescendo of Doom and GI Anvil of Victory. I won't ever stop. I have even used the rule for miniature games
Cody, the fact that you make these lists are a tribute to the fact that you take the time, and make the time to produce these lists. Don't let the haters win. Your lists, and other lists like them, give us all different games to look at. Thank you for your work.
Undaunted: North Africa really has been a surprise hit for me. On paper, when I first heard of it I didn’t think too much of the mechanics, but when I got it I fell in love. It’s an accessible game that isn’t too heavy while still exhibiting a good amount of strategy. Plus, games are short! A WW2 game you can play in an hour or so? Amazing.
God damn! Born 1974 in Finland we only had Normandy board game around 1985 (hexa board etc.). Nothing else. Then computers came and we change to those. Couple year ago one guy here made board game Finnish Civil War 1918 with crowd funding. Didn't know these are still made commercially..
Hey, Cody, I'm from New Orleans and very, very proud of our National World War II Museum. Thanks for wearing that shirt! Might help to bring some tourists down to NOLA, just an incredible city to visit.
Here are some of my favorites: Squad Leader (original), and Advanced Squad Leader (Avalon Hill); Battles for the Ardennes and Bulge (both by SPI); Pander Leader & Panzerblitz (both by AH), Panzer '44 by SPI; Drive on Stalingrad and Panzer Gruppe Guderian (both by SPI), Ardennes (by the Gamers); East Front by Columbia Games; Hells Highway by Victory games, Saipan (by SPI), Arnhem and Red Devils (Paratroop) by SPI, Russian Campaign (AH though originally by Jedco); France 1940 (AH), Storm Over Arnhem (AH), Panzer Armee Afrika and Rommel in the Desert (SPI); Sicily (SPI); Tobruk (AH); Bastogne (in the Westwall Quad); Battle for Germany (SPI); Third Reich (AH); Drang Nach Osten and Unentschieden(GDW); 1941 (GDW); Pacific War (Victory Games); Leningrad (SPI); Normandy '44; Cobra (SPI and later by TSR); among others.
Wonderful video as always! WW2 is the reason I became a history teacher, I was a very nerdy kid with WW2 posters and model planes in my bedroom. I watched every 1960s and 70s WW2 movie on Blockbuster VHS tape dozens of times. A great setting for games, too. As a (mostly former) Axis & Allies player, I can't wait to play War Room. Cheers.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Curious if you've ever tried the Ranked A&A 1942 Online computer game? I've been gaming since the 50s, and this is one of the least intrusive (that is, play at your own pace but play you must) online games I've tried.
I played Origins of World War Two as a teenager in the 1970s. I still own it. The concept of the Political Factor made one think about Political Economy and the various components of foreign policy. The major powers contest for the client states of Europe in the 1930s. The Rheinland and Alsace-Lorraine are also represented. The game is well-balanced especially when you do it as a five player game. Each major power has different values for having the most PFs in the various client states. The game reinforces the idea that integration and free trade in the German speaking lands was low hanging fruit for Germany. Not specifically accounted for was the political violence that the Nazis used in the Anschluss of little Austria, Rheinland, and the Sudetenland. However, it could be argued that that is part of why Germany has so many PF to use. The game is also great for learning about the pre-war leaders of Europe. Leon Blum of France is particularly worth learning about. You simply can't know anything about WWII without understanding Europe in the 1930s. I enjoyed learning about the other nine games which I have not played, but hope to some day.
I am lucky in having found a group of friends to play wargames with when I was 15 and we have been playing about weekly for 40 years now - sadly the others are VERY conservative about what games they want to play (Advanced Third Reich(AH), Guns of August (AH), War Between the States (SPI) plus a few Beer and Pretzel games) but I am not complaining. My favourite WW2 games are Advanced Squad Leader (MMP former AH) and World in Flames (ADG).
Original Squad Leader series inc Crescendo of Doom & Cross of Iron (before ASL) was fab. ASL also great, more complex and overwhelming when it first released if an attempt to standardise the fragmented rules of its predecessors, but became unwieldy as the series expanded. Have many of the ASL modules, but haven't played it for many years.
@@theblytonian3906 Yes on a scale from 1 to 10 ASL has a complexity level of 11. But you can reduce the load by a lot just by restricting yourself to playing non-Mediterrainian ETO scenarios. Little need for PTO or Dessert rules then and those are IMHO a significant part of the complexity.
I agree, WarRoom is probably one of the best WWII Strategic level games. I especially like that everyone simultaneously writes down movement orders and bids for turn order with oil. It feels more realistic. Think of Texas Hold'em comes to Wargames, and you will have an idea what WarRoom is all about.
Me and my brother loved playing The Avlon Hill Games Tactics and Tactics Two, in fact we just about wore out the game board and it’s pieces. And the Avlon Hill solitaire game Ambush, in fact I played the game and all of its additions, Purple Heart, Move Out, Silver Star. I really enjoyed creating the Soldiers and naming them, when they were killed it was actually sad. In fact Of all the games I played growing up, I still have all of the game parts and original paperwork and lists of the soldiers who I created.
Nice to ear from you Cody! Plus to say: I'm French but my favorite famous historic man is Sir Winston Churchill by far! Far from Napoleon, Joan of Arc, De Gaulle and all the others. I use to flood my Facebook friends with dozens of quotes from Winston Churchill! What a man!
Thanks for catching me up! I will always love the original Axis and Allies... and now there are so many more wonderful games and more every year it seems and not enough time!
Dody... thanks for the great review. I"m an OLD war gamer that hasn't played in years. You brought back the old thrill of the fight and the roll of the dice! Thanks for sharing.... Ax
I backed War Room's latest kickstarter solely on your review and regard for this game! I have very fond memories of Axis & Allies and I enjoy a lot of similar games to you, so I am fairly confident I'll at least like it enough to justify the purchase. I can't wait to try it out when it delivers! Cheers and happy New Year to you and yours!
I also backed the War Room kickstarter and my group is super excited about it. Talking about dressing up in era outfits based on which country we are playing
@@larryd9549 I've got all 4 of those in the loft (3 copies each of PzL and SqL) plus others like Bismarck, Circus Maximus, Richtofen's War (x2), War and Peace, Wooden ships and Iron men plus others. Great times.
Your tastes in war games lines up quite a bit with mine. Combat Commander & Undaunted, both excellent. Half of the games on your list are in my collection. I built two 42'" lazy susans, as one of my best friends also bought War Room, built one for him. WWII...Never Forget 💝. You recommended the book Rampage to me about 2 and a half years ago and I picked it up on Audible. That started me on an Audible run of 53 more audio books since then. Currently on Under The Southern Cross (book 2 of 4 set) by Tom Cleaver. Thanks for the "knowledge" kick start Cody!🍻 PS- You were right, Rampage became the toughest, hardest, most gruesome book I've ever read/listened to replacing that spot formerly held by Eugene Sledge's With The Old Breed.
One of the best WW2 games of all time is and will continue to be Panzer Group Gerderian by SPI. They made so many good games back then wish I still had time to play them.
PGG is a great game. I got it with my Strategy &Tactics subscription way back when and still have it today. Another good game with the same system is Cobra, which I played solo several times last year.
I haven't played board games with lots of pieces in a while (caring for my grandkids, who would take innocent delight in disrupting board game positions), but one I remember enjoying back in the day (80s) was World in Flames. It was one of the first I was aware of that tied in politics, economy, and strategy and tactics into one (big) game. Ah, those were the halcyon days of undisturbed focus.... :)
I grew up on Squad Leader as a kid, and my go to WWII at that scale of interest is now Conflict of Heroes (3rd ed. with Kursk, Eastern Front for solo.) I got into the system with Attack of the Bear 2nd Ed. Ambush! was also a lot of fun, and I had London's Burning for a long time. I wish I could find a good B-17/RAF/Storm Above the Reich style of game that isn't all dice rolling...
The Panzer Grenadier series by Avalanche Press is also a remarkable find. Brings back memories of playing Squad Leader/Cross of Iron/Crescendo of Doom for the first time, just without the insane level of (oft times self-defeating) minutiae.
War Room is one I warred with getting back when the second kickstarter went up and a big part of me regrets skipping it but just due to how things have played out due to the pandemic, it would still be sat on the shelf. If it goes back to KS for a third time then I'll probably snap it up but the ability to play a game solo is also something important to me. Atlantic Chase is fantastic and I'm so glad I snapped it up, it's also something you rarely see represented in games. I've been looking for a Bulge game for quite some time so may look at the one referenced in your video.
One WW2 game I really enjoyed was “One Page Bulge” by Steve Jackson Games. It is quick, easy to learn, can be done in a few hours and is fairly realistic. While it is a no frills game, it is fun and playable. Steve Jackson apparently designed it in response to a dare that no one could design a Battle of the Bulge game with just one page of rules and still keep it realistic. He succeeded. The Germans start out more powerful but as the Americans get more reinforcements, it becomes bloody and a slog fest. The Germans have to keep their units in supply or suffer greatly for not doing so. Americans get reinforcements at critical times. While our results were not exactly historical, they were not unrealistic. I played the Germans and made it to the Meuse but could not cross due to running out of time, thus losing the game. I remember both I and my friend, who played the Americans, at one point had a gaping hole in our lines that but for the lack of unit on each side neither of us could exploit. If I had tried to exploit the hole with what I had , my friend would have easily cut off my supply lines and destroyed my units piece meal. The same would have occurred to him if he tried to exploit the hole in my line. It was fun and we finished in about 3 hours.
@@rickjohnson9558 OGRE was a masterpiece and would have been hard to top. Still, he accomplished what he set out to do with One Page Bulge and did it very well. Another one I liked was GDW’s Battle For Moscow. It is an introductory level game but fun and was meant to help people become familiar with their system for The Great Patriotic War.
List was great my friend, and agree with a few. Great job and I send a recommendation of any of the games in the Undaunted series. Believe you will enjoy. Ty for the list
Axis and Allies forever. We played it as a family back in the day, so the nostalgia hits. I also like how the macro feels, you can feel the momentum build especially in the fight in Eastern Europe. It is simple enough to learn, but the planning and moves are set up like chess. I would love to pick up a copy of War Room and get a lot more game out of the game.
No love for World in Flames? I remember when Axis and Allies first came out, there were no specials rules about limiting a factories production based on the productivity of the province. One game I'm playing England and think "hey, if I put a factory in Iran, I can build ALL my units there, and send them wherever they're needed most, Russia, India, North Africa; no transports necessary! So after that discovery, the Germans had to take Syria/Iraq on the first turn, or the game was over. I guess that's why they implemented the rule, right? 😄
My current top WWII game that I actually have in my collection is Heroes of Stalingrad. But Memoir44, Tides of Iron and Pavlov’s House are also classics. The latter I often play digitally. I’d love to go in on the new CoH Ks but it’s just too massive for my available space.
Great list, love both your channels. Atlantic chase, Pavlov s house and undaunted are on my buy list now. My top three are cataclysm, world in flames and no retreat russian front but unconditional surrender might knock out wif and churchill, with more plays, might knock out russian front... so many great games out there!
We don't play long games anymore - too old maybe lol. Yet we like this new [mod] war game: Blood Rage - the Tavern Edition. It's free if you have Blood Rage. Easy, learn as you play rules are in the file section of Blood Rage in BGG.
A very good solo game is Combat from Compass Games. It's infantry combat in WWII in the style of Ambush, but with a much improved AI system. There is a lot of variation/randomness as to how each scenario plays out. It is a very worthy successor to Ambush. Compass Games is about to release Combat 2 which adds more to the game as well as a campaign system.
I may have to try War Room someday, but right now, sticking with Axis and Allies. I just started playing it again last year after not having played it in almost 25 years, and I feel like I am a newbie A&A player all over again, re-discovering strategies and just the game itself. Plus, I am enjoying the new iterations that have come out since I last played and got myself an Anniversary edition before it sold out again. If and when I master and/or grow tired of A&A, I may step my game up to War Room at that time. On another note, however, I just got the third printing of Triumph and Tragedy, so looking forward to trying that game out!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer thanks for the reply! Will you (or have you, and I am just not seeing it) be reviewing the Pacific version of T&T? Conquest and Consequences, is that what it is called?
My two favorites are Axis & Allies Anniversary Edition and Castle Itter. But there are so many I haven't played; so many of those are on this list. Great review.
Origins I bought when it first came out and had a blast when I played it at a game club I used to belong to. War Room I would love to play that. Probably never will as I would never get anyone to play it.
I've done a review of CoH and its solo mode, and I may do a live stream of the solo mode down the road. Here is the review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZCDiF6qs_-I.html. and here is the solo review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A6KUOdGzGOg.html
Iam relatively new to Boardgame Terminology, because I am currently fascinated about the 2nd Ed. of Company of Heroes on KS, witch would be my thirdWargame in the Collection if you count "Root" and Twilight Struggle as a Wargame, I wonder where you draw the line here, what makes a Boardgame, a Wargame, and what would not? How do you differentiate between those two?
That’s a very old question. The reality is that there are no hard and fast rules for the definition of a wargame. Some people will tell you that if it is not a hex and counter simulation then it is not a wargame. I suppose I would say any game that has a “war” theme and some form of direct combat qualifies. Generally, I don’t consider TS a wargame.
Great list and I love your videos. One thing you might consider when making these lists is availability. It is frustrating to get jazzed about your top two selections, only to see that there is no availability for either game unless one is willing to pay $400+. I know your favorites are your favorites. But it does lead to an anticlimactic end to these lists for many of us.
I hadn't heard of your #2 and #1 choices. I introduced my friends to Axis & Allies when it first came out. Maybe they'll dive on on War Room now. Thanks for the list!
How much would this change for solo? For solo if you do one, put effort/time ratting, please. Sometimes I want to solo, a sit a table long game but other times a unwind coffee table game. Could almost be two different lists.
Excellent video Cody! I'm not sure if you've played it, but my favourite WW2 game is Unconditional Surrender! World War 2 in Europe. It's a grand game but with elegant and streamlined rules. I highly recommend it.
Can you recommend which one of these games is a good starter game for a new player? I'm not a fan of solitaire if that helps and these all look amazing.
I think there are a few that are pretty accessible for new players. Undaunted Normandy and Undaunted North Africa are both fantastic games. Unlike other, heavier wargames, they don't have a lot of the details/exceptions/special rules that you often find. They are deck builders, which is an easy concept to learn if you haven't played any before (if you want to learn this DB system, the easiest one to learn is the DC Comics Deck Building Game or Star Realms). But Struggle for Europe is a relatively light, two player. Origins is really good too for multi-player, if you can find it - long out of print. Black Orchestra is a really fun game, not a war game, that is not too difficult to learn. Anyway, happy to help. Best of luck to you.
Stalin is going to send you to the Gulag for those jokes. War Room is great for its secret orders. I had to make a few house rules though, such as giving carriers 2 fighters instead of 1. Black Swan is my favorite WWII European theatre game. It is a bit pricy, but it is simple yet deep. Orange Swan, its Pacific counterpart, will be coming out this year.
LOL I'm the other JesseL. So funny you mention Black Swan. I've been making a Vassel Module for it. It's pretty much done. I just have to setup a few more scenarios. The Vassel mod out now was so unpolished I had to make an update. I've improved several Vassel modules so it's not my first rodeo. I think the small player base of Black Swan will love what I have done to the module. BTW my real last name is LeBreton. What is yours?
Try Churchill "The players in the game take on the roles of Churchill, Roosevelt, or Stalin as they maneuver against each other over the course of 10 Conferences that determine who will lead the Allied forces, where those forces will be deployed, and how the Axis will be defeated. The player whose forces collectively have greater control over the surrendered Axis powers will win the peace and the game. Churchill is NOT a wargame, but a political conflict of cooperation and competition. While the game focuses on 10 of the historical conferences from 1943 till the end of the war these and much of this design should not be taken literally. Before and after each conference small groups of advisors and senior officials moved between the Allied capitals making the deals that drove the post war peace. Each conference sees one of a group of issues nominated for inclusion in the conference. The issues categories are: Theater leadership changes, directed offensives, production priorities, clandestine operations, political activity, and strategic warfare (A-bomb). Each of the historical conference cards independently puts some number of issues such as directed offensives or production priorities metaphorically put on the table, while the players nominate an additional 7 issues. The game display for this is a circular conference table that the three players sit around behind their 'seat'. Each player has a staff deck of named personages, such as Secretary Stimson and Anthony Eden that are randomly drawn to make your conference hand. A pre-conference round of cards gives leverage to the winner who then moves an issue toward their side of the table equal to the value of the card played. Play then proceeds with the conference where each player in turn plays a card on one of the issues in the center of the conference table moving it the value of the card toward his side of the table. Each card is a historical personage and they often have bonuses if played on a particular category of issue. Contesting an issue has you move an issue away from an Ally toward your own. At all times each player has his Head of State card (Roosevelt, Churchill, or Stalin) that can weigh in on any issue once per conference by discarding another card. Each use of your personage has a bonus and a potential penalty. Each time Roosevelt is used he may die and be replaced by Harry Truman. Churchill can have a heart attack and miss the next conference, while Stalin's paranoia may cause a mini-purge and reduce his side's effectiveness for the remainder of the conference. The net result of the conference play is players will 'win' various issues with the player who won the most issues gaining leverage in one of the bilateral global issues (UK versus USSR global issue is Free Europe versus Spheres of Influence). The game then moves into a post-conference phase where players implement the issues that they now control. These actions impact three basic game functions: clandestine operations, political activity, and military offensives. Clandestine operations has players try to establish political networks in conquered countries and colonies. Using a very simple mechanic of placing a network or removing an opponent's network, the historical ferment that occurred in Yugoslavia, France and across the world is simply simulated. A country or colony can only have one dominant side's network at any given time, and during political activity players can emplace friendly governments in exile that can be subsequently undermined and replaced if the supporting networks are later neutralized by one of your allies. Once this has all been sorted out, the military portion of the game keeps the score. There is a separate display that abstractly represents the major theaters of war, Western, Eastern, Mediterranean, Arctic (Murmansk convoys and Scandinavia), CBI, SW Pacific, Central Pacific, and Far East. Each of these tracks has a Allied front for which I am looking for some kind of 3D tank piece that advances toward Germany, Italy, and Japan. Using a very simple combat mechanic, each front tries to advance with Axis reserves deploying to oppose the various fronts. A successful offensive advances the front one space, although with overwhelming superiority a two-space breakthrough is possible. Naval operations are simply handled by requiring a defined level of support to advance into an amphibious entry space such as France (D-Day). When a front enters Germany, Italy or Japan they surrender, shutting down military operations, although clandestine and political activity continues until the end of the game. In the background is the development of the A-bomb and Soviet efforts to steal its secrets. If the A-bomb is available Japan can be forced to surrender sans a direct invasion. This is not a wargame, but a three-player excursion into power politics. The game takes around 3 hours to finish, but I will be including a short and medium scenario. All scenarios end with Potsdam, but you will be able to start later in the war if you only have 1 or 2 hours to play. In addition the game can be played with 3 or 2 players plus solitaire."
Loved the video. Totally agree with you on Undaunted. One of my favorites. The expansions make it even better. Also, based on your recommendation, I just ordered 1944 Battle of the Bulge.
This hex-and-counter guy isn't going to give you any grief for your taste inn games. Variety is what keeps our hobby interesting. PS. Welcome to the cult of Combat Commander!
Thank you. Memoir will always stay in my top ten for sentimental reasons. The same for Axis and Allies although i understand it has been superseded by War Room. I like Holdfast as well. The GMT family is always too complex for my brain…. Maybe i should try that Eastern Front of your list.
Absolute War is a fairly good introduction to Eastern Front games from GMT, but there is still a moderate level of complexity. Still, I think if you invest the time to learn it you will enjoy it.
Damn you again Cody!!! 😜🤯. Between myself and a friend, our gaming group had completed our goal of owning your last top 10 WW2 list! Now those pesky games publishers have released even more great games and the list shifts once more! Luckily my buddy had all ready secured CoH and it is a worthy number 2, once you’ve played a couple of games and get your head around it. Great video, great list, great channel. Better go and try and find a copy of Pavlov’s now. Thanks mate.
I haven't had a chance to watch your other video as this is the first video of yours I have ever seen. That being said, what do you think of classic axis and allies? I have many good memories as a kid playing that game and unfortunately I have no one to play my copy with as an adult.
I think A&A was a lot of fun back in the day. In fact, and I've mentioned this several times on the show, A&A prompted my interested in WWII when I was a kid and ultimately set my on the course to get my PhD in history with a focus on WWII. I believe it is an honorable mention in my previous video. War Room (my #1) has kind of killed A&A for me. It's from the same designer, and it is always what I wanted A&A to be. A much grander, richer, more epic experience. Thanks!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Thanks for the reply! I'll have to go see your other video. As I said, this was my first video of yours! I will have to find a copy of war room to hopefully play one day!
I feel like a newbie... I just back War Room second edition on KS, still of course didn't play it but very excited... I read that the 2nd Edition of the Company of Heroes Board Game is in development and will launch on Kickstarter Q2 2022... I miss the first edition but I will jump in the new one!!!
Congratulations on getting published! Another great video. I am not surprised that WR is your #1. :-) Thank you for the list as I am looking for a solitaire that could also play 2-4 players so a few options in your list there. Here, I am looking forward to receiving WR new edition scheduled for early summer I believe. And to your next video of course.
Hello Cody, I was wondering what were your thoughts on Global War 1936-1945 ? The 4th edition is coming up and its mechanics look very comparable to Axis & Allies. They also have settings for WW1, Cold War and Modern Conflict. Have you come across any ? Cheers
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer and if may ask further, have you played any from Historical Board Gaming (HBG)?. Maybe you have come across their system before? They seem to have the same rules applied to many conflicts and scenarios. Maybe simpler than War Room though, but the same scale I think 🤔
I used to work for assisted living and spent a lot of time with the elderly. Here's a cool WWII story you never heard, recounted to me by Sid who has now passed away. Sid was in the Royal Engineers and his job after D-Day was finding booby traps and dissarming them. He was in a team with a sergeant who had a notoriously dodgy sense of humour. As the British liberated towns previously occupied by the Germans they would move into the same big buildings used by the Germans as HQs. The Germans knew this and would leave boobytraps, especially around expensive objects which they thought the Allies might try to take, antiques etc. Sid's team would 'clear' these buildings before command occupied them and one of their routine tasks was checking behind paintings. So one day the Sarge tells Sid and co there's a bunch of original oil paintings and he thinks a booby trap is very likely. It's one of the team's first jobs of this kind so they are all very nervous. The Sarge points out one painting and says he's certain it's been moved, a sure sign the Germans tampered with it. This is in an old town hall office on the second floor (important detail). Sid approaches the painting, sweating and trembling. He slowly, carefully lifts it forward and peaks behind, at which point the Sarge yells BANG! All six members of Sid's team jumped out of the window, landing on a car filled with British officers waiting to move into the building. Nobody was hurt 😂
First time I've seen your channel. Subscribed. I started with Avalon Hill years ago when there were no other major publishers in the US. It would be nice if you could show publisher's logo. You mention some that I have never heard of. Thanks for your review.
nice list! I was able to back War Room 2nd Edition. Big time A&A fan me and a friend have played countless hours on A&A global. Hoping to try this out with him. Wanted to back Company of Heroes so bad but didn't have the funds at the time. Hopefully I will be able to pick it up soon.
Thanks Cody, very interesting. My favorite Churchill quote is when a disgruntled Admiral indignantly told Churchill he was scuttling the tradition of the Royal Navy. Churchill answered: “Pah! Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash.”
My favorite was an exchange with a British socialite who told Churchhill "If you were my husband, I'd put poison in your coffee." To which Churchill replied "And if you were my wife, I'd drink it."
Another nice video, thank you. I'm now interested by War Room and Pavlov's House. One of my favorite WW2 game is "No Retreat - The Russian Front" by Carl Paradis (same designer as Absolute War 1941-45). It looks like hex ans counters but there's more than that. It's relatively easy to grasp, it's also card driven which adds to the fun and there's few units on each sides so it's not overwhelming. It's so subtle it feels like chess.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I'd advise you give it a try if you get the chance. I'm not a wargamer or especially fond of the WW2 theme but I'm a fan of this game :)
The great part of war gaming is just wait a year and the best keep on changing. It is like ones taste in food, some like it Spicy some like it plain. From a versatility point of view the Memoir 44 series delivers lots of cool fights. From a complexity view the old S&T/SPI War in Europe and War in the Pacific are hard to beat. Axis & Allies is good beer and nuts game with no reality at all. But great show. Thku.
I wouldn't call War in Europe complex - just very very BIG. The map is so big that you cannot reach the middle of the map if you put all the pieces together. If any game deserves the term monster game, this is it.
I want to ask do you have The Marshal Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia Of WWII? It has great pictures large print in a 25 vol set. Anyway as I have no family. That could change but if I don't have anybody to leave it to if something should happen to me (I have a defect heart) would you be interested in it. I can;t think of any else who would get more use out of it, I am working on a will and I will leave them to you.
Thanks Cody, it's one of my favorite themes for games as well. I think you chose a great variety of games. I haven't played them all and some of those are definitely on my list to try now. I'm curious when it comes to 1944 Battle of the Bulge, could you elaborate in the future (or have you already in another video?) on what made that stand out against other operations hex and counter games?
It was just relatively straight forward and quick. You can check out my full review here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wFTZZ6hi7O0.html
Thanks for the video! I do like the visual aspect of both Company of Heroes and Tide of Iron, but I also am a miniatures games, so at a certain point, I end up preferring to play a miniatures wargame other than those two. It's one of those things that "you do you", I suppose. I've been meaning to try out a few hex and counter games, lately - I bought Lock'n'Load Tactical (Heroes in Defiance - France 1940 - which is a tactical level game) and I absolutely adore Lock'n'Load's Nations at War system, for grand tactical. I'm also really looking forward to trying an operational level game from Vuca Sims - Across the Bug River (Volodymyr-Volynskyi 1941) - it has beautiful counters and map and from everything I've been reading about it the rules manual should be the subject of study by wargames designers everywhere! Cheers and thanks, once again!
Thanks again. I also have a Kickstarter for War Room. I notice that you did not include Pacific Victory from Columbia. This is a faster game for two people. A mix of different elements, but really fun. Just a thought.
Just picked up the full Tide of Iron collection in great condition for a good price before the holidays. Surprised it didn't make your list. Going to have to check out Company of Heroes now. Already pledged for the next War Room run. Thanks for the list!
Is there any way to play war room solitaire. I am sure there are no actual rules but I can play most game solitaire as long as there isn't hidden movement.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I have found some solo rules on BGG where they seem to handle that. I dont own the game yet so obviously cannot speak to how good they are but thought I would mention it in case you wanted to take a look.
Great list!!! I hope to get War Room at some stage (purely on your recommendation - no pressure! 😁) If you can, get and try"ORP Orzel" - superb 2 player hide and seek game about escape of Polish submarine from Estonia through Baltic to UK... Another recommendation: 303 Squadron. Superb Battle of Britain game!!!
One upcoming game I really have high hopes for is called In the Shadows by GMT. It's a game about the French Resistance in WWII, very card driven like COIN games.
Why do people get upset at a reviewer giving his favorites? It says right in the title of the video," Cody's top ten.". That is pretty upfront, it didn't say "Your top ten.".
