Greg is right about many of the things he said about ASL. It's a game you can play for life because there are thousands of historical scenarios with so much variety that every time you play the game, it plays differently, gives a new experience, and even provides endless tactical learning experiences. I've played lots of wargames, but when you've played most of them just a few times they're relegated to the shelf because they basically play the same every time you play them. No so with ASL. Plus the community is very active. It's very easy to find opponents instead of having to play solo.
Both war games and war history lay outside my interest zone yet I could appreciate a good, well-versed discussion - and you guys have delivered. Actually, though this video was just my way of procrastinating work at first, it sparked some interest in me. I might hunt down some of the lighter solitaire designs or ask for a play in one of many London board gaming groups and who knows - maybe I would change my preferences. And Chief - I have kinda ignored your contributions for Dice Tower so far (this is the first video of yours I've watched) but now I'm intrigued to see your reviewing style and what you bring to the table ;)
I don't get to play war games as much as I'd like but I feel inspired now. Washington's war has been on my radar for awhile for the card driven mechanics. From the hex encounter side Awakening the Bear and Band of Brothers sound like great places to get started. I'm glad you guys are upping the awareness on the awesome genre.
I just saw this mentioned on BGG and had to watch it right away. Judd, Bart, Greg, great job one and all. I loved it! There's not nearly enough material on wargames to suit my tastes so more is better. It was a lot of fun seeing what each of you liked the most and why. MORE videos, please! The topics can be endless. I'd love to see your picks for some of the best introductory wargames, best tactical wargames, best operational, best strategic, best land, sea, air. You can also cover different periods such as WW I, Civil War, Revolutionary, Ancient and so on. Of course you can also do types such as, solitaire, two player, multiplayer, card driven games, etc. You could even go over your favorite games by a given designer. We got glimpses of many of those in this first video, I know, but you can flesh them out by picking a topic and zeroing in on it for an episode. Best of luck and I'll be haunting the air-waves for new shows!
Great video. Wargames is a genre i have long been interested in but only been able to dip my toe. I look forward to more dedicated videos on the subject.
Wow, what a great video! Longtime wargamer here glad to see some old favorites being discussed, and the hobby I really love getting some time in the spot light! I'd love to see more along these lines! Super job fellas! - Cheers from Rob in Columbus, Ohio!
Remember to remind them to restate their games after talking about it... people that aren't familiar with the name of the game forget it while they are talking about it and having it restated helps greatly.
Terrific segment, guys! Please think about doing a 'top 5 wargames of 2013' or a 'most anticipated for 2014' type of show. 'Twould be nice to know other games you like or have your eye on.
I am 46 years old in 2023 here. I played B-17 and Ambush all the time as a kid and preteen. I still have Ambush in my bookcase. Not sure what happened to my copy of B-17. Memories restored, tho!
Wonderful show! Wargames rule...Since I played Luftwaffe in 1973 I've been hooked. Top 5 seems to be a nice format for you guys. Maybe you could do top 5 from a certain publisher or Top 5 Game by size or complexity. Thanks!
Good to see wargames getting some air here. You have convinced me to check in in more than once a month now! Can't say I agree with much of Gregs choices, but I sure respect his prowess in game play. Nappy Wars was not the first multi player wargame!!! That was a bit of artistic license. Why so much GMT? Nearly all the games available in print were GMT! Love Judds off the canvas choices!
I do agree with Path of Heroes Awaking The Bear ! (the Firefight and Solo expansions are well worth getting) and Paths of Glory (a classic!) however for Pacific WW2 and Napoleonic themed War Games I will have to go with Empire of The Sun and Napoleon's Triumph instead (instead of Coral Sea but I see they chose EotS anyway). Also glad you chose Advanced Squad Leader, I advise you get the 2nd Edition main rule book, all the Starter Kit modules, play those and if you like it get Yanks! (2nd edition) or Beyond Valor, the detail is incredible in that game. That game Washington's War always comes up time and time again... I must check it out to see what the fuss is about, I always regarded it as an entry level game into the genre but I may be wrong.
Nice to see wargames getting their due, maybe a close up of the game box would be nice. Still wargames haven't gotten a lot of love so far on the dice tower, so maybe it will start getting a little more attention. Lots of us wargamers who are fans of the dice tower. :)
Great video. I'm completely ignorant about war games, so this information is just what I needed. Thank you. The only thing missing: Summerer interludes booming "AND NOW... NUMBER 1" ;-)
WBC is. The World Boardgaming Championship. It's a summer con that grew out of Avalon con. Focused on all games but also a lot of war games. More later. Dexter just showed up to play some games.
Nice that you do a wargaming section! I had my head twist full circle a few times on the subject while watching The Dice Tower. I started playing also in the 1980s but frankly modern games look a lot better. many new versions or "spin offs" of the old games are a major boost in my opinion. Given how good computer games are a board games has to look very nice and not require a calculator these days.
Great video. One question. I'm just getting into wargames would you say these are accessible for newcomers? If not is there anywhere I could read up on ones to "start" with?
I've never gotten into wargames, but I recently got Twilight Struggle and it looks very cool. Can anyone recommend any good entry-level solo wargames (preferably that are still in print)?
I've been looking at ASL recently and trying to figure out the best way to dip my toe in the water. Unfortunately the product availability seems to be somewhat spotty, especially for the starter kits. Do you guys have any recommendations for getting started with ASL? As far as the other games go, some great choices to say the least and I'll definitely be looking at some of those mentioned.
There are ASL Starter Kits. I am not knowledgeable enough to say for certain, but I figure the name alone would make it an ideal entry point. You should get on BoardGameGeek wargame forum and ask. You'll get a definitive answer there: boardgamegeek.com/boardgamesubdomain/4664/wargames
Great job on the video, guys! I'm not a wargamer, but I am very interested in learning more about these conflicts. Playing these sorts of games seems like a great way to accomplish that. I want to start with something on the American Revolution, but I don't think I'll ever be able to get Washington's War to the table. Have you all tried 1775, by chance? If so, would you mind sharing your thoughts?
Sorry for the delay: I just got this. (I'm not savvy at how to see new messages pop up). 1775 is a very good light covering of the American Revolution. It's not a Euro. It's a light wargame that has different combat results tables built into the dice and uses a clever chit-pull activation system. If you want to try to get Washington's War to the table, look me up on Boardgamegeek (user: airjudden) or on Google+ and send me your e-mail address (Don't do it on a public forum unless you like spam). I have tutorials using Vassal that teach how to play the game along with complete games where I play opponents and make comments all throughout. If you do not know how to use Vassal, I have some PDF files that show you how to use the interface. It's really easy. With that, you can view the tutorials, and then post to a thread to find a Vassal opponent and play it online if you can't find an opponent.
Do you guys ever play war games with miniatures !!! My top five War games 5 - Fireball Forward, 4 - Bolt Action, 3 - Fire and Fury, 2 - WRG 6th ed Ancients, 1 - Warhammer 40K.
It depends on the user. Most gamers would call Star Fleet Battles a wargame. Some call a game like Battlelore or War of the Ring 'Ameritrash' and others may call them 'wargames.' Some are clearly one type of game. Some blur the lines.
Looking at the lists all the games are based on historical warfare. I may be mistaken, but the most recent wars covered by any of these games would be the conflicts covered in Twilight Struggle. Is this because the wars of the last decade are not necessarily over, or because they are too recent and may offend people? Are there no good games that cover recent conflicts, or do the mechanics of these games too easily port over to a modern theme rendering it pointless (meaning there's no point in producing it because it the same game in a different colour)? Lastly, is the war game genre reserved for historical wars, or is it that science fiction and fantasy war games aren't complex enough or too light?
Erikk First, thanks for the comments. Keep in mind this first video was Top 5 of all time. The games on more modern war are out there, but haven't, in my opinion, proven themselves as All Time Best. If you want to see that modern war games exist and are well respected, search for the Washington Post article on Volko Ruhnke, who has designed a series of games on counter-insurgencies in Colombia (Andean Abyss), Afghanistan (A Distant Plain) and Cuba (Cuba Libre). Excellent games all. My opinion is that science fiction and fantasy games can be war games. Star Fleet Battles and Starship Troopers are war games. War of the Rings is a war game. But, as I said in the video, the three things that make a war game are story, direct conflict and geography. Battlestar Galactica doesn't fit the war game bill. Top 5 science-fiction &fantasy war games might be a good topic for another video. Again, thanks. Game on.
Thank you, I'll look into that article and would definitely be interested in Top 5 sci-fi and fantasy video. If I may suggest, I would also be interested in something to help people come into the genre, for example, what game(s) would help a new player more easily move from Risk to Memoire '44 and lead to an easier understanding of games that may seem over whelming such as Empire of the Sun.
Good job guys keep up the good work. Does this also mean we might see a review of individual games? I'd like to see the mechanics of Washingtons War for example. I'd have to include Third Reich in my top 5.
Several of these games sound amazing, but the secondary market prices for them are insane. Hopefully I can find a few of them at better prices. Great video, hope to see more WG type reviews from you guys.
Post them here: boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/145551/playing-matchmaker-bringing-together-wargamers-and You'll have me and a bunch of other wargamers checking 2nd hand stores for you.
Cheif might want to check out Thunderbolt Apache Leader- DVG games. For a different type of wargame experience, you might try Sink the Carrier. WWII timed print and play game where you try to find and sink a carrier before your's is sunk.
I think that's just more of the mentality and personality of the typical war gamer. That combined with their lack of experience doing videos -- I'm sure if they do it more they would warm up.
What's a good gateway war game? Don't hate on me, but the only thing similar I've been exposed to was good ol Axis & Allies years ago. Been thinking about trying this genre again, but the amount of details and time required on most are daunting to me.
A&A is still fun, but kind of long. I would reccomend Fortress America. Also Memoir 44/Battle Cry/Command and Colors/Battlelore (all use the same system) My all time favorite is Ogre, teach and play in an hour.
First pick an era of time that interests you. Then think about the scale you want to play and which facet of the fighting, also the max time and # of players. So if the time was WWII, and you picked land battles at a little above squad scale and under 2 hours for 2 players, then we can throw some suggestions at you. (for the above perhaps Tobruk, the Russian Campaign, etc.)
EATENG If you liked Axis & Allies, try out some of the battle or theater versions. Axis & Allies: Pacific is really good. I hear great things about their Battle of the Bulge and Guadalcanal variants. Keep your eyes peeled. Introductory games are coming up quickly.
Some good titles. For me the kings are... Paths of Glory For the People Fortress America Ogre No Retreat! The Russian Front and the King Monster, Totaler Krieg!
Napoleonic Wars being the war game that introduced multiplayer war games? Hasn't Greg ever heard of Empires in Arms, World in Flames, Angola, etc, etc...? All came before and NW isn't even in the same league as those incredible achievements. Can't call yourself a grognard without knowledge of those classics.
No Axis and Allies for any of you, come on it not be the best, but it got me and so many people I know into gaming and wargamming. I believe it needs to be up there.
Washington's War is balanced? I have never seen the British lose...ever. I'm sure they have in other people's group, but it sure hasn't happened in ours.
odd...I've been playing wargames since 1963 with Afrika Korps and have owned and still own hundreds of wargames and magazines/games and do not own nor have played any of the above 15 games...odd
I had the game and traded it because I thought it would be too hard. Then I cried the tears of remorse into the pillow of regret. I know it will be awesome -- look who designed it. So I reacquired it. And I'm playing it at BGG Con for the first time.
Judd Vance What I like best about Gulf Strike 3rd Edition is the photo of Saddam mustache hehehehe! (just kidding ....) :( What I love most in this wargame, is that the player can move between strategic and operational, its complexity is considered high, however a learning curve is average! Wargame is a FANTASTIC! Victory games (division of Havalon Hills)
