What Wargames are you Playing in May?

"What games are you playing" threads are something I like, what wargames are you planning to get to the table this month?

First for me will be Lock n Load Band of Heroes. I picked it up with the Brit and Eastfront expansions. I played a demo at a con last year and really liked it. I've been bouncing around tactical-level systems (after trying Panzer Grenadier, ATS, and the ASLSKs) and I've decided to settle on LnL. Plays smooth, covers everything, and the rules come in at under 30 pages. It's what I'll be playing for squad-based carnage. I wish those maps weren't so fucking small though.

Breakout Normandy: Probably one of my Grails of wargaming, it's on it's way to me in the mail. Did a trade for a couple games I didn't care for. I love the area-impulse rules of Turning Point Stalingrad, I love anything concerning D-Day, I'll love it more because it won't take 30 hours to play. I'm a happy man that I'll be owning it (too busy with Battletech and FASA-Trek when it was first released).

Next 2 are a lower priority:

World at War: Whether Eisenbach Gap or Death of the 1st Panzer this games kicks a lot of ass. Currently my favorite game. I'll no doubt do at least 1 game on Vassal, maybe a couple more at the various gatherings this month. If you like wargames you should play it this month too.

They Shall Not Pass: The Battle of Verdun 1916: I bought some games from Thoughthammer so for $13 I got this one too. Supposedly playable in 2 hours it should be good for game group nights. A cool battle, hopefully a cool game.

So you're going to be playing...

I'm putting FAB:The Bulge on the table this May. A buddy and I worked through the Nuts! scenario last Saturday night. This Sunday we are going to play the Cold Shoulder scenario. I read somewhere Cold Shoulder is a good step between Nuts! and the campaign. I guess because less unit density, less assets, and a restricted battlefield.

Hopefully in a week or two we'll play the campaign.

Great grab on Breakout:Normandy! That game is awesome, seriously. The variable and unknown turn length is exciting, and strangely enough a balancing factor. Why? If a turn goes really long, the Allies do a lot of things but burn a lot of supply. If it goes short, there is suddenly a glut of supply to repair those units and the Allied player can use some supply to assure a longer turn next time. Then there is the weather factor. It hugely effects the German operations. Playing Bk:N, I sure got an appreciation of the massive Allied firepower. Now it's up to you to apply it just right to get the victory. I've never played past the first week. I don't know if many people do.

Oh yeah, I'm thinking about Paths of Glory near the end of May.

Pete

I'm trying out Hammer of the Scots. We're leaving it set up in our living room and playing it in the evenings as we can. So far, we've only slogged through the rules and played the first year.

I'm not sure I'll ever get beyond light wargames but I'm trying out all kinds of stuff since I'm somewhat burned out on eurogames.

I always have a couple PBEM ASL games going on. Right now I'm trying Roads to Leningrad solo, the Soltsy scenario. I have a hard time wrapping my brain around the high degree of mobility, it seems that everyone can go everywhere in an instant, but so far I like the system. Soltsy feels a bit "programmed", with an optimal do-or-die German opening, I hope Sraraya Russa is more forgiving. Soon enough I'll try a PBEM game, if you guys are interested drop me a note.

Fury, your props for B:N just want to make me play it that much more.

Susan, a woman playing a wargame is very cool, light or otherwise. My wife won't ever turn down a game of Arkham Horror but she makes a grim looking face if it even sounds like I'm suggesting she try one.

Fury wrote:

I'm putting FAB:The Bulge on the table this May. A buddy and I worked through the Nuts! scenario last Saturday night. This Sunday we are going to play the Cold Shoulder scenario. I read somewhere Cold Shoulder is a good step between Nuts! and the campaign. I guess because less unit density, less assets, and a restricted battlefield.

Good idea for a thread, I enjoy hearing from F:AT wargamers.

Cold Shoulder... I haven't tried it but it I imagine it could be super frustrating for the Germans since it's super hard to make any progress in the north. In a regular game of FAB you get really annoyed and frustrated in the north as the Germans but the progress in the rest of the board is rewarding. And vice versa for the Allies. But I can't imagine just doing one. Love the game, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

Hoping to play more PBEM Triumph of Chaos for me. I'm really enjoying the game but you'd have to be crazy to be into it. It'd be hard to recommend it to anyone because it is so damn complicated. But the game has *so* much flavor and the political phase is awesome. One turn you're completely on the ropes but then you manage to rope in, say, Poland, to your side and suddenly the Red player is shitting his pants when a whole new front opens up with powerful troops.

I think the political phase in Triumph of Chaos is genius and I think there are so many great places to go with it--I may write more about this is a new blog post/review for the front page about TOC sometime. Great potential.

Will Blackbeard count? I was just notified that my copy shipped.

--Mike L.

SusanR wrote:

I'm trying out Hammer of the Scots. We're leaving it set up in our living room and playing it in the evenings as we can. So far, we've only slogged through the rules and played the first year.

I'm not sure I'll ever get beyond light wargames but I'm trying out all kinds of stuff since I'm somewhat burned out on eurogames.

Well there's nothing wrong with never going beyond that level, but you picked an outstanding game to get your feet wet! Any tips for coaxing my wife to try it out with me??

I think the political phase in Triumph of Chaos is genius and I think there are so many great places to go with it--I may write more about this is a new blog post/review for the front page about TOC sometime. Great potential.

I would find that really useful - your Here I Stand playthrough on BGG taught me a lot about the game, so I'm sure this would as well.

Games in May - lots of C&C:Ancients as I've just started playing in a PBEM tourney - also HiS PBEM standing in for someone who's on holiday.

Ftf hoping for either Wilderness War or FAB, but will settle for anything at the moment!

Planned so far;

Vive L'Empereur (Napoleonic version of Command&Colours)
Warhammer Fantasy Battles (3 or 4 battles with my kids)
Halo (Actionclix) on Heroscape terrain
Victory at Sea (WWII naval from Mongoose Publishing)


Cheers

Probably

"Napoleon at Leipzig"

Maybe

"Operation Spark" or
"Borodino '41"

Potentially

"Guerilla" (if that counts as a wargame)

I'm looking at two ongoing games of HERE I STAND and at least two face to face sessions...folks, if you haven't played it do so right now. It's _amazing_. I'm inclined to say that it's the best CDWG to date. I like it better than HANNIBAL by far.

I'm rounding up a copy of DAYS OF THE FOX, so ToI will likely pop up again after a little hiatus...I'm really kind of WWII'ed out after getting into ASL pretty hardcore for a couple of months there though...

I finally played NAPOLEON'S TRIUMPH last night and of course it's excellent...very, very dense strategically and I'm not 100% sure that I get it yet, but that'll be on the table over the next month.

The first couple of games of MANOEVURE I thought were OK, but it's starting to come into its own as a casual battle game (as opposed to a proper wargame)- just don't expect something very realistic or detailed. It's fun! That's the best praise a game can really get, and it's a great one to just kind of shoot the shit, roll dice, and kill things. Last night Billy Motion and I did the Great Battle of All Time- the US versus the Ottoman Empire.

I'll probably buy PRICE OF FREEDOM in May, it looks pretty darn good...and I've got a line on a good deal for WELLINGTON and CONQUEST OF PARADISE so I'll probably bring those home as well.

And I really hope to do some more EISENBACH GAP...that is a _fantastic_ game. Very simple, very classical in a wargame design sense, but fun and vicious. Hooray for contested attack rolls.

GUERILLA _rocks_. That game doesn't get enough love around here. The rules are bizarre and hard to understand (Robert Martin and I have to put together our collective comprehension of them to play it)but the game is tons of fun, especially with 5.

Michael Barnes wrote:

I'm looking at two ongoing games of HERE I STAND and at least two face to face sessions...folks, if you haven't played it do so right now. It's _amazing_. I'm inclined to say that it's the best CDWG to date. I like it better than HANNIBAL by far.

Glad to hear you're enjoying it. I think I'd agree that it's now my favorite card driven games. And rapidly becoming one of my favorite games period.

We The People - I've just started playing this and want to get it to the table a couple more times in May. Lighter than Hannibal and pretty cool but I prefer Hannibal's depth at present.

Manoeuvre - has quickly become the filler of choice when wargaming. Great fun and fast play.

Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage - I'm trying to make time to play this more on Wargameroom.

Commands & Colors: Ancients - I've joined a PBEM tournament through the Into The Gamescape podcast. It'll be my first foray into VASSAL, so I'm hoping for a smooth transition.

WWII: Barbarossa to Berlin - I want to learn and play this one soon as a precursor to finally learning Paths of Glory.

WBC prep - I'll be looking to play the following in preparation for participating in their tournaments at the World Boardgaming Championships in August: Combat Commander, Hammer of the Scots, Crusader Rex, Clash For A Continent, and We The People.

q: What Wargames are you Playing in May?

a: not enough.

but i'd like it to be at least two of:

#1: FAB: The Bulge
#2: Breakout: Normandy
#3: Twilight Struggle
#4: Russian Campaign, The