Favorite wargame?
 

Just out of curiosity, I'd like to know what everyone's favorite wargame is and why: not what you feel is the best out there, but what is your favorite, the one you keep coming back to. It can be a computer game or board game or any other wargame.

In my case, I think I have to go with Avalon Hill's Wooden Ships & Iron Men since it was the first wargame I ever played and kind of got the ball rolling, as it were.

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

Hmm my favorite BOARD wargame has to be European Theater of Operations by TSR. I spent an entire semester playing this solitaire on my desk at college. My roomy thought I was nuts playing a game like that without anyone else to play against http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif.

Hmm but computer wargames thats hard to say. Probably Steel Panthers II or Panzer General. I played those the most for quite awhile. I would say X-Com, since it models tactical considerations, however it isn't REALLY a wargame http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif.

Overall my favorite types of games are 4X games. My favorite of those is MOO, MOOII, Imperialism II, and Civ II.

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Sarge is coming...

Richard Arnesen
Director of Covert Ops
Shrapnel Games
http://www.shrapnelgames.com

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

For me it was the original Steel Panthers - mainly because it was FUN...

It was also one of the few games that made me come back and retry different tactics. I would also class SPII in this Category.

Cheers

Nik

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

I really liked Afrika Corps by Avalon Hill, also Panzer Leader.
Some might laugh but I got a real kick out of Soldiers at War too. I was new to computers then so that's probably why.
I've made many very recent purchases that I think will be better games than SAW but I haven't had a chance to play them yet.
My absolute favorite right now though is WDK. Lots of replayability. Really gets the wheels turning too.

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Mikeman out.

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

I was originally going to say Battle of Shiloh which was one of the early SSI games, but then I remembered SSG's Decisive Battles of the American Civil War series. I was hooked on the first one for awhile.

I also loved their Run 5 magazine which included scenarios you could create. I'm not a hard-core wargame, but these scenarios were easy enough for me to complete.

And this was also at a time when the Internet wasn't really as popular as it is today so it wasn't like there were a ton of scenarios you could download off the Net or a spot you could get together with other fans of the game. Either you knew enough to come up with a scenario on your own or you lived by your mailbox waiting for the next Run 5.

I think that magazine is what made the game extra special....you felt like you were part of a nice little community.

And I'll toss out another old SSI title that may not initially fit into the term wargame, but Galactic Gladiators did require some strategy similar to what you would use in a traditional wargame.

Almost forgot about another classic which I wish would be updated....Computer Ambush, again from SSI. I guess the Close Combat series would be the closest to recreating that game.

Thanks for jogging the brain cells so I could remember some fond times with those games!

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

These postings have made me think back a wee bit...

I quite liked Tanks by SSI (I think that was the name) - I seem to recall that I liked fiddling round with the editor.

Back in the days of tape loaded games (Oh those were the days...not), I liked two other games which the name escapes me - one was set in North Africa and another was Bunker Hill (or something like that).

I also liked a stick figure type cricket game which you had to code from one of the magazines - but that won't be of much interest to you guys living in the states.

Nik

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

SALVO II is my favorite game. It's World War One and the Germans have much tougher ships than the English. But either side can win in this game. I know 3W is out of business, whatever happened to Michael Smith, who designed that game?

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

Here is another one that I played alot and can't remember the name...

You had generic blue and red forces with tanks and other material such as cannon. Tanks were light, medium and heavy and it took various amounts of damage to destroy them. When destroyed it left little blobs of metal on the landscape. I used to play this one until I think I started dreaming about how to win each scenario.

It was a reasonably shallow game...but...boy it was fun. Any idea what the name was? Makes me want to go and see if I can find the disks...well until H&M and WDK2K turn up.

I also liked V for Victory series such as Market Garden (name again) by Atomic.

What are your least liked games?

Cheers
Nik


[This message has been edited by nikb (edited 06 January 2000).]

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

I remember playing an SSI game called Gettysburg: The Turning Point. I used to play this game until my eyes crossed. You couldn't tear me away from it. Awesome. Horse & Musket reminds me of this game quite a bit.

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

Well, since you asked, the game I liked least was Three-Sixty's Patriot. Man, that game was awful!!! I was sooo looking forward to playing it after playing Harpoon, which was very well done, and it was the pits! The learning curve was steep, the graphics were poor, confusing and cheap, and the realism seemed to be... lacking.

On a related note, the game that got me excited about the possibilities of computer wargaming was Harpoon, which I first saw on an Amiga in Europe. The graphics weren't the most spectacular, but since the designers knew graphics would be hard, they made the interface look like a radar display. It does a great job with FOW (even throwing in fishing trawlers and news helecopters you need to ID.) Actually, I still think it's one of the better-done wargames out there, especially of those designed for DOS. But because the graphics are less than intensive (but by no means crappy - the map modelling is very well done) it means that the game is using even more realistic data and weapons behave as one would expect. I still have it and would play a lot more frequently if I could find a DOS driver for my mouse http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

"Well, since you asked, the game I liked least was Three-Sixty's Patriot"

I never played Patriot, but I had similar high hopes for Wargasm. That game's graphics are awesome, but the unit control is terrible. When I play TacOps, I visualize Wargasm - maybe DiD (if DiD is still in business) could sell the engine to Major H! On the other hand, HnM's graphics are my idea of functionality. The icons have more men if the unit is larger, and you can see all the units' disruption or morale numerically at a glance (an improvement over Dragoon, though I prefer that game's sharper unit icons over the newer ones which are smoother, but seem a bit "out of focus," at least in the demo).

Wendell

[This message has been edited by WendellM (edited 15 January 2000).]

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

In the weekend I fluked a site where you can download old games. I fell upon Perfect General II (it was PG I that I had previously played to death).

Downloaded the beauty and got stuck into the game play.

Wow...its funny how things date and badly at that. It wasn't just the graphics that had dated, it was alot of the actual game play. Now I'm scarred, its ruined a fond memory I have had since the mid 20's.

You tend to forget how things advance over so short of time. I think that game was only put out in the mid 90's. Hell, I would hate to see some of the older games I was playing in the late 80's and thought were super techno games.

I was going to see if I could crank up Tanks - but I do not won't to ruin that memory. I cherish those days!

Nik

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

My favourite war game has got to be Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Firestorm! I love the storyline. It isn't just 'shoot everything in sight', it's 'target this... and this... then capture this...' which is what I like about it. I can create strategies and battle plans other than 'get the biggest gun there is and bLast the enemy into oblivion.'

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Re: Favorite wargame?
 

Well, that's a difficult question on wargaming. If you're talking about the non-computerized, but cardboarded Versions, I like the ones I've designed (some of them published at a local newspaper long, long ago), some still waiting in the shelf, plus a number of others for entirely different reasons, namely: Starship Troopers (AH), StarForce (SPI), Squad Leader (AH), and Silent Death (ICE). Not to mention Third Reich (AH), The Arab-Israeli Wars (AH), and others...

Computer-wise, I think the offer has surpassed the pockets and available time for most of common mortals: I recall some oldies in different areas of gaming, though I think the Command & Conquer series set a standard and a place for them. PURE wargaming, which is a very difficult thing to define in the times we now live in, is open to discussion.

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I wish I had more time to adventure...

[This message has been edited by VampiricDread (edited 28 May 2001).]

[This message has been edited by VampiricDread (edited 28 May 2001).]

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

Hrmm. . . some classics, in no particular order, which have caught my attention and been enjoyable:

OGRE, by Steve Jackson Games. Very grim, not terribly detailed but quite well-balanced and fun.

Warhammer 40K, Rogue Trader, by Games Workshop(mainly Jason Priestly).(not the ugly kiddie game that's out now, the original hardback). Again, not a wargame in the classic "armchair general" mold, it was nonetheless a very enjoyable tactical sim.

X-COM Terror of the Deep. In many ways, I feel that this Version of X-COM was the best, even though it recieved very tepid reviews at the time of release. The designers worked very hard to correct some of the obvious holes in play balance of the first title, and made it into an entirely new mess http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Squad Leader. Well, gee. . . what can I say about this game that hasn't been said before? If you like detail, this is a great game. . . if you don't, they provide some speed-ups to the rules system that work fairly well. I personally preferred 40K- the models and diorama work made it fascinating when I was 12-13.

Ogre Battle(the Playstation 'gold' Version). A surprisingly intricate and difficult game, combining strategic ruthlessness with odd lessons in Japanese cultural attitudes. A very difficult game to win.

Warhammer, Shadow of the Horned Rat(pc Version, the playstation Version is almost unplayable due to control problems). This has to be one of the most excruciatingly difficult games of its type. The battles are all 'set piece', in terms of timing, and the AI isn't brilliant. What makes the game intriguing is the resource management. Unlike most games of its type, it's very likely you'll want to ditch a game halfway through, because you'd made an error. . . but at the same time, it's such an interesting challenge that I, at least, come back again and again.

Battletech, by FASA Corporation. In its early, pure form, Battletech was a mighty clean game, but I think FASA stumbled later on, as it continued to tinker with its game system, as opposed to its unit lists and terrain rules. Dissapointing, but the early Versions were nice. . .

Anyhoo, these are just my opinions http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

Ohhh, OGRE, from SJG! I have that as "travelling" game (the pLastic sleeve thingy), the computer game, and the Miniature rulebook.

BattleTech... I was involved into its translation to Portuguese, and its introduction into the Portuguese market...

My, my, you do bring back fond memories...

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I wish I had more time to adventure...

[This message has been edited by VampiricDread (edited 29 May 2001).]

Re: Favorite wargame?
 

My favorite computer wargames:

Harpoon II
TacOps
BCT
Starfleet Command
The Operational Art of War II
Honorable Mention: Patriot (1) I worked on it, and (2) it had one hell of a potential, alas not realized.

My favorite Board Wargames

Victory Games' Fleet Series
FASA's Renegade Legion series
FASA's Star Trek Starship Combat Simulator
GDW's Sands of War
GDW's Third World War