German Biased?

[Pyros]

Hi,

From the scenario designer's point of view, what really matters is how much challenging is a scenario and how many on-line resources the designer may easily find available.

So, I don't really think that there is a point to discuss this issue any further.

But I will tell you three things in order to help you understand that there isn't any pro-German conspiracy among the designers:

1. Currently I am participating in two campaign projects (Anzac WW2 campaign and the Warsaw Uprising 1944; from the Poles POV)
2. My last scenario was Greece against the Italians 1940 (played as the Greeks)
3. Finally, I suggest you to take a look at the Campaign questionnaire and see yourself what is the choice of the audience.

Campaign questionnaire
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...b=5&o=&fpart=1

cheers,
Pyros

[Smersh]

I'm fairly satisfied with your replys. I did look at the questtionaire, and perferred nation for campigns was 33% germany and 30% USSR, yet there isn't a single Red army campign.
I'm not trying to blame anyone or call it a conspiracy, but there is clearly an un-intentional bais towards the germans.

[Cameronius]

There was a good Red Army Campaign in the original SP. Poland 1944, I think it was?

[Panzermeyer]

I don't really think it's an unintentional bias. The Germans and all their cool WWII hardware are what sells war games. The game is called steel PANTHERS not steel SHERMANS. It's based on a couple of old board games called PANZER leader and PANZER blitz. They're just giving the people what they want.

[Smersh]

Panzermeyer said:
I don't really think it's an unintentional bias... They're just giving the people what they want.

like I said, the USSR according the survey on this site is perferred by 30% of the people who voted, Germans recieving only 3% more. again, no Red Army campign, and very little scenarios compared to "demand". people clearly want some Soviet scenarios and campigns

[Panzermeyer]

I think that vote would come out much differently if people were only allowed one choice each.

[Smersh]

steel panthers is not a german army only game. and it shouldn't be. I think people would perfer more variety than a focus on a single nation, which the polls shows.

[Pyros]

Smersh said:
steel panthers is not a german army only game. and it shouldn't be. I think people would perfer more variety than a focus on a single nation, which the polls shows.

Smersh,

If you can find me 4-5 Russians that are willing to work hard as historical researchers, map designers, scenarios designers and play-testers; then I will be happy to initiate a project concerning a Russian campaign.

So, what do you think?

cheers,
Pyros

[Mobhack]

It isn't a "German Only" game.

It is a fact though, that most WW2 type games originating in the USA from the 70's on whether cardboard-shuffling or computer tend to use German-related names. Like Panzerblitz, Cross of Iron, Tigers on the Prowl, Panthers in the Shadows, PanzerBlitz, Blitzkreig, Steel Panthers etc etc.

Here in the UK, we tended to avoid paper hex based games as wargamers, and concentrate on "proper" tabletop games with model soldiers and rules books. US imports were rather expensive (£30 for each module of Squad Leader, when I bought my first Honda 125 for about £370, which if I had bought all the modules, would be about equivalent ISTR !) Commercially available wargames rules here tended to the prosaic, like "Wargames Research Group Rules 1925-50" and about the only "snappy" titles were the late Bruce Rea-Taylor's "Firefly" (WW2) and "Challenger" (modern) from tabletop games, or "Cambrai To Sinai" in the 70s (1914-80s) by London Wargames Club (or was it Reading?). A book of rules cost about £3, enough troops for an army in 1/300 were a fiver, and the local wargames club provided the tables and terrain.

Perhaps from a USA-oriented "marketing" POV the Germanic-centred names in games titles were seen as "sexy" or "kewl" ? - who knows?. This side of the pond, certainly not.

Cheers
Andy

[Mobhack]

There is a USSR based WW2 campaign in the game. It is the WW2 Long Campaign. In 41/45 the main theatre choice is the "Great Patriotic War", with the Finnish winter and other wars apearing as appropriate as front choices.

There is no user campaign as yet based on a Soviet core, perhaps because the WW2 LC does the job for most folks?. Or perhaps more likely because sources at the batallion/brigade level for the GPW are not that easy to find (works by Glantz etc are usually translations of entire operations like Kursk sourced from the Soviet military academy sources , at the front level with little fine detail at our game level POV, and also rather dry reading).

If the scenario designers feel there is something interesting to make an USSR based batallion level UC from, then one may appear, but my normal campaign as USSR is just to use the WW2 LC (sometimes starting in Poland, sometimes at the GPW date). Same for the British. The choices of front, and historic battle locations in there do the trick for me.

Cheers
Andy