Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Two buddies of mine actually managed to finish a scenario of this:

Longest Day boardgame

Thought it to be quite impressive feat...

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ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

Can someone, please, explain to me how in this day and age someone would still like to play board game instead of game on computer?

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ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

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ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

Can someone, please, explain to me how in this day and age someone would still like to play board game instead of game on computer?

Personally, I prefer board games to computer games. Yeah, the computer games do all the calculations, but I've never met any of my PBEM opponents. I love having the map spread out in front of me and having all those thousands of counters arrayed on the map. I also prefer to have my opponent sitting across from me so I can make rude comments to him in person. I also love seeing the look on my opponent's face when I do something particularly dastardly.

Keep in mind that I started wargaming in 1970, before computers were generally available.

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A buddy of mine in college had SPI's WITP. We got it setup on a 6x15 plywood board. Then he got engaged...

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ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

Can someone, please, explain to me how in this day and age someone would still like to play board game instead of game on computer?


BTW, I think that authors of that (and other monster board games) should have invested just a little more time/effort and transfer it to computer.

They already have the "heart" of the game (i.e. rules) and they already have the graphics (maps, cards with icons) - why not simply transfer this to computer and, without AI of course, create perfect PBEM or hot seat game?


Leo "Apollo11"

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ORIGINAL: Demosthenes
There is a dimension in board gaming that is absolutely missing in computer wargaming.
Others have mentioned some of the positives in board games -
seeing the entire map with the units present (stimulates the mind and feeds info into your mental calculations that NO computer screen ever can),
You don't wait for a patch to fix a broken/ridiculous rule
You actually SOCIALIZE with fellow beings
A well done map and set of counters is a thing of beauty

The last, which no has mentioned, is the tactile sense of touching units. They become real - there they are - you can touch them, you find your self MUCH more concerned about losses (which goes a long way toward recreating the pressure of ACTUALLY loosing men) and it makes your thought process inherently more realistic.

To the majority of you out there who obviously came along from 1980 onwards - pc's are nice and have gotten nicer, but don't kid yourself - the only two things pcs' do better than board games are 1) take up less space, and 2) it's easier to find an opponent (AI or PBEM)

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ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

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ORIGINAL: RUPD3658

There was something very satisfying about having a pair of "Lucky dice".

Of course when they failed you...again...there was something satisfying in hitting them with a hammer.

It is also more fun to taunt your opponant face to face then via e-mail.

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ORIGINAL: 2Stepper

"Nostalgia" is 100% the cause I suspect. That or morbid curiousity.

With regards to computers as an option, I can relate to this however. The same friend that pointed out this link to me I'm sure remembers an instance in 1994 when we were both on leave home and elected to break out Task Force Games "Federation and Empire". An enjoyable game for those that liked SFB.

Any rate, four hours into setup we looked at one another with the mutual understanding...

"You do realize we have computers that can set this up and play it in a few minutes right?"

Needless to say all the die-cuts went back into the box and the game went back on the shelf.


All about nostalgia.

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ORIGINAL: Demosthenes

You youngsters out there owe it to your self to go back to our comon roots and experience the true joy of the wargamer's art...go to E-bay, dig aout some cash and try your first honest to God military board game....if you dare risk being transformed.

Demosthenes

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ORIGINAL: Mynok

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ORIGINAL: Demosthenes

You youngsters out there owe it to your self to go back to our comon roots and experience the true joy of the wargamer's art...go to E-bay, dig aout some cash and try your first honest to God military board game....if you dare risk being transformed.

Demosthenes

Amen and amen. Despite our differences, I'd love to roll the luck (or unlucky in my case) dice across a big map full of beautiful cardboard with you!

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ORIGINAL: bilbow

How about naval miniatues on a tennis court? Great fun. In the fall you get built in randon smoke screens with all the leaves blowing around.

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ORIGINAL: Mynok


Oh but I have, my friend, I have! Not the modern naval vessel you so beautifully portray there, but I have spent many an enjoyable hour fighting the age of sail with gorgeously decked out miniature SOL and frigates. Battle of the Saintes, Trafalgar, Glorious First of June...you name it I've fought it....

Not to mention I'm a big fan and participant of ancient miniatures. There's nothing like a good row between the Persians and Greeks/Macedonians at Gaugemela......

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ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Steve Peek and Craig Taylor produced some great naval tactical boardgames over the years: Wooden Ships and Iron Men, Trireme (IIRC?), Ironclads and Flattop. The first three were obviously related (very similar systems) and the latter was of course forced to be different by its very subject. I can't say how many hours I spent with friends playing those (we used to have some wild four way free for alls in WSIM!).

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ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

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ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Steve Peek and Craig Taylor produced some great naval tactical boardgames over the years: Wooden Ships and Iron Men, Trireme (IIRC?), Ironclads and Flattop. The first three were obviously related (very similar systems) and the latter was of course forced to be different by its very subject. I can't say how many hours I spent with friends playing those (we used to have some wild four way free for alls in WSIM!).

I forgot what it was called (definitely not miniatures), but I went to Carmel CA once and witnessed a huge naval battle fought on a lake (I think it was one of the Guadalcanal engagements) with replica ships that ranged from 1 to 3 feet in length. They had powered turrets that fired ball bearings and they actually sunk one another. Of course all the model ships were built to some kind of specs so no one had an advantage that his historical ship wouldn’t have had over its opponent vessels (different sized ball bearings, wood thickness, etc.). It took several guys to man the remotes for the larger ships. Was an awesome day.

Jim

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ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

Wow thanks for the link. Its SPI's old War in the Pacific board game revamped, I'm definitely a pre-order purchaser. I own an original unpunched SPI game in pretty good shape still and actually played it twice back in the early 80's with a friends punched game. The game had real problems due to almost no play testing being done. It was basically impossible to ship sufficient supply to Pearl Harbor to run its air force let alone anywhere else in the Pacific due to a broken supply transportation rule.

Air groups used almost an entire month’s supply for a transport chain, Air Wings required far too much supply to ever get enough to even use them. We played a few months both times and tossed in the towel. I hope these issues have been addressed.

Doubt I’ll ever play it again (not enough fanatics like me left anymore), but it’ll be a nice addition to my collection.

Jim

"Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about things that matter". Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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ORIGINAL: treespider

SPI also had another monster "Campaign for North Africa". IIRC it had a rule in it referred to as the Spaghetti rule and tracked the amount of water the Italians had available for pasta. A buddy of mine has it boxed in his garage.

Decision Games is basically revamping all of the old SPI monster classics. They previously re-released War in Europe.

"Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about things that matter". Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

Can someone, please, explain to me how in this day and age someone would still like to play board game instead of game on computer?


BTW, I think that authors of that (and other monster board games) should have invested just a little more time/effort and transfer it to computer.

They already have the "heart" of the game (i.e. rules) and they already have the graphics (maps, cards with icons) - why not simply transfer this to computer and, without AI of course, create perfect PBEM or hot seat game?


Leo "Apollo11"

"Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about things that matter". Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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ORIGINAL: MadmanRick

Also,
Just to weigh in on my "geekiness", I personally own AH's The Longest Day, SPI's War In The Pacific, War In Europe, GDW's The Third World War & Assault series and VG's Pacific War & the Fleet Series (all 5 volumes). That's it as far as monsters go, but I do have another 25-30 boxed wargames laying around. I recently removed them from storage, as I was getting nostalgic! Computer games in my book, only offer a few advantages over board games and that is ease of setup, space issues and the ability to comeback when ready (i.e. save). Board games however (especially the monsters) are simply awesome, the counters, the maps, no computer game can truly convey how massive say the War In The Pacific truly was, quite like seeing those "acres" of maps from SPI's WitP. Also, the face to face gaming is incredible, you truly get to know your partner and can actually socialize. Computers are nice, but I see them as the "lazy" way to game.

Rick

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ORIGINAL: MadmanRick

Also,
Just to weigh in on my "geekiness", I personally own AH's The Longest Day, SPI's War In The Pacific, War In Europe, GDW's The Third World War & Assault series and VG's Pacific War & the Fleet Series (all 5 volumes). That's it as far as monsters go, but I do have another 25-30 boxed wargames laying around. I recently removed them from storage, as I was getting nostalgic! Computer games in my book, only offer a few advantages over board games and that is ease of setup, space issues and the ability to comeback when ready (i.e. save). Board games however (especially the monsters) are simply awesome, the counters, the maps, no computer game can truly convey how massive say the War In The Pacific truly was, quite like seeing those "acres" of maps from SPI's WitP. Also, the face to face gaming is incredible, you truly get to know your partner and can actually socialize. Computers are nice, but I see them as the "lazy" way to game.

Rick

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ORIGINAL: bilbow

Agree generally with this, but there is one area where computer games are far better simulations, and that is FOW. Board games have never come up with a good way of handling FOW, and it is especially important in situations like those represented in WIP.