Grotius
Posts: 5798
Joined: 10/18/2002 From: The Imperial Palace. Status: offline
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I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree, Murat. I don't see GGWaW as a beer-and-pretzels game; its considerably more complex than Axis & Allies, and plays much more realistically. I have friends who had the same beer-and-pretzels reaction when they looked at the graphics -- and changed their minds once they actually play. (In this connection, I'm glad to see that the new game will include NATO symbols, which will help persuade grognards that there's a serious game here.) Supply is one example of the depth of the game. An emphasis on logistics is quite welcome in this genre, if you ask me, and it's consistent with Gary's design philosophy in games like UV and WITP. Yes, you have to be careful with supply -- one reason this isn't a beer-and-pretzels game. But the rules are easy to learn, and I don't spend more time on logistics than on operations. I disagree with your assertion that China wasn't a significant power, or that it "wasn't able to defend itself" against Japan. Its massive manpower reserves are precisely why it did defend itself against Japan for more than a decade; garrisoning is only part of the answer. Sure, Japan garrisoned some major cities with a regiment or even a division, but Japan also had many divisions in the field against the massive Chinese army. In any case, the Allied player can usually do a China turn in a couple minutes, so I don't see any harm from the decision to include China. And playing as Japan, you really do have a decision to make: do you penetrate China, attack the USSR, or conduct a war in the Pacific? I personally do agree that it'd have been better to make the US separate, but the new game marks a step in that direction with greater attention to conditions for US entry. I'd have included Italy too. But to me these are minor issues. In effect Italy and the US are modeled, as they have separate entry and surrender conditions, and even separate icons now. Doesn't strike me as a big deal. What I really like about the game is that it models the entire conflict in a turn-based system that is amenable to PBEM. There is no map edge, and a map edge always creates distortions in wargames. I have played a number of PBEMs, none lasting more than a couple weeks, and each played differently and yet plausibly. Did you ever try a PBEM? The game really shines that way. Anyway, you're entitled to your opinion, but I for one can't wait for this new game.
< Message edited by Grotius -- 8/1/2006 8:10:20 PM >
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