Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

Link TT?

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ORIGINAL: Twotribes

Remember SPI's massive board game, War in the West and War in the East, which would combine into War in Europe? The Computer Version ( or rather the latest computer version, is out and available. It allows you to pick from 4 different rule sets and multiple options with several campaigns and scenarios.

Decision Games sells it. There is no AI, so you either play Email or solo as all the sides. For those unaware there are 3 sides, Axis, Western Allies and the Soviet Union. It is Division level game of World War two in Europe, Soviet Union West of the Urals and North Africa-Middle East. Although the Soviets generally use Corps not Divisions.

Each turn is a week with 4 turns combined into a cycle and a production portion prior to the start of each 4 turns, 13 cycles a year. The old Board game originally had on Germany and the Soviets producing but later add the West. The game allows the west, if you chose, to produce rather then us a set production track.

U-boat war, Naval and Air war are a bit abstracted.

If you ever played solo the Board game you will love the Computer version. If you just have to have an AI, this is definately not your cup of tea.

Hope Matrix doesn't mind I posted this, it really is not in a direct threat to any of the Games Matrix sells.

For a first release it doesn't seem to have many bugs at all, but really it is a second release, they built it up from an older game from some years ago and added a ton of features and rules options.

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ORIGINAL: madgamer

I have a near mint version of the old game if anyone wants to consider buying it PM me. I did set it up once complete with Plexiglas sheets covering the maps. It is impossible to play alone so maybe this will start a trend. Perhaps without an AI the old big games will make a comeback for those who fancy PBEM. I would like to see the Europa series done and programs added to help with all the book work and production.

I am afraid that this might spell the doom of AI games..I hope not as some of us are not up to the requirements of a PBEM game.

Madgamer

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ORIGINAL: DD696

I just ordered it. All my hundreds of board games are in storage back in Idaho and I haven't seen them for years. SPI's War in Europe was always my favorite. Had it set up in one room for many years and played it mostly solitaire. It should be great having it on the computer and having all the editing options it has.

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ORIGINAL: madgamer

I think there is a lot of the "buy it because its there" kind of thinking still out there. When I was younger and had more money I bought many of the board games I am going to sell to a web site because of that reasoning, including a copy of the original WIE.
Just to set it up takes more space than many have and finding anyone to devote that much time to a game of that size will be difficult. I think that part of the reason I bought some 100 games back then was just to have them.
Being retired now and times being what they are I am selling them (even WIE) because I need the money and I no longer hasve the time, money or space for a collection that I will never play. I don't think I am the collector type. I own 4 guitars including two hand made custiom 6 strings, one old guild 12 and a newer Taylor 6 string. I have ordered another custom 12 from the same guys that built my other two and will sell the Taylor. I gues 2 6 string and 2 12 string are more than I need.

Madgamer

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ORIGINAL: cwie

The play modes are 'hotseat' and PBEM only. There's no direct TCP/online mode. It was discussed during the early development planning, but with main campaign turns sometimes taking up to an hour to complete it was felt the 'non-phasing' player would quickly loose interest. The focus has been on making PBEM as simple and quick as possible.

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ORIGINAL: Barthheart
Did yo uactually buy it? If so how is it?

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ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

As an example, it is futile as the western allies to try and contest the air space in the west zone in the early game.

If you place points in the air superiority box, they'll simply be overwhelmed and annihilated by the far more numerous German points.

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ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

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ORIGINAL: Barthheart
Did yo uactually buy it? If so how is it?

I bought it pre-order and have been playing it pretty much non-stop since it was released. I am currently in a PBEM game against Halsey, another WitP fanatic like me from these forums. The initial learning curve is steep if you've never actually played the board game as I hadn't, but it is nowhere near as complex or difficult to learn as a game like WitP.

I found once I'd fully read the manual and played about 1 year of the game, everything had become second nature to me. I can now do an average turn in about 15 - 30 minutes, depending on how active the war is. Clear turns in the spring and summer are very busy turns, mud and snow turns, not so much.

Overall, I enjoy the game a lot. My only gripe is one with the air point system the game uses. It's too all or nothing for my tastes. As an example, it is futile as the western allies to try and contest the air space in the west zone in the early game. If you place points in the air superiority box, they'll simply be overwhelmed and annihilated by the far more numerous German points.

So what you have to do is stand down your air points and build up strength until after Germany attacks France and the low countries, which means you concede the air totally to Germany. Then you send everything up when he attacks France and there are a few turns of combat until one side or the other becomes clearly dominate. Then the losing side stands down and begins building up its strength, thus totally conceding the air space.

I'd prefer a system that wasn't so devastating to air strength and allowed both sides to keep a continual air presence no matter how outnumbered they are. But the 1/6th chance each air point assigned to air superiority has to shoot down an enemy air point means the more outnumbered you are the faster you get destroyed. Basically it's like Risk, every point you have gets to roll a die.

Now don't get me wrong, the system works in game as designed, and it does follow historical expectations. Germany is dominate early on when it needs to be, so it can land in Norway and take out France. The western allies build up dominance eventually in time to counter-attack in Africa. Russia gets blown away in 41, but like the allies it too eventually builds up enough strength to contest the air by the first winter. And by spring 42 the axis regains superiority in Russia again, etc. etc.

I would just prefer a more detailed air game. But I guess I'm spoiled by all the air unit detail in WitP and miss it.

I'd recommend this game to anyone interested in a good old fashioned board game on the PC. There are a few minor bugs, but from what I've read on the forum for the game, these are being squashed almost as soon as they have been reported, and a patch will hopefully be out soon.

Jim

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ORIGINAL: Rodwell

Is there an active PBEM community?