Dawn, and the roar of the first T34

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Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 11:52:10 AM

germanbill

Posts: 5
Joined: 11/28/2021
From: Western Germany
Status: offline

Hi Forum, I am new here and wish to introduce myself. Bill Medland and born British, but due to circumstances I have lived the last 40 years in Germany. I started wargaming in 1975 using the old Avlon Hill board games, such as Panzerblitz and Squad Leader. In those days before e-mails it was all PBM(Play By Mail) where a 12 turn scenario could take up to six weeks! At the same time I was wargaming with Heroics 1/300 scale figures. Obviously playing on a tabletop or a board game on your own, does not allow for Fog of War or the unexpected.

Then in 1998 I had my first Home Computer, "Eastern Front" was on the shelves in the local store, I had at last an AI opponent and it played very much like the Panzerblitz board game.
Ok, sometimes it would crash mid-campaign or the PC screen would turn olive green! By and all, the game was not bad and I often go back to it even after 25 years. I purchased an old PC last year with Windows 2000, just for this game. About 2003 I discovered "Western Front" and this was followed about 5 years ago by "Rising Sun". More recently I was able to get a CD of "Divided Ground" but I was disappointed with that due to its small amount of Scenarios and scope.
Last week I was looking for a solution to a technical error I had with my version of Eastern Front, it was that time I stumbled upon this forum and the "JTCS package", I purchased it same day and was blown away with all of the updates! Really a joy to be had.
I have been chatting to Jason and I am excited about "East Front III". Although interested in the up coming Vietnam game, I am really a WW2 man, although I may give that a try too.

If any forum members are living it Germany feel free to contact me, I live in Sauerland (NRW) although I can be found wearing Feldgrau in reenactment in Sachsen-Anhalt.

Cheers, Bill.

_____________________________

Those in reenactment who have been in an Opelblitz on a frosty winter morning,
Y-Straps digging into their shoulder, gasmask canister pressing into their backs.
Spare a thought for those little images we push around the PC screens.

Post #: 1

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 1:20:53 PM

RangerJoe

Posts: 13450
Joined: 11/16/2015
From: My Mother, although my Father had some small part.
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: germanbill

Hi Forum, I am new here and wish to introduce myself. Bill Medland and born British, but due to circumstances I have lived the last 40 years in Germany. I started wargaming in 1975 using the old Avlon Hill board games, such as Panzerblitz and Squad Leader. In those days before e-mails it was all PBM(Play By Mail) where a 12 turn scenario could take up to six weeks! At the same time I was wargaming with Heroics 1/300 scale figures. Obviously playing on a tabletop or a board game on your own, does not allow for Fog of War or the unexpected.

Then in 1998 I had my first Home Computer, "Eastern Front" was on the shelves in the local store, I had at last an AI opponent and it played very much like the Panzerblitz board game.
Ok, sometimes it would crash mid-campaign or the PC screen would turn olive green! By and all, the game was not bad and I often go back to it even after 25 years. I purchased an old PC last year with Windows 2000, just for this game. About 2003 I discovered "Western Front" and this was followed about 5 years ago by "Rising Sun". More recently I was able to get a CD of "Divided Ground" but I was disappointed with that due to its small amount of Scenarios and scope.
Last week I was looking for a solution to a technical error I had with my version of Eastern Front, it was that time I stumbled upon this forum and the "JTCS package", I purchased it same day and was blown away with all of the updates! Really a joy to be had.
I have been chatting to Jason and I am excited about "East Front III". Although interested in the up coming Vietnam game, I am really a WW2 man, although I may give that a try too.

If any forum members are living it Germany feel free to contact me, I live in Sauerland (NRW) although I can be found wearing Feldgrau in reenactment in Sachsen-Anhalt.

Cheers, Bill.

I suggest that you try DOSBox for those old games.

If you really want a large and detailed game, check out WITP:AE which is on sale now. There are smaller scenarios than the campaign game.

_____________________________

Seek peace but keep your gun handy.

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

�Illegitemus non carborundum est (�Don�t let the bastards grind you down�).�
― Julia Child

(in reply to germanbill)

Post #: 2

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 3:25:31 PM

rommel222

Posts: 725
Joined: 9/21/2015
Status: offline

Greetings germanbill,
Welcome to the forum and cut my teeth on Avalon Hill wargames back in the 1960's (Afrika Korps, Stalingrad, Bulge, Panzerblitz, Waterloo).
Later on Squad leader, Luftwaffe, Panzer Leader, D-Day, Tobruk, Arab-Israeli Wars, Siege of Jerusaleum and Advanced Squad Leader, etc.

I remember loving Eastern Front, Western Front and Rising Sun on pc.

I strongly suggest picking up matrixgames version John Tiller's Campaigns Series:
https://www.matrixgames.com/game/john-tillers-campaign-series

I have no problems running it on my 11 year old Win 10 laptop.

< Message edited by rommel222 -- 12/3/2021 3:31:42 PM >

(in reply to RangerJoe)

Post #: 3

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 5:04:00 PM

Kuokkanen

Posts: 3545
Joined: 4/2/2004
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: rommel222

I strongly suggest picking up matrixgames version John Tiller's Campaigns Series:
https://www.matrixgames.com/game/john-tillers-campaign-series

He already did.

_____________________________

You know what they say, don't you? About how us MechWarriors are the modern knights, how warfare has become civilized now that we have to abide by conventions and rules of war. Don't believe it.

MekWars

(in reply to rommel222)

Post #: 4

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 5:40:22 PM

germanbill

Posts: 5
Joined: 11/28/2021
From: Western Germany
Status: offline

Hi rommel222,

We seem to have gone through the same Avlon Hill games, I still play the odd game for nostalgia.
Games like "Luftwaffe" where you try to move stacks of counters, getting in a mess if they all start falling over!
Panzerbliz was "THE" game to have, I collected all of the upgrades, new counters and scenarios produced in "The General Magazine" in fact I have the entire series in pdf format. I always considered Talonsoft�s Eastern Front as a computer version of Panzerblitz.
My favorite game on the grand strategy level had to be "Third Reich", always nervous in the Summer 1940 move, where one throw of the dice could decide the battle for Paris and the game, for a daring German player. I went through my old games recently and discovered a mint unused (all counters intact, not punched out) edition of "Advanced Third Reich"!!! Another one was "Guns of August" (WW1) I enjoyed that, but never won as the Allies.
Remember all of those monster games, Europa series? Who could forget the SPI range, one game every month was released.
I still play Europa�s "Narvik 1940". Remember the Avlon Hill game that was played without a board, you played it on a table surface, "Jutland" 1916. I suppose it was home computers in the 1990s that killed the board game as we knew it back then.

Cheers, Bill.

< Message edited by germanbill -- 12/3/2021 5:49:07 PM >

_____________________________

(in reply to Kuokkanen)

Post #: 5

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 6:15:32 PM

Kuokkanen

Posts: 3545
Joined: 4/2/2004
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: germanbill

Remember the Avlon Hill game that was played without a board, you played it on a table surface, "Jutland" 1916. I suppose it was home computers in the 1990s that killed the board game as we knew it back then.

Here in Finland board games and miniature wargames are still going strong. Warhammer miniature games in particular are popular even with the youngsters, and Matrix/Slitherine has released video game versions.

Here's a link to a Discord server (real time chat thing) popular among forum users if you care:
https://discord.gg/TkMY2kZG

_____________________________

(in reply to germanbill)

Post #: 6

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 8:21:24 PM

RFalvo69

Posts: 1380
Joined: 7/11/2013
From: Lamezia Terme (Italy)
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: germanbill
I suppose it was home computers in the 1990s that killed the board game as we knew it back then.

Actually, tabletop wargames are going strong. Of course you have the P500 and P1000 pre-orders, which give you an idea about how small the market is, but the OCS series is fantastic and even tactical wargames like "The Hunters/The Hunted" (about commanding a German U-Boat across the war) are selling well. And while not everyone likes VASSAL, it became the "de-facto" solution for playing with people from all over the World and don't worry about the cat eating the 2 SS PANZER DIVISION.

_____________________________

"Yes darling, I served in the Navy for eight years. I was a cook..."
"Oh dad... so you were a God-damned cook?"

(My 10 years old daughter after watching "The Hunt for Red October")

(in reply to germanbill)

Post #: 7

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 9:08:52 PM

RangerJoe

Posts: 13450
Joined: 11/16/2015
From: My Mother, although my Father had some small part.
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

quote:

ORIGINAL: germanbill
I suppose it was home computers in the 1990s that killed the board game as we knew it back then.

Actually, tabletop wargames are going strong. Of course you have the P500 and P1000 pre-orders, which give you an idea about how small the market is, but the OCS series is fantastic and even tactical wargames like "The Hunters/The Hunted" (about commanding a German U-Boat across the war) are selling well. And while not everyone likes VASSAL, it became the "de-facto" solution for playing with people from all over the World and don't worry about the cat eating the 2 SS PANZER DIVISION.

But if you are the Western Allies and/or the Soviets, that is a good ending for that division.

_____________________________

Seek peace but keep your gun handy.

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

�Illegitemus non carborundum est (�Don�t let the bastards grind you down�).�
― Julia Child

(in reply to RFalvo69)

Post #: 8

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 9:41:24 PM

Neilster

Posts: 2890
Joined: 10/27/2003
From: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Status: offline

Welcome germanbill. For strategic WW2 gaming, have you seen World in Flames? It's generally regarded as the best strategic WW2 boardgame.

https://www.a-d-g.com.au/

Matrix games has developed a PC version that is playable solitaire and online, although it's not bug free yet. The AI is being developed now. It's currently massively reduced in price.

https://www.matrixgames.com/game/world-in-flames

Another excellent option is The Operational Art of War IV. Almost every major battle or campaign from about 1850 to the present is playable. It's also on special.

https://www.matrixgames.com/game/the-operational-art-of-war-iv

_____________________________

Cheers, Neilster

(in reply to RangerJoe)

Post #: 9

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/3/2021 10:33:40 PM

RFalvo69

Posts: 1380
Joined: 7/11/2013
From: Lamezia Terme (Italy)
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

quote:

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

quote:

ORIGINAL: germanbill
I suppose it was home computers in the 1990s that killed the board game as we knew it back then.

Actually, tabletop wargames are going strong. Of course you have the P500 and P1000 pre-orders, which give you an idea about how small the market is, but the OCS series is fantastic and even tactical wargames like "The Hunters/The Hunted" (about commanding a German U-Boat across the war) are selling well. And while not everyone likes VASSAL, it became the "de-facto" solution for playing with people from all over the World and don't worry about the cat eating the 2 SS PANZER DIVISION.

But if you are the Western Allies and/or the Soviets, that is a good ending for that division.

Yes, but you know how we wargamers are: if we lose a chit we buy the game again...

_____________________________

"Yes darling, I served in the Navy for eight years. I was a cook..."
"Oh dad... so you were a God-damned cook?"

(My 10 years old daughter after watching "The Hunt for Red October")

(in reply to RangerJoe)

Post #: 10

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/4/2021 12:17:25 AM

RangerJoe

Posts: 13450
Joined: 11/16/2015
From: My Mother, although my Father had some small part.
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

quote:

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

quote:

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

quote:

ORIGINAL: germanbill
I suppose it was home computers in the 1990s that killed the board game as we knew it back then.

Actually, tabletop wargames are going strong. Of course you have the P500 and P1000 pre-orders, which give you an idea about how small the market is, but the OCS series is fantastic and even tactical wargames like "The Hunters/The Hunted" (about commanding a German U-Boat across the war) are selling well. And while not everyone likes VASSAL, it became the "de-facto" solution for playing with people from all over the World and don't worry about the cat eating the 2 SS PANZER DIVISION.

But if you are the Western Allies and/or the Soviets, that is a good ending for that division.

Yes, but you know how we wargamers are: if we lose a chit we buy the game again...

Then you play with all counters against the other side . . .

Yes, I have had more than one copy of a game . . .

_____________________________

Seek peace but keep your gun handy.

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

�Illegitemus non carborundum est (�Don�t let the bastards grind you down�).�
― Julia Child

(in reply to RFalvo69)

Post #: 11

RE: Dawn, and the roar of the first T34 - 12/5/2021 3:16:01 PM

germanbill

Posts: 5
Joined: 11/28/2021
From: Western Germany
Status: offline

Thanks for the warm greetings, tips and links. Lots for me to read, it will take a couple of weeks! Also I have purchased several of my old favorites from the Store. So I will be kept very busy for a while.

Cheers, and best wishes, Bill.

_____________________________

(in reply to RangerJoe)

Post #: 12