RE: War Gamer story (true) (Full Version)

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MrsWargamer -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/15/2021 3:43:43 PM)

I took my squad leader game with me to basic training in a microformat, just enough pieces, and a small hand-made limited board.

I had a chance to play my actual squad leader (in Canada it's not called a squad though).
My Sgt did NOT appreciate being 'schooled' by a low form of life.

I was told to store the game, and I could have it back when I left basic training.

The lesson learned, you don't know **** when in basic training. You might actually know, but you fake being stupid if needed :)



ncc1701e -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/15/2021 4:07:14 PM)

I was playing Panzer Blitz with my father for the first time. After setting up everything, I took the Germans with Tigers tanks against T-34 tanks i.e. my father. It was the last time I have played Panzer Blitz with my father.



z1812 -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/15/2021 5:11:02 PM)

My most embarrassing wargaming moment. Long ago I tried to interest a girlfriend in wargaming. I asked her to at least try one game. It was the Waterloo board game, and if I recall properly, by Avalon Hill.

She would say, is this what I do, maybe I will move this here, this isn't very difficult...... as she easily won the battle. She wouldn't play afterwards claiming it was too easy............



Zovs -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/15/2021 8:19:41 PM)

Too many to tell.

The worst: someone feeding me orange Jello and beans to eat while playing ASL 33 The Cossacks Are Coming!

One of the best: In a 3 player ASL scenario, I took the SS and my two buddies Kurt and Mike to the Soviets. Kurt had his Soviet Armor leader (a 9-2) in a T-34/85 move in from off board and stopped CE, there was no Germans in LOS. On my turn I brought in my JagdPanzer with a 9-2 Armor Leader, moved full MP up a hill, stopped, was CE and fired at 17 hexes at Kurt's precious 9-2 Armor Leader sitting in that T-34/85. I rolled... 1,1 (snake eyes)! Kurt said OMG! Mike said don't worry he has to roll a couple of ones. Which I did, end result a burning wreck and on turn 2 Kurt just gave up, went and laid down on the couch and nothing Mike could do or say could get him off the couch. Mike was pissed off at him. I smoked 3 more T-34/85's before Mike killed that JagdPanzer...lol, we had a blast but not poor Kurt...lol



RFalvo69 -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/15/2021 9:19:27 PM)

Some years ago I went on vacation in the wine country south of Pavia - a nice place of hills, old churches, food and wine. There I met this guy who had a strong interest in military history and in tank models (he created whole dioramas). He also owned this wargame, AH's Stalingrad, and asked me if I was interested in trying it.

Now, I don't know what went through my head. I knew and had played Stalingrad a lot in the past but, for some reason, I answered that, no, I never played a wargame and I was curious about trying one.

That evening the hotel owner told me how this guy was a friend of his and had tried to play "this damned game" with everybody, his girlfriend included. I was the first to say "yes"... in years!

The day after he arrives, explains to me the rules (which I knew better than him, but I kept nodding) and then we played - from 3PM to 7PM. I won keeping the Russians. I smiled meekly "You know... beginner's luck..."

Next day, re-match. I still won as the Russians. He stormed away.

Third day, and the wife started to be miffed. She was driving around with the daughters and enjoying the vacation but she couldn't understand how I could miss all the sun and the landscapes for a stupid game played in a hotel hall. Maybe she was right... Anyway...

So, third match. And, out of the gate, my opponent tried the "softening attack" tactic, an ugly bug in AH's early games. Basically, if you were defending an hex with both a strong unit and a weak one, the attacker could attack the weakest unit, kill it, and then force an unfavourable counter-attack - something that you simply don't want to do, but those were the rules.

I knew all about this "tactic" and how in those early AH games a single strong unit should never be paired with a weak one. Normally I never did that, but, remember "I didn't knew that game". To me, two units were better than one. Of course I was also waiting for my opponent to be tired of losing, go on the internet and learn about this little trick on BGG or such. I made a point anyway to make a scene and point out how the rules were broken. Then I repositioned my defense - which thus become better - and won again.

By then, desperation was thick among the Germans. I offered the hypothesis that maybe the game was unbalanced and favoured the Russians. I also said that I wanted to try the German side. Now, there was another tiny thing that I had kept hidden: In Stalingrad I always played with the Germans. But I had kept hidden that I was a wargamer in the first place, so one thing had led to the other. Anyway, to make a long story short, game four, and I almost cleaned up all the Russians from the map.

That evening I noticed the game box lying abandoned on a table. So I phoned this guy but he just said "keep it". We meet again but we never played Stalingrad again.

But I kept the game. I'm looking at that box right now, while I'm typing this [:D]



RangerJoe -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/15/2021 10:42:52 PM)

Afrika Corps had the same rule. It was a great way to steal supply units.



Eambar -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/15/2021 11:03:37 PM)

Early-80s and I was in my first tournament for 15mm Ancient miniatures.

I had scraped together enough money to buy a Gallic army from about 300 BC - very simple army, three large warbands of light-medium infantry, archers, some light cavalry, missile troops and some very expensive unreliable chariots.

Lost my first two games, not too badly, I managed to take most of the time allotted and achieve honourable defeats.

Day 2 and my third and last game was against a 100 Year War English army - right at the later end of the Ancients period, with super heavy knights, longbowmen and pole armed heavy infantry. I was absolutely smashed - I think it was all over in about 15 minutes with the entire Gallic army in rout after having been hit by the longbowmen and then charged by super heavy knights.

It was the quickest defeat in the history of the tournament!

Cheers




UP844 -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 12:26:27 AM)

A friend of mine and I were playing a demonstration game of WW2 AFV combat at a local model show: I had a few Marders and 75mm PaK guns hidden in ambush ans some infantry, the other player had a 1944 squadron of British Shermans and some infantry as well.

An Army colonel, with a pair of subordinates in tow, observed the table, then told to the British player (who was being quite cautious, sending his infantry to scout before the tanks) "Be aggressive, aggression is the key to victory!!". My friend was a bit puzzled but then he thought "He's a professional, he must know what he says" and charged forward and produced a very convincing representation of a mechanized Balaklava... [:D]



Rosseau -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 12:45:53 AM)

Very enjoyable (and quite humorous) memories, and without a doubt, absolutely true!



springel -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 11:07:41 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: MrsWargamer

I took my squad leader game with me to basic training in a microformat, just enough pieces, and a small hand-made limited board.

I had a chance to play my actual squad leader (in Canada it's not called a squad though).
My Sgt did NOT appreciate being 'schooled' by a low form of life.

I was told to store the game, and I could have it back when I left basic training.

The lesson learned, you don't know **** when in basic training. You might actually know, but you fake being stupid if needed :)


Interesting. You already played wargames when you joined the army?

The most striking thing that wargaming showed me, is that a soldier's function is to be put into the grinder, which is nice in a simulation, but a ****ty position for a real person.

(Maybe that was why your Sqt wanted you to put the game away?)



Zovs -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 11:18:30 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

Some years ago I went on vacation in the wine country south of Pavia - a nice place of hills, old churches, food and wine. There I met this guy who had a strong interest in military history and in tank models (he created whole dioramas). He also owned this wargame, AH's Stalingrad, and asked me if I was interested in trying it.

Now, I don't know what went through my head. I knew and had played Stalingrad a lot in the past but, for some reason, I answered that, no, I never played a wargame and I was curious about trying one.

That evening the hotel owner told me how this guy was a friend of his and had tried to play "this damned game" with everybody, his girlfriend included. I was the first to say "yes"... in years!

The day after he arrives, explains to me the rules (which I knew better than him, but I kept nodding) and then we played - from 3PM to 7PM. I won keeping the Russians. I smiled meekly "You know... beginner's luck..."

Next day, re-match. I still won as the Russians. He stormed away.

Third day, and the wife started to be miffed. She was driving around with the daughters and enjoying the vacation but she couldn't understand how I could miss all the sun and the landscapes for a stupid game played in a hotel hall. Maybe she was right... Anyway...

So, third match. And, out of the gate, my opponent tried the "softening attack" tactic, an ugly bug in AH's early games. Basically, if you were defending an hex with both a strong unit and a weak one, the attacker could attack the weakest unit, kill it, and then force an unfavourable counter-attack - something that you simply don't want to do, but those were the rules.

I knew all about this "tactic" and how in those early AH games a single strong unit should never be paired with a weak one. Normally I never did that, but, remember "I didn't knew that game". To me, two units were better than one. Of course I was also waiting for my opponent to be tired of losing, go on the internet and learn about this little trick on BGG or such. I made a point anyway to make a scene and point out how the rules were broken. Then I repositioned my defense - which thus become better - and won again.

By then, desperation was thick among the Germans. I offered the hypothesis that maybe the game was unbalanced and favoured the Russians. I also said that I wanted to try the German side. Now, there was another tiny thing that I had kept hidden: In Stalingrad I always played with the Germans. But I had kept hidden that I was a wargamer in the first place, so one thing had led to the other. Anyway, to make a long story short, game four, and I almost cleaned up all the Russians from the map.

That evening I noticed the game box lying abandoned on a table. So I phoned this guy but he just said "keep it". We meet again but we never played Stalingrad again.

But I kept the game. I'm looking at that box right now, while I'm typing this [:D]

quote:

I offered the hy


Brilliant! Classic! Oh that was awesome! lol

Your evil.

Next time if I ever get to sit down face to face with a fellow I'll ask "Your not that RFalvo69 guy are you?" lol




ncc1701e -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 12:44:25 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

Some years ago I went on vacation in the wine country south of Pavia - a nice place of hills, old churches, food and wine. There I met this guy who had a strong interest in military history and in tank models (he created whole dioramas). He also owned this wargame, AH's Stalingrad, and asked me if I was interested in trying it.

Now, I don't know what went through my head. I knew and had played Stalingrad a lot in the past but, for some reason, I answered that, no, I never played a wargame and I was curious about trying one.

That evening the hotel owner told me how this guy was a friend of his and had tried to play "this damned game" with everybody, his girlfriend included. I was the first to say "yes"... in years!

The day after he arrives, explains to me the rules (which I knew better than him, but I kept nodding) and then we played - from 3PM to 7PM. I won keeping the Russians. I smiled meekly "You know... beginner's luck..."

Next day, re-match. I still won as the Russians. He stormed away.

Third day, and the wife started to be miffed. She was driving around with the daughters and enjoying the vacation but she couldn't understand how I could miss all the sun and the landscapes for a stupid game played in a hotel hall. Maybe she was right... Anyway...

So, third match. And, out of the gate, my opponent tried the "softening attack" tactic, an ugly bug in AH's early games. Basically, if you were defending an hex with both a strong unit and a weak one, the attacker could attack the weakest unit, kill it, and then force an unfavourable counter-attack - something that you simply don't want to do, but those were the rules.

I knew all about this "tactic" and how in those early AH games a single strong unit should never be paired with a weak one. Normally I never did that, but, remember "I didn't knew that game". To me, two units were better than one. Of course I was also waiting for my opponent to be tired of losing, go on the internet and learn about this little trick on BGG or such. I made a point anyway to make a scene and point out how the rules were broken. Then I repositioned my defense - which thus become better - and won again.

By then, desperation was thick among the Germans. I offered the hypothesis that maybe the game was unbalanced and favoured the Russians. I also said that I wanted to try the German side. Now, there was another tiny thing that I had kept hidden: In Stalingrad I always played with the Germans. But I had kept hidden that I was a wargamer in the first place, so one thing had led to the other. Anyway, to make a long story short, game four, and I almost cleaned up all the Russians from the map.

That evening I noticed the game box lying abandoned on a table. So I phoned this guy but he just said "keep it". We meet again but we never played Stalingrad again.

But I kept the game. I'm looking at that box right now, while I'm typing this [:D]


Excellent, thanks [:)]



MrsWargamer -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 3:07:43 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: springel


quote:

ORIGINAL: MrsWargamer

I took my squad leader game with me to basic training in a microformat, just enough pieces, and a small hand-made limited board.

I had a chance to play my actual squad leader (in Canada it's not called a squad though).
My Sgt did NOT appreciate being 'schooled' by a low form of life.

I was told to store the game, and I could have it back when I left basic training.

The lesson learned, you don't know **** when in basic training. You might actually know, but you fake being stupid if needed :)


Interesting. You already played wargames when you joined the army?

The most striking thing that wargaming showed me, is that a soldier's function is to be put into the grinder, which is nice in a simulation, but a ****ty position for a real person.

(Maybe that was why your Sqt wanted you to put the game away?)


I blame my father :)
He was a fan of trains. That led to models, which made me interested in the early wargames of the time. I think. The 70s were a long time ago. I sometimes wonder, what interested me first. Military history, models, or wargames.



cpdeyoung -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 6:12:49 PM)

1973 or 74.

I responded to an ad in the AH General for a gaming meet up with a college student. He became a close friend and we played for years. He was married with kids and cats so we would play at his parents house. I lived about 25 miles away and if a game went long we would put it up with all positions noted on paper.

We were playing Third Reich, a game which always captivated me. It was a good session, very tense, but it was getting late, so we broke the board down and waited to continue it the next weekend.

After a week of thinking about the positions and strategies I arrived, and we began to set up the pieces. As the situation was recreated on the map excitement increased. Man we loved that game.

He had the initiative and went first.

He dropped Fallschirmjäger on London.

I lost.

We did not even have the heart to play more that day.



RangerJoe -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 6:58:27 PM)

One time, a Western Allied player invaded France. As the Axis, I did not try to contest the invasion with my fleet nor my air power. When it was my turn, I counter invaded and wiped out his invasion with a 2 to 1 attack, using my four fleets with one 1-3 counter.[:D] The opponent could not even try to to intercept my fleets since his were used during his turn.



DeepBlack -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 8:52:45 PM)

Was playing Close Combat II against someone on
the old MSN GameZone maybe 23-ish years ago.

I had to leave the match to help unload groceries.
I did not tell my opponent since I thought it would
take just five minutes or so.

I forget all about it for hours! and came back
to my room to find the same match still going on
with the same guy.

Oh I felt so bad that the guy had been playing against
a ghost for hours. I apologized and reported the loss.
He must have thought I was the worst camper ever.



Aurelian -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 9:29:22 PM)

Reminds me of this guy I used to play chess, and other wargames, with.

Chess stands out because he was always bragging about beating his Fidelity Chess Challenger on the hardest level.

Every time we played, he lost. One time after a move I made, he pronounced it was my mistake. Only to lose 10 moves later.



Aurelian -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 9:34:51 PM)

double post



DD696 -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 9:36:23 PM)

Back in 1973 I was a Corporal working in S-3 (operations) at Subic Bay Marine Barracks, Philippines. The 1st Lt in charge was Lt James Patterson. I had brought a few of my SPI games over and told him about them. He was intrigues, and wanted to play me in the Korean game, even tho officers fraternizing with lowly enlisted personnel was strictly forbidden. He and I got together, him taking the the North Koreans/Chicom and myself the Allies.

Well, I whipped the pants off the Lieutenant. Told him you have to protect your flanks and cannot charge unsupported against the opponent. He later said to Colonel (Edward Snelling), who won the Navy Cross during the Korean conflict, that I could handle any position there. He tried to get me to go to officer's school, but I wouldn't. These were two officers that I still respect to this day. Sadly, they are both now under the ground. Lt Patterson, later a captain, was stationed at Quantico teaching officer trainees, one of which was my brother, who dropped out. Captain Patterson died 1 April 1997 (can't find out much info about him - good man). Colonel Snelling died almost 2 years ago not too far away from me.

I wish I could have met them again. Good Marines.



RangerJoe -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/16/2021 10:53:53 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DD696

Back in 1973 I was a Corporal working in S-3 (operations) at Subic Bay Marine Barracks, Philippines. The 1st Lt in charge was Lt James Patterson. I had brought a few of my SPI games over and told him about them. He was intrigues, and wanted to play me in the Korean game, even tho officers fraternizing with lowly enlisted personnel was strictly forbidden. He and I got together, him taking the the North Koreans/Chicom and myself the Allies.

Well, I whipped the pants off the Lieutenant. Told him you have to protect your flanks and cannot charge unsupported against the opponent. He later said to Colonel (Edward Snelling), who won the Navy Cross during the Korean conflict, that I could handle any position there. He tried to get me to go to officer's school, but I wouldn't. These were two officers that I still respect to this day. Sadly, they are both now under the ground. Lt Patterson, later a captain, was stationed at Quantico teaching officer trainees, one of which was my brother, who dropped out. Captain Patterson died 1 April 1997 (can't find out much info about him - good man). Colonel Snelling died almost 2 years ago not too far away from me.

I wish I could have met them again. Good Marines.


You will meet them again. The will be guarding Heavens streets, will they not?

Semper Fi, Marine.



Perturabo -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/17/2021 12:17:32 AM)

My most cringe wargaming moment was probably this thread XD .

The context for it is that I wrote it 5 years after I started studying IT in community college and then later going to CS college and not learning even basics of programming during these years.



Will_L -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/17/2021 12:58:07 AM)

A friend and I decided to do a miniatures battle featuring Vikings versus a Chinese army just to see what would happen, took a while to set up since the Chinese had a massive force of cheap, low quality units. The Viking army was small and unreliable to manage.
We started marching towards each other and as the gap closed I decided to take a pot shot with a crossbow unit at one of the Viking light/medium infantry and apparently it didn't appreciate that because it reacted by going berserk and charging my crossbowmen which caused a morale check that they failed and were forced to rout, leading to more morale checks for the units nearby, leading to more routs, more morale checks and the Chinese streaming off the field in terror.
We looked at each other, laughed hard and went to the NCO club for a couple of beers. To this day it's my favorite gaming memory.



DeepBlack -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/17/2021 10:20:27 AM)

This was back in 1979. Was playing Squad Leader
"Cross of Iron" against my brother. Scenario
was "Defense of Luga".

Was losing and had to capture stone building victory hexes to win.
But, I had lost most of my infantry.

So, I ordered my AFV crews to bail out and serve as infantry
to help capture the required hexes.

But, we had never played using that mechanic before so
my brother got justifiably angry with my cheap rule book lawyering.

And, that was the very last time I ever played Squad Leader.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/eHhSQMb.jpg[/img]

It is funny how memory works. I cannot reliably tell anyone
my current number yet my phone number from 42 years ago rolls
off my tongue like it was yesterday.




Trugrit -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/17/2021 2:19:51 PM)


Long years ago when I was living in Baltimore I would go every year to the Historicon
Miniatures Convention which was in Lancaster, PA.

I had several friends from North Carolina who would meet up with me there.

One of them was named Chuck and he was a real character.
He came to the games with another friend of mine named Joe who was big into miniatures.

Joe tells this story:

At one convention there was a massive Mexican War scenario set up as a day long game.
They were going to cater in lunch for the this grand event. They had a huge table set up with
an intricate town designed to scale and over a thousand beautiful hand painted figures.

About a dozen players were in it and everyone at the convention wanted to get into or
watch this spectacular game.

In fact there was a British player who had flown all the way from England just to play in this game.
Joe said he was a sort of grand master of miniature war gaming in the UK.

Well….Joe and Chuck got into the game with Chuck playing several units of artillery on the American side.
The British player was also on the American side as the grand commander of the entire American army.

When the game started the Mexican side positioned a single sniper in the tower of an
elaborate church located near the center of the town.

Chuck became obsessed with the single sniper and directed all his artillery to fire at the sniper and tower.
The artillery barrage took down the tower and the church. The Games master ruled that when
the church collapsed it destroyed a scared statue of the Virgin Mary.

The games master then ruled that the entire Mexican army goes berserk at seeing this!
They charge with increased stats and wipe the American army completely off the
board in less than half an hour.

Chuck ducks out of the game in a hurry and has to hide in his room for the rest of the convention
to keep the British player, who is searching the hotel high and low from finding him and punching him out.




RangerJoe -> RE: War Gamer story (true) (3/17/2021 2:27:12 PM)

You remember things that are important to you. So you remember exactly how much beer that you have left, how much beer that you are going to buy, but if you are married, you don't remember what the wife wants . . . [8|]



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