My Gaming year...

[Markdv5208]

Ok, here goes. Here's a list of the wargames I was able to play this year

ASL I averaged a game every 10 days, and went to ASL OPEN in Chicago going 4-2 and ranked 19th out of 60 plus attendees.

Settlers of Cataan. Ok, not strictly a wargame, but if you see economics as a form of war....ok so it's stretching it, but I've played 3 games a night, in a night once every 8 weeks for a total of 24 games this year. Have got a group of friends hooked on it including some non gamers....

Age of Renaissance. Great game. Got to play it once this year. Botched it badly as the Spainards (didn't help that I got ganged up on the turn I played the CRUSADES card ie with war, alchemy and Civil War....)

Memoir 44. I'm 2-11 in this b-day present from Sept. This means I can't beat my 12 year old Nephew (0-3) my 7 year old daughter (0-2), and only just can beat one of my regular opponents at 2-6. Ok, system, intend to buy the expansions in 2006. If only I'd get some luck in it.....

Civilisation the Board game. Played once. My friend Matt B loves the game. I'm not impressed esp since the computer game was an obsession but 3 years ago and the board game pales to the computer game IMHO

AXIS AND ALLIES (new edition) great system. Played 4 games this year, including the mega marathon that started at 6pm and ended with a very satisfying and conclusive Allied victory at 2:45am....

AXIS AND ALLIES EUROPE. Played once (12-23 ie last night to be precise)
Not bad...

POG ie Paths of Glory. Started playing by phone. First two games was only the first 2 turns ie to learn the system. I am currently losing as the Allies on turn 16 but have hope as I think I can blow Turkey out (current VP marker is at 17...Turkey falling will put it down to 11...)

UP FRONT Played 2 games of it back in August...great system from my carefree college years.......


How was YOUR gaming year?

Mark DV
GR MICH

 

[Doughboy]

Well this year has been really different from my game buying and playing perspective.

Haven't really been buying any games except in trickles over the last 20 years. But, this year something clicked, probably with finding a few newly created wargames clubs. The show and tell sessions of the new generation of games really sparked my interest especially with the GMT, OCS, Critical Hit and Avalanche line.

As a consquence, I nearly brought up half of the GMT titles, grabbed several of the L2 games, and the entire OCS series.

I continued to play ASL once every two weeks, played a couple of games of Europe Engulfed. A very refreshing experience from the hardcore theatre operation games. Played Enemy at the Gates and a couple of scenarios from Guderian's Blitzkrieg an awesome experience indeed. The heavy emphasis on supply limiting what you can or can't do is a bit of epithany.

In contrast I also took a crack at Barbarossa Army Group South at a couple of scenarios. Very playable and a little more conventional. Taken in context to the other three games in the series it is awesome indeed to contemplate. I have Got to see this monster played at Consimworld, oh well maybe next year.

Took a stab at lighter air games such the Down in Flames system with Zero and then taking a more serious study with Whistling Death a continuation of JD Webster Airpower series. Along the same lines of light fare played several games of Brawling Battleships as well as Paths to Glory. Man Paths to Glory takes forever to play...

Tried my hand at GBoH games by GMT such Alexander Deluxe and Lion of the North. Not bad stuff, the history battles are worth a couple of plays and really put things into perspective especially regards to the genius of command. Speaking of Genius, I also tried GMT's Austerlitz and Battles of Waterloo. Enormous games indeed and a facinating study. However, I found that playing the Triumph and Glory system on Austerlitz and Borodino far more accessible and gamable over an evening much like Prussia's Glory.

Got into some serious bulge action with L2 Deluxe Bitter Woods during a couple of game meets, plays very fast compared to Ardennse 44. Also took a stab at one of the L2 scenarios from the Streets of Stalingrad monster, a surprisingly playable game though it was a real challenge carefully cutting out the counters though.

Finally, got my hands on Critical Hit's Advanced Tobruk and gave a couple of the armor scenarios a shot, definitely an enjoyable experience and had the right feel for armor action compared to ASL. Decided to grab all of the expansions for Advanced Tobruk and looking forward for a lot more play; really works well solitarie.

All in all, did a lot of gaming this year but 80% of my gaming time remains ASL in a big way. :smoke:

 

[vyshka]

I got back into wargames this year after being out of it pretty much since 1990. I have managed to build up a fair collection of games this past year that I had wanted when I was a kid, plus a couple that I enjoyed back then. I think my BGG collection says I am at 56, so I seem to be doing well. I got my first GMT games this year, and built up a fairly solid collection of ASL modules (with a couple more on preorder). I also picked up a number of older AH/VG titles. Unfortunately most AH titles are hard to find these days at least for reasonable prices, but I still managed to pick up more than I have had time to play.

I am looking forward to playing more of them and adding to the collection in 2006.

 

[Pete G]

Vyshka, your situation sounds a great deal like mine just a few years ago -- grabbing up some classics off auction and in used game stores, the glut of ASL purchases, discovering the joy of the GMT catalog....

All I can say is that I had to ease off and let my playing time make at least the attempt to catch up with all those purchases. True, Sysyphus has a better chance of lodging his stone in a set position than that ever happening.

This year's big surpise for me, and a game that still surprises me, is Nexus Ops from Avalon Hill. The theme and bits are utter, utter camp -- but it's hard to argue the gameplay its served up with three of us at the table. We flick boxloads of dice, shake our fists at each other, and embrace the geeky theme. It's a lot of laughs, but ultimately it does engender a fair amount of decision points that keep you thinking amidst all the snickering.

Maybe I'm colored by the variance between my admittedly low expectations coming in and the enjoyable experience it delivered regardless. It's worth a look if you have sessions that feature three or four players at the table. Nexus Ops plays best with more than two. Personally, I wouldn't want to play with two at all.

PoG rocks my world -- just wish I was independently wealthy so I could play it ... and payroll a few pals to be my on-call gaming entourage.


-Pete

 

[Blackcloud6]

Got back into ASL and have played many games mostly thanks to VASL but also now playing FtF every Thursday night.

Played some Memoir 44 against my som.

Played SOPAC once.

Played The Grand Illusion once, what a great game.

Played Hurtgen Forest form the old SPI Westwall Quad.

Lots of Panzerblitz either vias VASSAL or by "Photoblitz" through email.

Played a miniuatures Ironclad game with a large group one evening, that was a lot of fun.

 

[JohnnyWilson]

Thank Heavens for Cyberboard

Although I managed to get in games of GMT's Napoleonic Wars, Wellington, Sword of Rome and Grand Illusion face-to-face, as well as Columbia's Hammer of the Scots and Crusader Rex and Lost Battalion Games' Battlegroup, my mix of games by Cyberboard was much larger: Sword of Rome, Paths of Glory, We the People, War & Peace, Europe Engulfed, Battle for Italy, Roads to Leningrad, Napoleonic Wars, and more.

My won-loss record? Near .500, but not quite. My satisfaction index? VERY high!

This next year, I expect to play lots of games.

Johnny