What do I mean by "wargame"

Warning, this blog entry may set a site record for length. It has lots of pictures, but it is still never the less entirely looooong.

The purpose here, is so that when I use the word "wargame" in a sentence, no one will have ANY doubt as to what the hell I meant :)

So here begins the journey.

In the beginning there was already wargaming. But it was table top miniatures, and it was anything but mainstream. Table top miniatures wargaming still exists. It lives in it's own little world though, and don't be surprised if you never encounter it.

Most of you have likely seen or heard of Warhammer. That is of course table top wargaming of a bit more mainstream look. But it's still genuine table top wargaming.

I don't have any problem with table top wargaming other than it is A in need of a proper table, B expensive as hell, and C. generally in need of a lot of painting of miniatures.

But thankfully both the fantasy angle and the wargaming of real world military history is easy if you can get access to Wizards of the Coasts D&D minis or Axis and Allies minis which are pre painted and pre assembled, so at least not 100% difficult to get into.
And I have some of the Axis and Allies minis, and they are indeed well painted.
I've seen enormous amounts of the D&D minis thanks to friends having them. Generally they are ok (I just like tanks more :)).

But to me, the beginning began with a game called Tactics II

Tactics%20II%20components.jpg


This game came out in the very early 60s. It was a taste of what was to come.
The map was just a stylized map with standard terrain. The game used basic military units, with basic military capabilities. The rules were straight forward. It was very easy to get into.

In about 1965 the exerience was more or less ramped up a little with the game called Blitzkrieg. Same over all look, but more panache. The rules became a bit more detailed, the units a bit more capable and the map a bit more engaging.

Blitzkrieg%20components.jpg


Slightly earlier (as dates go) but not one of my first games, was Midway. This game wouldn't wow many today, simply speaking, it was all about the challenge, and not at all about the graphics. You had a search board no more exciting than a Battleship plot which you attempted to search out the Japanese fleet. You had a battle resolution board where you conducted any strikes against enemy ships. But otherwise it was about the components. it was the chellehge. Just as Chess is all about the challenge.

Midway%20components.jpg


These early wargames cemented my interest in wargaming. They were simple, yet challenging. You didn't spend months trying to learn a complex set of rules or trying to understand a confusing interface. They were able to start playing in under 15 minutes.

All three of those titles above could also be made Nintendo DS games by even a bland game designer. That no one has even tried is maddening.

Many wargames came out in the 70s, and I missed a bunch of course. You can never really get to play everything in a hobby really.

Two titles stand out for me, and these were then, and are still today even several DECADES later still considered icons of the hobby.

The first was Squad Leader.

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I could post a million pictures about this game easily, but I will hold off till I get to it's successor ASL later on. The images are all about the same, of course the Advanced Squad Leader images are a lot more complex.

Suffice it to say this game was big in the mid 70s and it is STILL big even in this century. Try getting a computer game or a console game able to sell 40 YEARS later :)
It is one of the few wargames to actually sell big enough numbers that it can actually be considered darn near mainstream in sales.

The second was a sort of partner to Squad Leader that being the Panzer Blitz series (which technically arrived first before Squad Leader, even though I bought it second).

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I was more active playing the sequel to Panzerblitz though called Panzer Leader.

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The games were not excessively graphically overly prettified as you can see, although in the 70s this was fairly colourful :)

Look at the back artwork.

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In the 70s, this was about all you had to work with for advertising. No web sites, no magazine spreads, no forums where the game could be talked about ad naseum. You read the description on the box and you were either interested or not.

So you've heard me mention ASL (Advanced Squad Leader) or perhaps you noticed another wargamer gush on about it. Well this is the game they were talking about.

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That's the manual, and a pretty awesome thing it is too.

A sample portion of one a great many official maps used in the game.

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A scenario card (pre made battle set up notes) would look like this basically.

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Each module comes with a dozen or so of these things. Plus magazines have them and you can get them from a variety of related supporting sources. To date there are hundreds of them. All versions from Squad Leader to ASL to Historical version ASL and Deluxe version ASL all use scenarios that look essentially like this. It's a standard format.

Deluxe ASL (think much larger map hex size) also came with special vehicle notes cards to keep track of the myriad details of vehicles you might have in use during a game.
They are not required, but they are handy.

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Here's a look at the considerable detail load you can fit on the game pieces (which are 1/2" or 5/8" squares by the way). Don't fret that you can't read the detail :) It wouldn't really be more clearer to you if you could read it.

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And if that wasn't enough detail for you, this is the IIFT charts for the game (Incremental Infantry Fire Table). Don't fret that you can't read the detail :) It wouldn't really be more clearer to you if you could read it.

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The IIFT is a user created modification of the standard IFT which looks more or less the same basically (just less exacting).

The game sees support from magazines that have been published during the life span of ASL. The Annuals were produced mainly in the 90s

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During a time of financial distress which saw the game change owners, the Annual was replaced by the Journal.

Journal.jpg


The Journal is still being printed and is more or less the same function as the annual.

Because some of the issues have come with included game pieces, usually pieces with corrected details, some issues can catch staggering sums on eBay. Well 150 bucks for a magazine just for a few game counters is my idea of staggering at least.

The game is indeed a board game, but surprise, this game actually has support in the computer world.
Through two largely unknown programs (Vassal and Cyberboard) games like Squad Leader and ASL can be played against another in a different location.

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SquadLeader%20via%20Cyberboard.jpg


The first was ASL on the VASL program (a variant of Vassal) and the second is ASL on Cyberboard.

It should be mentioned, that both programs can allow a vast number of old wargames to be played through a computer interface so a remote player can play against you. The thing to not forget though, is you require the actual game to use these programs. They are just interfaces.

The previous were games mainly focused on the small unit scale. For board games of the grand strategy level, 2 can be considered to OWN all the fame of the grand strategy wargaming hobby.

It's hard to tell which is the better, but both are considered the yardsticks by which any computer game will inevitably get compared to.

If you see the letters A3R or WiF, these are the games they are talking about.
Myself, I am an A3R fan (Advanced Third Reich). But WiF (World in Flames) is being ported computer and likely will get the lions share of future fame.

Here is A3R

A3R%20boxart.jpg


A3R%20Components%20view.jpg


Strategy just doesn't get any more sophisticated than that.

Here's WiF and some of the shots are of the progress towards appearing as a computer adaptation.

World%20in%20Flames%20view.jpg


The maps have evolved a lot.

WiF%20Maps%20Evolve.jpg


And it goes into a lot of detail in how your units get produced and when.

WiF%20Production%20chart.jpg


No one will miss those big charts :) Nor will they mind having the maps all rendered as just one set.

WiF%20screenshot%20view%202.jpg


WiF%20screenshot%20view.JPG


WiF%20Computer%20Russia%20image.jpg


WiF%20Computer%20France%20image.jpg


There appears to be multiple zoom scales, but until the game actually goes on sale, those images are all betas.

Well enough of board games, now we will browse through some representative images of the world of computer wargaming. All of these designs basically don't predate 1995 for the most part. Prior to 95 computer technology was still fairly crude graphically. And even while nearly any wargamer will tell you it's not about the graphics, everyone has their limit.
Prior to 95 they were simply too ugly, the interfaces too crude and the experience not better than a board game, so I just never had any interest till they achieved that minimum needed visual appeal.

I'll begin with Steel Panthers

Here's a quick shot of SPWaW done by Matrix Games

SPWAW%20Screenshot.jpg


This is ASL personified on the computer and I truly don't give a fuck if they were actually trying to make the ASL computer game through Combat Mission or Close Combat. I know all of the games just mentioned at the expert level, and Steel Panthers is the game that actually looks feels and plays like ASL. ASL was after all not 3d or real time.

But a split in the ambitions of the team that made SPWaW created SPCamo a group of blokes not interested in becoming a business the way Matrix Games did.
They ended up with a couple of games, one WW2 and one modern settings.

The modern game WinSPMBT (Win signifies it is wndows compliant finally) looks the same more or less, although it uses modern hardware in the games.

WinSPMBT%20Screenshot.JPG


The other two contenders for the fame of ASL are Close Combat and Combat Mission

Combat Mission has a strong loyal following. The game is all about it being 3d but it is WEGO or in other words the turn is resolved simultaneously after both players click down to end a turn. And I think it is the WEGO nature that has made it good.

Combat%20Mission%20screenshot.jpg


Close Combat has about 5 solid releases to date. It's a game where it's all about it being real time. The view is vertical seen from above. It too has a very loyal following.

Close%20Combat%20Screenshot.jpg


3d isn't really my thing though, and I like turns as well. But these games are still very much classics.

In a similar scale, but a slight new twist in design is the Campaign series which was recently re released all cleaned up for modern computer tech.

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Visually it has a lot in common with Panzer Leader the board game, but the similarities are mostly visual.

Next scale up is the stunning simulations from Panther Games. They use a form of real time that makes stellar use of real command limitations. Give to many conflicting changing orders and you WILL lose.

These are all currently famous airborne battes, but they are working on a Battle of the Bulge release currently.

Conquest%20of%20the%20Aegean%20Screenshot.jpg


Conquest%20of%20the%20Aegean%20Screenshot%202.jpg


That was from Conquest of the Aegean, in the Mediteranean theatre of the war.

HTTR%20Screenshot.jpg


HTTR%20Screenshot%202.JPG


That was from Highway to the Reich, a famous battle known through the film called A Bridge Too Far.

This is Squad Battles, which also bears visually a lot of similarities with ASL
The scale though is hard to gauge. Likely lower than the airborne games.

SB%20The%20Korean%20War%20Screenshot.JPG


Going operational scale here now.

This is Combat Command 2 Danger Forward. Put out by a small company. It doesn't get enough press if you ask me.

CC2DF%20screenshot.JPG


SSG has larger scale games than this, but they released this one for lower echelon settings. This is Battlefront (I wish they would pick better names though).

Battlefront%20Caen%20Screenshot.jpg


Moving up to slightly higher level operational level wargames we have quite a few offerings.

Advanced Tactics is a one man show design that is rather good.

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Another one man show company creation (Schwerpunkt) is Anglo German War, a game made intentionally to emulate board game wargames without apologies.

Anglo%20German%20War%20Screenshot.jpg


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Anglo%20German%20War%20Screenshot%203%20(high).jpg


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Both games feature multiple zoom in levels often a necessity with these games.

Back to SSG and their award winning designs. First Korson Pocket which was considered about the best in the hobby in years when it arrived. Then Battles in Normandy which further improved the design and then Battles in Italy even more refinement to the game's engine.

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Next up is the Panzer Campaigns series from HPS (more releases of different battles than I can currently recall). This is a representative example only.

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They have done a good job of covering almost all of the European war in some capacity.

Then we have the superb Talonsoft creation currently produced through Matrix Games known as TOAW 3 (The Operational Art of War) this title has been a major hit since 97.

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TOAW%20Screenshot.JPG


TOAW's claim to fame, is it can basically represent nearly any board game wargame of the operational sort ever printed. That's quite an accomplishment.

This would be grand strategy offerings. Grand strategy wargames are both the easiest to play, and the hardest to win at normally. Unless you are playing the AI that is. The state of AI design in grand strategy hasn't gone far. It's often like playing a 6 year old girl (that's a guess, I've never wargamed with any 6 year old girls :)).

First off is Strategic Command from Battlefront (the company not the game).

Strategic%20Command%20Screenshot.JPG


They released SC2, but if you ask me, they merely screwed up a good idea with pretty imagery and tiles not hexes.

This is Making History, a design from Strategy First.

Making%20History%20Screenshot%202.jpg


Making%20History%20Screenshot.jpg


This title uses regions not hexes and is rather unique.

Next we have Gary Grigsby's World at War.

GGWaW%20Screenshot.JPG


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Again with the regions not hexes. It's an ok game, but I found the unit icons disappointing.

The release of GGWaW A World Divided essentially usurped the first release and resolved a variety of game play issues.

My current fav in grand strategy comes from Slitherine.

CEAW%201.jpg


This is what SC2 might have been but they dropped the ball and Commander Europe at War picked it up.

I'm also amused to know that Slitherine is making a DS wargame of the ancients setting (can't wait).

These two remaining titles are both of a high order of sophistication and from the 2by3 company (includes Gary).

Uncommon Valor and War in the Pacific in that order.

UV%20Screenshot.jpg


WitP%20Screenshot.jpg


Neither are good ideas for non hard core wargamers though.

And lastly, the "fun" wargames. :) yes they do actually exist in my view.

First up is Company of Heroes which was a great surprise for me (that I actually liked a 3d real time game) and a disappointment to my fellow wargamer bretheren (who are likely too anal to recognized fun if it bit them).

Company%20of%20Heroes%20Screenshot.jpg


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If you want a real time game in 3d that even a rigid inflexible grumpy old wargamer likes, this is what you want.

Or you might like just driving tanks around.

For that you want one of these.

Panzer Elite.

Panzer%20Elite%20boxart.jpg


Panzer%20Elite%20screenshot%202.jpg


Forget buying it, long gone, just hunt out a download.

Panzer Elite Action (a silly version of the above).

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The grumpy crowd were disappointed it wasn't an improved Panzer Elite.

And Panzer Killers.

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Great fun, but forget realism :)

This hasn't been every wargame on the market, not even close. But, if I didn't mention every title, I likely mentioned all the best of the best in all the categories and sub categories (as far as I'm concerned of course).

Assuming you made it to this post (and that's damn impressive I will admit), you now know what the hell I am talking about when I utter the term "wargame".

I don't play much Nappy (Napoleonic) or Civil war era wargames. But they do have a lot of major titles out in those categories. I know the good ones if any advice is required.

Told you it was going to be a long entry :)

Comments

There are a few (very few ... 3, at best) in development, but they look to be only getting European releases ... and not even English language European releases, at that ...

Games like this are exceptionally popular in Germany ... Germany is the world's number one producers of table-top games ...

Where I live, there is a group who meet weekly to play German-made wargames ... a bit of trivia, I just thought I'd throw in ...
 
G
I've had walls of somewhat meaningful text bigger than this =P
 

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