Military History books published by Pen and Sword will be reviewed here soon. http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/
For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!
Warbirds: Canvas Falcons is superb print and play, WWI tactical air warfare, game really deserves a full boxed version. The designer...
For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!
Warbirds: Canvas Falcons AAR's
Scenario 1 - First Attempt : France - 29th September 1914
Scenario 12 - End of the Fokker Scourge - France - 19th July 1914
Jasta 37 - Flight Op - Mission 1 - 28th December 1917
THOMAS GUNN MINIATURE REVIEWS SOON http://www.tomgunn.co.uk/
For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!
THOMAS GUNN MINIATURE REVIEWS SOON
http://www.tomgunn.co.uk/
Waterloo Scourge of war review Waterloo: the holy grail of Napoleonic wargames, at least to most. It does ...
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Waterloo Scourge of War Review
Waterloo Scourge of war review
Waterloo: the holy grail of Napoleonic wargames, at least to most. It does have one thing in its favor - it was a " near run thing". To me it has been done to death, but sales run any business and Lutzen does not sell wargames, but Waterloo does. Much like that tired old horse of WWII games, the Bulge.
Those new to wargames shouldn't fear firing it up.The game builds slowly scenario by scenario and makes it so the new player is not overwhelmed at first. It does not make the player suffer from piles or an upset stomach or the other myriads of ailments that have been suggested as having afflicted Napoleon on that June day.
It is a realtime strategy game, but don't confuse it with Command and Conquer. You can pause the game and set it to any speed you want.
It has the usual Matrix or Steam install, simple and easy to use. Like it's elder siblings, Scourge of war Gettysburg and Take Command Second Manassas, it has many different scenarios and levels of difficulty to help the new player or hurt the older one.
Even if you are used to playing the older games, take the time to read the well done manual and play the tutorial. Enough has changed, for the better, that it will make your gaming time more enjoyable.
Visually, it is beautiful for a wargame. Of course, it's not on a par with some FPS games, but that is to be expected. I am a Napoleonic fan , but not enough to know the difference in an 1805 or 1813 Bavarian shako etc. so I will leave that to the real aficionados.
The sound effects are very well done. The cannons and even flags in the wind are represented. The music is also well chosen and pleasing to the ear.
There are three full option screens for the visuals etc.. More than enough for the newer top of the line computers or older more seasoned veterans.
The Levels are as follows: Untrained, Militia, Normal, Seasoned, Veteran, Historical, and Grognard. The latter two are only available as part of HITS, headquarters in the saddle, mode. This mode only allows you to see exactly what the commander you are representing would be able to see.
It comes with twenty preset scenarios. With the "sandbox" option and the ability to add user made scenarios, it is a game that one could easily pick to be your only game on a desert isle. Feel the need to take La Haye Sainte or march to Brussels with the Old guard (it was actually the Middle guard), then here is your chance.
The AI opponents are top notch, as is the AI for your subordinates. You're in luck with not having to deal with a dolt of a younger brother while trying to save your empire. Multiplayer can support up to thirty two players.
If you have played the other games in the series you will still notice the odd "dance" at times of the units. You also may at times be unable to deploy them " just right". That being said, it is a command simulation and the way your troops are shown on the screen doesn't always correlate to the action of the program under the hood.
The new strategic layer also brings a welcome addition to the game.
NorbSoftDev, are to be thanked for going to the Napoleonic wars, and praised for the actual game.There is nothing to compare to it at the moment. I will be reviewing the soon the be released Quatre Bras expansion, when it is released.
Robert
Game: Scourge of war Waterloo
Developer: NorbSoftDev
Publisher Slitherine/Matrix games
Steam release date: 19/11/2015
Review date: 7/5/2016
Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa Review In the begining there was the much liked Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Par...
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Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa Review
Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa Review
In the begining there was the much liked Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris followed by the highly praised Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue and at the same time Vic the main man at VR designs was developing the much loved Advanced Tactics. So far his games had all been very well received especially Advanced Tactics and the later Gold version which soon gathered a large fan base and modding community. Then we waited....
First we found out a new face was developing the next Decisive Campaigns game, a soon to be heralded innovative genius, a man called Cameron. Cameron was going to be the man behind VR Designs immersive masterpiece. However before we fully understood what was coming our way Cameron drip fed us game development updates. First we found out it would be at a slightly higher scale than the two previous games, which I must admit was a little disappointing for this lover of the lower scale wargame, and next we found out its name and the period the game would cover, it's name Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa the period, well, erm, Barbarossa, which was the name the Germans gave to the first phase of their invasion of Russia during WW2.So pretty standard fair so far wouldn't you say? Well carry on reading....
Once the basic game info had been announced then development updates started to get more and more interesting. Slowly, agonisingly slowly each update brought us more and more information on the games new features. Features that where way more than just interesting, they where fascinating to those who started to take note on what was being developed. I was one of those who linked many times to the updates across the forums trying to get the word out. You see Cameron was trying to overcome something that I've found has been the main reason why I have struggled to enjoy wargames above say Coy scale. That something is 'Immersion'. He was developing what I can only describe as a roleplaying element that was not just some gimmicky way to add immersion but would actually have an impact upon that wargame itself. Here was a developer finally willing to take a risk and do something new, something innovative. Innovation has been a very rare thing in wargame development and is something I've been crying out for for awhile.
You can either take the role of a member of the German High Command or if playing as the Russians Stalin himself where you not only have to do the usual hex based wargame thing of moving your divisions in sweeping encirclements or constantly having to manage your depleted divisions as you desperately try to plug the gaps and stem the enemies advance, but you also have to manage relationships with other high ranking commanders, plus deal with all kinds decisions that could have an affect, either positive or negative, on how successful you will be in completing your objectives. Well if all this held together it was going to be awesome, if not it would no only be bad news for VR Designs but could also put others off from trying something new and innovative themselves.
Well the game was released to an expectant crowd and boy we weren't disappointed. The way you have to deal with the chain of command by managing those important relationships plus make important far reaching strategic decisions turned what would have been a very good traditional hex based wargame into a tour de force. As soon as you start the campaign you can see that this is something different to other wargames you've played. First off there is an option asking if you want to stay within the Geneva Convention. The lets say you decide to play as the Germans, straight away you have to decide whether to go along with Hitlers plans or suggest alternatives. Soon other decisions have to be made, for example whether your going to join the "Party" or not. You'll be asked to make tough choices on things ranging from giving out a unit commendation or sorting out propaganda photo shoot to logistical decisions like worker allocations for the rail way conversions or tyre replacement priorities for Army transports. All these things require political points, or PP as they are called, and if your not careful you'll soon find you have no points left to make certain major decisions which most likely will result in a bad outcome. So even this aspect has to be thought about very carefully. Do you spend points on that tyre decision or leave it to others in case you need those points for something more vital later? Then you have the tried and tested wargame mechanics from the two previous games. With the brilliant card driven mechanics and excellent simultaneous turn resolution. Each turn has extensive staff officer reports to go through which never become a chore and again show huge amount of detail that's gone into the game. The integration between the wargame and the new roleplay decisions making features coupled with the excellent staff officer reports and briefings creates a fantastic, exciting, immersive and all round bloody marvellous wargame experience.
Now there are plenty of reviews of the game across the internet that show that Cameron achieved what he set out to do, not just well, but extremely well. The game has received the highest plaudits across the internet including several awards one of which was Grogheads "Digital Wargames of the Year". There have been some minor bumps in the road along the way. Some say the map isn't particularly attractive. Others found playing the Germans and trying to get anywhere near an historical result let alone any better to be extremely difficult. However, overall in my opinion, there is no better wargame out there at this scale. Yes there are games that cover so much more than just a small period of time during WW2 but they can't compete when it comes to immersion which DC : Barbarossa has through it's clever role play features and coupled with a great hex based wargame then you have some very happy wargamers.
At last DC: Barbarossa has been released on Steam and with this release also comes a new update packed full of improvements and new features. First off we have a new map which is an improvement of the previous one (though I still prefer a modded one you can download here). Also new counter art for those who like that sort of thing. Another great little feature is a War Diary where at the start of a game a division of yours is chosen and you'll get to read a War Diary written by a solider in that division which he updates as fighting continues. The poor chap may even get killed! This is just typical of the effort Cameron has gone to create an immersive high scale wargame.
So if you haven't already got this triumph installed proudly on your hard drive then what are you waiting for?? Go buy it!!
Jason
Game: Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa
Developer: VR Designs
Publisher: Slitherine\Matrix games
Steam Release Date:29\04\2016
Review Date: 03\05\2016
Hello and welcome to all! Just a quick heads up on recent changes to both the blog and the Facebook page. Over time the Facebook ...
For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!
A word on recent changes!
Hello and welcome to all!
Bil Hardenberger is doing a series called "Bils Vignettes". I think the best thing to do is for you to have a read. I can'...
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Bils' Combat Mission Vignettes
Bil Hardenberger is doing a series called "Bils Vignettes". I think the best thing to do is for you to have a read. I can't wait for further installments.
So click the link below to take you to the first installment.
Bils First Vignette
CMBF game website
Combat Leader AAR Combat Leader is a wargame designed and published by Minden Games. The scale is individual soldiers, which is pret...
For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!
Combat Leader AAR
Combat Leader AAR
Combat Leader is a wargame designed and published by Minden Games. The scale is individual soldiers, which is pretty rare and a scale I love. It's had several expansions including a solo expansion rule set which works really well. So far the game is set on the East front WWII, though there is an expansion that covers the Winter War.
I currently have all the expansions except the Volksturm one and the Winter War one. The game is highly recommended.
Art Bennett is the man behind this AAR, Tactical Wargames hope this isn't the last AAR we receive from him. Anyway, a big thank you Art!
So click the AAR link below, I hope you enjoy it!
Combat Leader - AAR
Game website link
I will start this review by telling you the hard truth : Battlefleet Gothic : Armada (BG:A) is a game that makes me feel ambivalent. N...
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BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC: ARMADA
I will start this review by telling you the hard truth : Battlefleet Gothic : Armada (BG:A) is a game that makes me feel ambivalent.
Now you may ask yourself, or for that matter, me, why I am sitting here with my mixed feelings. So let me start at the beginning.
The first time I saw the announcement about BG:A, I was ecstatic. My mind started to go crazy, dreaming of the release day when I would be able to command my fleet of Imperium Cruisers and cleanse the universe from the filthy Chaos !
And, as soon as I could, I pre-ordered the game to get into the Beta and start enjoying this game.
My initial feelings when I first delved into the game was of shear excitement. I can still remember how great it felt when I got a look at my first fleet, to play through the small campaign introduction and to play my first skirmish game against the AI.
And, with some reserve, I am still enjoying BG:A. So, what happened down the road...
Why can't I make my recommendation for this game to all players out there?
I will try to answer by the end of this review.
First, let me introduce you to the game as it is and what you will get when you purchase it.
What do you get?
Battlefleet gothic is a Real Time Strategy game (RTS) set in the Warhammer 40K universe. The game offers you many game modes that make it really attractive:
- A campaign
- 4 different races: Imperium; Chaos; Ork; Eldar
- Fleet management
- A multiplayer mode with a cooperative option and with a persistent fleet.
- A skirmish mode without a persistent fleet.
- The Campaign
- The Races
The game has four races: Imperium; Chaos; Ork; and the Eldars. Each of those races have their own design and lore. Of course, the capacities and competence of your captain and crew will be different from one race to the other.
- The Fleet management
Every time you play a game, you will earn some experience that you will be able to use to buy more ships in your fleet, plus you will be able to upgrade your ship systems, weapons, perks, and crew. There is a little bit of disappointment here. Some of the competence you can add to your ships are really nice and necessary, such as sending bombs away or improving your armor or gunpoint cannons.
- The multiplayer
As I said before, this game was clearly designed to make multiplayer the core of the game. Unfortunately, the game is still suffering from some early matchmaking issues. And, it is not very rare you will end up fighting against an Admiral with a full fleet of ships under his command, while you will only be spawning with one or two of your ships, since they are under repair at the dock after a previous defeat.
The multiplayer lobby should be better at calculating the 'real' number of allocated points to spend for deploying both sides. At least it should do it based on the ship's availability of the weakest.
One of the things though I would love to see in this game, and that is missing at the moment, is a Coop Vs AI with persistent fleet management.
While multiplayer will appeal to a lot of players, the truth is that a lot of people also enjoy Campaign mode in Coop, and there is a demand already for a skirmish mode in a coop mode.
You are the Admiral, so...
So how is the gameplay you ask? Well, here is the thing about my ambivalence.
At first, the game starts easily enough. A couple of ships, max three, and a few competencies for the ships. Not much to do. You setup the max/min range of your engagement, and then you go on with the mission.
The combats are incredibly beautiful. The ship models are just perfectly rendered and the effects and sounds are just immersive.
What is very important to remember, though, is that when you play, right-clicking your target to attack is pretty useless. As I said previously, you'll set the rules of engagement, click on a sector where you ship will travel and then you will have to trust them to act. The fact that you can select an enemy ship and define it as a priority target, together with subsystems such as the drives, armor, bridge, weapons etc, makes you learn very quickly to trust your Captains and their decisions in combat.
Of course, while your ships have been sent to an area, you can always change those orders.
I do believe the intent of the developer was to make the player really feel like a fleet Admiral.
And that is what may be a little bit misunderstood for RTS veterans or people expecting combat gameplay such as in a game like "Nexus:The Jupiter incident" or "Homeworld".
... act like one!
Your role will be to activate competencies/skill for the ships to attack, send boarding parties, buff your ships or counter the enemy. And, of course, to set the course, as previously said, and to withdraw from the battle if necessary.
The captains and their crew will do the rest. They will keep firing at the closest enemy ship or upon the ships you have selected as a priority target.
This is a very nice setup IMHO. It reminds me of this Sci-fi book I read not so long ago, Ark Royal from Christopher Nuttall. The Admiral, still sits in the CIC, but he will not take over the captain role. He will decide on the global tactics, but ultimately the crew and the ship is the captain's responsibility.
Battlefleet Gothic really does a good job of detaching you from the feeling that you are a Captain. You are the admiral, and for this very specific reason, you should be the one in control of the global decisions, not the close decisions.
Remembering in time what cooldown you had been triggering earlier and keeping an eye on each ship status and competence bar can become horrendous...
My verdict
Battlefleet Gothic : Armada is a good game, well made, and extremely polished.
I do like it...
The learning curve can really be steep for newcomers.
The game will not explain all your gameplay options at first. You will have to learn and to be defeated in several ways before you understand all the feature the game offers you.
Recommendation for the other players who like to think about their action and take time building up their tactics, I will advise to look at the WEGO game Star Hammer The Vanguard Prophecy, another space fleet combat game.
Developer: Tindalos Interactive
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Official Game website: http://www.battlefleetgothic-armada.com/
Available on: STEAM
Combat Mission and me, a love story? What is Combat Mission ? A WEGO/Real-time tactical masterpiece. Combat Mission (in one ...
For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!
Combat Mission Final Blitzkrieg Review
Then suddenly, (well it felt like a little time between CMBO and CMBB) Battlefront released a magnum opus. Combat Mission Barbarossa to Berlin or CMBB is it came to be known. No tactical wargame before or since has contained anywhere near the amount of content the new CM game had. The whole of the East Front from start to finish, including minor nations. Pure bliss. Plus, it kept all of the features that made CMBO good like WEGO and Combat Mission's innovative new way of doing turns. Out went the old IGOUGO way of doing turns that had carried over from board wargames. Now, we still had turns that took one minute of game time, but your moves played out simultaneously with the enemy’s, as you had previously plotted your moves and then, when finished, you watched the action unfold. This also added loads of tension and excitement to the game.
Additionally, being able to rewind the turn as often as you liked, meant you never missed any of the action. So CMBB gathered a huge following and multitudes of Mod support. Later, a game set in Africa\Italy was released. This would be the CMx1 swan song. Battlefront had bigger more ambitious plans, esp. as technology had moved far along enough for their dreams to be realised (I still remember reading in the CMBB manual on how they'd love to have done visual 1v1 representation). So, what was it that Battlefront had planned for CMx2, what changes would we see, and how will it be received by the now dedicated and hardcore CMBB fans?
Well, as well documented, things didn't turn out to well when Battlefront released Combat Mission Shock Force. A game set, at the time, in a fictional war-torn Syria (a rather sad prediction of future events). Finally, we had 1v1 soldier representation, but in an unforeseen move, they'd gone with a focus on real-time, relegating WEGO, which, for me, was a seriously wrong move. All interest in the game evaporated and those who enjoy real-time found the game had some serious issues. The outcry was loud and long-and Battlefront listened. WEGO came back gaining its rightful place as a major feature, bugs were hunted down, gameplay was improved, new features added and eventually three superb modules were released: Marines, British Forces, and finally NATO.
I watched a gameplay video that was made for a competition, liked what I saw, so I then bought CMSF several months after release, when WEGO was back and it was playing well. I also bought the Marines module, as that had just been released. However, it wasn't really until the British Forces module came out that I really fell for the game. For me, that module made CMSF and, from then on, I'd be buying as many CMx2 releases as I could afford and, like many others, started the long wait for the WW2 version to be released. One thing that really benefited the WW2 version was CMSF being released first, with all its teething troubles, so by the time the WW2 version was being developed, it had benefited greatly from all the work done during the course of CMSF and its modules. Even today there is a hardcore group that still haven't gotten over the move from CMx1 to CMx2.
The latest release is Combat Mission Final Blitzkrieg, carrying on from where Combat Mission Beyond Normandy and its Market Garden module finished off. CMFB takes us up to the end of what would be the German’s final large-scale attack in the West, which the Germans called Wacht am Rhein, which later became known as The Battle of the Bulge. It also includes scenarios set in the terrible meat grinder that was the Huertgen Forest, a battle that wouldn't have looked out of place to a soldier from a generation before. There are also scenarios set during Operation Nordwind, a battle featuring the German 6th SS Mountain Division. Altogether, there are four campaigns which include one training campaign and 25 scenarios. There is also the Quick Battle feature, which I profess to never use, as I only play against the included AI (plus, the Quick Battles really aren't suited to this and are more for multiplayer use). The reason why quick battles aren't suited to single player is that the TAC AI is scripted, which means it doesn't really work that well in Quick Battles. This is one of the downsides of the engine, and a real bug bear for some. That's not to say the Tac AI is useless, when it comes to the scenarios and campaigns, those clever secanario designers end up weaving their magic ,with the result that many of my pixel truppen have come to a terrible demise and the AI march of victorious. I've never found this to be an issue, as there has always been more than enough content for me in the games without ever needing the Quick Battle feature.
For those new to the game, I suggest downloading the CMFB demo. This is a great way to find out if you like the game enough to then go on and purchase. I do suggest to those who are from a Men at War or Company of Heroes background, please leave everything you learned playing those at the doorstep. CMx2 engine games are a big step up in realism, and if you play the same way you play those other two games. you'll be punished, and punished quickly. I have a few important tips that will help you keep your pixel rappen alive and that is not to rush, take your time moving your troops, split squads at the start, and don't be afraid to use recon by fire. I'd say go take a look at the excellent AAR's over at the forums that involve Bil Hardenberger. Bil also has a website full of tips on how to perfect your tactical know-how. There are also some superb Let’s Play videos over at youtube.
Quality, quality, and quality…
As usual, the scenarios and campaigns are of an exceptional standard. The research that the scenario designers have put in is faultless right across the board. The briefings for each scenario really set the tone and atmosphere of what's to come, as well as set the immediate backdrop to the battle. Try not to skim over them, they add so much to the immersion, as well as contain little snip bits of intel which could really help you over the course of the battle. The maps are being praised by all who own the game, many saying they are the best yet, and that really is saying something, as there are lots of outstanding maps which you'll find in all games in the series. The game definitely succeeds in portraying the harsh winter conditions that swept across Northern Europe during this period. I also like the variety of scenario sizes and how well spread out they are. In a previous game, I found very few tiny and small scenarios which I really missed as they can be great fun. CMFB doesn't have this problem, all sizes get a decent amount of scenarios.
Those who never got over the move from CMx1 to CMx2 aren't going to be swayed by CMFB. Maybe when Battlefront moves on to a new engine, you'll come back into the fold. Here is hoping.Those who have played the previous games and found they weren't for them, then again, CMFB isn't going to change your mind.
So, just like a good old love story, my relationship with Combat Mission has had its ups and downs, with even a split along the way. Yes, there are things I'd like to see improved, like soldier animations, for instance, and be able to set SOP's for units. If I had to really think about it, I'm sure I could list several other wants/improvements, but tell me, which game out there couldn't be improved? I have no doubt that different players would suggest different ways in how the game could be improved, yet the games taking pride of place on my hard drive today are the CMx2 games. That's because they fill a need for tactical wargaming that no other games I've tried, and I've tried many, have managed to fill. Only one has come close, but CMx2 has those killer features for me, WEGO and replay value, which will always relegate other tactical wargames to second place or lower. The CM series is my first true love when it comes to tactical wargaming on the computer and it will take something very special indeed to knock it off my No.1 spot.
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