Avalon Hill "Classic" WWII Board Games??

Holy mackerel!

 

I'm not a saint. I've been merely canonized. No miracles have been attributed to me.

 

Realistically any true wargame beyond the basic one like Risk are for a small subset of people. Even Axis & Allies is too deep for most. These types of games cannot have been huge financial cash cows, but I'm happy there are so many historians willing to dedicate their time and effort to these historical labors of love. If only in the hopes that other like minded wargamers would appreciate them.

 

Ahh, PanzerBlitz, what a game.

The game has been re-released with a few modifications as PanzerBlitz 2. I've not played it, does anyone know if it might be as good as the original?

 

The ZoC mechanic is always a key game rule. My main game in the past few years has been ASL, does not have ZoCs, and would be an entirely different game with them. No more fire and maneuver options. Now all I need is some time to play a scenario or two.

 

A few months ago, after my daughter returned from the ETO, where she had been attending school, we did some box re-arranging to better fit her belongings in our environs. Some of the boxes we moved around contained the games I mentioned earlier in the thread and I got a case of nostalgia, which, for me at least, is an incurable disease.

I made room in the upper shelf of my bedroom closet and put my collegiate treasures there and began to re-explore the games as I made time to do so. I eventually set up Vassal and began to learn the mechanics of that game aid, as I do not have the horizontal space in my house to set up a game and leave it out for long periods of time. I've played a few of the titles that I have and a few other old AH titles to see what they are like.

I made a comment in a buy/trade/sell forum elsewhere and the husband of a cousin saw it. We've been talking and want to dive back into Squad Leader, but getting our schedules to mesh right has been daunting. We live an hour apart, so that makes the issue a bit more coplicated, but we will get there. This the original Squad Leader, not Advanced Squad Leader. I am not interested in spending the money for another gameset when I already have something I can play and he feels the same way.

I've been playing SL on Vassal, trying to mostly re-learn the game. I have forgotten so much of the game outside of the generalities. I have found a set of typed up rules (that I can mark all over) on GameBoardGeek and some other game aids and game modules on Wargame Academy for all SL scenerios and a lot of others. so i don't have to set up the game outside of placing the pieces where I want them on the board. Saves time.

I've also played Fortress Europa a good bit. It was easy to re-learn and lends itself well to Vassal. I play-tested a theory that I thought would give the Germans a better than average chance to win the game (not the war) and it seems to work out like I thought it would. I emphasize I was play-testing to beat the game and involved strategic actions the Germans would have NEVER considered. It is not a "What-if". As soon as the Allies got a good foothold on the continent (I landed them west of St.Malo, not where they historically landed), I pulled all the Germans forces I could back to the German border and left stragglers to delay and discomfit the Allies as they crossed Northern France, Belgium, and Nederland. The Allies made it to the Seigfried line in September and spent the next 6 months trying to batter their way into Germany against mostly intact German forces. I did not attempt a grand Wacht am Rhein, instead used the husbanded panzer forces to attempt a 'small solution' to isolate about 5 US divisions at Arnhem*, where they were sorta out on a limb. It mostly worked, as I destroyed 4 of them.

As I mentioned, I also played in Vassal some other titles that I did not have, such as Waterloo and Battle of the Bulge. I was not impressed by either of these games. The rules and gameplay are weak. Waterloo has pieces you move around that have no purpose. I played it several times and came up with some alternate rules that actually capitalize on the differences of the unit types. I also made a half-hearted attempt to re-learn Starship Troopers. I looked at Wooden Ships - Iron Men in Vassal. Not convinced it is a good alternative to live play on the table. On a good note, my eldest daughter and I have been playing Acquire on the table and she seems to enjoy it. It is not a wargame. I also have played solo Outdoor survival on the table.

I also found I had two other titles have not mentioned in my earlier post - Jutland and Harpoon. Both are played on the floor and I am not sure I will ever be able to play either unless I find someone locally who is just adamant about playing them and has room in their house to set it up and leave it (especially Harpoon).

*the Americans are on the left, Brits/Canadians and French on the right

 

I never really played that version of Harpoon. I bought the game to get the data book inside, so as to help play the original PC version by 360 Pacific.

 

Some friends of mine made a brown water warfare game using A-H rules (and a lot of made up ones). They never got around to publishing it. Sometimes I want to contact the grandkids...