Great Pacific Game from Mark Walker

[Wild Bill]

For those interested in board gaming, Mark Walker has come up with a real winner! It is called "Island War Deluxe" and is really easy to learn and exciting to play. He has some other great board games of various themes of interest. You should check it out! Its worth your time. I worked with Mark on this little jewel and I assure you, it is something you would enjoy!

http://www.locknloadgame.com/

If you miss those counters and maps, something you can hold in your hand and make it happen, these games will do it.

Wild Bill

[wesy]

Since this is a PDF game, what the "best" way to make counters (i.e. print the file out cut and paste on some kind of cardstock?). I like the feel of the cardboard counters but unsure were to go to get the punch out feel of the pieces...looks great and i'm interested in picking it up.

[Twotribes]

There used to be several companies that made card board counters of varying size.

I think one of them was Decision Games... If so they may still be in buisness.

[ravinhood]

I'm still waiting on his computer version game. LnL Band of Heroes or something like that. Seems like it's something he's just shelved though, don't hear much about it anymore cept he says "yeah it's going well", but, then he's released like 3 or 4 boring board games since then. Board games are for old farts. lol I stopped pushing counters around awhile back myself. The other thing is board wargames are just too expensive nowadays as well. Sure have come a long ways since those $4.00 AH games back in the 60's.

[JeF]

I don't know why I'm loosing my time answering this.

Here you are : some news about Heroes Of Stalingrad, some old, some new.
Just in case : at $49.99, plus shipping, Lock'n Load:Band Of Heroes costs the same as the average computer game. At least it costed me roughly the same (including shipping to Europe) than my copy of COTA.

Regards,

JeF.

[ravinhood]

Yeah I already read that Jef, that's why I said he just says it's coming along, but, no release date or timeline on it. Hell Matrixgames has been using that trick since before time began. They did it with Combat Leader, been doing it with Empire in Arms, World In Flames and of course Battles of Napoleon and Combat Leader got iced totally after years of leading us on with hype. So, what little Mark said about the computer game didn't get my hopes up much of any.

[KG Erwin]

I don't know how to respond. Yes, I'm a Pacific War fan, and yes, I USED to shuffle around counters on board games, and yes, I can rest assured that if Wild Bill is involved, then it has quality research behind it.

As Ravinhood stated, though, who plays board wargames anymore? I certainly don't, even though I have a large collection of them stashed away. PC games have spoiled me -- when I blow up the entrance to that cave, I wanna hear it! I wanna see the explosions and the flames -- cheap thrills, maybe, but this baby-boomer has grown accustomed to that sort of immersion within a solid game.

[Brigz]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin
As Ravinhood stated, though, who plays board wargames anymore? I certainly don't, even though I have a large collection of them stashed away. PC games have spoiled me -- when I blow up the entrance to that cave, I wanna hear it! I wanna see the explosions and the flames -- cheap thrills, maybe, but this baby-boomer has grown accustomed to that sort of immersion within a solid game.

Who plays boardgames anymore? I do and several of my buddies. I play computer games too, but there is nothing to compare with sitting across the table from a real live person, drinking beer or whatever, and enjoying an actual physical wargame. It's much better for the brain cells when you have to figure things out for yourself instead of relying on a computer to do it all for you. Sure, everyone has their own personal tastes, but for me, I have never played any computer game that compared with playing a board game. Two completely different experiences.

[Procrustes]

ORIGINAL: Twotribes

There used to be several companies that made card board counters of varying size.

I think one of them was Decision Games... If so they may still be in buisness.

Decision Games has been in biz for decades - they have a great magazine that includes a boardgame with every issue - "Strategy & Tactics" - I've been collecting/subscribing forever. The most recent issue games riverine combat in the Mekong Delta, the last one games the "twighlight of the Ottoman empire". They recently released a massive "War in the Pacific" boxed game. They got a bit of everything.

I haven't tried one of these downloadable games, but it seems that you could print the maps & counters on heavy card stock with an inkjet printer without much trouble. This one looks like fun.

(Yes, a lot of people play boardgames. [X(]] )

[Neilster]

ORIGINAL: Dave Briggs

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin
As Ravinhood stated, though, who plays board wargames anymore? I certainly don't, even though I have a large collection of them stashed away. PC games have spoiled me -- when I blow up the entrance to that cave, I wanna hear it! I wanna see the explosions and the flames -- cheap thrills, maybe, but this baby-boomer has grown accustomed to that sort of immersion within a solid game.

Who plays boardgames anymore? I do and several of my buddies. I play computer games too, but there is nothing to compare with sitting across the table from a real live person, drinking beer or whatever, and enjoying an actual physical wargame. It's much better for the brain cells when you have to figure things out for yourself instead of relying on a computer to do it all for you. Sure, everyone has their own personal tastes, but for me, I have never played any computer game that compared with playing a board game. Two completely different experiences.

Don't forget the trash-talk, cheap-shots and mind-games that are part and parcel of board wargaming. Of course, they're possible with Skype video or some such I suppose, but it's not quite the same. I also like the way one's game banter often swings from outrageous hubris to the depths of despair (or vice-versa) on the basis of a few die rolls or a surprise or two. Logistical trips to the fridge for fresh cold supplies are risky against unscrupulous opponents who aren't adverse to "adjusting" the Afrika Korp's position in their favour. [:D]

Cheers, Neilster

[Maiq]

Trash talk, cheap shots, mind games, cheap wine and the inevitable fist fight.

Now that's what I remember about board wargaming. [:D]

[ravinhood]

Yeah I remember how someoONE used to slide the dice to roll 6's or 1's for the ELIM results from the early AH games. See, with computer games you don't get any of that crap. Had to make the dude use a cup to roll his dice with. I also remember the hour long arguements over the interpretation of one rule of the game. No, it means this, no it doesn't read it again it means this, nope, it means what I said it means I know how to comprehend the rules. No you don't, yes I do. I'll beat your ass punk, let's go N..... hahahahahaha Yeah, playing wargames on the tabletop sureeeee was fun wasn't it?

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin
………..board wargames anymore?

I certainly don't, even though I have a large collection of them stashed away. PC games have spoiled me -- when I blow up the entrance to that cave, I wanna hear it! I wanna see the explosions and the flames –

But in a wargame, 200,000 soldiers have hit the beach and 100 of them are all blowing up enemy caves.

You cannot see them all and that’s why they are represented by counters.

Ultimately you are not talking about a wargame.

-

[Brigz]

ORIGINAL: ravinhood

Yeah I remember how someoONE used to slide the dice to roll 6's or 1's for the ELIM results from the early AH games. See, with computer games you don't get any of that crap. Had to make the dude use a cup to roll his dice with. I also remember the hour long arguements over the interpretation of one rule of the game. No, it means this, no it doesn't read it again it means this, nope, it means what I said it means I know how to comprehend the rules. No you don't, yes I do. I'll beat your ass punk, let's go N..... hahahahahaha Yeah, playing wargames on the tabletop sureeeee was fun wasn't it?

Well, I guess I'm fortunate to live in a city big enough to provide ample live game opponents. I've met the kind of people you are talking about but I would never put up with that kind of crap. I only game with civilized people. But that doesn't mean we don't get into rules arguments, and I'm pretty sure the people I game with don't cheat. Cheaters are pretty easy to spot. They generaly display certain characterisics and are easily weeded out. I like computer games but I also like human interaction. Geez, I guess way deep down I'm just a people person. Who would'a thought?[8|]

[wzh55]

Dave Briggs:  I am from Sacramento also, just a coincidence, bored and thought I would say hey.

[KG Erwin]

ORIGINAL: Dave Briggs

ORIGINAL: ravinhood

Yeah I remember how someoONE used to slide the dice to roll 6's or 1's for the ELIM results from the early AH games. See, with computer games you don't get any of that crap. Had to make the dude use a cup to roll his dice with. I also remember the hour long arguements over the interpretation of one rule of the game. No, it means this, no it doesn't read it again it means this, nope, it means what I said it means I know how to comprehend the rules. No you don't, yes I do. I'll beat your ass punk, let's go N..... hahahahahaha Yeah, playing wargames on the tabletop sureeeee was fun wasn't it?

Well, I guess I'm fortunate to live in a city big enough to provide ample live game opponents. I've met the kind of people you are talking about but I would never put up with that kind of crap. I only game with civilized people. But that doesn't mean we don't get into rules arguments, and I'm pretty sure the people I game with don't cheat. Cheaters are pretty easy to spot. They generaly display certain characterisics and are easily weeded out. I like computer games but I also like human interaction. Geez, I guess way deep down I'm just a people person. Who would'a thought?[8|]

Alright. When I first started in the wargame scene, I was just a kid. My best buddy and I shared this passion, and we had many many great times battling it out with the classic Avalon Hill games and the early SPI games. We were just 12 or 13. Neither one of us had discovered girls, or beer, or drugs yet. We were classic nerds, but I was very fortunate in that I had a childhood friend that provided face-to-face gaming. He was always better than me, too. The first time I defeated him was a triumph. It changed our relationship. We became equals. That was particularly sweet. Soon after that, we started looking for other opponents. We eventually grew apart. Haven't seen him since.

So, in my heart of hearts, I still hold a soft spot for those boardgames. I guess that's why I've kept them.

[ravinhood]

I think the memories of board wargaming are bigger than board wargaming. At least for me they are. The guy I refer to sliding the 6's and 1's didn't do that as a kid, this guy started doing this stuff as an adult. lol As a kid at 12 when we all first started it was a glorious time of fun and couldn't wait for the next weekend. We'd cycle around to each others houses so our moms wouldn't get so fussy about same ole boys over every weekend dirtying up her house. We actually played together for many years after high school. We all pretty much stayed within our home base, but, after a few years then things started spreading out at least for two of us, me and the dice slider. I went air force, he went navy, the other two stayed home. Once I got in the actual military I started to discover the things wargames never taught me. Girls, fun, sex, drugs, alcohol, women, lol lots of women. To hell with playing wargames, man I was staying out all night playing with other things. Ft. Walton Beach Fla. was a nice place to have a tour. And on Hurlburt Peapatch to be sure was as easy a tour as anyone could have in the military. Ahhh the memories of the good ole days.

[Hertston]

Ah.. but the trouble is that the 'good ole days' are generally followed by a somewhat less idyllic state known as "marriage", upon which most of those options become unavailable, at least in the plural. Wargames are then invited back from the cold because they, unlike those things, are tolerated if only because your spouse knows that when you are wargaming you won't be doing those things. Except a little drinking, maybe.

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

...who plays board wargames anymore?

In the past 12 months I bought board war games to PC war games in the ratio of 6:1.

The board war game market is thriving, the titles evolutionary and at the same time, beginning to re-release the classics of the 70's and 80's. Companies such as GMT, Avalanche, Decision, MMP leading the way with robust P500 ordering systems many times doubling the numbers of pre-orders sought.

As for this "PDF" offering at $23 USD, to me it defeats the purpose of the effort invested in production. And if it follows the system used in Band of Heroes, it really needs a revised rulebook as the first edition wasn't the best in terms of clarity - and it was meant to build on Mark's Vietnam games. I basically had to rewrite it in shorthand to make sense of it, as rules sections were scattered hither and yon.

Which is a shame as despite the prerponderance of informational markers needed on map, BoH by far exceeds ASL in terms of playability. All Mark's games are breathtaking and ground breaking in their graphics.

This all said, why again, the need for this PDF game? Lock n' Load Publishing LLC is a nice idea but if I were the company's bank manager I'd be asking where's the marketing plan?

I'll help Mark out:

1. Put these wonderfully looking PDF games on a disc and sell them with ADC-lite.

2. Everyone go and check out Mark's D-Day Omaha Beach game showing a Russian T62 in hex G15.
http://www.locknloadgame.com/Section_Ca ... D=33&ID=60

[Arctic Blast]

I have no doubt some of the curent boardgames are damn good, but if you don't have regular access to other people who ALSO like playing them, they're absolutely pointless to purchase.