I will learn this game!

[planetbrain]

Unlike some, I was not too concerned about the price and was dead keen to get BFTB but I have had to wait till last Saturday to download my copy, due to lack of finances.

Although my history is bad on the matter, I have made myself a promise to thoroughly know and understand this title.

My resolution results from a realization that I do have a lot of games/simulations but have spent too much money (I haven’t any) & too little time on any of them. I have for example:

RDOA, HTTR, COTA & now BFTB.

TOAW3, WITP, WITPAE, WW2ToW, JTCS, AT, Kharkov+Dnepr, BF, BII ,Harpoon ANW, HCE & etc. from Matrix plus many from other sources (e.g. Armageddon Empires, WC-NAW, SAS-WW2, CMBO/BB/AK &…………, oh dear! The list does go on.

Most of these aren’t bad titles. They deserve more time than I’ve managed to apply to them.

Every time though, I spend more time browsing & generally stuffing around reading (mostly Matrix & Wargamer) Forums on the Net than actually spending quality time on gaming. Plus there are all the interruptions that RL and having 5 kids gets one.

It’s time to stop tinkering!!!

BFTB deserves that I learn it properly. It (and its predecessors) is, I believe, particularly my type of game. I’m so glad it was able to be produced in today’s market.

I will, again, look at all tutorial movies (nice job, guys) & properly read the manuals &, for a change, I will give this game exclusive attention and play scenarios over & over until I feel I have a grasp of the game.

Then, who knows, I may do the same for another game (Kharkov/Dnepr would have to be next). And, yes, one day I may convert to M.P.

But by then there’ll be WITE, WIF ….aaaaaaaahhhh!!! ….. I don’t have the time.

Anyway, BFTB it is!!! Forward march!
A promise to myself.

p.s.
BTW, surely others have these problems?

[PirateJock]

Oh yes ... that sounds so familiar [;)]

[jnpoint]

Yes I've been there and still are, apart from that I only have two little boys

[bairdlander2]

maybe you should delete your account here so you dont spend time.I am the same way.

[Yogi the Great]

Good Luck! I understand and really fully learning a game is one of those things many of us don't take the time to do. My problem is that I rarely have enough interest in any single game to devote that much time to it. So I have many games and usually play a game once, then go on to another game, and another etc until I'm back in the mood for the same game by which time I have to learn to play it all over again.
[&:]
Maybe that is also why I have so many HPS games. It is very easy to change from game to game as each game in the series plays like the other. I do appreciate new, innovative and special games, but can't say I have ever really "Learned" any of them.

[wodin]

Very few games get long time play from me...infact I can name them Elite.....Gunship (though when I was younger I seemed to be able play games for months and months)...Baldurs Gate...Close Combat series...Combat MissionBB...Combat MissionSF and modules....HTTR and CotA and now BftB..even Squad Battles isn't played as much as I should mainly because I hate being committed to PBEM games and its the way SB should be played.

Funny enough looking at that list I only have one turn based game!!! WEGO is my favourite method of play....RTS I only enjyo with Close Combat and Panthers Games. I feel the ultimate turn based Squad level game hasn't been made yet...I imagine GGWitE is going to be in my list fingers crossed.

[Knavery]

The truth of the matter is many of us here are collectors, but are not willing to admit it.

[MarkShot]

The full and deep appreciation of the game is indeed a non-trivial learning curve.

But to get started, you really need just some basic concepts:

- How to issue orders. I assume things like attack, defend, and move are self-evident for you.

- Read a map. Again a skill you should probably have unless you are of the MapQuest/GPS generation.

- Understand how to get basic information displayed on the counters. Mainly task, rout status, and deployment status.

That's good enough to be playing and even winning. A good simple plan is much more important than a poor sophisticated plan.

[henri51]

ORIGINAL: Yogi the Great

Hooked Since AH Gettysburg

GETTYSBURG! Hey that was my first wargame too, bought it way beck around 1965 in a Department store...Followed by Blitzkrieg (1967), Afrika Korps, The Russian Campaign, Panzer Blitz, you name it...

Henri

[Yogi the Great]

ORIGINAL: henri51

ORIGINAL: Yogi the Great

Hooked Since AH Gettysburg

GETTYSBURG! Hey that was my first wargame too, bought it way beck around 1965 in a Department store...Followed by Blitzkrieg (1967), Afrika Korps, The Russian Campaign, Panzer Blitz, you name it...

Henri

I Had them all - pretty much every AH game from orginal Gettysburg through Panzer Leader and a bit beyond.

[JameyCribbs]

"Hi, my name is Jamey, and I am a buy-way-too-many-wargames-but-never-actually-play-any-of-them-holic".

Wow, I thought I was all alone. For years, I have been suffering in silence, thinking I was the only one with this condition. I'm thinking we should start a support group. We can have sponsors that we could call anytime we found ourselves browsing forums or clicking the "Buy" button instead of actually *playing* the 497,000 wargames that we *do* own but have never played.

Well, if it gives any hope to the OP, I could be his twin brother, but I have actually played through 3 days of the St. Vith tutorial and am looking forward to day 4 sometime this evening. I'm ashamed to admit that this is more wargaming than I have done in several months, even though I probably purchased 5 wargames over the last two months.

I think the thing that finally got me over the hump with BFTB was watching the video tutorials (I have only watched 3 so far). When I first read some forum posts from people who said the tutorials had jump-started their game play, I was skeptical. Since I owned all the previous Panther games, I figured I knew enough about how they worked, even though I had never gotten into them.

But, I pulled out my credit card and dived in anyway. And you know what, they were right. I can't really explain why, but, for some reason, watching the tutorials lit enough of a fire under me to actually want to play the St. Vith scenario for hours this past weekend.

Whatever it is, Dave has caught lightning in a bottle with these tutorials. I think they are really going to expand this game's audience. If I were him, I would make more of them, possibly working through one of the larger scenarios, something that always scares me off.

[Rik81]

Unfortunately yes! And interestingly enough, I've also decided that BFTB is going to get some quality attention. I have been PBEM WITP-AE with a friend for sometime, though I'm not sure I can claim to "know it."

[simovitch]

ORIGINAL: JameyCribbs

"Hi, my name is Jamey, and I am a buy-way-too-many-wargames-but-never-actually-play-any-of-them-holic".

too funny...[:D]

one of the larger scenarios, something that always scares me off.

The thing about the larger scenarios, is when you decrease the unit icon size, the game doesn't appear so large. And when you start playing, you always realize you suddenly need more units than you are given.[;)]

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: Knavery

The truth of the matter is many of us here are collectors, but are not willing to admit it.

In my case, I will play 3 games well instead of playing 10 games badly.

I study each and eevry detail and make a mini-manual for my own benefit. That way i can put down the game and come back to it some months and easily locate those little details.

-

[vj531]

I stopped buying multiple games sometime ago. Having owned a game shop in the 90' it spoilt me. I use to "borrow" games as and when and played them very superficially. I then revisited HTTR 8 years ago and it fitted me like my favourite old fishing jeans. I now only play one game at a time and try to get immersed in it, reminds me more of my boardgame days when I used to play Dark December in our downstairs cellar with a single 50watt bulb illuminating proceedings, it was very atmospheric with the road traffic rumbling passed outside bringing down the odd piece of brick dust, it was like distant artillery fire hitting our HQ. Great days!

[Badjayhawk]

I too thought I was alone with my dark secret.  I am powerless of the bright shiny allure of new games and the urge to buy "just one more" to find the right fix.  I either decide, meh, it's just not interesting enough to be worth my time or...more truthfully..I don't bother to invest the time to learn the game well enough to appreciate it and avoid getting my butt kicked by even mediocre AI.  So I move on.

Thankfully, like the OP, this one could break my habit.  I'm completely fascinated.  It's got me re-reading "Hitler's Last Gamble" (shamefully out of print) and pouring over the manual.  I'm enjoying the smaller scale scenarios, a little intimated by the larger ones, but I look forward to working up to them.   Thanks Panther!