Long live board gaming

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Tue May 06, 2003 9:13 pm

Just found a nice new site and felt it worthy of the membership to know.

http://games.harnforum.com/index.php?si ... db55f82445

Unsure how old this place is, but it is the forum for Columbia Games (that means board gaming mainly eh guys).

I am planning of course on telling them all about the fine games from Matrix, just as much as I am hoping my board game loving fellow forum mates will be happy to get decent info on Columbia Games items.

Looks like they have decided to go to online orders only (as opposed to selling on the shelf). Not a good thing for people that wish to sell wargames in stores. Maybe this is evidence, that the days of selling wargames on shelves has had its day.

I applaud Matrix being able to see titles make it to the shelf, but if it comes to pass it isn't worth it, then online will be the way to go I suppose.

SLAAKMAN · Post by **SLAAKMAN** » Wed May 07, 2003 10:23 pm

I agree wholeheartedly Sarge. Long Live Boardgaming. Observe the glory of War In Europe that I just acquired;

Veldor · Post by **Veldor** » Thu May 08, 2003 12:41 am

Originally posted by SLAAKMAN
I agree wholeheartedly Sarge. Long Live Boardgaming. Observe the glory of War In Europe that I just acquired;

Where exactly do you keep games like this setup for weeks or months at a time? Doesn't exactly fit on a tabletop and either way I'm guessing you don't have dogs, cats, or really any pets.

Pets are the true enemies of board wargaming....

Marc von Martial · Post by **Marc von Martial** » Thu May 08, 2003 12:56 am

Originally posted by Veldor
Pets are the true enemies of board wargaming....

Raise the immersion factor and put barbedwire around it

SLAAKMAN · Post by **SLAAKMAN** » Thu May 08, 2003 1:22 am

"Where exactly do you keep games like this setup for weeks or months at a time? Doesn't exactly fit on a tabletop and either way I'm guessing you don't have dogs, cats, or really any pets."

Thats what friends with "Gamerooms" are for. I have a host of slaaker friends sponging off their parents and living rent free with large garages adjacent to the house. Perfect for map deployment.
Also intruding pets are bribed with food to stay outside. Takes a little work but effective.

U2 · Post by U2 » Thu May 08, 2003 1:25 am

Originally posted by Veldor
[Pets are the true enemies of board wargaming.... [/B]

Hey I thought it was girlfriends or wifes

JJKettunen · Post by **JJKettunen** » Thu May 08, 2003 1:44 am

Originally posted by U2
Hey I thought it was girlfriends or wifes

Aren't they pets then?

U2 · Post by U2 » Thu May 08, 2003 1:47 am

Originally posted by Keke
Aren't they pets then?

Veldor · Post by **Veldor** » Thu May 08, 2003 9:19 am

Originally posted by SLAAKMAN
... garages adjacent to the house. Perfect for map deployment.

I might be a bit of a nut, but I actually use the garage to park my cars in while leaving a perfectly good driveway empty.

So clearly the solution would be to put all that flat open driveway space to better use...

..And setup some large board wargames on it....

Raverdave · Post by **Raverdave** » Thu May 08, 2003 2:44 pm

*sigh!*

I had hoped that the advent of computers would have stamped out this strange breed of people with their dirty little habits like insisting on using cardboard counters, but hey, what would I know, I still smoke cigarettes:rolleyes: :p

Mac_MatrixForum · Post by **Mac_MatrixForum** » Thu May 08, 2003 4:23 pm

When a foldable light few meter wide flat print quality touchscreen with backlight and haptic feedback is common at every summerhouse I will agree that boardgames are dead

.

Btw. War In Europe looks good but is it good? Out of print?

Btw. Harn forums are for ... Harn. Long live Harn.

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Thu May 08, 2003 4:33 pm

For those that have not looked, the Harn link leads to a really nicely developed forum with much to offer, much as the Third Reich forum in the other recent thread leads to a great multi topic friendly forum.

When a computer can do everything that a board game can do, I like the idea of the large screen, then it is perhaps true they might be a decent replacement for board games.

But then all you will have done, is design a different kind of board. Currently I don't really care for the less expensive map sheets over map boards. They never sit flat enough for my liking.

I think computer supremists are personally an odd breed or person too hehe

Kanon Fodder · Post by **Kanon Fodder** » Thu May 08, 2003 7:06 pm

Originally posted by Veldor
Where exactly do you keep games like this setup for weeks or months at a time? Doesn't exactly fit on a tabletop and either way I'm guessing you don't have dogs, cats, or really any pets.

Pets are the true enemies of board wargaming....

A friend of mine solved this problem years ago (when we were playing massive games like Terrible Swift Sword that took weeks (if not months) to play on a 4 x 8 table.

He made a wooden cover about 4" high that he could place on top of the table when real life had to interrupt our gaming.

His wife had two cats.

Need I say more ?

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Thu May 08, 2003 7:37 pm

Hmm so I am not the only one to make a covered game table, glad I am not alone.

Jim1954 · Post by **Jim1954** » Thu May 08, 2003 10:40 pm

I used to do the "buy an unmounted mapsheet and some 1/2" wide magnetic tape" thing. Tape it on a thin piece of metal and hang it up on the wall. At least when you could still find unmounted mapsheets. Stacking over 3 high became a problem, but at least the pets left it alone. Made a nice picture on the wall, too.

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Thu May 08, 2003 11:49 pm

Yep been there Jim, you should see my nice set of Longest Day counters designed for a cork board backing bord set up. The board was made of disposable photocopied mapsheets.

AlvinS · Post by **AlvinS** » Fri May 09, 2003 4:11 pm

My maps for The Great Campaigns of the American Civil War fit nicely into 24" x 36" poster frames. They keep the maps in good shape, and I can hang them when not in use. I have cats, but fortunately I have a basement to keep games set up for the longer campaigns. I like the Idea of a covered table, so maybe I will have to make one. I am also into model railroads, and built a cover to keep the cats off of the layout.

Ah the things we do for our hobbies.

brucertx · Post by **brucertx** » Sat May 10, 2003 6:48 pm

Board games? Gee, got a couple of crates of them taking up space in the bowels of a closet!
LOL
Bruce

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Sat May 10, 2003 7:12 pm

Board games are like Real Estate, its always better to have more, and selling them is almost always dumb, giving them away purely insane.

Name me one computer game from pre 1990 you enjoy playing "successfully" on your "new" computer system running the latest software that can stand toe to toe with a good board game.

You might be able to think of a couple of stray titles.

But I will counter that with "every single one of my board games will function every bit as well as they did the day I got them".

Yes some of my monster board games are space demanding, but I knew that the day I bought them too. And finding space is always about priorities. If you want something enough, it happens.

Complaining about cats and wives always makes me chuckle though. Anyone that lets a cat co exist with a set up board game with no precautions in mind is not much of a strategist.

Platoonist · Post by **Platoonist** » Sun May 11, 2003 5:59 am

*sigh* Sometimes I feel sorry for all my old board wargames banished as they are to a rented storage unit.

BTW I found the best solution for the dreaded mapsheets was a big 22 x 22" piece of plexiglass I found at a hardware store. Just slip the map and any game charts or CRTs under it and let the counters ride on top. Sure beat mounting the things on matt board as you could fold them back up and put them away.