3R-Axis - Avalon Hill 'Third Reich' for TOAW - by sPzAbt653

[tcarusil]

Sir:

Downloaded the scenario today. When I fired it up I got an error message that I might be using the wrong eqp file. When I clicked again the game started, however I noticed that my air units were showing in the unit window as APC's, and I could not use them for air missions. What have I done wrong? Thanks

TomC

[sPzAbt653]

File Installation

Place the '.sce' file in the Scenario Folder of your choice.

Go to 'The Operational Art of War III' directory and open the 'Graphics' folder. Create a new folder called *Scenario Name*. Place the remaining files (not the .sce file) into the folder you just created.

[tcarusil]

Thanks. I followed the instructions in post 175, which obviously is from an earlier version, "3R" and not the current version, "3R - Axis". Off to the battle.

TomC

[sPzAbt653]

Thanks for reporting that about post #175, I'll correct it.

[Crossroads]

ORIGINAL: sPzAbt653

Thanks for reporting that about post #175, I'll correct it.

I updated your instructions and the download link into the opening post. I am so going to spend some quality time with this scenario during the festive season [:)]

[Crossroads]

Updated the original thread title in hope more people find this gem of a scenario [:)]

[Crossroads]

The article is from 2014, but just bumped to it so why not:

8 Avalon Hill Board Games That Deserve New Life

What follows, in chronological order, is my fond and rose-colored recollection of a several Avalon Hill games that I spent way too many hours playing - as well as screaming at my sister "Don't kick the table!" These weren't all the best games, and this is by no means an all-inclusive list, but they are the games that helped shape my current love for real-time and turn-based strategy video games.

I did a lot of screaming to our dog too [8D]

But as for the listing, at #1: Rise and Decline of the Third Reich (1974). At #2: Panzer Leader (1974)

Hard to argue [:)]

Thoughts, comments?

[Crossroads]

Hmmm:

Regarding RADOTR:

Of all the Avalon Hill games I played, this was the one that I invested the most time in. It gave players the opportunity to play as Germany, Great Britain, Russia, the United States, France or Italy, but in the end, my friends and I usually ended up playing just Great Britain, Germany and Russia, with the Great Britain player tackling the French until defeat, and bringing in the Americans when they rolled in in 1942. The German player would take on the Italian role as an Axis cohort, as well as the minor Axis allies of Finland, Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary.

What made this game so special was being able play the entire expanse of the Eastern and Western front land war of World War II, complete with the possibility of paratroop drops, naval invasions, interdicting air battles. Players would get resource points for every country they occupied and would be able to spend those resource points through declaring war on various countries, buying units, or declaring the start of an offensive if you wanted to attack the enemy.

The game was massive in scope and an incredible time sink. I ended up setting the game up far more times than we ever finished it. Invariably, we always got bogged down in the summer offensives of 1943, but half the fun was trying new and different things, such as assaulting Malta or Gibraltar, doing a German amphibious landing in England or trying to take out Spain or Turkey. Another aspect of the game that was always interesting was trying to figure out all your attacks in such a way to get the best "odds" while taking out as many stacks of units as possible to gain the most number of hexes. Heaven forbid a bad die roll when you had 3-1 odds that took out much of your attacking force.

Even as I began to get involved in other Avalon Hill games, this one was always my "go-to" for large scale grand strategy.

Regarding PL:

This was the first Avalon Hill game I ever played, despite the fact that its predecessor Panzer Blitz had come out four years earlier. I was drawn to the Western Front game play, while at the time marveling at the game boards, hexagonal grid, and the various units. It was fun - in a purely tactical sense - to recreate the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, especially after having watched the movies. Being older, it gave me the chance to be the general and try different tactics. A friend had Panzer Blitz and we gave it a try a few times, but Panzer Leader was always the more entertaining game for me because of its focus.

I do not recall writing this article... I must have. Spot on! [:D]

[GJK]

I don't think that the author realizes that there is a larger and more thriving board wargame community now than there was back in the "golden-age". Each of those games has not only been "given new life", they've been expanded upon, added to and cleaned up (both in the game play itself and the components/presentation). Someone send him a note and tell him that he doesn't have to be stuck to the computer playing video games.

[sPzAbt653]

Some of those on the list are at the tactical level, which creates issues for TOAW with regards to ranged fire and opportunity fire.

Since working on the scenario that is the subject of this thread, I've been working on our own TOAW version of something similar. The intention is to make a TOAW scenario, while taking from the great work of AH's 3R, Russian Campaign and Fortress Europa. A preview can be found with Russian Campaign, a scenario in the latest 3.4.1.9. That was used as a testing ground for feasibility of certain aspects.

A shot of the full scenario currently being worked on:

[Lobster]

ORIGINAL: GJK

I don't think that the author realizes that there is a larger and more thriving board wargame community now than there was back in the "golden-age". Each of those games has not only been "given new life", they've been expanded upon, added to and cleaned up (both in the game play itself and the components/presentation). Someone send him a note and tell him that he doesn't have to be stuck to the computer playing video games.

And the cost is astronomical. That's the big turn off. Not only that but AI in board games is terribly predicable because it's you. [:D]

At one time I had around 200 board games not counting games that came with magazines. I still have Wellington's Victory by SPI, War in Europe also SPI, the France 1940 game by GDW and the one by AH. East Wind Rain by I think Task Force Games(?), Pacific War by VG and two or three others whose titles escape me. Not pulled them out in ages.

At one time I had all of the Europa Series by GDW and we put all of the maps together. It was awesome and equally unplayable. You would need scaffolding and hang down from above to get to all of the map. [:D]

[Crossroads]

ORIGINAL: Lobster
You would need scaffolding and hang down from above to get to all of the map. [:D]

Of course, then we were both young and agile enough to use scaffolding, let alone hang from one. Today maybe a small to medium sized crane would be a good option [:D]