I was surprised to find Strategic Command titles in the OP’s list.
The series and the games mentioned have some depth, but are pretty straightforward to jump into and start playing.
You may not find a winning strategy with your first, second or even umpteenth time, but the the gameplay and GUI are conductive enough to claim easy to play, with depth to master.
My game on that list is War in the Pacific, each time I look at it I find it super fascinating, but I don’t play it.
CMO is another game on that list.
But here’s my point.
A complex wargame / simulation does not have to be difficult to play.
IMO most complexity comes from the (poor) GUI and workflow (design).
You can create a complex game that layers its difficulty by good design and delegation.
Micromanagement however, layers upon layers of menus and commands can turn a wargame into a “configuration simulator” instead of a game.
That’s to close to what I do for a living...
Also on a personal note I am a if it looks good it must fly good kinda guy, I don’t want to know all the aerodynamic equations that make it fly.
I always admire wargamers who calculate their battles before and after.
18+3+6x2/4-9-2=...
You have lost me - I don’t care.
That does not mean I only like Panzer General clones, which I do.
I like John Tiller PB, PC & FWWC series, but I just move units and look at command and relative strength, I look at the terrain if I have that luxury, but more than that, I just look at the big number odds. I do not look for special game rules etc. I never liked board based wargames, too much head crunching. That’s why I still have a soft spot for Call of Duty and its more refined brethren (Post Scriptum, Hell let loose & Rising Storm - love RS2 Vietnam = these are wargames in a sense as they require strategy and cooperation to win battles).
To me it is just unbelievable that after decades no serious wargame developer has recreated Steel Panthers in a high res version.
I mean that game series just ticked. Simple and intuitive to play, plenty of tactical depth. What Matrix did for Panzer General with Panzer Corp, Order of Battle and now Panzer Corps 2, it should have done with a “Steel Panthers” game - call it Steel Tigers and role with it.
WitE/WitW
It is not the complexity, it is the commitment
Well if anyone is still reading this inconsistent drivel.
Honorable mention for the Decisive Campaign series that has depth without complexity.
...and now I mention it, like Strategic Command, it was depth without complexity that’s a driving force being WarPlan.
Corona lockdown brain farts.
[:D]
