How are you learning the game?

[Feinder]

We've all gone "Holy snikies!" at the size of this thing (even veteran UV players). So how are you learning the game in more "bite-sized" pieces?

I'm actually playing #15 (or whatever the big campain is), but have set all theaters to computer control, except for SE Asia (British). There's land combat, land-based air, modest naval assets, supply issues, and even some production to play around with (when I get to that part). But it limits the scope of things, so that me head doesn't explode.

Other suggestions?
-F-

[denisonh]

SC#15 PBEM [:D]

[GBirkn]

My method, which seems to be working well enough so far:

Play the tutorial until I could understand the interface.

Play the Marianas scenario until I could successfully invade Saipan, capture the base and deliver aircraft, support units and supply to it, all without taking any major losses.

Jump in to the full campaign game as the Allies, controlling all the theaters myself. On the side, mess around with the Rising Sun scenario as Japan, in preparation for playing the campagin as Japan.

I figure I'll be ready for PBEM in a week or so.

[FirstPappy]

I edited Scenario #15 by giving the US about 1000 Political Points and 100 per day. I've kept all the Northern Sectors on computer all the rest on Human. With the added PPs, you can really fool around with the commands and get a better feel for the game this way. The interface I learned from UV.

[brisd]

I have some UV experience so I did the tutorial for about 6 turns, then played the Coral Sea Scenario Japan vs AI (see my AAR summary) and now am at 1/2/42 in the Rising Sun scenario again as Japan vs Allies AI. Doing better than history so far, on the outskirts of Kuala Lampur and resting my troops at Clark AB prior to moving to Bataan. Also doing well in Burma. Allied Air has been aggressive but no sign of ABDA fleet. Got counterattacked out of Rangoon on my first try, good to see that from AI. I am learning amphibious, air and sea ops plus moving supplies/fuel on big scale prior to learning production in campaign scenarios. No way I'd jump into full scenario, too much to learn at once.

[kaleun]

Have some UV experience, so I tried the tutorial. crashed to desktop, so thought: "What the hell..." And started the big enchilada as allies.[:D]

[gts2096]

playing SCN 006.

[HawaiiFive-O]

Read the manual, played the tutorial, now taking my lumps playing Scenario 6 (Marianas) by PBEM.

[Capitaine]

With great difficulty. [X(]

I started the "First Year" scenario, but am wondering if maybe I should go back to the Coral Sea since I had learned that a while back playing UV. A more familiar situation w/ which to explore the features.

[rroberson]

I find myself in 5 PBEM games...nothing says learn the system dammit like bullets flying around your head.

[kaleun]

And, you may add, nothing will pose the chanllenge of a "fellow" human[:D]

[Chaplain]

I jumped into a PBEm game (Scen #15) with one-day cycles, so any early errors will not be catastrophic. As we play, I'm reading rules and comparing it to my experiences. So far, it's working great.

Did somebody say they're playing FIVE PBEM games? [X(] Holy cow! I prostrate myself at your feet - to quote; "Yours is the superior intellect." (Or pain threshold; I'm not sure which.)

[WiTP_Dude]

Playing two short PBEM scenarios. Get tired of playing the AI pretty quick.

[Bane_MatrixForum]

So a couple of people say to do Coral Sea before doing scen #2 (Rising Sun)?

Just trying to do the small scens and apply what is learned from the manual, in small chunks...

[Thayne]

As a youngster in college, I played the original cardboard game -- the full game. I laminated the 35 square foot map and pinned it to the wall, where I used markers to plot the movement of task forces and circles to identify the range of aircraft.

When I discovered this game, I decided to just jump into the war. Any mistakes that I made could be chalked up to the inefficiencies that are endemic when a country gears up to fight a war.

So, I played through the tutorial, then started Scenario 15 (Allies). No automation of any kind. No do-overs (unless I made a mistake that was so major that it would cost me the war).

I made a number of round trips between the game, to the manual, to the forums, and back to the game. I started off in Hawaii and the west coast in the morning, and did not get to India and China until late afternoon. Remember, no do-overs. Even then, I put a lot of things off thinking, "I'll worry about them later."

I had some problems -- like armadas of surface ships leaving port without anything in them. And I think I might not have done a very good job getting supply to the right places yet. But, I'm learning fast.

It is like a real war. Time marches on, and on December 8th about the only "strategy" that the military had put in place was "dig in and hold out as long as you can while we figure out what we're doing!"

That's what I'm doing.

[RevRick]

Jumping in with both feet right in the middle - as always. This subject, and the game has interested me since the original WitP way back when I was a youngnard - following the Nav... but I got into wargaming right after 8th Grade. So, I know it's an elephant, I know I can't swallow it at once, and that the beastie is going to sit on me once or twice - and slam me into the ground. But, that's the beauty of this hobby - I can come back and say "Okay, A didn't work. What about B?" and have at it again. So, I will be into this game for the next eight to ten years at least, if my experience with the board games I liked, and then PacWar, proves true. So, I just dive in. I know this is not for the happy finger guys, no immediate gratification here, and none needed. This is about thinking. That I like.

[IJN_Shinano]

ORIGINAL: Thayne
When I discovered this game, I decided to just jump into the war. Any mistakes that I made could be chalked up to the inefficiencies that are endemic when a country gears up to fight a war....

......It is like a real war. Time marches on, and on December 8th about the only "strategy" that the military had put in place was "dig in and hold out as long as you can while we figure out what we're doing!"

That's what I'm doing.

Thayne:

You know, that's just the post to get me motivated on some other large campaign games I've been meaning to tackle. I usually avoid the larger campaigns because of the adminstrative 'fear' of making a game-breaking mistake, and then wasting dozens of hours trying to salvage it.

Your post made me remember the countless times in my past youth of coming home with a new AH/SPI/VG boxed board game, punching out the counters, and getting into it as soon as possible with a friend. Learn-as-you-go, in essence. We, too, chalked all the errors and strategic mistakes to the expected inefficiencies of starting a war.

Your post was a perfectly-timed reminder to me that -- quite often -- the best time was had because of the mistakes.... Not in spite of them.

Well spoken, Thayne.