Matrix Games Forums

Well i'm quite impressed with the game! I spend a few hours with it and realized very fast it's innovations! Well done, sirs!

I got it earlier than I was intending. So far I like it. I am familiar with the Dc series and Vic does have what I call a genius for the workings of a war game.

I am missing corps HQs though. There has to be a line separating detail from abstraction. All the same, so far I really do miss them.

I think we need pontoon bridge cards. Russia is just too big of an expanse. Of course then, we would need roads. Again, abstraction and detail.

This game is really not in competition with WITE, but I have said and will continue to say that WITE is a very flawed game. Forget WITE and its many many many problems, but to each his own.

The amount of abstraction in DCB is great. What matters is the practical effect. What purpose would corps HQs serve other than to add a whole bunch of clutter and tedious micromanagement? At this scale each HQ would only be responsible for a couple of units. That's a lot of extra counters. What enhancements would corps HQs bring to the game that would possibly justify all the extra work for developer and player?

As for pontoon bridges, it's assumed that they are being used when your divisions cross rivers so there's no need for a card.

I do agree about WitE. For all its focus on the smallest details imaginable, a ton of its design as a game is the devs trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. The end result is that it's a chore to play and completely ahistorical to boot. Who cares if the OOB perfectly matches history if the gameplay doesn't at all? Ironically a streamlined game such as DCB is both a much better game and a much better simulation of the historical forces at play.

I agree 100% with mekjak.

The only thing I am missing, is the air component. Or lets say the impression, that the air component is really there.
The current solution to work with cards for decisions regarding the Luftwaffe is working, but also abstract.
If only for the imagination I would like to see reports for Luftwaffe / Red air force regarding strength / losses / situation.
That would give the impression, that the planes are really there. [;)]

i got the game yesterday. reading manual and playing along. watched the tutorials. very nice so far.

thanks,

I bring this up in the hope to read more first impressions.

First Impression, Wow !