What was your first wargame?

[Nikademus]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Warship and it's WWI companion game. Just needs graphics upgrade. And campaign with large maps.

I keep hoping...........

[SpitfireIX]

When I was in about 4th grade I noticed ads for AH and SPI games in my dad's military-history magazines. I wanted to get some, but I didn't have a lot of discretionary income. Then a kid about my age moved in across the street, and he had some. I think the first one we ever played was Third Reich. He also had Battle of the Bulge, Dipomacy, and Squad Leader, but he told me that SL was too complex for him. His favorite game was Richthofen's War--we played that one a lot. I think the first one I ever actually owned was Battle of the Bulge--either that or Third Reich. I remember thinking even at the time that there should have been more rules and details to make the games more realistic--can you say "future grognard?" [:)] We moved to another part of town right before I started sixth grade, and I didn't get to see Mike that often anymore, so I was reduced to playing with my younger brothers, who weren't much competition. Eventually, I met some other wargamers, and also got into SPI games--on the whole, I liked them a lot better than AH's.

[Jaws_slith]

Axis and Allies, Team Yankee (board game)

Kampfkruppe (SSI) Amiga

[Feinder]

You go Caranorn!

"I used to think I was the oldest guy (don't seem to be any females...) lurking in the Matrix Forums, so this thread has been a real eye opener for me.... I think we have some reason to be worried about the future of wargaming. Where are the youngsters ? Not here apparently. "

Hrumph. My son is just 4 weeks old (today), and is already learning the WitP interface.

I'm certainly going to make sure he learns that true sports are OUTSIDE (it's where my brothers and I had to play when we were growing up!). But all the same, if in a few years he wants to challenge is dad to a game of Squad Leader, I might be up for it... [:D]

That is of course, dependent upon his Mom letting us take up the dining room table for the weekend...[:-]

-F-

[Kitakami]

ORIGINAL: Caranorn

Reading all these posts I start to feel young again. Some of you really seem to have been with wargaling from the start according to your first games. Seing some of the pictures posted I decided to take two quick ones of my collection (not showing everything, just two shelves).

Marc,

Your photos made me feel right at home

My first game was Panzer Leader, which I bought for my 14th birthday. Since then, I must have bought over 100 wargames, of which I still keep over 60 (I have sold some, and lost some moving from house to house).
As for computer games, Gary Grisby's game on Guadalcanal, played on an Apple IIc.
How do I miss getting together with the guys to play whatever wargame we decided on.

[SaintEx]

Avalon Hill's Luftwaffe, back in maybe 1974. Hundreds followed.

[Cap Mandrake]

AH's Afrika Korps. A really fun and simple game.

I wanted a good carrier game with secret searches so much I built one myself by making a box out of 1/4 plywood and driving in a 20 x30 matrix of upholstery tacs over a map of Midway. The non-phasing player denoted the postion of his TF's by clipping alligator clips on the tacs inside the box. Then the searching player used a probe on the front of the map to search the matrix elements he was permitted to search (withouth the other player looking of course). When he touched a tac with an alligator clip attached, the circuit was completed and a flashlight bulb illuminated. The discovered TF composition had to be disclosed up to a certain percentage. I do realize it sounds a bit geeky. [:D]

I could never get the "AI" to put on the alligator clips though [;)]

[viking42]

I believe it was carrier force, on the atari 1024, also a wargame in the 42' desert in which you could play map level but also drive the tanks.
But i got really addicted with panzer general and antietam PC

Anyone remember Napoleon 1813? not that old but very nice

[2ndACR]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Hi, There are many games that if they were remade for current PC would be best sellers in my opinion.

Colonial Conquest SSI. Was never made for PC. A new version that allowed for online multiplayers would be very popular.

Battles of Napolean. SSI update would only require a new graphis and a Campaign that tracked unit status from one battle to the next. Large strategic map for movement between battles.

Warship and it's WWI companion game. Just needs graphics upgrade. And campaign with large maps.

(Come to think of it most SSI titles that were brought up to date would sell at least as many copies as they sold the first go around)

I could not agree more. SSI had some of the best games ever.

For a re-made BON I would gladly plunk down 60.00 for it. I spent countless hours playing that game. I would not even ask for alot of eye candy either. I have no problem with the units being "blocks" and such.

[mdiehl]

First wargame: Stratego.
First sim type wargame: AH's SST (the old version).
First sim historical wargame: Pea Ridge.

[Ron Saueracker]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

AH's Afrika Korps. A really fun and simple game.

I wanted a good carrier game with secret searches so much I built one myself by making a box out of 1/4 plywood and driving in a 20 x30 matrix of upholstery tacs over a map of Midway. The non-phasing player denoted the postion of his TF's by clipping alligator clips on the tacs inside the box. Then the searching player used a probe on the front of the map to search the matrix elements he was permitted to search (withouth the other player looking of course). When he touched a tac with an alligator clip attached, the circuit was completed and a flashlight bulb illuminated. The discovered TF composition had to be disclosed up to a certain percentage. I do realize it sounds a bit geeky. [:D]

I could never get the "AI" to put on the alligator clips though [;)]

I still have Panzer Armee Afrika.

What was the PC game which modelled the naval race between England and Germany? One apparently could design a build dreadnoughts then employ them in a campaign and tactical mode. Maybe 8 years ago. Never found a copy to try. Loved the idea.

[strawbuk]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake
I do realize it sounds a bit geeky. [:D]

Noooo not at all

I wrote a map game based on the X-craft going after IJN crusiers in a 'far eastern port' not unlike Singapore (btw if IJN gets Kaitens I want X-craft) - players had to have a cardboard box on their head and so could only see a bit of the map and chart by looking staright down and could only take it off when at periscope depth/surfaced.

And they had to dead reckon on the chart (hmm did the player brief really mis-state that five kt tidal stream as two kts? Where did that sand bank come from..)

That's geeky - cardboard technology , beats a pentium everytime.

[Sonny]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Hi, There are many games that if they were remade for current PC would be best sellers in my opinion.

Colonial Conquest SSI. Was never made for PC. A new version that allowed for online multiplayers would be very popular.

Battles of Napolean. SSI update would only require a new graphis and a Campaign that tracked unit status from one battle to the next. Large strategic map for movement between battles.

Warship and it's WWI companion game. Just needs graphics upgrade. And campaign with large maps.

(Come to think of it most SSI titles that were brought up to date would sell at least as many copies as they sold the first go around)

Definitely would get my attention. Trouble is most of the supposed "updates" end up being crap because they try to make a RTS out of them. Or they are not anything like the original - Squad Leader comes to mind.

[erstad]

Hmmm. Mind is too fogged by time to recall for sure what was "first," but "early" would include AH Russian Campaign, War at Sea, Victory in the Pacific, several of the SPI quads, Winter War and probably others.

Played (well, in many cases started) many of the monster games; War in the West/East/Europe, War In the Pacific, Highway to the Reich. A buddy bought The Longest Day (I think that;s the right title) but we never got around to it.

Other favorites included Flattop, the Napoleon game with the wooden blocks (where you rotated the blocks for step reductions), Panzergruppe Guderian, and a number of the other AH & SPI games.

[Jim D Burns]

My first two wargames were AH's Gettysburg (the one with the oversized counters) and Luftwaffe. My father had picked them up and found them too involved, so he tossed them in my room and my addiction was born. I couldn't afford to buy many games in those early years, so I improvised and developed games using a large peg board. My brother and I also developed a naval system using dominos once.

My favorite times where back in the mid 80's, I had a wargaming buddy for a roommate and we put 2 - 4x8 sheets of plywood together in the living room resting on sawhorses. We had huge games of World in Flames and Empires in Arms to name a few with 8-10 gamers over every weekend.

We even did a double blind game of Terrible Swift Sword once down the street at the guys house who published the Grenadier magazine (Jeff Tibbets?). There were three games set up at once. The two opposing teams were connected by phone to the moderator who received moves and fire orders and only divulged what info about the enemy he felt was merited. Amazing feel for FOW in a board game.

To date I have a collection of a few hundred board games and 300 or more PC games, having amassed it over 25+ years of gaming. I feel sorry for whoever has to deal with it all when I finally bite the dust. Unless he's a gamer of course. [;)]

Jim

[bradfordkay]

For me it was AH's Afrika Korps in '69. My dad and I went to The Toy Shoppe in Richmond, VA looking for Britains miniatures so we could try out HG Wells' rules in Little Wars. As we walked down an aisle at the store there was a selection of Avalon Hill classics. We decided on AK and I have never looked back. Dad quit playing the games early (complaining that he needed a calculator to play - Afrika Korps??!!), but I never did. I have lost over half my collection over the decades (and continent crossing moves), but not the love.

My first computer game was Carriers At War. Seeing that box in a store was what made me decide to have my first computer built (a 386 with 8 MB of RAM - boy how things have changed in just ten years!).

As far as boardgames to be translated to computer, my greatest desire is for the Great Campaigns of the American Civil War series (Stonewall Jackson's Way, etc) to be put on computer. My favorite of those is Road to Richmond (probably only because the house I grew up in is shown on the map), but the original, Stonewall Jackson's Way is likely the best balanced.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: strawbuk

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake
I do realize it sounds a bit geeky. [:D]

Noooo not at all

I wrote a map game based on the X-craft going after IJN crusiers in a 'far eastern port' not unlike Singapore (btw if IJN gets Kaitens I want X-craft) - players had to have a cardboard box on their head and so could only see a bit of the map and chart by looking staright down and could only take it off when at periscope depth/surfaced.

And they had to dead reckon on the chart (hmm did the player brief really mis-state that five kt tidal stream as two kts? Where did that sand bank come from..)

That's geeky - cardboard technology , beats a pentium everytime.

Wow...I feel better now [:D] Good Lord what if someone outside the Grognard world had come over...you might have been committed. A box OVER your head?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns


We even did a double blind game of Terrible Swift Sword once down the street at the guys house who published the Grenadier magazine (Jeff Tibbets?). There were three games set up at once. The two opposing teams were connected by phone to the moderator who received moves and fire orders and only divulged what info about the enemy he felt was merited. Amazing feel for FOW in a board game.


Jim

Wow...that sounds liek a blast. Plenty of time for brewskis and BS'ing too.

[msaario]

So what did I have a long time ago in a galaxy far far away??

I had that Avalon Hill Midway game, with nice 40x25 or so "graphics"...

I had was it War in the East board game? And the Pacific War board game, too. I had a chance to play them like once as they were too big, physically.

Then there was Guadalcanal Campaign, TAC from Avalon with the awesome HiRes "graphics".

Dnieper River Line and some other hybrid computer and board games.

I loved Microprose's Knights of the Desert(?) and that DDay game (still have them someplace). I think they still are the best combination of accuracy and playability. Simply gems!

--Mikko

[msaario]

The fondest memories I had were from Gary's original War in the Russia on the Apple. I used to press ctrl-c to crash the game and it created an empty Pz Corps that needed no supplies and I sent it to cut the russki rail lines in Siberia. Even if it moved one hex at a time, it really confused the computer

Nothing beats a nice cheat...

--Mikko