Just Got This Game for My Birthday

[EWGuttag]

This was a requested "birthday present." After looking through the 200+ page manual, all I can say is "WOW!" This is definitely going to be more of a challenge than Guns of August, but I'm looking forward to it. If there are any suggestions on a good opening scenario for a newcomer, I'm all ears. (I don't have the predecessor Uncommon Valor.) And I can also be very patient.

[Mike Solli]

You can kiss your social life goodbye. [:D] Welcome to the forum and all it's crazies.  I recommend you jump in and ask specific questions as you get them.

[radar]

Happy birthday and as the The Beatles sang...

I'm glad it's your birthday...it's my birthday too, yeah...

[DuckofTindalos]

Welcome to the Dark Side...[:D] The cover charge is your soul, but once WitP gets a hold of you, you won't miss it anyway...[:D]

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Welcome to the Dark Side...[:D] The cover charge is your soul, but once WitP gets a hold of you, you won't miss it anyway...[:D]

Souls are over rated. On a more helpful note, try the Guadalcanal Scenario firts. I would recomend playing it as both sides so you get a feeling for the capabilites of each sides units

[Barb]

Welcome between us - lost souls - lost lives... [:D]
I would recoment Coral Sea scenario for beginers. It is short enough, and you have the Sea and Air elements in action almost instantly.

[EWGuttag]

To all:
 
Thanks for all the helpful advice (including my "soul" being possessed).  If I run across any questions (I'm sure there'll be plenty), I'll let you know.  And I just turned 57.  I'm also an "old wargamer" going back over 40 years, and just picking up the habit again.

[DuckofTindalos]

Just when you thought you were out, they pulled you back in![:D]

[AW1Steve]

Welcome to the madness brother , and may you enjoy the game as much as we have! Don't let the manual scare you , it's not all that correct anyhow! [:D] It's best to learn by playing , reading AAR's and asking and reading questions. Maybe you can be smart and learn from our mistakes! [:D]
If nothing else, may you take away with you the knowledge that history didn't have to go the way it did! And appreciate the people who made it even more! Enjoy my friend, enjoy! And don't forget , we are here if you need us![:D] (If you are married, condolences to your wife, but it's cheaper than a drug addiction or a mistress! [:D]).

[EWGuttag]

AW1Steve,
 
Thanks for the advice.  I'm mainly using the Manual to understand the menus.  From what I've read about the PTO, I understand enough doctrine (both sides) to not be totally perplexed (but I'm sure I'm going to make mistakes and go through a learning curve).  Actually, I've already looked at some of the AARs (especially those with Screen Captures) to get some of the feel for this game.  Going slowly isn't an issue for me.  From what I can see, WitP is the only computer game that deals with the breadth and scope of the PTO.  The boardgames out there for the PTO that cover this scope aren't that easy and are pretty time consuming too.

[EWGuttag]

So you know, I've also got Guns of August (I'm a WWI buff too).  GOA is rated as "high complexity" but WitP is definitely beyond that.

[thegreatwent]

Welcome to the asylum EWGuttag. I recommend the "Must Read" threads as a good resource and always remember that with such a large game even big mistakes are not fatal against the AI.

[DivePac88]

Welcome EWGuttag to the ultimate wargame, and say goodbye to your other hobbies and games. It takes a-bit to get the basics, but any time you put into this game you get back 100-fold in enjoyment. [;)]

[EWGuttag]

thegreatwent,
 
What's the easiest way to get to the "Must Read" threads? 

[anarchyintheuk]

It's the second thread on the main WitP page ("List of 'Must Read' Threads").

[Canoerebel]

Alot of WitP is actually pretty intuitive, which means familiarity with military strategy helps alot (This boils down to "Get there the firstest with the mostest" as Nathan Bedford Forest would say).

Probably the hardest thing for a Newb to grasp is the critical importance of logistics:  how to get supplies and fuel where they are needed and how to foresee what you'll need where six months or one year ahead of time.

[bradfordkay]

That's right... it does no good whatsoever to "get there firstest with the mostest" if they arrive with no ammunition or supplies...

[EWGuttag]

anarchyintheuk,
 
Thanks much.  To use the Staples expression, "that was easy."

[EWGuttag]

Canoerebel/bradfordkay,
 
You're right about logistics being important.  From my initial reading of the manual, that's pretty clear.  Can't just "beam it aboard" like in Star Trek, can you?  Anyway, having played other computer games like Caesar, Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, and even worse yet, Transportation Tycoon, I'm used to dealing with logistic issues, but not necessarily as complex as WitP.

[Canoerebel]

You might grasp the overall importance of logistics, but it will take experience to really get comfortable.  The experienced player can look ahead and say, "My main thrust is going to be here, so I need abundant supplies here, here, and here; and then make the moves to get them there."  The Newb has not idea where he'll be in a year.  If he thinks, "Hmm, I'd like to invade Guadalcanal in mid-1942 just like the Allies, so I'm going to send troops and massive supplies to Noumea with smaller garrisons and supplies to Luganville and Espiritu Santo."  Sounds great until the Japanese player steamrolls right through all three positions and wipes out everything; meanwhile, you're scrambling to pull together a defense of New Zealand and you have dozens of merchant ships in harm's way as the KB patrols all around.  The experienced player doesn't stick out his neck too far, and if the Japs do catch him by surprise he has a decent idea how to absorb the blow and to begin preparations there and elsewhere.
 
No matter how smart a new player is, no matter how carefully he reads the rules, no matter how much attention he gives to AARs (and that's very important), he still has a massive and steep learning curve ahead.