Matrix Games Forums

Hi all

I have been looking to get back into board strategy games, and finally feel like I might have some time to do so. I know of a lot of titles made in the 70's, 80's and 90's that I would be interesting in getting - but hesitate to pay excessive amounts for them on Ebay and such.

Can anyone recommend some good, high quality, polished and detailed strategy games that are still in print - or atleast can still be purchased new for a reasonable price? I prefer operational, but enjoy tactical and strategic also. I prefer WWII, but can enjoy any age. Detail and realism is more important to me than scale and age - would you expect anything else from a WitP player? [:D]

Are there any consistently good publishers that are still putting out good games?

All I know of are MMP (still have all my ASL/SL stuff) and GMT. Have never tried GMT - any reviews from WitP players?

Thanks in advance.

Chad

Clash of Arms, Multi Man Publishing and GMT are good places to start.

Look at Consimworld.com too for advice, reviews and gossip. And boardgamegeek.com.

Boardgamegeek.com or whatever that site is called is a great place to start.

Also try search grognards & SPI

...or SPI Wrecking Yard.

I recommend Federation and Empire. A Grand Strategic and Operational game from the Star Fleet Battles (Star Trek) Universe. http://www.starfleetgames.com/federationandempire.shtml

Disclaimer: I and Nashvilen are staff members for this game.

ORIGINAL: rjopel

I recommend Federation and Empire. A Grand Strategic and Operational game from the Star Fleet Battles (Star Trek) Universe. http://www.starfleetgames.com/federationandempire.shtml

Disclaimer: I and Nashvilen are staff members for this game.

It's funny you bring that up, I played that years ago, and as I started into WITP that was one of the first games to come to mind! I just looked at the site, glad to see it is still active. I spent countless hours on Star Fleet Battles in college (probably should have counted as a second major), and played quite a bit for the first few years after (late 80s-early 90s), but as my normal opponents moved away, and we started having kids etc, that was one of the things to get shelved.

Fed&Empire was a great strategic boardgame as I remember it, I will have to read up on the expansions etc since then.

Don't forget other good publishers such as Decision Games (who have most of the old SPI titles including Strategy & Tactics Magazine), Compass Games, Avalanche Press, Sierra Madre Games (for some way out but excellent titles), Columbia Games - and they are just some of the major players. Google the titles to find their websites or just look them up on Boardgame geek to see their product lines.

They are always saying that board gaming is dying but judging by the number of companies in the market it can't be true....

Avalanche Press' Great War At Sea series is pretty good. Picture a Victory Games "Fleet" series game based in WWI. 

As rjopel said, Federation & Empire is a good grand strategy game. I also have found the Operational Combat Series by Multiman Publishing to be good. They have a great game on the Burma conflict in 1944.

ORIGINAL: sprior

Clash of Arms, Multi Man Publishing and GMT are good places to start.

Look at Consimworld.com too for advice, reviews and gossip. And boardgamegeek.com.

+1 for Clash of Arms
Excellent Ancients games

The Gamers series as mentioned above. Operational Combat series, Tactical Combat Series and Regimental Sub-Series are all wonderful.

Clash of Arms Napoleonic series are great. Been playing that series since it was first owned by Marshal Enterprises 30+ years ago.

Must be nice having enough floor or table space to do boardgames. [;)] With as many moves as I've done and living in small, medium and large spaces over the years, but mostly small, I gave up my boardgames about 20 years ago.

That said, it might be cool to pick up a beer & pretzels game that could be done in 2-3 hours.

Cheers,
CC

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Plenty to look after now.

Back in the 80's/early 90's I had two boardgames that covered the entire Pacific War. Really loved them. I have since lost them. So . . .

Can anyone recommend a board game that shares the similar scope of WitP and covers the war? Or perhaps a single campaign (ie. Cartwheel, Marianas, ect.)? Naval actions?

Again, specific recommendations are most welcomed.

Thanks again

Chad

Victory Games' "War in the Pacific" IIRC, that's what started me off on this whole pacific thing. A VERY detailed board game for its time, rated 10 out of 10 by folks. See Grognards mentioned above. It is a site I always have bookmarked. Really intense reviews of materials.

Oh and I also have an untouched Pacific War game published in Japan, which I think is much like the Victory Games board game. It does have instructions in English, very interesting stuff....

GMT has some great hardcore but very well tohught out games. My favorite is Barbarossa: East Front Series. You can try this one for a great operational east front game for sure.

www.Boardgamegeek.com is the modernplace to go. Everything is there including the largest community of wargamers on our planet.

Dr.Hal, I think you mean 'Pacific War' from GMT Games, designed by Mark Herman? That is an excellent game that does indeed cover the entire war, Chad, with a focus on operations, so it might just be what you are looking for. In fact, Mark Herman is preparing a new edition (to be published by Multiman Publishing), but it might take a while before being available (as in, more than a year from now). It's usually available on Ebay though.

'War in the Pacific' was published by SPI (IIRC) and was a monstergame, which became an even bigger monster when a new edition was published by Decision Games. 9000+ counters, 7 large maps, etc. etc. Very expensive, but it's the only game that begins to approach WITPAE's level of detail. WITPAE is playable though, War in the Pacific not so much - though some have done so.

'Empire of the Sun' is a card-driven strategic game on the pacific war, also by Mark Herman for GMT. It's very popular - as one can see on Boardgamegeek and consimworld.

SPI also brought out 'WWII: Pacific theater of operations' which was, I believe, also republished by Decision games, as 'Advanced Pacific theater of operations'. I never played that, as yet.

Cheers,
Houtje

World in Flames would accomplish that I am guessing.

Thanks for the replies all. Plenty to chew on here.

Chad