Matrix Games Forums

I wonder if anyone else on this forum is also playing boardgames and would like to share good games / rules to play.

I have bought lately Downfall of the Third Reich from Do It games and I like it very much. The rules are easy. It is very playable and you can do ETO in one night. A nice game honestly. The strategic air war and the sub warfare is perhaps a little too simplified. But, other than, good game.

Also, I am looking at GMT's Triumph and Tragedy that I have discovered lately with its PTO sequel Conquest and Consequences.

Does anyone have an opinion on these two GMT games?

I like boardgames too, not played for a while but "The Hunt for Red October" is my fsv, its not really about the film, so dont think that, it has one scenario about it. its really good though.

I also like the "airfix battles" miniatures game, its a self contaned boardgame with card chits etc... very simple, but i use the cards for other games i play, its a solitaire game too.

you should learn ASL in your lifetime, it changes everything you do in wargaming afterwards, steel panthers is kinda like it. valour and victory is an ASL simplified, but trust me ASL is king, after you learn ASL you have some great gaming paths, ATS and Lock n Load.

a nice boardgame is circus maximus , its chariot racing, you can make your own stadium

there are lots of boardgame after that, you will be on a journey,

I'm the editorial director over at Armchair Dragoons and we cover a bunch of tabletop wargaming, along with digital games, too.

We also run the wargaming program at Origins, which is all tabletop stuff except for the CPXs

If folks are looking for some boardgame chatter, that's where you're likely to find me engaging in it

I still play tabletop wargames with my friends. Right now I’m in the middle of a “Empire of the Sun” game as the Allies and it is a real fight.

I have ASL and I play it every then and now. The electronic manual was an excellent initiative which helped to cut the rule-chasing overhead. However, I like more the Panzer/MBT system: more tank oriented but also leaner and quite exciting.

Compass Games wants to reprint the classic “Fleet” games from Victory Games (Sixth Fleet, 2nd Fleet…) Can’t wait. I hope that they will give to it the same wonderful treatment that The Third World War got.

On the strategic side, World in Flames CE is my to go game for WWII (pity for the whole MWiF fiasco, but amen to that). The Operational Combat System by MMP is, IMHO, the best one around for the operational level. I played Sicily II, Tunisia II and The Blitzkrieg Legend with free setups (it is about France 40, but both the Allies and the Germans can choose a different overall plan). I have DAK II, too, but still un punched. This October, barring unforeseen problems, we plan to play the re-edition of Bar-Lev for the 60th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.

I still have many games from my youth. The one, however, that I still play is Wooden Ships & Iron Men. I still have to find something that beats that wonderful design.

ncc1701e I forgot a game that is really good, and looking at your avator I should of remembered., STAR FLEET BATTLES is fantastic.

I retired from board wargames in 2014, prior to that I owned just over 500 board wargames from the 1960s-2014, I had a large collection of AH, SPI, GDW, DG, S&T, MMP, Gamers, OSG, XRT, Command, GRD, Yaq, and other independent game companies. I also had a large amount of S&T mags, Moves issues, Generals, TEM and F&M. But due to life and things I sold off my entire collection of things, sans my ASL collection, I just could not get rid of that.

I digitalized a lot of stuff for memories sake, and a lot of things are available now in digital format, but you can't digitalize the old cardboard smell, lol. I had some games from say 1971 that had that smell to them...

Now that need gets filled with WDS games.

mainsworthy wrote: Tue Jun 13, 2023 2:13 am ncc1701e I forgot a game that is really good, and looking at your avator I should of remembered., STAR FLEET BATTLES is fantastic.

Yes, fantastic indeed.

I prefer Operational scale to Tactical one. That's why I never wanted to open ASL. But, I am playing Steel Panthers from time to time.

On the other hand, I agree with Falvo. The Operational Combat Series (OCS) rules are one of the best for me. The Blitzkrieg Legend is one of my favorite.

On the Strategic scale, I forgot to mention No Retreat! This game is absolutely fantastic. You have the feeling of Russian front without tons of counters. Really a game everyone, every boardgame geek, should have.

Ticket To Ride (any version) is worthy either as a board or computer game.

ElvisJJonesRambo wrote: Sun Sep 03, 2023 4:24 pm Ticket To Ride (any version) is worthy either as a board or computer game.

Yep, playing this with my kids. They love it.

During holidays, I have rediscovered Stalin's War by Ted Raicer published by GMT. A good game with the latest version of the rules that help a lot the Soviets to resist the invasion. In the rules, I can see some inspiration of what will become later the rules of No Retreat!. Worth a (re)try.

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ncc1701e wrote: Thu Sep 07, 2023 10:07 pm

ElvisJJonesRambo wrote: Sun Sep 03, 2023 4:24 pm Ticket To Ride (any version) is worthy either as a board or computer game.

Yep, playing this with my kids. They love it.

Quite the game, it's even better one the computer. The Mega game is the best, with 4 player. Online is fast. Would like to see them add more Maps than just USA.

Can play for free online:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=tickettoride

Still learning to play Pacific War: The Struggle Against Japan, 1941-1945, designed by Mark Herman, this game is very interesting. It has great mechanisms to simulate naval/air battles.

For example, in the Battle of the Coral Sea scenario, task force 17 has been detected at long range by Japanese long range planes. This is a bad die roll. But, the task force composition is still uncertain for the Japanese player.

Entertaining but not very suitable for solitaire play. As I said, I am learning it. Normally unknown to the Japanese side, TF17 contains two carriers.

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Played Pacific War, couple years ago with an old gamer (is there any other kind?)
The counters & rules, wow, my brain is rusty.
I was burned out, after 3 hours of game play just to get thru Pearl Harbor.

Thanks for posting that "spotter" chart. Determines who moves first.

Hopefully in eternity, I'll have time to pursue such endeavors.