Thanks for another great video. I do find building armies one of the most fun parts then going oh why didn’t I think of that 2 minutes into the game after spending half an hour on it before the game.
Thanks very much! Really pleased you enjoyed it :). I do agree, creating your forces is very absorbing and I quite enjoy the agonising decisions, especially when it comes to supporting equipment. I know what you mean, though - my biggest mental block is forgetting to use my Ammo and Grenade tokens, and I often finish games with all the tokens I set out with 😅
Hi Andrew, this is another great video! *You are forgetting a MAJOR rule in Heroes System games, and that is the fact that it is NEVER possible to win a game in Turn 1!* This is a core rule that applies to all scenarios. You could shoot another video where you continue from Turn 2, perhaps?
Hi Bart, thanks very much! I'm afraid I was unaware of this rule, so much appreciate you pointing it out to me. It makes good sense as a win this early can spoil a game, and I will certainly take up your suggestion of doing another video from turn 2. If you don't mind, just for my reference please could you tell me where to find the rule, as I can't locate it in the rulebooks? I have the 1st Edition HoN core rules and Heroes of Stalingrad if that helps. Thanks! :)
@@andrewchoong2895 Hi Andrew, I can't remember where exactly it's stated in the first edition rulebook, but for Heroes of Stalingrad and the Big Red Edition, it's typically in the Scenarios booklet, under the Scenario Rules heading, at the beginning of the booklet.
@@bartdevuyst Thank you very much, Bart! I've found it now in the Stalingrad Scenario book, as you said (highlighted in red, which guarantees I'd miss it!🤣). I'm very grateful for your help with this! :)
Hi Andrew! If you had to rank your top 5 or top 10 favorite war games (board game or card game), what would that list look like? You have mentioned Up Front, Combat Commander, Heroes of Normandie, Sub Attack, Remember the Maine, Ships of War and I'm sure I'm missing a few, but I would be interested to know your all time favorites in order. Thanks!
Hi Mark! Gosh, that's quite a difficult question to answer. The list shifts frequently depending on what mood I'm in and/or what I happen to be reading/watching at a given time. I also tend to rate some games not because they are necessarily the 'best ever', but because they are great games as they go and, most crucially, see a lot of play time. So, those health warnings aside, my top ten as of 1st March 2023 (🤣) are: 1. Up Front - no arguments about this one. It is IMHO the finest card-based wargame I have ever played. 2. Down In Flames - Definitely the GMT Games version rather than the DVG version. 3. Heroes of Normandie - Will happily play anything based on this system. 4. Attack Sub - Can't beat this for slow-burn tension, combined with one of the most elegantly simple systems I've ever seen. 5. Memoir '44 - Barely qualifies as a simulation wargame, but a great system for introducing the next generation to their future lifelong hobby :). Any spin-offs from this system such as 'Red Alert' are good too. 6. To The Last Man - A really good treatment of the Western Front in WWI. 7. Duel In The Dark - A reasonable and very playable simulation of the British bombing campaign 1940-1945. 8. Another Glorious Day In The Corps - Scratches my 'Aliens' itch very well. 9. Axis & Allies - Will play just about anything out of this stable. Not the best, but a very sociable game and always brings back happy memories from my childhood when I had the Milton Bradley original. The 2001 edition Axis & Allies Pacific is probably the best of the bunch. 10. Age of Napoleon - A really nice game that allows you to fight the entire Napoleonic War in an evening, within believable parameters. So there we go! If you don't mind me asking, same question back at you, Mark 🙂. What are your top ten?
@@andrewchoong2895 Wow that's a great list! That is exactly what I was looking for because I need to research more war games that are "in print" to put on my wish list. I'm just getting started in war games and so I only own a few because I come from a Eurogame background. My favorite Eurogames are Brass Birmingham and Pandemic. I don't know if this counts as a war game but I really enjoyed playing Twilight Struggle when my son was 14 years old many years ago...he was very good at beating me, but now he's too busy working on his engineering PhD to play with poor old Dad. I do recall many fun sessions of Axis and Allies back in the early 1990s with my brother. I once almost pulled off an early game victory when as the Brits, I had stockpiled a huge amount of materiel in the channel and plenty of bombers, and instead of invading Normandy, I put everything I had via transports and air directly into Germany, and after one massive battle I was one die roll away from winning it all even though I had started with numerical superiority, but alas, my gamble lost due to poor dice rolls and I resigned because I had pinned all my hopes on taking all of Germany's massively stockpiled cash before he could spend it next turn. But that is not much of a war game history, other than when my siblings and I invented our own rules for a thermonuclear version of Risk in the 1980s. More recently I have absolutely enjoyed watching Up Front playthrough videos the most so I will say that's my favorite wargame at the moment. Having watched so many videos I feel as though I've played it quite a few times, and sometimes I just read the rulebook before turning out the lights, because it's just so fascinating! I wanted to buy the reprint of it at wargamevault, but to get *everything* (including the poker sized personnel cards) I would have to spend over $200, so I'm more than content to wait patiently for a better deal to come along on ebay for a used copy, or wait for a (successful) kickstarter. I did find a good deal on Combat Commander Pacific last week, and I see so many wonderful similarities between CC:P and Up Front that I thought perhaps I could talk my wife into playing that one with me. Oh and I forgot... I bought Undaunted Normandy a few months ago to play when my friend who I went to flight school with (in the late 80s) flies into town on his 737 for a layover. He isn't really into complex games...mostly Company of Heroes on Steam, lol. I've only played a few games but Undaunted would be somewhere near number 5 on my newly coalescing list. My future war game shopping list only includes a couple titles so far, like "Maria" and "C&C Napoleonics". Oh and I forgot, I bought Paths of Glory by GMT back when it first came out, but I've never played it, so it's been sitting on my shelf for almost 20 years?
@@maubunky1 Hi Mark! Thanks very much, that's a pretty good line up of games to be getting into/considering blowing the dust off. I have never played the 'Brass' games but I hear very good things about Brass Birmingham. Pandemic is a good one. I have not tried any of the expansions but I did play a lot of it in 2020 (in/appropriately?). Bought a copy for my nephew on his birthday that year and he quite liked it. I would definitely rate Twilight Struggle as a wargame, and an extremely good one too. I have it and really like it, but it doesn't see much action as my regular gaming buddies' tastes run into earlier periods. I've only played it twice in the last five years, which is a shame. Best wishes to your son as he gets through his PhD [subtext - hurry up and finish the thing so you can focus on the more important task of challenging your Dad for world domination!! lol]. I loved your Axis & Allies move with the British. Very clever and if not for the dice gods you deserved a win...or at least a successful heist! My finest hour came with the Brits too, but in a game which the Allies lost overall. I had built up an immense force of battleships in home waters, and kept launching abortive invasions of France to help the Russians, I must admit what I was doing was very gamey. I had insufficient strength to take France, but capitalising on the naval bombardment rule I was subjecting his defenders to the combined fire of eight battleships every turn (to which they could not reply) and sacrificing a lone infantryman as the invading force. The German player was not amused, but to give him credit he kept his focus on crushing the USSR and just used his vast wealth to rebuild the French defences every turn until the Axis won the game. It's a real shame no one's giving Up Front a proper relaunch. I have no doubt it would sell well. I have never tried Combat Commander or C&C Napoleonics, but I love Undaunted Normandy and am kicking myself now for not including it on my list lol. Paths of Glory is a classic, but having tried it once I'd agree you need a good few days free to micro-manage your way through WWI. Shame, as it is a great and engaging game. The designer did produce a very simplified version a few years back which is pretty good: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11202/first-world-war
Andrew thanks hello, I'm horrified, as I'm getting all the KS everything for this game collection,,, gets very xpensive rabbit hole, haven't even played yet , but the scenarios look a bit shallow,. ,no soldiers put at risk there lives to pick up some ammo or whatever is there, certainly not a mortar team ,,,, ,, the game looks well supported and well moddable might add three lane map setup , memoir 44 cards !!!! , Up front stirred in a bit !!!! , then use sum curry powder 4 a 3 day session,,,, I've just got on eBay and suddenly all the game shops opening,,I can't afford to live where I get games sent to,,,, az I live on a boat ,!!! and there's allready £££s spent, I not open or looking at yet ,az I'm waiting to get home ,, yikes herman Goering armoured train!!! Utterly endless,,, still I not getting the Pacific Kick Starter theatre stuff ,no way way no noooo. Ayo Gurkhas, nein
A pleasure as always, Brian! Yeah, I know what you mean. Part of me wants to get every single component they ever produced for this game, but reality has put a break on that. I might have mentioned I never got the Caen Kickstarter, but I did join the KS for the Pacific one because I'm quite into that theatre. At the moment though I only have the original core box (1st edition), Stalingrad, and the army boxes for the US, Britain and Germany along with some terrain bits......and the French farmer Etienne with his three cows!!!! And yes, I will admit, I did invest heavily in Memoir '44 too back in the day...until reality and economics hit me hard!😆
@@andrewchoong2895 thanks ,, u get the Pacific stuff n I'll get the west, k I've just got KS Caen 2 and 3. Carentan peg bridge, St mere , I haven't got yet all the devil news look wonderful, which I must collect , wundefull the shipping cost iz prohibited,,,, I also have the m 44 d day map set , I can't afford to un shrink it ,,,
Great stuff! You're well ahead of me in the European Theatre for HoN now :). I know the feeling, I keep looking at all the lovely goodies on their website and wanting the lot 😅
Another excellent presentation
Thank you very much! I'm very glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks for another great video. I do find building armies one of the most fun parts then going oh why didn’t I think of that 2 minutes into the game after spending half an hour on it before the game.
Thanks very much! Really pleased you enjoyed it :). I do agree, creating your forces is very absorbing and I quite enjoy the agonising decisions, especially when it comes to supporting equipment. I know what you mean, though - my biggest mental block is forgetting to use my Ammo and Grenade tokens, and I often finish games with all the tokens I set out with 😅
Hi Andrew, this is another great video!
*You are forgetting a MAJOR rule in Heroes System games, and that is the fact that it is NEVER possible to win a game in Turn 1!* This is a core rule that applies to all scenarios. You could shoot another video where you continue from Turn 2, perhaps?
Hi Bart, thanks very much! I'm afraid I was unaware of this rule, so much appreciate you pointing it out to me. It makes good sense as a win this early can spoil a game, and I will certainly take up your suggestion of doing another video from turn 2.
If you don't mind, just for my reference please could you tell me where to find the rule, as I can't locate it in the rulebooks? I have the 1st Edition HoN core rules and Heroes of Stalingrad if that helps. Thanks! :)
@@andrewchoong2895 Hi Andrew,
I can't remember where exactly it's stated in the first edition rulebook, but for Heroes of Stalingrad and the Big Red Edition, it's typically in the Scenarios booklet, under the Scenario Rules heading, at the beginning of the booklet.
@@bartdevuyst Thank you very much, Bart! I've found it now in the Stalingrad Scenario book, as you said (highlighted in red, which guarantees I'd miss it!🤣). I'm very grateful for your help with this! :)
@@andrewchoong2895 always here to help the community!
Hi Andrew! If you had to rank your top 5 or top 10 favorite war games (board game or card game), what would that list look like? You have mentioned Up Front, Combat Commander, Heroes of Normandie, Sub Attack, Remember the Maine, Ships of War and I'm sure I'm missing a few, but I would be interested to know your all time favorites in order. Thanks!
Hi Mark! Gosh, that's quite a difficult question to answer. The list shifts frequently depending on what mood I'm in and/or what I happen to be reading/watching at a given time. I also tend to rate some games not because they are necessarily the 'best ever', but because they are great games as they go and, most crucially, see a lot of play time. So, those health warnings aside, my top ten as of 1st March 2023 (🤣) are:
1. Up Front - no arguments about this one. It is IMHO the finest card-based wargame I have ever played.
2. Down In Flames - Definitely the GMT Games version rather than the DVG version.
3. Heroes of Normandie - Will happily play anything based on this system.
4. Attack Sub - Can't beat this for slow-burn tension, combined with one of the most elegantly simple systems I've ever seen.
5. Memoir '44 - Barely qualifies as a simulation wargame, but a great system for introducing the next generation to their future lifelong hobby :). Any spin-offs from this system such as 'Red Alert' are good too.
6. To The Last Man - A really good treatment of the Western Front in WWI.
7. Duel In The Dark - A reasonable and very playable simulation of the British bombing campaign 1940-1945.
8. Another Glorious Day In The Corps - Scratches my 'Aliens' itch very well.
9. Axis & Allies - Will play just about anything out of this stable. Not the best, but a very sociable game and always brings back happy memories from my childhood when I had the Milton Bradley original. The 2001 edition Axis & Allies Pacific is probably the best of the bunch.
10. Age of Napoleon - A really nice game that allows you to fight the entire Napoleonic War in an evening, within believable parameters.
So there we go! If you don't mind me asking, same question back at you, Mark 🙂. What are your top ten?
@@andrewchoong2895 Wow that's a great list! That is exactly what I was looking for because I need to research more war games that are "in print" to put on my wish list. I'm just getting started in war games and so I only own a few because I come from a Eurogame background. My favorite Eurogames are Brass Birmingham and Pandemic. I don't know if this counts as a war game but I really enjoyed playing Twilight Struggle when my son was 14 years old many years ago...he was very good at beating me, but now he's too busy working on his engineering PhD to play with poor old Dad. I do recall many fun sessions of Axis and Allies back in the early 1990s with my brother. I once almost pulled off an early game victory when as the Brits, I had stockpiled a huge amount of materiel in the channel and plenty of bombers, and instead of invading Normandy, I put everything I had via transports and air directly into Germany, and after one massive battle I was one die roll away from winning it all even though I had started with numerical superiority, but alas, my gamble lost due to poor dice rolls and I resigned because I had pinned all my hopes on taking all of Germany's massively stockpiled cash before he could spend it next turn. But that is not much of a war game history, other than when my siblings and I invented our own rules for a thermonuclear version of Risk in the 1980s. More recently I have absolutely enjoyed watching Up Front playthrough videos the most so I will say that's my favorite wargame at the moment. Having watched so many videos I feel as though I've played it quite a few times, and sometimes I just read the rulebook before turning out the lights, because it's just so fascinating! I wanted to buy the reprint of it at wargamevault, but to get *everything* (including the poker sized personnel cards) I would have to spend over $200, so I'm more than content to wait patiently for a better deal to come along on ebay for a used copy, or wait for a (successful) kickstarter. I did find a good deal on Combat Commander Pacific last week, and I see so many wonderful similarities between CC:P and Up Front that I thought perhaps I could talk my wife into playing that one with me. Oh and I forgot... I bought Undaunted Normandy a few months ago to play when my friend who I went to flight school with (in the late 80s) flies into town on his 737 for a layover. He isn't really into complex games...mostly Company of Heroes on Steam, lol. I've only played a few games but Undaunted would be somewhere near number 5 on my newly coalescing list. My future war game shopping list only includes a couple titles so far, like "Maria" and "C&C Napoleonics". Oh and I forgot, I bought Paths of Glory by GMT back when it first came out, but I've never played it, so it's been sitting on my shelf for almost 20 years?
@@maubunky1 Hi Mark! Thanks very much, that's a pretty good line up of games to be getting into/considering blowing the dust off. I have never played the 'Brass' games but I hear very good things about Brass Birmingham. Pandemic is a good one. I have not tried any of the expansions but I did play a lot of it in 2020 (in/appropriately?). Bought a copy for my nephew on his birthday that year and he quite liked it. I would definitely rate Twilight Struggle as a wargame, and an extremely good one too. I have it and really like it, but it doesn't see much action as my regular gaming buddies' tastes run into earlier periods. I've only played it twice in the last five years, which is a shame. Best wishes to your son as he gets through his PhD [subtext - hurry up and finish the thing so you can focus on the more important task of challenging your Dad for world domination!! lol]. I loved your Axis & Allies move with the British. Very clever and if not for the dice gods you deserved a win...or at least a successful heist! My finest hour came with the Brits too, but in a game which the Allies lost overall. I had built up an immense force of battleships in home waters, and kept launching abortive invasions of France to help the Russians, I must admit what I was doing was very gamey. I had insufficient strength to take France, but capitalising on the naval bombardment rule I was subjecting his defenders to the combined fire of eight battleships every turn (to which they could not reply) and sacrificing a lone infantryman as the invading force. The German player was not amused, but to give him credit he kept his focus on crushing the USSR and just used his vast wealth to rebuild the French defences every turn until the Axis won the game. It's a real shame no one's giving Up Front a proper relaunch. I have no doubt it would sell well. I have never tried Combat Commander or C&C Napoleonics, but I love Undaunted Normandy and am kicking myself now for not including it on my list lol. Paths of Glory is a classic, but having tried it once I'd agree you need a good few days free to micro-manage your way through WWI. Shame, as it is a great and engaging game. The designer did produce a very simplified version a few years back which is pretty good: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11202/first-world-war
Andrew thanks hello, I'm horrified, as I'm getting all the KS everything for this game collection,,, gets very xpensive rabbit hole, haven't even played yet , but the scenarios look a bit shallow,. ,no soldiers put at risk there lives to pick up some ammo or whatever is there, certainly not a mortar team ,,,, ,, the game looks well supported and well moddable might add three lane map setup , memoir 44 cards !!!! , Up front stirred in a bit !!!! , then use sum curry powder 4 a 3 day session,,,, I've just got on eBay and suddenly all the game shops opening,,I can't afford to live where I get games sent to,,,, az I live on a boat ,!!! and there's allready £££s spent, I not open or looking at yet ,az I'm waiting to get home ,, yikes herman Goering armoured train!!! Utterly endless,,, still I not getting the Pacific Kick Starter theatre stuff ,no way way no noooo. Ayo Gurkhas, nein
A pleasure as always, Brian! Yeah, I know what you mean. Part of me wants to get every single component they ever produced for this game, but reality has put a break on that. I might have mentioned I never got the Caen Kickstarter, but I did join the KS for the Pacific one because I'm quite into that theatre. At the moment though I only have the original core box (1st edition), Stalingrad, and the army boxes for the US, Britain and Germany along with some terrain bits......and the French farmer Etienne with his three cows!!!! And yes, I will admit, I did invest heavily in Memoir '44 too back in the day...until reality and economics hit me hard!😆
@@andrewchoong2895 thanks ,, u get the Pacific stuff n I'll get the west, k I've just got KS Caen 2 and 3. Carentan peg bridge, St mere , I haven't got yet all the devil news look wonderful, which I must collect , wundefull the shipping cost iz prohibited,,,, I also have the m 44 d day map set , I can't afford to un shrink it ,,,
Great stuff! You're well ahead of me in the European Theatre for HoN now :). I know the feeling, I keep looking at all the lovely goodies on their website and wanting the lot 😅