I think TH-cam might be deleting comments with the hashtag to enter the contest. Sorry about that, it's not me. Let's try a different tack... To enter the contest, just put the word "beautiful" in your comment and then name a game that you think has good visual design. I'll accept any entries like that. Good luck everyone! :)
THANK YOU for that update!! I was about to go crazy reposting and trying Not to say anything about war or any battle in the case TH-cam was blocking anything like that.
Sure thing, sorry about the issues. I'm not 100% what word TH-cam is keying on, so we might need to tweak it further, but I assume it's the hashtag that YT doesn't like. As an aside, I don't even see the comments, as they get deleted automatically before they get to me. We'll try this for a few hours and see if it fixes things. It's possible the word "beautiful" is causing the problem. Not sure. We'll figure something out. :)
Quick update, but it does appear to be the hashtag that YT doesn't like. No idea why. I just saw a longer post with the hashtag in it and replied to it, but by the time I hit "Reply" after typing up my reply, the original comment had been deleted.
Yeah, I’ve had two entries deleted apparently. The first entry included personal commentary in regard to the components of each game listed. So, that was a waste of time! This happened to me once before and it turned out my entry went into some sort of “hidden mode” and the channel host was able to find it. Don’t ask me how.
@@RobertO-ly5tb Yes, your reply I actually saw and I typed up a long reply to, hit "Reply" and everything was already gone. For whatever reason YT has it out for that hashtag. There have probably been dozens of comments that have been deleted, as the number of entries is comparatively really low compared to other contests. My apologies for the problem, but the solution up top seems to be working. If you just want to type that word and one game, no worries. I liked your list by the way, only two I have (Eylau 1807 and one other one I forgot already).
Speaking of beautiful wargames Corvette Command looks awesome. I'm excited to see more. My picks for beautiful wargames would be Port Arthur and Eylau 1807. They're both on my shelf of shame currently, but the production on both is fantastic. I also want to shout two wargame adjacent games that are beautiful, Imperial Struggle and A Gest Of Robin Hood. For me AGORH is the best looking thing GMT has ever put out. (Re-commenting because of Pinned comment)
I've just gotten Corvette Command to the table now, should get a first convoy in in the next couple of days. I'm not familiar with Port Arthur but agree regarding Eylau 1807. And I think they really captured the wintery nature of the battle too. And I like your other choices too. I've not seen Imperial Struggle in person, but I've seen A Gest of Robin Hood, which is beautiful. :)
Great video and I´m glad that it stoppt raining at your place... ;-) I would really enjoy a comparison of several games dealing with the "cold war gone hot" szenarion in the european theater. Being a german kid of the 70/80s the topic is kind of close to me... Perhaps as a smaller version of your battle of the bulge contest...
Yes, it felt like it's been raining for months here. I can finally mow my lawn. ;) There certainly are a fair number of Cold War gone hot games lately, haven't there? I don't have a lot of them, to be honest, and I also find them to be fairly complex games, so I think a project covering them would be a bold endeavor. Maybe some day, though!
Beautiful for me starts with the Blind Swords ACW games. The Rick Barber maps are beautiful though they can be a bit visually busy and take a little getting used to. I also really like the design Revolution Games has brought to the counters, the silhouette of the state with the unit info clearly marked on each one. They are simple, effective, and elegant.
This is a great point, yes. I've got two of the games in the system and they both are a great blend of artistic vision and quality gameplay. Great choice!
Beautiful 1. AH Anzio, the color explosions of the map and the myriad of nationalities (yes the counters were basic) but it first printed in '69 2. AH Longest Day mega game 3. Terrible swift sword -Gettysburg mega game blessed to have a large and active gaming group in my early days
Beautiful The third time is the charm. Some favorites from my collection: 1750: Britain vs France (Battle Hardened Games) Amateur to Arms! (Clash of Arms) The Battles of Monmouth (CoA) Eylau 1807 (Sound of Drums) Front Toward Enemy (MMP) Fornovo 1495 (Compass) Manila: The Savage Streets (Revolution & Take Aim Designs) Roads to Gettysburg II (Any game in the GCACW Series) (MMP) Paths to Hell (Compass) Quatre Bras 1815 (Any game in the Eagles of France Series) (Hexasim) Operation Dauntless (GMT) Silver Bayonet (25th Anniversary Edition) (GMT)
Let's hope this one sticks. :) They seem to be so far. Thanks for your persistence. The good thing is that your odds of winning are much greater because so many entries have been apparently deleted. Manila was the other one that I really like the map/design for as well. All the rest I'm not familiar with, noted to check out. :)
Beautiful Navajo Wars, different ways to represent areas of living and control. Counters are clear and distinctive, and the People Counters are iconic images that give you the feel of family and cultural preservation. The box is solid, but most of the player aids while attractive are merely colorful while being functional.
Beautiful. I think Song For War is visually stunning, hope they can produce that one at some point. My gaming experience parallels yours, from a time standpoint. I have gaps too, but really liked AH Flattop. The map of the SW Pacific is great theatre! A great historical tool for the WWll Pacific theatre buff. Thanks for all of your coverage. I've used Noble Knight Games to recycle about 30 of my older games for newer ones, a great option.
Song for War is coming back to Kickstarter in early 2025, and I'm convinced it will make it this time. :) Pacific game maps I find can be so hard to do well. I'll have to check out Flattop, thanks!
Looks like my comment was blasted. Beautiful Nemo's War 2nd Edition. Great components, art and theme. While not a war game one of the motives you can choose for Nemo is War and you can go on a grand spree of sinking ships.
Thanks for resubmitting, but yeah, TH-cam is relentlessly blasting anything with the hashtag in it for who knows what reasons. I've actually got Nemo on my list already to explore, so great choice, and one that's coming up quite often. :)
Beautiful 1. Bretwalda. Gorgeous dark age Saxon England themed components. Not released yet, but gameplay looks to cover things important to early kingdoms. 2. Summer Storm: The Battle of Gettysburg. Superb Rick Barber. 3. Le Vol de L'Aigle. Actual period Napoleonic maps. Only seen demo; requires umpire. 4. Strike of the Eagle. Poles vs Soviets. 5. Freedom!. Greek War of Independence. 6. Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno.
Shiloh: The First Day looks magnificent. That entire series is innovative and Beautiful. Overall though I would say that A Most Fearful Sacrifice wins hands done for one of the most Beautiful games in it's entirety. 💯
Great video as always! One thing which I think you've missed of late was the release of OST Volume 4. It deserves a mention, best production quality of any wargame I think I've bought in the last 40 years. The expansion For the Empire is truly awesome too. I think this is one system you need to try. I've played SL, ASL, ASLSK, LnL and a bunch of others but OST is my preferred dice driven squad level tactical wargame. Gives me the same buzz that I had when I first played SL.
Thanks! At some point I'd love to try Old School Tactical, yes. I've heard great things about it. I actually did mention the game in the previous (August) video. :)
Beautiful! Night Fighter Ace. Duel in the Dark (all games). Mali Powstańcy (Little Insurgents). But… Revolutions Games: Shiloh - really? It’s Grant’s army that was called the Army of the Tennessee (the river). Rebel armies tended to be named for regions, Union armies tended to be named for rivers. At Shiloh, the Confederate army was actually the Army of Mississippi. Boy, oh, boy, that’s a real rookie error.
Interesting, I wouldn't think of Night Fighter Ace as striking in design, but I've not looked closely at it. Thanks for the suggestion! I don't know enough to comment on the army names, but interesting point. :)
Beautiful games: One of my favorites would be Nemo's War 2nd edition. You may find the map a little abstract though. I would also say 1775: Rebellion, The Guns of Gettysburg, or Victoria Cross II Deluxe Edition.
These are great suggestions. I went through my collection and have Nemo's War on the list, but it's been on my Shelf of Opportunity. Time to check it out in detail, I think. The others sound very interesting, I'll have to take a look. :)
Love you videos, I learn a lot and they make me excited. Yet, they also make me realize how redundant most hex-and-counter games are (it's just a change of battle name or secondary rule...). Also, a game with "700 counters, 290 pages and 12 scenarios", how many gamers will have the time and energy to cover all of that (and still be able to play other games)?!... Ha!
I was thinking the same thing but then when I did the "Bulge Off last winter and looked at all the Bulge games I realized that even thought they appeared the same, they all were actually quite different. So although we might have a bunch of games covering a particular battle, I think there actually are quite a few differences among the games. And yes, those larger games can take months to play through, which is great if you're on a budget. :)
As a lifetime gronards, I’m so appreciative of your dedication to this community. Your energy and enthusiasm is so infectious. Keep up the awesome work.
Beautiful Wargames: Obviously anything from Vuca has to be there, like Traces of War, for example. I would like also to give a shout out to Nicolas Eskubi and his work on MMP. I think the revamping of their Great Campaigns of the American Civil War is impressive in many levels (not components, though, in that regard MMP seems to be stuck in 1980, but they're selling enough ASL they don't seem to care 😅).
beautiful beautifulwargames my picks are Burning Banners, Undaunted Battle of Britain, Conflict of Heroes games, but one that REALLY got my attention for some beauty, but sadly did not fund on KS, was Song for War: Mediterranean Theater, what a looker (insert long slow whistle here) haha. Thanks
So this came through fine so I think it might be the hashtag that was causing the issues. Fingers crossed this fixes it, thanks for your patience. :) And yes, Song for War is a game on my list, and it's coming back to Kickstarter next year. :)
beautiful This War Without an Enemy by Nuts Publishing. The game graphics capture the feel of the English Civil War with the map, cards and block labels. I hope block games are eligible too.😃
I don't have This War Without an Enemy and I don't want to give too much away, but the box cover on that one is my #1 favorite. I just love the design.
here is a good one: Richard III: The Wars of the Roses, well maybe not "beautiful" for all criteria that you mentioned, but still. Thanks for your channel
beautiful - Sicily '43. I know it's not out yet, but it looks great. Also Freezing Inferno...the map is awesome! You continue to do an awesome job with your videos. I really like the energy and positive attitude you provide. Thx
Drive on Stalingrad is already out. It has another buy option for $110. Planning on playing Stalingrad 42 in October or possibly November. Okay that solitaire pirate game is calling to me arrr!
Another great video, I’m very tempted by “Golden Age of Piracy” but shipping and taxes to U.K. could double the price 😢, so it’s probably a sensible pass. I’ve also so many unplayed on the shelves too 😂
My list of beautiful games is limited to what I physically own. In rough order and stand out comments: 1) A Most Fearful Sacrifice 2nd Edition by Flying Pig Games: The mounted Map is astounding and worth the price of the game by itself - if you have the table space to set it up. Counters are also amazing and easy to read. 2) The Fate of All by Thin Red Line Games. Expensive game if you can find it but worth the price. The map, though not mounted, is a work of art. The counters also beautiful (but some of them do blend in with the map). The rule books are well written and a joy to read, and the subject and the goal of gaming logistics and the feeding of troops intriguing. 3) Decisive Victory 1918 Vol I Soissons: Simple map and counters are refreshing. A rules light game laser focused on an important battle that’s hard to create an engaging game for due to the nature of it - but the author has succeeded. 4) Unconditional Surrender: If you get the Mounted Maps you won’t be disappointed! 5) Vol X GCACW Atlanta is Ours by MMP: The maps (not mounted) are a thing to behold, and worthy of mounting in frames and hanging on your wall. 6) Pacific War by GMT: A large game, the mounted maps are beautiful, counters great. If you are interested in the Pacific War this is a must have. If you have the time. 7) To Take Washington LoB by MMP: Made the list due the maps.
A lot of great games in here. I definitely have #1 high on my list. Some of the others I don't own and I'm not familiar with. I hadn't considered Unconditional Surrender, I'll take a look at that one. And Atlanta is Ours is another one I'd not considered. Thanks for sharing, and sorry it took a while to reply!
Thanks so much for this, Zilla. I already got my copy of Next War Iran, but some of the other games looked very intriguing! BTW, I think you dropped an N in announcements.
I have NW: Korea looks good, but NW: Iran escapes me, the map is so small. And why not run another print of NW: Tiawan ??? its mind boggling, and GMT is sooooo sllooooowww on the release schedule, i cancelled a preorder after 2 years of nothing.
@@ZillaBlitz Yeah check out Warriors of Japan, it's a great game (IMO), and the artwork used throughout the game is very thematic and evocative of the period. It is meant to be a 2 player game, but it solos really nice (in fact I've only played it solo).
Yes! And everything about it is so thematic, even the Santa Fe dice colors. I love how the map has the US boarders in the background of the map, but they’re faded like it’s just a footnote and the real territory belongs to the Natives. Amazing
beautiful wargames. I have three candidates, A Most Fearful Sacrifice, the map and counters are a beautiful piece of art. Rick Barber's map design is evocative of the area around Gettysburg. Two is Shores of Tripoli by Fort Circle Games. Again, I find the map is evocative while being functional and they also work hard to pull the history into the game by including a document from the period. (I would have put Votes for Women above Shores of Tripoli as it takes the concept of including historical documents even further but in my personal opinion find the map art clashes with meeples used.) My last candidate is Almoravid. I could have listed any of the Levy and Campaign games but I like Almoravid's artistic vision, the best of all of the released games in that series.
Also, I forgot to add that I got a chance to play a turn of Shiloh: The First Day with Roger Miller, the developer. I had thought Black Swan was developed to handle larger battles but Blind Swords worked well for the larger scenario in my opinion. The only caveat is I did not play through the entire scenario so it may be a longer game than some of the others in that series as there is a large number of units to be managed.
I backed 65 Saturday morning after watching a few playthroughs to see if I would like it. An Army of Darkness demon possessed my right hand and before I could stop it, the demon had also clicked on the ARVN pack and the marine / Aussie pack and the solo pack and the Hue map. There was nothing I could do to stop it :)
What a great way to start my day...a new Upcoming video! Do you think the Shiloh game, despite being the biggest in the series, would still be a good entry point into the Blind Sword system? Or is there another you would recommend? Cheers.
I think Rebellion are missing out on a good board game they could do. How about Karl’s (or Harry’s) ancestor as a member off Sharpe’s 95th Rifles in the Napoleonic Wars (1792 to 1815). It is almost as famous as World War Two. They already have maps of all the global areas, except maybe India. The only changes necessary would be mostly clothes and weapons. They could even have bad guy Nazis; oops I mean Prussians. For Sniper Elite purists, they could title it as the Rifle Elite series. Yes all of the Napoleonic board games look great! Regards
My pleasure, and how badly did I butcher your pronunciation? I hunted for it on TH-cam for about 10 minutes and got three different ways to say your last name. :)
#beautifulwargames "Cruel Necessity The English Civil Wars" by Victory Point Games It's a small solo game, but nicely done with the map, artwork, pieces, and method of play.
That is a good looking game, yes. I just checked it out. Isn't that Worthington Publishing though, or does Victory Point make them under the Worthington label perhaps?
That's a great choice, and one that is in my field of candidates, too. To get in the contest, can you edit your entry to include #beautifulwargames? That way the search will pick it up. :)
Awaiting Ju87 Stuka Ace - looking forward to getting it to the table. Just got Undaunted 2200 and am hoping to get friends interested in checking it out. #beautifulwargames Conflict of Heroes: Storms of Steel
I think you'll really enjoy Stuka Ace, and I'm looking forward to Undaunted 2200 as well. Does it have a solo mode? And I actually have Conflict of Heroes on my list for beautiful games, too, very nice choice! :)
I think TH-cam might be deleting comments with the hashtag to enter the contest. Sorry about that, it's not me. Let's try a different tack...
To enter the contest, just put the word "beautiful" in your comment and then name a game that you think has good visual design. I'll accept any entries like that. Good luck everyone! :)
THANK YOU for that update!! I was about to go crazy reposting and trying Not to say anything about war or any battle in the case TH-cam was blocking anything like that.
Sure thing, sorry about the issues. I'm not 100% what word TH-cam is keying on, so we might need to tweak it further, but I assume it's the hashtag that YT doesn't like.
As an aside, I don't even see the comments, as they get deleted automatically before they get to me. We'll try this for a few hours and see if it fixes things. It's possible the word "beautiful" is causing the problem. Not sure. We'll figure something out. :)
Quick update, but it does appear to be the hashtag that YT doesn't like. No idea why. I just saw a longer post with the hashtag in it and replied to it, but by the time I hit "Reply" after typing up my reply, the original comment had been deleted.
Yeah, I’ve had two entries deleted apparently. The first entry included personal commentary in regard to the components of each game listed. So, that was a waste of time! This happened to me once before and it turned out my entry went into some sort of “hidden mode” and the channel host was able to find it. Don’t ask me how.
@@RobertO-ly5tb Yes, your reply I actually saw and I typed up a long reply to, hit "Reply" and everything was already gone. For whatever reason YT has it out for that hashtag. There have probably been dozens of comments that have been deleted, as the number of entries is comparatively really low compared to other contests. My apologies for the problem, but the solution up top seems to be working. If you just want to type that word and one game, no worries. I liked your list by the way, only two I have (Eylau 1807 and one other one I forgot already).
boy, i love how the map/playing-board looks in the Napoleonic game.
Really well done, yes. :)
Speaking of beautiful wargames Corvette Command looks awesome. I'm excited to see more.
My picks for beautiful wargames would be Port Arthur and Eylau 1807. They're both on my shelf of shame currently, but the production on both is fantastic. I also want to shout two wargame adjacent games that are beautiful, Imperial Struggle and A Gest Of Robin Hood. For me AGORH is the best looking thing GMT has ever put out.
(Re-commenting because of Pinned comment)
I've just gotten Corvette Command to the table now, should get a first convoy in in the next couple of days.
I'm not familiar with Port Arthur but agree regarding Eylau 1807. And I think they really captured the wintery nature of the battle too. And I like your other choices too. I've not seen Imperial Struggle in person, but I've seen A Gest of Robin Hood, which is beautiful. :)
Beautiful
1) Operation theseus (Vuca)
2) Malta besieged (Worthington)
3) The lights are going out (Compass)
Beautiful games: 1) Axis & Allies WWI 1914, 2) Ottoman Sunset.
Thanks! Two games I'll take a look at, much appreciated. :)
My most beautiful (kinda) is the Undaunted series. The artwork for all the cards is stellar.
This is a great pick, yes. Very inviting design. :)
Great video and I´m glad that it stoppt raining at your place... ;-) I would really enjoy a comparison of several games dealing with the "cold war gone hot" szenarion in the european theater. Being a german kid of the 70/80s the topic is kind of close to me... Perhaps as a smaller version of your battle of the bulge contest...
Yes, it felt like it's been raining for months here. I can finally mow my lawn. ;)
There certainly are a fair number of Cold War gone hot games lately, haven't there? I don't have a lot of them, to be honest, and I also find them to be fairly complex games, so I think a project covering them would be a bold endeavor. Maybe some day, though!
Beautiful for me starts with the Blind Swords ACW games. The Rick Barber maps are beautiful though they can be a bit visually busy and take a little getting used to. I also really like the design Revolution Games has brought to the counters, the silhouette of the state with the unit info clearly marked on each one. They are simple, effective, and elegant.
This is a great point, yes. I've got two of the games in the system and they both are a great blend of artistic vision and quality gameplay. Great choice!
Beautiful. Undaunted 2200: Callisto and Wilderness War are great. But tops for me would be Imperial Struggle.
These are three great choices! :)
Beautiful 1. AH Anzio, the color explosions of the map and the myriad of nationalities (yes the counters were basic) but it first printed in '69 2. AH Longest Day mega game 3. Terrible swift sword -Gettysburg mega game
blessed to have a large and active gaming group in my early days
Some great classic art in there, thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)
Beautiful
The third time is the charm. Some favorites from my collection:
1750: Britain vs France (Battle Hardened Games)
Amateur to Arms! (Clash of Arms)
The Battles of Monmouth (CoA)
Eylau 1807 (Sound of Drums)
Front Toward Enemy (MMP)
Fornovo 1495 (Compass)
Manila: The Savage Streets (Revolution & Take Aim Designs)
Roads to Gettysburg II (Any game in the GCACW Series) (MMP)
Paths to Hell (Compass)
Quatre Bras 1815 (Any game in the Eagles of France Series) (Hexasim)
Operation Dauntless (GMT)
Silver Bayonet (25th Anniversary Edition) (GMT)
Let's hope this one sticks. :) They seem to be so far. Thanks for your persistence. The good thing is that your odds of winning are much greater because so many entries have been apparently deleted.
Manila was the other one that I really like the map/design for as well. All the rest I'm not familiar with, noted to check out. :)
Beautiful Navajo Wars, different ways to represent areas of living and control. Counters are clear and distinctive, and the People Counters are iconic images that give you the feel of family and cultural preservation. The box is solid, but most of the player aids while attractive are merely colorful while being functional.
I think this is one I'll have to check out. I've seen the stones in the game, which seem outstanding.
Beautiful. I think Song For War is visually stunning, hope they can produce that one at some point. My gaming experience parallels yours, from a time standpoint. I have gaps too, but really liked AH Flattop. The map of the SW Pacific is great theatre! A great historical tool for the WWll Pacific theatre buff. Thanks for all of your coverage. I've used Noble Knight Games to recycle about 30 of my older games for newer ones, a great option.
Song for War is coming back to Kickstarter in early 2025, and I'm convinced it will make it this time. :)
Pacific game maps I find can be so hard to do well. I'll have to check out Flattop, thanks!
Looks like my comment was blasted. Beautiful Nemo's War 2nd Edition. Great components, art and theme. While not a war game one of the motives you can choose for Nemo is War and you can go on a grand spree of sinking ships.
Thanks for resubmitting, but yeah, TH-cam is relentlessly blasting anything with the hashtag in it for who knows what reasons.
I've actually got Nemo on my list already to explore, so great choice, and one that's coming up quite often. :)
Beautiful : Old School Tactical, Burning Banners, Lanzerath Ridge.
I'm not familiar with the look of Old School Tactical yet, but totally on board with the other two. :)
Beautiful Undaunted (any of them)! The box art is always great and the rulebook is so well-written but also beautiful as well.
I think this is a great choice, a fantastic artistic vision on the whole series.
I think any Rick Barber map is beautiful. I have Thunder at Dawn and it’s just a terrific representation of that Ozark landscape.
Yes, Rick Barber's stuff is just spectacular. The map for A Most Fearful Sacrifice is A+++.
Beautiful Wargame: Gotta go with any of the GCACW series especially the reprints by MMP. As always, Great Show!!! Thanks!
Thanks! GCACW getting a lot of love here. :)
Beautiful. This war without an end. Any of the Conflict of Heroes series. Star Wars Rebellion.
Nice suggestions, thanks! I have the Conflict of Heroes ones on my list, but I don't own the others.
Beautiful! I'll go with The Red Burnoose: Algeria 1857 - amazing box art and beautiful cards.
Oh, another one to check out, I’m not familiar with that one, sounds great.
A beautiful Wargame is "A Most Fearful Sacrifice". Stunning map and great counters, good rule book. I think it checks all of your boxes.
It's definitely in my pool of candidates, for all the reasons you mention. Simply stunning game!
Beautiful
1. Bretwalda. Gorgeous dark age Saxon England themed components. Not released yet, but gameplay looks to cover things important to early kingdoms.
2. Summer Storm: The Battle of Gettysburg. Superb Rick Barber.
3. Le Vol de L'Aigle. Actual period Napoleonic maps. Only seen demo; requires umpire.
4. Strike of the Eagle. Poles vs Soviets.
5. Freedom!. Greek War of Independence.
6. Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno.
Shiloh: The First Day looks magnificent. That entire series is innovative and Beautiful. Overall though I would say that A Most Fearful Sacrifice wins hands done for one of the most Beautiful games in it's entirety. 💯
A Most Fearful Sacrifice is definitely on my list. :)
I just backed ‘65 Squad Battles in the Jungles of Vietnam (2nd edition). Hope it’s a good one.
Nice! I hope you enjoy it. It's a very smooth tactical system.
Not sure if you’re aware that Revolution Games has a sale going on right now that ends on September 30th. Might be worth letting folks know about.
Oh, I was not aware of that, thanks. I'll make an announcement on the channel community page tomorrow. :)
Great video as always!
One thing which I think you've missed of late was the release of OST Volume 4. It deserves a mention, best production quality of any wargame I think I've bought in the last 40 years. The expansion For the Empire is truly awesome too.
I think this is one system you need to try. I've played SL, ASL, ASLSK, LnL and a bunch of others but OST is my preferred dice driven squad level tactical wargame. Gives me the same buzz that I had when I first played SL.
Thanks! At some point I'd love to try Old School Tactical, yes. I've heard great things about it. I actually did mention the game in the previous (August) video. :)
Beautiful! Night Fighter Ace. Duel in the Dark (all games). Mali Powstańcy (Little Insurgents).
But… Revolutions Games: Shiloh - really? It’s Grant’s army that was called the Army of the Tennessee (the river). Rebel armies tended to be named for regions, Union armies tended to be named for rivers. At Shiloh, the Confederate army was actually the Army of Mississippi. Boy, oh, boy, that’s a real rookie error.
Interesting, I wouldn't think of Night Fighter Ace as striking in design, but I've not looked closely at it. Thanks for the suggestion!
I don't know enough to comment on the army names, but interesting point. :)
Beautiful games: One of my favorites would be Nemo's War 2nd edition. You may find the map a little abstract though. I would also say 1775: Rebellion, The Guns of Gettysburg, or Victoria Cross II Deluxe Edition.
These are great suggestions. I went through my collection and have Nemo's War on the list, but it's been on my Shelf of Opportunity. Time to check it out in detail, I think. The others sound very interesting, I'll have to take a look. :)
Love you videos, I learn a lot and they make me excited. Yet, they also make me realize how redundant most hex-and-counter games are (it's just a change of battle name or secondary rule...). Also, a game with "700 counters, 290 pages and 12 scenarios", how many gamers will have the time and energy to cover all of that (and still be able to play other games)?!... Ha!
I was thinking the same thing but then when I did the "Bulge Off last winter and looked at all the Bulge games I realized that even thought they appeared the same, they all were actually quite different. So although we might have a bunch of games covering a particular battle, I think there actually are quite a few differences among the games.
And yes, those larger games can take months to play through, which is great if you're on a budget. :)
Awaiting blood and fury and stuka ace. Lock n load make absolutely beautiful games.
Shouldn't be too much longer now!
As a lifetime gronards, I’m so appreciative of your dedication to this community. Your energy and enthusiasm is so infectious. Keep up the awesome work.
Thanks very much for the kind words. Made my day. :)
Beautiful Wargames: Obviously anything from Vuca has to be there, like Traces of War, for example. I would like also to give a shout out to Nicolas Eskubi and his work on MMP. I think the revamping of their Great Campaigns of the American Civil War is impressive in many levels (not components, though, in that regard MMP seems to be stuck in 1980, but they're selling enough ASL they don't seem to care 😅).
beautiful beautifulwargames my picks are Burning Banners, Undaunted Battle of Britain, Conflict of Heroes games, but one that REALLY got my attention for some beauty, but sadly did not fund on KS, was Song for War: Mediterranean Theater, what a looker (insert long slow whistle here) haha. Thanks
So this came through fine so I think it might be the hashtag that was causing the issues. Fingers crossed this fixes it, thanks for your patience. :) And yes, Song for War is a game on my list, and it's coming back to Kickstarter next year. :)
beautiful This War Without an Enemy by Nuts Publishing. The game graphics capture the feel of the English Civil War with the map, cards and block labels. I hope block games are eligible too.😃
I don't have This War Without an Enemy and I don't want to give too much away, but the box cover on that one is my #1 favorite. I just love the design.
I find the map, counters, player aids and even the box, for Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble to be beautiful!
Interesting, that's not one I've seen yet. I'll explore, thanks!
I backed Golden Age of Piracy. It reminds me of Sid Meier's Pirates! which I played CONSTANTLY ON NES, Genesis, PC, and Wii
Yes! I played it to death, probably wearing out the floppy discs on my first pc. Good times!
Yarrr!
Capturing ships - no prob. Dancing with the governor’s daughter - grrr. 😅 Great memories.
Haha, that dancing! :)
I am curious to see how it compares to AH Blackbeard.
here is a good one: Richard III: The Wars of the Roses, well maybe not "beautiful" for all criteria that you mentioned, but still.
Thanks for your channel
Definitely a good looking game, yes. Not sure about the box, but it's checking off a lot of the criteria. :)
beautiful - Sicily '43. I know it's not out yet, but it looks great. Also Freezing Inferno...the map is awesome! You continue to do an awesome job with your videos. I really like the energy and positive attitude you provide. Thx
Drive on Stalingrad is already out. It has another buy option for $110. Planning on playing Stalingrad 42 in October or possibly November. Okay that solitaire pirate game is calling to me arrr!
Good to know, thanks!
@@ZillaBlitz You're quite welcome!
I like the new counter art direction from Decision Games. They are a step up, at least for my taste. I might finally buy something from them.
I do think there's a lot of potential in updating older games like that, yes.
Another great video, I’m very tempted by “Golden Age of Piracy” but shipping and taxes to U.K. could double the price 😢, so it’s probably a sensible pass. I’ve also so many unplayed on the shelves too 😂
I just ordered mine from Second Chance Games.
Ouch, that sounds expensive! It's rough with the shipping to Europe, for sure.
@@ZillaBlitz Second Chance is in Europe. Liverpool I believe.
@@earlofdoncaster5018 thanks £63 / $84, will consider it for sure (plus postage I presume?)
@@andygrant5894 Presumption correct.
My list of beautiful games is limited to what I physically own. In rough order and stand out comments:
1) A Most Fearful Sacrifice 2nd Edition by Flying Pig Games: The mounted Map is astounding and worth the price of the game by itself - if you have the table space to set it up. Counters are also amazing and easy to read.
2) The Fate of All by Thin Red Line Games. Expensive game if you can find it but worth the price. The map, though not mounted, is a work of art. The counters also beautiful (but some of them do blend in with the map). The rule books are well written and a joy to read, and the subject and the goal of gaming logistics and the feeding of troops intriguing.
3) Decisive Victory 1918 Vol I Soissons: Simple map and counters are refreshing. A rules light game laser focused on an important battle that’s hard to create an engaging game for due to the nature of it - but the author has succeeded.
4) Unconditional Surrender: If you get the Mounted Maps you won’t be disappointed!
5) Vol X GCACW Atlanta is Ours by MMP: The maps (not mounted) are a thing to behold, and worthy of mounting in frames and hanging on your wall.
6) Pacific War by GMT: A large game, the mounted maps are beautiful, counters great. If you are interested in the Pacific War this is a must have. If you have the time.
7) To Take Washington LoB by MMP: Made the list due the maps.
A lot of great games in here. I definitely have #1 high on my list. Some of the others I don't own and I'm not familiar with. I hadn't considered Unconditional Surrender, I'll take a look at that one. And Atlanta is Ours is another one I'd not considered. Thanks for sharing, and sorry it took a while to reply!
Thanks so much for this, Zilla. I already got my copy of Next War Iran, but some of the other games looked very intriguing! BTW, I think you dropped an N in announcements.
I hope you enjoy Next War: Iran as well. :) And whoops! My bad on the spelling, thanks for pointing it out. :)
I have NW: Korea looks good, but NW: Iran escapes me, the map is so small. And why not run another print of NW: Tiawan ??? its mind boggling, and GMT is sooooo sllooooowww on the release schedule, i cancelled a preorder after 2 years of nothing.
Beautiful game?? Burning Banners. Spectacular design and “feel” that the art brings in spades.
That's a great choice, isn't it! :)
Beautiful ..siege and cryhavoc games by standard games
Thanks! I'm not familiar with those, added to the list. :)
beautiful
1. Burning Banners
2. Warriors of Japan: A Country Aflame 1335-1339
3. A Gest of Robin Hood
1 and 3 are great choices! I'm not familiar with #2, will explore it. Thanks and good luck in the drawing. :)
@@ZillaBlitz Yeah check out Warriors of Japan, it's a great game (IMO), and the artwork used throughout the game is very thematic and evocative of the period. It is meant to be a 2 player game, but it solos really nice (in fact I've only played it solo).
Oh, wow, yes. That is gorgeous. Thanks!
Just realized that I replied to you under my work account. 😂 It's still the same guy, just a different account.
@@ZillaBlitz You're welcome! Glad I could finally tell others about the game!
Beautiful war games: Navajo Wars, absolutely gorgeous!!
Oh, that's the one with the stones, right?
Yes! And everything about it is so thematic, even the Santa Fe dice colors. I love how the map has the US boarders in the background of the map, but they’re faded like it’s just a footnote and the real territory belongs to the Natives. Amazing
Very nice, I've heard good things about the gameplay too.
It’s intense, and I love how much history you learn from it, incredible.
I almost included Navajo Wars on my list, but I wanted to keep it to 3. Great game!
Nothing about the rerelease’s of Axis & Allies and its expansion’s ?
I'll take a look, thanks! :)
@@ZillaBlitz they released an ultimate version with a much bigger board and North African one as well
beautiful wargames. I have three candidates, A Most Fearful Sacrifice, the map and counters are a beautiful piece of art. Rick Barber's map design is evocative of the area around Gettysburg. Two is Shores of Tripoli by Fort Circle Games. Again, I find the map is evocative while being functional and they also work hard to pull the history into the game by including a document from the period. (I would have put Votes for Women above Shores of Tripoli as it takes the concept of including historical documents even further but in my personal opinion find the map art clashes with meeples used.) My last candidate is Almoravid. I could have listed any of the Levy and Campaign games but I like Almoravid's artistic vision, the best of all of the released games in that series.
Also, I forgot to add that I got a chance to play a turn of Shiloh: The First Day with Roger Miller, the developer. I had thought Black Swan was developed to handle larger battles but Blind Swords worked well for the larger scenario in my opinion. The only caveat is I did not play through the entire scenario so it may be a longer game than some of the others in that series as there is a large number of units to be managed.
I backed 65 Saturday morning after watching a few playthroughs to see if I would like it. An Army of Darkness demon possessed my right hand and before I could stop it, the demon had also clicked on the ARVN pack and the marine / Aussie pack and the solo pack and the Hue map. There was nothing I could do to stop it :)
Hahaha! I have the same demon inside me at times too. It's like, click click click and there goes another $100. Enjoy the game!
Beautiful. Western front Ace
Oh, I'll have to take a look at that one, thanks.
@@ZillaBlitzplays like Silent Victory
I think a beautiful game is bloodstones. man I want to try this one.
Oh, wow. Yes, that is gorgeous. I'd not seen it before, thanks. :)
I count War of the Ring as a wargame so it would be my most beautiful
Me too, and that's a great choice. :)
Beautiful. PSC version of the Battle of Britain
Oh, that is nice looking, especially with those minis! :)
What a great way to start my day...a new Upcoming video! Do you think the Shiloh game, despite being the biggest in the series, would still be a good entry point into the Blind Sword system? Or is there another you would recommend? Cheers.
It has several smaller scenarios, and even some smaller maps so you don’t have to set up the whole big map.
As PushingCardboard says, it's got a good number of smaller scenarios, so I think it'd work great as an entry point. :)
Beautiful wargames on top of my mind:
Red Strike by Vuca Sims
Burning Banners by Compass
A Gest of Robin Hood, does COIN count? ☺️
Thanks! Yep, COIN counts, and a Gest of Robin Hood is gorgeous. :)
Thank you so much! Ryan
My pleasure, Ryan! Excited to see what Wharf Rat becomes, and it's great to have a new company in the hobby.
I think Rebellion are missing out on a good board game they could do. How about Karl’s (or Harry’s) ancestor as a member off Sharpe’s 95th Rifles in the Napoleonic Wars (1792 to 1815). It is almost as famous as World War Two. They already have maps of all the global areas, except maybe India. The only changes necessary would be mostly clothes and weapons.
They could even have bad guy Nazis; oops I mean Prussians. For Sniper Elite purists, they could title it as the Rifle Elite series.
Yes all of the Napoleonic board games look great!
Regards
I do think there is something to be said about Napoleonic games looking good. That seems to be a consistent element of them.
beautiful Malta Besieged, Worthington Games
Thanks! I've not seen that one yet, noted for checking out. :)
I went all-in on Golden Age of Piracy some days ago. It reminded me of Sid Meier's Pirates!, which I still play to this day.
I'm very curious to see how that one turns out. Pirates! was a great game. :)
Just signed up to Noble Knight. I am hoping they ship to New Zealand.
They do, yep. :)
Ha thanks for the shoutout, much appreciated! Looking forward to that list of Most Beautiful wargames
My pleasure, and how badly did I butcher your pronunciation? I hunted for it on TH-cam for about 10 minutes and got three different ways to say your last name. :)
@@ZillaBlitz Pretty bad :D My first name is more like "Walter" in English. For my last name, I wouldn't even know where to start so don't worry!
Haha! I'm sorry about that. I thought I had the first name right, oops!
#beautifulwargames "Cruel Necessity The English Civil Wars" by Victory Point Games It's a small solo game, but nicely done with the map, artwork, pieces, and method of play.
That is a good looking game, yes. I just checked it out. Isn't that Worthington Publishing though, or does Victory Point make them under the Worthington label perhaps?
Beautiful: Afrika Korps (Avalon Hill 1964)
That map is fantastic, yes! :)
@@ZillaBlitz Great box cover as well.
Yes, a classic!
Beautiful… I’ve never tried a war game 😅
Ha! No worries, thanks for entering. :)
@@ZillaBlitz a friend just informed me that chess was the “original war game” so … that’s my pick haha
That's a great pick! :)
#beautifulwargames war of the ring espacialy if it is painted like the anniversary edition!
I've seen a bunch of those painted and yes, they can look spectacular when done well. :)
100K hexes! - surely not?
Actually, 101k, according to the information on the website. Most of the scenarios I'd expect will use on a tiny fraction of that space.
@@ZillaBlitz Wow!
I know, right? This makes Campaign for North Africa seem like a beginner wargame. These WDS games have massive replayability and depth.
@@ZillaBlitz Truly amazing- it's definitely a game I'm looking at.
Great video!
Thanks, Nathan! :)
Beautiful games
Wargame adjacent : War of the Ring.
That's a great choice! Especially if one paints the minis. :)
Beautiful war game:
Root
Very nice choice! To enter the contest, you'll want to fix your answer to include #beautifulwargames :)
A very nice choice. :)
Beautiful war games,,,,,, Avalon hills5,, the longest day. ,, beautiful cos it's unplayable,,set up / table hog , cest la immpossulibala 🤺
Haha! Nice choice. :)
Longest Day have it played it = got through a couple weeks with my buddy
Am i just a stupid collector? i like old games. the "new" GMT ones ive gotten are somewhat disappointing.
No right or wrong way to do this, as long as you're having fun. :)
Beautiful war game: Root !!!!!
That's a great choice, and one that is in my field of candidates, too. To get in the contest, can you edit your entry to include #beautifulwargames? That way the search will pick it up. :)
That's a great choice!
Like Wyse Fork 1865
Awaiting Ju87 Stuka Ace - looking forward to getting it to the table. Just got Undaunted 2200 and am hoping to get friends interested in checking it out. #beautifulwargames Conflict of Heroes: Storms of Steel
I think you'll really enjoy Stuka Ace, and I'm looking forward to Undaunted 2200 as well. Does it have a solo mode?
And I actually have Conflict of Heroes on my list for beautiful games, too, very nice choice! :)
@@ZillaBlitz Yes it has both solo mode and 4-player co-op.
Oh, that's awesome. Thanks!