Great and well done list here. “My Favorites” works better thanks ranking because like you said, it’s subjective (and well, it still is). Too Many Bones- Don’t make me regret selling mine!! I really did like it, but it didn’t get much play. Should I have kept it… probably, but I needed the room unfortunately.
Hi Tom. Man…, do I understand! Shelf space is always at a premium over here. I have sold about 20 games this year myself. I figure if I haven’t played a game in the last 25 years that maybe I should get rid of it. Anyway, I also liked the “my favorites” approach because nobody can disagree with my picks. As in: “No.., that could not possibly be one of your favorites….” Uhhhh, I think it is! 🤗. Anyway…, good to hear from you Tom. - Paul
Played a few in your list, but the one that most impressed my was Austerlitz. It is such a brilliant game, and the battle unfolds the way one can imagine it would in Napoleonic times.
Hi 6 28; Yup, I feel the same way about it. The unrefereed fog of war rules are especially smart. Hope Hexasim produces more of these, especially if they do more prior to the 100 days campaign in 1815. - Paul
Thanks for the list, really appreciate how you list them by the topic rather then rank - my "favourites" tend to change as my interest navigates between the different eras and topics 😀
Hello Przmek! Good to hear from you again. Yes, I agree with you exactly. I don’t know how a game like Fire in the Sky can be compared with a dungeon crawler. Makes my brain hurt to think about it. Thanks again! -Paul
@@theoakenknight1748 I'll see about Fire in the Sky, it's on my "to play" list and I'm hoping to get it to the table after summer (shortly after Pacific War)😁
Also Paul as regards to Civil War games, I must point out that the South was severly outnumbered... 10/1 in industry ..10/1 in RR...3 or 4/ in manpower ...10/1 in naval. This doesn't bode well for a fair wargame against two people. Maybe solitaire it would be fun. I was badgering Gilbert Collins about this ad Nauseam until he fluffed me off by saying.... "I can't help you". I hope this comment didn't disenchant you about Civil Wargames!
Hello Again, Mr P. All that is true, but it also ignores the fact that the CSA gave the Federals a very very hard time until mid ‘63, and even then the cost to the north was extraordinary. The US Civil War uses a “sudden death” mechanic that require that the Federals make a certain amount of progress, or lose the war. Every turn can be the last turn, which I am sure signifies a “political victory” for the South, as the people of the North refuse to continue to pay the “butchers bill”. Thanks again, Paul
@@theoakenknight1748 I can only attribute the South's success to superior Generalship and high quality troops of the Confederacy as nowhere did the South ever have a superiority in numbers. My friend who is a Civil War expert (I'm not) says that Longstreet probably was the best Confederate general whilst Stonewall wasn't really all that great. But compared to Union generals they rocked. The South was always outnumbered and they're only real chance of winning was if England came in on they're side which was unlikely. The Anaconda Plan, VIcksburg etc. would doom the COnfederacy to a slow agonizing death, however all this is beside the point. MY comment is not about the real war, its about wargaming. Civil War in context of wargaming will always favor the North making playing the South BORING...
Hello Hank! Yes that would be nice. They just did a Waterloo 2nd edition, so why not NAE. They have slowed down production to a crawl over at Hexasim; I hope they make a comeback as their work is generally excellent. Take care…, - Paul
Re FITS I think any balance issues in favour of the Japanese can be addressed by using the hidden fleet rules in the PHALANX edition. Also more fun/realistic.
Hi James, I just think FITS is a game where skill is rewarded, like Twilight Struggle, and for that matter the ultimate strategy game…, chess. Other games not so much, like Wingspan, where I’m convinced using my big throbbing brain works against me. - P
Hello Mr P. I put a lot of thought into the elbow rests, including making mock ups just to see how they felt. I decided to go with a wider elbow rest of 3.5 inches because that was more comfortable. To compensate for the added width - to minimise the impact on table width, I overlapped it on the side apron 3/4 inch on the inside, so it forms a ‘T’ joint with respect to the apron. The inside measurement across the table is 47 inches; 53 including the elbow rests. Yes, I can reach past the table midpoint, but as a solitaire player, I can scootch the map towards my side of the table. When I have a guest, I try to set up the map at the end of the table to have access from 3 sides. Thanks for the comment! - Paul
Love your channel, you do a really terrific job.👍
Hard to argue with that, my friend!
Great and well done list here. “My Favorites” works better thanks ranking because like you said, it’s subjective (and well, it still is). Too Many Bones- Don’t make me regret selling mine!! I really did like it, but it didn’t get much play. Should I have kept it… probably, but I needed the room unfortunately.
Hi Tom. Man…, do I understand! Shelf space is always at a premium over here. I have sold about 20 games this year myself. I figure if I haven’t played a game in the last 25 years that maybe I should get rid of it.
Anyway, I also liked the “my favorites” approach because nobody can disagree with my picks. As in: “No.., that could not possibly be one of your favorites….” Uhhhh, I think it is! 🤗. Anyway…, good to hear from you Tom. - Paul
Played a few in your list, but the one that most impressed my was Austerlitz. It is such a brilliant game, and the battle unfolds the way one can imagine it would in Napoleonic times.
Hi 6 28; Yup, I feel the same way about it. The unrefereed fog of war rules are especially smart. Hope Hexasim produces more of these, especially if they do more prior to the 100 days campaign in 1815. - Paul
We have similar tastes. I got some good ideas from this video. Thanks!
Hi Eric. Glad to be of service. Take care. - Paul
Thanks for the list, really appreciate how you list them by the topic rather then rank - my "favourites" tend to change as my interest navigates between the different eras and topics 😀
Hello Przmek! Good to hear from you again. Yes, I agree with you exactly. I don’t know how a game like Fire in the Sky can be compared with a dungeon crawler. Makes my brain hurt to think about it. Thanks again! -Paul
@@theoakenknight1748 I'll see about Fire in the Sky, it's on my "to play" list and I'm hoping to get it to the table after summer (shortly after Pacific War)😁
Nice video, I only have about 6 of yours, a few to add to my wishlist!
Hello Mr Empty! Think of it as an “opportunity for improvement”! 🤗. -Paul
No airplane games....;this can't be the Oaken Knight!
Sounds like you want to play an airplane game. Let me think…. - P
Also Paul as regards to Civil War games, I must point out that the South was severly outnumbered... 10/1 in industry ..10/1 in RR...3 or 4/ in manpower ...10/1 in naval. This doesn't bode well for a fair wargame against two people. Maybe solitaire it would be fun. I was badgering Gilbert Collins about this ad Nauseam until he fluffed me off by saying.... "I can't help you". I hope this comment didn't disenchant you about Civil Wargames!
Hello Again, Mr P. All that is true, but it also ignores the fact that the CSA gave the Federals a very very hard time until mid ‘63, and even then the cost to the north was extraordinary. The US Civil War uses a “sudden death” mechanic that require that the Federals make a certain amount of progress, or lose the war. Every turn can be the last turn, which I am sure signifies a “political victory” for the South, as the people of the North refuse to continue to pay the “butchers bill”. Thanks again, Paul
@@theoakenknight1748 I can only attribute the South's success to superior Generalship and high quality troops of the Confederacy as nowhere did the South ever have a superiority in numbers. My friend who is a Civil War expert (I'm not) says that Longstreet probably was the best Confederate general whilst Stonewall wasn't really all that great. But compared to Union generals they rocked.
The South was always outnumbered and they're only real chance of winning was if England came in on they're side which was unlikely. The Anaconda Plan, VIcksburg etc. would doom the COnfederacy to a slow agonizing death, however all this is beside the point. MY comment is not about the real war, its about wargaming. Civil War in context of wargaming will always favor the North making playing the South BORING...
I'm hoping Hexasim reprints Napoleon against Europe. Seems like a great game.
Hello Hank! Yes that would be nice. They just did a Waterloo 2nd edition, so why not NAE. They have slowed down production to a crawl over at Hexasim; I hope they make a comeback as their work is generally excellent. Take care…, - Paul
Re FITS I think any balance issues in favour of the Japanese can be addressed by using the hidden fleet rules in the PHALANX edition. Also more fun/realistic.
Hi James, I just think FITS is a game where skill is rewarded, like Twilight Struggle, and for that matter the ultimate strategy game…, chess. Other games not so much, like Wingspan, where I’m convinced using my big throbbing brain works against me. - P
Does your nice new table hurt your elbows and can you reach to the middle when playing?
Hello Mr P. I put a lot of thought into the elbow rests, including making mock ups just to see how they felt. I decided to go with a wider elbow rest of 3.5 inches because that was more comfortable. To compensate for the added width - to minimise the impact on table width, I overlapped it on the side apron 3/4 inch on the inside, so it forms a ‘T’ joint with respect to the apron. The inside measurement across the table is 47 inches; 53 including the elbow rests. Yes, I can reach past the table midpoint, but as a solitaire player, I can scootch the map towards my side of the table. When I have a guest, I try to set up the map at the end of the table to have access from 3 sides. Thanks for the comment! - Paul
@@theoakenknight1748 Its an excellent table sir. Do you have special skillz to make such a table?