When Rommel initially landed in Tripoli he ensured the unloading of men and material was very slow off the ships. They even took long food and booze breaks for everyone to see. As soon as the night came he quickly mounted up and rode all night non stop quickly taking several cities which relied on the spies observations that the German were very lazy.
I remember this great game as well. I remember getting the floor mopped with my pitiful gameplay LOL. There were good things and bad things about having a wargame fanatic for a best friend in my teens. I was SO *excited* to play it, as I have read a ton of books on the Afrika Korps, etc. Would love to play it again someday. Maybe against someone on my level this time LOL. Tanks for another great video!
@29:20 From the wargameacademy online rules I found: "The attacker’s units may even move over the defending unit itself although they may not end their move directly on top of it." Automatic Victory creates all sorts of interesting chicken/egg situations that generated numerous questions for The General, these rules are a lot more complicated/inclusive/complete than the ones we played with in the 60s/70s. @34:10 Hm. Not sure about this. I don't think it ever says you have to stop when you enter ZOC (?), all references seem to do with combat. My memory is that we just ignored ZOCs in and out of fortresses. But I was unable to find anything definitive in the rules. AK's wide open board, low piece density, and automatic victory combine to make a wide variety of tricksy strategies and tactics available to experienced players. "If the British do X I should really get my piece Y to position Z," that sort of thing. It'll be interesting to see how Cax does when you get to the actual game. Btw, are you guys aware of the General Magazine archive online? Along with reading the rules, boning up on some strategy articles or Series Replays might help too.
Wow, that's a blast from the past. I first played in '75 when I was 15. Kinda laughed when I saw your header for this game, thinking it wasn't complicated then, but I really enjoyed your vid. Which led to the subscribe button. Good job.
Thank you! I remember this game being simpler than I think it really is. Most of the rules are straightforward, but there's a lot of stuff around capturing supply trucks that are a bit hard to grok.
Some thoughts on the flow of typical games: - At the beginning, the German panzers are so strong they can quickly advance to Tobruk and lay siege. The allies try to slow them down while minimizing losses. - As the Germans continue pushing to the east, they try to move quickly, taking advantage of their strength and speed, while minimizing losses and maintaining supply lines. - The allies units are fewer and weaker but they eventually receive enough reinforcements to turn the tide. They are always seeking to slow the German advance without being completely overrun and to disrupt the enemy supply lines. - A lot of the action centers on Tobruk. The German player initially lays siege but must eventually decide when to attack. - With experienced players, the only practical way for the allies to win is to survive to the final turn.
Interesting! Thank you for those bullet points! I have heard that the Axis has a harder time winning the game, as the Allies can put up a strong fight, especially in the El Alamein area...
We played dozens of games in the late 60s when I was in college and found the game quite balanced. I think I won once as the allies when the German player got a little sloppy with his supplies and I was able to isolate and destroy all his units. I’m really enjoying these retro videos. Keep them coming 😎
I read a long time ago, IIRC, in the General, that at tournaments some players did not even play the game. The die would be rolled to represent the Germans attacking Tobruk at 2-1 or 1-1 odds. If the result of the roll favored the german player then the british player would concede, and vice versa. That fairly well matched my own experience with AK. German victory was very dependent on capturing Tobruk early.
In the earlier AH games, there was potentially a lot of luck in the combat tables from the die rolls, especially when the two sides were fairly even, e.g. 1-1 or 2-1. As time went on AH came up with better combat mechanisms in their other games that had less luck built into them. When we played AK, we never wanted the outcome of the entire game to hinge on a single die roll so we developed alternate strategies that did not depend on single risky die rolls. We ended up with very interesting, balanced, competitive games. The German player would not attack Tobruk until they were fairly confident of victory but the longer the allied players could delay them, the more likely they were to win. With this approach, we had many enjoyable games but none were decided by a single lucky die roll in Tobruk.
When i played this game as the Germans i took Tobruk on a attack odds of 2-1 on my first try. Then charged all the way to Alexandria and won 1 turn before the British got a big wack of reinforcements.
I think these games deserve to be revived in our Hobby. They're fine for beginners, especially if they have an interest in the history being covered by the game. These were considered to be introductory games back in the day, there's no reason to think it would be any different today!
Yeeeessss!!!! Moar wargames. :))) Oh man Do, "Empire of the Sun," by Mark Herman, I want to play that game but it is very difficult. I saw some people play it and it looked awesome. Unconditional Surrender is another one that is a lot easier to play. It did not sell well but should have, it is a wonderful game. I would love to see you input on those games.
Noted! Our goal with this series is to bring back a lot of those ol' chestnuts that people don't seem to talk about much anymore. It's a shame, as there is some great gamin' here! I will add those two games to the list!
Agreed! I think they did a great job to make it look modern. All the classic AH Games would draw a square, fill it in with hash lines and call it a city, for example. So the artistic standards have come up a bit over the years
@@kirbyculp3449 Man, it's been at least 50 years since I played this particular game. But back in the 70's Avalon Hill was about all there was. SPI had the magazine thing, but the errata from one game to the next was horrible. That didn't stop me from getting a lifetime subscription. Problem was, I outlasted the magazine. LoL. At least AH didn't have errata like those games. There were a few other publishers, but most were not very good or a knock off of AH or SPI. There was one on Verdun that was really fun to play, bland to look at, but really fun and fairly easy to learn. Cheers.
In the Stalingrad rules it said that in an exchange the attack values of both attacker and defender were exchanged. Here the defense value of the defender is compared to the attack value of the attacker. Was the Stalingrad rules changed at some point to be different?
I just watched your video for the first time. Great work. I love the North African campaign. I've never played this type of game before so your video was very informative. Question. Do you know where I can buy this game? Thank you again. Anthony
There are some games on sites like eBay. I just checked and saw them for about $60 or so. And there are many other great games on the North African front, including No Retreat 2 and Dark Sands. Thank you for watching!
@@LegendaryTactics Thank you so much my friend. The video I watched showed the game as a video game. What you're referring me to is NOT a board game, correct?
I am confused about this as well: that game from AH was originally a board game. But in the vid we see a computer based platform. Could u help us to understand how this fits together?
What computer "Table Top Simulator Module" are you using? I want to buy this exact same one but cannot find it online anywhere. I have the original 1965 Afrika Korps Avalon Hill boardgame that my brother and I played back in the '60's, but I can't find anyone to play it with me now. Will this "Table Top Simulator Module" Afrika Korps allow me to play it solo, against the computer; and, if so, how do I get one?
These games are really hard to get your hands on. We made a video to show you how to access this. It does not have a built in AI though, so you'll have to hit discord and find some like-minded players to battle against. We've got some wargamers on our discord channel, so that might be a place to coordinate some gaming. th-cam.com/video/C2X6vhmHwq8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=LegendaryTactics
Don't think it's missing is airplanes it should have some airplane Air power or some kind of modifier or something because in the African core of real life it your place didn't make a a significant advantage or disadvantages for allies and axis powers
Yes, you just buy Tabletop Simulator and go to the Community Workshops. Here is a video we did to explain how to use it: th-cam.com/video/C2X6vhmHwq8/w-d-xo.html
@@LegendaryTactics I bought only two used copies of the game (2nd hand). Thefirst copy I bougth is an 1st edition copy. The second copy I bought is an 3rd edition copy. (I apologize my broken English, I am brazilian)
I know, but I have been saying it that way since I got the game when I was 12, and there was no one to correct me at the time! It's a hardwired pronunciation, I'm afraid.
When Rommel initially landed in Tripoli he ensured the unloading of men and material was very slow off the ships. They even took long food and booze breaks for everyone to see. As soon as the night came he quickly mounted up and rode all night non stop quickly taking several cities which relied on the spies observations that the German were very lazy.
Ha ha, that's hilarious! Where did you come across that? Any book you can reference?
Typical of the Desert Fox strategy. Brilliant.
Thank you for taking the time to highlight these classics. So good to see, hear, and think about them again!
Thank you so much! We are looking to bring these old guys back, and give them the content they deserve!
Boy Jeff, I couldn't agree more. FANTASTIC channel for grognards like myself!
Played a lot of Avalon Hill games back in the day late 70s early 80s.
Awesome! We have some other AH content, and more to come!
I remember this great game as well. I remember getting the floor mopped with my pitiful gameplay LOL. There were good things and bad things about having a wargame fanatic for a best friend in my teens. I was SO *excited* to play it, as I have read a ton of books on the Afrika Korps, etc.
Would love to play it again someday. Maybe against someone on my level this time LOL.
Tanks for another great video!
You're welcome! Thanks for sharing the memories!
@29:20 From the wargameacademy online rules I found: "The attacker’s units may even move over
the defending unit itself although they may not end their move directly on top of it." Automatic Victory creates all sorts of interesting chicken/egg situations that generated numerous questions for The General, these rules are a lot more complicated/inclusive/complete than the ones we played with in the 60s/70s.
@34:10 Hm. Not sure about this. I don't think it ever says you have to stop when you enter ZOC (?), all references seem to do with combat. My memory is that we just ignored ZOCs in and out of fortresses. But I was unable to find anything definitive in the rules.
AK's wide open board, low piece density, and automatic victory combine to make a wide variety of tricksy strategies and tactics available to experienced players. "If the British do X I should really get my piece Y to position Z," that sort of thing. It'll be interesting to see how Cax does when you get to the actual game. Btw, are you guys aware of the General Magazine archive online? Along with reading the rules, boning up on some strategy articles or Series Replays might help too.
34.10 - zoc apply everywhere but in/out of Fortresses.
Wow, that's a blast from the past. I first played in '75 when I was 15. Kinda laughed when I saw your header for this game, thinking it wasn't complicated then, but I really enjoyed your vid. Which led to the subscribe button. Good job.
Thank you! I remember this game being simpler than I think it really is. Most of the rules are straightforward, but there's a lot of stuff around capturing supply trucks that are a bit hard to grok.
@@LegendaryTactics No, it's not complicated at all, but there are some rule nuances that if the player isn't careful it'll bite ya in the behind.
Hey bumbled my way into getting TTS and finding the game, I might have a copy of this in the basement...haven't played it since 1965/66...great!
Whoever did the module, did a great job in improving the visuals. Glad you were able to find it!
Some thoughts on the flow of typical games:
- At the beginning, the German panzers are so strong they can quickly advance to Tobruk and lay siege. The allies try to slow them down while minimizing losses.
- As the Germans continue pushing to the east, they try to move quickly, taking advantage of their strength and speed, while minimizing losses and maintaining supply lines.
- The allies units are fewer and weaker but they eventually receive enough reinforcements to turn the tide. They are always seeking to slow the German advance without being completely overrun and to disrupt the enemy supply lines.
- A lot of the action centers on Tobruk. The German player initially lays siege but must eventually decide when to attack.
- With experienced players, the only practical way for the allies to win is to survive to the final turn.
Interesting! Thank you for those bullet points! I have heard that the Axis has a harder time winning the game, as the Allies can put up a strong fight, especially in the El Alamein area...
We played dozens of games in the late 60s when I was in college and found the game quite balanced. I think I won once as the allies when the German player got a little sloppy with his supplies and I was able to isolate and destroy all his units. I’m really enjoying these retro videos. Keep them coming 😎
Will do!
I read a long time ago, IIRC, in the General, that at tournaments some players did not even play the game. The die would be rolled to represent the Germans attacking Tobruk at 2-1 or 1-1 odds. If the result of the roll favored the german player then the british player would concede, and vice versa.
That fairly well matched my own experience with AK. German victory was very dependent on capturing Tobruk early.
In the earlier AH games, there was potentially a lot of luck in the combat tables from the die rolls, especially when the two sides were fairly even, e.g. 1-1 or 2-1. As time went on AH came up with better combat mechanisms in their other games that had less luck built into them. When we played AK, we never wanted the outcome of the entire game to hinge on a single die roll so we developed alternate strategies that did not depend on single risky die rolls. We ended up with very interesting, balanced, competitive games. The German player would not attack Tobruk until they were fairly confident of victory but the longer the allied players could delay them, the more likely they were to win. With this approach, we had many enjoyable games but none were decided by a single lucky die roll in Tobruk.
When i played this game as the Germans i took Tobruk on a attack odds of 2-1 on my first try. Then charged all the way to Alexandria and won 1 turn before the British got a big wack of reinforcements.
Thanks for giving my mod a good workout guys. :)
You're welcome! It's done well, and we will be doing a playthrough at some point soon!
@@LegendaryTactics Great to hear!
I love this game. My first.
It's a great one!
You are really bringing back some memories with these old titles. Think they would be good for a first timer or is nostalgia the only appeal?
I think these games deserve to be revived in our Hobby. They're fine for beginners, especially if they have an interest in the history being covered by the game. These were considered to be introductory games back in the day, there's no reason to think it would be any different today!
@@LegendaryTactics I remember the rule books of that era. No bueno.
A good game for beginners.
Yeeeessss!!!! Moar wargames. :))) Oh man Do, "Empire of the Sun," by Mark Herman, I want to play that game but it is very difficult. I saw some people play it and it looked awesome. Unconditional Surrender is another one that is a lot easier to play. It did not sell well but should have, it is a wonderful game. I would love to see you input on those games.
Noted! Our goal with this series is to bring back a lot of those ol' chestnuts that people don't seem to talk about much anymore. It's a shame, as there is some great gamin' here! I will add those two games to the list!
Man, did they ever clean up the look of this classic. It wasn't much to look at back in the day. '75 or so. But this version looks great.
Agreed! I think they did a great job to make it look modern. All the classic AH Games would draw a square, fill it in with hash lines and call it a city, for example. So the artistic standards have come up a bit over the years
I like the BIG THICK LINE on the map at Tmimi! I had an opponent that insisted his Fritzes were swimming/boating/pontooning across that hexside.
@@kirbyculp3449 Man, it's been at least 50 years since I played this particular game. But back in the 70's Avalon Hill was about all there was. SPI had the magazine thing, but the errata from one game to the next was horrible. That didn't stop me from getting a lifetime subscription. Problem was, I outlasted the magazine. LoL. At least AH didn't have errata like those games. There were a few other publishers, but most were not very good or a knock off of AH or SPI. There was one on Verdun that was really fun to play, bland to look at, but really fun and fairly easy to learn. Cheers.
In the Stalingrad rules it said that in an exchange the attack values of both attacker and defender were exchanged. Here the defense value of the defender is compared to the attack value of the attacker. Was the Stalingrad rules changed at some point to be different?
And thou shall lobbest thy Tobruk Holy Hand Grenade so that thy enemy may snuff it.
LOL
Great video! Where did you get the board from? Tabletop simulator Steam workshop?
I just watched your video for the first time. Great work. I love the North African campaign. I've never played this type of game before so your video was very informative. Question. Do you know where I can buy this game? Thank you again. Anthony
There are some games on sites like eBay. I just checked and saw them for about $60 or so. And there are many other great games on the North African front, including No Retreat 2 and Dark Sands. Thank you for watching!
@@LegendaryTactics Thank you so much my friend. The video I watched showed the game as a video game. What you're referring me to is NOT a board game, correct?
I am confused about this as well: that game from AH was originally a board game. But in the vid we see a computer based platform.
Could u help us to understand how this fits together?
What computer "Table Top Simulator Module" are you using? I want to buy this exact same one but cannot find it online anywhere. I have the original 1965 Afrika Korps Avalon Hill boardgame that my brother and I played back in the '60's, but I can't find anyone to play it with me now. Will this "Table Top Simulator Module" Afrika Korps allow me to play it solo, against the computer; and, if so, how do I get one?
These games are really hard to get your hands on. We made a video to show you how to access this. It does not have a built in AI though, so you'll have to hit discord and find some like-minded players to battle against. We've got some wargamers on our discord channel, so that might be a place to coordinate some gaming. th-cam.com/video/C2X6vhmHwq8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=LegendaryTactics
Afrika Korps was my first ever board game, circa 1966. Is there a computerized version available as you use in the video?
Indeed there is. This is how you get to the games: th-cam.com/video/C2X6vhmHwq8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=LegendaryTactics
@@LegendaryTactics that’s not what he asked. He doesn’t want to watch you play. He wants access to the computer version to download & play
Got a ciopy of their TOBRUK game ?
I don't - it seems extremely complex, although I am intrigued by the concept of the game
do the allies have the rat patrol in this sim?
That would be awesome! I loved the movie as a kid, and I've wondered if that factored in to my fascination with the North African campaign...
Great review of the game! Where can I find the simulator?? I checked your video for TTS but could not see how to find this game.
There are TTS and Vassal modules available - perhaps there are others as well! In TTS they are found under the Community tab under Workshops.
Don't think it's missing is airplanes it should have some airplane Air power or some kind of modifier or something because in the African core of real life it your place didn't make a a significant advantage or disadvantages for allies and axis powers
I think air power in the game is meant to be represented abstractly, as it wasn't a major factor in the conflict, from what I understand.
HELLO,can we play solo?
I suppose you could play both sides to the best of your ability, but this game came out before solo war games had been conceived of
So this game is available in pc format? Where might I find it!
It's on Tabletop Simulator! Here is a video we did to explain how to use it: th-cam.com/video/C2X6vhmHwq8/w-d-xo.html
Do I just buy the TTS on steam, or is there a specific purchase path for this game? (I'm not so good at finding my way around steam)
Yes, you just buy Tabletop Simulator and go to the Community Workshops. Here is a video we did to explain how to use it: th-cam.com/video/C2X6vhmHwq8/w-d-xo.html
The steam website is awful.
I got mine in 1965 l think it was. I learned to hate the CRT.
Yes, it was amazing for the time, but there have been significant improvements in combat resolution for these games since.
My first game in 1969 :)
Awesome! That was back in its heyday!
thank you please do Russian Campaign😃
I'm on it!
@@LegendaryTactics There's a TTS mod for that by yours truly you know? :)
I have two copies: the 1st and the 3rd editions
What happened to the 2nd??
@@LegendaryTactics I bought only two used copies of the game (2nd hand). Thefirst copy I bougth is an 1st edition copy. The second copy I bought is an 3rd edition copy. (I apologize my broken English, I am brazilian)
Is this a computer game? I see a cursor moving around....
Yep! We filmed this on Tabletop Simulator. We did a video about how to use it: th-cam.com/video/C2X6vhmHwq8/w-d-xo.html
It’s not afreaka corps
I know, but I have been saying it that way since I got the game when I was 12, and there was no one to correct me at the time! It's a hardwired pronunciation, I'm afraid.