Are we excited?

[Shad]

This is a legitimate question: are you excited about Panzer Grenadier these days?

I recall when Fall of France was released there was a flurry of plays, discussion, and just general happy brouhaha over it.

To date with Kursk - South Flank all I'm seeing is talk (generally negative, though not overly so) about the new laser-cut counters and grousing (with cause!) by those who have not yet received copies. I don't see or feel any of the excitement we had in the past for major releases.

And now we've got some new books coming out and the extent of the reception that I can tell is "I received mine."

That's it!

Part of the fun of wargaming is that little-kid-on-your-birthday feel of getting a new game and diving in.

Has PG lost that through sheer series volume?
Or is it because Kursk is trickling out?
Can we ever get that excitement back?
Does it even matter?

[vince hughes]

I'm excited.

I have 4 live players to rely on

I have 1 regular PBEM opponent

And I have at least 3 more potential new opponents in the wings.

Yeah, exciting times for me in PG World, but then I have never been one to rush out and play the newest module immediately. I have only played 3 x FoF so far (all biggies though). I love opening the new sets and sorting the counters and all. But for me, the fun is real-opponent play and I'll go with any scenario they want to do as long as I have it in my collection.

[Hugmenot]

I am excited.

I started playing PG 6 months ago and I already owned 35 games, 40% of which I purchased directly from AP to better support them.

I play at least 12 hours a week and after 38 plays, I have yet to scratch the surface of what I need to know before I can claim I am a good player. I like that as I like games which challenges me.

I play ftf against Matt W regularly and although the score is tied, my wins have been close while all but one of his wins have been major victories. We both are learning new strategies and I think it helps our enjoyment of the game

I tried Skype and surprise, surprise, it was much easier than expected. Games takes about twice as long as my solo games but chatting while playing does have its advantages.

I proposed an article to Mike B to help new players understand the LoS rules.

I like the new laser cut counters (and I like them in the VPG I bought recently too); they feel like wood and the burn marks do not bother me at all.

I like K-SF but I want to get my Panzer Lion ribbon first before I play it more.

I am neutral towards Patton's Nightmare but I look forward to the other titles which should be forthcoming in the next 12 months.

I look forward to trying Infantry Attacks and Modern PG when it comes out.

I visit PG-HQ every day.

[campsawyer]

Shad, I have see no change in excitement on PG. It is still fun and as Hugmenot and Vince point out, more people are playing, but it is just another game. I might suggest it is just a perception that it seems to be waning. We need to to get back to being a Skype regular to change this.

[Blackcloud6]

Yes, I am excited about PG right now. I can say this is a high point for my regard for the series. I used to have a love-have relationship to PG as I did not like some of the concepts and early on, as we well know, the scenarios were not too "balanced." But now that I have pretty much internalized the rules and have got more playings under my belt, I grasp many of the concepts the games is trying to portray. And, very importantly, I really like how simply these concepts come out; the rules are not difficult.

Also, PG-HQ helps keep up the excitement. The forum is very friendly and there is usually a good discussion of some aspect of the game on-going. The ability to keep a record of plays and provide, as well as read, AARs is cool. I usually tweet out my turns and post them on CSW; for some reason that immerses just one more bit into the game.

[larry marak]

It appears we will be seeing new book-with-counter expansions about as frequently as TSR used to release dungeon modules....the panzer pushing adventure is just beginning.

[larry marak]

I think PG has reached system maturity. With the number of maps available, and 4 more to come in Fall of Empires and 4-8???? in Sword of Judah it may not be necessary to release games with maps and boxes, which makes new production far less expensive for the manufacturer. Looking down the road at hoped for scenario book output, we may have the equivalent of 5 new boxed games per year coming down the line.

[tlangston28]

I am excited as well - I only own 3 boxes sets so even the older PG games are still "New" to me when I get them. Also, between this site and the play of skype and potential FTF opponents - I have already played these games more than ever playing all the wargames I owned in the past 30 years.

[Poor Yorek]

I submit that is worth making a distinction between the game system itself and APL.

My enthusiasm for the game system as such remains high and I shall continue to enjoy the games I have.

On the other hand, in my opinion, APL as a company delivering a quality product & service has failed. After asking for my Kursk:South Flank order (originally placed in Nov 2010 and not delivered by mid-June 2012 after six weeks of "now shipping") to be cancelled and refunded on 22 June; trying to call APL Customer Service on the 9th of July (only to get a "memory full" reply); writing several more emails having to threaten Action against APL; finally today my refund arrives. Quality control of PG as documented here and elsewhere is not to good standard (off-center counters in PL for example). The list could go on.

So I'll continue to enjoy the game both solo and with my stepson and, hopefully, participate here at PG-HQ, but I can no longer patronize APL. There comes a time when one must vote with one's pocketbook and apply the old Star Trek adage: "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

PS/edit I should have noted that I do not by the above comments intend to denigrate the scenario development efforts, especially of Mike Perryman.

[JoeBuckeye]

I'm definitely high on PG now and I think PG-HQ is part of it. The discussion here is more lively than CSW and I generally like CSW. I like the library and AAR repository here. Thanks for putting the time and energy into creating PG-HQ Shad.

I think I stopped playing a couple of years ago because I didn't think APL was going to make it. This was around the time Kursk was first announced and I wanted to pre-order but I just didn't have faith in APL to make it. That's when I decided to not pre-order anything from APL. It paid off for KSF because I ordered it last Saturday (July 28) and got it Wednesday (August 1) while I've heard of people who pre-ordered it and still haven't received it.

My biggest frustration with PG is the LOS/elevation issues. To play by the rules as written (RAW) doesn't make much sense in some cases.