First game - Now What?

[Robertd]

Hi all, ive made the jump into PG after admiring from afar. Ive been looking for a 1 counter=platoon level system and PG seemed to fit.

Im firstly into WW2 East Front and North Africa, so i bought Fire In The Steppe. Im a solo player and i love the system, it definitely fits what i was after.


But now im wondering which games to go for next and notice that many have been reprinted but also many havent. So, should i go for Eastern Front Deluxe? Are the older games compatible with 4th Edition rules? Are they worth it for the scenarios alone? Should i wait for Afrika Korps/Desert Rats to be reprinted?

Or should i just go for expansions, supplements and reprints as they happen (if at all)?

Any guidance much appreciated before i dip into my hard-earned cash....
Thanks, Dave

[Schoenwulf]

Based on your interests, consider An Army at Dawn for a more current desert game. It has a good mix of scenarios and the Tunisian campaign add-on module is a lot of fun. If you find a good price on AK or Desert Rats, they are still very playable with 3rd or 4th edition rules, but note the difference in the way hills are handled and choose the rule set accordingly. For EF, since you already have FitS, consider one of the Kursk games for a different look, either Burning Tigers or South Flank. Also, if you haven’t joined the Academy track, sign up as you’ll gain access to a number of the OOP games to play on Vassal. Enjoy the game!

[plloyd1010]

Hi all, ive made the jump into PG after admiring from afar. Ive been looking for a 1 counter=platoon level system and PG seemed to fit.Im firstly into WW2 East Front and North Africa, so i bought Fire In The Steppe. Im a solo player and i love the system, it definitely fits what i was after.

But now im wondering which games to go for next and notice that many have been reprinted but also many havent. So, should i go for Eastern Front Deluxe? Are the older games compatible with 4th Edition rules? Are they worth it for the scenarios alone? Should i wait for Afrika Korps/Desert Rats to be reprinted?

Fire in the Steppe uses the German and Soviet counters originally appeared in Eastern Front Deluxe. The maps are also the same, but the artwork has improved. EFDx also had the Romanians. So my first, rather out there, suggestion is to look for a copy of EFDx in the $30 range. You are not likely to find it at that price, but you might get lucky. If successful, you will essentially have Armata Romana and an extra set of maps and counters. Otherwise Armata Romana is the first expansion.

Next full eastern front games would be Broken Axis, Kursk South Flank, and Kursk: Burning Tigers. (Pretty much in that order.) I think Burning Tigers is a better game, but South Flank is more useful for later expansions. Check in the game library for the games you need for a given expansion. The Tank Battle at Raseiniai only requires FitS/EFDX, so you could that one right off. The Deluge is fairly interesting.

An Army at Dawn is the only North Africa game in production now. It's good, if a little hard on the Americans. Between Afrika Korps and Desert Rats, AfKo is the better game. The is a 3rd to 4th edition problem that messes up the scenarios. In the 3rd Ed, hills are limiting terrain, but not in the 4th Ed. If you really want early war British and Italians, get Africa Orientale Italiana. (I'm not sure of its availability at this point.)

If you are planning on buying $200-250 worth of games next year, think about the Gold Club. It costs about $50, so do the math with cost verses future savings. It is also a calendar based subscription, so unless you plan on buying a bunch of games soon, wait for the announcement for next year's subscription in the newsletter.

[plloyd1010]

As Bob (aka. Schoenwulf) noted there is a Vassal option. We've managed to cover nearly all the games published.

Shared play really is best for new players, you learn faster.

[Robertd]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice....given me lots of food for thought!
And yes ive joined the Gold Club.

[plloyd1010]

Buy 3 games to make the discounts worth the cost.

[cjsiam]

Make sure the games are shipping.....if you want to actually play them...

[NBGB]

Hi all, ive made the jump into PG after admiring from afar. Ive been looking for a 1 counter=platoon level system and PG seemed to fit.Im firstly into WW2 East Front and North Africa, so i bought Fire In The Steppe. Im a solo player and i love the system, it definitely fits what i was after.

But now im wondering which games to go for next and notice that many have been reprinted but also many havent. So, should i go for Eastern Front Deluxe? Are the older games compatible with 4th Edition rules? Are they worth it for the scenarios alone? Should i wait for Afrika Korps/Desert Rats to be reprinted?

Fire in the Steppe uses the German and Soviet counters originally appeared in Eastern Front Deluxe. The maps are also the same, but the artwork has improved. EFDx also had the Romanians. So my first, rather out there, suggestion is to look for a copy of EFDx in the $30 range. You are not likely to find it at that price, but you might get lucky. If successful, you will essentially have Armata Romana and an extra set of maps and counters. Otherwise Armata Romana is the first expansion.

Next full eastern front games would be Broken Axis, Kursk South Flank, and Kursk: Burning Tigers. (Pretty much in that order.) I think Burning Tigers is a better game, but South Flank is more useful for later expansions. Check in the game library for the games you need for a given expansion. The Tank Battle at Raseiniai only requires FitS/EFDX, so you could that one right off. The Deluge is fairly interesting.

An Army at Dawn is the only North Africa game in production now. It's good, if a little hard on the Americans. Between Afrika Korps and Desert Rats, AfKo is the better game. The is a 3rd to 4th edition problem that messes up the scenarios. In the 3rd Ed, hills are limiting terrain, but not in the 4th Ed. If you really want early war British and Italians, get Africa Orientale Italiana. (I'm not sure of its availability at this point.)

If you are planning on buying $200-250 worth of games next year, think about the Gold Club. It costs about $50, so do the math with cost verses future savings. It is also a calendar based subscription, so unless you plan on buying a bunch of games soon, wait for the announcement for next year's subscription in the newsletter.

Noble Knight is running a huge sale right now.  I see EFDX on sale for $34.50 as well as many other titles.  A great time to buy over $150.00 so you get free shipping.