Cheating on Panzer Grenadier

[awdougherty]

When you need to step out and get a little something on the side, what games have you turned to?

I recently decided I needed to start brushing off the dust on my entire collection, even if it was simply by soloing more. First up was a small Advanced Tobruk System mission from Darkest December.

Now I have the new edition of Totaler Krieg on my table but I have no idea how long or successfully that will go.

[broadsword]

For me the other games on deck are Where Eagles Dare (MMP Grand Tactical Series), and Bradley's D-Day (Against All Odds campaign game, John Prados design based on his classic Monty's D-Day from S&T).
I'm also about 9 months into a game of Saint-Lo (West End Games, 1986), which I've been using as an operational layer to stage battles that get played out against a human opponent with the PC game Combat Mission:Battle for Normandy.

[Shad]

I would love to get into ATS someday. I like the all-in-one-box mentality and the somewhat-lighter-than-ASL approach. But I've promised my wallet that I won't buy any ATS stuff until I have a reliable face-to-face opponent!

I have so many unplayed classics on my shelf it's somewhat embarrassing:

• The Civil War
  
• Raid on St. Nazaire
  
• Ambush!
  
• War of Resistance
  
• Soldiers (West End Games)
  
• B-17
  

...and quite a few more modern titles I'd like to get into.

If somehow a group of players and a long vacation materialized out of thin air I think the first thing I'd grab would be AP's own Third Reich. That game really looks amazing and I read as much about it as I can... just not really excited to solo it!

[vince hughes]

Ambush and Raid On St Nazaire are solo game :-)

Can't blame lack of opponents for not manning up with those ones !

[broadsword]

All three of the board games I listed are solo-friendly:

Saint-Lo (due to its die roll system for activation and initiative). vassal and Cyberboard modules exist.

Bradley's D-Day (includes an "automaton" set of rules that controls the German side if you want to play solo as the US). Vassal module in the works, I believe.

Where Eagles Dare: Due to a chit-pull system it's very easy to solo. Outstanding Vassal module made by the actual game developers makes playing digital actually more fun and attractive than the actual monster game (which few people have the space to set up, and even fewer have the space to join it with The Devil's Cauldron for the full combined campaign game).

[Dean_P]

My other gaming crack is LocknLoad's Band of Heroes series. I'm heading to Origins tomorrow and will probably walk out with more.

[Matt W]

I've been playing some of the Civil War Brigade Series by MMP/The Gamers. My other recent cheat was with Axis Empires - Totaler Krieg, my first "card" wargame. I haven't left PG, however, the next Go For Broke scenario is already set up.

[awdougherty]

I've been playing some of the Civil War Brigade Series by MMP/The Gamers. My other recent cheat was with Axis Empires - Totaler Krieg, my first "card" wargame. I haven't left PG, however, the next Go For Broke scenario is already set up.

I have a couple of CWBS games that I haven't gotten to the table, I should look into that soon. How did Axis Empires - Totaler Krieg go? I sort of jumped in and go step by step extremely slowly, but it hasn't been too rough in the very early stages.

I soloed ATS, but I would vastly prefer it face to face at some point. Getting through the rulebook for the first time was a challenge, but once I got going in Darkest December, it really moved pretty quickly (relatively speaking).

[Shad]

I soloed ATS, but I would vastly prefer it face to face at some point.

I fantasize about buying and playing that Berlin module with another hardcore wargamer, but have neither the time nor the partner.

Someday, my precious, someday!

[Matt W]

How did Axis Empires - Totaler Krieg go? I sort of jumped in and go step by step extremely slowly, but it hasn't been too rough in the very early stages.

The game and storyboard are relatively difficult to become ingrained. Certain cards need to be played at specific times for a maximum effort and each side needs a maximum effort. I needed to play it several times to get the card sequence and the game play in my head. Much of what was possible historically is still possible but the sequence of play was very important and each phase has a particular reason for being in the order it is.

I enjoyed the game of it as it was tense and exciting and the end game has value throughout but it was fiddly to me. Lots of rules and you can't play without the rule book in hand as there is just too much that needs to be understood at a very detailed level.

When I play PG or the CWB I rarely have to look at the rule book as the games are relatively intuitive to play. I cannot say that about AE-TK, however it is still a lot more playable than World in Flames and keeps closer to an historical result than John Prados Third Reich. And it can be played within a lifetime, unlike War in Europe