Just posting this to drum up some discussion (because politics doesn't grab me).
Ok, best games since let's say 1970.
Not limited to board game ie digital realm is allowed.
Not limited to wargame, so totally not a wargame is allowed.
The only requirement is you explain every game mentioned, (and why it is worthy) or we will have no idea why you consider it worth mention.
I could ask for a top 5, but that forces you to rank them, and you might have 6 titles you wish to pick. So just list your best of all time as you see it.
Here's my list
Squad Leader (I want to indicate that I am not meaning ASL). I've owned danged near all of ASL and some rather nice bonus indulgences too.
But it was Squad Leader that won me. It was a 7 page read that made it happen. You were playing after 7 pages of light reading and plenty of that was lost to illustrations.
The game was so infinitely replayable.
I actually didn't care if I lost, I was just having that much fun.
I liked the basic game. I liked Cross of Iron, but then Crescendo of Doom started a trend of complication that got worse in GI Anvil of Victory.
I have a beat up copy here of Squad leader. I have this crazy notion (likely a pointless notion too), of backdating all of the 3 modules to basic Squad Leader rules mostly.
Squad Leader was my first real love in wargaming. Followed almost immediately by Advanced Third Reich (I'll mention it in its own entry), even though I began with Tactics II.
I think Squad Leader would have been better served by getting new modules and new boards and new forces and leaving the rules alone. I don't think ASL was a good idea after the fact.
ASL totally dropped the ball when it comes to the KISS principle.
Up Front the Squad Leader looking card game (that wasn't a stupid collectible thankfully).
Easy to play, easy to learn, fast, finishable, able to be played almost anywhere. Even with the two modules, it still fits in one box.
You didn't need to be a wargamer, helped if you were an adequate poker player. Escaped the usual problem of a board full of counters that could get trashed by a cat. There was no board.
No idea why this game was not kept in circulation. My copy looks battered because it gets played.
Say what you want about any game, but, if it isn't getting played, how great could it have really been eh.
Advanced Third Reich. I started with 3rd Edition Third Reich, but, I consider Advanced Third Reich to be the best experience. I think Rising Sun was when it jumped the shark. I'm most definitely not paying the small fortune price for the current Global iteration that exists out there. I like that it used abstractions for when abstractions were called for. Subs, if you can see the counter, you can whack the counter. Counters are often a flaw in grand strategy concepts. They handled bombers properly too. The game was all about the strategy, and not the mechanics of the counters. It was politics, not micromanaging. I've tried to like World in Flames, but, it is just too heavy in micromanaging. And I like how the game can be set up on a reasonable table surface. Most of us don't have an empty warehouse just for setting up board game wargames.
Steel Panthers. I mainly like the Mega Campaigns that Matrix Games brought to the community. The AI in Steel Panthers is little better than an idiot when playing the totally unhistorical Long Campaigns. The AI was simply too much the mindless punching bag. Now against a human, this game was suddenly a lot harder. I like the completeness of Steel Panthers. I like that it could outdo my ASL for the most part. And that's no small trick. But it is a computer game, and as such, well I am a biased board game wargamer. Because often a computer program just won't explain why something happened. And also sadly, I didn't preserve my 486 computer and Win95 so it would continue to run the game correctly without needing a lot of geek cred to keep it performing properly. Hard to forget to mention, it's free. The Mega Campaigns still demand a hefty price after all these years. Still worth the price too.
Civilization. I actually have the board game release of the computer game. I think the board game is actually better. Awesome components. Pity, it takes a skilled wargamer an hour to explain it to a non-wargamer. So it's not the game you decide to play with newcomers. The PC versions, hmm, mixed feelings here. I liked every version right till V. I am not up for VI though, I refuse to buy a new computer for a game, any game. But I don't think any game other than Squad Leader or Advanced Third Reich has used up more of my life than civilization. And I simply loved playing it against another human. This is the game you play when you are sick and stuck at home and need something to eat entire days. It's a game you will take all day to finish. But it does end. You can beat the game, and when you do, you increase the difficulty again.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3. The first version is what hooked me, and II is what secured my obsession, but it was 3 that mastered the process. 4 is ok, but it was not 3. Every version since 4 has been too much about pointless graphics and not about gameplay. But this game (Heroes) has gained the most praise from my non-wargaming friends and its ability to indulge multiplayer is very impressive. It can be fast and small or long and massive. And the AI will kick your butt if you are not trying hard enough. And it might win anyway. And there is just so much solo replayability to it.
Hearthstone. This is a free to play, collectible card game (no trading aspect), that genuinely does NOT require real cash (I can say this, because after more than 2 years, I know it to be true). It functions very well, is very well balanced, and lots of laughs just in the playing, and is kept fresh with regular new content being added. It's quick and easy and can be played on almost any device (but seems to be best played on something with lots of reliable battery life if not a plugged in device). I've greatly enjoyed this game beyond what I would have expected in the beginning.
There are a lot of games on the market, and some have absolutely incredible design aspects. Not all are digital realm designs. I've played some very good board games in the last few years. The only weakness of most board games, is they are social experiences that simply lack thrill solo, assuming solo is even an option. I've bought plenty of games that were praised endlessly, and yet, they are often cumbersome, or excessive time sinks or just require mastery of too much interface tedium. A game to be great, must be played in order to merit the term.
Ok, best games since let's say 1970.
Not limited to board game ie digital realm is allowed.
Not limited to wargame, so totally not a wargame is allowed.
The only requirement is you explain every game mentioned, (and why it is worthy) or we will have no idea why you consider it worth mention.
I could ask for a top 5, but that forces you to rank them, and you might have 6 titles you wish to pick. So just list your best of all time as you see it.
Here's my list
Squad Leader (I want to indicate that I am not meaning ASL). I've owned danged near all of ASL and some rather nice bonus indulgences too.
But it was Squad Leader that won me. It was a 7 page read that made it happen. You were playing after 7 pages of light reading and plenty of that was lost to illustrations.
The game was so infinitely replayable.
I actually didn't care if I lost, I was just having that much fun.
I liked the basic game. I liked Cross of Iron, but then Crescendo of Doom started a trend of complication that got worse in GI Anvil of Victory.
I have a beat up copy here of Squad leader. I have this crazy notion (likely a pointless notion too), of backdating all of the 3 modules to basic Squad Leader rules mostly.
Squad Leader was my first real love in wargaming. Followed almost immediately by Advanced Third Reich (I'll mention it in its own entry), even though I began with Tactics II.
I think Squad Leader would have been better served by getting new modules and new boards and new forces and leaving the rules alone. I don't think ASL was a good idea after the fact.
ASL totally dropped the ball when it comes to the KISS principle.
Up Front the Squad Leader looking card game (that wasn't a stupid collectible thankfully).
Easy to play, easy to learn, fast, finishable, able to be played almost anywhere. Even with the two modules, it still fits in one box.
You didn't need to be a wargamer, helped if you were an adequate poker player. Escaped the usual problem of a board full of counters that could get trashed by a cat. There was no board.
No idea why this game was not kept in circulation. My copy looks battered because it gets played.
Say what you want about any game, but, if it isn't getting played, how great could it have really been eh.
Advanced Third Reich. I started with 3rd Edition Third Reich, but, I consider Advanced Third Reich to be the best experience. I think Rising Sun was when it jumped the shark. I'm most definitely not paying the small fortune price for the current Global iteration that exists out there. I like that it used abstractions for when abstractions were called for. Subs, if you can see the counter, you can whack the counter. Counters are often a flaw in grand strategy concepts. They handled bombers properly too. The game was all about the strategy, and not the mechanics of the counters. It was politics, not micromanaging. I've tried to like World in Flames, but, it is just too heavy in micromanaging. And I like how the game can be set up on a reasonable table surface. Most of us don't have an empty warehouse just for setting up board game wargames.
Steel Panthers. I mainly like the Mega Campaigns that Matrix Games brought to the community. The AI in Steel Panthers is little better than an idiot when playing the totally unhistorical Long Campaigns. The AI was simply too much the mindless punching bag. Now against a human, this game was suddenly a lot harder. I like the completeness of Steel Panthers. I like that it could outdo my ASL for the most part. And that's no small trick. But it is a computer game, and as such, well I am a biased board game wargamer. Because often a computer program just won't explain why something happened. And also sadly, I didn't preserve my 486 computer and Win95 so it would continue to run the game correctly without needing a lot of geek cred to keep it performing properly. Hard to forget to mention, it's free. The Mega Campaigns still demand a hefty price after all these years. Still worth the price too.
Civilization. I actually have the board game release of the computer game. I think the board game is actually better. Awesome components. Pity, it takes a skilled wargamer an hour to explain it to a non-wargamer. So it's not the game you decide to play with newcomers. The PC versions, hmm, mixed feelings here. I liked every version right till V. I am not up for VI though, I refuse to buy a new computer for a game, any game. But I don't think any game other than Squad Leader or Advanced Third Reich has used up more of my life than civilization. And I simply loved playing it against another human. This is the game you play when you are sick and stuck at home and need something to eat entire days. It's a game you will take all day to finish. But it does end. You can beat the game, and when you do, you increase the difficulty again.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3. The first version is what hooked me, and II is what secured my obsession, but it was 3 that mastered the process. 4 is ok, but it was not 3. Every version since 4 has been too much about pointless graphics and not about gameplay. But this game (Heroes) has gained the most praise from my non-wargaming friends and its ability to indulge multiplayer is very impressive. It can be fast and small or long and massive. And the AI will kick your butt if you are not trying hard enough. And it might win anyway. And there is just so much solo replayability to it.
Hearthstone. This is a free to play, collectible card game (no trading aspect), that genuinely does NOT require real cash (I can say this, because after more than 2 years, I know it to be true). It functions very well, is very well balanced, and lots of laughs just in the playing, and is kept fresh with regular new content being added. It's quick and easy and can be played on almost any device (but seems to be best played on something with lots of reliable battery life if not a plugged in device). I've greatly enjoyed this game beyond what I would have expected in the beginning.
There are a lot of games on the market, and some have absolutely incredible design aspects. Not all are digital realm designs. I've played some very good board games in the last few years. The only weakness of most board games, is they are social experiences that simply lack thrill solo, assuming solo is even an option. I've bought plenty of games that were praised endlessly, and yet, they are often cumbersome, or excessive time sinks or just require mastery of too much interface tedium. A game to be great, must be played in order to merit the term.
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