Timeline
News: 2:09
Jack Greene: 13:36
Rules, rules, rules: 32:37
Links to items mentioned
Ironbottom Sound III designed by Jack Greene
Consimworld page for Quarterdeck International, Jack Greene’s company
Bloody Monday from Vento Nuovo Games
Enemy Action: Kharkov announcement on the Consimworld forums
Ted Raicer’s Fall of the Third Reich from Compass Games
N: Napoleonic Wars from White Dog Games
Legion Wargames pre-order page
Horse & Musket: Dawn of an Era from Hollandspiele
Patton’s Vanguard and Red Typhoon from Revolution Games
Breakout to Paris: Operation Blücher from High Flying Dice Games
Armageddon War from Mark H. Walker’s Flying Pig Games
Great episode! Thank you for putting together a quality podcast with news, interviews, and your perspective on gaming. I’d not known much about Jack Greene’s games, but am giving them a look now…
Was curious about your comment about C&C Napoleonics. I’m not disagreeing with it, but wonder if you’d be willing to elaborate on which Napoleonic-era games you think are the best… (I know, another list request)…
Thanks Patrick! regarding Napoleonics, I am not sure there is a good simple tactical Napoleonics game. All I am saying is C&C isn’t it. My feeling is that the system works with ancients because it forces movement upon the players. Movement is what is important in wargames. The effectiveness of Napoleonic ranged combat turns too many C&C: Nap games into a back-and-forth dicefest until one side gets an advantage. That’s not interesting to me, and I don’t think it’s good gaming.
How complex a Napoleonic game are you willing to play? And what scale?
To be fair, I’ve only gotten back into the hobby in the last couple of years and most of my gaming has been on the Pacific, Korea, and a little bit of modern. So, while I’ve acquired some Napoleon-era games (C&C: N, Field Commander: Napoleon, and some of the Pocket Battle games) I’ve not had a chance to explore them (yet).
That said, your critique of C&C: N is reasonable and to answer your question I’m willing to play most anything of any complexity…but I tend to be more interested in the operational-level… Again, greatly appreciate your thoughts in the podcast and elsewhere…
If you enjoy the idea of an operational-level Napoleonic game, you absolutely must check out the work of Kevin Zucker. His compnay – OSG – is at http://www.napoleongames.com and he has some outstanding operational Napoleonic games, such as Napoleon at Bay, Highway to the Kremlin, and Habit of Victory.
He also does quadrigames which are four battles from a campaign (grand tactical level), but my favorites of his are the operational games. So good.
Thanks Bruce! I’ve been eyeing OSG’s work for a little while now…I’ll definitely give them a closer look!
Excellent podcast! I am new to the site, so I have been “binge listening. Your format is great and this is something us gamers really need.
I share your opinion of DBP The Final Gamble and have also been interested in the battle. We just started a campaign game and I cannot remember a game that has given me such a fun challenge (and I Go back a ways 🙂 )
Wondering when we will see the DBP Gamble follow up video? Thought the others were excellent, though I still think Citadel was an over complicated mess.
So, thank you. You have one more dedicated listener.
Sir,
Thank you for another cracking episode, particularly the Armageddon War link.
Could I make an interview request? There is a wargames company called Honour Games, run by Sam Mustafa who works as a history professor while also writing wargames rules. He has primarily written miniature games, but his more recent rules (Blucher, a Napoleonic Corps level game and Aurelian, a tactical game set in the Crisis of the Third Century) have deliberately sought the bridge the gap between board games and miniature games.
Later this summer Honour is releasing ‘Rommel’ a WWII game where each player controls a force of division to Corps strength and which is played on a table marked out with a square grid, making the table the game board.
Sam Mustafa is a interesting and thoughtful gamer and game designer and it would be smashing to hear an interview between the two of you. I would also be really interested to hear you take on the Honour games. Also, I have no links to Honour, accept as an interested gamer!
The Honour website can be found here:sammustafa.com
Thanks again for another fine podcast,
Thanks for the comments and the tip. I will contact Sam Mustafa.
N.B. Some people would have said “I will reach out” to him. I hate this formulation and refuse to use it. I feel this act makes the world a much better place.
Thank you for the podcast.