Timeline
News: 5:50
Rob Zacny: 13:27
Message to Harry Manback: 42:36
Paean to Mark Simonitch: 52:04
A word about Poland: 55:13
Links to items mentioned
Nevsky
Red Storm
Stalingrad ’42
The Final Gamble (2nd edition)
Heart of Darkness
Fortress Europa Designer’s Edition
Mark Herman’s France 1944
No Motherland Without
Brotherhood & Unity
Kiev ’41
Hungarian Rhapsody
Red Factories ASL
Broken Ground Design
49:48 HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You might have mentioned that your well played glorious victory was on the heels of an earlier Allied victory. So, we are currently 1-1… 🙂
Marco *can* go fuck himself.
Can I say that here?
Bruce, when I heard Marco’s comments I too was bothered. Below are a few of my thoughts on Marco’s rant …
1. 50 videos in the last month alone. I’d be burned out too – especially if I actually read all the rules and played the game with a real opponent (not just solo) a number of times so I could form a remotely considered opinion. Add to that the time necessary for class preparation, guidance of graduate students as well as teaching assistants (or whatever Indiana U calls them) and it almost makes me want to take a vacation just writing this message!
2. Last month I attended the Compass Games Expo in Cromwell, Ct. I’m 70 years old and began with AH’s square box games in the 1960’s: U-Boat, Dispatcher, etc. Virtually the entirety of the group gathered there were in the same age group category. The flea market tables indeed had some of those old AH games on it. There were very few younger gamers. Now this may or may not reflect badly on the future of our beloved hobby, but that was what I noticed. BTW I played Interceptor Ace with Greg Smith at the convention and had a blast … he’s a great guy.
3. Is wargaming a niche? Yes, but boardgaming, though becoming exponentially bigger in recent years – to the point that even Forbes noticed it – is still a niche thing. Mention boardgames to the average person and they immediately think of Clue and Monopoly. End of discussion. And for a niche of a niche, wargaming seems to be doing quite nicely IMHO. Look at all of the new companies putting out some great games, many with Euro-quality or Euro-like quality components. We’ve never had it so good.
4. Some of our designers, too, have embraced the notion that the elegant mechanics of Euros can be imported and put to good use in wargaming. Mark Herman’s recent G’burg game in C3i shows an eye towards the very simplicity that Marco yearns for.
5. I detect in Marco’s video that he’s embraced a sort of wargaming version of the “OKBoomer” generational conflict that is currently gaining currency. If my assumption is true – and I really hope it isn’t – then it’s a bit sad. I say that as someone who himself was guilty of that sort of generational mindlessness back in the 60’s when I was in college – “Don’t trust anyone over the age of 30!” was the gibberish of the time. And it was as unthinking and as unfeeling as the OkBoomer bit is now.
Ok, enough of my counter-rant 🙂
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. The thing that made me decide to respond was his tone, which goes along with your point #4. Nothing is quite as irritating to me as a sanctimonious presumed know-it-all. If he doesn’t like hardcore wargames anymore, that’s fine. And it’s even appropriate to point this out to his viewers. But turning it into some sort of prescriptive sermon, topped off by his final statement, just strikes me as repugnant.
“Go Fuck Yourself”: the phrase that launched a thousand comments… and prompted me to write a blog post inspired by that battle cry:
“Undaunted vs. Daunted: Health of the hobby vs. Go F**k Yourself… Yeah, we’re going there…”
https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/97659/undaunted-vs-daunted-health-hobby-vs-go-fk-yoursel
Cheers Bruce, it was another great episode and not holding back your punches is exactly what was needed.
It’s great to hear from the Wild Weasel again! I always enjoy the insights your podcast brings; I’ll have to give Mark Simpnich’s games another look. They’ve always seemed too big before, but your experiences seem encouraging. I can’t wait to see the Eastern Front video series either, I’ve recently got interested in that theatre and I’m looking forward to your take on how it has been modelled. Hope it isn’t a year till the next episode!
So awesome that you found time for another episode!
Wild Weasel, as and old school gamer, is right on target for me.
Thank you for your time and efforts!
Hey Bruce,
I have no idea how you’ll manage to distill the Eastern Front into a video or series of videos, but I am *very* much looking forward to see it/them at some point, ideally before von Borries’ “Barbarossa: AGC, 1941” makes it back from the printer.
Bruce – did your notes for the episode disappear?
Ack! Nope, I forgot to post them. I’ll do it tomorrow. No time tonight.
Still waiting… Hoping..
Sir,
Can I ask how the Eastern Front videos are coming along? I’m really looking forward to your analysis on this genre.
Thanks,
G Rhymes