Nice overview. Ambush was my first wargame back in the 1980s, and I played it endlessly. For sub battles, I also recommend Silent Victory. For anyone interested in the American Civil War, I highly recommend Worthington Games' Antietam or Shiloh.
Blitzkrieg is the first wargame I owned as well, bought in 1966 IIRC, maybe early '67. I think my next was Stalingrad, maybe D-Day. That was a long time ago, lol.
have been looking at getting into this hobby,and ordered a game last night, similar to the first one you recommended,just to see if its is for me. i have a feeling this is going to be a an interesting way to spend some hours. thanks for the suggestions
Thank you! I've been out of the hobby for years, and you just showed me several titles I've never heard of, and AMBUSH, which I used to own... :) Now I'm looking forward to finding a DVG game to play, or one of the others.
great suggestions. the Folio series is great. If only Decisions website was working half the time! The folio suggestion alone makes this one of my fav vids. thanks!
if you got problems with Decision games site you might want to check Noble Knight games. They carry all sorts of games n gaming supplies. I bought a few decision games from them and a ton of other games from them. I've always been happy with their customer service.
Great video! My only suggestion is to do the same video for solo wargames for beginners that are currently in print. At least in the US, every one of those six games is OOP.
Nice video - interesting selection. I'd have chucked in something from the States of Siege series (probably Zulus On The Ramparts) but it's all down to personal preference...
Nice tips. I myself have ordered Field Commander Napoleon and Fields of Fire. I am also currently enjoying Thunderbolt Apache Leader from DVG and am looking out for Sherman Leader.
Hi great video: I'm not able to locate "Long Range Desert Group" is there another beginner game like that one you could recommend? Thank you in advance. Greg
There are a few solitaire Decision Games in the mini games series. I’ve heard a lot of love for Merrill’s Marauders although I haven’t played it myself. shop.decisiongames.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1715
I need some help. I'm looking for a micro board game that I used to play 25 years ago. It was like like Squad Leader but much smaller and simpler to play. It was a US vs Germany hex game. Does anyone know the name?
A couple of others to consider. "Target For Today" is similar to "The Hunters", except you are flying a B-17 or B-26 on daylight bombing runs in WWII. It is in print currently, from Legion Games. I think it's a lot of fun, and creates wonderful narratives. Victory Point Games has the 'state of siege' series which includes "Zulus on the Ramparts" (Rorke's Drift), and "Ottoman Sunset" and "Hapsburg Eclipse" covering WWI. "Silent Victory" is similar to "The Hunters" but is set in the Pacific in WWII. It is currently out of print, but GMT Games will likely reprint it in either 2018 or 2019.
Michael Melen I have Silent Victory but I haven't played it yet. Target For Today looked interesting but seemed to have a huge amount of rules and charts. How do you find it in play? Do you feel bogged down in the rules?
No, not at all. Inspired by Stuka Joe's 'Sequence of Play' cards for "RAF: Battle of Britain", I popped on to PowerPoint and created step-by-step cards for "Target For Today". They are not as beautiful as Stuka's, but they work for me. I also photocopied the damage-to-B17 charts, cut them out so they are relatively small and individual (i.e. one small page per hit location), and color-coded them. So if the Nose Compartment is hit, that's green and I look for my green Nose Compartment Damage sheet. It may sound complicated, but it's easy for me. So, I just follow the steps. The narratives are great! I died in the second mission, so John Wayne took over as Pilot (whistling "The High & The Mighty"). The Duke is doing very well!
Lone Diceman I found it a nightmare. I’ve tried it 4 times but just can’t get through an entire mission. The number of charts you have to roll on is severe. You do develop familiarity and speed with practice, but I could never get used to the number of DRMs on some of the charts. Some of the charts are 1 page - one quarter is the chart, three quarters is a huge list of DRMs. Yuck.
ECA. Dam busters. Just got a copy I know I probably paid too much for it used but I just don't want to wait on GMT not getting to that second edition for what another year or two. Also have The Hunters and the other three siblings games.
Have you tried any of the "State of Siege" games from Victory Point Games? Not sure if they make any WW2 themed games but Zulus on the Ramparts, Ottoman Sunset (WW1) and Cruel Necessity (English Civil war) are worth trying.
Not got Dawn... I've heard good things about it though. I think Cruel Necessity is one of the more complex Victory Point Games. I've only played it twice.
Hi and thank you for the video, really enjoy and I am agree with everything except your number one choice...I am owning FC Rommel and I found it too frustrating as I could not see any value in tactics because too much dice dependent. Obviously this is a personal decision, but I've been playing so many time Ghost Division mission in which I barely get close to a victory. Again that's me or probably not too lucky on rolling dice :)
Ambush, it's gamettes and the Pacific theatre game and gamette (Banzai? But I think that was the card game) and played them to death... they're a bit complex for beginners (I think it has a 64 page rulebook, with some pages of scenarios.) It's a great game; it you can find it for $50 or so get it. Don't buy gamettes without the original game(s), but the gamettes stand alone and don't require anything but the original. The only bad thing about them is they don't have much replay value. Other than B-17, those are the only solitaire games (other than Solitaire ASL) I would recommend (and SASL is NOT for beginners.)
Reading through the posts, many of you state you're beginners and mainly play solo (hence your interest in solitary games.) I recommend to you VASSALdotcom. There are literally 1000 war games available for download covering all eras and games developed from the '60s on to today. Some have rules included, some you can get from publishers like GMT or MMP; most you have to own the particular game for the necessary rules, charts, etc. Using VASSAL and Skype or your favorite messenging system, you can play against online opponents; getting online is just a click available on each game. I feel your frustration; as far as I know there's not another war game player within 50 miles of me and with most of the games I play, even farther. Check it out for yourself.
Thank you! I just bought Ambush! on eBay - have been thinking about it for decades, finally pulled the trigger after watching this. Great video!
Nice overview. Ambush was my first wargame back in the 1980s, and I played it endlessly. For sub battles, I also recommend Silent Victory. For anyone interested in the American Civil War, I highly recommend Worthington Games' Antietam or Shiloh.
Field commander Rommel is an excellent or should I say three games.
Easy, but fun.
Great bang for your buck.❤💥😃
Thank you for the video, looking to get into wargaming and appreciate your help.
Just come across this, thanks very much for taking the time and trouble to put together such a great list
Hey! Nice video! Good to see more informational channels coming up. I'm too a beginning wargamer and have to play mainly solo.
Thank you for the video. I just ordered "Long Range Desert Group" based on your recommendation.
Thank you and I liked Hidden & Dangerous back in the day also.
Hi. I started with Blitzkrieg and then 1914 by Avalon Hill back in the 1960's! great review thanks
Blitzkrieg is the first wargame I owned as well, bought in 1966 IIRC, maybe early '67. I think my next was Stalingrad, maybe D-Day. That was a long time ago, lol.
Same here. Good old days. Played in high school, now just turned 70. Time flys.
Nice video, see we are in the same boat, new guys to solo wargames.
Thank you for the video! Try conflict of heroes, awakening the bear with the solo expansion!
have been looking at getting into this hobby,and ordered a game last night, similar to the first one you recommended,just to see if its is for me.
i have a feeling this is going to be a an interesting way to spend some hours.
thanks for the suggestions
thanks for the tips on where to get games, very helpful!
Thank you for the great suggestions, I liked and subscribed.
Thank you! I've been out of the hobby for years, and you just showed me several titles I've never heard of, and AMBUSH, which I used to own... :) Now I'm looking forward to finding a DVG game to play, or one of the others.
Try RAF...great solitaire stuff, and the newest version has a 2-player game plus a solitaire campaign for each side!
A long time Avalon Hill player first game was, Guns of August. The Game from Gmt that I love is "Paths of glory".
great suggestions. the Folio series is great. If only Decisions website was working half the time! The folio suggestion alone makes this one of my fav vids. thanks!
if you got problems with Decision games site you might want to check Noble Knight games. They carry all sorts of games n gaming supplies. I bought a few decision games from them and a ton of other games from them. I've always been happy with their customer service.
Great list! Thank you!
Great video! My only suggestion is to do the same video for solo wargames for beginners that are currently in print. At least in the US, every one of those six games is OOP.
Great video!!
Nice - can also vouch for Ambush. Still have it. Ridiculous level of playability. Wish that had expanded endlessly.
there were 3 expansions put out !
@@grantross2609 3 really? I will look into that. Thanks!
Enemy Coast Ahead - Doolittle Raid is also a great Solitaire game.
have you tried Merrill's Marauders
Try the Leader Series from DVG Games
My first wargame purchase was Target for Today. I do have three P500 games on preorder: Silent Victory, The Hunters, and Beneath the Med.
Nice video - interesting selection. I'd have chucked in something from the States of Siege series (probably Zulus On The Ramparts) but it's all down to personal preference...
Nice tips. I myself have ordered Field Commander Napoleon and Fields of Fire. I am also currently enjoying Thunderbolt Apache Leader from DVG and am looking out for Sherman Leader.
Hi great video: I'm not able to locate "Long Range Desert Group" is there another beginner game like that one you could recommend? Thank you in advance.
Greg
There are a few solitaire Decision Games in the mini games series. I’ve heard a lot of love for Merrill’s Marauders although I haven’t played it myself. shop.decisiongames.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1715
Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid, and Fields of Fire second edition, both by GMT. Check those out too, they have just been released!
Hex2RedOneAlpha yep will do. Fields of Fire has been on my radar for a while.
I own the first one, about FoF I am a bit scary as seems too complex to me to get it right
Yeah I understand what you mean about FoF, I don´t have it myself. I do have ECA The Doolittle Raid and I highly recomend it.
Yep I do own ECA and is just an amazing game, haven't play full detail like scenario 10 but for sure another must have
Analisis paralisis
I need some help. I'm looking for a micro board game that I used to play 25 years ago. It was like like Squad Leader but much smaller and simpler to play. It was a US vs Germany hex game. Does anyone know the name?
A couple of others to consider. "Target For Today" is similar to "The Hunters", except you are flying a B-17 or B-26 on daylight bombing runs in WWII. It is in print currently, from Legion Games. I think it's a lot of fun, and creates wonderful narratives. Victory Point Games has the 'state of siege' series which includes "Zulus on the Ramparts" (Rorke's Drift), and "Ottoman Sunset" and "Hapsburg Eclipse" covering WWI. "Silent Victory" is similar to "The Hunters" but is set in the Pacific in WWII. It is currently out of print, but GMT Games will likely reprint it in either 2018 or 2019.
Michael Melen I have Silent Victory but I haven't played it yet. Target For Today looked interesting but seemed to have a huge amount of rules and charts. How do you find it in play? Do you feel bogged down in the rules?
No, not at all. Inspired by Stuka Joe's 'Sequence of Play' cards for "RAF: Battle of Britain", I popped on to PowerPoint and created step-by-step cards for "Target For Today". They are not as beautiful as Stuka's, but they work for me. I also photocopied the damage-to-B17 charts, cut them out so they are relatively small and individual (i.e. one small page per hit location), and color-coded them. So if the Nose Compartment is hit, that's green and I look for my green Nose Compartment Damage sheet. It may sound complicated, but it's easy for me. So, I just follow the steps. The narratives are great! I died in the second mission, so John Wayne took over as Pilot (whistling "The High & The Mighty"). The Duke is doing very well!
Lone Diceman I found it a nightmare. I’ve tried it 4 times but just can’t get through an entire mission. The number of charts you have to roll on is severe. You do develop familiarity and speed with practice, but I could never get used to the number of DRMs on some of the charts. Some of the charts are 1 page - one quarter is the chart, three quarters is a huge list of DRMs. Yuck.
ECA. Dam busters. Just got a copy I know I probably paid too much for it used but I just don't want to wait on GMT not getting to that second edition for what another year or two. Also have The Hunters and the other three siblings games.
Could you drop the gun shot sound between games? It is a bit startling for former military. Otherwise this is an excellent series.
with Ambush ! there were 3 expansions ......
beware tho cos there was a lot of errata in the rules !
"...I'm going to do a bit of a cheat if I'm honest..." I see what you did there!
I would recommend Tiny Battles Publishing.
Rifles in the Pacific.
Thanks, it helped me a lot
Very well done!!
Playing solitaire is the best method for avoiding social interaction with aszholes.
Have you tried any of the "State of Siege" games from Victory Point Games? Not sure if they make any WW2 themed games but Zulus on the Ramparts, Ottoman Sunset (WW1) and Cruel Necessity (English Civil war) are worth trying.
I have Dawn of the Zeds sitting on my shelf which I think is a State of Siege game. I like the look of Cruel Necessity and will get around eventually.
Not got Dawn... I've heard good things about it though. I think Cruel Necessity is one of the more complex Victory Point Games. I've only played it twice.
Interesting, thank you.
Thanks, really useful.
Try Mosby's Raiders by Victory Games
YES !!!
Hi and thank you for the video, really enjoy and I am agree with everything except your number one choice...I am owning FC Rommel and I found it too frustrating as I could not see any value in tactics because too much dice dependent. Obviously this is a personal decision, but I've been playing so many time Ghost Division mission in which I barely get close to a victory. Again that's me or probably not too lucky on rolling dice :)
Andrea GRP FC Napoleon has much better tactical options
John Simpkin bought already 😊 I should receive in a week time
Ambush, it's gamettes and the Pacific theatre game and gamette (Banzai? But I think that was the card game) and played them to death... they're a bit complex for beginners (I think it has a 64 page rulebook, with some pages of scenarios.) It's a great game; it you can find it for $50 or so get it. Don't buy gamettes without the original game(s), but the gamettes stand alone and don't require anything but the original. The only bad thing about them is they don't have much replay value. Other than B-17, those are the only solitaire games (other than Solitaire ASL) I would recommend (and SASL is NOT for beginners.)
Subbed.
Hi man 🖐️
Top war games for beginners , look no further than Field Commander Alexander and Field Commander Alexander by DVG games.
Reading through the posts, many of you state you're beginners and mainly play solo (hence your interest in solitary games.) I recommend to you VASSALdotcom. There are literally 1000 war games available for download covering all eras and games developed from the '60s on to today. Some have rules included, some you can get from publishers like GMT or MMP; most you have to own the particular game for the necessary rules, charts, etc. Using VASSAL and Skype or your favorite messenging system, you can play against online opponents; getting online is just a click available on each game. I feel your frustration; as far as I know there's not another war game player within 50 miles of me and with most of the games I play, even farther. Check it out for yourself.
Showing the contents would have been nice.
Field Commander Rommel.
If you need to say "without further ado" in your video better skip it and everything said before it to move straight to the point :)