Hi Marco. I did enjoy your review, as all others before. For the first time I have to give a different light about one of your comment on Breakout Normandy: this is not a game for beginners. I'm an average wargamer, may be still green with board games but very experimented with video wargames, and I'm having a hard time to master the strategy to be used by the German side. I had to play few games before I got that your best armoured division or artillery could - and often must - be used as "chair à canon" to absorb your losses, a very counter-intuitive and against-the-tide behaviour for any wargamer. I would also say that the rules, beyond being slightly disorganized, are not that easy to handle, specially when its time to assault across a bridge owned or not by your side and over or not a flooded river. In any case, keep up your good work!
Agree with you on this one, Marco. It's one of my favorites, although I've never been very skilled at it. I grew up reading Don Greenwood's rules, and I generally like his style, but I do agree with you here. The rules seem more difficult to grasp in this one than they should be. It's not a difficult game if you can have someone explain it. I love Storm over Arnhem and Thunder at Casino, but of these types of games that I have played, this is my favorite. It's a gem. Also plenty of room to get skilled....not unlike chess in that respect.
The Storm over Normandy from MMP use the same system from Storm over Stalingrad and Storm over Dien Bien Phu both from MMP. Its a slight differnt system from BN.
I bought this game when it was first released and it is still one of my favorites. My second favorite in the series is Turning Point Stalingrad. TPS can be a little frustrating with the supply rules but it dose give you the historical problem of supply. Have you played TPS, Storm over Arnhem (Also a very good game) or Thunder at Casino? I do enjoy the series.
This is a great game but I'm more likely to actually play the Market Garden version. In that game both sides are on the offensive in one part of the map and defensive in another. So it seems more fun.
Because the suck? ;-) Seriously, Advanced Squad Leader games are a bit over-the-top in complexity from what I have seen Marco review in the past. The original Squad Leader mabye, but that died long ago. (eve if it was a vastly superior "game", they just needed an expansion or two to get the armor rules right).ASL just killed itself with too many rules, and way way too many "special exceptions". Anytime a game is DESIGNED for a 3-ring binder because the designers KNOW it will have huge rules sets with equally massive changes....it is a questionable design IMHO.Just my opinion of course... :-)
No you're right, but once you know most of the rules it's for me the most exciting wargame and the most flexible in terms of possible strategies. But yeah, those rules are too much, I agree
Disappointing that you focussed entirely on the two US beaches and never mentioned the Brits or Canadians at all (or their three beaches). I had to go and look the game up sepearately to see if the Brits and Canadians were even included, or if this was yet another warped 'Normandy' game featuring just the US part. I think you are getting like a typical American wargamer Marco, I thought you were more erudite than that :-D
Hi Marco. I did enjoy your review, as all others before. For the first time I have to give a different light about one of your comment on Breakout Normandy: this is not a game for beginners. I'm an average wargamer, may be still green with board games but very experimented with video wargames, and I'm having a hard time to master the strategy to be used by the German side. I had to play few games before I got that your best armoured division or artillery could - and often must - be used as "chair à canon" to absorb your losses, a very counter-intuitive and against-the-tide behaviour for any wargamer. I would also say that the rules, beyond being slightly disorganized, are not that easy to handle, specially when its time to assault across a bridge owned or not by your side and over or not a flooded river. In any case, keep up your good work!
Agree with you on this one, Marco. It's one of my favorites, although I've never been very skilled at it. I grew up reading Don Greenwood's rules, and I generally like his style, but I do agree with you here. The rules seem more difficult to grasp in this one than they should be. It's not a difficult game if you can have someone explain it.
I love Storm over Arnhem and Thunder at Casino, but of these types of games that I have played, this is my favorite. It's a gem. Also plenty of room to get skilled....not unlike chess in that respect.
Would be nice to compare with the new Storm Over Normandy from MMP.
The Storm over Normandy from MMP use the same system from Storm over Stalingrad and Storm over Dien Bien Phu both from MMP. Its a slight differnt system from BN.
I bought this game when it was first released and it is still one of my favorites. My second favorite in the series is Turning Point Stalingrad. TPS can be a little frustrating with the supply rules but it dose give you the historical problem of supply. Have you played TPS, Storm over Arnhem (Also a very good game) or Thunder at Casino? I do enjoy the series.
+Douglas Pearson I forgot to mention Kawaguchi's Gamble: Edson's Ridge by M'MP. Can't wait to try this.
This is a great game but I'm more likely to actually play the Market Garden version. In that game both sides are on the offensive in one part of the map and defensive in another. So it seems more fun.
I still can't understand why a guy who loves wargames didn't review any ASL product. That's really weird.
Because the suck? ;-) Seriously, Advanced Squad Leader games are a bit over-the-top in complexity from what I have seen Marco review in the past. The original Squad Leader mabye, but that died long ago. (eve if it was a vastly superior "game", they just needed an expansion or two to get the armor rules right).ASL just killed itself with too many rules, and way way too many "special exceptions". Anytime a game is DESIGNED for a 3-ring binder because the designers KNOW it will have huge rules sets with equally massive changes....it is a questionable design IMHO.Just my opinion of course... :-)
No you're right, but once you know most of the rules it's for me the most exciting wargame and the most flexible in terms of possible strategies. But yeah, those rules are too much, I agree
Disappointing that you focussed entirely on the two US beaches and never mentioned the Brits or Canadians at all (or their three beaches). I had to go and look the game up sepearately to see if the Brits and Canadians were even included, or if this was yet another warped 'Normandy' game featuring just the US part. I think you are getting like a typical American wargamer Marco, I thought you were more erudite than that :-D