ConsimWorld

The official social platform for ConsimWorld

Small ETO wargame

It seems that in the last few years wargame companies have come out with a lot of smaller wargames. Small maps, low counter density, easily transportable, shorter play times. I sure wish one of the companies would make a small game covering the entire ETO that could be playable in a single evening.

I was thinking there would be Army/ Army group units, air fleets, and sea fleets. You might be able to abstract the sea stuff out. The map could maybe be 22 x 17 or so. This way you could take it on a trip with you without carrying a large box. I think the market for a game like this would be great. Any body else think a game like that would be a good thing? I know there was a game several years back called The Big One but it is out of print and hard to find.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lincoln Graves on October 7, 2010 at 7:33pm

Hitler's War is fun but a bit gamey for me. I made an ADC2 gameset for it years ago. Alan Emrich had something to do with "The Big One". For my money there is no more salutary influence upon a game than having Emrich involved. For Emrich the art of design is just the breath before the long exhale of development. As a result he never turns out a product that is wanting. Most importantly, he truly understands what makes a game worth playing, and more, what makes a game worth playing again and again. His Victory Point Games produced the very popular game "No Retreat 1" Emrich's guiding hand is heavily present in this game. It seems to me a slightly larger and updated version of TBO. As GMT is now producing "No Retreat 2", which covers North Africa instead of Russia, it seems hopeful that this system will eventually form a new micro theater wide.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bill Owen on June 21, 2012 at 10:17pm

Hitlers War is an excellent game for wargame players that like to finish a game in 1 or 2 sessions. I never could get into its competitors -- two much effort for what you get out of them. HW's elements of gaminess and abstraction were (to me) acceptable tradeoffs for the incredible breadth of detail and flexibility built into the system. And some gamey aspects can be tamed by using variants that are easy to find... and these will add some more historical elements if you want that. The bonus appeal is research/production that can take history along different tangents.

We magnetized it and played on the motorcoach on our 1991 Millennium of Mayhem tour led by James F Dunnigan... along with other old-stand-bys that could actually be finished (Battle for Germany, Nappy at Wloo, Bulge).

Unlike SPI's increibly boring WWII, it is not really a move your counters through the hexes wargame and admittedly it has an fluorescent map (so get the Metagaming version map which is more muted) so it will turn off some people. But you'll be missing a lot of play/replay... like we missed until we bit the bullet and played Victory in the Pacific (which gives you another idea of the level of abstraction we enjoyed). Really it's better than VITP. And better than A House Divided which is another lots'o'fun per effort-expended game but AHD can get rather long.