Monster Mash

Comment

Comment by Scott Udell on January 18, 2010 at 12:00pm

In junior high I got to do a "special project" class where I designed my own project for a term. I decided I would refight D-Day using Atlantic Wall, keeping a record as I went, and then writing up an alternate history (aka AAR) as my final report. It was cool--I got to leave school a period early to go home and play a wargame! Had to set the thing up in our garage, on a big piece of plywood sitting on two saw horses. It was winter time in Oregon, so not freezing but still cold enough I had to bundle up to play (I was doing it solitaire). It rapidly became apparent that the whole campaign was too much for me to do (what with the detailed records I was keeping), so I cut back to just Omaha Beach. Things went along swimmingly until the day I rather thoughtlessly slapped at a fly on the "table." Recall I mentioned plywood on saw horses? Yeah, you can imagine the bounce I got, with resultant counter stack disaster. I didn't have exact hex-by-hex records, I guess, because I couldn't get everything back where it was, so in my "history" I wrote it up as an intense, hurricane-like windstorm that blew in off the Channel, forcing units out of their positions across the battlefield. Must've passed muster, because as I recalled I got a "pass" for the class.

I still have that copy of Atlantic Wall (30 years later), although I've no idea if I've still got the parts. I've ordered The Battle for Normandy as well, out of nostalgia if nothing else, and will be very tempted by the AW remake.

Comment by Smitty on January 18, 2010 at 11:27am

I too have it....

Comment by Eric Walters on January 18, 2010 at 10:19am

Not so fast--THE BATTLE FOR NORMANDY does not cover the German offensive towards Mortain-Avranches and the Falaise Pocket battles. You can play to about 10 August 1944. Still a big improvement over ATLANTIC WALL at first glance, but we'll see how this baby plays...will the Germans run out of troops quickly and be unable to cover the front (the infamous "Caumont Gap" problem in the old SPI monster?). By the by, we hear that DG is redoing ATLANTIC WALL and will cover the same rough scale as THE LONGEST DAY, using the WACHT AM RHEIN 2 system!

Comment by Eric Walters on January 12, 2010 at 8:51pm

Ahhhh, THE BATTLE FOR NORMANDY showed up in the mail today. Superficial--very superficial resemblence to ATLANTIC WALL, but upon closer inspection the comparison seems to fall apart. One of the best graphical treatments for this particular campaign. I think I will put THE LONGEST DAY into the closet now. Well, it took 30 years for that to happen, so I won't mourn too long.

Comment by David Lubin on January 6, 2010 at 1:40am

Well Guys I finally got my copy of The Battle for Normandy by GMT! Did an initial purview and looks great, can't wait to start playing!

Dave

Comment by Eric Walters on December 31, 2009 at 11:28am

Anxiously awaiting my copy of GMT's THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY in the mail. Seems everyone is in the CONSIMWORLD forum! Sold off my copy of ATLANTIC WALL a long time ago and haven't dragged out THE LONGEST DAY in eons--I'm hoping I will never have to once this game arrives. The question is, will it replace THE KILLING GROUND and the OPERATION OVERLORD expansion by NES? Probably won't given the difference in scales. The graphics of THE BATTLE FOR NORMANDY games in progress on the forum are sure enticing!

Comment by Eric Walters on November 29, 2009 at 4:14pm

Andy, I think it's way too early to tell. There's been reports of thumping Brit victories in TDC, for sure. But it will take hundreds if not thousands of playings over many years before we know how balanced it is. Not sure whether we could say how balanced ALAMEIN is for the same reason.

Comment by Andy Fairnie on November 29, 2009 at 10:57am

Sounds good Eric. I think I'll go for Devils Cauldron - how is this game for balance....do you know if the Brit's have a fair chance of winning?

Comment by Eric Walters on November 28, 2009 at 7:56am

I'd have to say THE DEVIL'S CAULDRON, mostly because of four things: (1) subject, (2) scale, (3) system, and (4) the incredible graphical treatment.

Comment by Andy Fairnie on November 28, 2009 at 6:51am

Open Question !

If you had to choose between Alamein (Avalanche Press) or The Devils Cauldron (MMP) what would it be?

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