Ameritrash Games | Monthly Debrief S3E11 | November 2023 | The Players' Aid

Noble Knight Games: nobleknight.com
Patreon: / theplayersaid
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Website: theplayersaid.com

[@syramento]

I was born in the early '50's and cut my teeth on mostly Avalon Hill games. But AH wasn't alone in the war game market. Milton Bradley published the American Heritage games with titles such a Broadside, Dogfight, and Civil War, and Parker Brothers had a game called Conflict. I played and loved them all.

[@Deltium5683]

Axis and Allies is incredible. A big fan of the Anniversary Edition. Revised and 1942 are superb as well.

[@robertmoffitt1336]

Alexander sounds far away (a bit) still. It's not bad or anything, you can still hear him OK, it's just noticable is all.🙂 "The beatings will continue..." Lol

[@jeffwesevich1239]

Yep -- need to get those mic levels aligned...

[@schrankp]

I can hardly hear Alexander

[@jeffwesevich1239]

Actually, looking at the video again, I think the other guy has it right -- Grant's mic is on and Alexander's is off.

[@richardshipley7463]

Grant, you wished War of the Ring (published by Ares) was closer to a traditional style war game. Have you played SPI’s War of the Ring published in 1977? It’s a great hex & counter fantasy war game that you might like. Its map is a big, beautiful rendering of Middle-earth, and all of the story’s heroes and villains are also present. You can find it at Noble Knight.

[@nyanates]

I started this hobby -4 years ago and love nearly all aspects of it except a single one: the perceived perjorative use of the term "Ameritrash".

[@JoshuaLivie]

Loving Rally the Troops! Thanks for the recommendation on that.

[@waltlock8805]

The warriors expansion gives the free peoples many more military options for War of the Ring. That may help it become more of the "war game" you're looking for.

[@jays.8621]

Agreed. War of the ring is immense.

[@JoshuaLivie]

It is definitely as much war game as axis and allies.

[@user-po8dz6zx4y]

I have the original Broadsides and Boarding parties from when I was a kid. I still play it every so often with my kids now. Fun and simple game to play with kids.

[@thrudd6610]

LOL! You're "on" but so quiet :D

[@JoshuaLivie]

I definitely started my wargaming experience with axis and allies. The one I miss from that original series is Shogun, but I probably wouldn't appreciate it as much now.

[@davecrater878]

Thanks for the information about the rally the troops website. Its got quite a few choices ... 😊 wilderness war and rommel in desert.

[@JoshuaLivie]

it is good. I love Hammer of the Scots and Richard III.

[@TheAush22]

Great updates! Would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that game of Liberty or Death. Also, I was very confused by all the grumpy comments about Alexander’s mic being too quiet. I honestly did not notice it. Then I remembered that I’m likely at the younger end of your viewership distribution 😂

[@grantkleinhenz6789]

HAHAHAHA. Well I just listened on my phone and the audio was good. No idea what is going on but we will figure it out.

[@richarddefortuna2252]

​@grantkleinhenz6789 it just sounds like Alex's mic wasn't on. No big deal given that their mics are very good and very sensitive, so it sounds like Grant's mic was picking up Alex's voice. You can hear Alex fine; his voice just lacks the usual heft and depth that you can plainly hear in Grant's voice.

[@Secretwargamer]

Enjoyed the video - thanks for posting. Have a great Christmas

[@erickw8171]

Blood and Plunder is a blast! Especially once everything is painted up! Thanks for the video guys! Also, was able to get Fire in the Lake on the table for a solo learning session. Wow. 10/10

[@jessel3621]

American (the term Ameritrash just sounds bad) games are the best. I want to play a game, not a simulation. Some of my favorites: A Game of Thrones War of the Ring Axis and Allies War Room Quartermaster General Conquest of the Empire Commands and Colors

[@tommloye4626]

Born mid sixties and actually cut my wargaming teeth on Attack! Yeah, started late in life, but that game is certainly Ameritrash.

[@Michel_Vanaken]

@Grant: about North Africa 41: I'd try to replace the counter tray with a bunch of zip locks and see if everything fits in. Less elegant, of course...

[@henriwhitehead]

Great video! Great banter!

[@rogue7744]

Funny thing. I actually got into wargaming and wanted more and more crunchy wargaming BC I played so many other board games, like War of the RIng, Mage Knight, Eldritch Horror, etc.... So, sometimes people get led to wargaming through "Ameritrash/Euro" board games. Once the wargame bug bit me, Ive gotten more and more expanded in my wargaming. I credit this ALL to my original love of general board games. A must play and something I think you guys would enjoy is a game called Nemesis. very good game.

[@ThePlayersAid]

We’ve played Nemesis! It is indeed really fun!

[@charleslatora5750]

Starting point. Born mid '50's. Dogfight. Stratego. Risk. First real war game...mid 70's...Panzer Blitz.

[@charleslatora5750]

Got A & A & Zombies. Less than Meh.

[@KevinA2112]

Being older than both of you. By at least 10 years I cut my teeth playing the original AH War at Sea which I still have and can play. Then moved on to Victory in The Pacific. That was my start unless you count the old MB Dogfight from the early 60’s. 😮🙂

[@daplanki7598]

Eisen, Blut, Schnee und MATSCH ;-)

[@larryjex215]

Kemet, Blood Rage and War of the Ring are excellent. I will have to put Axis and Allies and Dominant Species on my list of games to try. And Eschaton sounds super interesting theme wise

[@chaosordeal294]

Dominant Species is a rickety mess. No one plays it without house rules. My game group laughed it off the table. The only competition is for turn order. Odious.

[@e-4airman124]

3 years you guys are awesome

[@bigeye6606]

Eclipse is my favourite game of all time.

[@danhnnng]

Awesome video.

[@coyi51]

A few games I have as well as those I do not. Always enjoy the monthly debrief. Thank you.

[@trainiac1985]

Sounds good to me! You guys are great!

[@jpro8908]

Fun video guys! I must say that Nato Air Commander is one of my very favorite games if not the one. That being said however I am not sold at all on his new game and thus far have waited to pounce. Axis and Allies love it! I have my versions spruced up with Historical Board Game miniatures models. For the Europe version, the original you showed here I have oil wells for the resources in the middle east. Well let me tell you, you put those on the board and all of a sudden the entire perspective of Africa and that middle east oil climbs up quite a few notches! Got the new 1914 version as well where they did add more pieces in the game box so you can more easily set up and play. P.S. I did receive my copy of Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud this past Monday and will be trying it out solo tomorrow afternoon. It's a great little production just beautiful components and I love the scale. Will see how it plays out two handed.

[@davidnielsen2383]

a good ameritrash game is "fallen lands". great story, and lot of fun with ameritrash.

[@grantkleinhenz6789]

We have that and have played several times and would agree with your statement. Loads of fun and love the narrative from the cards.

[@im2yz4u17]

Alexander's mic was noticably lower volume than Grant's. That made for a hard time listening--had to turn up volume and sounded like Grant was yelling.

[@agrayday7816]

Thanks for the Debrief! I believe Eric Lang is now a full time consultant in the gaming realm vs designing games. Please try Warlords of Europe, great fun game.

[@martynbrawn76]

In the same spirit as Grant wanting to ask GMT for deeper boxes, could I ask that you guys show us the back of the boxes for the games you're talking about, pleaae? The cover art is often lovely, but most of the really interesting stuff is on the back of the boxes.😁

[@secretmission204]

Yes, please!

[@mermuse]

Gangs of Rome has nice Roman dice.

[@justnord2010]

Have you folks played shores of Tripoli on rally the troops it's a great implementation of a really fun game

[@dr3putt62]

I can’t keep more than 5 or so on Rally the troops at a time 😂

[@born2bwildne744]

Milton Bradley American Heritage series - Broadside, Battle Cry, Hit the Beach, Dogfight, Skirmish....... 1960's !!!!

[@fillgraff]

Iron, blood, snow and mud is "Eisen, Blut, Schnee und Matsch" or "Schlamm" instead of "Matsch". Good pronounciation from Alexander. Greets from Germany.

[@ZharelAnger]

1:09:31 Marine is far more elegant and moves more quickly than the original. The action table and cones in the original seem clunky compared to the Marine version. Marine also trades the emphasis on combat to being able to exploit a variety of food sources.

[@Calmien]

Where is Alexander again? I can't hear him.... :D

[@vexingarcanix95]

Battlestar Galactica would be my favourite American style game.

[@ThePlayersAid]

It’s very, very fun!

[@TheMagnumExpress]

Would really like to hear your opinions on Axis and Allies WW1 1914 after you get a chance to play it. Read through the rules but haven't gotten it to the table yet (many such cases). Glad Renegade has been doing reprints of some of the (pricier) spin-off games, would've hated to pay the eBay price for 1914

[@johnwalsh4857]

well I never played them back in the day I avoided Axis and allies, used to play risk a lot, as for the MB game master series, I loved the Shogun game.

[@stevek517]

If you're looking for a content suggestion, decent well-edited playthroughs are a rarity on KZbin e.g. an "after-action" voiceover as you watch back your playthrough of something like Salerno 43 would be really interesting. I've seen a thousand unboxings and rushed playthroughs that totally beast the rules but sometimes I just want to see a game played well by players who know what they're doing.

[@FekalKilla]

Oh, no War Room ? (probably because of the sheer box size :D )

[@ThePlayersAid]

It's on the shelf, and a just a *little* cumbersome!

[@karlfromthewargame_bootcam7733]

I did not start with Axis and Allies but I think the Bugle and Guadachanel are great. I bought War Room but haven’t played it yet

[@ThePlayersAid]

War room is great fun, but you want to have lots of players!

[@Emsworth377]

Alexander, mate. That American accent is really starting to creep in....

[@fearlessmidget]

Before long he'll be able to commune directly with the bald eagles.

[@e-4airman124]

the only game i ever played where a table flip occurred was when i was in college and the game was BEAT NIXON. I stopped the guy who was Nixon from winning the Electoral vote and he flipped the table and kicked a hole in the bathroom door behind which I was!

[@okgamer0]

No mention of the War Room?

[@vincentklozik4227]

You guys do terrific work. I like dominant species but how is it Ameritrash? Thank you for all you do.

[@ThePlayersAid]

It’s not, really, but a significant portion of the game is a dudes-on-a-map area control game, which much of ameritrash is. So it’s a good recc for people who haven’t played it.

[@DajokrGames]

Great video! Got to flip that Wilderness War game around, once I saw it I couldn't stop focusing the barcode! :)

[@StackingLimit]

Dark Ages is a good Ameritrash game!

[@grantkleinhenz6789]

Yes. We have played that 3 or 4 times and do enjoy it.

[@karlfromthewargame_bootcam7733]

Did you guys get Weimar the Fight for Democracy? I am really enjoying it and hoping to see what you think of it

[@RottenJeeves]

I have seen Axis and Allies on the store shelf for years. I have always wanted to own one, but I am overwhelmed by the choices. Is there one you would recommend to start with? Or is it just picking one that look cool? P.S I would love a video dedicated to ranking them all. :)

[@ThePlayersAid]

Just get the new 1942 second edition from Renegade Studios. It’s a classic.

[@mogel4955]

Mud = Matsch or Schlamm ;)

[@jerryandjamie2up]

Nice video, but have never played A&A it looks cool, just have not played them.

[@stevek517]

Listen on only the left speaker to fix the issue with Alexander's volume - would be grateful if someone could comment and confirm this, otherwise I sound like an arse. On the left Alexander's voice is as loud as Grant's. On the right Alexander is barely audible. When they're combined in stereo I get mixed results depending on the device. Am guessing that the mic settings are different. Great video, again. Thanks!

[@ThePlayersAid]

My mic wasn’t even on, lol. We’ll get it right next time!

[@stevek517]

​@@ThePlayersAidyeah, it's odd though that on the left side your audio is perfect, but on the right you're way in the distance. Thanks for the reply

[@Bane....hardy.]

War of the Ring plays just fine with 3 or 4 players.

[@malinchegames6964]

We are playing a lot of the games shown in this video :)

[@ThePlayersAid]

Gamers of good taste!

[@karlfromthewargame_bootcam7733]

I think I like the 1st edition of John Company a little bit better.

[@zacharyclark3693]

Do any of your painted minis end up feeling tacky-like sticky? I painted my War of The Ring pieces a few years back but I haven’t figured out how to make them less sticky? Tried sealant already, but maybe it was just a bad brand.

[@ThePlayersAid]

That’s probably a mix of bad plastics and humidity whilst you spray painted them.

[@zacharyclark3693]

I did live down South at the time. Any way to remedy them, like trying a new coat of sealant or something? I have since moved to a drier climate, which would negate some of the humidity. But I would love any suggestions.

[@ThePlayersAid]

@@zacharyclark3693 nothing that’s 100% effective. I have had minis over the years that were like that. Some I could fix with Testors Dulcote, which I sprayed in dry low humidity and set out to dry in the sun. Some were fixed just fine, others always retained some of the tackiness.

[@tommloye4626]

A lot depends on how you painted them. Did you prime them first, use acrylic or oil/enamel paint…stuff like that. It can probably be rectified depending on those different things.

[@zacharyclark3693]

@@tommloye4626 I did use primer (krylon) and I used acrylic paint, then matte primer (again from Krylon).

[@chadvader974]

John company is an ameritrash game? 😂

[@thegrogshed]

Please do a test recording next time. Alex is still way too quiet.

[@MentatOfDune]

Yeah, unfortunately I wont watch this one and checked out early on the last one. I appreciate the effort put in to creating this but there's no way I could sit through an hour and a half.

[@grantkleinhenz6789]

Sorry about the technical difficulties. We need to do better.

[@robertmoffitt1336]

​​@@MentatOfDune It's just barely noticeable for me, nothing that would cause me to tune out.

[@JordanL4257]

Sounds fine here as well. I realize that doesn't help those with difficulties hearing.

[@ramyahoo]

sounds normal to me

[@tornaperinso1484]

Your audience is skew towards war games because you are one of the best or the best resource for war games. That's why videos on wargames do better for you than others because your audience is not a random selection of board game enthusiast.

[@danwoolven5581]

🤦‍♂️

[@okgamer0]

I'm out?

[@jamesvaughan9471]

Audio is terrible. Can hardly hear Alexander.

[@MoragTong_]

Borderline unwatchable. Bummer!