Beautiful Wargames | Monthly Debrief S3E2 | February 2023 | The Players' Aid

[@WatchItPlayed]

Love hearing the rule book talk! I’m optimistic war games will continue to evolve their techniques. Progress can be made I think!

[@cardboardconflicts]

You should try a game by Jerry White. Rulebook for Skies Above Britain reminded me of Gloomhaven JOTL, gave you small doses to get through rules and lots of page references on play aids and the boards to where to look up relevant rules for each step.

[@WatchItPlayed]

@@cardboardconflicts Well, you’ve sparked my interest to be sure!

[@josephs.cantone]

Nice blend of banter and game review. Thanks Guys.

[@raymow9683]

Nice job as always. Particularly enjoyed how you showed the various components which compliments your overviews. TY.

[@invictarexgames]

Hi guys - Definitiely enjoyed this one. Thanks.

[@dr3putt62]

Votes is a smooth game. .. played it with the designer and Jason Matthews in DC On March 1st

[@alanshackelford6450]

We really don't tune in for the # of games you play. It's mostly about the laughs and the camaraderie.

[@charleslatora5750]

Agree

[@robertmoffitt1336]

Seconded 🍻

[@Juan_Jose_Miraballes]

Are they a romantic couple or a plathonic one? Any way, they have an amazing chemistry and camaraderie, we all should strive to have relationships like those in our life.

[@kennethatherton568]

Atlantic Chase blew my mind. I was reading what I thought was a beginner guide or something the author put out to intro the game when I realized I had read half the rule book. It made me realize how much better just about every other rulebook could be.

[@geebax8440]

Agree. I have that one, Storm Above the Reich and Skies Above Britain. All of those blue boards are really nice to look at and the way they are integrated with the rules and player aids is extremely useful. The wooden pieces are outstanding as well.

[@randyrixten6468]

Great video my self Conflict of Heroes series and going way back what got me into war gaming the original Squad Leader great looking boards and counters.

[@douglaspearson4853]

I bought Warfighter: Modern by accident. I was in my local game store that has very little war games and I saw it there and was intrigued. I love it mainly due there is not a lot compared to WW2 games. Very enjoyable. Have not played WW2.

[@PsychicFusionReactor]

Great episode. Some of my favorite maps are the Clash of Arms La Bataille games (Check out Dresden or Moscowa!) and Charlie Kibler's maps in Great Campaigns of the American Civil War.

[@cardboardconflicts]

Ivan Caceres is Fantastic too! Granada from Compass, Von Mastein’s Triumph and La Carga de los 3 Reyes! And the new one from compass 1812! Battle for Great Lakes check those! Also Donal Hegarty is fantastic! Fire & Stone Siege of Vienna!

[@iansanderson2567]

I noticed that Rodney Smith has started to play COIN games he started with Cuba Libria and its I think because how they look. And Root and Undaunted has helped as they are what I call wargame adjacent games.

[@raygun6271]

Lol...why do I continue to watch you guys when you show me so much great stuff I'll never be able to justify😄 At least I have the very first one (Undaunted Stalingrad) & the very last one (Imperial Struggle). Very much looking forward to playing both!!

[@marksieber8140]

You can tell which cities in Tuscany were Guelph and which were Ghibelline by the style of the merlons in crenellations on their fortifications.

[@thunderccr5056]

Thanks again guys for another great ramble! The map from Raid on St. Nazaire, as an old game is great. I love Duel in the Dark for the 3d look of Europe with the weather and aircraft pieces and fuel cards. I also love Didier Rouy’s Vive L’ Empereur napoleonic series. The maps seem so clean. All the best! Dawn of the Zeds III is a cracking game!

[@kenx8176]

You guys are great. These videos are so much fun.

[@gerblitz1971]

Vuca Simulation have very nice maps and counters.Donnerschlag - Escape from Stalingrad is sooooo great. ILove the games from VUCA

[@michaelrinella6384]

Thanks for highlighting solitaire Stalingrad at 27:35.

[@ThePlayersAid]

Holy Crap, Mike is on YT! Hey, loved LAst Battle Ie Shima, and Return to the Rock 1945!

[@michaelrinella6384]

@@ThePlayersAid I'm on KZbin all the time! If you like Pacific fare you're going to love the next solitaire game, which is Manila 1945 with the player commanding the US 37th Infantry, 1st Cavalry, and 11th Airborne.

[@silentdibs]

Dying over the blog talk!!! 😂

[@geebax8440]

Another enjoyable monthly debrief. A few more I can think of, Comancheria, Napoleon's Triumph and The Chase of the Bismark.

[@whitneymilam3141]

I look forward to y'all you review "Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno." Fantastic art and pieces.

[@dogtags2010]

Been trying to find a copy of Dawn of the zeds! It's like hens teeth in UK. Looks great and very thematic. Love the survival nature of it too.

[@tednovy7762]

Dueling shirts . . . looks like Grant's gear has gone through the war!

[@marksieber8140]

Thanks for this, gents! The first game that blew me away for its production value and art was Where There is Discord. In addition to the art, the components are tactilely satisfying. Armageddon War (Flying Pig) and Black Orchestra 2nd are like that, and as you mentioned, games with wooden components are a joy to handle.

[@coyi51]

Really enjoy these reviews always entertaining and time just flies by. Beautiful games for me RAF, Holland 44, Samurai Battles and undaunted Stalingrad. I purchased a paper wars mag, based on the map, Battle for Belmont a acw battle I was particularly interested in. I would love to have A most Fearful Sacrifice, just for the map, possibly the best I've seen, but just have no room to play the game.

[@kevinmckay1389]

A couple additional ones: Mark Herman's Empire of the Sun (2005) from GMT Games and Mark McLaughlin's War and Peace: Game of the Napoleonic Wars (2020) from One Small Step.

[@j_atkinson]

I always thought Navajo Wars has a great looking board. Simple and elegant as well as practical. Also, speaking of rulebooks, I just recently learned Skies Above Britain, and it was the best rulebook experience I have ever had. The player aids are fantastic in how it gives references back to the rulebook as well which is rare sometimes.

[@Gylas]

Sergio Schiavi (From Salerno to Rome) is a fantastic wargames author and the graphics of his maps (yes, they are created by him) are gorgeous.

[@MentatOfDune]

Some really good looking games that I've played recently would be 'Saladin' (Shakos). Great box art and looks great set up too. Silver Bayonet (GMT). Easily one of my favourite maps. Finally 'Dark Venture' (Gilded Skull Games). A future/fantasy adventure card game with crazy, bold retro 80's art.

[@e-4airman124]

another great show which makes you a great team. My great aunt had a February birthday and hated it so much she did not celebrate it. You chose a day in June!

[@vincec5260]

Would be very happy to hear you guys talk about Frosthaven :) :)

[@ThePlayersAid]

We will eventually for sure!

[@ryang8354]

Glad to see some love for Shields' and Ward's Battle Hymn maps for Compass games (I also like the modified NATO counters). I know it's sacrilegious in wargaming to say this, but I prefer these maps to Rick Barber's. They feel more historical and, to my eye, they convey the information better. My vote for most beautiful though would go to Rachel (Bowen) Simmons' Napoleon games with art by Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier. The art is as elegant and innovative as Simmons' design.

[@sered_stepu]

JFYI, I read the blog of the guy you mentioned :)

[@blueroninrob]

My nomination for a beautiful game is anything from OSG's Library of Napoleonic Battles with the fantastic Charles Kibler maps.

[@radejong013]

You really should show the content of the boxes and some explaination of the rules/mechanics.

[@timk3539]

Hey, Alex & Grant. Re: Inferno, I think it's pronounced like "Gwelfs".

[@maxwellsilver6032]

Can't find Holland 44' ....and I hate p500 waiting list...arrrggh!!!! I wish I hadn't lost my copy of hells highway!!! Great vid guys!

[@darrellhanning5068]

I think there are two factors which have led to wargame rule books becoming increasingly Byzantine. One is that a lot of these games are now being playtested on Vassal, without anything in the way of blind playtesting, which is where rule books are really put under a microscope. The other contributor is somewhat inevitable - the more games that are being published at any given time, the less development is occurring, on average. There are only so many good developers, and they only have a certain amount of time to do it in.

[@edackley8595]

Grant's crotchety temperament is starting to grow on me. Grognard fungus. His thoughts on February is the reason I moved to gulf coast Florida. Late January and February in Midwest US just sucks.

[@skippydoo123]

What game do you love that is most in need of an art or graphics overhaul?

[@ThePlayersAid]

All the older Valiant Defense games from DVG compared to Lanzerath Ridge.

[@richarddefortuna2252]

Grant, I am so with you on making sure that the back cover properly corresponds with the orientation of the front. The alternative, to quote my children's favorite British author, only leads to "confusion and delay." Otherwise, thank you both for a very nice update and discussion, as always.

[@AndrewSFTSN]

Grant you gotta turn those screenprinted t-shirts inside out before you wash 'em man! The before-and-after effect compared to Alexander's shirt on display

[@josephmeyer9411]

Sort of a side note. I just ordered the Seven Days Battles 1862 from Worthington games. You got me hooked on this system with your Antietam video. Have all three games from this system. Your work is outstanding and hope to meet you at Origins in June, if you are going.

[@ThePlayersAid]

Just got seven days battles too. Excited to get back to that system!

[@madman2096]

Over Alexander's left shoulder are the District Commander series by Brian Train. Have you guys played them, and if so what do you think? Might one, or the series, make it to video?

[@ThePlayersAid]

It's a bit of a storied tale, but we've played them once together, and I (Alexander) have played it with a friend seperately to try and grok it. We're going to get this played again at some point and then do a video, but nothing out there from us quite yet.

[@madman2096]

@@ThePlayersAid I picked up Maracas and Kandahar a couple weeks ago but few opponents so curious. May have to solo them. Thank you for the reply.

[@ThePlayersAid]

@@madman2096 Solo wouldn't be quite as good, there's a LOT of bluffing and hiding of pieces and even victory points.

[@emeralddream1606]

Glad that you've mentioned 'Nevsky'. As a Russian, I simply adore the game's visuals. Although, I must say the box cover is a bit meh... The colour palette for the art is great, this icy and fresh azure hue. The game board is awesome. The fonts, the 'Rasputitsa' season 😅👍 I'm not a hardcore wargamer, but I got into the genre through another game. Where both the artist and the designer were paying attention to all these details. I'm talking about 'Pendragon' with these Latin names all over the place. And again, the box cover was off. But I still love it.

[@ripred42]

Yes! The care taken with Levy and Campaign’s visual design has been part of why I got into it. Luckily Almoravid has a much better box. 😂

[@dankone1289]

DVG is going to have to go back to those earlier Valiant Defense games and gave them an upgrade. Especially Pavlov's House. That would be sweet!

[@ThePlayersAid]

It would be amazing, and they *should*. Believe it when I see it.

[@dankone1289]

@@ThePlayersAid we won’t hold our breath!

[@bobroberts6702]

So watching whilst visiting family in Florida - back home in the UK it is snowing. Is it ok to say that I actually prefer the snow?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Absolutely it is! But here in the Mid-West it's snow free, just cold and miserable.

[@mati11223]

Bayonets & Tomahawks man. It's just the best.

[@johnrogers8876]

Love that you are talking about beautiful games. It feels at times that heavier, more serious gamers (wargames and otherwise) sneer at beauty, associating it with being shallow and lack of substance in favor of style. I couldn’t disagree more. Thank you for addressing this!

[@supark3244]

Agreed. The Hall or Nothing games are blah mechanically but the artwork is so immersive. Absolute joy to play.

[@evildrganymede]

wargamers seem to have this weird idea that if something is designed to look nice then that must hurt its functionality, like it's a zero sum game (i.e. if one is improved the other must be sacrificed). Which is complete nonsense of course, you can have something look nice and attractive that is still perfectly functional and not confusing. I just want to scream at the art designers at GMT to stop using solid blocks of colour for everything. Put some decoration in there, it's not going to hurt anything! Even for things like player aids and player boards, a plain flat coloured background is just dull as hell.

[@dr3putt62]

Whoo hoo ! Debriefing Yes

[@The_Real_Danger_Mouse]

The interactions available between regions on Imperial Struggle make it far more interesting than Twilight Struggle.

[@douglaspearson4853]

I hope you do not mind me asking. What is your favorite No Retreat: game? I am curious. I have Russian, North Africa and Italy. I do enjoy them and really love the Itay board after playing Anzio from AH. I did see your video Poland/France

[@karlfromthewargame_bootcam7733]

Europa Universalis is a great game that is kinda like Here I Stand but plays very differently.

[@RottenJeeves]

I am fan of the Undaunted series but I did NOT like Stalingrad. I am sure I am in minority. 1. Its seems the easiest way to win the campaign is to ignore objectives and focus riflemen. 2. Losing troops is too punishing. There is no way to recover as you can never upgrade replacements. Hence why focusing Riflemen is so powerful. 3. Scenario imbalance. 4. Punishing scenarios that are "balanced". If you don't see the strategy by turn 2 you have already lost. 5. Its luck fest. The original game had this issue too but its even more prevalent here. If you draw all your crappy replacements and your buddy draws their promoted troops... This goes back to my first two points. This also makes the game more swingy. I am sure if you just ignore the glaring issues and just shrug it off you can have a good time. There are things to like here but I just couldn't see past it. I found myself just wanting to go play North Africa or Reinforcements. To each their own for sure. Thanks for everything you guys do!

[@MentatOfDune]

Calandale is doing a playthough of EU:tpop. Looks great. Wish I had his ability to solo multiplayer big games like him. (ps. forgive the multiple comments as they're written at different points in the vid. Love the content).

[@relvar3158]

Almost done, but goodness I hope Napoleon’s Triumphant is here! So, so good.

[@ThePlayersAid]

We don't have it :(

[@relvar3158]

Yeah, not surprising. To me, hands down the most beautiful game, plus the tactile blocks on the map are just so pleasing to both look at and the play. Thanks for the episode!

[@charleslatora5750]

Holland 44. My first 194x. Sold me on the rest.

[@hssmallman]

What was the name of the company that does the Imperial Struggle game organizer please? Would love to pick up one. Thanks for the great show

[@ThePlayersAid]

www.cube4me.com

[@supark3244]

Several beautiful games except for Stilicho. Looks like a prototype compared those other gorgeous games. Thanks for sharing.

[@pm71241]

Did I not hear Sekigahara mentioned?!?

[@ThePlayersAid]

You did not, but also, this video could have been 4 hours long.

[@pm71241]

@@ThePlayersAid Yeah sure... but ... Sekigahara is one of those few games which make even Eurogamers turn their heads ...

[@timmeyspankey]

On the wargame rulebook rant, GBACW needs a simplified/better rulebook!

[@molotovtiel]

Bravo, Grant! The crowd calling everything "woke" are beyond tedious and I'm so sick of their whining, especially about a historical game.

[@patrakis]

I noticed you didn't mention the D-Day Dice expansion kickstarter going on right now. Is it because you don't consider it a war game? Or maybe you don't like it? Just curious.

[@ThePlayersAid]

No, it's because I forgot.. which is funny because we are backing it too, lol.

[@jackstalica7732]

Screw the incels (note the little 'i') that can't handle "Votes for Women"...

[@BoardgameLiker]

How bout them Rangers?!

[@rgmnetid]

Suffrage for women moved the context of voting from the family to the person. I don't think male-only suffrage was intended to achieve that, but I'm also not convinced the change was an improvement.

[@TCViper8618]

I'm still annoyed that they just stopped doing solo content for Undaunted. It makes no sense why you would do all that work and then just literally stop half way through the series.

[@gre8132]

I hated Warfighter. Sold it after playing twice

[@Icarus931]

What do you guys do for a living that you have so much free time ???

[@ThePlayersAid]

We don’t have much free time, we just spend it all playing wargames

[@lissmoors6292]

I think that The Players Aid is the best games review site on the internet and you both have great personalities. I would say though the Hall or Nothing games plus is the great artwork, but solo gameplay is dreadful for all their releases.

[@MentatOfDune]

It's good that you have palate cleansers like Frosthaven and take the odd break from wargames. There is nothing worse than feeling obligated to do a task/hobby that you love but have no motivation for (it's mini painting for me). Taking a break keeps the enthusiasm and energy up. After watching your Top10 of 2022 I was thinking that instead of doing Top10's or top15's etc it may be worth having a Gold, Silver and Bronze categorisation for your lists. You don't even have to have a set number of Gold, Silver or Bronze in your lists so it'll fluctuate depending on what gets released. Keep the "Top10" title for the KZbin algorithm and clicks but then don't give numbers to the games themselves. This would be beneficial, especially to smaller producers, who could then have a sticker on their box with "The Players Aid - Silver Award". I think you have enough creditability and exposure that something like that matters. It'll also allow you to do these types of lists mid year and it also doesn't matter if you get to a game a year or two late.

[@epone3488]

I gota say Im here for the game in focus - the top tens etc just give me FOMO and hurt my pocket-book. As long as I get to check in with you guys (you feel like good mates - even tho' we never met - Id l;ove to fix that over beers) Love the content just keep it coming. Im not a fan of Gloomhaven etal the movement via card really doesn't work for me its too ...constrained I just find it anoying. I can see what other like in it. I prefer the Rich Busters revised implementation which seems a response to Gloomhaven. Im a huge dungeon crawler aficionado and own many; my prefered games are Secrets of the Lost Tomb, Shadows of Brimstone, and Mansions of Madness: Second Edition just to mention a few.

[@pm71241]

For the love of God... Buy Grant a new t-shirt 😅

[@jackstalica7732]

Compass puts money into production values and hype - but NOT development. Lots of junky 1st ed. coming out...they are down to Decision games level to me now.

[@P_E_P_1966]

GJ 🙃😉🤑