HAMTAG 'Naval Games' with Judd Vance, Greg Schmittgens & Bart Brunscheen Bonding With Board Games

[@ElGrandoCaymano]

I think the game Judd is referring to at 46:49 is Broadsides & Boarding Parties by Milton Bradley.

[@Conflict_Boardgaming]

7 years later, and I am re-watching this vid, because I miss the HAMTAG crew!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Great episodes. Fun to shoot too.

[@ElGrandoCaymano]

Jack Greene wrote and designed several world war 2 naval games in the past century: the Norway 1940 one, Royal Navy, Iron Bottom Sound, etc.

[@Icarus931]

My childhood. Playing wooden ships and iron men in a musty basement in St Louis park , Minnesota . Trying to build a time machine and go back .

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Called the 'Way Back Machine'. I feel you.

[@charlesrowan1978]

So refreshing to see your team back together and putting out videos.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks Charles. They are a good bunch of guys and Judd and Great have a lot of knowledge with a very unique perspectives. I just try to swim in their pond...dog paddle.

[@helgaratbone1691]

Hey Bismarck made the list! Cool! Great vid guys!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks Ratbone

[@philhatfield2282]

A number of good games shown in this video! Good lists guys! I really enjoy Blackbeard too!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Judd made me want to play it too...wonder if he can squeeze Mr. T into that game????

[@juddvance7721]

He appeared in my 30 games in 30 days back in 2015. I am doing it again in 3 weeks, but I'm not playing Blackbeard this time. :(

[@jmbuff1]

Judd, you are thinking of Milton Bradley's "Broadsides and Boarding Parties". It was part of the mid-80's game series that featured the original Axis and Allies, Conquest of the Empire, Shogun and Fortress America. I believe that was all the games, and it's true Broadsides is by far the hardest to find today (and most valuable). It's probably because it sold the worst of the series and thus very few survive in the wild today. I still have my copy from back then.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Sounds like fun and a good original purchase. Does game play still hold up?

[@jmbuff1]

Unfortunately no. The setup is really arduous with these big plastic ships you have to squeeze a ton of little minis onto. The game play after that is just maneuvering in close and carrying out a basic combat system. About the only cool thing is how the big ships look with all the cannons and little guys on them when it's setup. After that, not so much. :)

[@TheKesslerFoundation]

It was also first of the series. The maneuvering part is pretty fun but when it moves to the battle on the ships it is a bit less.

[@sentient02970]

I remember owning and playing Bismark. Great game.

[@flycasual2976]

Captain Sonar is stupid fun. The tension of hunting and being hunted is palpable, and the real time aspect adds urgency. I despise real time games, except this one. It's epic and hilarious. Feels like a party game in that once you're done everyone is laughing and telling their close call stories. Best with 8 players, good with 6, don't play with fewer. Everyone has a station and a job (4 jobs for each submarine) and when you play with fewer players each player has to manage multiple jobs which takes some of the fun out of it. This is a game about communication, teamwork and the problems that arise from failing to work efficiently together under time pressure. I love it and my non wargaming family loved it.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Sounds like this might work for a team building day that I'm planning at work...Hmm

[@aidandegg4176]

Superb vid as always.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks Aidan.

[@brianjarvis7822]

As a wargamer living in Halifax, NS, thanks for immortalizing the words "Halifax Hammer"...! and No! Don't Stay Away From Halifax! Drop us a line if you're ever up this way... we have a monthly wargaming group that would love to have you come by for a game!

[@skippydoo123]

Brian Jarvis Ditto from a fellow Haligonian

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks Brian and Pesky

[@StukaJoe]

Great to see you, guys! Not a huge naval buff, but interested in War Galley, which seems a very underlooked topic. I hear that it is one of the better GBOH games in terms of playibility. Cheers! HAMTAG!!!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

JOSE!!!! Great to hear from you my friend. HAMTAG!!!!!

[@KabukiKid]

Silent Victory is worth checking out if you are interested in a solo submarine game. There is also The Hunters from the same series, but I prefer playing as the Americans in Silent Victory. ;-) It's also a hair more refined.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I may have it...yet to play...I've got a sub game and it's not Hunters.

[@barefootbusdriver]

I would love to see screenshots of the setup boards for each game in the midst of the video.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

That is a great idea. Sadly it won’t be possible, at least until I retire from the day job and my other KZbin channel. I’m pushing OT to keep up currently.

[@74Slamdunk]

Fleet Commander Nimitz by DVG games also U-Boat Leader and Gato Leader also DVG. Avalanche Press has a whole series of WWI and WWII naval games as well.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

So many great games...so little time.

[@jeromyfisher297]

I got that shirt too! Got it at the gift shop on the port side of the mighty Mo

[@ScotchTestDummies]

Very cool

[@mikerinehart]

Bismarck. That's my favorite. One of these days I'm gonna do up some solitaire rules for that.

[@cryhavoc1124]

Michael Rinehart I developed solo rules using decoy counters. Go checkout Bismarck on boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/76436/bismarck-second-edition

[@richardcole5872]

With you on a lot of those. Wooden Ships and Iron Men - had it forever and superb, totally agree with the multiple players with limited communication. Have Blackbeard - so much chrome but I found it a little difficult to get into, very interesting though. Regrettably never bought Bismark strangely as I was hugely into the ship, and yes Prinz Eugen was her companion on her last voyage. Never played Kaiser's Pirates but have Enemy in Sight, and Modern Naval Battles I and II. Have Empires of the Sun of course - superb! Also have Pacific War,Victory Games (geez I wonder who designed that! :)) ) Surprised that Flat Top and Submarine didn't get a mention from you lovers of Avalon Hill. We played Flat Top game mastered with two sets for the ultimate in fog of war - still one of my most loved gaming experiences.

[@gregschmittgens1262]

I haven't played Flat Top, though every thing I've heard is good. As I mentioned over on the BGG thread on this video, I felt the escort ratios in Submarine didn't work right. Unless I was playing wrong, it was easier to Make Contact than to Keep Contact. So the tactics were for a different escort to gain contact each turn and the escort which had contact would just move in and attack rather than try to keep and improve contact.

[@paintballinrn]

Love it, Finally jumped on empire of the sun and I know where I can get a copy of black beard for cheap I may go grab. keep up the good work.

[@juddvance7721]

Don't let EotS sit on the shelf. Get it out and get it played: live the awesome. I would highly recommend going here before cracking the rulebook: www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/100945/how-play-eots-using-vassal-tutorial-logs I teach the game through Vassal logs. Each log has a different aspect of the game. Keep the rulebook and counters handy when you go through it. After seeing it laid out, reading the rulebook should make a lot of sense and then when you play, use the player aids in that package to check yourself. You should be able to play an error-free game. Playing it really well is a different matter: I haven't got to that level yet.

[@tptangenivy28]

More HAMTAG!!!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

BOOM. We have one more in the can that will come out in about 3 weeks (Games we own but have yet to play)...Bart mastered this list...

[@valnarz9550]

If you liked WS&IM you might look into the old Yaquinto-Excalibre games system called Ironclads, Ironclad Expansions, and Shot&Shell from 3W these focus on the US Civil War period. Also, if you like card games take a look out for the 3W system of Modern Naval Battles for back in the cold war era. Enjoyed your video, keep up the good work.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Great tips Valnar Z. Thanks

[@FreeFragUK]

Out of curiosity do any of the HAMTAG team have any experience with Oak & Iron? I was looking at this as an alternative to Wooden Ships & Iron Men but I'm not sure if they're comparable.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I have not played this game. Sorry I cannot shed any light on the matter

[@FreeFragUK]

@@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs thank you for the reply, it's greatly appreciated. I'll have to try track down a copy of wooden ships in the UK. I've got a craving for an age of sail wargame and the feedback in the video really put this on my radar. Admittedly it may end up at Oak and Iron in the event I cannot locate a good copy of Wooden Ships.

[@juddvance7721]

I have not played it. I kind of gave up on Age of Sail games: they don't solo well.

[@aj_8009]

Love the video guys. I have never been a trick-taking gamer, but from your video I am now really interested in Atlantic Storm. Did you ever end up doing a review of Med Sirocco? Have you considered doing a top 5 submarine games? I appreciate that they are included in this list but I'd be really interested in seeing that specific list. Thanks for the great videos!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks AJ. I have not played Med. I did hear it had some problems. I need to get the band back together but I’m not sure we will do submarine games. I personally couldn’t do it justice.

[@ryanfromthefuture8049]

Can you guys Perhaps do a play through video of attack sub ..I recently got a copy and I’m having a little trouble with the rules, please and thank you! 😁👍

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I don't think we will be doing any play through video soon. sorry

[@TreiDeA]

HAMTAG-nice! Nice lists! And happy birthday for the US Navy! Mine would be: 1.Empire of the Sun, 2.Plan Orange 3. South Pacific (I'm a Mark Herman fanboy, also :D) 4. Pacific Fury: Guadalcanal 1942, 5.Master and Commander (White Dog Games).

[@juddvance7721]

I've been trying to trade for South Pacific since it came out. Someday it will happen. Patience is a virtue (I'm on the brink of finally snagging Flashpoint: Golan).

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Cheers to the Navy

[@andrewmcdonald1166]

Really love the videos great job as always. Just a side note, The USS Constellation in Baltimore is not the sister ship of the USS Constitution, but the Sloop built in the 1850s. For many years there was some confusion and it was presented as the older ship for many years. It has an interesting history of its own. Anyway always a nice surprise whenever I see you guys have a new video

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks for the info Andrew, much appreciated. I toured it once but that was almost 28 years ago.

[@charlesrowan1978]

Hey guys what is the big historical board game convention in either Dallas or Arizona? I'm up on the historical miniature conventions but like WBC housing is sold sold out already. I think GMT is doing an East coast thing. Any Ideas ?

[@gregschmittgens1262]

What I know. . . Dallas has BGGCON. Not just historical. Actually, not even mostly historical. 😀 But it is big. Tickets sold out in two hours this year. And there's enough of a historical game presence to just play those games for the 4.5 games of the convention. Arizona has Monster con (at least I think that's the name) under the auspices of the ConSimWorld website. The emphasis is monster games (like an OCS campaign). Though I have never attended, it appears that the emphasis is on historical games. . .because most monster games are historical.

[@charlesrowan1978]

Thanks I'll look into them.

[@greginfla_1]

Can you recommend a pacific carrier wargame that balances theme with playability?

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

This may sound odd but look at the Carrier Battles digital app. It’s a board game in digital form and simply fantastic.

[@andrewsstuffy]

Hi HAMTAG Guys, and channel. I would love to see the HAMTAG guys do some different kinds of videos (as well as their top 5 lists). It would be nice to see the 3 guys sit down and talk about a specific game in detail. You could talk about the game, some history around the conflict, how the history is simulated in the game, provide a 15 min sample turn of a set up game so people can get an idea how it plays, and perhaps talk about some strategies. I would say it would be more like a workshop than a review. I would love to see this, and I know it would be a little more work but I think it would be well worth the effort. Thanks guys..

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

A nice suggestion Andrew. One thing I would like to set up is a LIVE play through of something. I suggest below that Blackbeard may be fun...I could even see Atlantic Storm 2nd printing or Med Sirocco. Get a big group in...go live on Google Hangouts and just see who tunes in. LIVE shows are nice for me because there is no editing. I do a similar thing with interviews on the Scotch Test Dummies whisky channel. Time is an issue for me.

[@omerhertz]

The Halifax Hammer can actually be fixed fairly easily with a house rule supported by Martin Wallace. I won't write it here for obvious reasons, but you can look it up on the BGG page...

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Judd and I played a ton of A Few Acres. We just agreed not to use it. I had a ton of fun playing around with several different combinations in the game. It was very fun. Who won mattered a lot less to me.

[@omerhertz]

Agreed. I never played the Hammer myself either, and honestly I can't even remember how it goes anymore, but I figured that if one of us accidentally stumbled into it, it's good to have a solution. I actually came across it when I saw a BGG post on some Martin Wallace-approved variations to aFAoS for those of us that had played the game an embarrassing amount of times (such as yours truly) and wanted to spice things up. Regardless of the Hammer, I recommend checking out that thread - there's some interesting variations in there.

[@SH3Bstanko6]

Empire of the Sun is phenomenal!

[@TheKesslerFoundation]

No mention of Man o War from Games Workshop?

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

None

[@douglaspearson1647]

The only 2 two games I don't have or played are Plan Orange & A&A Pacific but a love the other games. I think the game Judd is thinking of is Broadsides and Boarding Parties. Merchants & Marauders is a lot like Black Beard with more eye candy. My first Avalon Hill game purchased was Jutland my number 1. The 62 Bismarck is basically the basic game of the newer game with less polish and 4 page rules. Some games I like are Trireme (AH Wooden Ship & Iron men in the Ancients time period), Regatta (3M), Midway 64 (AH), Submarine (AH & Battleline), Harpoon, Modern Naval Battles, Flat Top, U-Boat (AH), Tokyo Express (Victory Games, Victory in the Pacific(AH).

[@juddvance7721]

Broadsides & Boarding Parties is it! Thanks so much. Expensive game. Looks cool.

[@douglaspearson1647]

When my friend passed away his wife was selling one. I wanted to buy it but felt she could get a lot of money on eBay and I wanted to do right by her.

[@richardcole5872]

Yes, I like Tokyo Express, Midway, and VITP too, could be included. I have Trireme and Regatta and they are okay too.

[@KabukiKid]

I think Broadsides & Boarding Parties is the first from the Milton Bradley GameMaster series. That one was pretty fun... and yeah, I think it goes for a pretty penny today. So overproduced! lol Those giant plastic ships are awesome. :-)

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I remember you helping her out Douglas. Good friend.

[@robertmoffitt1336]

Atlantic Storm Reprint!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!

[@brianjarvis7822]

There's also "Med Sirocco" now - same system as Atlantic Storm and Pacific Typhoon but themed on the Mediterranean.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I've talked to the publisher of Med Sirocco...hopefully will receive a review copy soon

[@NefariousKoel]

"Merchants & Marauders" by Z-Man is very much like "Blackbeard", but with fictional captains and themes. It also has a lot more "stuff" to it, in general, including some amazing production quality. It's like a board game version of the old computer game 'Sid Meier's Pirates!' Good stuff. If you like 'Blackbeard', I'd recommend checking it out. As for "Close Action", it's much like Wooden Ships & Iron Men, but has a lot of fine detail for each ship. Better for fewer ships being controlled per each player. From what I understand, 'Flying Colors' is more oriented towards larger scale battles, but I've never experienced that one.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks Koel. Close Action sounds very interesting.

[@derMikester]

Six Frigates is an EXCELLENT book. Highly Recommended!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks Mike.

[@tomknight1759]

Bart, did one of you say that a company was going to republish Attack Sub? I thought one of you said that.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Atlantic Storm is apparently going to be republished. I don't remember hearing anything about Attack Sub, but that would be good too.

[@tomknight1759]

ok, thanks, I got it mixed up. Who is reprinting Atlantic Storm?

[@gregwong7307]

No mention of Flat Top, Submarine, or the Fleet Series.:(

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Please add in your list of Top 5 and why Greg. Tons of fans read the comments for other viewers views. We are but three.

[@kenbennett4556]

Just to let you know, the 1980 version of Bismarck added some "what if" ships, Like you can add in an American or French battleship, whereas the earlier version was just the historical ships involved.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Great information Ken. Thanks

[@Conflict_Boardgaming]

Not a big naval game fan, but love the vid all the same!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks John. Anything talked about spark an interest?

[@douglassouthwell2088]

Greg I only play Pacific Storm because that is what everyone brings. Would gladly play Atlantic Storm, bring it next time. I am terrible at die rolls as you know, so less randomness is great.

[@gregschmittgens1262]

Maybe a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Pacific Typhoon shows up, so that's what we play. But I remember bringing both Atlantic and Pacific and Pacific was the game of choice.

[@douglassouthwell2088]

I only remember playing Atlantic Storm once. I actually don't remember how I felt about it now to be honest. Would certainly try it again.

[@johnr8095]

I think Judd is referring to Rum & Bones. (not merchants and marauders). That is at least the modern version of that type of game. (he could also be referring to Broadsides an older game I never played but had a ton of chrome.)

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

It turned out to be the older Broadsides

[@im2yz4u17]

You all need to do at least one video per day for the rest of your lives!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

We love you.

[@CentipedePriest]

Great video as always gentlemen! I'm curious if you have any pointers on how to find a solid play group? Unfortunately I'm of a younger generation (I'm 25), and most of my peers lack the interest or attention span to focus on a game for a protracted period of time. All the local game stores I've talked to focus mainly on miniatures or TCGs, and said that I'd be hard pressed to find anybody willing to play hex and counter games, or something of a similar ilk. My main opponents used to be my father and nephew, but since I've moved away I only get to see them for holidays or the occasional long weekend. Even then, we're lucky if we can squeeze in a game or two of Memoir '44. Is there any hope out there, or am I just doomed to the solitaire life style? (Not that there's anything wrong with solitaire, DVG has been my saving grace as of late.)

[@juddvance7721]

Not much help I can provide. I play most of my wargames solitaire. If you are willing to learn Vassal you can play by e-mail and/or hook up with Skype for a more personal experience.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I will echo Judd here. Look into online Vassal. There is a learning curve and a few oddities but it will allow you to find gaming partners very easily. I would also suggest attending the WBC convention or even BGG (nice wargaming crowd there) along with some others. You may even find someone there that lives close to you. The last suggestion is to find a good game group, even if they are playing euro's. In that crowd you will usually find one or two people that have played and enjoyed war games or our willing to try them.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

By they way what major city to you live in or close to? You may find someone right here on this forum not too far away from you.

[@gregschmittgens1262]

And I'd say - don't try to find a group. Try to find one regular player. I've had a regular Wednesday night opponent and a regular Thursday night opponent for several years. We have kinda formed a small, somewhat irregular group out of our weekly sessions, but the focus is on gaming two evenings a week. (And I would never suggest VASSAL as a substitute for FtF gaming. But that's me.)

[@juddvance7721]

I'm with Greg: if you like the social experience, Vassal is a poor substitute. I don't play it much any more. If you want to learn to play a game or you want to play a game that won't solo, it's pretty good. That said, I have met some pretty net folks on Vassal, but it really depends on the person: I have had Vassal opponents who don't say much and I've had some who chat up a storm. I have a buddy in town I play with a lot. We met at the local Euro-game thing. We found out we shared old school tastes and didn't really like Euros that much. We played a lot of those old pocket games (Metagaming, TSR, Task Force) and then he taught me Ameritrash. We play some shorter wargames, but mostly Ameritrash. So yeah, if you hook up with a local gaming group you might just surprise yourself by who you find.

[@johnr8095]

Not sure about pacific Typhoon. But Atlantic Storm is great game. Very light, but still has historic elements that appeals to history buffs. To me, one of Avalon Hill games that completely holds up in modern times.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I agree 100% John.

[@xman777b]

Judd: have you played Dawn's Early Light 1812, yet? If so, your thoughts on the game? Thank you.

[@juddvance7721]

No I haven't. Abstracts based on history aren't really my thing.

[@xman777b]

@@juddvance7721 thank you for your response. Can you tell me what an abstract wargame is? I couldn't find a definition on the net. Thanks. Vince

[@juddvance7721]

@@xman777b examples of abstracts: Chess, Dogfight (2009 version), Firebase Vietnam (recent C3i game), Hooyah navy seals card game. Basically, you could replace what the name represented with something else and not lose a thing (ex: Firebase Vietnam -- instead of VC, those are zombies ... nothing changes).

[@xman777b]

@@juddvance7721 thanks for the examples. Would Triumph and Tragedy qualify as an abstract? As it's not really a simulation WWII game

[@juddvance7721]

@@xman777b Don't know. I haven't played it.

[@Conflict_Boardgaming]

LOL! Look how thin Judd was!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

lol

[@bigremy4569]

Do a top 5 best napoleonic war games

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

WOW Bigremy...you must be a mind reader...We just filmed that last week...look for it in about a month. Dang you are good!

[@bigremy4569]

Bonding With Board Games knew it

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

BAM! U Be Good

[@davedogge2280]

For a second I thought someone was going to take the Micheal and say their no.1 is CMON's Rum and Bones !

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I've got a ton of CMON but not that

[@OJ4HIRE]

Boom Bart killin it all over the KZbin!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Bam! Good to see a fellow Scotch God on this side of the gaming table. Thanks OJ4

[@e-4airman124]

Do you know of any great or good games with Dreadnoughts Like the Russian vs Japan Tsushima?

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I (bart) do not but you may want to look at Leviathans which is WW1 dreadnaught type combat but with a Steampunk twist. Ships are made lighter than air. All that being said the way combat works is very cool and dreadnought like.

[@richarddefortuna2252]

Admiralty Trilogy Group's "Fear God and Dread Naught" has a module called "Dawn of the Rising Sun" that covers that period. Its currently a set of rules sold through The Wargame Vault, which can be used with pen and paper mapping, homemade or borrowed chats, or miniatures, but an earlier edition with map and chits was produced by Clash of Arms and can still be found on the secondary markets.

[@t3l3phasicworksh0p]

Although light tactical naval games don't seem to be "the Hamtag thing" I do personally enjoy Leviathan as an alt history tactical naval game

[@juddvance7721]

One of the ones on the outside looking in for me was Battlewagon by Task Force Games. It is like a light Star Fleet Battles for capital ships. It has SSDs, turn modes, firing charts, and the like. It lacks energy allocation forms and shields. Think of it like the old sub-light battles from SFB. Neat game and very tactical.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Hey t3I3...I (bart) managed to get Leviathan's into my Top 5 Air War games. Lighter then air and all that. I wish that game would have caught on and produced more expansions.

[@jimsmith7445]

Love Rebel Raider... GMT, would love to see a review of that Russian game... good pick Judd... bought "Wooden Ships, Iron Men" years ago.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Great buy Jim

[@robertmoffitt1336]

Victory in the Pacific...

[@CentipedePriest]

Thank you!!! ViP was what my father used to introduce me to grand strategy, and to this day holds a special place in my heart. Unfortunately I've only ever played a couple games to completion, due to size and game length. I personally prefer it's predecessor War At Sea. The Atlantic theatre has always been a bit more interesting to me. It's also a lot easier to teach newer players, and to finish a game in a single sitting. Although I do like the Patrol/Raider dynamic, as well as the refined air power/carrier rules present in ViP. Also, somehow we got our hands on a set of house rules to play both games connected as a grand campaign... That monstrosity has yet to make it to the table, but I hope it does some day!

[@e-4airman124]

I really liked Jutland. Looking for battle between Russia and Japan during Russo Japanese war 1908 or so.

[@vonholdinghausen6886]

CV from SPI

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Nice

[@jimsmith7445]

Judd... BRAVO! "Blackbeard' is a great game... a great lost game! Good choice

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I want to play it with him now. Sounds like a hoot.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

I keep getting requests for a LIVE broadcast of HAMTAG gameplay. Maybe we get a couple more guys over and play a big game of Blackbeard. Thoughts????

[@omerhertz]

It is a great game, and as an owner of the 2nd edition, I can assure Judd that it's still terrific. They simplified it a bit but it's a narrative-driven game so I think that's for the best, helps with the immersion. Also scales better than the original for more players.

[@flycasual2976]

HAMTAG!!!

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

HAMTAG!

[@jimsmith7445]

As much as I love "Bismarck ", I thought "Midway" might have been better strategically.

[@juddvance7721]

I love Midway, but it relied too heavily on air power for my tastes when considering naval games. I wanted the focus to be on ship-to-ship battle. Midway was my 2nd wargame ever. I still love it.

[@casusbelli1657]

HAMTAG! Yippee

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Fan the flames Casus Belli!!!!

[@juddvance7721]

I know a thing or two about fanboying...

[@flycasual2976]

I love Hunt for Red October (book and film) and I tried Attack Sub but didn't like it because it felt random and the Americans and Russians seemed imbalanced. I think it was the American LA class that had strictly better stats than it's Rus counterpart. Why not do balanced asymmetry? I thought it felt dated and flawed, but perhaps I didn't give it enough of a chance?

[@e-4airman124]

really miss the gang.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

One more to get edited

[@freddieyu]

Attack Sub! 2 Thumbs up!. Has anybody tried DVG's Modern Naval Battles card game. The Modern Land Battles game is patterned after that and it was a cool wargame "filler".

[@juddvance7721]

I have Naval Battles that Dan Verssen made for Phalanx or Mayfair. It almost made my list. It is a beer and pretzel game. I heard he used that as the template for MNB.

[@Joey---]

What!? No War in the Pacific!? LOL!!

[@charleslatora5750]

Not in any order. Submarine/Bismark A.H. WAS/VITP. A.H. Trireme/WS&IM. A.H. River Plate/Bismarck Straits: (both solo) Decision Games Med Sirocco. Like Atlantic Storm but I disliked rules. Rewrote rules so it's max. 3 player. Getman/Italian, Brits., U.S. I also have but not have played yet Midway, Dauntless, The Hunters, The Hunted, Silent Victory. I want Blackbeard and a game covering the Barbary pirate wars.

[@OroborusFMA]

You should all have been drinking orange juice or something.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Not with all that whisky in the background. Like great board games...so many choices.

[@jimsmith7445]

Judd, have you been losing weight? Don't mean to be "dense", but you look like you've lost a fair amount of weight?

[@juddvance7721]

Yep. About 80 lbs over 4 months.

[@jpotter2086]

Captain Sonar is a party game. Bleh. At the end Judd was describing Broadsides & Boarding Parties, 1984, from the M&B Gamemaster Series.

[@BondingWithBoardGamesRPGs]

Thanks Potter you are correct on the Broadsides game from 84 There is a war gamers version of Captain Sonar coming out called UBOOT. Check that out. Has yet to be released but looks great.

[@jpotter2086]

its already on my radar .... er, sonar :P

[@jimsmith7445]

Have any of you guys played "Blue Sails...." (GMT)... the Russian Navy. Nobody loves "Jutland"? LOL! It's a bit like "1914" with blind squares and dummy counters... anyone got a few years with nothing to do???? LOL

[@gregschmittgens1262]

I considered Jutland, but I found the 'search' part of the game (the first commercial game I remembered trying a double blind system) detracted from the game, even though it was necessary to get to some kind of meaningful tactical scenario. So it ended up lower than 5 on my list.