Fleet Commander: Nimitz Review

[@williammcguinness795]

Outstanding review! I'm afraid that this will not be on my wishlist. Thanks again for your great effort.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Thank you, William. Yes...a bit of a bummer, I'm afraid

[@MikeStoddart]

An excellent review again - thanks for being so candid. This definitely changes my plans and will push Nimitz down or off my list of must haves.

[@Tupinamba77]

Thanks for the review! That information about the campaign was really important and I totally agree with your sentiment.

[@mikemankoff253]

Great review as always. Just got Phantom Leader and love it....was looking to get this too, but now probably wont!

[@lufasumafalu5069]

Thanks for the review , very clear and great sample of play... your videos are better than marcowargamer's video for me =D

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Buntalan Lucu Wow...high praise, Buntalan! Thank you :)

[@JoelC724]

Great review Derek!, I will also not be putting this on my wish list (waited for your review actually) you were very accurate honest and not a schill like many reviewers that us what makes you fantastic. Kudos, thank you for the review p.s. Maybe with a 2nd edition or rules overhaul I might purchase it, wanted this game to be great...

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Jason C I would gladly give this game a fresh run with some polished/reworked rules.

[@petemartin295]

Although I just got this and I'm eager to try it out, I really appreciated your even-handed approach to this review. Hopefully, Dan will continue working on this one since it does seem to have some good ideas in it.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Pete Martin Hello, Pete:) I hope so too. Also hope you enjoy the game!

[@ringmasterblaze]

Love your reviews man. Sold.

[@sergeantrock1]

Hello Derek, another great review. I think that the abstractions for the land based aircraft may not be to bad. Land bases were easy to bomb and take out and took time and equipment to rebuild. Their aircraft "were" vulnerable. Land troop's were dug in and hard to take out, "almost impossible to do with air or naval bombardment alone," and required boots on the ground to pry them out. Something called the corkscrew. Where as carrier's could be resupplied with aircraft rather quickly in comparison. Maybe because we broke the Japanese code there were not many surprises for us and this may not be as much fun, but could be realistic. Yes, it's to bad there's no full campaign game but like Jack Nicholson said in Mar's Attack's, Two out of three ain't bad. Brent.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Glad you're enjoying the game Brent :)

[@Conflict_Boardgaming]

Great review again Derek!

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Thank you, John:)

[@JPFalcononor]

Thanks for you great review...Unfortunately I preordered and so have the game in hand....I was stoked by my love for FC Napoleon that I could not wait to get this...I can deal with some of the gameplay issues by making my own house rules, especially for air fields, if that needs to be done...having a lazy linked campaign scenario is indeed almost like a con job the way it is structured... Anyway, this game will eventually reach my table, but now that GMTs The Dauphin and The Sword has arrived, that has priority... Thanks again for the trouble and time you took on this review..

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

In it's current state, house rules are definitely in order.

[@goodlookingcorpse]

This seems like it would make a good computer game, given the setup time, and the large number of steps in determining what the Japanese do and the results of combat.

[@robs5688]

Over the years, there's been no shortage of computer games that do exactly that.

[@A_Toastonawhiteplate]

I think they are selling the vassel module on their Homepage

[@gillesderais3848]

Thanks for the review, think I'll skip this one. One strange thing I noticed is the notation of cruisers on the counters as CRU, you would expect CA (heavy) or CL (light).

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Gilles de Rais I thought it odd at the beginning myself. All non-CV and SS naval units are just considered "escorts" in the game anyway. I just thought of them as light, med, and heavy escorts for their gun and AA ratings.

[@nathansmiddy]

this sounds like a interesting game

[@e-4airman124]

great review. I shall see others.

[@e-4airman124]

How about eliminating ships etc from each scenero as you go. Also just keep territory that was captured. keep going until the end? Would that solve the problems?

[@Kirq]

Thank You for solid and honest review. I had very similar first impressions after watching tutorial on DVG channel. Unfortunatelly Tiger Leader doen't look good either - MG team gaining atack bonus for moving, for an example. Looks like DVG is not in best shape in their latest releases.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Yeah...I watched that tutorial when it first came out. Things supposedly hadn't been finalized at that point. *Wild, unsubstantiated guess alert* I think development of Nimitz was abandoned early in favor of other projects. Too bad. Hopefully, TL will be a different story. I know a lot of development and playtesting went into it. I'll overlook a little mechanical boo-boo here and there if it serves a recognizable purpose and doesn't bring the whole experience crashing down.

[@Kirq]

SingleHandedWarfare Let's keep our fingers crossed for this project.

[@BogWraith1]

Another solid review Derek. I am disappointed by the way that some of the game mechanics are handled. However, the deal breaker for me is how the "Linked" campaign setup is totally botched by seemingly no thought or effort afforded to this all important area at all! I definitely agree with the guys posting their thoughts here that a number of House Rules are in order until hopefully Dan addresses these short comings with version 2 of the rules. There is allot to this game that looks very good & would be allot of fun to play, your review clearly shows us that. It's a shame that these easily dealt with items spoil what would otherwise be another solid DVG title. Here's hoping that Dan spends some time fixing the rules and the mechanics that implement those rules, while adding a real linked campaign feature that will satisfy all of us who really value the feeling that only a series of battles that historically took place can give.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Bog Wraith Thank you, Bog:) Hope you're right

[@FinnCanDo85]

Hey Derek! I'm looking for your advice. I'm currently backing Sherman Leader on Kickstarter and they're now giving a free game with the backing, so I'm torn between 2 possibilities. One is Fleet Commander Nimitz and the other is Warfighter WW II. Thoughts? Some background on my solitaire gaming : I own many DVG-games, Napoleon is one of my absolute favourites but I do like Rommel and Alexander a lot too. And in the leader series I really love Phantom Leader, but enjoy Thunderbolt/Hornet leader also. WW 2 is always a plus for me as a theme. I haven't played the first Warfighter. Thanks and glad to see you back after a bit of a break :)

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

+DiceTillDawn I jumped in on the Sherman KS myself :) I was going to jump in anyway, but the free game offer made it irresistible! Well...if you saw my review vids, you know that I had some issues with FC: Nimitz, but I was crazy about the original WF. So far, WF WWII seems every bit as good. To be fair, plenty of folks seem to be loving Nimitz. I just thought it needed more time in development.

[@FinnCanDo85]

Thanks! Yea, I did watch your Nimitz-review, but didn't check on your WF-content. I was leaning on WF myself, but I think you made the decision for me :) Which game are you going for if I may ask?

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

+DiceTillDawn Phantom Leader Deluxe, to replace my 1st edition

[@justsomedood67]

Agree with your final analysis Derek. An abstraction (or two, or three) too far. Tis a shame, as the production quality is stellar. Really wanted to like this game, but, like U-Boat Leader and Frontline: D-Day, it just fell short of expectations. I think it's fixable, but extensive house-ruling is simply not something I'm up for these days - there are just too many other good solo wargames that are good to great right out of the box to want to re-design/re-develop a poorly tooled game.

[@jeffrhind175]

Excellent overview of the game. Being a very novice wargamer I can see this is probably not for me. I'm sure you've been asked this before, but what cutter do you use to get nice corners on your counters?

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Howdy Jeff:) It's the 2mm deluxe corner rounder from Oregon Laminations. Here's a link to the review I did for it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmGbnGqZm9Osqa8 If you're a counter clipper, you'll throw those fingernail clippers away once you've used one of these:)

[@jeffrhind175]

SingleHandedWarfare Sweet. Thanks Derek.

[@wildape3210]

Before buying a game, especially as pricey as this one I look at several game reviews and came to the same conclusion. It looks like a good game, probably a better version of the War At Sea game of old but I did see the game play as a little clunky. Also, I like individual ships and not dual ship counters. I did not like the magic carrier planes being reincarnated nor did I like the easily destroyed land based air. I don't mind abstract land battles, I think they did a good job with that. It seemed like this should have been a good two player game but the solitaire operational decisions of the Japanese forces seem too random and easy to beat. I thought you gave a fair review. Nothing made me NOT buy the game but I will probably get it down the road and get other recommended games before I buy this one.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

+Wild Ape This one was a big disappointment for me. I'd recommend strongly any other title in the Commander series. FC: Napoleon is still the best of the bunch.

[@wildape3210]

Nimitz is way down the list. I picked up Alexander the Great and Napoleon is the next on the list. I might pick Nimitz up down the road but I might find something better. It seems to me that DVG could revamp Nimitz and make it a better game. I agree that the campaign game is lacking and a bit predictable. I appreciate the time you put into these reviews. I think you give credible advice and I bought Silent Victory on your recommendation. It was every bit as good as you said it would be. I found the price a bit daunting but after seeing the game play I saw another B-17 in the making. B-17 is a game that sets the standard for me. I wore out my copy. I'm a little shocked that the game has not been remade. It is a surefire winner. I hope game companies look at solitary games in a different light and invest more into them.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

+Wild Ape I believe Nuts! Publishing has a B-17 reboot in development right now. It's called "Target For Today." Hope you enjoy Silent Victory...it's a winner:)

[@jaxongraysen2992]

I guess im randomly asking but does someone know of a way to get back into an instagram account..? I was dumb lost my login password. I would love any help you can give me!

[@chandlerrocco4766]

@Jaxon Graysen Instablaster ;)

[@TioGrassiente]

Nimitz, though it is a solitaire game, can it be played as a co-op game? Great review. Thanks

[@vstar7196]

Excellent video. I don’t like DVG games and “Nimitz” is one of the reasons why I don’t. Just saved me $120.00.

[@jimsmith7445]

Really liked your review.... it was clear, intelligent, and quite informative. This is a huge undertaking of a game. LOVE DVG Games... Warfighter, Phantom Leader, and DVG Games in general. Have Field Commander Napoleon... will look forward to other reviews.. thanks

[@justRayEvansopinion]

Don't think I will be on "my bike" for this game. I still like AH Victory in the Pacific (1977). Nice video though, very detailed review. Like the "website" on the wall behind you...

[@vospersb.thorneycroft602]

Thank you

[@nanorider426]

Why does DVG not let us do the whole campaign? It's why we buy these games. Well, correct me if I'm wrong. ;)

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

+nanorider426 There usually is a whole campaign. This one was lacking

[@douglaspearson1647]

It sounds like all it needs is a rules rewrite.

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

+Douglas Pearson I wanted to love this game so much! I think it just needed more time in the oven.

[@TioGrassiente]

DVG rules format is a problem for me too. I also find the games are too mechanical.

[@jimsmith7445]

I'm a HUGE A's and Raiders fan...

[@SingleHandedWarfare]

Another lost soul ;) Welcome aboard Jim!

[@jimsmith7445]

Can feel your pain... about the connectivity between campaigns... HEY, change the rules... IF you scored gains.... KEEP THEM... and add the units.... rules are made to be broken.... roar on

[@john-lenin]

Ugly counters. Never use gradients.