Monthly Update - Survey Results Discussion - Wargaming & Boardgames Channel Update | August 2024

[@larryoconnor9160]

Congrats on the vacation. You don't look as tired, more rested. Well done.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Good to know, thanks! Although I was thinking that I did look tired in this video too. Makes me wonder how tired I looked before. :)

[@billyriley492]

I think for your shelf of Shame, a good one to get you back in the groove would be RAF Battle of Britain. It's pretty easy to play and the rules are laid out very well, following the sequence of play making finding out what to do at a particular part quite simple

[@ZillaBlitz]

Oh, that's good to hear. I had assumed it was more challenging to learn and play. I might do that, although I was thinking that Undaunted might be an every more accessible place to build some momentum. :)

[@billyriley492]

@@ZillaBlitz yeah...that is even easier tbf

[@scotwilliams803]

Looks like loads of good content coming up! Excited to see what’s next!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, lots of fun stuff to play, and there were a number of things to explore that came in during the busy stretch at work. I don't think I'll be buying anything new for a while. :)

[@ParkeraNZ]

Good to have the update as always but even better to see you refreshed and ready to roll again!

[@ZillaBlitz]

The vacation was perfect in so many ways, and I couldn't be more excited to be back. :)

[@KevinFeatherly]

I'm not sure where other people's expectations are, but just speaking for myself, I'm glad you are willing and able to step away and/or reduce the responsibilities you heap on yourself in the name of this channel. If it got to a point where it was no longer fun, it would show, I think. So I think your approach is wise. You have a natural enthusiasm for this stuff, and I'd hate to see that fade. And by the way, thanks again for Crisis 1914, and for the shout out. Hope to do it again soon!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Kevin. I feel like the games and videos actually give me energy, so I'm happy to do this as much as I can. Having said that, distance is always nice to get at times. :)

[@ludwigvan2932]

I've really enjoyed the interviews!

[@ZillaBlitz]

I’m going to keep doing them, but I might rethink the style a bit.

[@Stumptonian1]

I am trying to get more inroads into my Pile of Shame and getting the components punched/organized so that I can get around to actually playing them. That has meant I need to cut back on watching KZbin videos, as much as I enjoy them. Keep up the good work.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Good luck getting started with them. You can do it. :)

[@thomassamson1432]

Great video, some of those results were quite surprising the only one I expected was how many people play solo. Love the Jays hat!

[@ZillaBlitz]

It was really eye-opening to me, and I definitely want to post a follow up question about the "pc wargaming". I wonder how many people are referring to things like Vassal, etc.

[@TheGreat2]

Great video, Zilla! Love the update! I don't even know where I would store Iron Squad, let alone set it up! And I love that hat!!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Nathan. I wore the hat for you. ;) Iron Squad looks a bit bigger on the screen than it is is real life. Really curious to give the system a shot. :)

[@davidthompson7233]

Fantastic video, my friend. Great to see you after the break. Sounds like you had an excellent re-charge!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, David! Yes, I didn’t realize how much I needed a break until I got a week into it. Feeling recharged now and I’m on Day 6 of my “Work like David and Liz Month”. Not quite as early of a start as you but I’m holding steady at “up by 6am”. :)

[@billyriley492]

Also I'm glad you seem to have a good understanding of what a review should be...I don't think alot of online content that do reviews do the review justice. They're just too shallow

[@ZillaBlitz]

I mean, I can understand people doing reviews on less than full information, just because some games would take so long to fully review. I think that a good playthrough, in many ways, can serve the same purpose. People can see the game being played and judge for themselves whether they might like it or not. :)

[@jamesbrazeal3847]

Rally the troops has been growing a lot.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Most definitely, fun to see. :)

[@368engbn]

Lots to look forward to. Hope you stay charged up.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! One of the things I've been focusing on now is a "sustainable process," so I'm cautiously hopeful that everything will flow nicely going forward. :)

[@richard-mtl]

I was one of those who commented about Twilight Struggle on the last video. The number of digital adaptations of wargames or wargame-adjacent games is growing, slowly but steadily. And I'm not talking Vassal, I mean like, with rules enforcement like the TS app or on Rally the Troops. So I think you could definitely "corner the market" on that niche if you talked about those games, how their adaptations work, if they're good or buggy, etc etc. I don't think there are any other KZbinrs talking about those, at least, not that I have seen. And I find myself spending more and more time on them, and learning new games on RTT for example (and then buying the games I learned!). Definitely some food for thought for you! And these monthly updates / news videos are always ones I watch right away now; other videos get watched later, but I watch these as quickly as possible, definitely enjoy them! Cheers from Montreal!

[@ZillaBlitz]

I like this idea a lot, and it has made me realize that I should make mention of Vassal mods in Overview/First Look videos, if I have information about them. I wouldn't consider Vassal a "pc wargame" but it might be something that many people do. I think the whole "PC" question deserves a follow up, tbh. :)

[@abrslam]

I'll give a little personal context to some of your surprises from the survey. I play digital wargames, but only occasionally. I switched to mostly board wargames because I find with digital that I spend more time fighting with the interface. I mostly enjoy WDS/John Tiller games, but only occasionally. As to solitaire, that is my only way of playing. I live in an extremely rural area in eastern Canada, and have actually never met another wargamer in real life. I vastly prefer true solo games and/or games with bots. As to favourite video types, I'm a very inexperienced wargamer, so interviews are largely over my head since I'm unaware of "who's who" in the hobby. When it comes to digital/video games I'm totally uninterested in playthroughs since they "spoil" it, and only watch reviews. But when it comes to boardgames I prefer "initial impressions" to get an idea if I'm interested, then I'll watch gameplay to see if the rules/gameplay speak to me. Essentially I'm saying (at least in my case), there may be alot of overlap between video and board gamers in general, but people can prefer vastly different content when exploring each hobby.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for all the input. I was talking yesterday online a bit about this and the "lives in a remote area" context point came up there, too. While I think we have a lot of ways to connect and play, finding people to play with can be challenging. I might make a video about ways to find people to play with, at least digitally.

[@joeyj6808]

Glad you had some down time. Very important to p[ace yourself, as so many creators burn themselves out. "Italia 1917-18" and "1920" both appear right up my alley. I have several games on the Polish Soviet War of 1920, but none are stellar. I will look into "1920" for sure. Honestly, "Schutztruppe 1914-18" has spoiled me for a while. (It's such a good game!) As far as gameplay, if I didn't solo, I wouldn't game. With my work schedule, it's nearly impossible to find an opponent. The results of your survey were interesting, but not a huge surprise to me. I respect the fact that you're interested in us!

[@ZillaBlitz]

The downtime was fantastic, thanks. :) Really good to recharge and reorient. I think that's the case with a lot of us. My workdays make it really hard to game face-to-face outside of the weekends. That's great to hear about Schutztruppe, I might have to give that a look at some point. But no new games for me for a bit, until I sort out the recent arrivals and current projects. :)

[@campsawyer]

Thanks for the update. I will say, I am not very surprised solitaire as on top, but am by the degree over both. I fit into the both category and know many that are the same. I was surprised that was not higher. Lots of play to learn and develop tactics, but still want the second brain to challenge me.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I confess I hadn't thought too deeply about it, but just always assumed that solo play was less than half. This answer was paradigm shifting for me. :)

[@manuelkooijman5757]

I don’t know, Zilla. I think News and upcoming war games in its own show is really good and is not that biased by in which show you asked the question. The Player’s Aid do upcoming games as well, but it’s part of their monthly update and discussion. And they very often don’t show the crowdfunding pages, so it becomes a list of games in which I lose interest quite quickly. I was not surprised by the Solitaire answer. I picked that as well and I play both real solitaire and some games two handed. Leaning into that will be great.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for all the thoughts! I'm glad people are liking the Upcoming Wargames episodes. They are fun to make, although often when I'm done with them I found I've ordered a couple of the games as well, after listening to myself talk about them. :)

[@phd_angel4192]

68% solitaire gaming doesn't surprise me at all. It's quite difficult to find local players. Blame it on us men who (unlike women) don't do a good job of making or cultivating new friends.

[@juanjomedina8653]

Yeah, I fully agree. Depending where u r is not easy to find local groups, plus most of us also have busy work and family lives that make it difficult to find the time for a hobby that requires significant chunks of time and a decent space.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I had assumed that people were playing more with other people, probably because that tends to be what I see on social media. Just goes to show you that the reality as presented by social media should always be treated with some skepticism. :)

[@coinneachmacraibeart7891]

The finding that most of us play solitaire is not hugely surprising. You wonder if that has been increased by the pandemic and also by exposure to computer games over the last thirty years. We are becoming less social. It is good that rule writers are increasingly incorporating suggestions for solo play but it is serious war gaming's frontier of opportunity.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I think that thing that surprised me most with the answer was the degree. I think the way the question was asked doesn't necessarily mean that people aren't playing solitaire, just that they are playing solitaire more. For me, I'm playing often now with other people, way more than during the pandemic, but I still play solitaire more. :)

[@coinneachmacraibeart7891]

@@ZillaBlitz Similar surveys have been conducted by computer wargame companies. They were trying to gauge the proportion of players availing themselves of their games' multi-player facility. It was vanishingly small.

[@tommloye4626]

PC war games got me into tabletop war games…specifically the Campaign Series. Played that from the moment it came out as individual games, East Front, West Front, etc. Still play it today.

[@ZillaBlitz]

For whatever reason I suspected the overlap was a lot less than it apparently is, but it really makes a lot of sense when you think about it. They are very much similar in terms of "game" experience.

[@gcsaunders58]

Valiant Defence Guadalcanal is a great game if anyone is interested. Id say 95% completed, just needing some art tweaks and confirmation of components in the rulebook. The rules leave nothing to question. Tons of variation in play and lots of ways to adjust the difficulty level. Guadalcanal takes the series up a notch.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Great to hear that's it's been making strong progress. It sounds like it's going to be a strong addition to the series. :)

[@michaelkoznarsky7911]

There are lots of games about the great Polish victory over Bolshevik Russia, Zilla! I even helped edit and write for one. Do Broni!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Good to know, Michael! Thanks. Is Broni a game? I don't see it on Board Game Geek. :)

[@robertdelaney4332]

When you ask for 1 answer, it doesn't mean we don't want the others. My favorite ice cream is chocolate chip mint but rhat doesnt mean I don't like vanilla. Do it all

[@ZillaBlitz]

To be fair, though, the question about what types of videos people like did give people the option of checking them all, which a lot of people did. :)

[@Offsuit72]

Always great to see these, thanks for all your work! I think you mentioned MAG-23 Guadalcanal last month, hope you get a chance to try that out. I'm curious what you think about it.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, these are great fun to make too. Yes, MAG-23 is on the list of games to look at, and I'll be bringing it to the channel. Not quite sure exactly when, but it's on the project list. :)

[@SoloBattles]

Excited for Italia: A Farewell to Arms!

[@SoloBattles]

I'm up for Statecraft.

[@SoloBattles]

I think any interview seems slow and plodding to me. It's not you, I would say "in spite of you" it's just not something that I find interesting enough to watch for any length of time. I would really only find it interesting if it was a game that I really liked and was super familiar with. I would watch an interview with Christopher Moeller about Burning Banners with rapt attention, but that is the only interview I would find interesting, AND I would only be interested in Burning Banners, nothing else that he has done, or has upcoming. Talking about a game I don't own, even if I was interested in the game, wouldn't really interest me. I think the secret to making interviews interesting is the guest has to be dynamic and exciting. Alas... Usually, when I am watching videos there is this little timer in my head going tick, tick, tick. If I'm going to lose an hour of my life, it better be good. I usually have lots of fun and interesting things wanting my attention. Interviews just don't make it to the top of the pile.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for all the feedback and thoughts. :) At the very least we could try Statecraft 2-player. :)

[@the_Mike_d]

I think we might be in the same field (education) and April and May are my worst months of the year in terms of being nonstop busy. Definitely wipes me out into June and then I try to rest and focus to get ready for late August. I do find having a mix of games to play (specifically the weight) really helps quite a bit. I've learned that trying to get into or set up a really heavy game at the wrong time of year is a path to frustration.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, this. Can relate. :) It has been better since I'm not teaching, but this year was incredibly challenging for a lot of reasons. Next year promises to be more normal. :)

[@QuayleTBird]

Mike, whenever you talk about new games I put my hands over my ears and say, "LALALALALALALALALALALA!!!!" .... It does not work but, at least I can say that I made an attempt to stop myself. 😁I'm glad that you were able to get some much needed time off and I will definitely look forward to more videos as well as trying to figure out where I'm going to hide the new games as they arrive. Nick Stasnopolis

[@ZillaBlitz]

Hahaha! I will start putting in a music track that has "lalalalala" on it whenever I start talking about new games. ;) Good luck hiding them from your wife! :)

[@QuayleTBird]

@@ZillaBlitz She finds them anyway .... 😄

[@ZillaBlitz]

Maybe you need to create fake box covers?

[@QuayleTBird]

Mike, I like your thinking here .... I see you have some experience with this, however she plays games with my friends and me and ultimately, she'll be asking questions about when I received a game she does not recognize. The real issue is that I can't keep my big mouth shut. 🤣

[@ZillaBlitz]

Hmmm. Maybe you can try my line? "It's a review copy?"

[@SoloBattles]

When I play solitaire I don't play to win, I play to see what happens. Although I enjoy playing with a friend, I mostly play solitaire for reasons of simple logistics. I can play solo at any time, and that is pretty much daily for me. I don't have to travel, I don't have to coordinate schedules, I can simply walk into my study and sitdown to a game and play as many turns as I wish. I prefer playing in the early morning. No one wants to come over at 5am and play for an hour or so. I play two fisted solo because most solitaire games amount to rolling lucky dice (even more than two player games 😁). One notable exception is Hill of Doves. Solitaire games seem to rely more on maximizing your dice rolls, and less on strategy, to me.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Great thoughts, thanks for sharing. I think we can find you some different sorts of solitaire games, though. :)

[@martincharlesworth1418]

Interesting about people playing board games on pc. Wise Guy History does quite a bit of this now on his KZbin channel, using Vassal. I find Vassal very useful for the bigger games, such as Stalingrad 42, which I just don't have space for on my table. Although I do own the board versions, I suspect that I will be playing Unconditional Surrender, Bitter Woods and Ardennes II the same way.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, I wonder how many people were thinking "Vassal" when they were answering the PC question. Definitely merits a follow up question or two, probably in the next Upcoming Wargames video. :)

[@TB2K08]

Going to bring Crisis: 1914 with me to Gen Con and hope to find a group to play it it looks fun, glad to hear you enjoyed it. Have you played Versailles 1919 or Churchill by GMT?

[@ZillaBlitz]

Oh, fun, I hope you enjoy it. :) And no, this is a whole sub-genre of games that I'm new to. :)

[@coyi51]

My shelf of shame has really gone nowhere. Recently played The Darks Sands, Kasserine & 414BC while flattening out the map for Borodino (GMT) Far too many new games and GMT sale just around the corner, whilst eagerly awaiting Traces of Hubris & Warfighter Vietnam. Pleased you enjoyed your break and looks like you will be really busy in the coming weeks. Excellent survey and will avoid iron Squad prob end up with a hernia attempting to pick it up. Finally have been watching Wolfpack playthrough on the war room with Mike Bertucelli, looks like a game to get lost in and loose all track of time. Many thanks.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sounds like some fun gaming, though, even though it hasn't been centered on the Shelf of Shame. :) I'm really looking forward to the next few months, and have my eye on Wolfpack as well. :)

[@davidmaher8365]

Tutorials being so far down the list is surprising for me. I always have a hard time digesting all the rules for most games and watching playthroughs always helps me really get them down.

[@ZillaBlitz]

It might be that some people where thinking of specifically this channel? I don’t do many tutorials because they feel like work to me. :)

[@jefft786]

i play both PC specific games and board games done on the PC.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Me too. :)

[@darrelld8837]

I would love to see you cover the PC game Napoleon's Eagles (based on the War and Peace boardgame). It's a grand strategic Napoleonic game on Steam.

[@ZillaBlitz]

That does look quite good. I had it on my wishlist. I'll make a note about it for when I make some progress with the current list of digital games. Thanks. :)

[@leo_craft1]

Surveying the boyz

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yep, really interesting information. :)

[@Phalanx11]

My hats off to you. KZbin is very difficult IMO. I tried a wargaming channel and made about 12 videos then gave up. It's easier to just watch yours!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! It's definitely something where the first 100 videos are like beating your head against a cement wall. After that it gets a bit easier. :)

[@BobK58]

I got Steel Division 2 during the summer sale which I'm slowly figuring out. My current favorite game is Stellaris. No board games.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Stellaris is one I've always wanted to sit down and figure out. I'm thinking of putting up a CK3 series on the other channel, though. I love that one. :)

[@robertdelaney4332]

My shelf of shame - finished 2 games. As soon as I finish Manilla savage Streets I'll start #3 Battle Hymn. Another 1980s game I only played once. Its the Pacific theater version of Ambush.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Well done! How's Manila going?

[@robertdelaney4332]

@@ZillaBlitz game went well until turns 8 & 9. Random events hit me with a breakout and a pause. Then I ran into two fanatics that stalemated me and all of a sudden the Japanese defense die started to find the 5 and 6 pip sides. Ended up 5 hexes away from a win. I have it set up for game 2. It's fast so game 3 will be with all the historical optional rules. Then on to the Marines

[@ZillaBlitz]

Nice, although too bad about the ending there. Sounds like you were close! Is it potentially a beginner wargame, you think?

[@robertdelaney4332]

@ZillaBlitz it is a beginner game. It's the same as Stalingrad on the volga. Pure solitaire. Picked up the rules in no time. I just referes to the rules to make sure I was doing things in the right sequence. Some due results are within the paragraph so you have to look at that until memorized.

[@ZillaBlitzPC]

@@robertdelaney4332 Good to know, I'm reworking a "Top Beginner Wargames" video and want to make sure I explore more candidates. I thought the rules seems a bit nuanced with movement and combat, but other than that they seemed straightforward, glad to hear you think so as well. :)

[@jeremypowell9260]

Love the channel! If you do start leaning into content about PC wargames, it would be great if those segments could be mostly separate from the tabletop content. I’m in the 1/3 that doesn’t do PC games 🙂. Thanks for considering this request!

[@ZillaBlitz]

The only way to separate things is by putting them in different playlists. It's one of the things I wish KZbin would do better at, designating categories in channels that people could sub to instead of a whole channel. But I'll split things up by playlists and should make it clear when something is PC related. :)

[@jeremypowell9260]

@@ZillaBlitz I just meant I would prefer it if a video wasn’t half talking about tabletop and half talking about video games. I’m 100% fine with them all coming in the same stream so long as I am able to say “OK this one isn’t for me”

[@ZillaBlitz]

Aha, makes sense, yes. Thanks. :)

[@tednovy7762]

I, Napoleon is in my brain. It's good.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I forgot to mention that one! Hearing many good things. :)

[@robertbaynosa2105]

lands of the mesozoic!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Dinosaurs! :)

[@robertbaynosa2105]

@@ZillaBlitz wingspan with dinosaurs! whats not to like. eagerly awaiting your review.

[@ZillaBlitz]

@@robertbaynosa2105 I've looked through the cards and that's the sense I get as well. Big fan of Wingspan, and a big fan of dinosaurs, so yeah, totally agree with your take on things. :)

[@enricosimonetti5607]

Pls another SGS strategy scenario!!!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Definitely on the list, but I have Great Houses of Calderia to explore first, and some Wargame Design Studios to look at. So it might be a bit, but at some point I will definitely play another one. :)

[@Socialdogma]

Statecraft piques my interest. I live near Detroit so I’m not local.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Ah, yes, a bit not local. :) It looks fairly quick to pick up and play, too, but I want to dig deeper into the rules next. :)

[@782hrr]

Starting warfighter special forces

[@ZillaBlitz]

Oh, fun! I have one Warfighter game, on the Shelf of Opportunity.

[@robertdelaney4332]

My answer to the PC wargames are PC based games, like those put out by Matrix. I am not a fan of watching a board based hex and counter or miniature games on a simulator like vassal Or steam. I laughingly say I don't know why. If I start a video to see how a game plays and the guy brings it up on steam instead of a paper map and cardboard counters then I back out and look elsewhere. No idea why 😂

[@ZillaBlitz]

I agree with you regarding boardgames shown digitally. I think I know why, though. For me, the digital representations lack the direct connection to reality and the visual depth of the real board games. Real board games just grab me, while the digital representations don't. Having said that, I think there is possible merit in exploring digital representations of board games on places like Steam and Rally the Troops, both because they can be quite different in quality, and those systems have a different learning curve, often, than the cardboard equivalents. :)

[@BrianMarcus-nz7cs]

Mike did U include axis and allies North Africa, ??? , love to c you so a review/playthough, 🌊👍