TDG: Origins of World War II

[@briancampbell6038]

Another great review featuring yet another game that i never knew about before your channel but that is right up my wheelhouse and that I must have. This one is going to be tougher to get my hands on then Triumph and tragedy however, I've done a quick look for it on the internet and cant seem to find it.............but I must have it.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Yeah - out of print for a long time. I keep hoping we'll see a reprint but so far - no dice!

[@woody1kenobi763]

Damn you Cody (that's how I choose to address you?????). I say that with affection, because I've said it before.....It was last year after your review of 'War room' pushed me over the edge to go and buy it..... and I love it. Since then I have realised that what you look for in games is very similar to myself and after seeing this one in your top ten ww2 list, I had to go and watch this review too. So now, thanks to you, I search ebay for a decent price and postage costs to add this to my collection. Can't wait to see my gaming groups' faces when I dust off this one and open up its dated contents onto the table. Damn you and your awesome review channel....... 😜

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thank you? I think you'll really like this one.

[@Warriorking.1963]

Is the complete video of that game you inserted bits of into this video, on KZbin?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

No. I didn't film the complete game. Just bits and pieces.

[@redblackmonkey]

My apologies, I was in error in my previous post, the volume and issue of the General where PACIFIC ORIGINS can be found is Volume 13 issue 5.

[@jimmarshall807]

Terrific and underrated game, the theme and that front cover - AH and JS in one game?? - is going to hurt the marketing opportunities these days I fear.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

It needs a reprint.

[@jimmarshall807]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer agreed, played it this afternoon and it's chaotic fun

[@cjmfebruary]

Greetings, I own this game and I am a bit confused on how to do the conflict resolution. The rules give an example of an attacking player having political factors totaling 13 and the other defending player having political factors totaling 7. It reads that this would be 1-1 odds. Also, the rules show another example with the attacking player having political factors totaling 7 and the defending players having political factors totaling 6 (one has 4 and the other has 2) for 1-1 odds. If the attacking player only attacks the defending player with 2 political factors then this would be 3-1 odds. I am a bit confused on how to determine what odds column to use (1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1 etc. . .) Is there an easy way of determining this and if so, how? I really want to play this game and I want to make sure I understand the rules correctly. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I don't recall off the top of my head. I'll let one of my people know and see if he can help.

[@cjmfebruary]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate that! Great video review by the way! :)

[@kevinjanaecottam7591]

Simplest way is to use a calculator and take the attacker's total, divide by the defender's total and ignore any numbers after the decimal point. Try with the examples and you will see that 13 vs 7 is on the 1-1 table, 7 vs 6 is also on the 1-1, and 7 vs 2 would use the 3-1 table. Hope this helps!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks, Kevin.

[@cjmfebruary]

Kevin Cottam, thank you so much! You are awesome!

[@MarkLee-so4oo]

can anyone tell me about the italian expansion pack

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I was unaware that there was one.

[@MarkLee-so4oo]

Vol 10 No 3 page 14 of The General the Avalon Hill Magazine

[@redblackmonkey]

Once again, Cody knocks it out of the park with his review of a classic!!!! I vociferously 2nd the nomination for a reprint! Unbelievably there is actually other game reviewers out there, but NONE of them did this game justice like Cody. I believe my cousin had this game years ago and offered it to me when I was a wee lad and just getting into world war II board games like Axis&Allies. It didn't have cool mini figs so I passed. Now that I am older and have found political diplomacy games I find this game to be an instant Hall of Fame worthy game(It sure as hell should be if it is not already). The games designer has a list of war game author credits that reads like a who's who of war games. Check him out, his name is Jim Dunnigan, his bio and list of credits is online at wiki. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!!!!!!!! : Cody: You may already know this but the game designer Jim Dunnigan(Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame) also made another origins game, ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR ONE (1972) Found in the gaming book: Gamut of Gaming by Sid Sackson. This book has multiple different games of all types. It has all the rules and charts necessary to play Origins of World War I, sorry no components like a board or chits in the book(It was meant to be played with just pencil and paper and poker chips). HOWEVER, the boardgame geek has several free downloads of the rules, tokens, chits, and possible maps for the game that were created by dedicated fans of the game, and the rules and charts were used with permission from Jim Dunnigan himself. The fans that created some of the maps and chits did a really nice job. At first I was thinking it was just another version of Diplomacy, but it has all the mechanics similar to Origins of World War II, with a couple tweaks. One can make less than 1:1 odds attacks and control of countries I believe is replaced by treaties that can be broken and or nullified by other powers, not sure on that as I have yet to play it yet(I just discovered this gem a couple days ago). Not sure about this either, but I heard a rumor that it was actually produced at a later date no evidence found for this as of yet, I even saw the cover art for it, just like OWWII, but with all the personalities of WWI pictured like the Kaiser, Emperor Franz Joseph, Tsar Nicholas the 2nd and so on. Check it out if you haven't already, I know how much of a history game buff you are. Hopefully some of your other viewers pick up this as well. As always keep up the good work! Your efforts are most appreciated!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

+redblackmonkey Thank you, sir. I had read a little on OWI, but I hadn't looked to closely at it. Perhaps somewhere down the road I need to check it out. OWII is just fantastic. I'd like to do a play through video at some point, but I don't know when I can make that happen.

[@redblackmonkey]

I forgot to include this not so little tidbit in my previous post(I also had to do little bit of research to check some facts out). In 1977 Dan Zedak published an expansion to ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR 2, entitled PACIFIC ORIGINS. It was printed in Avalon Hill's The General war gaming magazine(volume15 issue 5 Jan-Feb 1977). This is indeed an expansion that adds to ORIGINS WWII. It brings Japan and China into the mix along with Far East Asia, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines and the idea of a "hot war" in China. Designed to be played simultaneously but on another table(it also starts a couple years earlier than Europe Origins- Pacific Origins starts in 1932 and goes till 1940, it also shifts the dates of Europe Origins to 1933-1939-still 6 turns just a year earlier). Except Germany, all the major nations are represented in Asia(Japan gets the Pacific theater, Germany gets European- but they can influence to an extent what happens in the other's theater-example: if Germany or Russia win in Europe and WWII begins, the Europeans are considered to be soaked off by that war, and only Japan, China, and the United States receive their p.f. allocation). Complete with charts, counters, and a map sheet(the map is pretty simplistic tho) and rules. Boardgamegeek.com has this gem tucked under their origins WW2 page towards the bottom under expansions. Searching online I found a downloadable version of the General v15i5 which has everything you need to add on to the original ORIGINS WWII game. There might be a possible balance issue in adding this expansion but some of the rules adjust for that in my honest opinion. Political Factors cannot be transferred from theater to theater, and there is separate objectives for each country on each side of the world. The mechanics are the same and countries have victory conditions for each theater. I am looking into designing my own pacific map(more in the style of the original Origins) at some time in the near future. But I sincerely hope that Avalon Hill/WOTC/HASBRO or whichever game company(GMT perhaps) gets off their collective butts and does the classic ORIGINS WWII re-print, I strongly feel that PACIFIC ORIGINS and ORIGINS WW1 should included to complete the set as it were. With modern day art and gaming production, there is no limit to this games future potential! Cody, I must thank you and everyone at TDG for re-awakening my interest in board games, especially Historical and 20th century games. Thanks for helping me to remember ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR 2 with your awesome review. I can't believe I had passed up this game all those years ago. The author is a historical gaming god and I am starting to give a serious look at some of his other works. Hope this helps some of your other viewers who have an interest in this game.Here's to hoping you don't ever lose the instructions to you Greatest American Hero Board Game Review Super Suit!!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

+redblackmonkey Believe it not/I'm walking on board games/I never thought I could feel so... Dammit! I stepped on a War Sun from Twilight Imperium 3! That's really cool about Pacific. I just wish we'd get a good reprint of this game sometime in the near future!!!

[@Sophie1Lynne]

Did you ever find a copy for yourself, Cody?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Origins? Yes. I’m holding it in the video.

[@Sophie1Lynne]

Ah, I thought that was a friend's. I've owned the game for 20+ years and have never gotten it to the table. Someday!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@Sophie1Lynne You need to great games. It’s been years for me.

[@Sophie1Lynne]

Been busy with PhD (education) so I haven't played anything really in years. Few war gamers around here anyway.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@Sophie1Lynne What's your PhD in?

[@miltosavgi1015]

Hi Cody, because of the nice review I am excited about the game and I want to create it as a pnp but unfortunately i can not find the rules anywhere. Because I consider you responsible 😀😂🤔🤪 for my wish, maybe you could send me the rules, thank you very much with the beautiful videos that you present to us

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Much appreciated. However, I’m a big believer in copyright protections, so I will not be able to help. Best of luck.

[@Warriorking.1963]

A remake wouldn't be as good. For one thing, they would have to come up with some wimpy symbol or emblem to represent nazi Germany. God forbid the swastika would be used, even though the Hammer & Sickle is perfectly acceptable. I'm no nazi, but this kinda crap really puts my blood pressure up a couple of notches!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I hardly think the lack of a political symbol would mean that the game would suffer. I tend to agree that, for historical context, the swastika is appropriate, but I also understand that there are many people who would not buy today if it contained that image. I can't fault the publishers for making smart business decisions. I also agree that it is disgusting that the Hammer and Sickle is acceptable while the Swastika is not. If we are going to get rid of hateful totalitarian imagery then let's at least be consistent.

[@Warriorking.1963]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer And we really can't overlook Japan still using the emblems that represented murder and tyranny throughout the Pacific during WW2.