Review: Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear (2nd Edition) from Academy Games - The Players' Aid

[@tommessig2060]

CoH is absolutetly one of the best systems out there. Thanks for the great review.

[@robertchmielecki2580]

Weird that a game about Nazis vs Commies is called a Conflict of HEROES.

[@jonnmostovoy2406]

@@robertchmielecki2580 yup

[@evidentside]

Solo expansion (Eastern front) is absolutely brilliant. Athena card system is best I've played, it's like playing a human player. The new card driven spent check system it introduces is a massive improvement on the AP tracker approach with the initial game. Translates across well to 2P. Component quality is incredible too, beautiful maps. Hands down one of my top 5 games, and personal fave. Thanks for review, been waiting for you guys to cover this. Definitely recommend the Solo and hopefully merits a follow up review video! Also worth tip of hat to Uwe and Gunter for excellent player community support on FB and BGG.

[@KrzysztofOrtyl]

Is that expansion works with base game and other expansions scenarios?

[@uweeickert8061]

Yes, it does work with all of the Eastern Front games, including Storms of Steel and Price of Honour.

[@geirydp]

I just love your reviews, keep it up 👍

[@zonegamma8197]

I got this and Guadalcanal....waiting for Storm of Steal...great games

[@noeldillabough2153]

Conflict of Heroes: Storms of Steel! is coming out in a 2nd edition someday....can't wait!

[@fpvnorway855]

Flank defence: You will have to expose yourself to fire but use the terrain so your flanks are not ?

[@cajunatx]

Fantastic game. The solo version has made it better IMO. We now use the solo cards to see if units exhaust (like the solo game does).

[@daddavegaming6612]

Yeah, that's what we do as well. I really like the way it works with the cards.

[@dagmuller23]

Really enjoyed your review/explanation of the game though you got Defence Rating the wrong way. Front is the lower left number, rear is the one above.

[@NoEnemiesHere]

Thanks, Gentlemen! Great stuff!

[@varovaro1967]

Great, I am ordering it!

[@AndyP998]

So whats your favourite? Conflict of heroes, Lock and load, Band of brothers or Oldschool tactics? ASL is way too much for me and TCS more different than rest to put on that list.

[@ThePlayersAid]

That is a tough one. Of those mentioned, I really prefer Lock and Load with Old School Tactical a close second. I really like CoH though and enjoy the random hit marker draws and the management of activations. They are all good though and that is the great thing about Tactical games. Each one is different and offers a different experience. Thanks for watching.

[@pedropereira758]

@ThePlayersAid On your top 5 tactical, both Grant and Alexander had COH came ahead of LnL and OST ... yet here I see you prefer OST and LnL? what made you change your ranking for the top 5? also want to commend both of you. superb and elegant channel!

[@2ManyHobbies16]

Thanks for the review guys , one on its way. Every play Tide of Iron? Memoir 44 on steroids lol

[@ThePlayersAid]

Never played, but have heard good things. One day, maybe.

[@2ManyHobbies16]

@@ThePlayersAid Think you guys would enjoy it , plus has great expansions

[@viktorkm]

WHy have you guys not made a video about Combat Commander?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Haha, good question. We do plan on revisiting a series of games like Churchill, Combat Commander, Wilderness War, and Twilight Struggle amongst many others. Those were games we played heavily before we started making videos and just haven't had time to go back and shoot them. We do plan on it at some point.

[@sebastianheucke8366]

You got it wrong with front and flank defense values it’s the other way around

[@ThePlayersAid]

Damn. I thought that seemed odd. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@evidentside]

It is easy mistake to make, real question is why the graphic design of the chit is such that the top number (closer to the 'front' aspect of unit) is the rear DR. Probably the only totally unintuitive aspect of this game. Would be big thing to change going forward given backward compatibility with others in series.

[@daddavegaming6612]

That's one of the biggest complaints I've seen of the game. It seems to throw everyone off.

[@PeterPan-gi4py]

@@evidentside The words of the designer in a 2010 boardgamegeek post: This is definitely my fault. The original counters had no defense values. So when we added the flank DM while playtesting, I added them in the first open spot on the counter and never changed it. Now I feel it is too late to change.

[@BloodyCactus]

Would lock n load tactical be a step up from this complexity wise? I know they adapted Academy's solo system to LnLT.. so I wondered how similar they might be...

[@ThePlayersAid]

Can't comment on the solo aspect, but I think LnLT has a little bit more crunch to it. There's dedicated spotting rules and the various conditions aren't random, and therefore a bit more strategic in how and where you place attacks etc. All that said the step between the two isn't gargantuan.

[@alberttrombone]

Hello, there are substantial changes between first and second edition?

[@e-4airman124]

great job thank you

[@TheCommandTent]

I've got the 1st Edition that I've played so much. Any idea how different the 2nd edition is from the 1st?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Very minor rules tweaks, but a lot of those were implemented in Storm of Steel and Price of Honor. Mostly it's a component upgrade, maps, counters, cards. You'll need the second edition in order to play the solo module. But nothing crazy.

[@uweeickert8061]

The solo expansion can be played with either the 1st or 2nd edition games. :) We are implementing many of the solo elements into the CoH 3rd Edition. The 3rd Edition rules can be played with any of the previous version games, and the previous version game rules can be played with any of the 3rd edition rules games to be released.

[@TheCommandTent]

🏛️ Uwe Eickert Thanks!!

[@alexlyf888]

Another great review, good job guys! If you like this game, I am interested to see what you think about Band of Brother: Screaming Eagle system. Especially with the new Battle Pack.

[@ThePlayersAid]

I have Ghost Panzer from the Band of Brothers series, looking to play that one soon too!

[@jeffthompson2264]

Given you have played both systems and as I am an owner of COH and expansions only, do I gain anything popping $75 retail for Old School Tactical?

[@ThePlayersAid]

It depends. For OST vol. 1 - Eastern Front, I would say you probably don't gain enough to warrant the price tag. Vol. 2 however and the airborne expansion etc would give different enough flavour (west front unavailable in CoH) that buying into that version would be a more rewarding purchase. The systems have their similarities but also play quite differently in unit management. I also much prefer the melee CC in OST.

[@pallas100]

How do you feel this compares to 'Old School Tactical'?

[@ThePlayersAid]

They have a similar feel in their fluidity, but this one is a little simpler. The random combat effects mean it's easier to kill units in CoH, and the impulses work a little differently. CoH has far fewer counters on the board.

[@timothysmith6211]

I love your guys videos but at least by my understanding you have got the numbers backwards on the defense values. The top number (smallest) is the flank defense and the bottom number (largest) is the front defense. Not the end of the world I like hearing your insight into games .

[@ThePlayersAid]

I probably did, but in the video for the new 3rd edition I think I had it right, haha.

[@timothysmith6211]

@@ThePlayersAid yup, sorry i had not watched that one yet but I just did and you actually made a point of talking about how those numbers are reversed from how you might expect them to be on the counters. Great job Thanks!

[@Ram271989]

I'm looking to get into wargames, would you recommend this or skies above the reich?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Both of those are excellent first step wargames. Conflict of Heroes gives you somewhat more of a traditional experience, hex, counter, attack, defense values movement points etc are all basic concepts that will lay a foundation for many games to come. Skies above the Reich is excellent, but should be primarily seen as a solo game, that tells a story over a campaign.

[@TheSYPHERIA]

PLEASE SEND ME THE ANSWER BACK -- I WANT TO START GETTING INTO WARGAMING, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST GAMES FOR BEGINNERS?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Well, there's quite a few, but a wargame is only as good as your interest in it so let's start with what kind of topics are of most interest to you, and do you have regular opponents or looking for more solo play?

[@davedogge2280]

I have a game of this on Saturday, people say it's the third easiest wargame to get into with Tide of Iron and Memoir '44 being easier than (with M'44 being the easiest) BUT I had a short game with some so called veterans of Awakening the Bear and they forgot the rules and it was like The 3 Stooges. So again after we've actually read the rules again we will not proceed. It's harder than it looks.

[@ThePlayersAid]

Yes, it's a big step up from Memoir '44, but not nearly as complex as games like ASL and other hex and counter wargames. Once you learn the system it plays very nicely.

[@tommessig2060]

Definitely not the third easiest, plenty of games go between those. As far as wargames go, it's definitely toward the lighter end though. Just enough chrome to make it a real winner though.

[@supark3244]

Alexander, way to step up your shirt game.

[@john-lenin]

Guys - invest in better mics.