wargame players needed
Over time, I've gotten a few games that are geared toward a niche audience. While of differing complexity and covering different time periods, they're all geared toward pushing units around on a board to simulate different conflicts. And therefore I'm going to need some opponents willing to learn some slightly more detailed rules.
Hmmm.
- Memoir '44, the merits of which I discussed with Mudge on this blog recently. It simulates various WW2 battles, and there is no better excuse that I see to play with army men. (It's a Days of Wonder game -- the makers of Ticket to Ride -- and therefore everything is of very high quality.) The rules are easy to pick up and follow (rulebook: maybe 6 pgs with big pictures, not counting scenarios), which is why Mammamer plays with me, but the setup time is a bit of a bear.
- Hammer of the Scots is a two-player game simulating the War of Scottish Independence in the 14th century, where army units are represented by large, tactile wooden blocks. The rules here only look slightly more complicated than Memoir '44 (maybe 10 pages, no pictures), so the only limiting factor is a willingness to learn.
- And then there is the attractive complexity of Age of Napoleon, another two-player game with one player acting as France (plus minor allies and dominions), and the other player acting as the Coalition (Britain plus major and minor allies). The board, counters and cards are gorgeous, and the rules are a bit more complicated still (around 12 pages, some pictures) -- I may have to sit down and play out a small 1805 campaign by myself to see how everything moves and fits together -- but this was a game that was also created to make an accessible wargame (it's largely played with cards), and to bring the period to life. I was looking to find something that would complement the growing collection of Aubrey/Maturin novels taking space in the bookshelves, so there you go; the Napoleonic era in full color.
I still don't think I'll ever play games where you're moving tiny square cardboard counters on a big hexfield, and you need to consult a 500-page manual just to see what you're allowed to do. However, I'm willing to trade off a little complexity in exchange for a little bit more accessibility. I need like-minded geeks to learn these with me, especially the latter two. Badger? Drinknerd? Rook? Michaela?