Where Have I Been?

Here's a video where I explain a little where I've been over the past few months. I've been creating a business focused podcast called Inspired and Intentional. It covers the challenge of employee disengagement. Gallup reports 70% of U.S. workers are disengaged.

There are many companies out there trying to balance profits and social impact while running well-managed, focused, excited organizations.

Here's the link to the website, Inspired and Intentional.com. There are links to the podcast. If you're willing, I would appreciate a nice review on itunes and/or stitcher.

Far Away Land - Son's Opinion

I asked my 13 year old what he thought of our first Far Away Land adventure and he said, "Ok."

From faruniverse.com

"I liked the Star Wars we did. There was more stuff going on and we went from place to place to place. There was talking and action."

Nice evaluation. And more on how I ran it and not the game mechanics. In yesterday's post I'd forgotten that I'd run a one off session of the beginner box set adventure with him...and his little brother helping out. I just ran it as written. I need to get back to that here. Don't be so creative sometimes.

A Perspective of War

The best Wargamers I know are like Gesine. Thoughtful and very aware of the realities of war. 

She shares very honestly her perspective of war and how it's evolved.

http://youtu.be/TDECFfIDrKI

ATS or ASL, That is the Question?

I was asked on Google+ why play ATS instead of ASL. My answer, though a bit of a waffle.

The ATS Armor rules are slightly easier. Rules are "only" 74 pages (2 column). Biggest reason, impulse turns instead of the more detailed sequence of play. New initiative rolls during the 3 phases of a turn. Plays a little faster.

There are a couple of ATS players locally which is nice. But there's also quite a set of ASL players as well.

The ASL rules seem more stable (on v2 with errata for sure) while ATS is on 4.4 and has undergone big changes to various systems throughout the years.

Some thoughts on the issue. It's a tough market for him. There's a complicated tactical game out there (ASL) and it's the go to game for the reasons I mention below. If someone wants an easier game there are better (ie easier, more accessible, etc.) to choose from that are also less expensive and easier to get. So why would one choose ATS?

I say all that as I'm considering getting some more ASL Kit as well. 

ASL is more popular and more players can be found around the world. 

ASL is better supported by the fan base. ATS is slightly more expensive (I've not done math here, just eyeballing it.)

Critical Hit can be tough to understand. But the couple of times I've emailed Ray(owner) and bought from his site, the experience has been fine. I know there are a lot of strong opinions of him floating around the web. He definitely has his detractors.

I'm riding the very expensive fence at the moment.

Minis in Reserve - for now

The house work surrounding our little plumbing disaster has made our house somewhat cluttered. Not wanting to add to it and needing to do stuff to get the project moving, I've resolved that the minis will be put away until the project is nearer completion.

In the meantime I've reacquainted myself with Vassal so I can play board wargames without having the kit out. (I know there are versions of this for minis, but I've not found one that I could use easily to play BKCII or CoC.)

I'm also living vicariously through my fellow bloggers and youtubers like The Wargames Table - and his Chain of Command games.

Where I meet Maymi

http://youtu.be/YjcKE-zkOSE

Paths of Glory - Movie not the Game

Just watched Paths of Glory - liked it. Seemed heavy handed at the end, but good.

Screenshot from my Netflix iPhone window.

Good performances. And this is the first movie I would say was edited economically. What I mean I that there were several times when discussions where implied and the next scene showed the consequence. There wasn't a lot of extra fluff or exposition.

Very well showed the futility of the war, specifically the trench and back and forth of 1916.

I became interested in this because I'm reading Sleepwalkers and listening to the Dan Carlin Hard Core History podcast, currently running about WWI.

Combat Friction and Command Challenges

When playing a game like Chain of Command, Combat Commander, or Blitzkrieg Commander II that all place restrictions on how many forces you’re allowed to command a turn I always like to picture what these are simulating.

Screen shot from the Amazon page for this book.

For example, in my last BKCII game, the Germans faced a negative 1 modifier to their command for the current and next turns because of a blunder. Perhaps there was a radio malfunction?

Here’s an example of friction/command troubles from a book I’m reading, Grenadiers, by Kurt Meyer. This is from the Eastern Front in early July. They’re starting to experience more resistance and he says this:

“I wanted to carry out a motorized attack in order to immediately advance into the depths of the Russian defense…

“I had forbidden the company to engage the enemy or reduce sped before reaching the forest’s edge. It was supposed to thunder at full steam through the enemy and leave everything else to the following battalion. Two 88mm guns had been emplaced on either side of the road. They had the mission of opening fire as soon as the company set off and laying down covering fire in front of it. The would “shoot” the company forward.” (Now that sounds like it would be an interesting game move to re-play.)

“Escaping Russians ran north on both sides of the road. But then what happened? The company came to a halt. It started to fight with the fleeing Russians and with isolated pockets of resistance.

“The company began to advance like infantry and wasted precious time. This could not be allowed to happen!”

(NOTE – here comes the scenario objective) “We had to reach the crossroads a few kilometers further north and deny the Russians an orderly retreat out of the forest to the left of our line of advance.”

I like that line, “began to advance like infantry…”

So, it happens, your little lead/metal/plastic men get wrapped in the moment and attack when you don’t want them to. Or they get overwhelmed with self-preservation and don’t move when the time is right. Perhaps a gun’s jammed and they all get focused on fixing it. Whatever the cause, as a commander at any level, you lose control of the situation and have to make snap decisions to get the plan back on track. And this is what I like about these games, they throw little kinks here and there that make you curse, think, and act.
 

Do You Pay For Pay What You Want?

Pic from Dyson's blog.

Dyson talks a little on Pay What You Want, something I was not familar with until I started shopping at Drive Thru RPG for FATE products. I like the system and have always wondered about the numbers.

Dyson lays it all out - which i think is very cool.

Gaming. Time. Ease. Patience.

Interesting that both of these posts happened, if not on the same day, then very close to each other. Both to me dealing with a similar subject of limited time and prepping for games - in this case RPG and Miniature wargaming - two hobbies that require lots of prep time and lots of playing time.

Baz Stevens talks about cards and using them for games. And Piers talks on the researching for historical accuracy.

I'm totally with Piers on his discussion of Battlefront. I've always had the view of not enjoying the rules so much but really liking the fact that they make it easy for people to get involved. We're talking about a hobby here, not claims to be The Source for All Accurate WWII History. I also believe it, SAGA and Bolt Action have brought young blood into the historical arena.

I'm also on board with companies helping people to get into their respective hobbies. Baz also discusses in the post just prior to the one I've linked, he talks on starter sets. He has some good ideas there as well.

Enjoy the reads and lets think how we can improve, increase and enjoy the hobby. S

Side note: I live in the St Louis area and based on recent events I'm also inclined to say, "This is a hobby that we're blessed to participate in and any problems or animosities we may have pale in comparison to some of the shite going on around our world." Perspective is huge.

Both pics are of their websites.


http://rpgtreehouse.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/cards-on-the-table/

http://ww20mm.blogspot.com/2014/08/too-lazy-to-research.html?showComment=1408459300702&m=1

Skeet - BIG TIME

I've been shooting skeet once in my life. If I can do it this way next time, I will cancel all plans to make it.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10204294990565487&id=1550438601

Sgt Rock - Classic

What a great final splash page - made me laugh 'cause it's so iconic? Not sure that's the right word.

The page before, a soldier says to Sgt Rock, "so everyone's back at the hospital? Means I'll have company."

Sgt Rock replies, "Yeah you will. The BEST COMPANY there is..."

"...Easy Company!"

Classic.

GameChanger Virtual Game Table

This seems pretty cool and I'm all for it.

http://www.gizmag.com/gamechanger-virtual-surface-tabletop-games/32252/pictures

Why the Little Guy is Actually a Lion from Clockwerk Warriors

Good story on the Local Game Store.

I love visiting them and I think it's good for the hobby to have shops where people can see and touch these products to encourage a purchase. The web alone, I don't believe can grow this hobby.

We need that community element and visibility of the product.

Yes, they can be friendlier, better placed to grab the lookers, and more inviting to those who don't ft the majority demographic. But without them, I think the hobby would be hurt.

http://clockwerk-warriors.blogspot.com/2014/05/why-little-guy-is-actually-lion.html?m=1

10 Games Challenge

Inspired by Mark Walker's post on the 10 for 10 Challenge.

What would be your ten games you would choose to really focus on?

I'm having a tough time committing.

Lock n Load WWII tactical Band of Heroes series
Blitzkrieg Commander II
Standard Combat Series

Perhaps list
Advanced Tobruk System
Kings of War Samurai
Grand Tactical Series
Chain of Command
A Victory Denied
Liberty Roads apparently
PanzerBlitz (new version)
Fate or FAE

I bought the Reluctant Enemies OCS starter box. Enjoy watching Kev Sharp’s videos on OCS. Even have some OCS local players that I could tap into to help me out. But man o man, do I not like the idea of learning those rules right now. It’s not that they’re difficult (whatever that means) it’s just new procedures, terms, sequence of play, exceptions, etc.

I thought the same thing watching Ty Snouffer’s hour and a half Grand Tactical Series live Skype call a few nights ago. Holy cow man. And the games can take a long time to play. Which I’m ok with to a point, but I do find myself losing interest if they go too long. That’s why it’s nice to have another smaller game set up to play in those times to get my mind and new thing for a bit and then get back to the longer game.

[Sidebar – Ty’s getting ready to play the Where Eagles Dare campaign game and he had to hold some basic training for those participating in the game. He also let a few of us sit in on it to learn for our own sake. Great job and cool having a live lesson. You can observe the game on Tuesdays on Vassal. (and Skype too I believe).]

What I like about both of those series, they’re just that, series. Learn the system and then play more games with small variations. So you can get a lot of playing with lower rules overhead. The problem I have with learning a bunch of one off games, like A Victory Denied, is that I’m fairly confident I’m going to want to play something else after just a few plays.

I say all that and I’m learning two miniature sets at one time right now, Rate of Fire and Chain of Command. That’s not easy. However, following Geekway, I’m in the mood to try some miniatures again, so I’m willing to go through that hurdle. However, the actually playing isn’t as involved as the OCS and GTS games mentioned earlier. (Chain of Command has a lot of rules compared to ROF though.)

But then you have set up and terrain and figures and, and, and… Either way there will be something. The beauty of board games, terrain and pieces are set, no prep time on those and unless pieces are missing, I don’t have to spend money and time getting all the kit necessary. And the terrain rules are nice and figured out…for the most part. Fewer ambiguities.

But man, I love that immersive feel the minis give me. The visual that draws me in so much.

Truly a ramble, trying to figure out what to play and how to spend my o so very limited hobby time. (I’m fully aware that there are millions of people in the world that have real problems and this is all just a bunch of hooey, but it’s still fun to think and write about.)

Back to my question, what would be your top 10 games you would want to play at least 10 times each to really get and understand?

I posted some of this on Facebook and Kev Sharp (AKA The Big Board) posted this video. And thank you Kev for the shout out.

http://overdaedge.blogspot.com/2014/05/games-playing-or-collecting-10-for-10.html?showComment=1402235167239&m=1

http://gamesfromthefront.com/eagles-dare-campaign-game-planning/

2014 Plans and ramble

Kev (aka Kevin Sharp, aka The Big Board) create a playlist hopes and dreams Geeklist on Board Game Geek recently I entered my games on it. Go check it out on BoardGameGeek (I don't believe you have to be a member to read the post.)

Goodbye 2013

Thank you to my two new followers:
Tobi - who has a blog at http://tobispaintpot.blogspot.de/
Grigork - who has a blog at http://thewargamingmegalomaniac.blogspot.com/

And another thank you to all my followers and readers for the comments and reads. I also thank all the bloggers and others on Facebook, twitter, and BoardGameGeek who share their ideas, talents, AARs about this fun hobby of gaming and modelling. It's been fun getting to "know" a few of you over the interwebs.

Some fun numbers:
I registered 91 game plays on BGG this year. My top played games:
Tenzi - 33 (simple dice game my mom had that takes minutes to play.)
Crokinole - 4
Escape - Curse of the Temple - 4
Blitzkrieg Commander - 3
Rory's Story Cube Voyages - 3
Smash Up - 3
Tank on Tank - 3
Kings of War - 2
Lock N Load Heroes of the Blitzkrieg - 2
Lock N Load In Defeat, In Defiance - 2
Tank Tactics Guide, ATS - 2
Other Wargames that I played
Battle Cry
Bolt Action
Combat Commander: Pacific
No Retreat Russian Front
Normandy '44
Sekigahara
Stalingrad Pocket
Alpha Strike

Top Blog Posts for 2013
Alpha Strike AAR
Bulge Game Repost
Blitzkrieg Commander AAR of Action at Galmance
Wargamer Taxonomy - What's Your Percentage
Alpha Strike AAR - You'll always remember the First Time
Lock N Load AAR - Phoney War
Gaming Funk and Long Life Ramble

YouTube Stats
40,420 views
84,509 minutes watched
218 Subscribers

Top viewed videos
Blitzkrieg Commander Walk-Through
6mm Army overview
First Painting of 15mm PSC Infantry
PanzerBlitz Situation 8 AAR
Detailed View of 6mm Gaming Table
Storm over Stalingrad AAR

In the next few days I'm going to look at my goals for the year.

Updating My Game Wish List

Go back to this post where I listed a few of my game wants/goals/etc. I've updated it with some new information.

Miniatures or Boardgames and Series Games

I'm not unusual in this, but my gaming/hobby time is very limited.  Partially, I've purposely limited it because I have  a small issue with not going overboard with hobbies/latest interests.  I'm all in or all out.  It's not just hobbies I do this with.  INSERT YOUR PYSCHOLOGICAL HELP IN THE COMMENTS. Moderation is not my forte.

Anywhooo, I've been thinking recently about how to prioritize my hobby time and money.  There are so many interests and ways to spend my cash and time, that I need to discipline myself a bit.  As I've begun playing more operational level games like SCS, A Victory Denied, etc, I've come to realize the pleasure and fun of playing games at this level.

And I've found myself not as interested in the tactical games, like ASLSK, Band of Heroes, etc.  This comes as quite a surprise to me because I really like that level of gaming because I feel more like I'm involved with what's happening.  I can visualize the story unfolding in my head.  I put faces to those chits and counters.  Where in the operational level, it's tough to think of the counters as representing GI Joe. They're just big blocks of people and equipment.

Then I realized that what I like better for tactical is the miniature game.  Talk about getting in visually and viscerally.  And even the games that are supposed to be more Strategic, like Command Decision: Test of Battle, it's tough not to see each stand of men as just that a stand of two guys.  (This confusion with scale is probably good fodder for another post.).  And the miniature games I lean toward tend to have the guys represented either one on one or close (one stand equals a squad - which is like ASL and many others. I can abstract that much.).

As of this writing, I've come to the conclusion that I will focus my efforts on gaming in miniatures to get my tactical fix.  This will accomplish a couple things.  I won't focus on buying too deeply into Band of Heroes (even though I want to) and Advanced Tobruk System and even more ASL.  This comes down to money and time.  I don't have the money right now to be a completist or the time to play them...so resist young padawan.

Then I can focus on a few Strategic level board games to get that fix. I've got several that were acquired for Geekway to the West that I can play.  But this also leads me to another obsession or focus of mine: game series.

Game series like ASL, Band of Heroes, SCS, etc. 

And bouncing between the two will help my interest and energy in the hobby. For example, I'm at a stage where I would like to give the boardgames a rest and do some painting and play a game or two.

I was thinking all this when I came across this great post on Kev, aka hipshot, aka the Big Board's great blog about wargaming...) about this very topic.  In fact, as I read it, I thought this person was living in my head considering how closely our stories resemble each others.

Does anyone else have this issue of prioritizing their hobby time?  I know if I ultimately bounce around, I won't accomplish anything. I just want to focus on a limited scope.

Here's a wishlist of games/projects:

• ASLSK Decision at Elst
• Rally Point 6 (it's all scenarios for ASLSK) 
• Operations Magazine #4 (ASLSK scenarios and INS scenarios)
• Standard Combat Series (SCS) - It Never Snows (lower on the priority list)
• SCS - Afrika II 
• SCS - The Mighty Endeavor - Reprint (Lower on list but it sounds like you could have some fun trying what ifs...even if they seem hopeless.)
• Operational Combat Series - Reluctant Enemies
• OCS - Korea
• OCS The Blitzkrieg Legend
• OCS - The Baltic Gap
• OCS - Burma (cause I want to learn about an unknown, for me, part of WWII)
• Purchased - 12-11-13 Added The Russian Campaign and bought it from Enterprise Games
• Purchased - 12-11-13 Added The Battle of the Bulge 1981 2ed from Enterprise Games
• Mare Nostrum (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Heroes of the Pacific (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Band of Heroes Reprint (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Noville (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Not One Step Back (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Dark July (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Alpha and Bravo Packs (Lock N Load Squad level)
• 15mm Miniatures to complete the first east front scenario in the Command Decision book
• Test the Chain of Command Rules
• If I don't like it, continue my process in creating a WWII Platoon level "skirmish" level game adaption of the Blitzkrieg Commander rules.
• Complete and loved it - Put together a different scenario based on the IABSM scenarios in the main rule book utilizing the Blitzkrieg Commander Rules
• If this works out then possibly put together a Soviet force to play the East Front book I have of IABSM Scenarios
• Purchased - Acquired first set of Soviets from Dave.

Updates in Bold 12-11-13

Aesthetic Snob?

How important are aesthetics to your gaming? Check out Shiros Minis blog.