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wargames that fail on the 'game' element?

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Author Topic: wargames that fail on the 'game' element?  (Read 927 times)
Calandale
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« on: July 14, 2014, 10:00:41 am »

Any one aware of a published wargame that fails on the 'game' side of the equation?

I know there are some who see the big simulations as doing so - but obviously a good number
of people enjoy playing them (self included) without expecting to learn much from them.

B-17, with it's lack of decisions, seems to head down a different path, but would we call craps
'not a game'?
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usrlocal
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« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2014, 12:52:19 pm »

From what I've read, Compass Games solo submarine games (Silent War and Steel Wolves) are more like spreadsheet-style simulations than games.

Perhaps solo games are especially prone to this given their algorithmic nature.
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« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2014, 05:30:57 pm »

Campaign for North Africa from SPI failed for me even though I trudged through it before going insane from the mental stress. I gave up wargaming for about 10 years after that.
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Calandale
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« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2014, 05:34:35 pm »

I'm always afraid I'll end up buying it.
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Sluggonics
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« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2014, 09:20:05 am »

I kind of felt this way after playing the Conquest of Central Italy in Rise of the Roman Republic.  But that wasn't a case of the system itself failing as a game, only that the scenario created for the system failed as a game.  I'm just not sure what the Samnite player would really get out of that scenario.

But clearly, other scenarios work well and provide a good gaming experience for two or more players.
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« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2014, 08:10:40 pm »

Many of the Band of Brothers scenarios are "on rails" and lack any meaningful decisions.  In many cases you could just roll 50 opposed die rolls and see who ended up with more 1s and 2s to declare them the winner.  The maneuver part of that game is lacking in MANY scenarios, the command decisions you make are important but rarely affect the overall outcomes, and there are no "meeting engagement" scenarios so someone's entrenched, stays where they are for the most part and the attacker has such a limited front and line of advance that there's nothing more than moving and praying the defender rolls poorly.  That's not much of a game.
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« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2014, 11:36:41 pm »

That sounds like a problem with the scenarios and not the game itself. Mechanically, the game works fine.

But I'm talking out of my ass because I've only played one Ghost Panzer scenario and it was exactly as you described.
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Meh.
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« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2014, 02:34:38 pm »

I'm always afraid I'll end up buying it.

I'm always afraid you won't.
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Calandale
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« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2014, 03:58:47 pm »

I'm always afraid I'll end up buying it.

I'm always afraid you won't.

lol - I've got plenty of DESCENT monsters to play.
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Calandale
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« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2014, 05:12:42 am »

New thread: http://thegamebox.gamesontables.com/index.php?topic=24.0
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