Der Weltkrieg

[Sluggonics]

So, let's talk about the Der Weltkrieg series from SPW. 

I'm kind of on a WWI kick at the moment, and I'm toying with the idea of blowing most of my Gen Con game budget on these games (not a lot of non-wargames on my radar this year, which is what I usually end up buying at Gen Con) and the positives about this series are some of the more convincingly positive things I've read.  Fortunately, the negatives have largely been about things that don't typically bother me in games (excessive fiddliness, as an example).

Generally, it seems that the scenarios are the where the system really shines - the campaign may reach the point of being unworkable?  It's unlikely I'd ever be able to do the full campaign on my home table anyway.  But maybe it's something that could be run at the club with multiple players?

If I don't buy them all at once, which ones are good to start with?  The Eastern Front box?  That seems like the most bang for the buck.

[kira1y]

I've never tried playing the campaign, just the scenarios. It's an awesome series, but I don't know that I'd recommend buying everything out of the gate. Give the Eastern Front game a whirl (start with Tannenberg) and see what ya think.

[Calandale]

I'm probably going to grab the East Front one too. Like the Red Sash stuff,
I feel the positives outweigh the negatives.

[capt_s]

Given the centennial of the war and the resulting copious number of books, media articles and podcasts coming out, now is as good as time as any to get into WW1 games.

[Sluggonics]

Eastern Front it is!  And because I'm obviously not going to pay for shipping, the Italian Front as well!

[S Trauth]

Imo the campaign rules can be a bit problematic (at least there is a major potential for it)- although I have never actually bothered with it I am familiar enough with the rules- and I think the resource tracking will be a problem. While it is not up to tracking peat production, it doesn't seem too far off.

The other issue is that there really is not an introductory product at a reasonable price point - it used to be Tannenberg/Galicia -and even that was going for $40.00 at the time - I got into the series with The Schlieffen Plan but that was like about 1999 or so (mind you I did not get a chance to play it until 2007 -and even then I had the benefit of also having Western Front at the time -so you could actually see a bit of evolution in rules.).

The early rules, I think had to have been pretty poorly edited, because the company (in effect the designer) for a time was heavily into putting rulebooks out via PDF - which were updated from time to time and then posted on a thread at Consimworld (not the header) -and they would quickly sink in to oblivion as people posted on the thread.

While rules are still available on PDF - aside from the General rules (or standard or whatever), there is a registration process, whereby you have to prove to Dave Schroeder that you own the game - which is all well and good I guess, but the fact of that is that this password/user name thing is all tied to his hosting account, which I guess will have to change -at the moment I am pretty sure that if something were to go wrong that there would be no way to fix it -and that is something that you will just have to take my word for that.

I read on CSW that Dave says he has gotten another web guy (I bowed out last year due to real life taking precedent), and hopefully that all works out for him and his company.

The one thing I really wished I knew about the system is where he got all of the OOB information. I have been putting together some OOB's for an entirely different period (era), and understand how much of a challenge that can be- and I guess the entire design process is interesting to me now. I wish he were more open about that, but I guess one only has so much time in order to write that sort of thing up.

The scenarios are probably where it is at - so I think that part is probably spot on. I don't know that I would plunk down the type of money Eastern Front requires - I wouldn't do it until I was sure I liked the system if I were a new comer to the series. Italian Front is the least expensive title but apart from Caporetto there doesn't seem to be scenarios with much movement - so if it were me, I would probably try Western Front (the 1914 and 1918 material does have some movement - 1914 a lot- but a lot of counter-density.).

Barring that- I would see if I could find a copy of TSP and a current copy of the rules - I have no idea if you would be allowed the current set of WF rules -that wouldn't have been updated (only the WF rulebook).

OH is probably ok too -but just don't get it for Gallipoli - that area is about 2 hexes- so while the pricepoint in comparable -I think that a lot of the rules are probably more specialized (ie different from the other main fronts of the war).

[Calandale]

My biggest problem is I feel I should either pass on it or go all in.
There is no middle ground for me.

And if I go for it, I'll end up doing the full campaign. I like the system
moderately well - I feel it tracks things it doesn't need to (even without
the campaign). But, it's the best I've seen for what it's doing.

[Sluggonics]

I'll probably eventually get all of them, because I'm a completist that way.  But I didn't really want to drop $289 right out of the gate.  But, since I'm ordering from CSI (which is the best value I've seen - $289 with free shipping for all five games) I have to order at least $100 worth for the free shipping.  They really are devilish with that free shipping threshold.

I might get lucky and see the others at the CSI booth at Gen Con next month.  If they last until Sunday, I can get them at about a 75% discount.

[Paul]

 Hi Kyle,

I got the entire set on special--it's a whole lot of game for the money if you consider all the possible scenarios. Peter Dietrich is a real fan of the system and he's played the campaign a few times via vassal. He and I have been milling around ideas of our next games and DW always comes up. I really like the series.

We've been playing almost exclusively WW1 for over a year, mostly TitE and OaO, though we did play some of the Eastern DW scenarios as well. I think our next game will have "some tanks", as Peter puts it.

Good luck on finding the games you want.

Paul   

[sparty]

The thing I hate is that the guy basically leaves it up to you to decide where the war's at if you don't start at the beginning.  If I want to play 1916, for example ... I can't get an historical start...just something I cook up based on his rules for setup.  That's kind of crappy.

I'm willing to give it a go, but there are some bizarre things in the rules that just leave me kind of scratching my head.  I read the rules back in November 2013 and haven't touched it since.  Maybe it plays out better than it reads?

[Paul]

...but there are some bizarre things in the rules that just leave me kind of scratching my head....

  Could you give an example?

[billyboy]

A great series. There is nothing else out there on this topic that compares.

[sparty]

...but there are some bizarre things in the rules that just leave me kind of scratching my head....

  Could you give an example?

Not any longer because the last time I cracked the rules was back in November and I'm too lazy to go open the rulebook and look for one.

[Sluggonics]

Done and done!

[capt_s]

That was quick!