The NEW New Boardgames Thread

[Habbaku]

Sounds like a good plan. I'll have the rules read by then. I'm out of town that weekend as well, but return early on the 23rd, so don't think there'll be an issue starting quickly at that point.

[Syt]

Anyone tried Imperial Elegy:
https://vucasims.com/products/imperial-elegy-the-imperial-world-at-war-1850-1920

It looks real nice, but I fear I may never find another five people with the determination to do a full session.

I see they have a (soloable) game about the "New Cold War" EU/USA/China/Russia covering 1990 to 2020. Any insight on how that one is?

[Syt]

Picked up a few games for download:

https://www.wargamevault.com/en/product/571919/u-boat-captain-1939-1942-2nd-ed-solitaire-ww2

U-BOAT CAPTAIN, 1939-1942 2nd ed. is a solitaire, tactical-operational level game covering individual German World War 2 U-Boat patrols and combat encounters, 1939-1942. This edition (52 pages) comes with full rules, optional and advanced rules, ninet U-Boat Displays, map, logsheet, 67 U-Boat counters, 20 markera, and Reference Cards, along with with several historical scenarios and campaign games (of various lengths), extensive examples of play, historically rated U-Boat "aces" (incluiding eight historical Commander Cards, and Designer's Notes.   The game has the feel of a miniatures rule set, but with boardgame format.  You can utilize  various historical German U-Boat Types (Type VIIA, VIIB, VIIC, IXA, IXB, IXC, IIB, IID, and IA), each rated for fuel capacity and consumption, number of torpedoes carried, deck gun characteristics, and durability/survivability.  Conduct monthly partrols to various locations (North Atlantic, Norway, the Arctic, Spain, West Africa, etc.) from 1939 through 1942 and try and achieve the most tonnage sunk you can, without being sunk yourself.

In each patrol, you wiill sail to your area of operation... conduct daily patrols/searches...if you have an encounter, decide when/if to attack (watch out for escorts)... if you attack, perform the attack sequence and launch torpedoes, or use your deck gun. When fuel starts to run low, or your boat has accumulated too much damage, you can sail back to port for refit and rest, before beginning your next patrol.  Sink at least 100,000 tons of allied shipping in your career and earn for yourself the coveted Kinight's Cross.

What's New in this Edition:  This edition retains the same game system as the 1st ed (called U-Boat Captain: Advanced Ed.), but contains many extras:  several new optional rules, including 1942 modifications that simulate the evolving nature of the war; special Commander Cards that provide special abilities that mirror the characteristics/tactics of historical U-Boat commanders; an additional U-Boat type (IA), more U-Boat counters, larger page size and more pages.  This 2nd Ed. was designed to merge easily with U-Boat Captain: Twilight 1943-1945 (available separately).  If you own U-Boat Captain: Advanced Ed you don't strictly speaking need to buy this 2nd ed, but it does contain much additional material, especially with the new 1942 optional rules.  Either edition mates with U-Boat Captain: Twilight.

This Minden Battlegame book emphasizes high playability combined with authentic historicity to produce a game that plays quickly but retains a strong historical and authentic narrative. As such,the U-Boat Captain game system aims to be your "go to" game for highly playable WW2 submarine action covering the Battle of the Atlantic. The game system often reflects the "risk versus reward" nature of the theater, as it places you in the role of a U-Boat commander, working with your crew to employ good tactics in an effort to sink allied shipping, while avoiding being sunk yourself.

This new Edition, with its additional content, provides players with a comprehensive game that covers the war years from 1939 through 1942, the pivotal period of the Battle of the Atlantic.  Can you be a successful U-Boat Captain?

(Plus its sequel)

For its rather unique subject matter: https://www.wargamevault.com/en/product/506559/fall-of-rohm-turning-point-1934

The Fall of Röhm: Turning Point 1934, 3rd ed. is an abstract, power politics solitaire game depicting the turbulent and pivotal time in German history prior to the Second World War, including the intrigue surrounding the period around the Night of the Long Knives.  It is volume 13 in the Minden Classics series, and is the first time this title has appeared in book format.  The game remains the same as previous editions but with a new scenario, playing aids, and additional historical commentary added.

In the case of The Fall of Röhm, you are provided with an abstraction of the political, economic, and military situation that obtained in Germany in the early 1930s.  You, the player, are charged with balancing all the various factors and events and prevent the country from descending into chaos.  The game was specifically designed for solo play, in a way that emphasizes playability as well as historicity.  All you need to provide are a deck of playing cards and one regular six-sided die.

This abstract simulation may be played in two ways.  You may scan and print the game display and counter set, and play it as a regular board game.  Alternatively, you can play it in "pencil-mode", where you keep track of game events on the provided game logs. Either method may be used, depending on your own preference and playing circumstances.

 The subject matter underlying this design is dark and unsavory, and depicts a difficult time in the history of Germany.  It was not designed to be "fun", in the normal way that games are primarily meant to be enjoyable.  Instead, The Fall of Röhm is meant to be instructive, and enjoyed as one would enjoy a history book, except in this presentation, you have a role to play as an active participant in unfolding historical events.  The strategy you employ will help determine what alternative history might have looked like.

The Fall of Röhm: Turning Point, 1934, 3rd ed. is specifically designed for solitaire play, with a typical game time of approximately 30 minutes.

And a three-piece bundle: https://www.wargamevault.com/en/publisher/16746/pocket-warfare-publishing/category/52058/violent-skies

About the first game:

Violent Skies is a solitaire game of aerial combat in the Second World War. Using a game card that acts as your Cockpit and also as a mission generator. The player and Bandit take alternating actions to try and get a shot on the opposition's aircraft.

This first season of games puts you in the cockpit of the main fighters during the tumultuous months after the invasion of France. Starting with the aerial operations over Dynamo (the Dunkirk Evacuation) to the Battle of Britain and the last daylight bombing raid as the Blitz starts, you will be flying sorties, shooting down bandits and trying your best to survive.

Each sortie lasts between 5-10 minutes, and the player has a logbook to advance their career. As the player completes a campaign, they have the option to keep the logbook and continue their career in different aircraft and theatres.

All is needed is at least four D6, a small marker for the advantage track, and a pen or pencil for the logbook. Everything else is included in the minimal construction print and play PDF.  Three optional counters are included and need to be folded and cut out but the rest is ready straight off the printer.

Included as flyable aircraft are the Spitfire MkI/II, Hurricane Mk1, Defiant Mk1, Bf109E3/4, Bf-110C.

Each aircraft comes with two sortie cards (your cockpit and mission generator), campaign tables, optional damage table, Skills sheet and counters.

There are Logbooks for the Luftwaffe and RAF in low ink and full colour, as well as a detailed example of play.

.....and remember, watch out for the "Hun in the Sun" and never underestimate a "fat old puffer"

All Violent Skies Products are Standalone and do not need other versions to play.

I want to give Röhm a spin tonight after work ("That's what he said." ).

I was tempted to pick up some more titles, but reigned myself in.
Was looking specifically at:
Forward Defense: https://www.wargamevault.com/en/product/512948/forward-defense-85
On the Way: https://www.wargamevault.com/en/product/529659/on-the-way (though more for its '83 and '86 add ons, it's loosely based on Patton's Finest which was also the insipration for Armored Commander I & II on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1292020/Armoured_Commander_II/ ... man I wish the game had better than ASCII graphics )
Weltkrieg 1914: https://www.wargamevault.com/en/product/455566/weltkrieg-1914-solitaire-ww1-wargame (Opening weeks of WW1 from German POV)
Richthofen: https://www.wargamevault.com/en/product/527677/richthofen-the-flying-circus-1917-minden-solitaire-game (a week flying planes on the Western Front)

Instant gratification purchases on DrivethruRPG and adjacent sites are my kryptonite.

While printing the games might be nice, I think for convenience (and lazyness) I will see if I can set them up in Tabletop Simulator or Foundry VTT, or (worst case) Excel sheets

[The Minsky Moment]

Röhm may have fallen, but Bhyzantiüm lives on

[Syt]

 

[Syt]

Gave Fall of Röhm a spin.

It's a fairly straightforward game with a very high randomization factor.

At the core sit a number of tracks:
- Economy (0 - 6) - 0 = Economic collapse
- Army (0 - 13) - 0 = military coup
- SS (0 - 6)
- SA (0 - 12)
- Hindenburg's Health (0 - 6) - 0 = Hindenburg dies

Goal of the game is to have a "smooth" transition (i.e. Hitler becoming president when Hindenburg dies).

Key mechanic is a poker deck of cards.

Turn sequence is straightforward:
- Do you want to do a purge of Röhm? If yes, calculate your chance of success and draw a card to determine final outcome. If you fail, you lose. If you succeed, Röhm is taken out of the game, but you still need to achieve the main goal.
- Draw a card to determine Röhm's location (some locations make it easier/harder to purge him)
- Draw a card to see how Hindenburg's health changes (if he drops to 0, the game ends and you tally your score to see if you win)
- Draw a card for a random event
- Draw a card to determine the "issue" of the turn (Army, Politics, Economy, or Intrigue). Then decide whether to take action in the area of Army, Economy, SA, or SS - the issue type and the taken action determine by how much which track's score goes up or down.

In general you want the Army and SS counts high and the SA score low for scoring. Problem is you often have to bolster the score of Economy or Army to keep them afloat. And every time you don't take action on the SA they get a bit stronger.

First game ended in an unsuccessful purge. Within a few turns Hindenburg was near death and the economy near collapse. I needed to draw an 8, 9, or 10 to have a successful purge of Röhm and drew a 5. Oops.

Second game ended in economic collapse. I managed to get rid of Röhm early on (though it didn't hurt the SA as much as I hoped ... should have grown Army/SS support more), but Hindenburg was healthy as a horse the entire game. Eventually I ended in a no-win situation where either the army support would drop to 0 (= Coup) or the economy would collapse.

You can use some house rules (e.g. by default each random event can only happen once, but you can ignore that limit, increase/lower scoring to make the game harder/easier, and there's some variants for playing as anti-Nazi military or as the democrats in the Republic). Quick little game, but again - very luck dependent. I created the trackers in Excel - works just fine.