Ever Play this Game? Inspiration for TEAW?

[TrenchFoot]

I played games like this forever back in the 1980s. Your classic board wargame with a million rules to learn!

Ever play this one? I like how AGEOD matches and surpasses the strategic depth of these 1980s classics.

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[Taciturn Scot]

Oh yes. I played that one to death as well, both SP and against an opponent. I was lucky enough to have a friend who was interested in this era too. I kept a pair of tweezers in the box so that I could extract the stacks for combat and put them back in the line afterwards. We usually played the 1916 start onwards though. For SP, it was always the 1914 start through to the bitter end with a large pile of paper with records of what happened each turn at the end.

[Lynxyonok]

Ah, the guns of august... I liked it, although it was a bit confusing to me. I think ageod had a computer version of it too.

[DrPostman]

I do not miss the stacks of counters from those games. What a pain in the ass if
you have the slightest fumble fingers. I played that game, along with 3rd Reich
and so many others for hours and hours. I do love how computers finally got to
where they could simulate all the tables and calculations needed for them.

Victory Games, an offshoot of Avalon Hill, was my favorite. When I saw ACW and
later CW2 I knew I finally had my favorite game in computer form. Now, if they
could just do Hell's Highway

[PhilThib]

This boardgame was one of my favorite

[caranorn]

Of course i played it (and not astonished Philippe says he did too). Though the stacks were indeed rather annoying. Also I never got very far, but that was mostly as I usually played board games solo and Guns of August just wasn't made for that...

[clandini5]

Yes the Guns of August - I remember enjoying that game tremendously and one of the reasons I have looked forward to TEAW, thank you AGEOD for developing this game.

[Erik Springelkamp]

Victory Games [...] Now, if they could just do Hell's Highway

Hell's Highway, yes

But Command Ops with the Highway To The Reich expansion is a very good computer simulation with a similar feeling to it.

[Trintig]

Still have on the shelf. Still waiting to set it up for solo play.
Still have "The General" in connection with game release.

[H Gilmer3]

I'd like to.

[vonRocko]

Trenchfoot, I'm curious, Have you ever won as Germany? I have this game stored away. If I remember correctly, the central powers had to get those red victory cities, but the number needed went up every year and getting one hex so hard, that Germany had no chance. A friend and I played several games but neither of us were ever able to win as Germany. We had fun anyway.

[DrPostman]

Hell's Highway, yes

But Command Ops with the Highway To The Reich expansion is a very good computer simulation with a similar feeling to it.

Thanks. I'll have to check it out.

[bob.]

Anyone here played Offensive a Outrance?


Just spent my day... yep, the entire day setting this up.

Portrays the 1914 campaign in the West at divisional level with some smaller independent units thrown in.
It has a very interesting feature where every formation has two counters: one that is placed on the map and one that is placed on an army display. This allows things like shifting around forces in different armies and corps.

There's also an East front 1914 game of the same designer and same scale but I am waiting for the reprint on that one.

[TrenchFoot]

Just imagine how 50 years from now people will be discussing on forums, "Ever play that WWI game from AGEOD?", "Oh yea, that was classic, they don't make gems like that anymore"

[Person of Interest]

Ah Guns of August. Still have my old copy.

[Reiryc]

Just imagine how 50 years from now people will be discussing on forums, "Ever play that WWI game from AGEOD?", "Oh yea, that was classic, they don't make gems like that anymore"

that's me with close combat 1. Absolutely loved that game... My favorite of the series.

I still remember reading about it when it was going to be called beyond squad leader before it was released. The manual was just tops!

[Taciturn Scot]

Anyone here played Offensive a Outrance?


Just spent my day... yep, the entire day setting this up.

Portrays the 1914 campaign in the West at divisional level with some smaller independent units thrown in.
It has a very interesting feature where every formation has two counters: one that is placed on the map and one that is placed on an army display. This allows things like shifting around forces in different armies and corps.

There's also an East front 1914 game of the same designer and same scale but I am waiting for the reprint on that one.

Whew! I haven't played THAT one but I did once play 'Drang Nach Osten', another absolutely massive monster that took about a day to set up and ages to make your turns. My friend and I played it solidly over a Bank Holiday weekend back in the early '80s. Fortunately, my friend let me play the German side but it was a nightmare to manage. I admire your perseverance. The funny thing about playing games on that scale is that you lose focus very easily. TEAW is nowhere near as big either of these games but it is about as big as I can handle nowadays.

[FleetingThought]

These were just some of the incredible board games from the late '70's onward. Card games, too!

A friend of mine I had the pure luck to work with for a few years, Craig Taylor, Sr., made a card game called Naval Wars for I think Avalon Hill. Absolutely fun game. Had the chance to work with him, Arnold Hendrick (also from Avalon Hill), Gene Billingsley (GMT Games) and Mark Herman. Good times!

Keith Zabalaoui, founder of the company that did the Close Combat games (the originals), also a bunch of titles on WW2 for Three-Sixty before that, also a good friend, and a neighbor for awhile a few years ago.

All of them inspiring.

Craig died recently, quite sad. Hearty and hale old man.

Just a little history; I don't have the stamina to dig in the way I used to. Still try to keep up, though, and AGEOD and Panther in Australia are now my two favorite historical war game devs!

The genre will never die; it's the most satisfying kind of gaming there is.

[Reiryc]

These were just some of the incredible board games from the late '70's onward. Card games, too!

A friend of mine I had the pure luck to work with for a few years, Craig Taylor, Sr., made a card game called Naval Wars for I think Avalon Hill. Absolutely fun game. Had the chance to work with him, Arnold Hendrick (also from Avalon Hill), Gene Billingsley (GMT Games) and Mark Herman. Good times!

Keith Zabalaoui, founder of the company that did the Close Combat games (the originals), also a bunch of titles on WW2 for Three-Sixty before that, also a good friend, and a neighbor for awhile a few years ago.

All of them inspiring.

Craig died recently, quite sad. Hearty and hale old man.

Just a little history; I don't have the stamina to dig in the way I used to. Still try to keep up, though, and AGEOD and Panther in Australia are now my two favorite historical war game devs!

The genre will never die; it's the most satisfying kind of gaming there is.

arnold hendrick!

He was with micropose (probably my favorite company back in the late 80s early 90s) and came up with darklands! Loved that game.

Silent service also received a ton of play time.

[bob.]

Whew! I haven't played THAT one but I did once play 'Drang Nach Osten', another absolutely massive monster that took about a day to set up and ages to make your turns. My friend and I played it solidly over a Bank Holiday weekend back in the early '80s. Fortunately, my friend let me play the German side but it was a nightmare to manage. I admire your perseverance. The funny thing about playing games on that scale is that you lose focus very easily. TEAW is nowhere near as big either of these games but it is about as big as I can handle nowadays.

Well, it's not so much perseverance as just that I "found" a spare room where I can leave this game set up basically indefinitely. I can still play any other smaller board games, so if I take two years to play this then who cares! Might get a little dusty though...

It is a lot of units but I think not as many as you may think at first glance. It is "only" divisional level mostly and there are lots of unmoveable units or units that are not directly involved in combat like Corps HQs, Army HQs or siege artillery.
Here's how it looks set up (South part is not on the pic)
I really love these army boxes. I think they are a great way to organize the units! I don't know any other games that do this.

[Pocus]

I still have my copy of Guns of August. I remember these 3-5-3, 4-6-4 corps etc. You could degrade one in two of lower quality. It only portrayed the European war though, so mostly static fronts.

[FleetingThought]

It's funny, it always looks really complex at the start, but once you become familiar with the nomenclature and the unit values and the flow of play, it becomes second nature and you can make decisions a lot more thoughtfully and clearly (and quickly).

[DrPostman]

Well, it's not so much perseverance as just that I "found" a spare room where I can leave this game set up basically indefinitely. I can still play any other smaller board games, so if I take two years to play this then who cares! Might get a little dusty though...

It is a lot of units but I think not as many as you may think at first glance. It is "only" divisional level mostly and there are lots of unmoveable units or units that are not directly involved in combat like Corps HQs, Army HQs or siege artillery.
Here's how it looks set up (South part is not on the pic)
I really love these army boxes. I think they are a great way to organize the units! I don't know any other games that do this.

I saw it set up once in a church basement. It took them several months to play. 5 big
mapsheets and almost 2,000 counters, spread out over 6 cafeteria tables. What a monster
of a boardgame. Boardgaming geek has a lot of game info and pics:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6942/drang-nach-osten

[Pocus]

This Drang Nach Osten game is part of the 'Europa' series from GDW. I have a few of these, including 'The Fall of France' in which troop density is just insane!

I believe G. Grisgby WiE or WitP are equivalent in computer format though...

[caranorn]

I'm pretty sure there was a WWI Monster Game published in Command Magazine in the late 90's too. And while we are on the topic of Europa series games, The Great War a very similar system was developped for WWI with two games published (March to Victory and Over There...

[H Gilmer3]

Just imagine how 50 years from now people will be discussing on forums, "Ever play that WWI game from AGEOD?", "Oh yea, that was classic, they don't make gems like that anymore"

50 years from now there will be virtual first person shooters where you are actually IN the battle.