GLA #11: Wargames for newbies
Inspired by my recent experiences with Memoir '44 (see here) and A Game of Thrones (find it there) I seem to become more and more interested in wargames. I also listened to the Boardgames To Go podcast by Mark Johnson with Mike Siggins about Euro/Wargame hybrids (#38B). In their show Mark and Mike speculate about possible upcoming hybrid games between wargames and German type games. It's a very interesting subject and I had to dive into it a little bit deeper. So, here is what the excellent BoardGameGeek had to offer in terms of GeekLists for wargaming newbies (like me).
GeekList #1196: Chris' Introductory Wargame List by Chris Farrell
Chris Farrell (who also maintains an excellent board game blog) created this list to give Eurogamers a quick overview of games that they might find interesting. This list of 18 games certainly includes several titles that sound interesting to me. Each game gets an extensive comment so eurogamers get a good amount of information to start their wargame quest. Maybe the first lend-or-buy decisions could be made against Chris' recommendations.
GeekList #11873: Wargame Ideas for Eurogamers by David Vander Ark
While Chris' list was first published quite a while ago (it has been updated frequently, so no worries), this GeekList by David Vander Ark has not been viewed as often. David gives his personal recommendations on games that might be interesting for EuroGamers. Together with the community comments, this list contains additional interesting leads for picking the first few wargame-buys.
GeekList #12200: Forward Observer #1 Introductory Wargames by Andrew Young
Andrew Young is a member of the The Forward Observer group. This group was founded to encourage all types of gamers into (or back into) the war game “genre”. To start off with, they have compiled a very short list of 6 recommended games. The number one recommendation being Memoir '44 I am certainly able to relate to their recommendations for interested eurogamers. A lot of additional information can be found in the links to the article and in the comments for each game. Highly recommended reading! ;)
GeekList #11633: Boardgaming with VASSAL by Brian Morris
For people lacking the financial resources or the wargame-enthusiastic set of friends, the VASSAL engine is a solution. I have already played a couple of Memoir'44 games via VASSAL, but there are certainly more wargames to be played with this great engine. Brian has compiled a comprehensive list which should allow you to cross-reference this list with the other two lists, navigate to the BGG game entry, read the rules and playtest the games via VASSAL.