User avatar
Overmann

Posted Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:44 pm

Hi,
In the last 10 years or so I've been getting into tabletop wargames and I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for some really great and groggy Amiga wargames.
I see that there were three Gary Grigsby designs published on the Amiga (Typhoon of Steel, Second Front and Overrun!). Those might be good places to start, but they all look very 8-bit'y. I'm thinking there must be something a bit prettier on the Amiga. I know that there are lot's of well regarded light wargames like Battle Isle, or games with war-themes like Nuclear War. But what I'm looking for is games that attempt to simulate rather then entertain :P

Some tabletop favourites, just to give you an idea of what I'm looking for, include Combat Commander: Europe, Space Empires 4X, Redvers Reverse, Fighting formations, Wilderness War, The Hunters, Unconditional Surrender, Talon, Red Winter, Tank Duel, The U.S Civil War.

User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:03 am

I assume you are aware of Empire and it is too 8-bit-esque?

http://hol.abime.net/2853

User avatar
Overmann

Posted Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:49 am

McTrinsic wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:03 am
I assume you are aware of Empire and it is too 8-bit-esque?

http://hol.abime.net/2853
I am aware of, but have not played it. Is it any good? That's what I'm really looking for. Wargames that are really good. Looking good is a bonus, but playability and gameplay are the most important factors apart from being a good simulation.

User avatar
Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:22 am

Empire would be my first thought too. But I also enjoyed Rules of Engagement 1 and 2. Look up SSI made games of the era as there are plenty of good ones from them, including Wargame Construction Set. This genre doesn't typically have the best graphics that the Amiga can do but they are usually fun if you like that or the strategy genre.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:23 am

Empire is pretty cool, yeah.

The only "issue" I ran into when I was really into it was the computer's AI was pretty easy to defeat. It's also supposed to be a sci-fi game but the truth is everything you see on-screen looks like WWII tech.

Interestingly, there is actually a “play by mail” option where (I assume) users would literally mail a disk back and forth (for years?) to compete against one another. Ah, the days before a modem connected world. . . And we think modem-to-modem games are old school!

It's an oldie, but a goodie. Certainly a grandaddy of computer war games.

User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:14 am

Here is a nice overview to start with.

http://hol.abime.net/hol_search.php?N_r ... tegory=147

You could check the reviews from back then to get an impression if a game is worth trying.

User avatar
Overmann

Posted Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:53 pm

McTrinsic wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:14 am
Here is a nice overview to start with.

http://hol.abime.net/hol_search.php?N_r ... tegory=147

You could check the reviews from back then to get an impression if a game is worth trying.
I have already looked through this list, of course. And read through several reviews, but I don't really trust reviews from back then, and especially not in niche genres like wargames. I find myself baffled at some of the scores given out, and disagree more often then not. To me culture criticism is all about finding some critic whose tastes you share and latch onto them for advice, but I've not been able to find that person yet. That is why I'm asking here, to have an interaction with people about games they might have played rather then sift through databases and read old reviews like I normally do.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:00 am

The company Strategic Simulations (SSI), the makers of the D&D Gold Box games, was actually formed out of a passion of war gaming. I remember reading an article about one of the founders who only went after the D&D license to keep his business afloat because the games and brand sold so well. But it wasn't where he wanted them to focus, and I think the lack of sales for his war games was always a bit of a disappointment. But his idea was to use the D&D games as a means to fund his niche war game passion.

He was a big time table top war gamer and they started making really early stuff entirely in BASIC. That obviously changed over time as they grew.

In my own drop-in-the-bucket anecdotal experience, I know SSI created a ton of war games, but especially on C64/8-bits and DOS. You can find a literal treasure trove of really complicated and niche war games on those machines. Some of the game boxes can be huge, filled with papers and maps. I don't think nearly as many were transferred to Amiga...

I also don't think any of them are known for their graphics or sound, but like Empire can be a lot of fun. They put all of their efforts into the the actual scenarios and sometimes historical accuracy or features and less on the visuals.

If I was in your shoes I'd check out Storm Across Europe and Waterloo by SSI. Both sound very intriguing.






Return to “Games”