Thanks to Macauley, one thing I've belatedly realized is that there is a small but dedicated group of board wargaming fans on here (not surprising, I guess, for a history-based website). Board Wargames were the 'D&D craze' of the 70's, being a small hobby that exploded in popularity and inspired a lot of companies to start up... and it declined and faded as something newer and shinier (RPGs) came along, until they are rather scarce today. I got into wargaming as a college student, and owned a pile of them; like Mac, the PB/PL/AIW series was a favorite. But I had/have quite a few others, so I thought I'd start this thread to see what the rest of you own/like.
One of my (other) favorites was a later game from Avalon Hill, "Firepower." This is a very tactical game... each counter represents one man. The game is set roughly 1960-1990, although you could probably go earlier if you wanted to, since nearly all WW2 weapons are included. The counters are various troops armed with assorted modern weapons (assault rifles, RPGs, etc.). The game includes PB-style 'geomorphic' mapboards that you can rearrange to make assorted terrain (one is a city street with buildings on all sides). The rules are heavy on initiative, and that's where the challenge lies... basically, you can give a few direct orders to your troopers and move a few of them, but most won't budge without it... unless you give orders to your command people, who can 'chain reaction' some of the grunts into moving. So you have to be really careful about who you give orders to, or you could find yourself facing an attack and unable to get the slowpokes out of the way. There are some neat scenarios, including a really good 'huge horde of NVA taking on a Green Beret base camp' straight out John Wayne.
so... the rest of you?
One of my (other) favorites was a later game from Avalon Hill, "Firepower." This is a very tactical game... each counter represents one man. The game is set roughly 1960-1990, although you could probably go earlier if you wanted to, since nearly all WW2 weapons are included. The counters are various troops armed with assorted modern weapons (assault rifles, RPGs, etc.). The game includes PB-style 'geomorphic' mapboards that you can rearrange to make assorted terrain (one is a city street with buildings on all sides). The rules are heavy on initiative, and that's where the challenge lies... basically, you can give a few direct orders to your troopers and move a few of them, but most won't budge without it... unless you give orders to your command people, who can 'chain reaction' some of the grunts into moving. So you have to be really careful about who you give orders to, or you could find yourself facing an attack and unable to get the slowpokes out of the way. There are some neat scenarios, including a really good 'huge horde of NVA taking on a Green Beret base camp' straight out John Wayne.
so... the rest of you?
