The first war game? (Poll)

[Jarhead]

What was the first war game you played?

For me:

Board game-"Operation Barbarossa."(Spelling?)

PC-"The Perfect General."

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Semper Fi.

[Wesreidau]

Board game: Starship Troopers by AH -1980
PC Game: Carrier Strike - 1992

[Scipio]

'Kampfgruppe' , C64, 1987

[Slapdragon]

Tactics 2 and Gettysburg, both with my father in 1972. The first game I played that I bought with my own money was Victory in the Pacific, and then I started playing a game called Tractics by TSR, which for the time was not bad at all, very much like a less well researched CM played on the table.

Around 1980 I played my first tourney game, Squad Leader (I played the Tractor Works at Suncoast Skirmishes).

[Matthew_Ridgeway]

Monopoly with my older brother when I was six. It turned into a hand to hand melee after I bought both Boardwalk and Parkplace.

[Teamski]

Board Game: "Wood's Edge" by the Helen of Troy Game Company. It was one of those armymen games from the back of DC comic books. It was a really well thought out game. This was when I was 8. Anybody ever play it? They also advertised "Task Force".....hehehe

PC: The venerable "Panzer Strike" by SSI on the C64 (or Amiga, I can't remember). It had to be one of the very first squad level WWII wargames.....

Ahhh, the memories!!

-Ski



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"The Lieutenant brought his map out and the old woman pointed to the coastal town of Ravenoville........"

[Wesy]

Hmmm...First game that I comprehended the rules http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif War at Sea, I think it was 1977 or 78.

First Computer Wargame: Maybe Harpoon the original...

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"Lack of weapons is no excuse for defeat"
- Lt. General Renya Mutaguchi, Commanding General, Japanese Fifteenth Army, 1944-1945

[Jarhead]

I seem to remember "Task Force." Anyway I ordered some army men from the back of one of the comic books. when they arrived, they were all flat, thin little units w/bases. I thought it was terrible. I sent em back. Must have been between 8, and 10 years old.

[Goofy]

I remember getting two at once for Christmas of 64 or 65, Hit The Beach and Red Baron. (I think that was the name, had little Spads and Fokker D7's with stands and maneuver and ammo cards you could draw, each victory got you an extra card the next time you took off!) Both were by Milton Bradley and from the Sears Mail Order Catalog! Seems like there was a third one but my misspent youth was between then and now!
For PC (if you can call it that) B-17 on the Intellivision. Then I remember Mech Brigade for the AppleII.

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Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!

[This message has been edited by Goofy (edited 01-21-2001).]

[Wilhammer]

First wargame anyone showed me was Squad Leader.
First I played (that day) was Tactics II.
Went that night to a local toy store and bought Third Reich.

Been hooked ever since.

[Navare]

I think it was AH's Luftwaffe when I was about seven and soon after that was Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Thinking back on it my uncle must have been desperate for opponents to teach me those.

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Navare

"I am determined to prove a villian..."

[wie201]

Avalon Hill's Bismarck, late 60s'.

[Henri]

Gettysburg, around 1963, followed by Blitzkrieg (1967) the Afrika Korps.

Henri

[Pvt. Ryan]

I actually made the first war game I played. It was a civil war based game, although not based on a real battle. I made a huge map and drew, colored, and cut out hundreds of units. At the time I did not know you could buy these things ready made. I was really pissed when I found out you could. I never did get to play against someone else, just played it by myself. None of my friends were into history or war, and still none of them are. Thank God for CM PBEM and TCP/IP! I recently found the game when I was cleaning out my closet when my mom sold her house. It hurt to throw it out remembering how much time I put into it. I also discovered why I couldn't find the dice for any of my other games like Risk and Monopoly. http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

[ozzie]

AH Africa Corps or Blitzkrieg. Went on to Guadelcanal and 1914.

[JonS]

Boardgame: Jedkos' "Fortress Europa"
PC Game: "Sun Tsus' Ancient Art of War"

Art of war had pretty crappy graphics, but it encouraged basic kind of combined arms. Played that one lots http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

JonS

------
If you eat well, and **** strongly
You will not fear death

[Michael Dorosh]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pvt. Ryan:
I actually made the first war game I played. It was a civil war based game, although not based on a real battle. I made a huge map and drew, colored, and cut out hundreds of units. At the time I did not know you could buy these things ready made. I was really pissed when I found out you could. I never did get to play against someone else, just played it by myself. None of my friends were into history or war, and still none of them are. Thank God for CM PBEM and TCP/IP! I recently found the game when I was cleaning out my closet when my mom sold her house. It hurt to throw it out remembering how much time I put into it. I also discovered why I couldn't find the dice for any of my other games like Risk and Monopoly. http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Matt Ridgeway gets a round of applause for his Monopoly answer!

There was a book in the school library when I was in Grade 5 or so. It was written for about that level, but had an insert where you could play miniature wargames - squares, not hexes, but there were four games - a Midway like game, a Russian Front game, a Normandy landing game and an air assault game - medium bombers over France. I convinced my mom to let me steal it from the library, I wanted it so bad. (I am sure she paid the fine so they didn't lose any money) She coloured the pieces for me with pencil crayons and glued them to different coloured carboard.

I felt guilty about it for so long that last year I took some of my other favourite hardcover books on airplanes - written for that level - and donated them to the library. They never even thanked me (I didn't tell them why I was doing it, naturally!)

I will have to go check my book shelf to see if it is still there.

After that, I got into Squad Leader in junior high school. By high school, ASL had come out. I played M1 Tank Platoon when it first came out, along with F19 Stealth Fighter from Microprose. I think I designed my own text games for the computer in BASIC no less, as well, including a version of Up Front, the card game.

http://members.home.net/canuckmain/carrier.jpg

Ok, so it is there - and my mistake, it DID have hexes. Whattya know!

[This message has been edited by Michael Dorosh (edited 01-21-2001).]

[Holdit]

Board: Russian Front

Computer: NATO Commander(C64)

PC: Steel Panthers

[Owl]

Board - Midway

Computer - Mech Brigade

[mike8g]

Board: Berlin '85 - The enemy at the gates

Computer: NATO Commander (C64)

PC: Silent Service 2

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Alle Maschinen voraus Große, Ruder hart Backbord. Neuer Kurs wird Zwo-Eins-Null.

[Michael Dorosh]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Goofy:
For PC (if you can call it that) B-17 on the Intellivision. Then I remember Mech Brigade for the AppleII.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Man, I had B-17 on Intellivision too. Didn't it seem ridiculously hi-tech at the time? Here we all are with the ability to do any sound mod we want for CM, and back then we had to settle for an obviously computer generated voice that had a vocabulry of what - two dozen words?

"Fighters, six (twelve, nine, three) o'clock! Uh-oh!"
"That was ON target..."
"Target Below..."

I think that was the extent of his abilities, wasn't it?

[Bruno Weiss]

Board game, Avalon Hill, "Midway", 1972.

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"Gentlemen, you may be sure that of the three courses
open to the enemy, he will always choose the fourth."

-Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, (1848-1916)

[Der Unbekannte Jäger]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:
Man, I had B-17 on Intellivision too. Didn't it seem ridiculously hi-tech at the time? Here we all are with the ability to do any sound mod we want for CM, and back then we had to settle for an obviously computer generated voice that had a vocabulry of what - two dozen words?

"Fighters, six (twelve, nine, three) o'clock! Uh-oh!"
"That was ON target..."
"Target Below..."

I think that was the extent of his abilities, wasn't it?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Only if you had that voice addon thingy... can you still remember the "intro"

"Mattel Electronics presents Bee Seventeen Bomber...." I would swear that the electronic voice had a southern "twang" to it. http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

Add:No offense to any of our southern friends with their accents meant of course!!!
-Edited to make the post flame retardant.-
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"...come from the sea with nitroglycerine, nitroglycerine and a ladder of rope, and a thing called hope..."

[This message has been edited by Der Unbekannte Jäger (edited 01-21-2001).]

[Compassion]

3R... which I quickly put on the shelf for a couple years and went to Tactics II.

[ex PFC Wintergreen]

Board Game: AH Stalingrad (1964-65?)

PC Game: SSG's War in Russia (?) on the C64

1st computer Game: Galaxy Space in the Standford Univ. student union around 1972

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Read me back my last line!

[saru3000]

The first I can remember playing was TAC on a friends computer.
The first one I owned was Kamfgruppe.
They're both still kinda fun.

As for boardgames,when I was eight,I went to a barbecue where I entered a game of skill and daring (egg toss).My partner and I won and we each got to choose our prize.He picked the Star Wars game (the bastard) and I got AH's Air Assault on Crete.Needless to say,this was a little too advanced for my tiny little brain.I still have it but haven't looked at it in years(still hampered by a tiny little brain I guess).

Jarhead,I also ordered those plastic soldiers.They came in a little cardboard box that looked like a footlocker.The bases were too skinny to keep 'em propped up without support and if you managed it you had to be very careful not to breath on 'em.The ads were definitely better than the product.

[Jarhead]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by saru3000:


Jarhead,I also ordered those plastic soldiers.They came in a little cardboard box that looked like a footlocker.The bases were too skinny to keep 'em propped up without support and if you managed it you had to be very careful not to breath on 'em.The ads were definitely better than the product.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well at least I know I was not the only sucker to buy those things. I remember the add was on the back page of the comic. It showed the "Army Men" on top of a cliff overlooking an invasion fleet. Guns blasting on both sides. Funny thing is, here I am still playing with "Army Men". Well...no matter, I'm not going to quite.


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Semper Fi.

[Elvis]

Does Risk count?

If not:
Board: Panzer Blitz (AH game that evil Peng brought over one day and my life hasn't been the same ever since).

Computer : Squad Leader (I don't rememeber for sure if that is what it was called but it used the SL board #3 and my Commador 64 processed the turns and told you with text where to move units ect...)

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What do we do with a terrible liar? Well, Great liars we send into the clergy.
Good liars we groom for politics. Moderate liars we supply with sherrif's badges
and guns, and the bad liars, well, we make them heroin whores. So what the hell
do we do with the Terrible Liars? Well, it seems we turn them into physicists
called "chrisl." Peng

[Michael Dorosh]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jarhead:
Originally posted by saru3000:


Jarhead,I also ordered those plastic soldiers.They came in a little cardboard box that looked like a footlocker.The bases were too skinny to keep 'em propped up without support and if you managed it you had to be very careful not to breath on 'em.The ads were definitely better than the product.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well at least I know I was not the only sucker to buy those things. I remember the add was on the back page of the comic. It showed the "Army Men" on top of a cliff overlooking an invasion fleet. Guns blasting on both sides. Funny thing is, here I am still playing with "Army Men". Well...no matter, I'm not going to quite.




Geez, the memories - I was always looking at those ads but I never actually got around to ordering the Army Men. Remember the ads for German helmets that were only like 2 dollars (I had to ask my science teacher what "styrene" meant! LOL!) Or the 6 foot submarine you could order to play in?

Those army men sound like as big a ripoff as x-ray specs!

And I remember seeing the ad for Computer Squad Leader too - with board 3 and all. It all seems so silly, now.

[Goofy]

"Mattel Electronics presents Bee Seventeen Bomber...." I would swear that the electronic voice had a southern "twang" to it.

I had the voice add on thingee and being born in Georgia, it sounded perfectly normal to me!

[Panther131]

Computer game: Castle Wolfenstien - the original on the apple II. Does this count as a war game?

Console: Combat - for atari. (I think)

Boardgame: Risk.

And before any of these, army men the real deal...playing with plastic army men with my friends.

[Subvet]

Board Game: when I was six I learned (and loved) Stratego. If you don't consider that a "real war game" then it would have to be Squad Leader when I was about 12 or so. I had got some money for my birthday and my mother let me use some of it at the local toy store. I was looking around in there at the games and stumbled upon Squad Leader. It looked interesting, so I bought it. That game really changed my gaming habits for the rest of my life. It's funny but I never saw Squad Leader offered at that store before or since. After all, it was a very small toy store, not a hobby shop which is where I ended up going after that to buy more and more war games.

Computer Game:I played a game called "Combat" I believe on my Atari 2600. When my father got a "real" computer (I don't think we had any war games for the TRS-80 CoCo, so I had to wait until he bought a IBM XT) I had Empire, The Ancient Art of War, Gato, Crusade in Europe, and some others, but I'm not sure which one came first. Probably Empire, as it was written before the others.

An addition/correction to above: I did play a war game on the TRS-80 CoCo. It was called Nuke War and was put out by Avalon Hill IIRC. Back then the computer we had didn't have a floppy drive, let alone a hard drive so you had to load the game with a cassette recorder. It took forever, but the game was alot of fun. So that was the first computer war game I played.

While Mech Brigade wasn't the first computer war game I played it was the best one of those old games that I played. It had a QB system too, alot like CM does. It was so advanced for its time. We used to use its point system for units when we played micro-armor in my local game club. I'd place this game toward the top of a top games of all time list.

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Craig

"Only a madman would consider the possibility of war between the two states (France and Germany), for which, from our point of view, there is no rational or moral ground." - Chancellor Adolf Hitler, Oct. 14, 1933

[This message has been edited by Subvet (edited 01-21-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Subvet (edited 01-21-2001).]

[Runyan99]

Board: Victory Games' Ambush!

(as I got older, I actually started to understand more and more of the rules)

Computer: Fields of Fire, on some old Apple machine.

[Michael Dorosh]

Whoops - I forgot about TelStar Combat - it came out shortly after PONG, I think. It was a lot like Atari's combat game for the 2600, but you could only play 4 different versions. The console was built in, with two joystick controls per person, to control the tracks individually. One had a fire button on it. The screen showed a maze in black, with black and white tanks. I think there were mines you had to avoid, and the you had to hit your opponent 21 times or something like that. Probably one of the first video games ever made. I wonder what my parents paid for it...I'm off to check ebay to find a picture of one if possible...

Oh, the best part was that if you wanted to play the "night scenario" you had to manually adjust the contrast on your television set.

http://www.pong-story.com/pics/coleco/combat_c.jpg
http://www.pong-story.com/coleco6.htm


[This message has been edited by Michael Dorosh (edited 01-21-2001).]

[Radar]

The first board game I played was called City Fight by the now defunct SPI. It was a modern kind of CM in a way. There were two identical boards for each side to simulate the fog of war.
The first computer game I played was a made up computer program dubbed Empire. It was made for the C-64 and it was like a space version of risk. A great beer and pretzel game. http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/tongue.gif

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'Lets go you apes! You want to live forever?'

[Diceman]

Micro Armor on a ping-pong table using of all things http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gif "Tracktics" http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/piss.gif as rules. Possibly the worst armor rules ever written.

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Pair-O-Dice
"Once a Diceman, Always a Diceman."

[Thomas Norton]

It was PanzerBlitz. Saw it in the games section at a department store. I saw the orange and black box with the German tanks and didnt have any idea what was inside. The box was so cool.
That is why I joined the Marine Corp. The uniforms were so cool....


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"The Legitimate object of war is a more perfect peace."

[Basebal351]

Board Game: Axis and Allies

Computer Game: Sid Meier
s Getttysburg, and a month later, Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord.

I know, I've been deprived. http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/frown.gif

Thanks,
Jim

[Rob/1]

Cobat Mission...actualy Arching spitfire...or was it CM mabe I got them at the same time.
March 2000

[This message has been edited by Rob/1 (edited 01-21-2001).]

[The Commissar]

This one http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

Now that Im hooked on wargames, im epanding to the Hex-wargames as well.

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"...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..."

- Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

[BlackVoid]

Panzer General. Got me hooked on wargames and WWII as well.
My next favourite was Steel Panthers. Playing through the whole war was great!

[Douglas Rudd]

Board: Panzer Blitz, when it came out. http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif
Doug

[Nathman]

Chess!

To quote James Dunnigan, " All wargames derive from that earliest and simplest of wargames: chess."

[Kitty]

Avalon Hill's "Gettysburg" vs my dad in about 1973.

Kitty


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Hamsters at War! (http://www.fluffkitty.com)
Chicks With Tanks (http://www.nahverteidigungswaffe.de)
Lorak's FTX (http://www.geocities.com/lrmcgarvey/combat.html)
"I'd rather the Bees (http://www.fluffkitty.com/beard.jpg) than your Mask of Shame." (http://www.fluffkitty.com/mask.jpg) - Stuka
The True Blue Aussie Slang Source (http://people.enternet.com.au/~goeldner/)

[Space Thing]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jarhead:
What was the first war game you played?


<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

SPI's Napoleon at Waterloo (NAW) that came with a subscription to Strategy & Tactics.

[USGrant]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nathman:
Chess!

To quote James Dunnigan, " All wargames derive from that earliest and simplest of wargames: chess."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, you stole my answer, I started with chess about age 7.

First real wargame - France 1940, the Avalon Hill edition, about 1973 or so. I played the "idiot's plan" over and over. Been hooked on the historical aspects of wargames ever since.

I can't remember the first computer game, I've had computers since the Vic-20.

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USGrant

When the game is over, the kings and pawns go in the same box. - Old Italian Saying

[KrazyKnut]

Board Game - Dauntless

PC Game - Computer Ambush

[Tanaka]

Board game: "Fire Power" by AH games

Computer game: "Vulcan" by CCS (R.T.Smith) for the 48k

[Scooby33]

Board game: Panzer Leader by AH (70's)

Computer game: Wargames (ColecoVision)!!

If that doesn't count, then it was Second Front by SSI (on my hotrod 286).

[Juju]

Board: Ambush! 1989 or something.
Oh, and I can remember (vaguely) Some Milton Bradley game called Tankslag (Dutch version, probably called Tank-battle or something) back in the late seventies.

PC: Must have been SWOTL (secret weapons of the Luftwaffe) in 1991. Great fun!

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Officer: Old man, vhere ist your Spinnink Vheel?!
Old man: My... my what?
Officer: Your Vheel! your Vheel! Vhere ist your Vheel?!
Old man: Oh, I am sorry, I do not eat meat, I am a vegetarian.

[kmead]

First wargame: In the sandbox (literally) at age 2 using lead W Britians and SAE troops and handmade Panther tanks with my Dad in 1963
First board wargame: Blitzkrieg and later Panzerblitz in 1972?
First computer wargame: I think it was called Ambush, a top down map with Xs and Os for your troops @ 1984

[This message has been edited by kmead (edited 01-23-2001).]

[Michael emrys]

First board game: "Stalingrad" by Avalon Hill. 1964.

First Mac game: "Victory at Sea" by 360 Pacific. 1994.

Before that was a game called, I think, "Tanks" that was being offered at a party by a couple of Stanford hackers on a LAN of some kind. Even had joysticks. Around 1977.

In 1974 at UCLA I played a game called "Lord Baron" on a mainframe via teletype.

Michael

[This message has been edited by Michael emrys (edited 01-21-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Michael emrys (edited 01-21-2001).]

[Randl]

FIRST REENACTMENTs - My brothers and I recreating "Combat" and "Gallant Men" in the back yard.

FIRST MINIATURES - Green army men and tanks out in the dirt.

FIRST 5&10 WARGAME - Milton Bradley's "DogFight"

FIRST ELECTRONIC WARGAME - Parker Bros. "Codename: Sector" a self-contained computer game of Submarine pusuit.

FIRST CONSOLE TV WARGAME - Nintendo "Silent Service"

FIRST "REAL" BOARDGAME - Avalon Hill's, "D-Day"

FIRST COMPUTER WARGAME - Will Hutsell's "Civil War Battleset"

And the good times are still rolling http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

[Roborat]

First boardgame was panzerblitz and panzer leader, bought together (mid 70's). I even ordered an extra set of units and maps so I could have more pumas and panthers, and build massive maps on the garage floor. Also had a Stategy and Tactics subscription, which came with little games. Still have them all, although never played the games much, they were usually outside my area of interest.
First computer wargame was that take over the island game on the intellivision, I forget the name, also had B17. Also had Bolo, on the Apple IIe, weird little tank game in a maze, was a riot to play, don't know if I would consider it a wargame though. Got hooked on Empire for the Amiga, still play it now.

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"With cat-like tread, Upon our prey we steal;
In silence dread, Our cautious way we feel." -G&S

[Silver Fox]

Boardgame-Tactics II
PC - War in Russia C64

[mscano]

Avalon Hill's Blitzkrieg and Squad Leader back in 1977.

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If it bleeds, we can kill it.

[Michael Dorosh]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Roborat:
First computer wargame was that take over the island game on the intellivision, I forget the name, also had B17
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

UTOPIA!

[jake bullet]

MMMMM battlefield germany zx spectum 1984/85 i think

team yankee (the board game ) god nows when this came out

[Wayne]

Chess.

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Blessed be the Lord my strength who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight.

[Strat]

Tyco Army set, early 60's. Had two sets of plastic soldiers. One set was Army vs Germans and the other set was Marines vs Japanese. Both sets had there own unique armor and infantry, plastic tanks and soldiers. At 7 or 8 years old, I got extreme enjoyment from setting up battles in the dirt then kicking everything down. Ha.

Strat

[MantaRay]

First Wargame(if you consider it a wargame): Stratego. I used to sit in my room for hours making plans on pieces of paper. I had great setups too.

Then Axis and Allies, even bought the PC version. I still whip my little brothers in it occasionally. =}

PC: D-Day by Impressions. We would now laugh at it if it was released today, but I loved it.

Panzer General is what got me into computers though, solidified by Doom.

But the ultimate wargame in history is Chess. I have been playing that as long as I can remember. Still the only game that I will play till i die.

Ray

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When asked, "How many moves do you see ahead?", CAPABLANCA replied: "One move - the best one."

Click now for shelter from the Peng thread (http://www.hgdonline.com/cm/cmhgd1.html)

The Red Army of the Rugged Defense Group Ladder (http://members.nbci.com/cm_army/index.htm)

[Hawk]

Computer: "A bridge to far" and "Operation Tunisia" (ZX Spectrum, 1983?)

PC: "Sun Tzu's Ancient art of War" (1986?)

Board: AH's "American Civil War" (IIRC, 1988?)

Hawk

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Our's is not to reason why, our's is but to do and die!

[Beer_n_Pretzels]

My First wargame was Terrible Swift Sword, 1st edition. I think it was released in 1977...

My first miniatures game was Warhammer 2nd edition.

My first Roleplaying Game was DnD 2nd edition

Not as grizzled as some of the Grogs around here http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

[Wisbech_lad]

Board wargame - Chess

First non-abstact one - Kingmaker (and I still play it)

First computer wargame - V for Victory series (1991?)

[Mace]

Introduced to 1/72 miniatures in 1971, my first year of high School!

My first boardgame was SPIs 1941 ... platoon level armoured combat in France.

First computer wargame was SSI's Kampfgruppe (or was it Panzergruppe) <shrug>

Mace

[Berlichtingen]

Napoleonics using Charles Grant's rules ('bout one step up from Little Wars)

[Berlichtingen]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Diceman:
Micro Armor on a ping-pong table using of all things http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gif "Tracktics" http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/piss.gif as rules. Possibly the worst armor rules ever written.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
ROFL! Been there, done that http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

[scoop88]

Board games:

Gettysburg (AH) in 1964, followed in rapid succession by a slew of AH games: Afrika Korps, Tactics II, Battle of the Bulge, D-Day, Stalingrad, Midway, U-Boat, Bismarck, 1914, Blitzkrieg, Guadalcanal, etc.

Also had B-17 Bomber for Intellivision. In fact, i still have the system and the games boxed up in the basement. Used to play that game every night when I got home from working the 3 p.m.-11:30 p.m. shift. The wife would complain about these voices waking her up saying "that was close." In all the times I tried, I never made it back from the ball bearing works in eastern Europe.

Would love to see "B-17" updated for Playstation 2!

[wwb_99]

By the time I came along, boardgaming was nearly dead and computers were taking off.

First Board wargame I bought: Avalon Hill's Luftwaffe. I was too young to play it, but the box was cool. Unfortunately the cat pissed on it, so it had to go.

First Computer Wargame: Panzer General. It is a game about war, is it not?

First Real Computer Wargame: Steel Panthers. Blew everything else away, until CM at least.

Oldest Wargame I own: V for Victory Series. Started getting interested in the operational art. Bought the set for $17 soon after.

WWB

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Before battle, my digital soldiers turn to me and say,

Ave, Caesar! Morituri te salutamus.

[Lindan]

First Tabletop: Space Marines from GW. ~88
First Boardgame: Chess, 1979
First Real Boardgame: Columbia's Bobby Lee (~1990), Still like the 'block' games.
Console: Combat (Atari 2600)
Atari ST: Universal Military Simulator (you could even make your own battles)
PC: Steel Panthers
Does anyone remember 'Bloodtree Rebellion" ? I bought it some years ago but never played it, only read the rules. Is it worth the try?

[Holdit]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MantaRay:
But the ultimate wargame in history is Chess. I have been playing that as long as I can remember. Still the only game that I will play till i die.


<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


I'll go along with that.

[Hiram Sedai]

Board - Stratego
Console - Nectaris
Computer - Combat Mission
Real Life - NTC (National Training Center)


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Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal

[GeoffP]

I owned 'Luftwaffe' first, but only played it once. So, AH 'War at Sea' was my first frequently-played tabletop wargame.

'Patton vs. Rommel' was the first computer game.

How far we've come.....



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"Enough, Sir, no more of that, the die is cast and if there are fifty sail I will go through them"
Adm. Sir John Jervis 14-Feb, 1797

[GeoffP]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by wwb_99:
First Board wargame I bought: Avalon Hill's Luftwaffe. I was too young to play it, but the box was cool.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Exactly what happened to me http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

[mensch]

First board game:
"1940" I think I was the only one on this planet that bought the thing.. *sigh* 1984

First computer war game:
"ancient art of war" mac 1986?

First table top:
Warhammer Fantasy Battle GW 1988

First live renactment:
Soldiers/capture the flag, with my friends in Edmonton, Alberta.. god that was fun, man I miss those guys running around the place shouting "budda budda budda"... 1978

First real War game:
Manouvers with my unit in summer training GGHG. late 1989

First battle of the minds and wit:
my wife (but shes winning, you can't win against your wife - for all those who are married will know this, how? well lets see you get out of this question... "honey do I look fat?" - check and mate!)

-----------
www.derkessel.com (http://www.derkessel.com) Home of „Die Sturmgruppe“; Scenario Design Group for Combat Mission.

[This message has been edited by mensch (edited 01-22-2001).]

[GeoffP]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Michael emrys:
First Mac game: "Victory at Sea" by 360 Pacific. 1994.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Michael,
Was this perhaps the worst software product you ever purchased? Remember the cat-fights between Dunnigan and the developers?

[Maximus]

Pac-Man?

[Chupacabra]

First computer wargame was Grigsby's Pacific War...which quickly and completely overwhelmed me.

Come to think of it, it probably still would.

------------------
Soy super bien soy super super bien soy bien bien super bien bien bien super super

[pktaske]

First wargame (and it hooked me) was AH's Submarine...ever since I've always favored games with a tactical flavor.

First PC game was something called Lords of Conquest (Apple version) which had us up till the sunrise many Friday's and Saturdays.

And does anyone remember the AH title that eliminated luck from gameplay? It was an awful game...simple...and you played it with cards instead of dice...Kriegspiel?

[AL the red]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jarhead:
What was the first war game you played?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Arnhem by R.T Smith on the ZX Spectrum(48K ram!) way back in 1985.I still play it on emulator when i`m feeling nostalgic.In fact,it was my first computer game.I would still rate it in my top 5.Al.

[Polar]

First war game: Chess?

BUt the first one that ate at my psyche and wouldn't let go was AH's Starship Troopers. WWII Wargame... AH's Panzer Bliz.

Computer: Hmmmmmm... Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Rot3K was fun because I remember always burning the evil Generals out, catching them, and beheading them if they didn't join.

Used to max out all my forcess just so I could surround generals and set them on fire.

Great fun.

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"I had no shoes and I cried, then I met a man who had no socks." - Fred Mertz

[AbramsOnPoint]

First Wargame - Chariot - Pre-Roman tactical combat from SPI (SSG). Bought Legion, Musket and Pike and Grenadier also.
First Computer Game - Red Storm Rising - C64
(bought a C64 just to play it).

------------------
"Gentleman!, there will be no fighting in here, this is the War Room!". The President to Gen. Trugidson and the Soviet Ambassador in Dr. Strangelove.

[ASL Veteran]

First wargame: Wooden Ships and Iron Men

First computer game: Battles of Napoleon

LOL, Starship troopers was fun ... I always managed to get my Special Talent turned into slag right after landing on the surface. Those nuclear mines were hell too.

Luftwaffe ... German planes form one giant stack and make repeated passes over the struggling American bombers. We call it: "Luftwaffe, the game with the massive flaw" http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/wink.gif

[MarkEzra]

Civil War by Parker Bros? Hasbro? circa 1960 First PC war game Perfect General 2 1995

[Jarhead]

WOW! Thank you for the great response all. It looks like most of you have a history of War gaming be it Board, or Computer, console, what have you. Even one lad made his own game to get his fix. Its nice to have a place to go and trade thoughts on history, and war gaming in General. As well as of course CM (The Best Computer WWII Tactical war game so far).



------------------
Semper Fi.

[Wildman]

Started on 1:300 scale using "Armor 44". Great rules, espically for tanks. Differing Penetration values, etc.

Started Napoleonics with Empire, then wrote my own. Nothing better that that seeing the Death Head's Lancers battling with Scots' Greys and the Old Guard in the background. I even had two battlions of Wortenburg(sp?)

Even did Mustangs and Messersmits. Had to built a modle and three wheels stand.

First computer game was M1 Abrams for the PC. Put it on my brand-new, top of the line 386-16 with a 125MegHD. Wow the speed.

---

[Loki]

Squad leader was my 1st board game.

Kampfgruppe was my 1st computer game.
I remember thinking it was the most realistic thing ever made and could never be topped. I guess I was a stupid kid.

[LongLeftFlank]

Tactics II (age 9, and boy was I disappointed at first not to get "Tank Command" with real plastic tanks that popped into the air. But it grew on me).

Tactics II always seemed to degenerate into a trench warfare stalemate untless you used the optional nukes... Remember that discussion "Problems of Nuclear Warfare"?

Computer: Eastern Front for the Atari 800 (1981). Not a bad game actually. This was also the first instance of "We Go" logic I ever saw in a game... you gave all your corps movement orders and then they all executed at once each turn to the best of their ability.

[General Panic]

AH's original "Battle of the Bulge"

------------------
Two Rules to Live By:
1. Never Get Out of the Boat.
2. Charlie Doesn't Surf.

[Flipper]

first board game:SPI's four battle's in north africa quad soon followed by spi's "terrible swift sword" probably the holy grail of board wargaming for me (a total classic) so was "highway to the reich".."descent on crete"
"wellingtons victory"..."wacht am rein"..hell all the monster game's! anyone of you have...."streets of stalingrad"? rare an massive a collectors gem!

[Robert Olesen]

The first board wargame I made myself with a friend, based on Stratego but much expanded and with modern units.

The first "real" board wargame was SPI's Panzer Armee Africa. Great game, but I usually lost.

The first PC wargame was Steel Panthers (the first version). Played it for months - loved the campaign.

[StellarRat]

Well, let's see...first I played chess, then Stratego, then Risk, then came D-Day by Avalon Hill, then Blitzkrieg. My first computer wargame was StarTrek (all text based) on the mainframe at Willamette University.

But here's the real gem: My friend found a book in the library called "The Wargame" by Charles Grant. It had rules in it for Pre-Napoleonic combat with miniatures (Frederick the Great's era.) We spent months building miniature soldiers out of wood and wire, plus trees, houses, cannons, etc...and you had to have colored dice, special measuring sticks and wire patterns to figure combat results. Our battlefields were laid out on an expanded ping-pong table. It was awesome! Anyone else ever play minatures with Grants rules?

[Berlichtingen]

Originally posted by StellarRat:
Anyone else ever play minatures with Grants rules?
Yes, but as i mentioned earlier, we used them for Napoleonics

[StellarRat]

Tracktics might have been bad but Angriff was worse! At least Tracktics took armor slope and ammo type into account.

[RossGr]

SPI's Grenedier, Napoleonic Tactics arround '72

Something called Warlords on the Apple II , we modified the program to use a Risk like combat resolution. Then
SSIs first PC game Napoleon At Waterloo for the Apple II ~'78

[Stefan Fredriksson]

My big brother convinced me to play an air-figher hex-based game some 25 years ago (can't remember the name of the game though). Strangely enough I enjoyed it. Rules were not that hard, and in the cases they were, he explained them to me.
Besides, most of the times, I got to have the best fighters, probably so that I would stand at least some chance.

First war game on PC was IIRC "Art of War". You could choose different time-periods, for instance being huns, or Robin Hood types etc.
Either that one was first, otherwise it was "Gunship" (the original) from Microprose. A truly great game. I've played a number of helo-sims since then, but it still stands (after 12-13 years!).
Second war-game was original M1 Tank Platoon.

[Stefan Fredriksson]

Originally posted by Panther131:

...
And before any of these, army men the real deal...playing with plastic army men with my friends.
Of course, how could I forget!! We used the 1/32 (or was it 1/35?) scale.
Basically we went into a sandbox, spent an hour or so building one fort each. After that we each had to turn away while the other placed out his soldiers, perhaps 10-15 of them.
Then the game starts... Find the biggest rock around that you could throw for at least 3 meters.
I throw once, he throws once etc.
The way to decide when a soldier was dead, was when he was all covered with sand, nothing left sticking up. When he did, you dug him out, placed him beside so we could keep acccounts.

Hmmm, thinking of it, I suppose I should have a box of these lying around somewhere... http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

[dumbo2]

First wargame-
Homemade (to go with my Airfix napoleonic figures), featured such things as rolling a dice to see how far each troop moved http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

First commercial wargame rules-
Bruce Quarries WW2 or Grants, I cant remember which came first.

First Commercial Boardgame-
Squad Leader. The best christamas I ever had. My parents had let me buy it a week earlier (because they rightfully thought they would buy the wrong thing) but I was not allowed to open it. I kept my word and didnt open it but read and re read the back of the box through the shrink wrap many times http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

First Computer Wargame-
Eastern Front by Crawford.

I would take my Atari 8 bit with the cartridge around to my friends house and we would split the command between the north and south army groups. After maybe the 8th time playing this (and several days later) I remember clearly my freind looking up at the screen in surprise and saying "you know there dont seem to be many russians left". We were both shocked to realise that we were actually going to WIN, something we had just assumed was impossible http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

_dumbo

[Wayne]

Originally posted by Beer_n_Pretzels:
My First wargame was Terrible Swift Sword, 1st edition. I think it was released in 1977...

My first miniatures game was Warhammer 2nd edition.

My first Roleplaying Game was DnD 2nd edition

Not as grizzled as some of the Grogs around here http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif

Terrible Swift Sword was quite a wargame to start of with. I too bought the original edition and still have it as well as the second edition put out by TSR.

------------------
Blessed be the Lord my strength who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight.

[Speedbump]

Original version of Harpoon!

Speedbump

[JoeyT]

PC Game: The Perfect General.

Still one of my ALL TIME favorite war games.

JoeyT

[Spear]

1st Boardgame: AH Battle of the Bulge
1st Computer Game: AH Bismark (on a TRS-80)

[Teamski]

Yeah I already spoke, but I wanted to bring up a couple other games:

"Up Front" by AH - 1986 Anybody play this Squad Leader card game? Nice artwork, but it was way too abstract for me

"Air Force" by AH -1982 Used to play this WWII plane-to-plane along with SL for HOURS while I was in CAP eons ago. Great game that used charts for aircraft data. Had Dauntless, the gamette as well

I think one of the best designed games out was "Ace of Aces". Anbody remember this book based game? Each player had a picture book. With the viewpoint out of your airplane, you read off a page number corresponding wih a maneuver listed at the bottom of the page. Great game that was. The only problem was that if you played it too much, you ended up knowing each maneuver by it's page number, So, when your opponent read his out, you knew exactly which one he did, and promptly shot him down....

By the way, I still have those "flat" army men to this day with the box!! I would scan them if they were here with me, but they are at my parent's house (I'm stationed here in the UK with the USAF) Boy was I one VERY sad kid when I got them.....

Thanks for listening, hehe

-Ski


"

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"The Lieutenant brought his map out and the old woman pointed to the coastal town of Ravenoville........"

[Michael Dorosh]

Originally posted by Teamski:
Yeah I already spoke, but I wanted to bring up a couple other games:

"Up Front" by AH - 1986 Anybody play this Squad Leader card game? Nice artwork, but it was way too abstract for me

"Air Force" by AH -1982 Used to play this WWII plane-to-plane along with SL for HOURS while I was in CAP eons ago. Great game that used charts for aircraft data. Had Dauntless, the gamette as well

I think one of the best designed games out was "Ace of Aces". Anbody remember this book based game?




I played Up Front in high school; even conned some friends into playing. I had BANZAI as well. I knocked up a half-assed version of the game in Basic (no graphics, all text) - I think on a CoCo 2.

I remember seeing Ace of Aces in game stores but never had the money to shell out on it.

One of my faves was B-17 Queen of the Skies (now that you mention Dauntless). The solitaire game that consisted of you sitting there and rolling dice endlessly for hours and hours?

I hear that Microprose's B-17 II is actually making Avalon Hill's board game treatment look GOOD! LOL!



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http://highlanders.freehosting.net/" TARGET=_blank>http://wargames.freehosting.net/cmbits.htm
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[Chief]

Well, okey --
First board war game: Avalon Hill's D-Day ca. 1968.
First computer game: some C64 dealie from SSI that took 8 minutes to load (literally) and involved individual vehicles and guns. My, but we've come a long way since them.

[Wilhammer]

Ace of Aces by Nova Games (btw, the original developer of a huge Stalingrad Game, which was also most enjoyable) was very cool. We got together several guys on several occasions using book markers to enable multi-player. I lost my copy, but a few years ago found the 2 WW1 sets for 50c each at a yard sale, still in the sleeve box and not too worn.

It was my first "online" game. Me and another guy actually played it over the phone several times

Another game I enjoyed, but it took a lot of patience to learn and play, was SPIs Air War.

For tactical land games, I really enjoyed SPIs CityFight IMHO a lot better than Squad Leader. This game was the first to employ a workable 2-player blind system (though you needed to really trust your opponent). First game I ever played that took into account sound for spotting.

Another great double-blind game was Operation Crusader by GDW. It was my
"grand tactical" favorite along with its cousin Suez '73.

I wish I had some boardgame opponents...have not done any boardgaming since World In Flames about 10 years ago.

When will the world be blessed with a BTS quality near perfect Computer Strategic WW2 game?

[This message has been edited by Wilhammer (edited 01-23-2001).]

[Teamski]

I wish I didn't sell my Ace of Aces sets. I even had a set that featured an anti-aircraft gun defending a balloon against an allied plane. Interesting stuff......

I spent hours playing B-17 Queen of the Skys. It was that game that caused me to get "Patton's Best" and "Raid on St Nazaire" solitare wargames. Never could find an opponent, so I sold my whole collection of games about 8 years ago..... http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/frown.gif

-Ski

ps: Now I get to spend some big $$$ to get 'em back, hehehe.........


------------------
"The Lieutenant brought his map out and the old woman pointed to the coastal town of Ravenoville........"

[This message has been edited by Teamski (edited 01-23-2001).]

[Michael Dorosh]

Originally posted by Teamski:
I wish I didn't sell my Ace of Aces sets. I even had a set that featured an anti-aircraft gun defending a balloon against an allied plane. Interesting stuff......

I spent hours playing B-17 Queen of the Skys. It was that game that caused me to get "Patton's Best" and "Raid on St Nazaire" solitare wargames. Never could find an opponent, so I sold my whole collection of games about 8 years ago..... http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/frown.gif

-Ski

ps: Now I get to spend some big $$$ to get 'em back, hehehe.........



I might have a near mint copy of Patton's Best I should get rid of. If you're interested, email me off forum. madorosh@home.com.

As opposed to emailing me ON forum...doh....

[wadepm]

PanzerBlitz - 1972. I still have it and I can't wait until my son is old enough to play it with me!

[Jarhead]

Originally posted by wadepm:
PanzerBlitz - 1972. I still have it and I can't wait until my son is old enough to play it with me!

I know how you feel. My son is 4 (youngest of 3 kids). I am also looking forward to sharing some of my old war games w/him. Until then I'm enjoying kid games with all three of them. I did convince the wife to play "Axis and Allies" with me once, just once.



------------------
Semper Fi.

[Radar]

Aces of Aces! How could I forget? That is about the easiest game to learn! I would take a set with me when I went on road trips with my high school swim team.

[Slapdragon]

In every post, I have never seen anyone who played tractics. It was, with a bunch of 3rd party mod packs (sold as bunched photocopies at conventions), the best tank game in 1978-79 and led me to squad leader. Any one else play this?

[StellarRat]

Originally posted by Slapdragon:
In every post, I have never seen anyone who played tractics. It was, with a bunch of 3rd party mod packs (sold as bunched photocopies at conventions), the best tank game in 1978-79 and led me to squad leader. Any one else play this?

I played it a lot with my buddies on two pieces of plywood painted green. It was a lot of fun. My friend was an expert miniatures maker. He actually made molds that allowed us to make tanks and other vehicles (N scale) from plaster of paris (of course we painted them after they hardened.) We also built miniature trees, houses, hills etc... We spent a lot of weekends and summers playing. I remember that even a small battle could take hours because of the measuring and chart checking plus you had to have an umpire so it took three people to play. Ah, the good old days when I was young...sigh...


[This message has been edited by StellarRat (edited 01-24-2001).]

[RMC]

Panzerblitz. Played the Kursk scenario over and over and over....

then I discovered Squad Leader and Panzerblitz went on the shelf.

[Compassion]

Originally posted by Radar:
Aces of Aces! How could I forget?

Still have my Rotary and Powerhouse WWI books. Great game. Remember when it came out. First time I played it was at (I think) Origins '80 when they took it on the road to the west coast. I think half the con bought books. Saw everyone playing it. Even during other games.

Or maybe it was the year after when the con went back to being Pacificon... Gads I'm getting old!

[Flipper]

ace of ace's... I have all three (flying machines) being the last installment

[Grisha]

Grunt from SPI, back in 1973 http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/smile.gif


------------------
Best regards,
Greg Leon Guerrero