tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post4373110274124044720..comments2024-03-28T16:32:41.081+00:00Comments on Battlefields and Warriors: Operation Barbarossa 1941, games and some reading.Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-40539061967393687062023-01-18T07:46:44.485+00:002023-01-18T07:46:44.485+00:00I’m not sure that it modelled the ‘entire’ war tha...I’m not sure that it modelled the ‘entire’ war that well anyway, I don’t recall my games ever getting much past late ‘43.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-90601074126848047752023-01-18T04:00:13.691+00:002023-01-18T04:00:13.691+00:00The only drawback I see with Russian Campaign was ...The only drawback I see with Russian Campaign was the way the map "squeezed" the '45 battles to Berlin or death. Why I much prefer the Coatney map.Trevor Waldernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-67396815385245073012023-01-17T22:18:16.171+00:002023-01-17T22:18:16.171+00:00Hi Trevor, I think the Russian Campaign is up for ...Hi Trevor, I think the Russian Campaign is up for reprint with both GMT and Compass Games, so it has stood the test of time …. And is the only game that I have played until 4 AM in the morning to get a result ….. in those days when my body was young enough to take that sort of thing :-) I hope the rest of this game entertains you. Cheers.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-72692206642927115382023-01-17T20:58:00.189+00:002023-01-17T20:58:00.189+00:00My favourite for the whole Eastern Front is Russia...My favourite for the whole Eastern Front is Russian Campaign by John Edwards (JEDKO and other publishers). I have a Lou Coatney map from some magazine game that I use as it shows all the major locations. I don't actually play the games but use them to inform me as I read. i.e. move the counters to suite the reading it's better than flicking back to the book's maps.Trevor Waldernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-1015813288296257062023-01-15T10:06:57.941+00:002023-01-15T10:06:57.941+00:00The book blurb does mention other books that he ha...The book blurb does mention other books that he has written.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-11604743068096110772023-01-15T09:11:29.947+00:002023-01-15T09:11:29.947+00:00Wow - a) I didnt realise he was a military histori...Wow - a) I didnt realise he was a military historian and b) I really am surprised he is still alive, mind you, David Attenburgh is still turning up on my TV with monotonous regularity!rrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07316317334203888350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-87931698327482419162023-01-14T06:41:59.611+00:002023-01-14T06:41:59.611+00:00Hi Shaun, your 7 BoB titles made me smile, yes, I ...Hi Shaun, your 7 BoB titles made me smile, yes, I think that is how it is for most boardgamers. I am very much looking forward to playing through the entire project and the discipline of doing that will get some titles to the table that never quite manage to get to the top of the queue and who knows, one or two might disappoint and can be part of that cycle of thinning the collection.<br /><br />I am also enjoying the book, but of course these things always bring focus on the brutality of war, which is something by and large that is invisible to us as we play our games, so brings a slightly sombre edge to the project.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-83879026116015159232023-01-14T00:53:34.522+00:002023-01-14T00:53:34.522+00:00Hello Norm
You have Barbarossa games like gamers ...Hello Norm<br /><br />You have Barbarossa games like gamers have Battle of the Bulge games (you probably have lots of them as well). Even me not much of a boardgamer have 7 BoB titles :-)<br /><br />A really great overview of the titles you have and I like the idea of the plan to get them out and play. I find that with small targets like this I can get gaming in with things I have wanted to do but just never quite got around to. Although your plan seems quite large (and I see in a previous comment to also think you were enthusiastic). I hope you get a least a few titles out to play and they all seem decent and enjoyable games.Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-59662069279408593472023-01-13T22:14:39.325+00:002023-01-13T22:14:39.325+00:00Hi Gareth, I am pretty sure that I should have an ...Hi Gareth, I am pretty sure that I should have an interesting instalment ready by this Sunday morning. Your Kursk project sounds interesting, I have the game and the map is beautiful, but of course, as you know, the scope of the game is much greater than just Kursk (I bought it for the title and was surprised by that). I will look up Retribution.<br /><br />There is an S&T magazine (issue 118) that cover the same subject and interestingly has the same title (Tigers are burning) as the Kursk sub title. I see there is a copy for under £10 at Second Chance Games (UK) that may be of interest - LINK https://secondchancegames.com/index.php/ww2/the-tigers-are-burning-campaigns-for-the-ukraine-1943-44-1-detail<br />Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-90284473723972847272023-01-13T22:03:00.829+00:002023-01-13T22:03:00.829+00:00I'm really looking forward to seeing this work...I'm really looking forward to seeing this work out over the year. Good luck! At a much smaller scale I'm thinking of something similar, inspired by The Battle of Kursk game from C3i. The book would be "Retribution" by Prit Buttar, published by Osprey. I only have one other game covering that campaign specifically though...Gareth Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03786279225783094427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-40303285590950631242023-01-13T15:58:56.216+00:002023-01-13T15:58:56.216+00:00Hi David, I must say that at the outset, enthusias...Hi David, I must say that at the outset, enthusiasm ran massively high with the idea behind the project, but with the dust settled, I am appreciating the size of the project, though remain enthusiastic.<br /><br />I have just started work on a related piece (amusingly it uses the term ‘kick in the door’) that I think you will enjoy and should be ready to post the first article in a few days. I think once that is out the way, the pace of the project will just fit around normal routine.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-67890370722972064652023-01-13T15:22:13.482+00:002023-01-13T15:22:13.482+00:00Great stuff, Norm, it will be really interesting t...Great stuff, Norm, it will be really interesting to follow your progress. Looks an appropriately ambitious project, matching the subject matter - as long as you haven't overstretched...( "we have only to kick in the door..." ) . It will certainly help you get through the long winter, but will it be over by Xmas? (!) david in suffolkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02945969485547328039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-8176982508726684842023-01-13T06:41:13.627+00:002023-01-13T06:41:13.627+00:00Hi Stew, the problem for me is that over recent ye...Hi Stew, the problem for me is that over recent years my reading has become ‘squeezed out’ and it doesn’t need working out, our modern life style allows too much screen time to dominate our quality spare time.<br /><br />Part of me is doing this is because I have decided to liberate an hour a day away from the screen and to push that time into doing some ‘real’ things. In effect, this project is creating a new demand on my time, but ironically I have lost the balance, as the project has itself become all time consuming and has been dominating my gaming for the past couple of weeks :-)Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-60644415548890397022023-01-13T06:32:09.465+00:002023-01-13T06:32:09.465+00:00Hi Ben, the Leningrad game is a good old return to...Hi Ben, the Leningrad game is a good old return to classic SPI and small enough to make for a vacation game. Like your good self, many of my plays run off the history tracks, and though I have only played a couple of full 1941 - ‘45 east front designs, they seemed particularly prone to end early.<br /><br />I think this may be because the longer the game, there more the chance that all the dice rolls conspire to tell their own tale. It is for the same reason that I think the longer WWII tactical scenarios must be hard to write / balance as by the mid-way point, they are assuming a life of their own compared to what the designer may have modelled. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-6259498035382769842023-01-13T02:39:03.787+00:002023-01-13T02:39:03.787+00:00I think I have 9 board games total. 😀
But I agre...I think I have 9 board games total. 😀<br />But I agree that syncing gaming and media is fun. I do it all the time. While painting a genre I’ll seek out related books to read (more like listen to, I don’t have time to read) or TV shows. Stewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00340930167419307092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-31981913258729460882023-01-13T02:04:18.053+00:002023-01-13T02:04:18.053+00:00Great idea to play the game at the same time as re...Great idea to play the game at the same time as reading the book. it would be interesting to see if any of the games get close to history. Mine always go off on tangents - but that is probably me rather than the game. 😁 <br />I do like the Soviet untried units and have played a lot of SPI's PGG type games. I don't have the Leningrad one and might try to find it as it sounds very interesting. Ben Catohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00132734496369774300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-66892544576910394432023-01-12T17:51:35.640+00:002023-01-12T17:51:35.640+00:00Hi Matt, that sounds a good way to go, though for ...Hi Matt, that sounds a good way to go, though for me, if I listen to audio, I also do something else, so don’t listen as well as I ought - reading forces me down a path of better taking things in ….. but with a higher risk of nodding off and the book falling to the floor!Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-51085787298958205772023-01-12T16:54:55.375+00:002023-01-12T16:54:55.375+00:00I’d like to say great minds think alike…..but I wo...I’d like to say great minds think alike…..but I wouldn’t put myself in that category. As it happens I am half way through the audio book at the moment. I concur it is an excellent history. I particularly like his audio books which he narrates himself in his recognisable and author active voice.Matt Crumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06841790422716738842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-64795776598036913882023-01-12T14:28:10.901+00:002023-01-12T14:28:10.901+00:00Hi Jonathan, there have been so many titles, it wo...Hi Jonathan, there have been so many titles, it would be interesting to see a single list of all games ever printed on the subject and there would be many ‘Oh yes, I remember that one’ type thoughts.<br /><br />Some of the games you list would be considered ‘big’ and having a lot of depth top them, probably the only way to do the subject true justice. I seem to recall that Borodino ‘41 had errata problems, but looked beautiful.<br /><br />Perhaps this post might have some gamers dig deep into their collections and pull something that would make for a quality gaming experience. I am just playing Defiant Russia, very enjoyable, but it is already running off the historical rails - though arguably, I could have played the opening German turns with a bit more vigour!Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-61274770552463962862023-01-12T14:09:10.492+00:002023-01-12T14:09:10.492+00:00This will be an interesting project to watch unfol...This will be an interesting project to watch unfold. Of the games listed, only GDW's old <b>Battle for Moscow</b> is one I have played covering this campaign. My tastes in games are much different. GDW's <b>Fire in the East</b> was my first stab at gaming the campaign followed by The Gamer's <b>Guderian's Blitzkrieg</b> and <b>Smolensk</b>, and COA's <b>Borodino '41</b>. I may look to pick up MMP's Ops #10. Jonathan Freitaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862373894196924886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-34018807121900113092023-01-12T12:58:11.532+00:002023-01-12T12:58:11.532+00:00IIRC those 'Warning Order' chaps have had ...IIRC those 'Warning Order' chaps have had quite a few reviews of Barbarossa games over the years. It is obviously a very popular campaign, which is hardly surprising really.Steve J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12143308117853983963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-44240168940610665312023-01-12T12:12:03.837+00:002023-01-12T12:12:03.837+00:00Steve, I have added an edit to the post to include...Steve, I have added an edit to the post to include the Leningrad game, cheers.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-89661056094794267582023-01-12T11:55:00.142+00:002023-01-12T11:55:00.142+00:00Hi Michal, I think some will look at the list and ...Hi Michal, I think some will look at the list and notice what is not there, as there has been just so much stuff done. I remember GDW’s Great Patriotic War being a well played favourite ….. why did I get rid of that!Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-29776475375701653972023-01-12T11:53:35.003+00:002023-01-12T11:53:35.003+00:00Dimbleby does make reference to Kershaw, so he mus...Dimbleby does make reference to Kershaw, so he must respect his work. Your comment about looking at a single Army Group made me check out the collection again and I had missed the reprint of the SPI Leningrad game, which just looks at Army Group North, using the old Panzergruppe Guderian system. So another to add to the list!Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-81215213924391377762023-01-12T11:49:11.696+00:002023-01-12T11:49:11.696+00:00I had assumed it was the great man himself. He ded...I had assumed it was the great man himself. He dedicates the book to his four grandchildren.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.com