Well, it has been a whirlwind month for me and my newfound wargame journey. I have jumped back into the gaming pool in full force. Here is the After Action Report of my gaming month of December.
I want to start this off by wishing everyone a happy Holiday season. This is a great time of year to reflect on the past 12 months and to be grateful for all of the wonderful memories that have been made in 2023. So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Cardboard Commander.
What is on the Table This month I have been able to play a couple of games where I have actually pushed some cardboard around, instead of playing by VASSAL. I love the VASSAL engine, but nothing takes the place of pushing cardboard and seeing the game all outlined in front of you. I have placed a table in my office so that I can set up a game and leave it out for a while. We will see how long we can get away with that until the cat decides to do her best GODZILLA on the Normandy coast. Only time will tell.
Breakout Normandy I was watching a YouTube playthrough video of this Avalon Hill Classic, so I decided to break out my original copy and give it a go. After you read this blog post, make sure to go check out Aaron Plays on YouTube. I have the game set up and will start playing later today. Stay tuned as I will be doing an extended post on my game.
I also had the chance to play an ASLSK1 game FTF earlier in the month with Thomas. You can see that little AAR here: https://www.cardboardcommander.com/post/back-in-the-saddle-again
It looks like we may be playing another FTF game tomorrow. So I am looking forward to that as well. I enjoy the interaction of FTF play and it reminds me of the joy I had playing at an early age, learning rules and tactics while playing the games. Nothing beats seeing the expression on a foe's face when something goes good or bad.
VASSAL Games It has been a fun month of playing on VASSAL. I have played a couple of games of Combat Commander, in addition to the CC Ladder game I detailed here from earlier in the month. https://www.cardboardcommander.com/post/the-aftermath-of-canucks-tough-loss-where-to-go-from-here
Currently, I have a couple of games of ASLSK on the virtual table. I am playing War of the Rats (S2) and a couple of games of Retaking Vierville (S1) It has been great getting back into the swing of things from the ASL side of things. I never want to jump back into the full-fledged time-consuming big rules, but the starter Kit scratches my itch for this game system.
The game that has been enjoyable to play this month has been Salerno 43. I have been able to play it a couple of times and man I am hooked! I love the game system and I look forward to playing more of these Mark Simonitch games. I have plans in the works to kick off a Normandy 44 game after the first of the year so stay tuned!
On the Solo front I have a game of Stalingrad - Advance to the Volga on Turn 3 I am playing via Vassal. I love this game and I look forward to playing each time I pull it up. I am also thinking of playing the Classic RAF after I finish Stalingrad. It has been years since I played RAF and I have fond memories of the game. Twilight Struggle I forgot I purchased TS on STEAM a few months back and I decided to pull out those rules and want to give it a go as well. I always enjoyed playing TS. Are you all still playing this classic game? If yes where do you play? VASSAL, STEAM, or some other type of gaming tool.
Games or Expansions ordered this month
I usually don't order three games in a month. The main reason is I have many hobbies, so I spread my money around to get my fix in each. The winter months mean more time to play games, hence the uptick in ordering. The first thing I ordered was Holland 44 from GMT, Like I said above I love the series and look to get as many as I can.
The next game I ordered was No Retreat - The Russian Front Deluxe Edition. I have No Retreat North Africa and I liked it so much, that I decided to go the Russian front route. I look forward to playing this as soon as I get it in my grubby little hands. haha!
Last but not least is the Combat Commander BP#9 Island Hopping. As you all know by now I love Combat Commander and I am also looking for more to add to my collection. I can;t wait for this to arrive. Looks amazing!
Trying something new
I have been trying to find a game that my wife would like to play, other than the standard card games and things like dominoes. Don't get me wrong I love those games, but would like to play something more. I put on my Christmas wishlist the game of 7 Wonders Duel. It is a small and short game based loosely on the 7 Wonders game that has a large following on boardgame geeks. I saw Duel being played at a local game night and thought it would be something my wife would like to play.
Well, as luck would have it, Santa sent me a copy, so I am reading the rules and will try to get my wife to play a couple of games with me. I have a question. Do you all play these types of games with your spouse? What games do your spouses like the best? Send me a note and let me know. I appreciate the feedback. That sums up the month. Thanks to all of you who have followed the cardboardcommander.com.
Thank you for reading the blog and commenting on posts. Until next time Be Kind and have fun!
Links from this post
Vassal: https://vassalengine.org/
Breakout Normandy: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/730/breakout-normandy
Salerno 43: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-868-salerno-43.aspx
ASLSK 1: https://mmpgamers.com/asl-starter-kit-1-p-10
7 Wonders Duel: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173346/7-wonders-duel
Twilight Struggle: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-927-twilight-struggle-deluxe-edition-8th-printing.aspx
Boardgame Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/
Holland 44: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-938-holland-44-2nd-printing.aspx
Combat Commander BP#9 Island Hopping: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1085-combat-commander-bp-9-island-hopping.aspx
No Retreat - Russian Front: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-748-no-retreat-the-russian-front-deluxe-edition-3rd-printing.aspx
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