It's Out! FoF v1-12-2

[Steel God]

I was intrigued by Forge of Freedom when Peter first asked us to add it to the ladder here. I was excited when I started to follow the AARs that were done for the game. Then I was disappointed when those AARs hit brick walls because of a major bug in the scoring in the game. But with the release of the fix for that problem I acquired a copy of the game, and I don't mind saying that at $60 it took a LOT for me to make that plunge.

Now that I have it, I am smitten. I mean, it's one of those games where you sit down to "play a bit" and get so immersed you play for hours. I cleared off a lot of my active games in anticipation of needing extra time to devote to learning a new system with a reputedly steep learning curve, but even the few games I have left seem to get the appetizer I rush through to get to the entree that is Forge of Freedom. I am but a few turns into my first ever game, and it is a PBEM against Peter (the Other Kingmaker) and I have not felt this excited about a game since I first played World in Flames as a board game. Depth - depth - depth. Yes there are some abstractions and concessions made (because it is a game) but so far, I am loving every second I spend in the game, find myself day dreaming at work about my upcoming turn, and don't want to hit the end turn button, hoping I'll find more to do.

Wow. This is quite the game. Anyone who likes the idea of fighting the American Civil War on a Strategic scale needs to give serious consideration to this gem.