Which of these PzC would you like to see?

[Glenn Saunders]

I don't know much about making these games. Which is the most difficult (time consming) part, the map, the OOB or finding the correct situation (battle) that fits the game engine?

It is everything together - the balance of all things as a whole that makes up a Panzer Campaign.

To throw out a title without even considering the size of the map, the length of the CG, and all the factors together to fit the scale of the engine might be interesting talk over beers - but it is not reasonable for real game design considerations.

Let me throw out another example - one that isn't listed in the thread - that was seriously suggested on another forum a couple years ago and one I took the time to give a serious piece of consideration.

I'm an old Boardgamer and I recall playing Avalon Hills Guadalcanal Game back in the 70's. Great game - hours of fun and if I threw out Guad '42 as a title, it might even get votes by people who read and remember fondly the title (I still have mine BTW)

But if I included the additional info:

- Map is 20x20 (30x30 tops)
- The Full CG Length would be Aug 42 to Mar 43 - read say ~2400 turns
- and then I add a note that this would need a new rule - maybe a PDT values that would take into consideration that more soldiers on both sides would die to sickness that will affect some units worse than others, then were killed by enemy action - do you think Guad '42 would still hold the same appeal and get serious votes? I don't - but hell, maybe I am wrong!

Now if one factor only is out, maybe we can do something about that.

Guys - I can't tell you that a map 361 hexes is ok but 362 is not. Because there are no absolute limits. And it is normally more than one limit which kills an idea for a game at PzC Scale.

You can all see what we have in the series now. You can look at the big maps and the small maps. Long Campaigns and short campaigns. The games that work and the games that for whatever reason you don't like.

We know that we included a Normandy UNPLAYABLE CG Scn that is 750 turns long, so anything longer is ...well, not as likely to be done, especially if it has the same number of Divisions in the game because very few people if any will ever play it completely.

And without mentioning any title specifically, I will say the the LEAST POPULAR PzC we have, by number of copies sold and by the lack of posts discussing it also, is one where

- we had all the conditions for Map size perfectly
- and the OOB size was also perfect, and what was built is a master piece of research
- the length of Campaign right where we wanted it
- there was reasonable good access to solid information.

So why was it so unpopular ?????
....think about it for a second.

The problem with this game was that ground doesn't change hands very quickly.

So I say again - throwing around titles is all good fun and interesting reading. Polling the result might even have merit which is why I am suggesting a revote on SERIOUS TITLES. But I can't give you a list of "Serious Titles" because I don't have a list and I doubt I've given every possible title the due thought that it needs.

But if your list of possible titles contain topics without telling explaining to people what they are voting for will be very misleading.

And suggesting we build a map 1000 hexes long on a 1 km scale covering uninhabited mountains when we can look at ....what is it ... 20 or so titles, where we know the typical size of the maps, is perhaps a tad bit unreasonable. And if you even thought that could work and then saw the full campaign on this monster map would lasted 3 months or 900 turns than folks could would instantly be able to tell that it is not a serious title and move to the next one on the list.

It doesn't mean the battle in question will never be a wargame game.
But it is unlikely to be a PzC game on 1km hexes and 2 hour turns.

Anyway - I read pretty much everything up here. The good and the bad - the stuff we like to hear and the stuff you guys don't like too. We consider it and and we know just how fortunate we are to have this wonderful forum so we can capture your thoughts.

Glenn