Favorite SB Game

[TheBigRedOne]

Trying to spark some discussion here. Best explaination gets some sort of bonus as yet to be determined.

What is the SB game or Mod that you prefer, playing more often, or just enjoy more?

Spanish Civil War
Winter War
Advance of the Reich
Eagle's Strike
Pacific War
Proud and Few
Korea
Vietnam
Tour of Duty
Africa at War
Soviet Afghan War
The Long War

[Nikb]

Hmmmm....well...tough 'un as I tend to go with what ever pops up.

My preferred game at the moment is WW. It has some really fun scenarios and lots of hardware to play with. I really like Korea due to the even sides, however, it falls down a bit with regards to some of the stock scenarios.

Just behind those two comes ES and probably the two Pacific War titles.

At the other end of the scale are the two Vietnam titles and Advance of the Reich.

This is only a subjective ranking and I really enjoy all of them. She is a great series and we are very lucky as wargamers to have a continous run of titles.

And what would I love to see? <yeah I know its not the question>

Well now you ask it - I would love a squad battles type title that is pre 1900's. Anything from Ancients...Medieval...Marlborough...Napleonic...US Civ War...Colonial Wars.

One gripe while I'm thinking of it. I really dislike scenarios where the defending side starts off with a loss. Leaves me cold.

Think that has covered it. Now what was the question again?

[Ivan]

As a relatively new player I do not yet own all the titles. I've got five titles and two MODs.

I do enjoy all of them and the MODs, they are all addictive as hell and great fun.

If I had to choose favourites out of the ones I've got:

Africa at War - this pleases me on a number of levels. It has great graphics and sounds and I really feel the danger with this one. It's spurred me to start reading about Africa and some of the conflicts covered and I'm getting more and more interested in the whole subject. I've been reading about the conflict in Sierra Leone in a book called War Dog and it's revelatory about the stuff that goes on in the world that no one really shows much interest in. Corruption and atrocities on a mega scale combined with stories far stranger than fiction, it's jaw dropping at times to read. So I guess this is a favourite as it's got me interested in something I knew little about, the game and subsequent curiosity and reading create a type of synergy of satisfaction. Where it will end I don't know, I've only this morning subscribed to solider of fortune magazine!

I'll only mention one more as I like them all in different ways. Soviet Afghan War. Most things Russian/Soviet interest me and I've always been interested in this conflict since watching documentaries about the subject when it was going on, for example the one by Sandy Gall along with his subsequent book. He was friendly with Ahmed Shah Masoud later killed by Al Qaeda. I thought we was a remarkable leader and the determination and ingenuity of the Afghans was intriguing, Watching people make guns with their feet and discuss how they knocked out Soviet Gunships with rocks from a canyon was Boys Own stuff. I think the game really captures the feel of the conflict and the terrain plays a huge part in making it feel right. Very enjoyable.

As we are doing a wish list as well, mine would be the Chechen Conflict. I read a book about this conflict called One Soldier's War in Chechnya and it was quite shocking. No quarter was given by either side, almost medieval in intensity and a reminder that war really is horrendous and better fought on a computer screen. Another darkly fascinating subject that I'm almost ashamed to want to wargame, but again the ability of a small, determined group of fighters to take on a super power is intriguing for those interested in tactics and modern warfare.

[TheBigRedOne]

OK, got the poll working. Feel free to vote for your favorite titles.

I found this a difficult question to answer, as I'm sure most of you do. Typically I'd imagine that the theatre that interests a person would be the game that they'd pick. For me that would have been Vietnam/TOD. I learned SB playing VN and it will always have a place in my heart for that, but as I've gotten better, I'm finding that a lot of the scenarios in those games really lack balance, going more for the historical situation rather than over-all game balance. I've often thought about going back and working on some of those scenarios, but time always evaporates, especially now that I have a child....

Korea is in the top two mainly because my father was there in '51-2. It is, indeed, America's Forgotten War, and I've really enjoyed learning more and more about the conflict and the brave men who fought there, many of whom had no idea where Korea was before they got there. The scenarios are also quite well done, both with the game and the additional ones you find on sites like Task Force Echo 4.

The surprise for me is Winter War. I have to admit to a bias because it was the first game I was a part of with the playtesting team. I didn't know much about the Winter War, but read several books and articles while playtesting and writing the Intro section for the game. It really started to fascinate me how the little country of Finland could hold back the might of the Soviet Union for so long. The scenarios are well done and have a strong amount of balance to them. It's just different, and I like that.

SAW comes close just because I've always been interested in that conflict, having read many books and articles on the subject. That game has a very different 'feel' to it than the conventional battle situations, which makes it very much fun to play.

[TheBigRedOne]

Couple of days in and Eagle's Strike is the runaway leader at this point I do realize by allowing multiple votes that things are a bit different, but it's interesting to see which game is taking the prize.

Initially, when it was released, ES was somewhat criticized a bit for its stock scenario offerings. Seems that the community additions in terms of scenarios, mods and graphics/sounds have made this one quite popular....

[Nikb]

Couple of days in and Eagle's Strike is the runaway leader at this point I do realize by allowing multiple votes that things are a bit different, but it's interesting to see which game is taking the prize.

Initially, when it was released, ES was somewhat criticized a bit for its stock scenario offerings. Seems that the community additions in terms of scenarios, mods and graphics/sounds have made this one quite popular....

There are some real gems out there for ES. For any new players I would recommend a vist to 'Taskforce Echo Four'. She is a must for any SB gamer.

[jmlima]

Couple of days in and Eagle's Strike is the runaway leader at this point I do realize by allowing multiple votes that things are a bit different, but it's interesting to see which game is taking the prize.

Initially, when it was released, ES was somewhat criticized a bit for its stock scenario offerings. Seems that the community additions in terms of scenarios, mods and graphics/sounds have made this one quite popular....

I'm also rather surprised... I think that bundling Vietnam and Tour of Duty might have twisted the results for them since I think Vietnam is far more popular than ToD. Even so, seeing ES taking the lead in such a way it's surprising...

I was expecting it to be near the top, but not, in the top with no competition... I think that coupled with PW , ES offers maps and scenario types that are best suited for the Infantry focus that SB has.

[TheBigRedOne]

Couple of days in and Eagle's Strike is the runaway leader at this point I do realize by allowing multiple votes that things are a bit different, but it's interesting to see which game is taking the prize.

Initially, when it was released, ES was somewhat criticized a bit for its stock scenario offerings. Seems that the community additions in terms of scenarios, mods and graphics/sounds have made this one quite popular....

I'm also rather surprised... I think that bundling Vietnam and Tour of Duty might have twisted the results for them since I think Vietnam is far more popular than ToD. Even so, seeing ES taking the lead in such a way it's surprising...

I was expecting it to be near the top, but not, in the top with no competition... I think that coupled with PW , ES offers maps and scenario types that are best suited for the Infantry focus that SB has.

Yeah, I was playing with the limitations of the software. 10 slots maximum for the polls, but I think that bundling the two shouldn't really hurt the results.

[Ivan]

Having just heard the British rally call voices for the first time in Pacific War this could well now be my favourite game. They are priceless.

I've only just noticed that when playing Africa at war I think my Arican rebels are talking Japanese, which is also quite funny but not as funny as the stout British Tommy in Pacific War.