Hi everyone. I really enjoy reading match reports, but I recognized that there may be interest in another type of report on these boards.
Unlike a detailed match report, which tends to be personal and reports the actions and events within the scenario, I think it would be cool to have something that skips over that and simply focuses upon why a particular scenario is worth a go. We all seem to like different scenarios for different reasons, and maybe this will be a good way to find one that matches personal preferences.
I’ll begin with a good one I played last night.
Hlegu Burma from the Through Jungles and Desert printed scenarios pack.
Printed scenarios have various benefits, one of them being that it can be really quick to set the board up. This one is regular size rather than overlord or breakthrough, relatively simple, and with not so many terrain rules to remember. There is a nice story in the difference between British Commonwealth troops and Japanese troops. At only five medals, this one can be played fairly quickly, and I think it is a good one to use with a new player. The balance is fairly good for newbie players, but an interesting challenge for either side if both players have some experience behind them. You could forget the Nation cards, and Combat cards are optional, and if you choose to play again you could add them on subsequent plays to keep it interesting.
Above all, of the printed scenarios I have, I think this is maybe the best one to play with minimal baggage. A nice one to whip out if you don’t have too long.
“The second Overlord scenario, Cape Torokina Landings, highlights the fierce battle for Cape Torokina between U.S. Marines and Japanese forces.” i’ve generally only played overlord or above solo scenarios with my limited number of plays but this is by far my favorite scenario. The Battles of Khalkhin-Gol sceanario on paper was very interesting with its use of tankettes, armored cars, and cavalry while also having a ton of armor plus a really far afield battle from an interesting part of the war, but Torokina won my heart because of all of the diverse strategies that were possible around the islands and this could also be that I was still learning the game which added an interest.
Assault on Tobruk overlord I probably most enjoyed using the equipment pack’s troops for the Italians including the British tanks as Italian tanks; for me the left side of the board was all clearly Italians and different from the German side in their assaults against the Australians. The river (tank trench) makes for a fun map.
in general overlord was great for solo because of all the hands you had to manage contributing to the fog of war. this was made even better if you did not look at any newly flipped up cards until it was time to play that hand and as of course the scenarios go on those new cards start to be the main force in the game so it just gets better and better with fog of war.
I could mention soloing some massive double overthrew and triple overthrew Maps, but then this wouldn’t be a short form.
I like the scenarios in which there is not an obvious plan of action, and several options are available. I especially like it when plan A doesn’t work out and there is a pivot to plan B!
After initially not seeing the point of the printed maps and putting them aside because I didn’t have the space for overlord battles (I live in a Japanese house), I see that they offer a lot more than just not having to set up the terrain. Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into it!
If space is a concern the preprinted maps are probably not the best idea since they have all the cards on them. Next step would be to get another base game to do overlord. Lots of overlord scenarios out there and Tobruk is an example of one of the free ones. You can just size up the space for two maps side by side to see if it will fit. Lots of stuff in print now so a good time for an early present for the holidays.
Wise words, thank you. Yes, as you say, the printed maps are extended more than just the playing space, they also include the cards, which makes for a pretty large space needed. I find it difficult to have a table left sitting with everything set up because of space restrictions, so the printed maps mean it can be pulled out and put away much more quickly. There are some standard sized scenarios too.
