Tobruk vs El Alamein

[Radetzky]

dear fellow gamers

i'm about to order one of the titles dealing
with the war in the western desert, but not
yet quite sure which one exactly.

from what i've seen so far i'd say EA42 looks
like a slugfest with less maneuvering, while
T41 provides the bigger map with more
strategic options. must admit i've read Niall Barr's
book about the Alamein Battles and so i'm tempted
to get the coresponding PzCampaign as well.
On the other hand, i found the more static
battles like Kursk less entertaining as PBEM
(for the one playing the defense, that is).

if anyone is willing to share his thoughts and
compare the strengths/weaknesses of both
titles for me, that'd be great!

cheers
Jan

[Ricky B]

Hi Jan,

The EA'42 scenarios cover a wide variety of battles from Gazala through 2nd Alamein. As you say, 2nd Alamein is fairly static, huge amounts of mines, fairly short lines, etc. However, all the other battles, including Gazala at the start, are much more mobile and have wide open areas for maneuvering. So rest assured that this game will have plenty of maneuvering, more than any other game I think, outside of the final battles.

Tobruk is also open, but at least for the stock scenarios the forces might be considered to lack their historical punch. In my battles in it, the fighting seemed to break down into actions where small units penetrated gaps in the line to isolate units, then the other side penetrated gaps to isolate yours, on and on but with relatively light casualties considering all this movement. Which was okay up to a point but it was hard to reach a decisive point.

Rick

[Steel God]

Either will please you if you are a fan of the NAC. EA42 is fine in it's stock version, and has a nifty add on available that fights the Compass Battles and Beda Fomm. T41 is, as Rick says, a little weak in it's stock release, but a complete revision of all of the stock scenarios by Volcano Man makes T41 every bit as enjoyable as EA42.

Paul

[Dirk Gross]

Also, El Alamein has Malta as a standalone scenario (which I've played and thought was a fun little battle, since I own Avalon Hill's Air Assault on Crete that includes Malta), and I think the campaign is affected by Malta's status. Both give you units you don't see in other games (Crusaders, 2 lber Portees, Grants).

[Radetzky]

gents

advice taken - i'll order El Alamein right away

and Tobruk will follow next month. that'll do

the trick ;)


cheers and thanks

jan