Twenty Years at the Blitz

[HMCS Rosthern]

It's hard to believe that I have been at this club for 20 years. I know there are others out there who have been with the club longer than me, but I thought I would take a few minutes and make some comments. Note that I posted this only in the Tiller Campaigns forum since I play almost exclusively this game system. Why the naval-themed avatar? In WW2, Canada built ships and commissioned them with names of towns, to build morale and aid with their war bond drives. A flower class corvette was commissioned HMCS Rosthern, after the town in Saskatchewan. A relative was born in Rosthern, and with this personal connection I thought my avatar would be a good way to honour those that fell in the war.

It all started in the 70s with a friend whose father was into WW2. That sparked my interest in war. Then one day at a different friend's place we were going through the closet looking for a kids game when I came across Avalon Hill's Battle of the Bulge. I wanted to play that game but my friend was not interested. That started my quest to own some games. I never did get the Battle of the Bulge but I did get Afrika Korps, Panzer Blitz, Panzer leader, and Third Reich. I found a store in my home town that sold war games, where I picked up GDW's White Death, Operation Crusader, and I got all the Jack Radey games, notably Korsun and Black Sea Black Death. Of course I never finished any of the monster games because most people (and myself) were not patient enough to learn and play the games through, and with large maps with thousands of counters it was really impractical to keep the games on a table and the dust quickly accumulated. One friend had a subscription to SPI, and we admired all the games that came in every month. We tried playing War in the East 1943 scenario and played a few dozen turns before we abandoned it. Realizing that paper maps and cardboard counters were not the best media for wargaming, we dreamed of one day using a computer to play the game. That friend attempted to develop an Operation Crusader game, but the effort was too large for one person (he did go on to become an electrical engineer and had a career as a computer programmer).

I can't remember when I discovered HPS PzC Bulge '44 but I knew that was the game system for me. It was the right blend of strategy and operational levels of warfare.  I found The Blitz and joined December 2, 2003. Almost everyday since I have religiously looked at Tiller Operational Campaigns forum to see what is going on with this endeavor. I've watched as the publisher changed from HPS, To JTS, and to WDS, resulting in many great titles of classic campaigns implemented with great research, constantly being updated. I went on to collect most of the PzC games. Operation Sea Lion and the Invasion of Japan hypotheticals don't interest me, but for some reason I am ok with Modern Campaign hypotheticals. I can't wait until the Philippines and Orel are on sale, and to see the new titles coming up!

Now some thoughts

"Monster Games" I would love to play campaign-sized games to control large armies over hundreds of turns, to see how the campaign unfolds, how armies degrade over time, and to learn the actions one must take to rest and refit units. There was a time when I tried to skip playing smaller games and went straight into campaign scenarios. This led to frustration for me, by taking a significant amount of time to complete a turn and basically pushing counters with no understanding of what I was doing, and for my opponents not getting timely responses. Now I like to play small to medium games, of short duration; I have found that the small games are a great way of learning how to use the game system, and I have become a better player. Even if one is a seasoned veteran it's always a good idea to play a few smaller games to get a feel for the situation before tackling the campaign. Make sure you start a game with someone who knows what they are doing.  

"Team Games" I like playing team games. It is a great way to experience a large game, but one has to be prepared for a few things. Turn turn-around can be quite slow, if it has to pass through a lot of hands. It can be very frustrating to have a player on your team bungling their portion of the move, but I guess that is war. Unless you know the skills of the team game players, I recommend picking games of shorter duration (50-75) so that one is not trapped playing a 400 turn monster over many years with a player that does not understand the game system. See my article at the Blitz on playing team games. I'd like to see WDS build a multi-player interface for team email games (which is where I hoped the tablet versions of these games were headed).

"Peeking before playing a scenario" There are some players out there that study the opposing side, learning every nuance so they know exactly the options available to their opponent, when reinforcements arrive and where, and how the weapon systems interact. I think this is fine for play testing, but this approach loses some of the fog of war. Of course if one has played both sides of the scenario one can not help know these things. On the opposite extreme are those that insist on no peeking. I played a Smolensk game where I did not peek and ended up advancing my infantry past a point where Russian reinforcements arrived, and ended up being surrounded. Investing time in a game only to lose because of not understanding the scenario is not satisfying, but it is fog of war! I compromise on this. When playing scenarios I take the time to review the opposing side superficially, to get a general idea of the situation, approximately simulating a general briefing a commander might get, so that I can play the best game possible while still having fog of war. One idea would be for the scenario builders to include commander scenario briefings, with a little bit more detail than the typical scenario description.

"Delayed Disruption" I like this rule. It's hard to tell if a bunker is subdued or the defenders were playing possum. This rule forces players to try to get as much intel (e.g., is the return fire weak) before making an assault. I think it also forces a more realistic use of artillery. Instead of pounding a site just until you get the disruption, the artillery has to be used judiciously and one can never be sure whether enough shots were taken. I therefore tend to spread my artillery out over multiple targets.  

"Explicit vs Virtual Supply Trucks". As has been previously stated elsewhere, explicit supply allows one to direct the supply to the main effort, versus a more random supply state change with Virtual Supply Trucks. I feel it is a better simulation with explicit supply. I rarely play with it, because it is a lot more effort, and the virtual supply truck rule is "good enough" for most situations. 

"Russian front vs other theatres" I am fascinated by the Russian front and like to play games in that theatre. Historically though, until the later war titles, the Axis for the most part are juggernauts slicing through D and some C class units, until they degrade. In the later war titles, the Axis are fielding infantry divisions that are pounded and pushed aside, with the German armoured units arriving later to counter attack. This gets a little stale after a while. I find games in other theatres provide more interesting situations, e.g., evenly matched combatants, naval units, different terrain.  

"Axis vs Allies". It's fun to play the Germans since they typically have powerful units, but I find many titles to have more interesting situations for the Allied side.

"Counter density". If one compares titles like Normandy '44 and Korsun '44 to newer titles, there are a lot more counters to move in the older titles, counters which don't really add a lot to the game. The newer titles have reduced counters by integrating some units into battalions, making the side more manageable (e.g., AT units are part of the infantry battalion's AT value). Whereas some titles may have German HQ units down to battalion level, some scenarios work better and are more realistic when the Germans have just the divisional HQ. I like the use of Alternative Indirect Fire Resolution in some of his scenarios to reduce indirect fire clicks. 

"Desert Titles" It's a shame Tobruk '41 appears to have problems (Battles of North Africa 1942 seems to be a better platform for this campaign). I'd like to see someone take on trying to use the rule system to make this game a better representation of the battle. El Alamein and Tunisia '43 has done a good job of replicating that phase of the desert campaign. The Middle East '67 can be one-sided for the Isralis, but the Arabs in the 1973 scenarios can be fun.

"AI vs HTH" If one wants to be a better player, play against a human. The AI is a great way to learn the system, but I'd never trust my move to the AI. I never use the road column feature as I prefer to move each and every counter. If playing against AI pick scenarios that were designed for that purpose, or typically give the AI a defensive role.

"Supporting Newbies". Developing players is good for the hobby. I recommend that experienced players, every so often, post for games with Newbies, and play a short game.

"Where this hobby is headed." It appears to me that the demographics of those playing this game system are typically males over fifty. I know that there are a few under fifties, but I don't think these games appeal to the first person shooter crowd where most of the money is. Military history gaming is a niche hobby anyhow, and with the ability to cheaply communicate with anyone in the world, I think there will always be an interest in it and opponents to play.

"The future of the Blitz". Looking at the posting dates, there is very little traffic, which raises concerns about the future. That can be deceiving as a lot of gaming goes on under the covers of the Blitz website. I hope that this site continues to be supported.

"The Future of WDS". The future looks good. A lot of talented people are putting time into making these games as historical as possible. I am considering volunteering to play test for WDS, but I need to retire first. Long Live WDS!

"Why I support the Blitz" I have met some really great people over the years. Some were very patient with me when I did not make a move for weeks.

Happy New Year!

[Ricky B]

Well said thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[devoncop]

What a truly excellent post !

i am no way as experienced a player but share a lot of your views (though I tend to prefer the big scenarios despite having great battles on many smaller ones too).

Two points I would comment on in particular.

Firstly regarding "peeking" before a scenario starts. With big Campaign games this is less of an issue given the large number of variables but all I ever do is look at the starting position without checking for fixed opposition units or release times which would never be known by my side. I think general intelligence would know for example that in Sicily in 1943 the HG Panzer Divn was present and it's general location.

Secondly I am more optimistic than yourself about the direction of the hobby. The proliferation of social media means there has been maybe a fracturing of platforms for interacting about the WDS series. WDS runs two different Facebook pages to find opponents that I use as well as this site, and I believe there is an active Reddit forum as well as the Wargaming Society that also bring players together.
As for the games themselves...since WDS got going with updating, improving and extending the series the games have improved immeasurably in my eyes and I have high hopes for the future.

Happily retired now for a few years and at the ripe old age of 59 I hope to have many more games in me yet.

All the best

Ian

[Mr Grumpy]

Great post...........

I have been at the club for 20 years also, my gaming history is very similar to yours, I always wanted to love those monster paper map, cardboard counter games, but time, space and lack of opponents always meant I experienced that same frustration to the point I gave up gaming for years.
However an article in a PC magazine reviewing Smolensk 41 made me realize that moving these hex based games onto a PC made it possible to indulge in my hobby again with my first purchase being Sicily 43.

I found myself agreeing with all your observations on the various aspects of these games, 20 years experience of PBEM gaming certainly does teach you a thing or two!! 

I will say that as far as teamgames go, if I am going to commit to a huge campaign I will only do so with players I know have a good grasp of the game system, of course players of differing abilities can really bring a teamgame to life and add an extra layer of intrigue, but really inexperienced players can also make some huge rookie blunders and a lot of time committed can again end in frustration.

As for the Blitz, yes you are correct that the forum traffic has dropped away sharply over the last few years, as Ian points out the fact that WDS now has its own forum and various social media platforms have splintered a small community looking for PBEM games, however lack of posts on forum should not be taken as a lack of activity regarding PBEM games, we are still experiencing a lot of games reported at the club and for those players who like the idea of registering their games and earning ladder points the Blitz is still one of the best places to interact with on the web for the last 25 years! 

[devoncop]

I should add that I always report my games with Blitz members not primarily for points on the table but because I personally love reading reviews of the different scenarios and games post match and use the scenario ratings a lot when deciding on my next PBEM.

No other site does this as well.

[Lieutenant_Colonel_Shilko]

Thank you so much for an insightful and well-written post. Really happy to have found this gaming community---here's to a good 2024, and a fruitful future for this hobby.

[Steel God]

Congratulations on 20 years at the Blitz.  My start and stop dates would give me credit for 20+ but life took me away for about 9 years so that's hardly true. 

I will say this about "our hobby", back when the PzC Ladder was started here (yes by me,  ) I would have wagered money that hardly anyone would play these games "against the AI" beyond the first few dozen hours it takes to learn the system.  I'm pretty sure if you search back far enough in the forums you'll find posts by me where I joke about playing the AI being on par with masturbation.  But now that I frequent other places in addition to The Blitz (Face Book WDS pages and the WDS Forum) it has been impressed upon me (by WDS Staff directly) that a far larger number of people play these games exclusively against the AI and never branch out into PBEM.  The Blitz has NEVER been about AI play, so when we speak about "our hobby" and its future it is PBEM or H2H play in particular that must be catered to.  Towards that end players here at the Blitz should encourage others elsewhere to play PBEM and not against the AI, and if at all possible to join the Blitz as well.  It's the only way the Club will be here in the next 20 years.  For the current owners/operators of the Club I would encourage them to do what's within their limited means to boost membership, drive site traffic, and activity.

[smurf309]

Congratulations on 20 years at the Blitz.  My start and stop dates would give me credit for 20+ but life took me away for about 9 years so that's hardly true. 

I will say this about "our hobby", back when the PzC Ladder was started here (yes by me,  ) I would have wagered money that hardly anyone would play these games "against the AI" beyond the first few dozen hours it takes to learn the system.  I'm pretty sure if you search back far enough in the forums you'll find posts by me where I joke about playing the AI being on par with masturbation.  But now that I frequent other places in addition to The Blitz (Face Book WDS pages and the WDS Forum) it has been impressed upon me (by WDS Staff directly) that a far larger number of people play these games exclusively against the AI and never branch out into PBEM.  The Blitz has NEVER been about AI play, so when we speak about "our hobby" and its future it is PBEM or H2H play in particular that must be catered to.  Towards that end players here at the Blitz should encourage others elsewhere to play PBEM and not against the AI, and if at all possible to join the Blitz as well.  It's the only way the Club will be here in the next 20 years.  For the current owners/operators of the Club I would encourage them to do what's within their limited means to boost membership, drive site traffic, and activity.

Since i started playing pbem my understanding of the game has greatly improved. Other players have helped me in so many ways. Plus making gaming buddies for life is worth it. Some of my most fun games were when i was losing:)

[Mr Grumpy]

Congratulations on 20 years at the Blitz.  My start and stop dates would give me credit for 20+ but life took me away for about 9 years so that's hardly true. 

I will say this about "our hobby", back when the PzC Ladder was started here (yes by me,  ) I would have wagered money that hardly anyone would play these games "against the AI" beyond the first few dozen hours it takes to learn the system.  I'm pretty sure if you search back far enough in the forums you'll find posts by me where I joke about playing the AI being on par with masturbation.  But now that I frequent other places in addition to The Blitz (Face Book WDS pages and the WDS Forum) it has been impressed upon me (by WDS Staff directly) that a far larger number of people play these games exclusively against the AI and never branch out into PBEM.  The Blitz has NEVER been about AI play, so when we speak about "our hobby" and its future it is PBEM or H2H play in particular that must be catered to.  Towards that end players here at the Blitz should encourage others elsewhere to play PBEM and not against the AI, and if at all possible to join the Blitz as well.  It's the only way the Club will be here in the next 20 years.  For the current owners/operators of the Club I would encourage them to do what's within their limited means to boost membership, drive site traffic, and activity.

I had the same experience, having realised that the AI was so easy to beat (and I was not a military genius!) I naturally went looking for more of a challenge in PBEM games and have never looked back, it always seemed incredible that anyone would invest any time playing the AI other than to learn the game system, but like yourself some conversations with the guys behind the scenes made me realise that as a PBEM player I was actually in the minority of people who play the various Tiller series!
That really blew my mind as while I appreciated that not everyone can commit to a PBEM game (and if you can’t finish the game it is quite right not to start it), the knowledge of what a poor opponent the AI is it seems such a shame they are missing out on just how amazing these titles are when you are pitched against a skilled human opponent, every time I thought I had learnt all these titles had to offer a player would show me something I had not seen before, the learning curve was such a joyful journey!
I suspect that HPS/JTS/WDS might be a bit sore that people like me trash the AI and I do realise that a lot of effort has gone into trying to improve its performance, but I am somewhat sad that AI only players will never experience the joy of a human/ human games, I certainly would not have played these games for the last 20 years in there had been no a PBEM option. 

[krmiller]

I was fortunate enough to find a boardgamer in my area through the old General Play by Mail Opponent Wanted ads.  
Anyone else remember looking up stock numbers in the paper to determine the die roll results for attacks ?  

Dave saw my ad for an opponent and looked me up in the phone book and we've been playing board, miniature and pc wargames for 47 years now and have found a number of others who play board and miniatures in the area.

Over the last 30+ years I have been a member of several online wargaming clubs and between the ACWGC and the Blitz I get plenty of pbem gaming.  Between them and my weekly games at the local gaming store and my miniatures group I keep my wargaming habit satisfied without playing the AI except for some playtesting I do.