Recently, Jack and I both have been playing the latest Combat Mission games in order to review them for the blog. Check out Jack’s review of Shock Force 2, if you haven’t, and keep an eye out for my take on Black Sea Friday! But all this playing of excellent tactical simulation games got me thinking. It may have been 20 odd years, but I have memories of playing a Combat Mission game way back in the day. Digging around I stumbled across Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord, the first of Battlefront’s Combat Mission games and a fond memory of bygone times. It turns out that GOG.com has the first three Combat Mission games for very reasonable prices, so I jumped back in to see how far the series has come.
They look like painted miniature soldiers, but they die like men.
It’s a bit clunky going back, I’ll admit. The UI has certainly seen some growth between classic Combat Mission and the more modern titles. Rather than a nice compact list of possible actions along the bottom UI, things are done with a right-click menu. Still functional, but there’s definitely an upgrade going forward. The basic mechanics of maneuvering and positioning teams is still familiar and after a few minutes of getting used to it I was back to splitting teams, order scouts forward, covering with bases of fire, and all the fun stuff you get up to in a CM game.
I decided to try my hand at the Canadian Armageddon campaign out of a sense of patriotic duty. Getting stuck in with a brigade of the South Saskatchewan Regiment it was time to clear houses and secure a small French town without armour support, of course. Why would I need that?
Just like the modern games, creating a base of fire and scouting are essential tactics.
I’m happy to report that it was just as much fun as the later CM games are. It’s decidedly messier, with map positioning and overall management less intuitive, but it’s still just as entertaining to see orders carried out, see units trying to adapt to changing situations, and cringing when a poor order leads to more casualties than you were willing to accept.
Graphically, it’s obviously much simpler, but the oversized infantry models, the fact that each figure represents a few men, and the distinctly differentiated terrain makes classic CM feel more like a tabletop wargame than the modern games. There is a bit more rigidity to every action and order, but it just reinforces the boardgame feeling.
Another Urban Environment, another delicate maneuver. From France to Ukraine
I was honestly expecting to be underwhelmed. Rose tinted glasses can only go so far and 21 years is a long time in terms of videogame development. The recent Combat Missions have really hit me with just how good they are, so I figured there must be a lot separating them from the classic models. An there is, truth be told, but the classics are still absolutely playable and do a great job of conveying the overall feel of CM, albeit with a simpler tabletop aesthetic, than I was expecting.
It helps that Beyond Overlord, Afrika Korps, and Barbarossa to Berlin are all on GOG for under $10 CAD each. They get cheaper during sales too. As an exercise in feeling old, or if the modern Combat Missions are out of your price range and you’ve already played the free demos, I’d recommend picking up one of the classics to dip your toes. There’s a lot of content and I’m absolutely floored by how well they stand the test of time.
Hey Grognards, it’s me, Jack. You know me from the sort-of hit podcast, Let’s Talk About Wargames. Listen, you have many things to offer the community and we wouldn’t really be here without you sustaining and building the hobby for so long, but we need to have a conversation about keeping up with the ever-changing world of digital gaming.
The other day, I wanted to play a game from a grognard dev that I purchased early last year. I booted it up, and the game launcher demanded that I enter in a serial code and activation number. I checked my email, nothing. After some time googling, it turns out that I needed to email the developer my transaction information so they could manually send me this information. It’s 2021. Please automate this. It took me two days to get this information, and I guarantee the man at the other end of the interaction did not want to be emailing me a game code at 7 AM on a Saturday.
Another story about another game. I mentioned this in a review, but I’ll share this story again. I was playing the tutorial for a grognard game series I hadn’t touched before, but noticed when I launched the tutorial, there was no information appearing to tell me how to play the game. This was because the game expected me to follow along with the attached PDF manual as I played the tutorial, constantly alt-tabbing in and out of the fullscreen-locked game. There also was a stunning lack of tool-tips to explain any of the information I saw on-screen. I ask, please have in-depth in-game tutorials and tool-tips.
Not a story about a specific game this time, but grognard games in general. I have attempted on occasions to hunt down and purchase older or more niche games and found they’re hosted on sites probably built in 2000 with a difficult interface to traverse to actually get to the game in question. What’s more is that a lot of digital games will be priced quite high, even when they have been released for over 10 years. To offer a bit of marketing advice to any grognard devs out there, is that I myself have been put off of a few games between the site and the price, consider also opening up a Steam page or having sales so us poor huddled masses can partake in some groggy goodness as well.
I have more stories I could share, but the simple fact remains: I’m afraid new players are going to be put off the hobby by the now antiquated practices of grognard games, as there’s a high bar to entry, both in price and in knowledge. There’s a lot of relatively small QOL changes to implement to help new players and remind old players of how games function. If these issues are resolved I believe we could see a strengthening of the hobby in terms of a new playerbase. Our biggest fear in wargaming is that the hobby fully “grays out”, and we’d like to not see that happen, where we could have a new renassiance in wargaming, if we are but a little more approachable. Please, I ask, keep up with the times.
I was really looking forward to checking out Victory At Sea: Ironclads. I had previously review Victory at Sea: Pacific a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised despite the amount of bugs that littered the game on launch. It was still fun to create and manage Task Forces, carry out operations on the high seas, and deal with both the strategic and tactical layers at the same time. Unfortunately, I didn’t stick with the game for very long, opting to wait until enough problems were fixed before continuing with any meaningful campaign.
I never went back. Things happen, and I guess it was a valuable lesson in the importance of launching without major game issues. Perhaps Victory at Sea: Pacific is better now, perhaps not. I don’t have the time or inclination to find out.
Blocking Blockade Runners: Victory At Sea: Ironclads and the American Civil War
So it was with some excitement, and some trepidations that I downloaded the demo for Victory at Sea: Ironclads that released along with many others during Steam’s Spring Festival. The focus here is on the American Civil War and the naval battles and skirmishes that happened along the East Coast of the US. Not my favourite period, but interesting enough.
I am, however, a big fan of mid-late 19th century naval history. When navies were trying to figure out how best to modernize technology, strategic doctrine, and tactics. From the ill-advised dip into the possibilities of ramming, to the development of ironclads, it is a fascinating period and produced some beautiful ships.
The demo for Victory at Sea: Ironclad starts players off with a tutorial that takes them through the basics. The same mechanics from Victory at Sea: Pacific show up here as well, and in general I like that. It is simple to organize squadrons and give them orders. The AI is alright at handling basic orders, though they stumble elsewhere. The graphics are pretty and the ship models well done.
So Why Did I Not Enjoy the Victory At Sea: Ironclad Demo?
Well, I saw some of the same problems of AI that I saw way back with Victory at Sea: Pacific. During the tutorial, there is a section where the game suggests you attack a fort with a squadron. No problem. But as the ships enter the tactical area, they were behind a little jut of land. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to demonstrate that AI has gotten better, and ordered the squadron directly to the base with an attack order hoping to see the pathfinding at work.
Three of the Four ships successfully found their way around the jut of land and made it to the fort to attack. The fourth ran aground as it tried to drive directly towards the fort. This was a problem in Victory at Sea: Pacific, and I’m really sad to see that it hasn’t bee solved. It may seem minor, most battles will occur in the open sea of course, but where one problem has persisted, how many more will rear their ugly heads once I purchase the full game?
There were a couple other foibles as well, like ordering a ship to fire on a target only to have it pull close and unload directly into the water far, far short of the enemy, but I can chalk that up to a terrible commander, I suppose.
It’s a feeling that’s all too common. It’s Christmas Eve, and you’ve suddenly realized that you’ve forgotten to buy something for the ardent wargamer on your list. What will you do!? Head to Steam of course and send them a wargame digitally. Here are some of (but not all of) our favourite wargame picks this year. You can’t go wrong grabbing any of them for yourself or loved ones.
We have no affiliation or links and won’t earn a cent from this. We just like these games in particular and want to amplify them. Happy gaming!
I very much like Unity of Command 2 and its recent expansion, Blitzkrieg. In terms of operational level command in a WW2 game, it’s hard to beat these. UoC had a bit of a problem with being more “puzzle-y” than wargame-y, but UoC2 has solved that issue. There are lots of ways to successfully complete your objectives in this turn-based bad boy, coupled with a solid logistics system that will beat the hell out of you/ your opponent if you’re not careful.
I’m also fond of the persistent units in UoC2, your veteran units will gain experience through multiple scenarios and you can upgrade them with various specialist “steps”, or reinforce them with things get bloody. And they will! Every mission has a timetable you have to meet, and you will have to spill some of your own blood to complete objectives on time. Tick Tock, capture Warsaw please.
This one was something of a sleeper hit for wargamers this year. Something normally out of our element, as it is a stealth-based real-time tactics game, but it’s probably the most fun you’ll have being a guerrilla in WW2.
You’ve got a squad of partisans (duh) that you can order around on missions during the start of Barbarossa, sabotaging tanks, poisoning supplies, all sorts of very partisan-y things, and boy is it fun to do. Your partisans all specialize in different areas, meaning you can pull off some interesting combos to take down a patrol silently or, when required, go loud and shoot down a whole square of Nazis at once. The controls are a bit finicky at points, but the experience makes up for that handily.
Technically, yes, CK3 is more of a grand strategy game, I know. BUT it does have a lot of very strong wargame elements when it comes to the composition of armies, placement of forces, and logistics to support your men. Warring isn’t easy in CK3, which is why it’s good to be good at the politicking side of it as well.
Your character will be the ruler of a house, fully realized as an independent player on the map, and all other landed rulers are modeled as well. So, schmooze up to some friends and have them help you in your wars… or just assassinate people in the line of succession until you take their lands. There’s a lot of options here! It’s great! Buy it!
Total Warhammer 2 is a very fun (and relatively light) wargame, packaged with a nice strategy game layer. Send your fantasy beastmen against the cities of the treacherous elves, throw skeletons at alligator men, and call down a meteor against the enemy dwarves. It’s like getting to be a kid again and smashing your toys against each other in imagined epic fantasy battles, but realized on your PC. Or, you know, if you play the Warhammer tabletop game, it’s pretty cool too, I guess.
Total Warhammer 2 did not come out this year, but it’s had consistent updates and new DLCs pretty regularly since its release. Couple that with the fact that it integrates with Total Warhammer 1 and presumably will with Total Warhammer 3, if Total War interests you, it’s a good time to pick it up.
So John Tiller Software is kind of an eternal presence in the world of digital wargaming. They’ve been making games with (virtually) the same tools for decades now. There are games to cover the Napoleonic Wars, The two World Wars, and a lot of other conflicts that are less common, like the Spanish Civil War.
Their recent collaboration with Wargames Design Studio has breathed some life into the old games, with new releases coming along with a fancier engine and some classics getting a remake. There’s really no better time to check JTS/WDS out.
My most recent playthrough was Sheldt ‘44 which covers the campaigns through the low countries, but I’ve also sunk a lot of time into Japan ‘45and Japan ‘46two games that cover the planned invasion of Kyushu and the Kanto region as part of Operation Downfall.
Once you get a handle on the system’s controls, you’ll be blazing through the games and enjoying a deep, but relaxed, operational level campaign. These games are also great for those interested in Orders of Battle and maps, as both are exceptionally researched and well presented within the games.
This one came out of nowhere for me. An indie strategic game of the Eastern Front of WWII, Cauldronsforces players to make crucial decisions about how their armies will interact with conquered areas as they advance. This means confronting the horrors of war head on.
The gameplay is straightforward and abstract. Players assign armies and corps to different fronts and then give them broad orders. The actual conduct of battles is fed back to players through a text ticker. It might take a while to get used to, but it is quite the unique experience.
This has become my new favourite “comfy” wargame. The Strategic Command series offers a high level strategic view of both WWI and WWII but I’ve found Strategic Command WWI to be my favourite. Players control an entire alliance and attempt to win the war through research, diplomacy, production, and the actual control of units.
Once players have gotten the hang of the system, which shouldn’t take very long, they’ll be digging trenches in the west and launching cavalry charges in the east in no time. The ease with which this game operates has made it a favourite for me after long work days. I can settle in and play a few months worth of turns without my brain frying, all while still getting a convincing recreation of the First World War.
Armoured Commander definitely flew under the radar for a lot of people, but I’m hoping more will check it out. A unique experience, Armoured Commander IIputs players in command of a tank squadron in WWII. More of an RPG than a strategy experience, there’s real tension in deciding how your tank will operate, how to upgrade your crew members, and how to tackle each day.
Armoured Commander II doesn’t pull any punches either. A solid hit will knock your tank out and might even kill some crew members. Having to replace a lost driver hurts after you’ve spent several missions with him and leveled him up. There’s a certain narrative flair to Armoured Commander II that you don’t really get with some higher level games.
The simplistic graphics shouldn’t put anyone off, as they mean there are dozens of tanks, campaigns, and other support units to engage with. There’s a lot of content in a small package here for quite a cheap price.
Another indie entry, Operation Citadelis reminiscent of the classic Panzer General games. The base package includes campaigns from all across WWII but the main draw is the included modding tools.
While there is a lot of fun to be had fighting gigantic campaigns using the built in maps of Asia and Europe, as well as individual missions all over the place, the integrated tools let your imagination run wild.
I’m currently in the process of trying to build a squad level mod for Operation Citadel set in the Pacific Theatre, and it’s coming together remarkably well considering my less-than-stellar game design knowledge. Check it out, there’s a lot of content and if you’re crafty, the sky’s the limit.
Hades is super, very, extremely good. It’s a roguelike game where you play Hades’ son, Zagreus, who for reasons not stated initially, really wants to get the hell out of… Hell. You will fail, and fail often, but luckily, since our star Zag is a god of the Underworld, he just pops right back out at the bottom of the river Styx to make another climb out. The combat has a lot of options in it, with 6 different weapons to choose from, all of which have a bunch of different modes you can run with. Not to mention on your many, many runs, there are several Olympian gods who will grant you boons to aid you with your escape. The way that these mix into the gameplay feels very satisfying, and those of you with strategy-focused brains can think of some pretty clever combinations to make a run go well.
The story is one of the best I’ve seen in any game from the past 10 years (and was robbed at the Game Awards, to be frank), with stellar writing, music, and voice acting making you feel strongly for all the characters you run into. It’s a great story about family, love, betrayal, and determination that knows how to balance between a drama and a comedy. Do yourself a favor and play Hades.
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