So we're playing that game of games, World in Flames. A grand strategic WW2 game if there ever was one. I wrote on that game in the past. We've been playing it for some time now, when we can.
That's because it isn't easy getting together for these things anymore. Sometimes we play on a 'deal me in/deal me out' basis. Right now it's my third oldest - our board game guru - and me, with a couple other brothers when available.
He is the Axis countries, mainly Germany and Italy. I'm the Allies, mainly the US and England, and France for what it's worth. When available, the others take Japan and Russia and split China (communists and nationalists).
My third son playing Germany works. He's extremely aggressive in, well, anything he does in life. That fits here since, like any WW2 strategy game in the history of WW2 strategy games, much of what happens hinges on Germany. In this game, with the campaign we are playing (Global War: Sept 1, 1939 - end of August, 1945), Germany begins by having to declare war on Poland. It also has a few special rules to sweeten the deal. So him going that direction first was a sure thing. And it went about as you'd expect (though Polish forces around Danzig gave him some fits, more than they probably should).
What comes next is based on the player's choice. Go east? Probably not. West is a better move. That's because another staple of grand strategic WW2 games is that France is usually dead man walking. The only hope a player of France has is that the German player chooses not to follow the historical footprints. But since that never happens, it's only how and when France is defeated, not if.
Which is the victory I mentioned in the title with some gloating on my part. Per the Players' Notes, the most you can hope for with France is to delay, delay, delay. And cause as many German losses as possible.
Historically, Germany ended the famous 'Phony War' by invading the Low Countries and France in May, 1940. By June, France was finished. So in this game, Germany taking France out before the end of June is considered a victory. That didn't happen.
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| He even peels eggs aggressively |
After a series of moves and setbacks against the French, he conceded he probably won't be able to take France this turn (turn ends at the end of August). A combination of perhaps his decision to start breaking up his units and sending units south before sealing the deal in France, some darn good dice rolls for me, and, if I may, some good planning on my part, I more or less bogged things down.
In addition to this, his air force has taken a beating. After the initial invasion where he did run roughshod over my air fields, the French and English have given as good as they've got. In game scale terms, Germany has lost about 1500 aircraft during this time (which isn't far from the historical numbers, but worse than he hoped, especially since the Allies didn't end up losing nearly as much).
Another bonus for me is that he has had to focus exclusively on land actions. Turns are made up of a variable number of rounds. Long and short, in each round within a turn you get to pick a single action type for each country corresponding to the main divisions of the modern military: Air, Land or Naval. In each, you can do anything with that type without limit, usually to the exclusion of the others (with some exceptions). There also is a combination action, which allows a little of each, but not much of any. Because I slowed him down, he has had to focus all on Land actions. Which means he hasn't been able to go after those precious convoys bringing materials, goods and supplies to merry old England across the Atlantic.* Another win.
So overall that is a victory for me! Against his competitive and typically good strategic and tactical thinking, I'll take it. I had thought of posting an ongoing journal of the game, but realized who am I kidding? We barely have time to play the game! But every now and then I might give an update. Especially when it makes me look good. :)
OK, an addendum. I told him I was going to post this and he objected with much objection. Stalled, he said. France is still all but finished. Likely by the first of September. True, what I said is accurate. But he has had some better news elsewhere and it hasn't all been a loss.
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| At least I damaged one of his best |
So it hasn't been all bad for him. He has Denmark and the Netherlands (though not Belgium, which is still defended by some stubborn Brit and Belgium units around Antwerp). Plus Poland. He's giving me fits in the Mediterranean. And France is close to done. But not as soon as he needed to give him more options. And with him and his clever mind, reducing his options and stalling his plans is usually the only way I can hope to win no matter what game we play.
*The one thing he can use is his fleet of Auxiliary Cruisers, or Merchant Raiders. They have special rules. These were ships used that were more out of a Transformers movie. They were modified merchant ships, tankers, ocean liners - the munitions and armaments being cleverly hidden. They traveled incognito and could spring to life with the snap of the fingers, catching Allied ships by surprise. He hasn't done much damage to my merchant ships so far, since those raiders are 'long shot' units. But in a bugger of bad fortune for England by way of surprises and bad rolls, I've lost two cruisers to those annoying things - the Fiji in the N. Atlantic and the Ajax off the cost of Portuguese Guinea (the total lost in WW2 to such German vessels, so it had best stop there).
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| Real history: The Aux Cruiser Kormoran, which did sink the cruiser HMAS Sydney |
The fun of these is always the luck of the dice - are they on your side or not? The truly great gamers can overcome bad rolls. ;)
ReplyDeleteDo these games ever give you new perspective on the war and/or opinions of it? I confess, the game report gets me thinking about the conflict and am amazed at the coordination nations accomplished during it, and dismayed at how many lives, resources and brilliance were lost to it all.
Most games have a luck element. I think Diplomacy and Chess don't. Otherwise, there is some chance involved. I would say for historical strategy games and war games, there must be some luck. Simply because throughout history, so many major events turned on sudden out of the blue happenings that nobody could have predicted or even controlled. That is doubly true for war.
DeleteAs for the other, yeah. I always tell the boys it's only a game, but a game based on reality. In this game, for the expanded naval version, each counter represents that particular ship (with notional support vessels for game mechanics). Essex is Essex, Bismarck the Bismarck, etc. These are for ships from light cruiser on up. On the back is the date when the respective ship was sunk. I told them look long and hard at those. When you see the counter for the Arizona, and on the back it reads Dec 7, 1941. I told them it is a game, but each little die roll and casualty was so much more in real life.
DeleteIn this game, perhaps the thing I come away with it is an awe for those who actually coordinated this vast conflict. The game is a logistical nightmare, being so vast. My problem is constantly forgetting to do something I had planned because there is just so much to keep track of (I've toyed with writing my plans down ahead of time). I think of what went into the planning and the logistics of it and am at awe.
And when thinking of the battles that take place, a remembrance of what it represents. When we watched documentaries with the boys over the years, if there was a photo of a plane shot down, or a soldier falling, I would tell them to remember, that means somewhere in the world some family is having their worst day ever.