tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post1063831937885951479..comments2023-06-28T06:49:14.863-07:00Comments on A Boy Named Dug: Weekend WarriorsDughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08827175240352968894noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post-59460324810565254782008-02-17T12:51:00.000-08:002008-02-17T12:51:00.000-08:00An experienced PoG player will whup a novice almos...An experienced PoG player will whup a novice almost every time - it's the kind of game where understanding what is important when will make a tremendous difference, and card play is one of those factors. Although I have played Paths several times, I am clearly not in their league. <BR/><BR/>While I have not yet played Asia Engulfed, my general sense is that it strips out all of the complex rules that have to govern multiple political entities, as all pre-Barbarossa ETO games must include, whether it's World in Flames, Totaller Krieg, or even Third Reich (or it's progeny). There are definitely fewer units in AE over EE. <BR/><BR/>PTO games in general are saddled with historical hindsight that the Japanese had no hope of knocking out the US so long as the US had the political will to fight the war. Yamamoto stated as much when the raid on Pearl Harbor was ordered, saying that he had six months to run wild and then they'd have to hope they could negotiate peace, something that the Japanese mindset at that time would not allow. <BR/><BR/>Which is to say that most PTO games require the Japanese to do just that - accumulate a ton of points early and hope they can hold out until the buzzer dings. Empire of the Sun does perhaps the best job of this, although it is saddled with the usual overly verbose and complex Mark Herman ruleset (We the People is the only CDG of his that has an elegant and clean ruleset). <BR/><BR/>I am a big fan of the idea of Special Actions in EE/AA (and now FAB Bulge), I think they give the player tremendous versatility as to how to conduct their campaigns. EE is, unfortunately, just a bit too big and too chrome-laden for me, at least in the non-tournament scenarios, and I'm hoping that AE will be easier to grok (the map is half the size). <BR/><BR/>Of all of the CDGs, Hannibal is probably the most accessible. While there are cards you need to be aware of (especially the ones that strip provinces of control markers), but because it's a single deck that both players share the learning curve of understanding where the minefields are is a little lower than it might otherwise be. PoG and BtB are full of said minefields - the cards need to be played in a particular way in order to be successful.<BR/><BR/>Hope that answers your questions.Dughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08827175240352968894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post-38688022221586678172008-02-17T05:20:00.000-08:002008-02-17T05:20:00.000-08:00I have played Paths of Glory so I am somewhat fami...I have played Paths of Glory so I am somewhat familiar with at least 1 of the card driven games. My concern is that most of the people I would play with would not know all of the nuances of playing their cards right (so to speak). Is Europe Engulfed and Asia Engulfed better choices? My perception is 1 of the players better the most VP as they can as in history because if they don't, they'll have no hope later. True?Dismal Numbershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12981605556669277115noreply@blogger.com