Supplement books

[J6A]

So lately my bathroom recreational reading has been the many supplement books I own.  I'd really like to start playing some of them.  Right now I'm playing some Saipan, then I think I'm going to jump into First Axis.  After that, probably White Eagles.  As I read them, I realize that the earlier ones which used 4 - 6 games to play some scenarios,  aren't quite as bad as they seem.  Some just use 1 or 2 counters from another game.  While that's a pain, it's not the end of the world.  Right now I'm reading through Secret Weapons, and realizing its likely to be one I never play, or at least its way down on the back burner.  Too many different games needed, too many special rules, mostly really big scenarios.  If I had a regular FtF opponent, that would be one thing.  For solo, I like smaller, quicker scenarios so the game doesn't always dominate the table.  That being said, I'm loath to get rid of it because it might bug my completist nature.

That being said, if I was to dump some PG stuff from a practicality standpoint, it might be some of the older supplements.  And possibly Guadalcanal/Jungle Fighting, as they are very low on my play list right now and I think Saipan really shows an advancement in the series.  That being said, once my fictitious rich uncle dies and leaves me $100 million and I can play games all day, I might get around to it.

Okay, enough rambling.  Which of these supplements books have you enjoyed, which have you thought "Ugh, that's $25 I could have spent on something else"?

[larry marak]

Sinister Forces, Deluxe Arctic Front, Little Saturn, Alaska's War

[J6A]

You liked those or didn't like them?

[Hugmenot]

Best enjoyed:

War on the Equator (face-to-face; few scenarios but all different)
Panzer Lehr (face-to-face only because of the hidden units; could have a little more variety)
Fronte Russo (solitaire and face-to-face; it would be my clear winner if it was not for a few scenarios being a bit too one-sided)
Winter Soldiers (solitaire)

Least enjoyed:
Carpathian Brigade (the scenarios are too similar and static, balance issues)
Hopeless, But Not Serious (serious balance issues but at least it includes some cool units)

I am looking forward to try a few of John Stafford's cold war scenarios; I wish developing games would allow more free time!

[Matt W]

First Axis was a blast in that there is a real narrative to both the scenario prose and the play.
Fronte Russo is a tremendous set of scenarios.
Red & White is a great read
Ditto for White Eagles

Carpathian Brigade and (sadly) Go for Broke are two of the less thrilling - although the articles in Go for Broke are great.

Both suffer from too much of the sameness from scenario to scenario.

[larry marak]

Liked

Agree with Matt about Go For Broke..by definition it is a set of infantry assaults with little variation in forces engaged.

[thomaso827]

I've done the same, digging through the books and sorting out some sort of order for playing them all. Think I played one game each on 3 or 4 of the books in the last month, and dug out DAK44 last night, organizing the 4 games needed for those fights. They don't seem as difficult now as they did when I first bought the book. I need to concentrate on a couple to finish them (only 3 to go for Marianas 44), but the others are calling to me. I have some quiet days coming at work right now that calls for some gaming to fill in the time compared to some really hectic stuff last month, so this is a good opportunity to get some of these to the table.

Tom Oxley

[J6A]

I think one I'm skipping is the 9 map, 216 turn scenario in Red Warriors.

[larry marak]

Try some of the big bang-ups in Tank Battles....:-)

[Nick]

I think Arctic Front Deluxe and White Eagles are 2 of my favorites.  Some really interesting and unique scenarios in both, and the aerosans in AFD are just a delight.  I think Grave of the Three Generals in AFD may be my favorite scenario that I've played, with desperate encircled Soviets trying to get ferried out by aerosans against Finnish ski troopers. That's also an interesting one where the Finns are trying to liquidate an encircled NKVD battalion before the peace treaty kicks in at noon, freeing the NKVD men to return to Soviet lines.

I want to like Sinister Forces but the scenarios are a little too much in the old Eastern Front style, with historicity trumping play-balance in the objectives. The NKVD pieces do look sharp, evil sumbitches though they may be.  I don't regret it though, as the articles are good and it gets called on a fair bit by other supplements as well.

Oh yeah, I also really liked South Africa's War, some quality desert scenarios to be found there.