Hello,

New wargamer here.

Got myself a new PC and am planning to play wargames exclusively.

Any ideas for good operational level wargames for beginners?

I have played some games on my friends' computer

TAOW3 seems good; but being a brand new wargamer, my eyes were bleeding due to the poor graphics.

WITP : Had no idea what was happening. My friend recommended I play other wargames first

WITE : Same as WITP.

Any suggestions guys? Games as good as TAOW3 but with better graphics?

Also any books (warfare realted), sites I should be reading?

Anything that comes into your heads.

Welcome to the Wargamer forums, Warii.

I'm not sure what to recommend as a starter operational wargame, but I am sure others here will have a number of suggestions.

Personally I would rather play a beer and pretzels game like Panzer Corps than one of Norm Koger's Operational Art of War games. But that's just me.

Hello, and welcome to a lifetime addiction!  

I found my start in wargaming with two titles that grabbed my interest. Steel Panthers III and the original War in the Pacific: Matrix Edition (that's right, the free one).  Right after that I picked up a copy of the original Close Combat. These games were a blessing to a pre-teen like myself at the time, just fell right in love. I think that the smaller scale games are what kept me going. I love epic games like WitP, but they can really over load you, most certainly if you are new to the genre. 

My suggestion for a first wargame would be something like Combat Mission, or one of the Matrix re-boots of Close Combat. These at both tactical level games, with a couple platoons of infantry and some armor for Close Combat, and up to a couple companies for Combat Mission. 

If tactical games are not your bag, people are raving about the Warsaw to Paris sequel Case Blue. The name of the series escapes me at this early hour, but I am sure you can find it around here.

Hope this helps some, and again, welcome!

I found 

I personally am not a fan of ugo/Igo style games. I prefer "what if we went together like in real life" games such as 

highway to the reich.

For a new wargammer I would recommend Panzer Corps. Its simple, fun has lots of expansions and you can PBEM when your ready to take on a human.

I would go for Panzer General II (avaiable on GOG.com), any Strategic Command II (or later)  game, maybe even Civilization or the Total War series.

Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge.

Welcome Warii. I go back to Kampfgruppe from SSI on my old Amiga. I would recommend trying anything that you can get a demo to try-out first. That way if you don't like it you're not out anything but time. And do like you did here, ask for opinions and this crowd'll give you the honest stuff. I like all the Combat Mission games-not operational level though and I hear the Decisive Campaigns games spoken of very positively.

Originally Posted By Warii (4 AUG 2012 12:30am)

Hello,

New wargamer here.

Got myself a new PC and am planning to play wargames exclusively.

 

Any ideas for good operational level wargames for beginners?

 

 

One of the two Decisive Campaigns games from Matrix games.  It's Operational level.

Great system and yet it's not too difficult to learn, compared to others in the genre (like TOAW3).

http://www.matrixgames.com/products/390/details/DecisiveCampaigns:TheBlitzkriegfromWarsawtoParis

http://matrixgames.com/products/434/details/Decisive.Campaigns:.Case.Blue

Case Blue is the latest one with more advances in the UI & such.  Despite the low-quality jpeg screenshots on the Matrix site, the game has a very crisp look to the graphics that I like.

Strategic Command games are a lot of fun. The Total War series is also enjoyable.

Dave

Hey guys!

Thank you all for your warm welcome.

Great suggestions.

My friend is going to lend me his copy of the "Conquest of The Aegan", a game loved by out of eight : )

As per his suggestion I'll be focusing exclusively on one Wargame at a time.

After completing COTA (and maybe Battle of the Bulge) I'll probably get both DCs. Read nothing but good about DC.

Should keep me busy for a year or so.

WITE and WITP I'll probably never get.

Also, I have played Panzed Corps; not my cup of tea. Bored the hell out of me.

Not that I dislike tactical wargames. I really loved Combat Mission : Battle in Normandy. I found Panzer corps too simplistic. But that maybe my problem.

Originally Posted By Sir Slash (4 AUG 2012 8:42am)

Welcome Warii. I go back to Kampfgruppe from SSI on my old Amiga.

I don't know what any of those words are.

I'll google them and get back to you!

Originally Posted By Warii (4 AUG 2012 10:40am)

Originally Posted By Sir Slash (4 AUG 2012 8:42am)

Welcome Warii. I go back to Kampfgruppe from SSI on my old Amiga.

 

I don't know what any of those words are.

I'll google them and get back to you!

I believe Sir Slash is professing just how old he is. 

Hehehaah

Thanks to all of you guys.

BTW,

I have very little knowedge of World War II. Any suggestions on good books, movies, sites? Anything will do.

Furthermore any blogs, AAR sites etc. that you find inspiring? Just fire away. Doesn't have to be on target.

I think they're so old they may not google. Mid to late 80's. Back when we had to fight dinosaurs to get to a computer.

Most movies will give you false impressions of how things were.

Books and websites can take a lifetime to go through. I'm sure you'll get some good suggestions though.

The Stephen Ambrose book Citizen Soldiers is an easy read and gives an idea of what went down on the Western Front in Europe in an entertaining way.  It's not too dry as some can be.

Originally Posted By Warii (4 AUG 2012 12:30am)

Hello,

New wargamer here.

Got myself a new PC and am planning to play wargames exclusively.

 

Any ideas for good operational level wargames for beginners?

 

I have played some games on my friends' computer

TAOW3 seems good; but being a brand new wargamer, my eyes were bleeding due to the poor graphics.

 

WITP : Had no idea what was happening. My friend recommended I play other wargames first

WITE : Same as WITP.

 

Any suggestions guys? Games as good as TAOW3 but with better graphics?

Also any books (warfare realted), sites I should be reading?

Anything that comes into your heads.

Welcome to the forums Warii!

Yes, WITP and WITE are great games, but they are quite complex to the novice wargamer. Very in-depth. The former has become a way of life rather than just a wargame.

Originally Posted By Sir Slash (4 AUG 2012 11:55am)

I think they're so old they may not google. Mid to late 80's. Back when we had to fight dinosaurs to get to a computer.

I can join you Slash, my first computer wargame was Avalon Hill's Ralph Bosson's UNDER FIRE! on my Apple IIe back in 1985! Loved that dang game!!

Welcome to the forum!

There is good advice on this forum. About 2 weeks ago, the good deals started showing up from the various publishers and there were good comments and discussions on them on this forum. One of the titles I picked up was Unity of Command.

What a great little operational game! If you have an interest in the Stalingrad Campaign with simple rules but not simplistic play, give it a shot. It's easy to play but difficult to crack. I've been hooked on the scenarios for the last week. Playing as the Germans, what a feeling of accomplishment when you successfully take Astrakhan and Baku!

If I remember right, there still might be a 50% off sale on it. In one of the other threads, there is mention of putting in a VIP code gets you the discount.

For an absolute newcomer to WW2 I would pick up an overview history like Beevor's new history of WW2 or Keegan's old one, The Second World War - he just died btw & then something about a specific battle or campaign. Ambrose has been mentioned & both D-Day & Citizen Soldiers are very good but Atkinson's An Army At Dawn & The Day Of Battle are both also very good & easy to read. There is so much to read & enjoy if you get into it. You have chosen a good but complicated game to start with COTA. Good luck & Happy Hunting!

Originally Posted By Warii (4 AUG 2012 10:49am)

Thanks to all of you guys.

 

BTW,

I have very little knowedge of World War II. Any suggestions on good books, movies, sites? Anything will do.

Furthermore any blogs, AAR sites etc. that you find inspiring? Just fire away. Doesn't have to be on target.

Originally Posted By Warii (4 AUG 2012 10:49am)

Thanks to all of you guys.

 

BTW,

I have very little knowedge of World War II. Any suggestions on good books, movies, sites? Anything will do.

Furthermore any blogs, AAR sites etc. that you find inspiring? Just fire away. Doesn't have to be on target.

Well, my knowledge on english books is a bit limited, but with movies, well, always glad to help (just listing my favorites):

• Das Boot - The Directors Cut (german movie about a german sub in  the Atlantic)
• Talvisote (a finnish movie about the russo-finnish war)
• Tuntematon Sotilas ( -"- )
• Tali-Ihantala 1944 - Slaget om Finland ( -"-)
• Dunkirk (UK movie about the evacuation of the BEF in 1940)
• Battle of Britain (UK movie about the air battle between the UK and German in 1940)
• Piece of Cake (UK TV series about the same campaign)
• Dark Blue World (Chech movie about the same)
• The Winds of War / War & Remembrance (US TV series about the 2nd WW, partly a soap opera)
• Un Taxi pour Tobrouk / Taxi to Tobruk (? movie about the desert war in 1941-1942)
• El Alamein - the line of fire(italian movie about the battle of El Alamein)
• Band of Brothers (US TV series featuring D-Day till the end of the war in europe)
• Saving Private Ryan (US movie about D-Day)
• The Longest Day (same as above)
• The Train (US movie about the resistance in 1944 France)
• When Trumpets Fade (US movie about the battle in the Hurtgen Forrest late 1944)
• Saints and Soldiers (US movie about the battle of the bulge)
• Memphis Belle (US movie about an american b-17 bomber crew)
• The Tuskegee Airmen (US movie about black american fighter pilots)
• A Bridge to far (US movie about operation market garden)
• The dirty dozen (US movie, well, action movie, but still a great flic)
• The great escape (US movie about allied pow trying to escape from their german captors)
• Triple cross (French / UK spy movie)
• A Time to Love and a Time to Die (US movie about a german couple during 1942/1943)
• Stalingrad - Dogs, do you want to live forever? (german movie about Stalingrad 1942)
• Stalingrad (same as above)
• Enemy at the Gates (US movie about russian / german snipers in Stalingrad)
• Cross of Iron (US movie about a german soldier on the german east front fighting the Russians)
• The Enemy Below (US movie about the atlantic war, gemran sub against an us destroyer)
• Lifeboat (US movie / thriller about survivors of a german sub attack, trapped in their small lifeboat)
• Western Approaches (UK movie about an atlantic merchant convoy)
• San Demetrio, London (UK movie about a crippled merchant in the atlantic and its fight to reach the UK)
• The cruel sea (UK movie about the war in the atlantic)
• CIty of War (US movie about the Japanese attack on Shanghai)
• City of Life and Death (Chinese movie about the same)
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (US movie about the japanese attack on Pearl Harbor)
• Pearl Harbor (US movie / popcorn movie about the same, incl. the Doolittle raid)
• Midway (US movie about the Battle of Midway)
• Bridge on the River Kwai (UK movie about british POW building a bridge in the jungle)
• To End all Wars (US movies about a POW camp in the jungle)
• The Thin Red Line (US movie about the pacific war / the invasion of an island)
• The Caine Mutiny (US movie about life on a smal warship in the pacific)
• Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis (US movie about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis)
• Flags of our Fathers (US movie about the fellows which lifted the US flag on Iwo Jima)
• Letters from Iwo Jima (US movie about the japanes defenders of Iwo Jima)
• The Pacific (US TV series about the pacific war)
• Empire of the Sun (US movie about POWs in japanese captivity)
• The last countdown (US movie which doesn't really belong in this list, still great joy to watch)
• Sophie Scholl - the final days (german movie about a german student resistance group)
• 08/15 Trilogy (3 german movies about a group of german soldiers)
• The McKenzie Break (UK movie about a POW camp in the UK)
• The Hill (US movie about an UK british army prison camp in the 1941/1942 african desert)
• Schindler's List (US movie about the Holocaust)
• The Pianist (same, but not sure about the origin)
• Europa Europa (see above, in this case a jewish boy hides within a german combat unit as well as in a nazi elite school)
• The Grey Zone (US movie about the holocaust / a concentration camp)
• Holocaust (US TV series about the Holocaust)
• The adventures of Werner Holt (german movie about a couple of young boys in the last days of the war)
• The Bridge - Die Brücke (german movie about a bunch of school boy, order to defend a meaningless bridges a couple of days before the war ends)
• Downfall (german movie about the last days in Hitlers bunker)

Originally Posted By Warii (4 AUG 2012 12:30am)

Hello,

New wargamer here.

Got myself a new PC and am planning to play wargames exclusively.

 

Any ideas for good operational level wargames for beginners?

 

I have played some games on my friends' computer

TAOW3 seems good; but being a brand new wargamer, my eyes were bleeding due to the poor graphics.

 

WITP : Had no idea what was happening. My friend recommended I play other wargames first

WITE : Same as WITP.

 

Any suggestions guys? Games as good as TAOW3 but with better graphics?

Also any books (warfare realted), sites I should be reading?

Anything that comes into your heads.

Well welcome to forums and a fun hobby.

But....you might want to reconsider whether you will get hung up on graphics. Lots of strategy games are produced with little budget because there's not a huge market for them. You'll miss out on a lot of the very best games if you just want it to look pretty.

@jjdenver : Buddy I never said I wanted a "pretty game." Just want OK graphics. COTA is superb. Anyway which games do you think I will be missing on? I'll check them out.

@xwormwood: Whoa, that's a buttload of movies! Where are you from? You seem to have know all of the British/Finnish/German/American movies!

@Dale H : I'll check those books out!

@Ned: I'm downloading the demo.

@Nefaro : Thanks. And yes DC will be my first purchase!

@junk2drive: True enough sir. Will watch them only for inspiration. Watching a German Major screaming at the top of his lungs does does get you in the mood to play wargames.

BTW, is being a fan of the Axis side in Wargames politically incorrect? Outside the gaming circle... I know people will look at me with incredulity. Stupid sheeple.

@Sir Slash: The site was taken down. The games are still available. However I didn't find Kampfgruppe. And Amiga... Sir you must be lot older than me. I wasn't born when the Amiga was out!

@Dave: I'll be getting SS2, with the expansions too. Should love it (my friend says so)

Thanks Out of Eight (Jaguar, are you out of eight?)!

COTA is working very nicely.

As Dale said, it's complicated; but the documentation is superb! And it's a game that I'll put in effort learning because it will probably last me for years!

I really like the chain of command. Makes me feel like a real Armchair General.

The abilty of the game to offer the user as much detail as he wants is superb.

Graphics is good. Has widescreen support.

Nothing more I could ask for!

Thanks everyone.