Grew up on Avalon Hill war games...strategy and tactics, Gettysburg, Afrika Corp, Midway, DDay, Stalingrad, Battle of the Bulge, Waterloo and many others...hex war games were awesome and gave me my love for military history... Sink the Bismarck was a favorite
Old timer AH wargamer here. Tactics II was the very first wargame I played, and it hooked me for my entire teenage life in the 70s. Big Squad Leader fan, but played Sink the Bismarck a ton (loved sinking shadowing cruisers)! Jutland was another favorite for my brothers and me.
I'll second Sink the Bismark. Fun, fun game. I am from the same era, Stalingrad, D-Day and Waterloo, plus PanzerBush (sorry Panzer Blitz) were my favorites. But SPI had a number of great games too. War In Europe was a monster, but great for a college kid with lots of time and a big wall to stick the map to with poster putty. (remember Hold-it?)
@@paulpeterson4216 I followed much the same path. Tactics 2 was the first game I played, then Bismarck, then War at Sea, Victory in the Pacific, and many others including my favorite, Flattop. However in college, I did tackle War in Europe. I still have it, though I have to assume it's missing pieces.
I'm one of those people who really like miniatures. I loved how the old axis and allies aircraft carriers carried two fighter planes, because it physically could only hold two.
@@billsimms2511 I took it to table the other day and it was a big hit (hesitant at first). In fact the most hesitant guy ended up buying the game lol. Twilight Imperium is one that is a headache to get people to play. Also Axis and Allies 1914 is brutal although it simulates WW1 very well.
Dear Dr. Cody, respect and congratulations to your Ph.D.! And thanks for all the lovely, funny, witty and enthusiastic reviews. Best regards and a corona-free hug from. Germany
Thanks for the great video! It brought back memories of the junior high and high school days of the 1970s. I most liked the Avalon Hill naval games like Jutland, Midway, and Sink the Bismarck. During that era, I also got involved with sandbox gaming, including Napolionics, WWII armor, and sailing ship battles. Those were the days!
Congratulations, Dr Carlson. CZcams algorithm recommended me this channel and I loved it. I love board games, esp. Settlers of Catan, but never played any war games. I now got quite interested in them and want to play some of these with my friends. Also, I'll be a War Studies student at King's College London. Someday I might do a PhD, too, if I'm courageous enough tho.
That's awesome. Good to know there are still War Studies programs out there. There are very few dedicated programs like that in the U.S., only about three or four around the country. Best of luck to you.
War Room is indeed outstanding. A&A was also my introduction to WW2 as a kid, and my intro to the world of board gaming. Great list and enjoy your content!
I'm an old war gamer since 1970. I am so glad that computer games came around when they did. Haven't played a board game since. The best games are by John Tiller.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer @The Discriminating Gamer hey bro, have you ever tried iron curtain SCS game? The standard combat series? It seems very similar to war room.
Hey Doc (congrats!)...with you on War Room...awesome game. I love my little plastic army men but yeah, I do not miss them in WR. As mentioned before, give Axis & Allies Global 1940 with Sireblood's Bloodbath rules a spin. There are some new rules, victory point system, updated map, etc. It may never have the depth of War Room but it a very good refresh of Axis & Allies. A lot of work and play-testing has gone into BBR and it continues to evolve.
Interesting selections. I believe the academic in you (Congrats on the PHD) reflect most of your choices as to be expected. Perhaps you could do a top ten list on your favorite traditional tactical and or operational WW2 games as well vs toys, political , abstract , etc WW2 themed games you've selected.
It's been decades since I've played any WWII table top games. When you mentioned ASL I smiled a little as I have almost all of the original Squad Leader. Lost some of it in a move. Also used to play SPI's War In Europe as well as another game by a publisher whose name I forget called 'Unentschieden'. I may have spelled that wrong. These games took a summer to play. I set up the map to 'Unentschieden' on a ping pong table. Plus a dinner table on the side for counters and production charts. Only played both once for some strange reason. Thanks for this. Nice to know the industry is still going strong.
Congratulations on your doctorate! A truly impressive accomplishment for anyone with a passion in their given field. Congratulations! I also am interested in reading more about the hiring, firing as well. Subbed and hope you’ll put out a video/overview when the book comes out!
Great game, played it a lot when it came out, and every once in a while now. Still popular if you can find it. The cards are multi-use: terrain, movement, firing, plus for getting random numbers. No board, but great fog of war.
on steam you can get "tabletop simulator" which is more or less what it sounds like. once you get it in the workshop are all of the games you mentioned ... for free .. that can be played on the simulator with anyone or even yourself.
Awesome list, Dr. Cody!!! I was expecting War Room to be your number 1, and I had already seen your reviews for some of these games (the Undaunted games, Memoir 44, Triumph and Tragedy, Castle Itter), but I was curious to see which of the many, MANY, World War II games would make it to this list; what with your being an avid History buff and all!!! Fantastic choices all around, and I really like the way many of these games look on the table: the impressive maps littered with tokens (counters? chits?) and (sometimes) real-life personalities depicted in the cards really make the war theme stand out: they just ooze with the theme!!! Really want to check some of these games out when things get closer to the "old" normal that we used to know!!!
he stuck with these games at or after Axis and Allies, that is after the Collapse of WarGaming. He has no clue. He like games not simulations. Probably doesnt know who James Dunnigan is.
@@orbitalair2103 He likes games? He should've named this "Cody's top ten WWII games" or something then instead of "the ten best war sims". wait a second
I really appreciate you sharing this list of the games you enjoy. I am really unsure why people seem to want to argue and disagree with a list of the games you like. I always enjoy your content please keep doing what you do!
Dr. Cody (has a nice ring to it), first of all, congratulations on finishing the doctorate! (I’m catching up on your recent videos, so I realize I am a couple of months behind on this.) Having not finished mine (on 11th century papal politics), I know how hard it is. Well done yourself. Looking forward to the book, and seeing where you land next - I hope whatever it is doesn’t keep you from the reviews. I was amazed at how prolific you were during your doctoral studies. Second, what a great list - the list we fans of yours have all been waiting for! Solo, cooperative, and mega-games all made the list (I envy you that you can get 6 people around a table for War Room regularly). Some were not surprising, given your past videos, but a couple of games were new to me. More to purchase, more to explore. Finally, sorry to see so much hate and negativity from my generation of grognards in the comments - usually, your comments section is relatively acid-free, a rarity for the internet. I grew up playing many of those old games about which the grumps keep rhapsodizing, and still have a number of them on my shelves 40 years later, but they are well past their time. (I will confess, however, to a soft spot for both Luftwaffe and, away from the WW II theme, Wooden Ships & Iron Men, both of which have a dynamic that I’ve not seen replicated in a modern game.) Those games do not represent the Golden Age of boardgames - that time is now. Those games, and the attitudes of their champions, serve as barriers to gaming, which is a shame. The folks moaning about lack of complexity of modern games have evidently never tried any of the GMT line of games. Good on you not to take the troll’s bait.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate your support of the channel very much. As far as the haters go, I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes attributed to Friedrich the Great, "They will say what they will say and I will do what I will do."
I can't believe I didn't find this video until a day or two, and just now getting to watch it. Anyways, congrats on the Ph.D, and as for my list, based on what I've played, it would have to include (still trying to figure out the order I would rank them) Axis & Allies, Rise and Decline of the Third Reich, Advanced Squad Leader, Blitzkrieg, The Hunters: German U-boats at War 1939-1943, and Airborne in Your Pocket.
Congrats and thanks for the list. Stuck between Axis & Allies and the unfortunately discontinued Tide of Iron, I've been looking for some good WW2 games.
Very unusual for a gal to be into A&A, but Iiiiiii like it - do you realize that A&A is being played over the CZcams(Me included)by a sizable Axis&Allies Community?!
I only have A.H. Origins of WW2. Love it. Need to get it to the table again soon. I am a solo gamer. Before covid "health" made it hard to go out to a game store to play. Now? I do what I can. Holland '44 my #1 WW2 for my reentry to gaming 3 yrs ago. Last century till the late 80's die hard A.H. fan. P.B. P.L. my tie for young me #1. Good video as always Doc. Be safe. And always...watch your flanks...🙂
Congrats Doc! I will be playing War Room soon. Great job on this review. Hope to get Undaunted soon. Right now working trough Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection. Quite a beast. COIN forever!
Have a closet shelf full of old Avalon Hill Bookcase Games, Panzer Leader, Panzer Blitz, etc. Squad Leader then ASL and it's many modules and annuals. Wore out one ASL rule book, got another. Still have complete collection "The General". I was mostly a rainy day solo player many years ago. Had to clean up each and every card board piece with a sharp edge and put them in plastic trays or ziplocks. Became an obsession...but we appreciate the artistic quality. Now that I'm retired will try some of the games on your list, most of which are new to me. Even if they have cards...I have three dice towers for crying out loud. Enjoyed your channel and all the comments...good to know that there are other board gamers out there. PS. Recently purchased "Operation Mercury" GMT Games at an antique store for $20. 400 die-cut pieces remain to be trimmed!
HOI4 is great I love it but I will always prefer board games because you get the personal factor with seeing someone’s face as you destroy their forces in person lol or have your friend wipe out yours and they can see your face lol but all in all board games more fun
Great list mate, gives me some ideas to get into in the future. My experience with axis and allies is the same as yours, when I took my next step I got Europe Engulfed from GMT games. While it was a bit of a jump I loved the block style FOW, supply, weather, terrain and staggered production while still keeping it a manageable complexity. I never see much about Europe Engulfed and wondered if you had any experience with it and how you think it honestly compares to other more modern and similar games? Has it been left behind? Was it always average? Etc. Having a broad interest in WW2 games, reading many of the rules but not playing a lot puts me at a disadvantage when comparing.
I haven't played Europe Engulfed. I remember there was a copy of it at a local game store years ago, but it was well north of $100, and at the time I couldn't afford it.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer It was very detailed, with air and ground forces under your control, with supply lines coming into play as well. I remember everyone wanting to command the German Panzer units!
When I was 8/9/10 (somewhere in there), I started going to a church once per quarter when the pastor would host a "lock in" where for 12 hours (maybe 7P-7A or so), a few chaperones would host different events and one of those was tabletop gaming. That was where I first played Risk. I leapt from there Axis and Allies. Getting people to sit down for a game of Risk was always a hard sell, so I knew Axis and Allies would be even rougher and not long after, created a crude, but effective AI to play the game against. I jumped onto the kickstarter for War Room because of the legendary designer and somewhat familiar gameplay. Sadly, it, like a few dozen other titles I have, are still in their original wrapping on my shelves.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I wish I could. Maybe if the small tabletop community I'm part of locally will have interest, but it's (as you know) asking a lot of people to have several continuous hours to play a single game. The games people typically have time for in the rotation generally don't last much over 2 hours.
Congrats on the wah-wah-2 doctorate. Quite the accomplishment. Fairly new game to try out with a ton of meat. Stellar horizons by compass games. Looked amazing to me.
Hi Cody. I enjoyed your list. I started with Axis and Allies like you. I played a ton of games. I got my kids into them now. My son agrees with you War Room is Awesome. Right now I like the updates Global 36-45. Thank you for list and I enjoy your channel
I just submitted my PhD thesis last week! Though in ecology, not history. Anyway congratulations and keep up the good work in your academic profession, and the witty and interesting videos.
I've been wanting to play board games my entire life, but I've never found anyone to play with. Can you PLEASE do a vid of solitaire games? Maybe a video of war games and a video of other solitaire board games. Wow, I'm totally missing out here! So many awesome games!
Chits!!!!? Counters, Cody. Counters! 😃 Seriously, younger players, such as yourself, I turned 61 today, call cardboard pieces chits. Congratulations on getting your PhD!
World War II: European Theater of Operations by SPI was to me the best ever. There was a Pacific Theatre as well and the games could be combined. There was a smaller scale game out in the ‘90s at the same time and it was great too.
That was a crazy long game to play :-D the campaing WW2 game was estimated playtime to several months. It has a PITA to keep up on a table for the duration of the game. But a hell of a fun game. Absolutely recommend trying it.
That *was* a fun game. I bought an extra copy. The extra cost of building armor vs leg infantry, airborne, and naval units put those units into perspective. Add to that the R&D aspect, the ability to pull in Spain or Turkey, gave the game a kind of sand-box feel. I think the scale of the map was a bit limiting but probably perfect for the unit scale.
Thanks Cody ans Congrats,If you liked Castle Itter,You will love Pavlov's house also, would love to see another playthrough on this, like Castle Itter.
Great reviews and summary. I hear some other posters' nostalgia for heavy historical wargames but designers have moved on a long way PLUS the volume market interest has moved towards lighter games. You have helped me to keep up with what that has meant for what's getting published. Thank you. (Edit: Are you the inspiration for the BGG Paladins' 'Suzerain' promo?)
Which one would you rather have now, "Rise and Decline of the Third Reich" or "Advanced Third Reich"? I played "rise and decline" middle school and high school with friends, and "advanced" in college. I have a new group now that is interested... but I am unsure which one might be best to pick up on the used game market....
The rulebook killed my initial attempts to play churchill, and then only having family to play it with after wasn't viable. But I still hold on to it because I think it could be a lot of fun to play one day.
Churchill is a really good game but does take a while to wrap your head around it as it is not your typical game. Member of our gaming group has hundreds of these games. Unfortunately another person has a severe hattred of chits.
In this day and age you are not allowed to say the name of 'he who cannot be named' for these games but I use 'a certain Austrian painter' and that's acceptable. Axis and Allies is a great game when you throw in the Pacific and European scenarios together but playing France sucks I remember.
I have played and enjoyed wargames my entire life and one thing it taught me is NEVER AGAIN. I would rather fight battles with dice and counters than real people.
I can't stand axis and allies, the Japanese are way too strong in the beginning and I've played games where they totally successfully took all of the Americas which historical was impossible.
I've played most versions of AA, and love to play the Japanese. In well over 200 games, I have never felt overpowered or successfully taken the US. It would be fun if it was possible though.
Wanted to play the campaign for north africa one time with my dad. Not sure he has enough years left for us to finish a game but he does have the perfect basement for it.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer hey from my experience publishing my dissertation (academic journal, not book) just know I'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. Let me know the first time you cuss an editor.
@@joeshaver1104 For some reason this video is blowing up again right now. Don’t know why. I’ll take it! I’ve actually Donne another top ten wwii list late last year.
Dear Cody, congrats on your success, please play and review Barbarossa to Berlin, obscure but hidden gem. Have played 20+ games and every one was exciting.
The Discriminating Gamer it is by GMT games, plenty of used copies floating around but as someone who dislikes most games I play (I’m harsh) it is a GREAT game. I’ve never played a game where so often both players feel like their hanging off a cliff edge by their finger nails!
I played a lot of SPI and Avalon Hill games during the golden age of gaming. The most satisfying WWII game I ever played is AH's "Victory in the Pacific," which is a brilliantly streamlined simulation of the war against the Japanese Empire. Since the Allied player will inevitably win through attrition, balance is achieved by putting the Allied player on a timer. He loses if he doesn't win by a certain turn. So the game doesn't take long to play, but it's intensely exciting and dramatic.
Grew up on Avalon Hill war games...strategy and tactics, Gettysburg, Afrika Corp, Midway, DDay, Stalingrad, Battle of the Bulge, Waterloo and many others...hex war games were awesome and gave me my love for military history... Sink the Bismarck was a favorite
Fantastic!
Old timer AH wargamer here. Tactics II was the very first wargame I played, and it hooked me for my entire teenage life in the 70s. Big Squad Leader fan, but played Sink the Bismarck a ton (loved sinking shadowing cruisers)! Jutland was another favorite for my brothers and me.
I'll second Sink the Bismark. Fun, fun game. I am from the same era, Stalingrad, D-Day and Waterloo, plus PanzerBush (sorry Panzer Blitz) were my favorites. But SPI had a number of great games too. War In Europe was a monster, but great for a college kid with lots of time and a big wall to stick the map to with poster putty. (remember Hold-it?)
I think Ambush! was Avalon Hill . Found that one in a yard sale 25 years ago and it’s a great solitaire WWII game.
@@paulpeterson4216 I followed much the same path. Tactics 2 was the first game I played, then Bismarck, then War at Sea, Victory in the Pacific, and many others including my favorite, Flattop. However in college, I did tackle War in Europe. I still have it, though I have to assume it's missing pieces.
I'm one of those people who really like miniatures. I loved how the old axis and allies aircraft carriers carried two fighter planes, because it physically could only hold two.
Very good.
Axis & allies is great but good luck trying to find friends that want to play it with you lol
@@billsimms2511 I took it to table the other day and it was a big hit (hesitant at first). In fact the most hesitant guy ended up buying the game lol. Twilight Imperium is one that is a headache to get people to play. Also Axis and Allies 1914 is brutal although it simulates WW1 very well.
Dear Dr. Cody,
respect and congratulations to your Ph.D.! And thanks for all the lovely, funny, witty and enthusiastic reviews.
Best regards and a corona-free hug from. Germany
Danke my friend. Years ago I studied in Berlin. Absolutely love your country!
Thanks for the great video! It brought back memories of the junior high and high school days of the 1970s. I most liked the Avalon Hill naval games like Jutland, Midway, and Sink the Bismarck. During that era, I also got involved with sandbox gaming, including Napolionics, WWII armor, and sailing ship battles. Those were the days!
Thanks a ton!
Congrats, Doc! Solid list, and I’m glad you included Black Orchestra, a great co-op.
Thank you, sir.
My favorite part of us this was hearing about your PhD dissertation! Bravo to you for taking that on. Will be on the lookout for the book.
Thank you. I'm sure they'll be an announcement when I get it under contract.
Congratulations Cody! What an awesome life achievement you've accomplished. :)
Love your reviews, your knowledge and enthusiasm.
Thank you, sir. Much appreciated.
Congratulations, Dr Carlson. CZcams algorithm recommended me this channel and I loved it. I love board games, esp. Settlers of Catan, but never played any war games.
I now got quite interested in them and want to play some of these with my friends. Also, I'll be a War Studies student at King's College London. Someday I might do a PhD, too, if I'm courageous enough tho.
That's awesome. Good to know there are still War Studies programs out there. There are very few dedicated programs like that in the U.S., only about three or four around the country. Best of luck to you.
War Room is indeed outstanding. A&A was also my introduction to WW2 as a kid, and my intro to the world of board gaming. Great list and enjoy your content!
Thank you very much.
Really bizarre as I was going to make a very similar comment and my name is also Matt M..? How crazy is that?
I'm an old war gamer since 1970. I am so glad that computer games came around when they did. Haven't played a board game since. The best games are by John Tiller.
Hope you get to play more board games soon.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer @The Discriminating Gamer hey bro, have you ever tried iron curtain SCS game? The standard combat series? It seems very similar to war room.
Congratulations, doctor! Glad the hard work payed off. Also, nice subject for dissertation, sounds interest.
Thank you.
Good list. I like how you net your lists out. Your vids are always very tight and “to the point”. Thnx!!
David Gates Thank you.
Hey Doc (congrats!)...with you on War Room...awesome game. I love my little plastic army men but yeah, I do not miss them in WR. As mentioned before, give Axis & Allies Global 1940 with Sireblood's Bloodbath rules a spin. There are some new rules, victory point system, updated map, etc. It may never have the depth of War Room but it a very good refresh of Axis & Allies. A lot of work and play-testing has gone into BBR and it continues to evolve.
Thank you. I actually recently sold my AA games in anticipation of a move. Gotta start the purge!
Interesting selections. I believe the academic in you (Congrats on the PHD) reflect most of your choices as to be expected. Perhaps you could do a top ten list on your favorite traditional tactical and or operational WW2 games as well vs toys, political , abstract , etc WW2 themed games you've selected.
Perhaps somewhere down the road. We'll see.
It's been decades since I've played any WWII table top games.
When you mentioned ASL I smiled a little as I have almost all of the original Squad Leader. Lost some of it in a move.
Also used to play SPI's War In Europe as well as another game by a publisher whose name I forget called 'Unentschieden'. I may have spelled that wrong. These games took a summer to play. I set up the map to 'Unentschieden' on a ping pong table. Plus a dinner table on the side for counters and production charts.
Only played both once for some strange reason.
Thanks for this. Nice to know the industry is still going strong.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
Congratulations on your doctorate! A truly impressive accomplishment for anyone with a passion in their given field. Congratulations! I also am interested in reading more about the hiring, firing as well. Subbed and hope you’ll put out a video/overview when the book comes out!
Thank you. I'm sure I'll let you all know when my book is out, for sure.
Upfront, a WW2 card game that rocks, still playable today as from years ago, no dice, all cards and chits, but very fun
Interesting.
Love Up Front! I highly recommend Combat Commander to scratch the same itch.
Great game, played it a lot when it came out, and every once in a while now. Still popular if you can find it. The cards are multi-use: terrain, movement, firing, plus for getting random numbers.
No board, but great fog of war.
I still have "Tobruk", Panzer Leader and others somewhere. Those are great games
I heard great things about Panzer Leader.
Tobruk was my Favorite. The Evil one took it.
on steam you can get "tabletop simulator" which is more or less what it sounds like. once you get it in the workshop are all of the games you mentioned ... for free .. that can be played on the simulator with anyone or even yourself.
@@endrsgm i remember the acquired rof on the Bofors being what, 40?
I bought Tobruk for $3.99 still in the shrink wrap from a Kay-Bee-Toys. This in 1988(?)
Awesome list, Dr. Cody!!! I was expecting War Room to be your number 1, and I had already seen your reviews for some of these games (the Undaunted games, Memoir 44, Triumph and Tragedy, Castle Itter), but I was curious to see which of the many, MANY, World War II games would make it to this list; what with your being an avid History buff and all!!! Fantastic choices all around, and I really like the way many of these games look on the table: the impressive maps littered with tokens (counters? chits?) and (sometimes) real-life personalities depicted in the cards really make the war theme stand out: they just ooze with the theme!!! Really want to check some of these games out when things get closer to the "old" normal that we used to know!!!
Thank you, sir. Glad you enjoyed it.
Dr. Cody. I like the sound of that. Congratulations!
Thank you, sir.
Wait, no "Squad Leader"? No "The Russian Campaign"? No "Third Reich"? Huh, maybe Im too old LOL
To each their own.
he stuck with these games at or after Axis and Allies, that is after the Collapse of WarGaming. He has no clue. He like games not simulations. Probably doesnt know who James Dunnigan is.
@@orbitalair2103 He likes games? He should've named this "Cody's top ten WWII games" or something then instead of "the ten best war sims". wait a second
I loved all those games as well.
Yea! Russian campaign is one of my favorites👍
I really appreciate you sharing this list of the games you enjoy. I am really unsure why people seem to want to argue and disagree with a list of the games you like.
I always enjoy your content please keep doing what you do!
Thanks!
Dr. Cody (has a nice ring to it), first of all, congratulations on finishing the doctorate! (I’m catching up on your recent videos, so I realize I am a couple of months behind on this.) Having not finished mine (on 11th century papal politics), I know how hard it is. Well done yourself. Looking forward to the book, and seeing where you land next - I hope whatever it is doesn’t keep you from the reviews. I was amazed at how prolific you were during your doctoral studies.
Second, what a great list - the list we fans of yours have all been waiting for! Solo, cooperative, and mega-games all made the list (I envy you that you can get 6 people around a table for War Room regularly). Some were not surprising, given your past videos, but a couple of games were new to me. More to purchase, more to explore.
Finally, sorry to see so much hate and negativity from my generation of grognards in the comments - usually, your comments section is relatively acid-free, a rarity for the internet. I grew up playing many of those old games about which the grumps keep rhapsodizing, and still have a number of them on my shelves 40 years later, but they are well past their time. (I will confess, however, to a soft spot for both Luftwaffe and, away from the WW II theme, Wooden Ships & Iron Men, both of which have a dynamic that I’ve not seen replicated in a modern game.) Those games do not represent the Golden Age of boardgames - that time is now. Those games, and the attitudes of their champions, serve as barriers to gaming, which is a shame. The folks moaning about lack of complexity of modern games have evidently never tried any of the GMT line of games. Good on you not to take the troll’s bait.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate your support of the channel very much. As far as the haters go, I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes attributed to Friedrich the Great, "They will say what they will say and I will do what I will do."
Subscribed just to keep track of your publication schedule. Great subject for a dissertation.
Thank you. I will keep you all updated.
War room map looks amazing!
Dave Shafer It’s an amazing game!
Advanced Squad Leader, Empire of the Sun are my 1 & 2. Up Front is a great game as well.
Fantastic!
ASL and EotS are my two favorites as well. Fields of Fire is also fantastic. Up Front I can give or take. I like it enough to not sell my copy.
Cosigning Up Front. Avalon Hill had really hit their stride on rule writing by then, almost every conceivable case is covered in the rules.
I can't believe I didn't find this video until a day or two, and just now getting to watch it. Anyways, congrats on the Ph.D, and as for my list, based on what I've played, it would have to include (still trying to figure out the order I would rank them) Axis & Allies, Rise and Decline of the Third Reich, Advanced Squad Leader, Blitzkrieg, The Hunters: German U-boats at War 1939-1943, and Airborne in Your Pocket.
Thanks a ton!
Congrats on the PhD and thanks for all the great reviews!
Thank you!
Congrats and thanks for the list. Stuck between Axis & Allies and the unfortunately discontinued Tide of Iron, I've been looking for some good WW2 games.
Hopefully this will help.
If you liked tide of iron, try combat commander!
Very unusual for a gal to be into A&A, but Iiiiiii like it - do you realize that A&A is being played over the CZcams(Me included)by a sizable Axis&Allies Community?!
@@nolimit7959 I was aware of that. It's awesome!
@@ALimbOfGreatTree Perhaps one day.
I only have A.H. Origins of WW2. Love it. Need to get it to the table again soon. I am a solo gamer. Before covid "health" made it hard to go out to a game store to play. Now? I do what I can. Holland '44 my #1 WW2 for my reentry to gaming 3 yrs ago.
Last century till the late 80's die hard A.H. fan. P.B. P.L. my tie for young me #1. Good video as always Doc. Be safe. And always...watch your flanks...🙂
Ha! Yes, sir!
I used to play Origins with my dad. Loved it
definitely putting a lot of those on my list! thank you!
Happy to Help!
Congrats Doc! I will be playing War Room soon. Great job on this review. Hope to get Undaunted soon. Right now working trough Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection. Quite a beast. COIN forever!
Thanks! I still gotta hit a COIN at some point.
I loved Avalon Hill's " squad leader"
Was that the precursor to Advanced Squad Leader?
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer yes, how can you not know that?
@@orbitalair2103 Because I'm not a hard core wargamer.
Agree…cross of iron, etc
My two favorites, Panzer Leader and Panzer Blitz.
Fantastic!
Have a closet shelf full of old Avalon Hill Bookcase Games, Panzer Leader, Panzer Blitz, etc. Squad Leader then ASL and it's many modules and annuals. Wore out one ASL rule book, got another. Still have complete collection "The General". I was mostly a rainy day solo player many years ago. Had to clean up each and every card board piece with a sharp edge and put them in plastic trays or ziplocks. Became an obsession...but we appreciate the artistic quality.
Now that I'm retired will try some of the games on your list, most of which are new to me. Even if they have cards...I have three dice towers for crying out loud. Enjoyed your channel and all the comments...good to know that there are other board gamers out there.
PS. Recently purchased "Operation Mercury" GMT Games at an antique store for $20. 400 die-cut pieces remain to be trimmed!
Fantastic! Thanks!
Totally off topic but Hearts of Iron 4 is my all time favorite since I dont own any board games .....yet.
Fantastic!
Hearts of Iron 2 the best of the series by far! Way better!
HOI4 is great I love it but I will always prefer board games because you get the personal factor with seeing someone’s face as you destroy their forces in person lol or have your friend wipe out yours and they can see your face lol but all in all board games more fun
@@MatZuvO *encircles a soviet army group, only to let my friends see me pog*
@@jeffhenson183 For me, trying to run a grand campaign now from CK - EU2 - Victoria - HOI2.
Great list mate, gives me some ideas to get into in the future.
My experience with axis and allies is the same as yours, when I took my next step I got Europe Engulfed from GMT games. While it was a bit of a jump I loved the block style FOW, supply, weather, terrain and staggered production while still keeping it a manageable complexity. I never see much about Europe Engulfed and wondered if you had any experience with it and how you think it honestly compares to other more modern and similar games? Has it been left behind? Was it always average? Etc.
Having a broad interest in WW2 games, reading many of the rules but not playing a lot puts me at a disadvantage when comparing.
I haven't played Europe Engulfed. I remember there was a copy of it at a local game store years ago, but it was well north of $100, and at the time I couldn't afford it.
Congrats on the milestone!
Thank you.
Definatly gonna have to get me a copy of war room! it looks amazing!
It is amazing! I think you'll enjoy it!
I remember playing Avalon Hill's "France 1940", "Blitzkrieg", and "Luftwaffe", back in the early 70s.
I keep hearing great things about France 1940.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer It was very detailed, with air and ground forces under your control, with supply lines coming into play as well. I remember everyone wanting to command the German Panzer units!
My favorite is Avalon Hill's "Up Front".
Heard good things about it.
Not just yes but hell yes. And the expansion kits. And the unofficial expansion kits-which I have not played.
When I was 8/9/10 (somewhere in there), I started going to a church once per quarter when the pastor would host a "lock in" where for 12 hours (maybe 7P-7A or so), a few chaperones would host different events and one of those was tabletop gaming. That was where I first played Risk. I leapt from there Axis and Allies. Getting people to sit down for a game of Risk was always a hard sell, so I knew Axis and Allies would be even rougher and not long after, created a crude, but effective AI to play the game against. I jumped onto the kickstarter for War Room because of the legendary designer and somewhat familiar gameplay. Sadly, it, like a few dozen other titles I have, are still in their original wrapping on my shelves.
You need to get it to the table ASAP!!!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I wish I could. Maybe if the small tabletop community I'm part of locally will have interest, but it's (as you know) asking a lot of people to have several continuous hours to play a single game. The games people typically have time for in the rotation generally don't last much over 2 hours.
Congrats on the wah-wah-2 doctorate. Quite the accomplishment.
Fairly new game to try out with a ton of meat.
Stellar horizons by compass games.
Looked amazing to me.
Looks interesting. Thanks.
Well I'm into Avalon hill, spi, etc.. Old school strategy👍
I've not played too many of those old ones. Perhaps I shall at some point.
Glad he covered field although he missed some of my favorites.
Thanks. Field?
AYYYY nicely done doctor!
Thanks!
Oooo this is going to be a good one!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Wait !!! I can’t believe you didn’t put AH games “Squad Leader” or “Panzer Leader” on the list. These games are the OG war games.
Believe it.
Avalon Hill's "Third Reich" and also Fire in the East (forgot the company that released it)
Avalon Hill's "Rise and Decline of the Third Reich" '74, is better than Axis & Allies, also there was an advanced version in '92.
All my WW2 games were the Avalon Hill games...Stalingrad was my FAV
Very good.
2-3-6 Russian Armor for the win! Also those massive 7-10-4s :)
Hi Cody. I enjoyed your list. I started with Axis and Allies like you. I played a ton of games. I got my kids into them now. My son agrees with you War Room is Awesome. Right now I like the updates Global 36-45. Thank you for list and I enjoy your channel
Thank you. Glad you like the channel.
Congratulations on the doctorate! And thanks for this video.
Thank you, sir!
I just play for chits and giggles.
Indeed!
I just submitted my PhD thesis last week! Though in ecology, not history. Anyway congratulations and keep up the good work in your academic profession, and the witty and interesting videos.
Thank you. When do you defend?
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Already did, now it's mostly a formality of waiting for the referees to evaluate and make the requested corrections.
I've been wanting to play board games my entire life, but I've never found anyone to play with. Can you PLEASE do a vid of solitaire games? Maybe a video of war games and a video of other solitaire board games. Wow, I'm totally missing out here! So many awesome games!
What? You mean like this: czcams.com/video/h9xUmyUWW00/video.html
Congratulations from Northern Ireland!!🎉🎉
Danke!
We look forward to a free and united Ireland 🇮🇪 in the near future. Thank you.
While it may be on the lighter side...I'm curious what Cody's opinion is of Quartermaster General.
Haven't played it.
Congrats on the PhD. It's a difficult process, for sure, and took me 8 years!
Ouch! I'm glad you finished. Thanks!
Congratulations, Doctor!
Danke!
Wow. Thanks, Dr. C! I really appreciate the kind words!
Thank you, sir.
No mention of World in Flames from ADG?
See previous comments.
@@Old-Knight Liked both very much
One of the best.
Chits!!!!? Counters, Cody. Counters! 😃 Seriously, younger players, such as yourself, I turned 61 today, call cardboard pieces chits. Congratulations on getting your PhD!
Ha! Thank you, sir!
World War II: European Theater of Operations by SPI was to me the best ever. There was a Pacific Theatre as well and the games could be combined. There was a smaller scale game out in the ‘90s at the same time and it was great too.
Interesting.
That was a crazy long game to play :-D the campaing WW2 game was estimated playtime to several months. It has a PITA to keep up on a table for the duration of the game. But a hell of a fun game. Absolutely recommend trying it.
That *was* a fun game. I bought an extra copy. The extra cost of building armor vs leg infantry, airborne, and naval units put those units into perspective. Add to that the R&D aspect, the ability to pull in Spain or Turkey, gave the game a kind of sand-box feel. I think the scale of the map was a bit limiting but probably perfect for the unit scale.
Memoir '44 is my favorite game. The expansions really add a lot to the core set. I bought Black Orchestra after watching this.
Fantastic! Glad I could help!
Grats on the Doctorate! Now that War Room is on TTS, I'm hopeful I can give it a spin before shelling out that price point.
Thank you, sir.
I'm going to do the same. I do wish they would make an official mod for it, it's fun to try in VR.
They wil be doing a new Kickstarter, not cheap but might mena the first version gets cheaper?
Congrats!!! I’m ABD. Trynna finish.
Thanks! What discipline?
The Discriminating Gamer PhD in American Studies but I focus on public humanities and stuff like that.
@@williamgarcia-medina9989 Very cool. Best of luck.
Wow I’d love to read that book!
Hopefully I’ll find a publisher.
Thanks Cody ans Congrats,If you liked Castle Itter,You will love Pavlov's house also, would love to see another playthrough on this, like Castle Itter.
Thank you. I will probably do a review of PH somewhere down the road.
Great reviews and summary. I hear some other posters' nostalgia for heavy historical wargames but designers have moved on a long way PLUS the volume market interest has moved towards lighter games. You have helped me to keep up with what that has meant for what's getting published. Thank you. (Edit: Are you the inspiration for the BGG Paladins' 'Suzerain' promo?)
Thank you, sir.
One that I always enjoyed: Avalon Hill's "Rise and Decline of the Third Reich".
Harold Hale Fantastic!
Which one would you rather have now, "Rise and Decline of the Third Reich" or "Advanced Third Reich"? I played "rise and decline" middle school and high school with friends, and "advanced" in college. I have a new group now that is interested... but I am unsure which one might be best to pick up on the used game market....
@@gregzuvich1195 I played both versions, there's a new version called World at War which is advance Reich and rising sun together
Yeah, I'm surprised this one wasn't on the list.
Howard Kramer we were lucky to grab a copy of RAD here in Germany in the early 90s. Trully improved our school english:) ah, nice memories...
War Room must be fantastic to play indeed!
Indeed it is!
Love your videos, you're at fault for my considering buying War Room. All the congratulations on your PhD, good sir.
Ha! Happy to help! Hope you've enjoyed it. Thank you!
"No retreat!" is a great ww2 wargame series, had a ton of fun with "The russian front"
No Retreat is indeed a lot of fun.
World at War?? 3rd Reich?? Squad Leader?? You're so deprived
I've been deprived my whole life. (Kicks the dirt).
Cody, I can't believe you haven't played Combat Commander!
Yeah... No one can...
The rulebook killed my initial attempts to play churchill, and then only having family to play it with after wasn't viable. But I still hold on to it because I think it could be a lot of fun to play one day.
I hope you get a chance to some day.
Churchill is a really good game but does take a while to wrap your head around it as it is not your typical game. Member of our gaming group has hundreds of these games. Unfortunately another person has a severe hattred of chits.
Can it be played via email?
As long as you're on the honesty rule....
Congratulations, Doc!
Thanks!
In this day and age you are not allowed to say the name of 'he who cannot be named' for these games but I use 'a certain Austrian painter' and that's acceptable. Axis and Allies is a great game when you throw in the Pacific and European scenarios together but playing France sucks I remember.
Ha! Indeed.
Decent upload with one request: LOUDER! I can barely hear you even with a decent speaker.
I don't want to scare the children.
U must be deff lol
@@anneoneill6427 It's spelled "Deaf", and no it's just a crap microphone...
Old school tactical would definitely be in my top 10, don't know if you played it but it's worth checking out
I haven't. Thanks.
Well done Dr Cody
Thank you, sir!
8 hours, a "long" game?
hmm....
Long for me.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I usually reserve "long" for the games which can't be played in one sitting.
@@pm71241 even my 8 hour shift of work is split by a lunch!
@@pm71241 ypu must have strong friends and stronger butts
@@KXC42069 Actually ... if the game is exiting enough, you play a lot of it standing.
So, I'm happy my game table is an elevation table.
People who love war haven't fought it.
Indeed.
True, but perhaps it is better to fight wars that have no casualties.
I have played and enjoyed wargames my entire life and one thing it taught me is NEVER AGAIN. I would rather fight battles with dice and counters than real people.
Duane Ehmen best part of your comment is watching people play historical / hypothetical campaigners units served with reduced to chits on a board ..
Congrats!!!
Thanks!
I can't stand axis and allies, the Japanese are way too strong in the beginning and I've played games where they totally successfully took all of the Americas which historical was impossible.
I've never seen that happen in any game I've played.
I've played most versions of AA, and love to play the Japanese. In well over 200 games, I have never felt overpowered or successfully taken the US. It would be fun if it was possible though.
Well it’s simple. I don’t have enough WW2 games. I only have Memoir 44 in the WW2 theme. I really like the look of the War Room.
War Room is fantastic!!!
Congrats, Doctor Cody!
Danke!
Wanted to play the campaign for north africa one time with my dad. Not sure he has enough years left for us to finish a game but he does have the perfect basement for it.
Ha! Insane game!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer hey from my experience publishing my dissertation (academic journal, not book) just know I'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. Let me know the first time you cuss an editor.
@@joeshaver1104 Ha! Will do!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer wow
Just looked. This video is 2 years old. Your channel is being recommended a lot in my feed.
@@joeshaver1104 For some reason this video is blowing up again right now. Don’t know why. I’ll take it! I’ve actually Donne another top ten wwii list late last year.
Black Orchestra is such an awesome game. It’s like tense Co-op instead of firefighting co-op.
It’s spending to buy but it’s brilliant
Indeed. Great game!
Old Avalon Hill fan here. Short game War At Sea or Submarine. Long Game Victory in the Pacific or 3rd Reich. Big Squad Leader fan here.
Fantastic!
Thanks so much for your BG work!
I’ve forgotten if you did Conflict of Heroes and what you thought of it since it’s not your top 10 nor honorable...
Yeah - I've only played Guadalcanal. I suppose I should have included that in HM, but I forgot. :(
New sub. Enjoyed the topic.
Thanks and welcome!
If I had friends, I would love to play War Room.
I hope you get friends. No one should be friendless.
Dear Cody, congrats on your success, please play and review Barbarossa to Berlin, obscure but hidden gem. Have played 20+ games and every one was exciting.
Perhaps I will look into it. Who publishes it?
The Discriminating Gamer it is by GMT games, plenty of used copies floating around but as someone who dislikes most games I play (I’m harsh) it is a GREAT game. I’ve never played a game where so often both players feel like their hanging off a cliff edge by their finger nails!
well done, sir!!!
Danke!
I played a lot of SPI and Avalon Hill games during the golden age of gaming.
The most satisfying WWII game I ever played is AH's "Victory in the Pacific,"
which is a brilliantly streamlined simulation of the war against the Japanese
Empire. Since the Allied player will inevitably win through attrition, balance
is achieved by putting the Allied player on a timer. He loses if he doesn't win
by a certain turn. So the game doesn't take long to play, but it's intensely
exciting and dramatic.
Sounds like fun.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer
VITP is both tactical and strategic, which is remarkable
in such a short, easy-to-play game.
Liked and subbed
Thank you, sir!
Europa series, without doubt. Had them all and wore them all out before I started to do it for real with 3rd shock army sat 45 miles away!
Cool.
Congrats!
Danke!
That War Room game looks interesting. As an old fart, here's my list: Squad Leader, Anzio, World in Flames, Up Front!, Panzer Leader and Panzer Blitz.
It is interesting. Haven't played any from your list.
Looks like my list, pass the Hummel
You missed 3rd Reich by Avalonhill
George Marshall was an extraordinary citizen.
Indeed.