This video was very helpful! Wow the game looks like so much fun! I definitely need to pick this up!

Thanks for the video Wayne. It is helpful.

Very helpful video, thanks for making it!!! Definitely shortened my learning curve😀

@WayneHansen

Жыл бұрын

You're welcome, Ray, I'm just glad it helped!

Thanks Wayne, almost ready to give it a go, this video was helpful indeed.

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

I'm really glad to hear that. Even if it only helps people a little, I'm happy.

Great video. I made a lot of errors initially when playing through solo. It’s a nuanced game but it is great. I love the area movement system and the card mechanics make it an insta buy. Great work putting this video together! Thanks Sean

@WayneHansen

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it Sean! Ultimately the game fell flat for me, but I know a lot of people like it.

Thanks for the play through... really helped...this game looks really good.

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help!

Thank you very much for this play through. It convinced me to buy the game. Regards

great run though now to continue on my lonesome :) would be good to see more play throughs

Please please do another one , there is so much left uncovered. A fair attempt considering it was your first attempt.

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Not likely. If you haven't watched my review, I don't like the game. And it wasn't my first "attempt" playing the game. I had played it a bunch before making this playthrough. It's just not the game for me.

@markleonard1970

Жыл бұрын

@@WayneHansen Agree that a second complete turn would have been very helpful because lot's of things don't come up during the first turn of Barbarrossa. I understand that you don't want to play this anymore, but you might want to keep this in mind for future playthroughs of other games :)

Hey everyone! I hope you liked the video. If you did, I'd love to think I earned your subscription. It really helps me to get more of these great games to show off! You can also help by subscribing to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/wargaminghansen OR making a One-time donation: paypal.me/wargaminghansen

Love how mistakes happen. I was playing No Retreat: The Russian Front for the first time just last night. Was on turn 4 and the Germans were about to take Moscow AND Sevastopol. Stopped for a minute to figure out what I had done wrong, as the die rolls weren't even particularly good in their favor. Turns out I didn't take the mud months into account for movement, and German tanks were swimming thru Russian mud like it wasn't there! Needless to say, a complete reset was required.

@WayneHansen

Жыл бұрын

If you aren't making some mistakes, are you really playing and pushing a game/system? Of course we all try to limit them. But limiting is far different than eliminating!

One can clearly see the roots of this game tracing back to No Retreat, with obvious exceptions (areas vs. hexes, dice-less combat, etc.). One suggestion, is it possible to insert an audio beep when corrections are posted? When watching a long video, sometimes I am just listening to the audio and temporality not watching the screen while I’m doing something else. A beep would direct me back to the screen so I can see the corrections. Very informative and entertaining, you kept my interest throughout. Hope you get around to posting a review soon…

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Good idea on the audio cue Steve. I'll do that in future videos. Review coming this weekend or on Monday. Spoiler: It's not a glowing review of the game.

@steveoh9285

2 жыл бұрын

@@WayneHansen Oh, I’ve heard some rumblings already. I won’t be surprised because the designer just doesn’t get it. The NR series was ruined by too much chrome and too much complexity. Is there even a Developer listed for this game?

Got this game for Christmas. still reading the rules.

Mistake Alert:) When attacking the Northwest Front you cross a minor river and that seems to give the defender an extra Combat Point if I read the terrain chart correctly...

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

David! Don't do this to me! Haha, good eye. Add it to the list.

Thanks Wayne. So is it really easier to play than the No retreat series? I have the polish and french one and have played it twice. Enjoyable, but it does take some figuring out as it was my first time with that series.

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Sean, unfortunately I haven't played the No Retreat series enough to comment on the differences.

Looking forward to your review ... I was a bit tempted by this. Also: Did you do an actual review of "Return to the Rock" ? ... I was curious, since I have some rather strong opinions about it.

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Peter, I think it was more of a tutorial playthrough with some reviewish thoughts at the end. It wasn't a dedicated overview and review video.

@pm71241

2 жыл бұрын

@@WayneHansen Ok ... thanks. I think the design has a few flaws which kinda ruins it as a game - and they are sadly hard to fix by house ruling. First ... Americans can't afford to lose infantry. But the special "S" units are almost assured to come back. So you run around doing silly attacks with them just to be sure to have killed ~3 of them every turn. Second - the way the sequence of play is structured means that any infantry the US lose in the last turn can't come back in any way. So the Japanese is motivated to save all their firepower to the last night turn and then just kill as many US inf. as possible. ... in turn causing the US to do just consolidate and minimizing odds in the second-to-last turn and then move nothing in the last turn at all.

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Interesting comments on the gameplay. I didn't encounter that problem; however, I have only played it solitaire.

At 36:14: terrain is not rough, it's motti lands. +2 CP in defense but only for Finns. Soviets don't really know this terrain and can't benefit from it. Finally a 4 vs 3, which is an assault successful

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

That was pointed out on BGG, thanks for the heads up for people here 👍

On struggling with the "beginners version" of the game, it feels like the beginners version is about as hard to play as the regular version because you spend too much time figuring out what rule you're actually leaving out in the beginners version. So, gaaak ... you might as well just struggle with the standard version, the idea of the "beginners version" being a stepping stone is like, ridiculous. They've made an effort with the rules, but by golly they are a struggle. In spite of all this, yes it is a good map with good counters, and you can even while struggling see the potential of the game. It feels like it will be an awesome game, once we get to the point we can play effectively. Those rules need a bit of work - that's the one flaw in an otherwise impressive picture.

The Major river prevents an Armor / mobile ability.

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, check the Terrain Effects Chart for a variety of special terrain rules and limitations.

@smilingbadger6209

2 жыл бұрын

My bust it's just a river.

Wayne is this solitaire

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

During my tutorial video here I did not play it using the solitaire rules. I later mention in my review that the solitaire rules are so barebones and basic that I found they didn't add anything to the game, unfortunately. It's definitely not a solitaire focused wargame.

This game was identified as "super simple" game. I think the number of mistakes made in the video shows that this is definitely not "super simple". I am not commenting on your mistakes, but on the fact that this game is not what was advertised by the designer.

@ironman3112

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely read the rule book - then watch a video like this. Helps contextualize the play through. To me the game mechanics are fairly unique - lots of exceptions - so I'd agree it isn't simple. Overall a moderate complexity game - not simple for sure.

@laufetc

2 жыл бұрын

I have played the game 4 different times now. (After reading the rule book and the playbook and watching the videos.) I have put a total of about 20 hours into learning this game, and I think I know it very well by now. I can play it readily and have taught another to play it. And, still, I find myself making mistakes, wondering about issues, searching BGG for answers to questions, etc. That is my point. I think there is a very simple game underneath all sorts of added-later mish-mash. But, that extra stuff made a mess of what the game was advertised as: quicker and easier than No Retreat. (I think No Retreat is easier.)

@TSimo113

Жыл бұрын

@@laufetc Which game do you feel is better for solo play?

@laufetc

Жыл бұрын

@@TSimo113 Good question! Between these 2 games, maybe this game (Abs War) is better for Solitaire... but, I did successfully play No Retreat solitaire. However, I am not the best judge of Solitaire games, as I much prefer to play against an opponent, and do not play many wargames solitaire. If I was trying to play a game solitaire, on this subject and scale, I might go with Russian Front, or Russian Campaign, or even Stalingrad... all of which are easier from a Solitaire point of view

I do not think you understand the supply phase... me neither tbh... (I've read that section of the manual 10 times already)

@SuperErickelrojo

2 жыл бұрын

Just found the info in a bgg forum... basically, there are TOWNS, major cities, and minor cities (Lvov, Tula) , towns are not sources (Beltsy, Lublin, etc)

@WayneHansen

2 жыл бұрын

Not sure why you say that, I understand them just fine. Trace from a War Production Site (the black Factory icon) to a friendly Minor or Major City (unlimited length). Then, from one of those cities (which are the supply sources), your units/stacks have to be within two zones (three if the third is a major city hex) of them. It's actually not complicated.

@SuperErickelrojo

2 жыл бұрын

@@WayneHansen Yup, sorry, it just was me not realizing that the small cities were in reality towns, not cities...

@markleonard1970

Жыл бұрын

@@WayneHansen One nit though, just to help somebody trying to learn the game with this playthrough :) When explaining supply, you identify Lomza as a Minor City, when in fact, it's a town, so it can't be used as a Source City. This is explained, in a disorganized way, in sections 2.1, 7.0 and 7.1 in the rule book and clarified in the FAQ on boardgamegeek.