BOTB rule clarifications

Looks like I missed all the fun.  :-)

@Krieghund:

Yes.  Just the other week, I attacked a hex with only two units in it.  I got six hits, but they were all on the same unit!  So the other unit survived and kept me from advancing.  Such are the fortunes of war.

I think this is why this game isn’t that popular. I think there are some folks who really don’t like being lucky yet unlucky on the same roll.

@frimmel:

@Krieghund:

Yes.  Just the other week, I attacked a hex with only two units in it.  I got six hits, but they were all on the same unit!  So the other unit survived and kept me from advancing.  Such are the fortunes of war.

I think this is why this game isn’t that popular. I think there are some folks who really don’t like being lucky yet unlucky on the same roll.

I agree that some people don’t like it for this reason.  I actually do like this, because I feel it has the potential to “even out” luck by making excessive hits redundant unless they’re spread out.

However, I think the main reason this game has suffered in popularity is because it’s so unlike all the previous A&A games.  It’s much more like a “heavy” wargame than the others.  Fans of previous games are turned off because it’s not the same, and fans of “heavier” wargames are turned off by the A&A brand because they equate it with “light” wargames.  Because of this, I don’t think the game ever really found its niche, which is really a shame.

@Krieghund:

I agree that some people don’t like it for this reason.  I actually do like this, because I feel it has the potential to “even out” luck by making excessive hits redundant unless they’re spread out.

However, I think the main reason this game has suffered in popularity is because it’s so unlike all the previous A&A games.  It’s much more like a “heavy” wargame than the others.  Fans of previous games are turned off because it’s not the same, and fans of “heavier” wargames are turned off by the A&A brand because they equate it with “light” wargames.  Because of this, I don’t think the game ever really found its niche, which is really a shame.

I think that you can get hits and still miss makes luck a bit more nebulous in this one. Gives it a bit more of a lone unit defying the odds feel.

I agree also that it also suffers, probably mostly, from how different it is from the other games.

I like that it is more a ‘light heavy’ wargame. More an examination of the situations faced by the commanders of history (the ‘heavy’ part) but without a really big pile of rules that IMO often seem to add complexity for the sake of complexity (the ‘light’ part.)

@General:

A&A games are some of the most rewarding games I have ever played. I remember when I was 15 and I found the original Larry Harris game unopened in my dad’s holiday house. I was totally obsessed with World War 2 history at the time, and so I decided to slog out the 30 page manual by myself and learn the game. Having learnt it, I have been enjoying playing it ever since.

Larry would be thrilled to hear that.  Why don’t you go over to his site and tell him?

@General:

BOTB however not only is it like slogging it out as if I was learning the original Larry Harris game all over again, the manual is also like a bloody enigma (and yes that is a pun). I think with BOTB all they had to do was elaborate on the rules more, and give an example of the turn from start to finish, rather than in dribs and drabs. Then they should have stuck on the box, WARNING: Forget all previous A&A conceptions and rules when learning this game. Had they done this, then who knows maybe I could have saved myself alot of time and pain.

Yes, unfortunately this is a blow to the game’s acceptance as well.  The rules require at least a couple of read-throughs to even begin to understand them, and it’s still nearly impossible to play the game properly without reading the FAQ as well.

I did have questions but I got it pretty close on the first read through. Both of you are right that the rules could be better- especially in the commandeering of trucks and supplies aspects.

As to some of the other frequent confusion (moving units into hexes you are attacking.) I learned early (and don’t have to relearn to often  :lol: ) that assumption is the mother of all foul ups. That one is (well to me anyway) clear in the rulebook. But all in all it could be better.

Not at all.  I was completely serious.  Larry always enjoys hearing from a satisfied customer.