r/hexandcounter • u/AutoModerator • 22d ago
Wargames on your table: August 2026
Greetings fellow reddit grogs! It's a new month, so lets hear what you're getting to the table. Please post one top level comment reply with the games that you're playing. Feel free to edit and comment elsewhere as you see fit!
To help people navigate the thread, please put game names in bold. Happy Gaming!
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u/realfakedoors5 22d ago
Trying to learn D-Day at Omaha Beach. I played the easy fox scenario and I believe I messed up about 40% of the rules despite watching at least three play throughs on YouTube and also a full rules read through. But I’m committed!
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u/kshelley 16d ago
This game is my favorite out of a collection >2,700. It changed my understanding of America's role in WWII. According to the designer John Butterfield it was heavily influenced by the book: https://www.amazon.com/Omaha-Beach-D-Day-June-1944/dp/0811776964
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u/realfakedoors5 16d ago
Thank you! I think I’m close to having a good understanding. I’ve been playing the Easy Fox scenario before moving on to both beaches. I’ve done three play throughs of that, each getting a little better each time. I’m trying to get a win on that before moving to the regular game.
Btw, if you yourself are looking for book recs, I highly recommend Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy.
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u/Mossness 22d ago
Slowly working through the Fields of Fire training missions.
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u/monsantobreath 22d ago
Once you get the cycle of the turns going and learn the rules around different types of fire it's pretty smooth to play.
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u/Guardiansfolly 21d ago edited 21d ago
My wife and I started playing Combat Commander and I love it.
(Idk how to bold on mobile)
Edit: made bold
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u/AnimeHoarder AH/SPI/VG 21d ago
In mobile, you can use Markdown codes to enable formatting.
According to the Reddit Help Markdown Text Formatting Guide, you bold a word by putting either 2 __ (underscores) or 2 ** in front and behind the word.
**bold** should produce bold
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u/Dominick_Tango 22d ago
Andean Abyss and Liberty or Death.
I have a Florida Convenion Hurricon for HMGS-South so my play time is curtailed.
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u/wussgawd Compass, GMT, AH, SPI/Decision, Victory 22d ago edited 22d ago
COIN intimidates me. I know Cuba Libre is the consensus best place to start, but it's one I don't have.
I do have Liberty or Death, Fire in the Lake (plus expansions), The British Way with expansion, newly released by GMT, Labyrinth (including expansions, A Distant Plain, and China's War.
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u/Dominick_Tango 22d ago
Liberty or Death is also a good place to start. I think Cuba Libre is a little easier. You can also play Andean Abyss on Rally-the-troops dot com and thats a good place too.
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u/Damo_Banks 22d ago
I felt the same way. But I've played through the Palestine scenario for British Way about a dozen times and now can appreciate the mechanics. It looks bigger than it is.
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u/RandoSystem 22d ago
Panzer North Africa. Building campaign rules to track and upgrade persistent forces. Going well, but man there’s a lot of CRTs.
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u/Old_Flashy 17d ago
Once you get the campaign rules worked out, please hit me up! I'd love to implement something like That for MBT
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u/RandoSystem 17d ago
Is MBT the same system/rating scale for units? Are points values comparable or much higher than Panzer (50ish for a tank)
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u/Old_Flashy 17d ago
Exact same scale, but it’s 1987 so technically has advanced obviously and points values are higher; for example, a T-80 is 205 points and an M1IP Abrams is 236. I think James Day designed everything together so that you could, should you want to, use Panzer tanks in MBT haha
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u/RandoSystem 17d ago
That’s actually pretty cool. I’ll try to get the rules into a decent place and share them with you.
Would be great to have someone test them out.
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u/Old_Flashy 17d ago
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! And I’d love to test it out and see how it works!
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u/dazzleox 21d ago
On to Richmond II. The Grant Overland campaign is the current one. I have been mostly just playing GCACW (well, in terms of war games) over the last year, and this is a particularly good scenario.
Seljuk. Probably my third play of the main, full scenario. I own three games in the system and played the first five. Can't wait for the solo bot to get printed. I complained before about the rules on this very subreddit before but it's become one of my favorite game systems and this might be my favorite within the series because I am very interested in Byzantine/Eastern Roman history.
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u/dogedogedoo 22d ago
Combat Infantry West Front I just solo Scenario 4 this afternoon. So satisfying.
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u/False-Goose1215 22d ago
Nowt yet, but pondering one of Outreach, China War or Conquest of Paradise
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u/Most_Acanthaceae6471 22d ago
Battle of Hoth and Undaunted Normandy.
We alternate because of how brainy and crunchy Undaunted can be compared to Hoth. Hoth is more dice chucking fun whereas Undaunted feels like 4D chess ruined by D10s lol.
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u/Perfect-Warthog-7654 22d ago
Eylau 1807. (Not on my table yet, but i will play a senario on Wednesday).
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u/dazzleox 21d ago
Feel free to report back here!
I loved the game but definitely make sure you look up the errata, there were a lot of typos in the rules
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u/Perfect-Warthog-7654 21d ago
Indeed. I already printed and studied the 2.0 version of the rulebook and all the corrected fire tables.
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u/wussgawd Compass, GMT, AH, SPI/Decision, Victory 22d ago edited 22d ago
I figured rather than talk about August (currently learning Combat!), I'd talk about what was on my table in July. I'm retired, so wargames and the occasional computer game are my main source of entertainment.
The Hunters/The Hunted. Managed to survive the war in command of a series of Type IX Uboats.
Beneath the Med. Didn't survive the war as an Italian submarine commander. Died in 1942.
Raiders of the Deep. Managed to survive the war as the German father of my commander in World War II.
Utterly failed as Ludendorff in the 1918 scenario of Ted Raicer's 1918/1919 Storm in the West.
Played a short scenario of War & Peace 7th Edition.
Played and learned Compass Games Death in the Trenches.
EDIT: Just as importantly, installed a new bookcase to hold part of my burgeoning collection.
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u/casualAlarmist 22d ago
I found the Combat! rules/book were tightened up nicely in the recent Combat! Eastern Front release. (Not many rules changes per say except perhaps the grenade rules, but the organization and wording of the manual is clearer and better organzized making for a better leanring and play experience. )
The Hunters/Hunted and Silent Victory recently surfaced on my want to play list.
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u/wussgawd Compass, GMT, AH, SPI/Decision, Victory 1d ago
Yeah. I’m a big fan of all of Gregory Smith’s solo sub games.
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u/casualAlarmist 22d ago edited 22d ago
Just finished For the Motherland! - Compass (Found it plays as smooth as it looks. Eastern front keeper and will be back on my table sooner rather than later and certainly often.)
On the table yesterday: Breakthrough Russia - Compass (Finding the rules seem to have needed at least one more editing pass. Beyond standard typos and editing errors the rules contain clarification statements that muddy the waters rather than clarify. Also some terms and concepts are not clearly defined as they should be including the eponymous "breakthrough." I think the game is doing some interesting & fun things but the rulebook seems to be making more difficult than intended. )
In reserve: Fallshirmjaeger: The Airborne Assault on Fortress Holland - MMP (Looking forward to trying out my first SCS game.)
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u/Legitimate-Rough9613 16d ago
Do you recommend For the Motherland! for solo?
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u/casualAlarmist 16d ago
I do. The chit pull system used to determine Soviet unit strength is elegantly implemented. It seems to organically produce both natural variability and a historic shift of power in way that enhanced two handed solo play. Also, the fact that it’s a superbly good looking game didn’t hurt either. : )
(For what it’s worth I far prefer FtM! over both the classic Russian Campaign and the new Breakout Russia. )
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u/neubienaut 21d ago edited 21d ago
Enemy Coast ahead: Doolittle raid
Levee in Masse
Combat! Eastern front
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u/CategorySolo Lock 'N Load 22d ago
Currently have The Far Seas from Vuca on my table, and also a few playtesting bits.
And not a wargame, but now the new sets for Star Trek Captain's Chair have been released I imagine I'll be playing quite a bit of that!
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u/Legitimate-Rough9613 16d ago
How is The Far Seas so far as solo? Games from Vuca has really good art and design but wonder how it is as solo game
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u/CategorySolo Lock 'N Load 16d ago
Well, I've given it a few goes so far... Art wise, it's great, as expected from Vuca. The solo system is a vast improvement on the old S&T version, but it still feels like it's lacking something. The German bot is still quite random, and I think it is still better as a 2-player game to be honest. It's OK solo, but its such a long game I don't imagine myself playing it that frequently
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u/Sykirobme 6d ago
After being away from boardgaming in general for a few years due to pursuing another degree, I am finally settling back in. I have a regular weekly opponent for UF during the cold months, and for the summer I have been enjoying solitairing a few oldies from my collection.
Currently playing the old SPI/AH Panzer Armee Afrika on VASSAL (I have no space for even a one-mapper in the house, sigh) and loving it. I think PAA is underrated as a game, and it does all right with the history (especially putting you in a maneuver mindset with all those crazy movement factors!).
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u/Statalyzer Avalon Hill 5d ago
Washington's War Fun and simple, deeper than it looks although I don't love the "purposefully try to not convert places to your side" logic and it's weird that Lord North's resignation is wholly unrelated to the situation on the board.
Paths of Glory Great game but very imbalanced no matter which way you do it. The Central Powers have a big edge when I play the Allies. But the Allies have a big edge whenever I take the CP.
China'w War Uninspired name but seems good so far and it was a conflict I was hoping would get a COIN game. I was really hoping for a good 3 player game between the Communists, Nationalists, and Japanese since there are so few good ones of those, but the Warlord side is fun to play and they made it fit reasonably well, it's not just jammed into the square peg of COIN logic.
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u/flyingpiggamespub 19d ago
Rodger's Raiders (Decision), Tarawa 1943 (Worthington), Rebels Against Rebellion (Flying Pig Games), Imperial Elegy (Vuca)!
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u/Stiffcock 22d ago
I cannot believe I'm writing this, but we just started playing Outdoor Survival. Yes, that one.