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Why Battlelines?


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#1 Andrew B. Johnson

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Posted 23 August 2006 - 09:05 PM

I am a big fan of Mein Panzer and as such I am interested in Battlelines. However, after many years of Johnny Reb, V&B, and Fire & Fury I would like to know why I should get Battlelines? What makes it different and better that all the rest. The one paragraph in the store doesn't really tell me much except I do not have to rebase and any scale is just fine.So here's the test question. Please compare and contrast the features, qualities, and mechanics of Battlelines and tell me why I should buy it.

#2 Bob Benge

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Posted 24 August 2006 - 06:41 AM

Oh Jon! Jon truly loves these promotion questions so I hope he sees this and gives a well detailed sales pitch. Personally, I have not played JRIII or VB. I can tell you what I like about Battlelines though. It is brigade level based game. It is an easy game system to learn (I typically have a demo game with new players up and running in 10 minutes and playing on their own within 20 minutes) It gives a true feeling of the periods covered (American War for Independence, War of 1812, Texas War for Independence, Mexican American War and/of course the American Civil War) which is more than the other game systems - you don't have to buy additional sets of rules to play these periods as you would with the other rule sets if they even have rules sets for these other time periods. The Command and Morale system is easy and gives a true feeling of the ebb and flow of the linear combat of the covered time periods. Having demo'ed the game system at numerous conventions I would say that 99% of the people that played in the demos really enjoyed the game. Since you own MP I now you know of our support for our games, so this goes without saying, though I will admit that we have been so busy with MP lately that our additional material for Battlelines has been suffering. But this, I hope be remedied after we finish up all of the in-depth revisions being done to MP. :)

#3 gregoryk

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Posted 24 August 2006 - 09:14 AM

Battlelines compares favorably with both the systems you mentioned. What is important is the engine, or rules, of the game, and whether they are flexible enough to model the period(s). BL succeeds. As the current projects of the ODGW staff start gaining traction, I think you will see more energy devoted to development of Battlelines material and additional rules.Cheers,Gregory

#4 Andrew B. Johnson

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Posted 24 August 2006 - 10:11 AM

Well done guys. I'm sold. Buying in 5, 4, 3, 2,.... On my way to the store!

#5 Patrick Steele

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Posted 24 August 2006 - 06:19 PM

bbenge wrote:

Oh Jon! Jon truly loves these promotion questions so I hope he sees this and gives a well detailed sales pitch. Personally, I have not played JRIII or VB. I can tell you what I like about Battlelines though. It is brigade level based game. It is an easy game system to learn (I typically have a demo game with new players up and running in 10 minutes and playing on their own within 20 minutes) It gives a true feeling of the periods covered (American War for Independence, War of 1812, Texas War for Independence, Mexican American War and/of course the American Civil War) which is more than the other game systems - you don't have to buy additional sets of rules to play these periods as you would with the other rule sets if they even have rules sets for these other time periods. The Command and Morale system is easy and gives a true feeling of the ebb and flow of the linear combat of the covered time periods. Having demo'ed the game system at numerous conventions I would say that 99% of the people that played in the demos really enjoyed the game. Since you own MP I now you know of our support for our games, so this goes without saying, though I will admit that we have been so busy with MP lately that our additional material for Battlelines has been suffering. But this, I hope be remedied after we finish up all of the in-depth revisions being done to MP. :)

I can attest to the ease of learning the system. My son and I played a demo game at Historicon and we were fully self sufficient within 20 minutes

#6 Jonathan Coulter

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Posted 26 August 2006 - 09:42 PM

(I really need to get some promotional info up on the "products" pages don't I?)I don't play JR ... I personally did not enjoy it. I won't go into the details as I'm a firm believer you don't trash your competition.F&F is not a regimental game, so I can't give you an answer there.The beauty in the ABL system, I think, is how YOU maintain a unit's fighting effectiveness. This is made up three things ... morale, order, and ammunition. If a regimental commander let any of these things get out of hand, his unit was gone; or at the very least ineffective.Morale ... Inspired, Steady, Shaken, Broken, Routed. Pretty standard stuff. Shaken you can't move toward the enemy. Broken you're running. Routed you're gone.Order ... as you do things that would disorder you, your disorder level increases. Crossing a fence, marching through woods, etc.Ammunition ... fully loaded, low, and out. If the guys on the real battlefield didn't have any bullets, they weren't like to stand there trying to catch the enemy's flying through the air at them.These three things sound pretty basic. But as you march your units across the table, taking (and receiving) fire, and suffering casualties, these three things can start going sour real fast.In ABL the basic game mechanic is the same as in Mein Panzer. Bonus Move and Standard Action. Recovering these things takes time, and you've only got one action. So Mr. Giant-size General, what do you do? Try to remove your Shaken marker or fire up the enemy across from you? If you fire, the next volley at YOUR unit may cause you to break. And while you're running, you may affect the unit beside of you. One bad die roll, or bad decision, can cause an entire flank to dissolve right in front of your eyes. Or a lucky die roll or the right decision at the right time can cause you're enemy's flank to dissolve.With American BattleLines YOU have make sure these things stay in check AND attack the enemy at the same time. Just like Stonewall Jackson had to do.ABL, unlike other rules, covers from the American Revolution up through the Civil War. Each uses the same base mechanics, but basing will vary for each period. My favorite is the Mexican-American War. The Mexicans were still fighting their battles like Napoleon while the Americans had changed their tactics (at least in theory). That war would be the testing ground for those tactics which would become the norm during the civil war. For MAW we base the Mexicans in Napoleonic fashion while the American are based in Civil War fashion. Two totally different basing for the same war, but it totally reflects the tactics from each side.Sorry for the length, but that's my sales pitch. ;)

#7 Andrew B. Johnson

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Posted 28 August 2006 - 06:23 AM

Now that's a promo for a hard core gamer!Thank You!

#8 gregoryk

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Posted 21 March 2007 - 03:40 PM

Indeed, with all the rules out there — why Battlelines? Here is a report from Scott Mingus's blog on a game he participated in during Cold Wars '07.Cheers,Gregory




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