This is in general gaming, but is meant to encompass wargames too boys.
Ok first off, is the game immediately fun. If not, piss off you failed gaming 101.
So that very first comment is going to track muddy boots all over a lot of precious wargames, because they are NOT immediately fun, unless you are weird even to already weird people.
A couple of brutally frank examples. Dungeons and Dragons (any flavour past Rules Cyclopedia), War in the Pacific/East, Anything by Citadel, and my ASL.
Yes I just gave failing grades to basically the elite of gaming. Here's why.
1. none of them come in one box with clear easy rules and simple components.
2. they are all considerably expensive in one gulp even if some competitors have eventual expenses that can get up there. People are conditioned to over react to being told pay this much or go away.
3. they all take massive sums of time to do anything they do.
4. they are all more interested in being fussy at the expense of fun.
5. it's unlikely you will find them in any other location other than a largely invisible retail source.
6. I think I can safely say, all 4 examples have something about them that makes them difficult to play almost anywhere.
7. resource hogs, they all seem to require way more resources than should be needed, in order to play.
I can likely think of a few more, but heck the above 7 I already have are fine examples of good reasons to slam these games as being well made.
So now I suppose I need to provide examples of what can be considered good examples of well made.
Rules Cyclopedia is by now long in the tooth in as much as design is concerned. But a friend of mine elected to run a campaign based on Rules Cyclopedia. We had previously played some 2nd edition, and some 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons. I am also no stranger to 3rd/3.5/Pathfinder. RC is a single book. You simply need nothing else. Not a very great deal if you are the company selling, but phooey, this is about game design, not profit margins. Back in RC, character creation wasn't what it is today in current editions, but in today's editions, the player likely spends all day just trying to figure out the game. There really isn't a lot to burden the player with in RC. Granted it pays off if the DM has read his own book first. But the players simply need to be told roll some dice, this is what your rolls allow you for choices, pick your choice and then read this quick section explaining it. Good for maybe 15 minutes unless your reading skills suck.
The person that gets the pleasure of buying the book, really is only buying 1 book. That's it, the game is all in one book.
I think currently Panzer Corps is showing us how you can really succeed in doing a computer wargame.
It's not really tactical, it's not really strategic. It has not needed to be real time, and it has not needed to be pointlessly fancy graphics driven,and it has not required massive system resources.
It can be marketed to every device on the market if the source wishes it. PC, laptop, tablet, gamer doodads like Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, might be pushing it to say a cell phone is a good idea.
The game is not rocket science, and they have been able to release a whole range of add ons which are not really needed, not really expensive, but certainly not bad purchases.
The game is easy to learn, yet not so easy it is boring. Slitherine has clearly mastered putting players playing players too. I think it has a demo.
It's a good initial price. And it can be bought as a download and you don't really miss not having a long tiring manual.
And you don't need to be a grog to play it.
Concerning Citadel. I've seen plenty of games do something neat and physical and part board game and part minis, and part card driven and a lot more likely to be fun. I've seen games do all sorts of genres, not just fantasy and not just scifi. I just can't understand the attraction to a company that markets badly made, over priced, way too expensive and complicated and ultimately too cumbersome to find a place to play all wrapped up in a single product.
I wish someone could release something like Warhammer, but not meant to be random component driven. That's way too expensive.
I'd like something a bit like Axis and Allies minis, a bit like D&D minis, not needing to be random component driven though. Pre painted. And with terrain in the box and rules that are not too complicated. I've seen games released with gorgeous components. 7 wonders is great, and so it the Civiliztion board game, and Fantasy Flight sure made a spiffy Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay edition where components are concerned.
It might be a bit pricey, but it would be real nice if Warhammer was a one box game and not just a profit margin dodge.
Concerning ASL. Hmm I think I will take a pass here
But I must say. I liked Up Front so much better.
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Originally Posted by Perturabo
