From: shokwave Subject: Re: What are you playing? Well, I'm playing a computer version of a boardgame right now: Clash of Steel. At least, I ASSUME it was a boardgame first...can anyone help me on that, with a publisher? The computer version is published by SSI, designed by Martin Scholz (actually, they credit him as "Developer"...looks like a one-man job). It is available on both the Twenty Wargames Classics and the Definitive Wargame Collection II...both recommended (the latter more so than the former, but still geat value for the money). I'm having a lot of fun with this. It is a strategic game of WWII in it's entirety, with various scenarios (the main scenario starts in Poland 1939 and plays the whole war, the other scenarios start at different times i.e. provide setups for France 1940, Russia 1943, etc.). The map has 50 mile hexes and covers 2500 miles east/west from Ireland to Russia, 2300 miles north/south from Norway/Sweden/Finland to North Africa. Land units are at the Army and Corps sizes, and there are engineers and paratroops. No stacking. Naval warfare is conducted in Sea Zones, no hexes. Air units are pretty simple, but there is a seperate Strategic Bombing option. Land/air units have two numbers on the counters: combat strength and action points (used for moving and attacking). Turns have variable number of impulses based on chance and weather: less impulses likely in snow/mud. The rulebook runs to 60 pages. It very much reminds me of a simpler 3rd Reich, with a lot less counters (no stacking, remember). It has Production Points, similar to BRPs in 3R. There is a Political system where you pressure countries or declare war or pick sides in the Balkan conflicts. There are a handful of variants: things like "Japan:War in Siberia" that remove three Russian shock units, Russian Partisans,Axis Liberation Politics, etc. There is a Research system as well, but no nukes (thank god). There are Resource Centers and Supply rules (with Army Groups and cities as supply providers). The CRT is bloody, and units can lose steps. Like I said, I'm having a lot of fun with this. I plan on running a 3-way hotseat game in a lab (pop in, do a turn whenever you get a moment). Unfortunately, I've had a problem running it: it's an older DOS game that requires a boot disk to free up enough memory, and it CRASHES whenever I try to save or load a game. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I'm trying to get SSI tech support on this issue, but their voice menu system is screwed and I haven't gotten ahold of a real live human yet. Has anyone played this? I could use some hints on Naval strategies. Land combat is no probs, but the individaul Sea Zones are partitioned into 2 Fleet boxes, 4 raider boxes, a transport box and a land based (air) box, and there are Port boxes as well. Add in Mulberries and "groae Freiheit's" (artificial harbours), special sea invasion rules and convoys, and then the tutorial doesn't cover ANY naval activity...I'm feeling very unsure about how to stage that early invasion of England that I so desperately want to try! Any comments people might have on Naval manuevers/invasions would be greatly appreciated. I also have a slight problem with placing reserve units...it seems that supply partitions have an effect on the placement of reserves as well as new units...so I can't move reserves across country boundaries? What are peoples favorite political moves? Do you wait to conquer France, then use the mega political points gained there to sway the Balkans? Do you pick sides in the Balkans? I try to get Hungary and Bulgaria above the 50 mark early (before invading Benelux/France), and thus get some cities/resources...is this a wise use of my few political points? Obviously, I have only played the Axis so far...they get to dictate the war early on, so I usually find them more fun in games of this type. -Darren