Boardgames (with miniatures)

[Nosher]

Noticed that boardgame wargames are making a bit of a come back again and wondered what others general opinion of them were and what boardgames others have?

I loved the original Axis and Allies, but have tried quite a few of the later versions and not really got on with them at all. Axis and Allies miniatures is just downright laughable and almost as un-historical as FoW

I find that most boardgame wargames aren't geared towards solo play so can be quite limited in appeal, however that said I still have the following rattling around my attic:

Axis & Allies - DDay - truly, truly awful...

Tide of Iron - played once, must have been bad as I cant recall any inclination to play again...

Blue Max - still love this but it cant be played solo!

Battle of Britain - love it but again its limited as a Solo game

Battles of Napoleon by Lexus Games - picked this up for a tenner at one of the charity shops, playing my first game tonight

Lord of the Rings (Fantasy Flight Games) - massive game, massively disappointing!

Tannhauser - played once and to be frank a complete crock of sh*t

Incursion - good fun but expensive outlay for the figures

Space Hulk - outstanding, even after all these years

Last Night on Earth - Zombies, good fun but needs other players and beer to make it playable

Zombies!!! and all of the expansions made - great fun with good mates and beer

Wings of War (WW1) - not really a boardgame per-se, but who can refuse the opportunity to play a game where you can shout "DAGGA,DAGGA,DAGGA!!! Cop for that you Jerry Barsteward!!" when you fire at an enemy plane...?

So what boardgames do others have and what is it that they like/dislike about them?

[Blaxkleric]

I have Combat Commander still sat beside me having forked out £60 for the damn thing at the start of the year. 

Heard massively good things about it, loads of expansions, solo play opportunities and generally well thought of. 

I spent an entire evening with a friend trying to play an opening scenario... then tried the card-by-card tutorial... absolutely hopeless..!! We didn't have a clue what we were doing nor why, and after many many read-throughs I still don't know how to play the game. Even watched some YouTube footage... just can't get my head around them. 

Particularly peeved as having visited a Combat Commander forum for a leg up I was firmly put in my place with the comment 'I've just taught my daughter to play, and she's seven!!'   

[mollinary]

Commands and Colours Ancients - quite simply the best "game" I have played.  Simple rules (necessary for a clot like me), dozens of scenarios, but really, really, subtle.  The more I play, the more hooked I am.  The Epic version is even better. And, as it started out as a miniatures game, it is easy to convert it back.  But am also a fan of Wings of War (Glory).

Mollinary

[barbarian]

Gears of war and Zombicide are nice in ccop or solo.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Kingmaker deluxe edition had figures, naff figures, great game! 

[Nosher]

Gears of war and Zombicide are nice in ccop or solo.

Heard good things about both - Zombicide not yet released this side of the pond. Not sure about gears of war... wasn't it a PC game at some stage??? Sorry dont touch Xbox/Wii etc

[barbarian]

Gears of W is a famous saga orf X-box games.

However, the board game is good.

[sunjester]

I've still got Space Hulk, good fun, but I tend to use the board sections (I must have the equivalent of 4/5 boxed sets) to play Aliens scenarios using CR 2.0.

I haven't got Combat Commander, but I've played it several times. It's a great game and I found it easy enough to pick up in the first game, but I was playing someone who had played a lot and it's always easier to learn like that.

[FierceKitty]

Kingmaker remains the number one for figure gamers who want a wargame but can't use miniatures this weekend. And it converts to a wonderful hybrid campaign system with a few hours of tinkering. It also allows you to say things like "Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all", "Speak like a subject, proud, ambitious York", and My kingdom for a horse!", which must be the classiest dialogue in any game known to science.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Hell for about 10 years my entire geographical knowledge of the UK was based on that map! Ticked off most of the castles over the years too! 

[FierceKitty]

First time I visited York I remember a moment of anxiety that it hadn't get the plague recently.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Was it another peoples revolt arch bishop or were you crowning another pretender?

[Hertsblue]

The thing I loved about Kingmaker was that you could never be knocked out. As soon as your character got his come-uppance you just drew another set of cards and re-invented yourself. We played games that went on for weeks. 

[Luddite]

So what boardgames do others have and what is it that they like/dislike about them?

Boardgames or 'war based' wargames?  I got a bit confused by your post.  However, i have a wide variety of boardgames so i'll run through a few of them.

Axis & Allies (Original)
An absolute classic, must have and probably my favourite 'got to' board game.

Pros:
Engaging, strategic, requires a solid strategy and inter-player cooperation. 
Has the required level of interplay conflict too. 
Also, its WWII writ large for fric's sake!!!

Cons:
Long 'downtime' for each player between their turns. 
The Russian player has a pretty grim time of it for most of the game (build infantry and defend).
The Russian steppes aren't wide enough.
Poor board design - Europe gets VERY cluttered.
Goes on for ages.
Players can get knocked out early on.


Kingmaker
A very interesting game with some good ideas that i really want to like.

Pros:
Excellent inter-player conflict.
Good strategic and resource building play.
Tricky and varied victory conditions.

Cons:
A bit too random in what you get.
By the mid game, everything bogs down completely as factions 'mass' in encampments waiting for 'the big break'.
Game goes on forever.

Civilisation (Original)
One of the greatest boardgames ever.

Pros:
The right balance of inter-player conflict and cooperation.
Excellent sneaky diplomacy.
Varied gameplay with building, warfare, trade, calamity mitigation, and resource allocation.
Minimal randomness.

Cons:
To play to completion takes about 6 weeks!
Crete is hamstrung.
Falling behind on the trades can be difficult to recover from.
You need 4-6 players at least.

History of the World (original)
A great little game with some really interesting game dynamics.

Pros:
Each turn is a 'mini game' with set achievement conditions, which allows for consistent planning to build a victory.
Excellent inter-player conflict.
Its about historic cultures 
A set number of turns means it finishes in an evening.

Cons:
Success each turn is largely random (lots of dice rolling, and you can get lumbered with a peripheral culture).
Missing out on success in one turn can be disastrous.
Often the game ends just as you're getting into it!

I also regularly play many other excellent boardgames, including:

Thurn & Taxis
Carcassonne
Agricola
War on Terror
Ticket to Ride
Roborally
Etc...

[Hertsblue]

Yeah, Carcassonne and Thurn & Taxis, good games both, but hardly wargames.