The War Room WWII Strategic Game
Hi, my name is Joe and just joined the main play test group for the new game “The War Room” designed by Larry Harris. The game is great fun to play and already would with a choice of playing a Axis & Allied Game or The War Room Game I would pick the War Room, but I do not loose any of my love for A & A games. The War Room Game is slightly more complicated than a A & A Game but in the same ball park and if you can play a A & A game you would have no problem playing The War Room Game! Below will be paragraphs on different parts of the game.
The game is a great land territory and sea zone strategic level game that basically dose set you up in the historical strategic positing that all the major WWII powers were in at the start of the spring of 1942. Then lets see how good you can do! The economic system is great using major strategic resources of Oil, Iron and Other Resources in different amounts of different types to build the game combat units called tokens, etc… This is all kept track by a simple peg board system and obtaining the resources from simple card system with cards representing each land territory controlled by a power. No complicated charts here!
The Plastic Combat Tokens are great in the game squares for Army, circles for Air Force and ovals for Naval with pictures each type of combat unit on it and each a different color from the other. The same 3 colors used for each Army and Naval and 2 of the colors for Air Force. The play test games tokens only have the combat units pictures on the top with the game production units will also have them on the sides of the tokens so when you look at the stacks you will see what type combat unit it is along with its own color. With the games system of using stacks of combat tokens to move around and conduct combat with, it would be impossible to use A & A type plastic combat units. Just would not work!
Strategic Planning in the game is like all the players of one side being a GHQ and planning the over all strategic planing for that turn in the game then all the players go off and become basically the field commanders of Armies, Navies and Air Forces using a very simple planning sheet with simple commands to try and reach the set up strategic goals of their side. Then there is a simple way of determining the order of combat movement which is different almost every round of play in the game which leads to a joint combat of all nations attacking the other side in a game. The combat movement system in the game with what is call pinning or other option canceling commands really sets up as though a large WWII battle going on and movement of the enemy caused a combat plan to be dropped or to be only partially successful which then leaves your side then having to work out a strategy to the new strategic situation or your side ended up doing this to the other. This is all done without complicated charts and die roll modifiers with the game mechanics just simply stepping you through it. Just can say one word - Great!
When it comes to combat the d12 die combat system works by using a color system with odds that yellow colored tokens would be hit the most followed by blue then red the least which totally makes sense by which type units are what colored tokens instead of using numbers with calculations. It is great works the same as using numbers with the same odds but is much easer and faster to use. Then you use a combat card called a Battle Status Board that you place Combat Tokens on that just by simply following the combat rules per dice rolled steps you through damage losses with at the end of combat possible repairs or possible losses. All of this achieved without having to use charts and die roll modifiers but coming up with basically the same results. Just can say one word - Great!
Strategic Bombing rules are great when you strategic bomb you actually take out Army, Navy and Airforce Combat Tokens being built or in the case of Infantry Tokens being formed. This now puts you into planning what you would like to strategic bomb to hurt the enemy at what he is hurting you with and working on taking out those Combat Tokens that are causing your side problems so they do not reach the front line. All units being built at Land Territories with Factories start Combat Token Production that remains under production for a game turn always leaving it vulnerable to being strategically bombed. To myself it is the best Strategic Bombing System I have ever used in a Land Territory / Sea Zone type game.
I could go on but have only play tested this Great game that Larry Harris has designed once and need to play more and will update all later with more what I believe will be more great descriptions of a great game.
I am a avid A & A war game player but play many other types of war games other more complicated area plus hex games with counters with the ones being counters with pictures on them that I like best and dabble in miniature war games at times. The War Room Game is a game where A & A War Game Players can meet all of those Grognard War Game Players that do not play A & A type games and duke it out and have fun! To the Grognard War Game Players - the standard game has enough in it historically to add with the great game mechanics that I assure you you will enjoy this game! Plus it will set you up for future expansion modules for the game which will bring in even more history with just more easy rules without all those charts and die roll modifiers with basically the same results faster and easier.
Joe