Hi guys, I’m new here. I have been viewing your comments and I had to create my own account to fire back…
This box art is rather annoying me. I was hoping for something a little cooler to be honest. I realize that they try to be somewhat representative of the entire war with what they put on the top of the box, but come on… I just think they could have done a bit better, a bit more powerful you know?
First, the French… really? I realize they are new in the game and maybe AH/Mr. Harris would like to advertize that, but why give them so much glory when (a) they did comparatively little in the war itself and (b), as far as I can tell, will do cmparatively little in the game? The only time the French were cool was when they were led by Napoleon… and he wasn’t even French! He was a Corsican!
Personally I think Germany should be better represented. Especially with a flag. Yeah, they were the bad guys and Hitler was a real dirtbag, but this is history we are talking about here… not promoting an ideology. The swastika and German colors were and are distinctive aspects of this war. I have noticed the distinct lack of German representation before (on the other game boxes) and it has always annoyed me. This is history dammit… we don’t need to censor it! Anyone who would oppose this game if it had a Nazi flag somewhere on the cover is simply ignorant. It happened, Hitler was a real guy and he did some real bad stuff, but we should remember that, so that it doesn’t happen again. We shouldn’t be afraid to show it. Don’t glorify it, but show truth for what it is. Unfortunately, this is probably a result of the continuing trend toward maddening political correctness. Mussolini was bad enough too, and he was on the cover of the 2002 first revision. Nobody seems very concerned about Soviet flags on the boxes… granted they were not as obvious about their opression as the Nazis were, but Stalin was almost certainly responsible for many more deaths than Hitler was. Nobody seems to care about that. The Soviet Union was our ally, but never our friend.
I don’t think they need to make German markers into swastikas and you don’t have to put Hitler on the cover, but I think it is historically necessary to have one somewhere on the box. Not because I support National Socialist ideas, but because it is history. Yeah, they don’t even have a German/Iron cross on the box… not even around Rommel’s neck as far as I can tell. (Maybe this is because Rommel wouldn’t necessarily wear it in combat… I am giving them the benefit of the doubt here.) Please Avalon Hill … forget the censorship and portray real history.
Sorry… I had to get that out there. What do you guys think?
As for the rest of the box… I like the generals on the front. You can’t beat Patton and Rommel, perhaps they should have had them dueling in tanks as Patton had wished. It is hard to tell from this picture, but I would assume that the guy up front is General George Marshall. A diplomatic choice I suppose and, while he is important, I think they could have picked someone more directly involved in Europe… someone more recognizable. Like Eisenhower… Montgomery even. I would have gone for Churchill personally… it would go against the Generals theme, but they put FDR on the Pacific box… so why not represent the Brits with a bulldog like Churchill? With a big fat cigar in his mouth… or maybe the picture of him with a Thompson looking like a gangster. Perhaps not that last one… He was on the Anniversary Ed., but then again so was FDR… but at least Churchill is distinctive and important.
Well, there it is. I hope you guys have some thoughts. And I am pleased to join you all in discussing the best boardgame yet created.
-Lucas
