@Krieghund
Thanks heaps
Interview with Harry Larris
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I bumped into Harry on the way to the gym last night, so asked for a quick interview.
Flash: So, Harry, you’ve got a new game out: a bit of a departure making an Axis and Allies game set in WWI, isn’t it?
Harry: Yes; after buying the game you will quickly realize that this isn’t WWII, because it says “WWI - 1914” on the box. Although, knowing Wizards of the Coast, it might just be a typo for “1941”. That would be better actually, 'cos we could put Hitler on the box. A marketing guy once told me we’d sell twice as many copies of Axis and Allies 2004 with him on the front. But I said no, this Hitler character was a bad guy; I didn’t like his politics. So we stuck a big portrait of Mussolini on the cover instead.
Flash: Actually, Hitler was involved in WWI as well.
Harry: Gosh, really? That guy sure started a lot of wars!
Flash: Many people have some issues with the map; for example why is East Prussia in Poland, and how come Greece has a border with Turkey?
Harry: I saw a map once. Green it was!
Flash: Errrr, quite. Another big talking point is the lack of pieces, particularly German infantry. Everyone runs out of them on turn one!
Harry: Germany has the same number of infantry as everyone else; it wouldn’t be fair otherwise. Can you imagine the Turkish player getting two fewer infantry than Germany? I’d never hear the last of it!
Flash: Switzerland has always been a region to go around in these games; why is it now just a big pushover?
Harry: I saw immediately that Germany would get ganged up on in the west, so I thought why not let the Austrians get over there and help out their buddies?
Flash: But doesn’t that destroy the whole dynamic of the western front, where so many men fought in the small gap between Switzerland and the sea?
Harry: You’d have to ask somebody who knows history and stuff.
Flash: During play testing, didn’t you find that the Allies were wining all the time?
Harry: Good grief no, the Axis won both games we played! That’s why we pushed Paris back west, to hold up the Germans in time for Uncle Sam to get there. Krieg wanted to put Paris on an island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Flash: But why didn’t the Allies use their sea power to outmaneuver the Central Powers and exploit the unhistorically slow internal movement of Germany and Austria?
Harry: I’m afraid you’ll have to ask our wives about playing the Allies.
Flash: So why didn’t we ever get the front line report on America’s first turn? I was looking forward to descriptions of neutral America’s infantrymen sampling the cafes of Paris when the Germans arrived. Did you write the report and then realize how silly the rules were?
Harry: Krieghund won’t allow me to answer that question.
Flash: What went wrong with the Russian Revolution?
Harry: Oh, that was just something Krieg cobbled together at the last minute. We figured the “community” (laughs) would test it for us; in time for the Second Edition, anyway (grins).
Flash: Finally, Harry, doesn’t the lack of railways in the game not only cripple the Central Powers chances of winning, but ruin any possibility of realistically portraying the dynamics of strategic movement in the age of industrialized warfare?
Harry: The Germans had trains in 1914? Gosh, it’s a good job they never thought of using them in the war!
Flash: Harry, thank you and happy training.
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Would have been better to post this on april fools day.
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ROFL!!! Great Stuff. We keep buying the games no matter how bad they are broken. We’ve played around 10 times and the axis have never won. Actually putting out a broken game is a way to sell more, when the 2nd edition comes out.
This is totally Wizards stratgey, see Pacific 1940 OOB. Japan was unstoppable.
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I think “Harry” made some really good points here. Why should Germany have more infantry? This is the 21st century, we have to be fair! Otherwise the Ottomans would suffer from low self esteem. My only regret is that Paris isn’t an island. 8-)
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Very nice Flashman.
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hilarious as always Flashman!
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Great interview. I wonder if he does zumba at the gym?
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This made my day :-)
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How many times does it need to be said that the lack of rail movement does not automatically cripple the Central Powers?
Fact: Adjustements to CP income/starting units can level the playing field or give them an advantage.
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It would have been more believable if you replaced “gym” with “Cheetos warehouse”.
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A Nice addition to the fact that the German Navy was actually larger then the French navy in ww1 would be a nice addition.
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Umm, good enough to get me banned from HGD… :-o
@rjpeters70:
Very good…
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Umm, good enough to get me banned from HGD… :-o
@rjpeters70:
Very good…
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Bitchin’ and scoffing at the designer is not part of the solution.
Kim
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It’s our right as consumers to spend our hard earned money on whatever we please. If we decide to buy inferior or broken products see AA1914 OOB, so be it. But we also get the right to bitch at the designer for it!
Loki17
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If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Bitchin’ and scoffing at the designer is not part of the solution.
Kim
This. We knew pretty much what we were getting before we voluntarily purchased this game. Heck, Flashman’s been complaining about the lack of railroads for the better part of six months. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it!
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Nice one, Flash mate. Very entertaining! :wink:
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If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Bitchin’ and scoffing at the designer is not part of the solution.
Kim
Comrade Kim, what is allowable commentary here in your opinion. Should we vet our comments with you to ensure they pass the gestapo thought police? On a serious note, frankly, if people have a problem with a game I want to hear about it. This is not a cheerleader site, this is a gaming site dedicated to a game I enjoy and if there are any concerns in the community I for one want to hear about it. If this place becomes nothing more than a cheerleader site i want no part of it. Moreover, you should exceed the 100 post tally before telling people with 1000s of posts here what can and can’t be said.
Umm, good enough to get me banned from HGD…
Seriously? Love to hear more on that story!
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I think all Kim was saying is that Flashman is wasting his time with some pretty abrasive mockery (asserting Larry is clueless about history) when he could be trying to fix problems being more respectful. Flies sugar vinegar or whatever. If he had views that would have helped the game, the chance of them being respectfully listened to by anyone with decisionmaking power have now imploded, since there was little to no respect given in this initial post in this thread.
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Mal,
I’m no cheerleader. I have had criticism of this game as well. Flash is not wrong in his view and has a point, it’s just that if he really wants to have an influence on some real changes, then denigrating Larry is probably not going to sit well and any good ideas he has will likely get dismissed out of hand just because of the hyperbole attached to it.
Larry was very open to revising Global 40 and many people had a say in multiple rules revisions on his site. My point is if Flash would turn down the rhetoric I think Larry would be more open to constructive criticism and some possible solutions. He would be more valuable with a seat at the table then railing from the sidlines.
Kim
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