The Operational Art of War: Wargame of the
Year Edition is Talonsofts celebration of Norm Kogers The Operational Art of
War, Volume 1: 1939-1955. Norm Koger is to wargamers what John Carmack is to
Quakeheadsa terrific designer with a hardcore legion of fans. And though he was
already well-respected in wargaming circles from his wonderful Age of Rifles (man, talk
about a game Id like to see updated) it was only with the release of TOAW back in
1998 that he became the gaming press spokesman-at-large for the grognard community. And with good reason, too; TOAW was a very strong
game. With a sturdy, deep and versatile engine that could model just about every World War
II battle as well as a user-friendly editor that allowed the hardcore to create and post
their own scenarios, TOAW was a big hit with gamers and the critics alike. Wargame of the Year awards poured in from just
about every major publication. Since then, Talonsoft has supported the engine by following
up with TOAW: Volume 2, 1956-2000 and with add-on packs for each of the games. Given the
marginal status of the wargaming genre in the computer gaming world, one rarely sees a
wargame spawn any sort of sequel. So its a testament to TOAWs overall
excellence that Talonsoft has managed to squeeze four additional products out of the game.
For those of you not familiar with the
game, TOAW is essentially a PC translation of hexagon-and-counter turn-based Igo-Ugo
boardgames. As the title suggests, it models battles at the operational level, which takes
in a lot of roomessentially everything between the squad-level tactics of Close
Combat and grand strategy of, oh, say, Third Reich. Scenarios run from battles as small as
Dien Bien Phu to as large as Operation Barbarossa. While the graphics are attractive
(especially by wargame standards) theres nothing here that will blow out your
eyeballs. If youre expecting Starcraft in Normandy, you might want to steer clear of
this one; if youre the kind of person who knows about The Gamers and GMT and still
mourns the demise of the real Avalon Hill, TOAW is your sort of game.
Which brings me to a point Id like to make about the Wargame
of the Year Edition (in fact, about all the TOAW series)its not very
beginner-friendly. This doesnt need to be the case. While the game is deep and
detailed, its not really all that complex. But youd never know that from the
manual, which is much more intimidating than it should be. For example, it assumes that
anyone who picks up the game is going to be familiar with almost every traditional
hex-based wargaming convention. If you are, you wont have much problem catching on
to the games mechanics; if you arent, youll be at sea by page 9. While
there is a tutorial, its located at the very back of the lengthy manual and runs
only 17 pagesin contrast, the appendix on equipment data runs for 26, and the
section on scenario creation for 40. This isnt to say that the hardcore information
contained in the manual isnt welcome; its just to suggest that the games
documentation is perhaps too slanted towards the hardcore wargamer. And thats a
shame; this is an excellent, exciting, and playable wargame. A manual that included a good
introduction to wargame mechanics and concepts would go a long way toward introducing
newbies to the genre.
And as long as Im kvetching,
Im still baffled by the games 3D view. While this view works very well (and
looks better) in Talonsofts West Front and East Front games, it seems a curious and
underdeveloped option in TOAW, where the 2D view is very tidy and (unlike the 3D view)
provides the information you need. If the 3D view is an attempt to lure non-wargamers into
the genre by providing toy soldier eye candy, Id suggest the time would
be better spent on that manual.
The Game of the Year Edition contains a bunch of scenarios,
including all the scenarios from the original game, as well as those from the Battle Pack
One add-on and about a dozen new ones. Thats over 40 scenarios, and as in the
Flashpoint: Kosovo Battle Pack for TOAW II, theres a real trend towards what the
designers call huge scenarios and what we old-timers used to call
monster games. The new scenarios include the North African Campaign, Cherbourg
44, the Falaise Pocket, Greece 40-41, Malta 42, Mortain, Operation
Olympic, Overlord, and Operation Uranus. Though TOAW fans who have both the original game
and the add-on pack may balk at paying fifty bucks for less than a dozen new scenarios
(especially given the enormous number downloadable on web sites), I like to think of it
this way: Ive paid fifty dollars for board games of one battle. Fifty bucks
for about a dozen seems a pretty reasonable price.
And it's just come to my attention that Talonsoft is offering a discount on the game for
anyone who already owns TOAW Volume One, the first Battle Pack, or the Elite Edition of
TOAW. Check out the details at their website--www.talonsoft.com.
Of course, not all the scenarios are
winners. This is especially true if
youre playing against the computer, which is not bad at defending but pretty awful
at sustaining any sort of offensive. For example, in the Dien Bien Phu scenario my French
busted up a couple of early Viet Minh assaults. After that, the Reds just refused to
attack, and the last ten game turns played out with my forces sitting in their bunkers
staring at the Viet Minh, who just stared back. Nice way to end the war, but not very
historical. On the other hand, some of the scenarios are just killer--the North Africa and
the Falaise Pocket scenarios alone are worth the price of admission.
So whats the final call on The
Operational Art of War: Game of the Year Edition? Well, if youve got TOAW and Battle
Pack One, youll have to make the call yourselfbut Id say the additional
monster game scenarios and improved editor make it worth picking up. If
youre a wargamer who hasnt played TOAW yet, Id say buy it now. As for
me, well, I consider this to be the ultimate edition of one of my favorite games of all
time. For all my quibbles, if I had to choose five games to take on a desert island with
me, this would be one of them.
--Rick
Fehrenbacher |