Gaming...
Boards, Computers, and other stuff...
A couple of gaming memories from the days of dice and cardboard counters...
I commanded the the German armies in Avalon Hill's original BATTLE OF THE BULGE. I started the game with a string of lucky dice rolls several turns in a row allowing the 12th Panzer and the 1st SS Panzer Divisions to breakout through Stavlot and Trois Ponts. By the next night I had several elements across the Meuse south of Leige. My discouraged opponent fought bravely for two more days but was unable to dislodge my bridgehead. The Allies conceeded defeat!
I recall one great game of BLITZKRIEG. Playing Red I held of a major Blue assualt in the hills south of the central lakes. Two armored battalions and two infantry battalions held two ridges against four Blue infantry divisions for three turns. Excellent dice luck threw Blue back with losses, allowing my reserve armies to gather reinforcements and stage a successful counter attack north and west through the lake areas.
And then came my introduction to computer gaming! No more dice rolling! No more stacks of counters spilling over on the game boards! No more complicated arithmatic to figure odds, bonuses and adjustments! Now gamers can actually focus on commanding the battle, leaving the staff work to the marvelous electronic brain.
I played as Gen. Johnston at Shiloh in DECIECIVE BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR. By pressing the attack between the Peach Orchard and the river bank I was able to get Rebel artillary close enough to stop further Union reinforcements from crossing over into the battlefield. In the process Union Gen. Grant was killed and the Yankee armies fell back in disorder.
In one memorable game of Gary Grisby's PACIFIC WAR I was able to force the Japanese to surrender early in April 1945. The emotional payoff was imagining myself as Adm. Nimitz presenting President Roosevelt with the surrender documents before he died.
My favorite role playing game in those first years was MIGHT & MAGIC. I spent many weekends at my gaming partner's home one summer hacking through M&M 1. The next Fall we bought M&M 2 and played our way through the rainy season. Great stuff!
Through the early 90's came a parade of other great games: CIVILIZATION, MASTER OF MAGIC, ULTIMA Underworld Part 1, ULTIMA VII, XCOM 1 & 2. Unfortunately as the years passed games improved, hardware improved, but my bank account didn't. Even now, with a P 1 144MHz, 48M of RAM machine, I can't play many of the newer titles. Ah, well! Be patient and upgrades will arrive.
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