I can understand that but a number of us take the converse of that. Instead of one all engrossing and time consuming game we're involved in playing a number of games at one time. Right now I'm playing 5 PBEM games. For me this exposes me to different playing styles, strategies and tactics. I'm finding that no matter how well I think I know the game played under our mod (i.e., BJR mod), when I play somebody new I learn new things. Also, they sometimes expose weakness in strategies that I though were sound.OzHawkeye wrote:What no-one has done yet I think however, is combine the ease of use and gentle learning curve of a game like CAEW with the engrossing scale offered by some of these other games, and while I am happy I found, bought and enjoy regularly playing CAEW, I still would like to see a game like it, but one in which starting a new game meant starting out on a journey that would take much more than a few hours to complete.
However; based on what I've been reading on the Matrix boards concerning MWiF, I would think that that game would give you journey that would take a many months, or even a year or more, to complete. While that may be someone else's cup of tea it's just not mine. In fact, I'm in awe of the folks that do take on an complete such a journey.
By the way (if you can't tell already) I'm a big CEaW fan. My wargaming experience (until recently) came from the mid 1970's through mid 1980's with Avalon Hill board games. Most of it was from solitaire play and one of my all time favorites with AH 3rd Reich. Though I do still own quite a collection that's stored away in a closet or my attic. What I find really enjoyable about CEaW over AH 3rd Reich is the more in depth way that air and naval is handled, as well as manpower and oil. Air and naval forces are force multipliers but in an indirect way in CEaW versus upping your odds on a CRT in AH 3rd Reich. For example, you can hold out against a numerically larger enemy ground force (e.g., 2 to 1 or even 2.5 to 1) if you have control of the skies. For example, in one of my current games as the Axis, the Allied player marched a large ground force into Libya in the fall of 1941, just after my invasion of Russia. I had approximately 2 Italian infantry corps, Italian motorized corps, 2 German infantry corps, German DAK tank corps, one German fighter and two Italian fighters facing 10 to 12 corps (which included a tank and 3 motorized corps) backed by 2 or 3 fighters. I rushed two strategic and two tactical bombers to Crete and was not able to hold him off but inflict significant losses. He lost his tank corps, two fighters and two or three other infantry corps. I did lose a couple of Italian infantry corps and a German infantry corps. Also, during this battle I reinforced with a couple more Italian infantry corps and one more German infantry corps. Both my German and Italian leaders were knocked out for a few turns but their unit and their forces did what they had to do. They were back in command when the Brits tried again in mid 1942. Again the Axis ground forces backed by air superiority drove the Brits back. However; it's now September 1943 and Tripoli will fall next turn giving him control of all North Africa. Part of the challenge in CEaW is to know when to stand and fight versus when to fight and leave. I did the later in 1943 and was able to get the DAK tank corps and one German infantry corps with leader out.
