We played a monster WW3 game in the USAF back in the '70s called 'Next War' by SPI. IT took 4 hours to set it up then you immediately roll one dice to see if Global Thermonuclear War is triggered. It did, we all went back to barracks.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Hahaha! That's too funny. Thanks for sharing. :)
@Phalanx11
8 ай бұрын
@@ZillaBlitz A buddy told me once a nuclear armed opponent starts losing, they'll immediately use nukes. I tend to agree. We would've ....
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Sobering thought, for sure. Let's hope it all stays at a game level. :)
@Phalanx11
8 ай бұрын
'Zilla, you told us you quit playing wargames and have been back in it three years now but you haven't spoken about your earlier involvement...what did you play back in the day???
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Sure thing. Mostly old original Avalon Hill and SPI games, a fair number were hand-me downs from my brother. College, 7 years out of the country, marriage, kids, coaching, all kept me away for 25+ years. The pandemic, ironically, brought me back. :)@@Phalanx11
@RobertLane-ry7wv
19 күн бұрын
Playing the predecessor, Gulf Strike. It's the supply rules that trip me up the most - not because they are difficult, but because I constantly forget to spend supply points.
@ZillaBlitz
18 күн бұрын
I have a lot of games like that, where I often forget to do one little thing in a sequence. Now I often make little mini-sequence post-it notes so I don't forget, or if it's one thing, a big post-it note on the dice tower, for example. :)
@steveoh9285
8 ай бұрын
Too funny, the ad that popped up before this video started was a Lovecraft game about avoiding madness. Madness!
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Ha! Funny ha ha. Thanks for stopping in, Steve. :)
@WouterSchoutteten
8 ай бұрын
Excellent video, thorough as ever - even for a first look. The amount of game value is staggering, I think this is the biggest, most ambitious games by VUCA so far. I don't think you've mentioned the graphic detail. Those maps, all those counters, all those ships, planes...the graphic design that went into this is mind blowing.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Totally agree that the production here is staggering. I can't imagine how much time just assembling the data and information took. If I didn't call out the design work to the right level, my bad. It's definitely fantastic. I think with VUCA's stuff, it kind of goes without saying, but in addition to that you've got to organize it in a format that makes the information accessible to the player.
@tomj.7599
8 ай бұрын
A great production of VUCA sims. Congrats. A little too big a game for me and my table. I had a nice chat on Facebook with the author. I wish him and VUCA the best of luck with future projects.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
I can only imagine how long this took to make. In terms of hours, it must be simply incredible.
@tomj.7599
8 ай бұрын
@@ZillaBlitz The creator told me that he has files on his PC with dates from 2009 regarding the beginning of the development of this game.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Yes, the manual mentions that some initial planning started as early as 2003, quite the developmental journey.
@vedranbileta8346
7 ай бұрын
looks amazing. Just stunning. A lot of love and expertise is invested into this one. Unfortunately I have very limited time, and just setting up this game looks like too much to me But some people will have a blast
@ZillaBlitz
7 ай бұрын
It really is a tour de force in terms of attention to detail, scope, and comprehensiveness. And I agree, definitely a game you'll want to have time to both learn and play.
@vedranbileta8346
7 ай бұрын
and set up :) @@ZillaBlitz
@ZillaBlitz
7 ай бұрын
Haha! Yes, that too if you go the campaign route. The exercises and battles are straightforward.@@vedranbileta8346
@wsclulin
8 ай бұрын
The game system has its roots in Mark Herman's "Strike" (Aegean Strike, Gulf Strike) games which are tight, Red Strike enhances and expands that system and in my opinion succeeds
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Great to know, thanks! You are liking the gameplay?
@wsclulin
8 ай бұрын
I have yet to play any of the campaign scenarios but once the systems are learned the game flows smoothly, though larger scenarios take time because there's so much to do. The teaching scenarios and Moe's' tutorial videos do a great job. I've played a lot of Aegean Strike and Gulf Strike (which are great and recommended for anyone with an interest in the subject matter and period) so that helped a lot when learning Red Strike. Great video!
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
That makes sense, thanks for sharing. Good to hear. :)
@ethanmcfarland8240
6 ай бұрын
As a 17 year old, I always thought of a “Cold War Gone Hot” as an alternate history. Something that Gen X kids had to fear. Nowadays I’m not so sure. Looks like “Cold War Gone Hot” is uncomfortably contemporary these days.
@ZillaBlitz
6 ай бұрын
Ain't that the truth. Hoping for better times in the near future with that. Thanks for stopping in. :)
@368engbn
8 ай бұрын
The Norwegian Navy sticks bar codes on all the Navy vessels. Do you know why? So when the ship returns to Port they can Scandinavian.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Oh, this is rich! Nicely played. My favorite joke of the day! Thanks for sharing.
@patrickols
8 ай бұрын
I commented on the channel of CounterCorps a few weeks ago about this game. This remind’s me a lot to the old 80’s Victory Games The Pacific War. In theory a fun, amazing massive game to play but in practice a real b1tch of a game to actually play. Back in the summer of 1987 myself, my brother and a couple of friends manage to play the full Pacific campaign over a 6 weeks period. I sure would watch a video series of the poor guys playing a campaign of this game but no way will I buy it. At my age now I don’t have enough time to spend on such a big game 😊
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
I'm not sure, though, that the campaign is really the design focus? They seem so massive, while the 6 battle scenarios feel to me to be the sweet spot in length, size, and playability. Kind of like... Pacific War, which I think really shines at the operational campaign level but not at the full Pacific campaign level.
@HissyCat
8 ай бұрын
WOW, that's a lot of game!!!
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
It is without equivocation, the most ambitious wargame I've come across so far. Just a phenomenal amount of research and attention to detail behind this one.
@frankwaugh1894
8 ай бұрын
The only game that might exceed this would be Campaign for North Africa from SPI designed by Richard Berg. You have to keep track of how many tanks or trucks are in a unit how many planes are in a squadron etc. You even have the LEGENDARY Italian pasta rule where Italian units use up extra water due to their use of pasta 😅
@HissyCat
8 ай бұрын
@@frankwaugh1894 ok, that’s funny
@VrilWaffen
6 ай бұрын
So many WWIII coldwar games I love it, but its so hard to choose
@ZillaBlitz
6 ай бұрын
I know, right? Each of them quite different too. Hard choices must be made. :)
@PrimarchX
8 ай бұрын
It's amazing how detailed the orbat is. These aren't cookie-cutter units but represent researched capabilities and force levels as of fall of '89. Impressive! One thing to get your head around is that it takes 3 'Regimental Equivalents' to create an enforceable ZOC. Soviet units are typically divisional and thus have inherent ZOCs. NATO units are typically brigades and therefore require 3 units stacked to create a ZOC - not easy to do when you only have so many brigades and don't bunch up or wind up a fat target for nukes!
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Great point, and yes, the resources list at the back is formidable. As a database alone, it's a remarkable piece of work.
@ThymeKeeper
8 ай бұрын
I don't really know the game at all so I appreciated the run down. Absolutely not my jam, but does look nice.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Thanks for stopping in, and that's the hope of videos like this, that they will help people narrow down things and make choices that are right for them. :)
@trekanbelluvitsh
8 ай бұрын
My hometown is on the campaign map. So it must be a great game! 😅
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Ha! For sure. :)
@thecustardprophet8434
8 ай бұрын
The level of detail on this game is insane! It looks amazing, but how much will the complex nature of the game make it really hard to play for anyone but the super committed?
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
I wondered that at first, but from poking around a bit, it's not as complicated as it seems. The campaign games would take a very long time because of their size, but the exercises and the battle scenarios feel very playable.
@chuckmarcinko723
8 ай бұрын
I was in the Army stationed in Baumholder West Germany from 85-88 in 8th infantry division. This game reminds me of being over there and it sounds fun. But you never mentioned the price. My favorite WW3 game is the third world war series fron GDW. I got all 4 of them before I got out in 93. There old but I love em. Merry Christmas to you and your staff.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Thanks for your service, and I'm so glad you never had to experience the real thing. I think the series you are talking about is the one that Compass Games has redone now in one package? Third World War? I usually don't mention price because it can change a lot, go on sale, sell out and get expensive, and a lot of viewers are from other countries where the price can vary a lot too. So I usually figure that people can use the links or check their local game store to figure out pricing for them. And Merry Christmas to you too! (It's only me here, but my imaginary staff appreciates the holiday wishes too.)
@chuckmarcinko723
8 ай бұрын
@@ZillaBlitz haven't seen the compass games version. The 4 games were 3rdWW: battle for Germany, Artic front, southern front, and Persian Gulf. I'll be looking for the compass games version. I did experience the real thing in Just Cause 1989 and 1991 Desert Storm. Take care.
@davidfinch7407
8 ай бұрын
I was in the 8th ID in Mannheim, HHC 3rd Brigade, starting in 1991 ("These Are My Credentials!"). I was there when the 8th ID overnight became the 1st Armored Division, which is when I learned in the modern Army that there was no difference between tank and infantry divisions (except for specialty divisions like 7th ID (Light), 10th Mountain, or 82nd Airborne.) I always felt the Army absolutely peaked at this time, but I might just be prejudiced.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Thanks as well for your service!
@SoloBattles
8 ай бұрын
This is a really impressive game! I will admit, I was exhausted ten minutes into the video. Not a great game for me, but I can see its appeal, and it would definitely appealed to me when I was forty years younger (but then much of the info was still classified, or hadn't happened yet.). It did get me thinking about solitaire game ratings. One rating concern is whether or not the game is dependent on hidden info. I think that can usually be overcome by random action and "roleplaying" what each side, with limited intel, would probably do. The bigger rating concern IMHO is complexity, not just in how complicated the game is, but in how detailed the interactions are, and the steps in the game phase. If the rules are too fiddley, it is too easy to over look things that later on have you thinking, "Oh crap, I forgot this, and if they had done this, then this would have happened..." ad infinitum. If it only happens once, that can be ignored, but if it is constantly happening, that can ruin the experience. I think this game could be very enjoyable in the smaller scenarios, solo. Although it sounds cool to slowly chip away at a campaign version all winter, I think the glacial pace of the game at that level would leave me fidgeting for action and results.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
I don't see any hidden information element in the game. As far as I can tell so far, there isn't anything that is hidden, other than thoughts, from players. The detection is a check that's made on units, but the units are visible on the map in either detected or undetected state. I do sense that the sweet spot for the game is likely the battle scenarios, which seem like a solid, meaty length, and a good balance between the complexity of the game and its length.
@SoloBattles
8 ай бұрын
@@ZillaBlitz the designer may even have felt that is the sweet spot, but how can you go that far and not include a campaign, even if no one is likely to play it. They can always dream about playing, setting it up, looking at it...and sighing! 🙂 I think we're all guilty of that!
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
For sure, absolutely. :)
@Jezza_One
8 ай бұрын
If its better than 'Under an Iron Sky' it would be amazing.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
I'm not familiar with that one, added to the list to take a look, thanks.
@bryanburk6635
8 ай бұрын
Holy Crap. Quite a commitment to play this game!! Are you going to do a play throug?
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
It really has remarkable depth and detail, and you want to be ready to dive in for sure. I committed to doing the First Look video, but I wasn't able to commit to more at the current time. I have a backlog of games I've previously committed to video playthroughs for, and creating a playthrough beyond the basic exercises for this would be several times the amount of time that learning/playing the game will be. Heck, the First Look video alone took me 8 hours. :) I will be playing it on the side, though, as I'm excited to dig in and explore the system. It looks fascinating. As much as I wish I could, I can't make videos of them all until I figure out a way to retire and do this full time. :)
@SoloBattles
8 ай бұрын
@@ZillaBlitz Having retired, I can barely keep up with one video a week, and I don't know how I ever had time for a job!😂
@davidfinch7407
8 ай бұрын
I think I prefer a game where supply is abstract. When you say you're going to manage supply conveys and "supply is a game within itself", it starts to sound exhausting and more like bookkeeping work than play. Or do you think I'm missing something and supply is fun?
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Good question. I like games that model supply in a fun and challenging way, but until I play this one I think it'd be unfair to judge it. I do think with this game the assumption is that you've bought into a complex, detailed simulation, so having a supply system like this in many ways fits with the structure of the game. I also think I've not seen a wargame that models supply to such a level of detail. It'll be interesting to explore.
@Phalanx11
8 ай бұрын
Do a campaign game playthrough and your subscribers will award you the Golden Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross with Chrysanthemums Palms.!!!
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Hahaha! Joking aside, I want to try some long form video content, where I play and create video for longer games like this. Well, maybe not as long as a campaign game here or a game with this level of complexity, but I'd like to think that longer games can be condensed into interesting videos. It is on my list of things to explore.
@heavydecibel
8 ай бұрын
All these WW3 games feels a bit eerie. Livning in a country next to Russia, this gives me the chills at the moment. It's all fun and games on the table but not in the real world.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Absolutely. Hopefully it only ever happens on tables like this.
@JohnDiPonio
8 ай бұрын
I need to see a bit more game play. I am currently playing the Thin Red Line game series on Cold War what if’s and don’t know if I will get a huge difference in game play.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
For sure, the tutorials on Moe's channel might help highlight some of the gameplay. They are linked in the description. :)
@VitusClaudius
8 ай бұрын
It's totally playable, I've played exercise scenarios and a battle scenario, Fulda Gap. It's great fun, with all the dominant elements on the board and everything well summarised. It's all good for those who want to invest a minimum amount of time, but isn't that the point of this type of game?
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
That's good to hear. I've been hearing similar reports from others who have started playing as well. I'm looking forward to exploring it.
@Deltium5683
8 ай бұрын
It looks nice but we really need to see some deep gameplay to assess whether all of these units are balanced properly and work harmoniously in the maps. It’s way too premature to recommend this game until that is assessed. Gameplay is critical, otherwise you waste $200.
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
For sure, I hope people don't mistake a first look video as a review/recommendation. I can speculate on a number of things, offer impressions, and assess components and rules organization/writing with a first look video. But until you play the game it's just not possible to assess gameplay, and I do try to always state that specifically in a first look video.
@Deltium5683
8 ай бұрын
@@ZillaBlitz fair enough, but just as some honest and constructive feedback, you tend to get really enthusiastic during some of these unboxing videos, and please do caveat that everyone should watch some detailed gameplay videos first, preferably from you ! 😁
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Reflecting a bit... I can see your point, thanks for offering that up. To be fair, any enthusiasm is genuine, as in general I tend to get excited to play games that I open up and poke around with, especially ones that look well designed. But yes, having said that, I can see how that enthusiasm could be misconstrued as endorsement. I can only be myself, so stifling whatever enthusiasm/anticipation that I feel towards a game as I'm preparing/recording a First Look video would be disingenuous, but I can definitely strengthen elements of a video reminding people that the video is a first look and not a review/endorsement, etc. One of the goals in creating this channel is to help people find games they will like; I don't want people to buy games they won't enjoy. Thanks again for the thoughts, I appreciate them!
@Deltium5683
8 ай бұрын
@@ZillaBlitz you are a quality guy, so don’t worry too much. I enjoy your channel, but the FOMO in this hobby is powerful ! 😁 I am really trying to be careful before I buy any new ones but I definitely appreciate your channel for sure !!
@ZillaBlitz
8 ай бұрын
Thanks, Deltium, I appreciate it, and I'm glad you enjoy the channel. I do want to improve though, so I hold comments like this in high regard. I really don't want to mislead people. It helps no one to drop money on a game they won't like.
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