Jim Boggs

IMMER, I think this is a great idea. Couple of questions. 1. Is there any way the games could be played with a neutral third party moderator? Is this technically feasible? 2. Would the players be willing to post on a turn-by-turn basis to the forum as zappsweden and terif have done with their classic battle? 3. Maybe it would be wise to have a random drawing for the first tournament to establish pairings as I am afraid the self-seeding might in fact lead to either sandbagging by the good players or over-the-top confidence by some not so great players and skew the actual seedings from the start. 4. If this tournament could be put together in such a way as to guarantee fair play, I might know someone willing to put up $500, say, for the winner. (I don't know if this is legal, I would think it would be okay though). Anyway, I get excited just thinking about it. GOOD POST!

MARTIN Very humble, HOWEVER: Name one other forum (non-Battlefront) that has an administrator that has actually fired an MG42. Footnote-CM archives February 14, 1999.

My name is Jim Boggs and I am a forumaholic. I tried a fifth of tequila and a pack of Lucky Strikes (Non-filtered), but my will was weak, (I knew I should have tried Scotch-your tip came too late Jersey John). Ladies and Gentlemen: Presenting the excellent SC Forum, chock full of good stuff. You want action-check out ZapSweden and Terif's awesome battle royale. I think I like their During Action reports better than an after action report as it creates almost a serial approach, kinda like watching Band of Brothers. I can't wait until the next update! Their posts are like the scrawling at the bottom of CNN. Great job guys. As Oliver Twist once said "Please, can I have some more?" You want discussion about variables, Allied bombing effectiveness, or ideas about enhancements to Hubert's gift to the world? Check out the numerous intelligent discussions in the various threads. You're a newbie with a question or comment? Check out Delf's and Hudson's thread and measure the excellence of the forum's responses. My personal favorite-(one which the Tequila could not stop me from acknowledging)-Check out the classic thread Chat Command. You want drama?-Check Les the Sarge's offering, in his own inimitable way, in which he actually gives praise to SC. Way to go Les!!! And finally, the reason for the Smorgasbord title (at least I think it's Swedish) is to bring Kuniworth back into the fold with a big, "You do belong here" statement. Gentlemen and Administrators: CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS EXCELLENT FORUM

LURK MODE OFF My God, did you people miss this jewel of a thread? This deserves a post of the year award. 7:14 PM-Jr Member asks question 7:17 PM-Wiley veteran answers question 7:19 PM-Jr Member responds with courteous acknowledgement FIVE (5) minutes!!! Do not ever let this thread off the front page. LURK MODE ON [ January 09, 2003, 09:28 PM: Message edited by: Jim Boggs ]

Now that the dust has settled, I need to place one more post. I do not want to leave with 13 posts on my profile, so here goes: TO MARTIN (MOON) From my reading of archived forum posts in CM, I see that you have been with Steve and Charles since at least 1999, apparently working for free to foster this excellent concept that is Battlefront. Since 2002 you have become a full time member. Your responsibility is to protect the interests of your company and if you err, you must err to the favor of the company. That is what happened in this situation. I cannot be upset with you for having this attitude. If there has been any grief brought upon you by this incident it is not from me. Your very upfront and public apology is hereby fully accepted with full understanding in your rationale. TO HUBERT CATER: Thank you for your very thoughtful e-mail. To me you are the epitome of the term "class act". In me you have a lifetime customer, (although I will turn 50 next June, so please hurry with your next game). TO JERSEY JOHN To be the first recipient of an award from Rambo is beyond my means to match. I will gladly go through life with the understanding that one day I will be part of a Trivial Pursuit question: "In 2003, SC Legend Jersey John was banned from the SC board. Who was the other guy?" Keep up your excellent work and it was indeed my pleasure to share the dungeon with you. TO THE FORUM As stated above, I am not a young kid, and my concepts of treating people with respect and courtesy apparently come across as sappy and gratuitous. I realise that times have changed and the now generation has entirely different ideas on this theme, which is beyond me to comprehend. It is for this reason that I will now bow out of this forum and return to "lurk mode".

To 82ndReady & Immer Etwas-Anybody who says that nOObs are not treated with warmth by this forum just needs to read your replies in this post. For you to take the time and effort to post such detail without screaming "Do a Search" is to be applauded and I for one wish to express my thanks. This forum is one of the best I have seen (many moons as a lurker) and you are one of the reasons it will remain #1. [ January 07, 2003, 04:48 PM: Message edited by: Jim Boggs ]

Gumbydude and Jersey John-Thanks again for your advice. As far as research goes I'll be honest, I just think it's cool to get a new upgrade for whichever research category happens to hit. Some turns you get nothing, one turn I got three in one which was really nice. To Jersey John-I read your posts regarding an organizational approach to posting which was rejected by the Board. I also have read the Forum since day one and know that you have been a Major Contributor, both in advice and humor-your loss to this community will be felt. Please though, ponder this: I am a nOOb, and this thread has been responded to by other nOObs which makes me think that this cycle of new members will continue as the word of Hubert's jewel gets out. I have nothing but respect for the guys who fought it out during development to get their ideas included in the game. From what I have read Hubert has been very forthcoming in his acknowledgement of this forum in his work. I feel that to this point my appearance on this board out of nowhere as a nOOb has been greeted with warm welcomes and some truly excellent posts by people I had not seen before on this forum and has been a truly rewarding experience of itself. Your comments about the research changes is I believe correct as Hubert has changed it to help the countries who are lagging behind in research stay competitive. Do not allow this incident with the Board to frustrate you to the point of not posting here anymore. One can state his position with passion and still bow to the inevitable "no way" in such a way as to not hurt the new people who have yet to post or buy this game. Your status as an icon of this forum was EARNED not given and it will certainly lead to disagreements, thus sparking more interest. I feel personnaly cheated when people such as yourself and the Sarge (9-1b) allow a few individuals to run you off this board. You still have a vital part to play as more and more new people come on board. In closing please, both you and Sarge- any thread or post that has my name attached is a personal invitation for you to comment. Thank you and I still LOVE THIS GAME. P.S-Tonight I will invade the Eastern Med with the Italians to see what the British are made of. Wish me luck.

Just a nOOb here so I haven't got any downloads yet, however, I am currently in a scenario in CMBO designed by Wild Bill that is the tutorial where the Germans are attacking an American AT defensive position (Fire & Maneuver) and I will say this: "I have learned more about tactics and movement playing this scenario than all the previous games and books I have played or read. The designer and play-testers have delivered an incredible gaming experience that borders on reality to the nth degree.SPOILER ALERT \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ When my halftrack hit that minefield at the start of the scenario, I was physically stunned by the explosion. When my tracks and tanks assembled en masse on the first objective, I was properly hit with continuous artillery and anti-tank fire that had me shaking my head in amazement. Whatever may NOT be said in tribute, my hat is off to all of you incredibly gifted people who take the time and effort to create such fantastic experiences for this game. As a nOOb, I am thrilled with the thought that once all the built in scenarios have been thoroughly played that there are hundreds more as well as the mods. Whatever motivation you have to continue to do this fine work-PLEASE CONTINUE. [ January 07, 2003, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: Jim Boggs ]

Hubert, I am reminded of an old Dilbert strip in which he announced to Dogbert that he was going to invent a security system for the internet that would prevent teenagers from accessing porn on the internet. Dogbert's reply was something like, "So, you are going to match your programming talents against the hormonal drive of millions of teenagers? Hmmmmm." You have created a wonderful game that is FUN to play, but the grognard world is relentless in their pursuit of perfection. Hang in there!

Sarge-I'm a nOOb here on the forum, but I have read the posts from the beginning and truly wish you would reconsider, especially as you now have the game. Coming from a wargamer background, I feel you could offer some excellent insights to the nOOb's who will continue to come aboard and seek guidance from the veterans. I feel that you are the type of individual who can offer advice and help with great patience. I also have an extensive AH background, and while the mechanics of SC are different than 3R, I have found that a lot of the feel is still there in this remarkable game. In closing I would request that you continue to play SC and enjoy, but on occaision drop by the SC Forum with some of your observations. Thanks for your time.

Welcome Kurt88 to the SC Forum-I'm a nOOb as well, so I'm no expert on this game; however I believe , if I read your post correctly, that you invaded Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria as the Axis. For what it's worth, I would recommend against this strategy as these three countries will join you voluntarily, which will give you about six-eight free units. I used the minor allies and Italy to take Yugoslavia, thereby allowing me to concentrate my build-up for the invasion of Russia with German troops. In another thread I was reminded to use all my forces which came in handy in capturing Riga, as I had totally ignored my two cruisers in the Baltic before this post. The Russian campaign, from my perspective, is very thrilling to undertake and the AI is, in my opinion, very capable. Once again Welcome to the Forum, I think you will find the people here are the best and more than willing to help. [ January 07, 2003, 11:00 AM: Message edited by: Jim Boggs ]

To JJ Rambo and Jersey John-More excellent material for the nOOb player. From the responses that people have graciously provided, I feel that I have gained some valuable insights into better handling of the troops which has enhanced my gameplay already. I finally took Riga by using one of my Baltic cruisers to attack from the sea and reduce the Soviet fortifications in support of the ground attack. The 3R tactic of encirclement seems to not play as large a role in SC, but it will still work in a long term situation if you can reduce the city's ability to reinforce after a turn or two. Jersey John you are so right about garrisons-Those partisans in Russia can really create havoc with your supply line, which has the unfortunate effect of reducing the city's status to a point you cannot place new units on them. In purchasing units, I find myself buying 2 Corps instead of 1 Army most of the time. Is this advisable? Also, in the realm of research, I have spread my funds to have 1 point in AT, AA, Jets, Industry, and Armor. I think it's cool to get the periodic updates in this random fashion. I have also begun allocating research for Italy and have 1 point in Jets and AT for now-this may be questionable. Once again I want to thank the forum members who have taken the time to share their thoughts with a nOOb and can assure each and every one of you that it is highly appreciated.

To Augustus and Fubarno-well said. I've been updating my game tonight so couldn't respond right away to your posts. Thanks guys-this is really great stuff. I've pulled back my tanks and finally took Riga, Smolensk, and Odessa, the Soviets are building up at Kharkov and have pushed me back at that point. Pulling back from Leningrad will probably cost me Finland, as the Soviets immediately attacked and are making good progress on that front. The new year (1942) will be decisive. I can't help it-This game RULES!

Black Knight-Way to go! By the way I read your last post and your first game was against THE Carl von Mannerheim-sorta like going against Randy Johnson, so don't let it bother you. Just Have Fun!

Liam-Excellent points-Thanks. You are so right about HQ's and air units. Right now my HQ's and air units are located in the wasteland between my infantry and tanks as I try to move them up to keep them in range (Same as Third Reich). Gumbydude and Sven's point about HQ's seems to very true as there is a tremendous difference between supply and readiness between units in command range and not. If I may be so bold as to post nOOb rule #1 which I learned the hard way. Please disagree if you wish: Rule #1-Always eliminate units, never try to just reduce a bunch of units, they will be rebuilt and it's a lot cheaper to rebuild. [ January 06, 2003, 04:13 PM: Message edited by: Jim Boggs ]

Sven1969-Excellent follow-up-Thanks for your input Being patient is hard-Manstein has a strong force of panzers pushing towards Moscow and claims there is nothing in front of him. My infantry is still trying to reduce Soviet hedgehogs at Kiev, Odessa, Smolensk, and Riga. My frontline has gaps between the tanks and infantry. I seem to be facing the same dilemna as OKW, should I hold my panzers and let them reinforce while finishing off the hedgehogs or go all out against a seemingly very thin Russian line with just my panzers? Did I mention that I LOVE THIS GAME.

Gumbydude-Excellent response-Thanks. Most of the forum bits I have read are very detailed in strategy, but except for a post by Rambo, I haven't seen a lot of advice on tactics. Your response that it "all depends" is exactly correct of course. Right now in Russia as the Axis I'm trying to take Riga to free up troops to reinforce my panzers who have closed on Leningrad and the defenders are putting up a very tough fight. I brought a panzer unit back in hopes of finishing off one of the corps protecting Riga only to have a "no effect" against a Level 1 Corps AAGHHH!!. God I love this game.

First Post so bear with me. To Hubert Cater: Excellent game here-I am a veteran of AH Board games from way back and SC gives me that same rush I used to get playing Third Reich. Despite different rules the FEELING I get when playing is the same. Nuff Said on that. To the Forum "pros" ie(Brianthewise, Brad Tennant, Zappsweden, JJ Rambo, and of course the incredible CVM) please be so kind as to add your pearls of wisdom to some tactical questions posed by a nOOb. When attacking cities should one hit it with air power first? Should infantry assault first? Is it better to have an armoured unit sweep around from the rear first to isolate the city? I have found that my armour has fared very poorly in attacking cities. At what level do you reinforce your units? When they reach 7? or 5? If you have a choice of hitting an enemy ship with both air and naval units, is it better to hit with air first? The AI likes to surround cities with corps to reduce the amount of access you have to the city. Should one try to eliminate these first or try for the city capture from whatever locations you can reach? I have more, but I certainly don't want to abuse my first post privilege. Anyway to all the forum posters, especially the old timers (CVM=14 yrs old incredible!!) Thanks for being here. P.S. To JJ Rambo, I know who you are: YOU ARE RAIDER FAN (Ha, Ha) [ January 06, 2003, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: Jim Boggs ]