I´ll be honest...

[alejo1968]

When I saw the price my first thought was "its overpriced"... then I also thought on the money I spent in my various modules of ASL, which is undoubtely more than 55 dollars. So I decided to try the demo.

What can I say? I instantly loved it!

Really wanted to thank you for this superb strategy game.

BTW, how many of you are ASL players? (ignore if this was discussed before)

S!!

[ChrisND]

I used to play ASL when I was a kid, but I haven't seen a game of it for about 15 years.

[Mord]

Yeah man, the bang for your buck is outstanding with the all the various CM games...Not nearly overpriced when you think about it...there's people still playing the original series from 11 years ago.

The 1:1 in CMX2 really ups the anti and immersion and with the new module concept the game will just keep refreshing itself. I've been playing CM games since 2000 and the CMX2 engine is what I longed for way back then...and it's only getting better. Stick around there is SO much cool stuff coming our way over the next couple years and beyond...WWII and war in general never looked so good.

Mord.

[Stingray]

I am also an old ASL player during the 70's and 80's. Then I switched to computer games -Midway-Up Front-Tiger's in the Mist-Steel Panthers-etc... How much things have changed.

CMBB is the game I was dreaming of at that time.

[John1966]

I'm an old ASL player and I too dreamed of something like CM.

Truth be told, I dreamed of something like CM when I was playing with my Airfix figures back in the early 70s. Didn't really know about computers then. But I dreamed of them coming to life and fighting and stuff (I was very young). I'd have wet myself if I'd realised that one day they would. This is wasted on middle-aged men....

[GreenAsJade]

The staying power of CMBN remains to be seen: it's great fun to explore, there's a fair bit that needs to be fixed before it will feel like a game I'll be playing in many year's time...

... the good news is that BFC has a track record of fixing the stuff, so I'm hopeful

GaJ

[sburke]

The staying power of CMBN remains to be seen: it's great fun to explore, there's a fair bit that needs to be fixed before it will feel like a game I'll be playing in many year's time...

... the good news is that BFC has a track record of fixing the stuff, so I'm hopeful

GaJ

Ha, you know you'll be playing it, or one of the CMx2 Family of games (Bulge or Bagration) in a few years.

[Vergeltungswaffe]

I had everything they put out for ASL up until I got CMBO in 2000. Never touched it again. BO, BB, AK, SF, and BN have just been too good, as Mord said.

[Highlander Recce]

....although I had every SL module up to GI Anvil of Victory. By the time ASL came along there was an old computer based game that was a forerunner to this sort of system. I can't even remember it's name now but it was a great little monochrome effort. There was a follow on modern version that had Brits and helicopters on the cover of the box. There was a Pacific version too.

You could do some real neat cheats with the unit editor, like transform your truck platoon into Tigers or switch weapon slots like SPWaW and have a Sherman with a hull mounted 16" gun.

[Paper Tiger]

I was an ASL fanatic up until I moved abroad to work and had to leave it all behind. I have never really missed it as CMBB filled the gap very nicely indeed.

And welcome to the community, alejo.

[MikeyD]

I recall a few years ago someone thoroughly modding one of the CMx1 games to look like ASL. Even including hex terrain.

[Michael Emrys]

Must have been Dorosh.

Michael

[Sakai007]

I played a few games of ASL at the local gaming shop (when we had those that is) but what I enjoyed so much more was a home brew set of rules using miniatures on a scale similar to CM. There was a $3 charge per day to play, and Saturdays were the day for this game, and I probably could have bought my own set of stuff for the cash I spent for admission, lol. One particular battle stands out, my first of course, as I was all of about 14 years old. It was set right after D-Day, and I was one of the Axis commanders. We were counterattacking the American beach head with Pumas, Tigers, and PzIV's supported by a reinforced company of Infantry. I commanded the platoon of Pumas and a platoon of Infantry in halftracks and my goal was to push up the right flank of the main assault, spoiling and attempt to attack from that direction. Not knowing anything at all, I rolled up using full movements with a halftrack in the lead. I lost it to a bazooka, but managed to do something fairly smart for a kid, which was to dismount the rest of my troops and attack the ambush, while pushing my Pumas right on through. A P-47 attack was called, and this I will never forget, the dice rolled 12 for the one Whirbelwind we had and the lead P-47 exploded in mid air. His wingman thought better of pressing the attack and we were safe from air attack after that. The attack was a success, and we divided the beach head. The shop owner, a Nam vet from the Kennedy time of the war, told me that during Normandy, small areas were overrun by the germans and they were able to fire 88s from Tigers at Destroyers sailing off shore providing fire support. The Tigers scored hits but the AP rounds they were firing were not having any real effect, as they were going in one side and coming out the other without exploding since the armor of the DDs hulls weren't anything like that of a tank.

The one thing that a game session of CM will never provide is that relationship that develops between wargamers in a club. I guess that's what the forums are for, but nothing really matches having beers and sodas around a table loaded with miniatures.

[Ranger33]

Sometimes I wish I lived in the pre-video game era just so I could play all these complex board games I hear about. ASL, Battletech, Warhammer 40k, all look like so much fun but I know if I bought a starter kit I would never have anyone to play with. I live in a rural area so a gaming club is not really an option.

Guess I'll just have to live with CM

OP, be sure to check out CMSF if you haven't. It's a somewhat different style of gameplay, but a lot of fun once you learn the tactics. With all the modules and downloads available it has a TON of content.

[Sgt Schultz]

Still have two large boxes full of ASL maps, counters and rule sets.

Ahh, those glorious days of yesteryear... when 2 hours of setting up was undone by a cat running across the table.

BTW, I have an great pair of old catskin gloves on ebay.

Panzer General to CMBO and never looked back.

BFC keeps a lot of older guys from playing with army men in their yards.

[slysniper]

I was into it until this game line came out, I was smart, at that time ASL and SL were in pretty high demand because no one was printing them at the time. Sold my sets for a nice amount of money. Actually sold them for more than I had paid for them, with all the modules I had. And I sold it for a reasonable price, all them years of play and it did not cost me anything.

I have all the scenario's copied, once in a while, I would set one up in the CMX1 format. I just do not have the time at the moment to make good scenario's for CMX2, but you can make anything you want. Of course, more limited now, than from the first series, but more toys are coming.

[Kuderian]

Used to play Squad Leader before the advance as a spotty schoolboy. Had a great Avalon Hill game call AMBUSH! which I thought at the time would be very suitable game for computer conversion on account of the single player punch card like instruction sleeves.

[Hessian deserter]

Welcome to CM world......I have been playing it since it's release and I still seem to learn something new every time I play it. Once you start getting a handle on it's complexities, then it's rewards really start to shine.

When I bought my first Avalon Hill board game as a teenager back in the mid 70's. I could not envision something as cool as CMBN! from the year 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alejo1968]

Thanks for the welcome,

I too remember the days when I started playing SL (+Cross of Iron and Crescendo of Doom) which was in the early 80s, then and thanks to VASSAL I knew and switched to ASL. I was absolutely happy with the boardgame, but time constraints due to work made it difficult to play it, not even to mention with a friend. Now I can do it again. Hope to get on shape soon so as to play with one of you in the near future.

BTW, GreenAsJade, you have very good stuff in your web page, was lucky to find it,

S! all

[Tread Head]

I'm off to play ASL today... CM still has some stuff to fix to get up to ASL.

[slysniper]

I'm off to play ASL today... CM still has some stuff to fix to get up to ASL.

Go for it, and ASL has plenty to get up to speed to be CM

So your tanks dont stop and shoot. give it a break. I will take that over the die roll odds of ASL compared to the level of factors that a cm shell has to go through to be a penetration. The main reason I cannot go back to board gaming is how this format provides true hidden movement to the enemy, now it also has a somewhat realistic spotting model as to seeing, targeting and shooting and other things along that lines. I also know cm has plenty of weaknesses. But comments like yours is not going to make it happen as to changes you would like to see. If you truly love ASL, that is great. But trying to compare two different beast, thinking they should be the same is not very fair. They each have their methods to try and protray the same type of thing. Both has plenty of strengths and weaknesses.

accept both for what they are, add input that can be useful to see improvements, but be accepting to some degree when they cannot just always provide every wish.

[Macisle]

I had the first SL module as a kid, but could find no players for it. When CM first came out, I got it and loved it, as it seemed to be the closest thing to that dream game that I had wanted to play, but couldn't.

Later, I found my old copy of SL in storage and that led me to getting into ASL. ASL eventually knocked out CMx1 (I had all three titles), as I felt that it was a richer game experience in the myriad of juicy game decisions available to the player.

Then, I took up a non-gaming hobby and ASL got shelved for a couple of years. During that time, I kept an eye on CMx2 development (no interest in modern, though I played the CMSF and CMA demos) and jumped right in when CMBN was released.

With CMx2 WWII, I am somewhat pained to say that my ASL hiatus is likely to be permanent. With things like squad-splitting into the various teams, CM has achieved parity or surpassed ASL in most of the ways that are important to me. And, 1:1 creates such a rich micro-level (the Hornet's Nest scenario is great for this!) experience, that for the first time, ASL seems to have a big hole when compared. A few things like re-crewing of ATGs and more detailed control of demo charges and individual AFV weapons systems remain, but these are very minor at this point. And by the time CMx3 comes along...

So, I may be selling my ASL gear (all ET modules, complete set of mounted boards, etc.) soon and will definitely be buying the coming CM modules. $55 is perhaps the most that BF can charge without too much sticker shock, but if CM is your bag, I think it's dirt cheap. If enthusiastic players were to do the math, I bet CM would end up being the most cost-effective entertainment they enjoy.

Last note, for anyone reading this thread who wants to try out ASL, it is still in production and there are starter kits. You can also play online via a system called VASSAL. If you like the board game environment, it can't be beat.

Macisle

[Mord]

. If enthusiastic players were to do the math, I bet CM would end up being the most cost-effective entertainment they enjoy.

It's probably in the tenths or even hundredths of pennies spent per hour...the beauty of CM games (and I've said this many times on these boards) are all the different ways you can enjoy it, from playing, to map creation, scenario design, mod making, mod installing, movie creation, to just loading up units and marveling at them in the editor...and probably a few things I've missed.

Mord.

[slysniper]

now if you are going to compare, that is the way to compare.

I was a little luckier than you. I found some other players, but I hated the fact that much of the time playing was spent in discussing and looking up rules and getting the player to play by the rules correctly. I hated trying to be a rule judge. It never made it easy to be friendly when you are in that enviroment. For me, CM type games are worth it for just that. no issues with the rules, what the machine gives, it gives.

I had the first SL module as a kid, but could find no players for it. When CM first came out, I got it and loved it, as it seemed to be the closest thing to that dream game that I had wanted to play, but couldn't.

Later, I found my old copy of SL in storage and that led me to getting into ASL. ASL eventually knocked out CMx1 (I had all three titles), as I felt that it was a richer game experience in the myriad of juicy game decisions available to the player.

Then, I took up a non-gaming hobby and ASL got shelved for a couple of years. During that time, I kept an eye on CMx2 development (no interest in modern, though I played the CMSF and CMA demos) and jumped right in when CMBN was released.

With CMx2 WWII, I am somewhat pained to say that my ASL hiatus is likely to be permanent. With things like squad-splitting into the various teams, CM has achieved parity or surpassed ASL in most of the ways that are important to me. And, 1:1 creates such a rich micro-level (the Hornet's Nest scenario is great for this!) experience, that for the first time, ASL seems to have a big hole when compared. A few things like re-crewing of ATGs and more detailed control of demo charges and individual AFV weapons systems remain, but these are very minor at this point. And by the time CMx3 comes along...

So, I may be selling my ASL gear (all ET modules, complete set of mounted boards, etc.) soon and will definitely be buying the coming CM modules. $55 is perhaps the most that BF can charge without too much sticker shock, but if CM is your bag, I think it's dirt cheap. If enthusiastic players were to do the math, I bet CM would end up being the most cost-effective entertainment they enjoy.

Last note, for anyone reading this thread who wants to try out ASL, it is still in production and there are starter kits. You can also play online via a system called VASSAL. If you like the board game environment, it can't be beat.

Macisle

[DaveyJJ]

Never ASL, even though I'm a tactical-level grognard from the early 1970s. Never felt that complexity = reality. Combat Commander series in my current hex and chit fix (generates great narratives), although I am a die-hard and utterly rabid Up Front fan/player (a game I consider the finest wargame ever produced). The CM series is the finest WW2 tactical game of all time, I'd argue.

Can't wait to finally get some Canadian action happening with the upcoming module; finally get some real men into CM's Normandy fray.