Wargame SITREP 25-29 ~ Basic Hoth-stility -or- frustrating games are not fun, eh?

BGG at it’s finest

At the time of writing this post, the forthcoming Star Wars: Battle of Hoth title from Days of Wonder is the #7 ranked game on the BGG Hotness. The Hotness is a reflection of how much a game is being talked about or played. For a game that is not even published yet the Hotness ranking is a sure indicator of its likely popularity.

Star Wars: Battle of Hoth takes designer Richard Borg’s Command and Colors wargame system into the Star Wars universe. Command and Colors is a very popular system here in the RockyMountainNavy Hacienda. The World War II version, Memoir ’44 is particularly popular with the RMN Boys. The new Star Wars-themed version looks exciting.

Too basic…

Alas, some BGG clientele are less-than-enthusiastic about Battle of Hoth. Here is BBG User Genagar Billy (@gengar1205) sharing their first impressions:

Hmm. So much to ponder:

• “Just finished playing the first mission… .”
• “…feels like a very stripped-down version of Memoir ’44.”
• “…lacks the depth or cinematic flair you’d expect from a Star Wars-themed Command & Colors game.”
• “Leaders are a good concept…here they just add cards to your deck…be better if we had miniatures… .”
• “…campaign system is also underwhelming.”
• “…seems like a solid game experience, but I would NOT recommend buying it unless you’re a die-hard Star Wars fan.”
• “TLDR: wait for expansions. This game is too basic at its state.”

As some other BGG Users pointed out in the response, Command & Colors fans are NOT the target audience. I have to agree for when I look at the Asmodee marketing blurbs this is what I see:

• EXCITING STAR WARS GAMEPLAY: Experience the thrill of the Battle of Hoth with this fast-paced miniatures strategy game, where you command either the Imperial Army or the Rebel Forces in an epic showdown. [“Miniatures” = Toy Factor]
• TWO PLAYER ACTION: Perfect for 2 players, this game lets you choose your side and battle in the iconic Battle of Hoth, using strategy and tactics to outmaneuver your opponent. [“iconic” = Fan Service]
• DETAILED MINIATURES: Includes high-quality, detailed miniatures representing iconic Star Wars characters, vehicles, and troops, bringing the battle to life on your game board. [But apparently not enough minis for Gengar Billy who wants more toys]
• CUSTOM DICE & STRATEGY: Use custom dice and various tactical elements to guide your army to victory, making each battle dynamic and unique with every playthrough. [Don’t mind the dice and elements of chance, this is a STRATEGY game that YOU control]
• IDEAL FOR FANS & STRATEGY ENTHUSIASTS: Perfect for Star Wars fans and those who enjoy tactical games, Battle of Hoth provides hours of immersive, competitive gameplay. [“Perfect for Star Wars fans” = TARGET AUDIENCE]

Note also that Asmodee is selling Star Wars: Battle of Hoth for $59.99. The MSRP for (the unavailable) Memoir ’44 is higher at $64.99. Given Battle of Hoth is a licensed product one could expect that the price would include a mark-up. But, somehow, Asmodee is going to charge less for Hoth than Memoir ’44. Why? The lower price almost certainly is because they expect Star Wars fans to buy it. In order to get Star Wars fans to buy the game needs to look like Star Wars and be easy to learn and play.

…and frustrating

Then there are comments from the likes of BGG User Fred Eloff (@Admiral Elson) who takes the opportunity to share their thoughts on Command & Colors writ large.

The last paragraph is so good it deserves a frisking.

“I bought Command and Colours Ancients in 2009 and me and my friends gave it a fair shake.”—The words that follow make me question their definition of “fair shake.” Does it mean they understood the game or does it mean they game did not agree with their preconceived biases?

“No one liked the base game and we ended up using house rules to fix it.”—There are many variant rules for more than a few C&C games out there. Did you try any of those?

“The first thing everyone agreed that needed to go was the card activation system. In a game you’d typically look at the board and see some good actions you could take. Then you’d look at the random cards and see some really bad options. This was frustrating, even if Borg tried to explain it away as “fog of war” or “friction” of what ever excuse he could come up with. It was frustrating, period.”—When you play a game, do you engage with the design and try to learn or listen to what it says? Or do you shut off you’re mind if it does not meet your preconceived notions of what YOU want the game to be which may be different from what the designer is saying? From what is written here I am forced to believe Fred does not engage with a designer’s vision (like so many Arcs players, but I digress) and instead seeks a narrow reflection of his own view of reality. Ironically, calling Borg’s core game mechanism “frustrating” is actually an acknowledgement that Borg’s design is a good representation of Friction and Fog of War. Alas, Fred cannot (refuses to?) see that.

“What kind of designer intentionally creates a frustrating game? You might not agree, but in my book a game actually has to be fun.”—What designer creates a frustrating game? If the frustration comes from poorly written rules then Fred may have a point. To call a game “frustrating” because you disagree with the core game mechanism is not the designer’s problem. Some people like puzzle games exactly because they are frustrating. My fun when playing a game comes from engaging with the design to see what it says and how I can manipulate the model to a goal or victory. A game is frustrating when the design goal and game mechanisms do not align with one another. That is not fun…to me.

I do not know Fred. Looking at his BGG profile and some of what he writes on BGG he comes across as the type of gamer who likes “solved” games, as in games that have a set solution where the only real challenge is finding the (hidden?) path to victory, not creating your own.

Not my style of gaming. I’ll take Battle of Hoth, please.

Temporary freeze

Originally, Star Wars: Battle of Hoth was to release at end of July. Asmodee has pushed the release date back to the end of August; not surprising since GenCon was this past week and the game was hyped at the event. I placed an order for two copies through my FLGS two weeks ago.

Why two copies? One copy is for myself and the other is for RMN Jr. My copy is for casual play with RMN T this winter as our Weekend Gaming Night resumes. The second copy for RMN Jr. is for him to take to college and play against his friends who are Star Wars fans and casual boardgamers. His gaming group is not—by any stretch of the imagination—”heavy cardboard” boardgamers and certainly not grognards; their favorite boardgames are Horrified and Abducktion. Junior plans to play The Mandalorian: Adventures against his roommate this year. From that casual boardgamer perspective Battle of Hoth is a perfect game: A title which is a somewhat casual, light-strategy boardgame using the Star Wars brand.

Nothing frustrating about it.

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Feature image courtesy Asmodee

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