These guys are great, and thier rule sets are awesome. I used What a Tanker to introduce my buddy to mini wargaming, and he had a blast. Not needing an exorbitant number of minis gives this game huge appeal. In fact, as long as I pack my 15mm tanks, I can take this to my local club, and casually introduce players to the game.
Entertaining and informative introduction vid hosted by a couple of complete and utter tankers. Certainly answered all those embarrassing questions I had about tanking, but was afraid to ask. I will be buying a copy ASAP.
I just picked this game up this past week but I've been watching videos on it for a few weeks. I have a few 28mm tanks but I'm thinking of picking up a bunch of 15mm armor, because it's cheaper, much of it is pre-assembled and sometimes pre-painted, and it's a lot more portable (and can work with a smaller table). It seems like an easy game to teach and to learn and great for pickup games at the shop (when we can get back among humanity again).
Excellent video and excellent fun game chaps! The more I play this game, the more I love it! Every time I have played a game, something new/different happens that creates real narrative and something to talk about after the game. Good 'old fashioned' fun gaming, just like it used to be before the 'point counting pedants' took over the asylum! ; )
Only just came across this video, love it! While BA and FoW are great for platoon and company size battles this seems to be a great rule set for troop sized or 1v1 battles. As an ex-tanker I love the way each dice represents a member of the tank crew and I think it puts great emphasis on what can and can go wrong during an engagement. Only watch a couple of videos and ordered me a rule set :)
Thanks very much fellas, I can’t wait to play it. As an aside; for added comedy value, it’s worth watching this video with the subtitles feature turned on. RUclips ‘s voice recognition software really can’t cope with the word “Stug”!
Nick and Rich, great intro to a fun rule set. I need to ask Nick how he managed that opening 1-2-3-4-5-6 roll to start the demo, how impressive was that? Otherwise, next time out I'd ask the demo include more on dealing with woods, buildings and terrain to show how they impact movement and create cover. Finally, watching poor Nick take all that damage simply reminded me of a standard credo of our gaming club: "some days you're just here for the amusement of others."
Does anyone think it would be possible to incorporate some of these rules into Chain of Command? It'd require a bit of thought but I think it would be very interesting to try.
Why are the firer rolls adjusted by angle of the shot and not the targeted tank rolls? For example, in my eyes it should not matter much whether a Tiger II shot would hit a M3 Stuart from the rear or the front. Please let me know your design considerations. Thanks.
You choose an extreme example. A round from aTiger II would probably destroy an M3 Stuart from any angle, as is reflected in the rules. However, almost all tanks had different armour thicknesses, usually strongest on the front, somewhat weaker on the sides and weakest to the rear. This rule reflects that. Some AFVs with particularly strong armour treat front and side armour the same, such as the Tiger I. The design considerations were based on a study of ballistic tests undertaken by all nations in WWII. The results reflect the above findings. In simple terms, it is better to fire into the side or rear armour of an enemy tank than the frontal armour.
Thank you very much for your reply! Yes, I chose an extreme example, because it usually shows the difference better. Although I understand what you are saying, it doesn't really reply to my question why the modifier was not part of the defending tank rolls. To make my point more clear I will give a fictional example: the targeted armour is 6, shooting strike strenght is 12. Shooting from the front gives and average of 4 penetrations (1/3 chance). Shooting from the rear 8 penetrations (2/3 chance). That's a 100% increase of penetration, while the defending tank rolls the same amount of dice (6). On average, the defender will save 2 (1/3 chance). So that makes 2 hits from the front versus 6 hits from the rear. In my eyes that is a big difference. The strenght 12 gun should be easily able to penetrate frontal armour of 6 and not just rear. Of course, you can lower the strenght numbers to get less in extremes, but the big difference of front versus rear stays the same. When the modifier will be applied to the defender's roll and not the firer's roll, this is what happens as an example: the firer will score 8 hits on penetration (2/3 chance). The defender will save 4 hits (2/3 chance) when attacked from the front. And when attacked from the rear 2 hits (1/3 chance). This results in 4 hits from the front versus 6 hits from the rear. When lowering the attack strenght to 6 to make it equal to the defending strenght (6), you will have those results: Modifier on firer: 0 hits from the front versus 2 hits from the rear. Modifier on defender: 0 hits from the front versus 2 hits from the rear. So what you can see from the examples when you modify the defender's roll instead of the firer's, is that a strong gun compared to the target armour value will in general score better from the front (less difference between front-side-rear), but a gun at the same strenght as the armour will stay at the same outcome.
@@PatrickvanGompel I think you are over-analysing this Patrick. It is a game, not a precise simulation of ballistics. As the system stands the probability of a kill is higher from the side than from the front. Higher from the rear than the side. You also seem to be assuming that all players will be achieving dice results each time which are in line with predictable probability. That is the case if you roll 1000 dice, but is not the case when you roll six to a dozen dice. The reason the rules are as they are is that they work like that in a fun game environment which also encourages proper WWII armoured fighting tactics to be used. That;'s what we set out to achieve and the awards the game has won does tend to confirm that we made the correct choices.
Thanks for your quick reply again. It was not my intention to downgrade this excellent game in any way. I was just interested in the design decision. I know it is not a simulation, but within the same complexity level a more realistic rule could have been implemented in my opinion. So I was just curious and wanted to know whether I overlooked something. Though, I am not assuming dice results. I was just explaining my thoughts and you can not do that with 1000 different options and examples, so I took the average. Again, it is just a detail, and doesn't take away the overall sweetness of the game. But with no clear design decision for modifying the firer's dice rolls, I am probably going to house rule this. But of course, my preference is personal and might not be what others like.
Excellent video...just validated my group here was playing things right! One quirky question; Is the "+1" to hit modifier to the die roll on a tank you've just shot at something new or a left over from CoC? I ask, as I didn't see that modifier in the rules. Thanks.
So, that Rich taking out his frustrations of his losses at Beasts of War out on Nick. I think there was some shenanigans going on there with Rich's Dice.
I have the rules and they can be played in any scale. If you get down to very small scale tanks, say 10mm or micro they recommend using centimetres instead of inches.
"More dice rolling than anything" Well, possibly so, in that the command dice you roll determine what range of choices you can make in a turn. You then manipulate those dice to achieve the best possible outcome. The challenge is that in every turn you have a different range of possibilities and a getting the best results from your tank crew is about making choices. Of course, miniatures and scenery are very important indeed. But then you knew that, you were just being a smart arse.
These guys are great, and thier rule sets are awesome. I used What a Tanker to introduce my buddy to mini wargaming, and he had a blast. Not needing an exorbitant number of minis gives this game huge appeal. In fact, as long as I pack my 15mm tanks, I can take this to my local club, and casually introduce players to the game.
The look on Nicks face when Rich had his first hits.
Entertaining and informative introduction vid hosted by a couple of complete and utter tankers. Certainly answered all those embarrassing questions I had about tanking, but was afraid to ask. I will be buying a copy ASAP.
Outstanding gents! Only played one game so far, with 8 players, but we all loved it!
Thanks Sparker. Good to see you're allowed off boats!
Great video and what a great game it seems to be.Thanks Rich and Nick
Love these videos. First the GdA and now this one. Really grabs me in my wargaming place.
Cheer gents for a great walk through. It really is a nice fast pace game and ruleset. Thanks
Bit late to the party - Bloody marvelous!
I just picked this game up this past week but I've been watching videos on it for a few weeks. I have a few 28mm tanks but I'm thinking of picking up a bunch of 15mm armor, because it's cheaper, much of it is pre-assembled and sometimes pre-painted, and it's a lot more portable (and can work with a smaller table). It seems like an easy game to teach and to learn and great for pickup games at the shop (when we can get back among humanity again).
Excellent video and excellent fun game chaps! The more I play this game, the more I love it! Every time I have played a game, something new/different happens that creates real narrative and something to talk about after the game. Good 'old fashioned' fun gaming, just like it used to be before the 'point counting pedants' took over the asylum! ; )
Excellent vid, good to see it’s polished up nicely.
Only just came across this video, love it! While BA and FoW are great for platoon and company size battles this seems to be a great rule set for troop sized or 1v1 battles. As an ex-tanker I love the way each dice represents a member of the tank crew and I think it puts great emphasis on what can and can go wrong during an engagement. Only watch a couple of videos and ordered me a rule set :)
Thanks very much fellas, I can’t wait to play it. As an aside; for added comedy value, it’s worth watching this video with the subtitles feature turned on. RUclips ‘s voice recognition software really can’t cope with the word “Stug”!
29:00 The Thousand Yard Stare
Nick and Rich, great intro to a fun rule set. I need to ask Nick how he managed that opening 1-2-3-4-5-6 roll to start the demo, how impressive was that? Otherwise, next time out I'd ask the demo include more on dealing with woods, buildings and terrain to show how they impact movement and create cover. Finally, watching poor Nick take all that damage simply reminded me of a standard credo of our gaming club: "some days you're just here for the amusement of others."
Does anyone think it would be possible to incorporate some of these rules into Chain of Command? It'd require a bit of thought but I think it would be very interesting to try.
The activation mechanic looks very interesting.
Thanks for the video, thoroughly enjoyed it cheers, good if you could make some more !
Fear not, we have more planned
Do French Tanks get 2d6 Reverse dice for each Drive dice? ;)
Awesome! Tanks for the video
I see what you did there...
I'll be buying the rulebook soon! Amazing game!
Why are the firer rolls adjusted by angle of the shot and not the targeted tank rolls? For example, in my eyes it should not matter much whether a Tiger II shot would hit a M3 Stuart from the rear or the front. Please let me know your design considerations. Thanks.
You choose an extreme example. A round from aTiger II would probably destroy an M3 Stuart from any angle, as is reflected in the rules. However, almost all tanks had different armour thicknesses, usually strongest on the front, somewhat weaker on the sides and weakest to the rear. This rule reflects that. Some AFVs with particularly strong armour treat front and side armour the same, such as the Tiger I. The design considerations were based on a study of ballistic tests undertaken by all nations in WWII. The results reflect the above findings. In simple terms, it is better to fire into the side or rear armour of an enemy tank than the frontal armour.
Thank you very much for your reply! Yes, I chose an extreme example, because it usually shows the difference better. Although I understand what you are saying, it doesn't really reply to my question why the modifier was not part of the defending tank rolls.
To make my point more clear I will give a fictional example: the targeted armour is 6, shooting strike strenght is 12. Shooting from the front gives and average of 4 penetrations (1/3 chance). Shooting from the rear 8 penetrations (2/3 chance). That's a 100% increase of penetration, while the defending tank rolls the same amount of dice (6). On average, the defender will save 2 (1/3 chance). So that makes 2 hits from the front versus 6 hits from the rear. In my eyes that is a big difference. The strenght 12 gun should be easily able to penetrate frontal armour of 6 and not just rear. Of course, you can lower the strenght numbers to get less in extremes, but the big difference of front versus rear stays the same.
When the modifier will be applied to the defender's roll and not the firer's roll, this is what happens as an example: the firer will score 8 hits on penetration (2/3 chance). The defender will save 4 hits (2/3 chance) when attacked from the front. And when attacked from the rear 2 hits (1/3 chance). This results in 4 hits from the front versus 6 hits from the rear.
When lowering the attack strenght to 6 to make it equal to the defending strenght (6), you will have those results:
Modifier on firer: 0 hits from the front versus 2 hits from the rear.
Modifier on defender: 0 hits from the front versus 2 hits from the rear.
So what you can see from the examples when you modify the defender's roll instead of the firer's, is that a strong gun compared to the target armour value will in general score better from the front (less difference between front-side-rear), but a gun at the same strenght as the armour will stay at the same outcome.
@@PatrickvanGompel I think you are over-analysing this Patrick. It is a game, not a precise simulation of ballistics. As the system stands the probability of a kill is higher from the side than from the front. Higher from the rear than the side. You also seem to be assuming that all players will be achieving dice results each time which are in line with predictable probability. That is the case if you roll 1000 dice, but is not the case when you roll six to a dozen dice. The reason the rules are as they are is that they work like that in a fun game environment which also encourages proper WWII armoured fighting tactics to be used. That;'s what we set out to achieve and the awards the game has won does tend to confirm that we made the correct choices.
Thanks for your quick reply again. It was not my intention to downgrade this excellent game in any way. I was just interested in the design decision. I know it is not a simulation, but within the same complexity level a more realistic rule could have been implemented in my opinion. So I was just curious and wanted to know whether I overlooked something.
Though, I am not assuming dice results. I was just explaining my thoughts and you can not do that with 1000 different options and examples, so I took the average.
Again, it is just a detail, and doesn't take away the overall sweetness of the game. But with no clear design decision for modifying the firer's dice rolls, I am probably going to house rule this. But of course, my preference is personal and might not be what others like.
Sold!!!!
Thanks so much for posting
Excellent video...just validated my group here was playing things right! One quirky question; Is the "+1" to hit modifier to the die roll on a tank you've just shot at something new or a left over from CoC? I ask, as I didn't see that modifier in the rules. Thanks.
I think Rich got a little over zealous there, as you say. Check page 38 of the rules.
I really want to use these rules for a mecha themed game.
Looks like lots of fun
You rolled a large straight right off the bat! You would be great at Yahtzee. Thanks for the video.
What a great video. Nick didnt stand a chance lol.
So, that Rich taking out his frustrations of his losses at Beasts of War out on Nick. I think there was some shenanigans going on there with Rich's Dice.
What tanks do you use or scale and how do you know the stats for the tanks is there a card or is it in the rules on all tanks?
Need new videos, this game needs more coverage!
very interested in game guys,
Great Video! Looks like you played in 25/28mm scale. Do the rules cover use of 15mm tanks?
I have the rules and they can be played in any scale. If you get down to very small scale tanks, say 10mm or micro they recommend using centimetres instead of inches.
They certainly do. I've just order lots of toys for the western desert in 15mm
Thanks! Have to put these rules on my "must get" list!
That's all we've got time for, so it's "What a Tanker " from me. nick
And it's "What a Tanker" from him Rich . Both: What a Tanker!
In the heat of action did you forget to use your bonus tanker cards? Oh well, you'll just have to do another vid! Lucky us :-)
We did indeed. And I could have used one to get my StuG moving. Ho hum. Don't make films when you have man flu is the moral of the story...
More dice rolling than anything. Doesit even need miniatures or scenery?
"More dice rolling than anything" Well, possibly so, in that the command dice you roll determine what range of choices you can make in a turn. You then manipulate those dice to achieve the best possible outcome. The challenge is that in every turn you have a different range of possibilities and a getting the best results from your tank crew is about making choices. Of course, miniatures and scenery are very important indeed. But then you knew that, you were just being a smart arse.