My Top 10 Wargames of 2022 - Favorite 2022 Games - Review & List | Historical Games
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- Опубликовано: 4 июл 2024
- I rank, review, and list my favorite tabletop wargames (historical simulations, Historical Games) that I played in 2022. What are my favorite historical conflict simulations that I played in 2022? What are my top 10 wargames of 2022?
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This review video and ranking list produced by Zilla Blitz.
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Games from
GMT Games
Fort Circle Games
Decision Games
Fortress Games
Lock 'N Load Publishing
Salt & Pepper Games
Dan Verssen Games (DVG)
Invicta Rex
Legion Wargames
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#wargaming #topwargames #bestwargames2022
My Top 10 Wargames of 2022 - Favorite 2022 Games - Review & List | Historical Games 
Игры
I played more wargames in 2022 than any year of my life. I could have almost been a content creator, but then I'd have to make a list like this. The year end sales are quite a motivator for me to play more games :).
That's great that you were able to play so much in 2022, let's hope 2023 is equally kind to both of us! And totally agree on the year end sales. :)
Good list, Zilla. If you liked D-Day at Omaha you should give one of the later games in the series a try. I just got D-Day at Saipan and it is an excellent example of how the system has evolved.
Also, no Lanzerath Ridge or Halls of Hegra? I was sure one of them would be on your list.
Yes, I have the other two Butterfield D-Day games, but not the non-Butterfield ones. I feel like I want to win Omaha at least once before moving on, and that the lessons I learn from that will help with the other two games. :)
I like both Lanzerath Ridge and Halls of Hegra, but they didn't quite make my top 10. A good number of really good games had to be left out.
Good video. Thank you for the in-depth why for each choice. #1 surprised me. But then again as you talked about it I found my self agreeing with you. I was waiting for the next video through the whole game.
Yes, #1 surprised me as well. But when I was stacking up the "fun" factor of the games, it really was the most immersive, engaging, and fun time I had last year. Really liked that one. :)
Nice job Zilla, great choice a wide variety of game periods and styles. As you say fun is the idea that links them all. Your channel is excellent!
Thanks, M J, for the kind words, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. :)
Fantastic list. Thanks so much for the kind words!
David, you deserve it!
Thanks, David, and as always, thanks for making such fun games! :)
Great list and explanation. I always enjoy your videos!
Thanks, Im ad! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
Hill of Doves is totally underrated. Such a unique game both mechanically and thematically. I also want to get back to it this year!
Loving the loves for Hill of Doves. It really is a fascinating game. :)
Great video! Your list is your list, and it's fun seeing the games you played in your video for the year! 👍
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
A great list. I haven't played any of these but I'm now interested in some of them. Thanks
Thanks, Paul! I'm glad you liked it. :)
Excellent video, again! Nothing sells like enthusiastic endorsement. I may have to pick up that Spanish solitaire game, and if I like it, I'll gift a copy to a friend who lived under Franco.
I'm really interested to see how you like Pub Battles, because a number of the points you made about why you like this game or that, are all reasons I like Pub Battles.
It's amazing how many good games are out there, today. I remember back in day when you had SPI or Avalon Hill, and that was it. I had the dream back then, that I would eventually own all the games made! 😂
Keep at the excellent video production, and here's to a great 2023!
I'm looking forward to trying out Pub Battles, and so many other games this year. I'm hopeful that this year will be another great year for wargaming for both of us. :)
For me, of the games I've seen on this channel in 2022...Silent Victory is my favorite, then Save South Vietnam, and then By Stealth & Sea..
Interesting, thanks! You are a man who likes the letter S! :)
Your enthousiasm makes me want to play these games right away!
Thanks, Arek! It's a great time for wargaming. :)
What a great list. Thank you for sharing the list and the detailed thoughts. =)
Glad you liked it!
@@ZillaBlitz very much so.
I was surprised at your top choice mainly because as a ViệT Nam veteran (rifleman, 1st Inf Div) and an experienced wargamer - I'd never heard of it.
I'm heavily into Vietnam games, mostly heavy games w a lot of chrome.
This one visually looks a bit light for my tastes but your description and the look I intrigued me so cheers I'll be giving it a try.
Also liked the sub solo game but I need to look for a pacific game version.
Good work Zill!
Thank you for your service! And thanks!
I hope you enjoy Save: South Vietnam. It's got some very good depth to it, but I wouldn't call it a heavy game with lots of chrome. I'd be interested to hear how you like it. :)
Interesting list. Nice to see Resist, really enjoy a quick 30/60 minutes. By Stealth & Sea excellent choice. Mine for this year Resist, Field Commander Rommel, Zero Leader, Combat commander Stalingrad & sea lion battle packs, Samurai Battles, Almoravid, Soldiers in Postmen's uniforms, SPQR, Holland 44 & my favourite RAF.
I also bought D-Day at Iwo Jima in the January Sales, as well as my first coin game Liberty or Death. A busy start to 2023
Wow, nice list, coyi! Lots of games in there I want to try in the upcoming year. I really want to explore Combat Commander in particular. Thanks for stopping in. I'd be curious what you think of Iwo Jima, I've not heard the most positive reports regarding the non-Butterfield D-Day games.
Thanks for the year of videos. I don't think I would have even heard of "Save South Vietnam" if not for your video(s). Thanks again.
Glad you liked it, Grumbling Grognard, thanks! It's much the same for me. I feel like I'm hearing about new wargames and new companies every week or so now. It's an amazing time for wargaming. Thanks for stopping in! :)
Great list! I don't buy a lot of wargames, but this year I acquired four - Corsair Leader, Skies Above Britain, Sherman Leader (haven't played yet), and American Tank Ace. I enjoyed everyone I played and Skies Above Britain probably takes to the top spot for 2022 for such a unique experience. The rest are still keepers.
Nice selection of games! I keep hearing positive reports about Skies above Britain, really have to get that one to the table soon. So many good games to play. :)
Have to say as a viewer my favourites this year that you have put out wargaming wise is defo By Stealth and Sea and Saving Sth Vietnam, closely followed by the Silent Victory. Great list mate!
By Stealth and Sea might be my favorite video series to create of the year. I really enjoyed shooting and making those videos. Thanks for the feedback, hoping to create many more this year. :)
Excellent list!
Thanks, Christian!
Great list and good video. Too bad Song of War wasn't funded but hopefully a relaunch in the future. Zilla its nice to see I am not the only one with a bunch of unopened games on my shelf. Keep up the good job.
Yeah, I'm hopeful for the relaunch of Song for War. That was a fun game. And yep, I have a rule that I don't take the shrink off until I either make a video for the game or play the game. :)
I don't think I've played any of these. I checked out Point Blank, but never actually played it. I have Inferno coming, but I never played Nevsky. Resist and By Stealth and Sea are definitely on my list to try.
Resist! really surprised me in how much I enjoyed it, but I feel like it's a game that really forces you to think. Fun times. But so many things to play, hard to narrow it down sometimes. :)
A thoughtful list. Tnx.
My pleasure, Nya, thanks!
What a wholesome channel
Thanks for the kind compliment! :)
Getting back into gaming after several decades away. Decision Games D-Day Omaha Beach:Beach to Bocage. Fun, easy, great way to dip my feet in that pool again. Love your enthusiasm in your videos.
Great choice to get back into things with, and lots of mileage with the game. Tons of replayability in that one. And thanks, I feel like we're living in a golden age of wargaming. So much good stuff out there. :)
I appreciate your list as a condense review of amazing games I never heard of. I played D-Day Omaha Beach digital version and agree it’s worthy of your zilla medal. After playing many wargames with solitaire focus, I learn to appreciate those that elegantly facilitate solitaire play that also offers great challenge and some semblance of strategy. John Butterworth games achieved this rare combination. I just started playing his Enemy Action Karkov and I looks like my new favorite. Exciting battles, strategic planning, and challenging A.I. Next favorite is Warfighter WWII. I especially enjoy it’s flexibility to include themes few games cover. With it’s individual soldiers and a myriad of gear, you can play in theaters not covered by other games. My third would be Combat! Volume 1. Fun but too many informational chits accumulate and creat ugly “chit sandwiches” situations where they cover too much of the aesthetics and begin to dispel the immersion. It’s A.I. decision process at times seems too random with little design to strategy otherwise I’d still have it on the table.
I totally grok your comment about too much detail (crunch) pulling you out of the immersion that is the best part of gaming. There is an art to it.
Great choices on games, and all 3 of those are on my "to-play" list for this year. Interesting on the Combat! Series, I've been looking forward to that one quite a bit too. :)
Well, didn’t know anything about Hill of Doves and know my wallet is a bit sadder but I am a happy panda. Seems totally up my alley. Thanks for another great video full of awesome suggestions!
I think you'll enjoy Hill of Doves. It does take a bit to pick up some of the subtleties of the rules, but I've really enjoyed it. Definitely a creative game that caught my attention. :)
@@ZillaBlitz the inclusion of the three aspects of war (strategic, operational and tactical) is a favorite of mine, and not so many games out there do that. It’s gotta be a winner for sure 🤗
To be fair, the strategic level is rather light, more of a scoreboard than a map intensive game, but it's still there, and there is a strategic map.
I believe that I at least qualify for the Bronze Zilla in attempting to survive a few games in "The Hunted"
Haha! Definitely! Some day soon I have to have a big cup of bravery and give The Hunted a shot.
My list is short because I really just got into the hobby early in 2022. Number one on my list is The Hunters/The Hunted, number two is Brazen Chariots Battles for Tobruk, number three is Napoleon's Last Gamble. I did play Into the Woods but found the rules really crunchy and I have to come back to it at some point. Well I called it! I said to my self that Save South Vietnam was your favorite game of the year.
The games I am looking forward to getting on the table in 2023 are: Barbarossa Army Group Center 1941, Great Battles of Julius Caesar, Musket and Pike, Hitler's Last Gamble and Victory in the West 1940. I just need to get my act together and get the rules read and start playing. I am hoping this year to finally get a copy of Silent Victory, Target for Today, Poland Defiant and I would like to get some more of the Library of Napoleonic Wars games. The rules for OSG games are really really good!
Brazen Chariots would be my #1. I played through the full campaign early in the year.
@@ThymeKeeper I put The Hunters/The Hunted number one because I played it the most this past year. I am actually going to be putting Brazen Chariots back on the table to do the whole campaign.
Wow, some great games in here! I keep hearing about Brazen Chariots, tempting!
@@ZillaBlitz Brazen Chariots would have been my number one game had I played more scenarios of it but it lost out to The Hunters/The Hunted which was my most played game last year.
The Battalion Combat System from MMP is a really good system. Not very hard to learn once you get in the swing of things and it gives you a really tense and really good experience playing solo. I use a random chit draw and man does it provide that tense feeling when you know a unit needs to be activated asap to avoid disaster but you don't draw their chit.
I actually just set up Map A to run the first scenario which is the Easter Battle 11-15 April 1941. Only five turns but its going to be fun. I intend to just play through every scenario in order before changing out to a new game which most likely will be Napoleon's Last Gamble so I can do the 100 days campaign.
I have Baptism by Fire and more recently Panzers Last Stand, so I think I can start with those, right? Or is there anything particularly compelling about Brazen Chariots?
I much prefer the way you do too 10s, games played in 2022 no matter the year of release. Wish all did this, help undiscovered gems come though and helps dampen the drive for the hotness. Doesn’t matter when came out, if it’s new to you it’s new and especially if you love it
Thanks! I'm glad you liked the format, although I can see benefits to doing them different ways too. Because I've gotten back into the hobby in the past year and a half, I have so many older games that I've yet to play, so I kind of feel like this format works for me. :)
Found you due to Second Front (which I already had, was just curious to see how others were playing/finding it.) Have a shelf full of like 100 Avalon Hill games, so had to go back and watch Rommel fire you in Afrika Korps! ;-)
I had to drag out Up Front (AH card game of Squad Leader) which is probably where that Point Blank game drew huge inspiration. (Still reading the rules, yet to try it solo to see what happens.) Also had dragged out the old ASL binder of rules to peruse--just something about all that colorful paper imparting meaning gets to me. lol
Not likely to buy any real board games again, (even though some DO look neat!), BUT, will keep an eye out for computer ones you cover in the future. And WATCH the real board games as it's interesting to see how they've evolved in components and rules over the years.
So soldier on!
Hahaha, yes, we did not do well as alter-Rommel. I learned a lot there, though. :) That's great that you're dragging out some of the older AH games, I want to bring some of those to the channel more, too. I really want to do a playthrough of Blitzkreig. :)
I'm trying to decide what PC game to play next, and thinking about Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes.
@@ZillaBlitz Ah Blitzkrieg--my FIRST 'real game' purchase! (As opposed to the Milton Bradley American Heritage ones.) It has SOOO much in it and the map was sooo cool!
Want to go back and slap my 10 year old self for thinking: I want to make my own football game, and this map is large enough to draw a field on! So I MARKED it up! Gah! The only one in my collection I defaced. youth! ;-p (Never got the football game designed, as was to be expected...)
@@pterrok5495 Hahaha. That's funny. :) If it's any consolation, a lot of those games are pretty cheaply available on Ebay and places like Noble Knight. I had a bad set of counters for my France 1940 game and got a used version with great counters from Noble Knight for under $20.
Zilla, Great list! Try these games when you have time.
RAF: The Battle of Britain 1940 Third Deluxe Printing
8th Air Force
20th Airforce
The last two are coming to kickstarter soon as boxed games with additional features (see BGG and Fortress Games site).
I had a great time playing all three. They make you think and will make you pay for victory. I lost more times than I won, but always had fun doing so.
I also agree with Stephen Lonieski's comments below, try the D-Day series games Tarawa and Peleliu if you really want the A.I. to make you work for victory. The landing turns of Tarawa really make you understand how difficult it was to attack islands.
Yes, RAF is on my Shelf of Opportunity, and I'm looking forward to the new editions of 20th Air Force and 8th Air Force. They all seem like great choices. :)
Great video. If your up for a game on rally the troops let me know
Thanks, Marc! I'm pretty much just playing The Shores of Tripoli there lately, until I play through my current backlog of games, but I'd be up for a game of that anytime. :)
@@ZillaBlitz i frequently play shores of tripoli with a friend. on a side note glad to see so many david thompson games on your list, he is a friend of mine
Oh, lucky to have such a great friend!
I haven't played alot of those...but I like Point Blank V is for Victory at 2 with a Gold Zilla - well deserved imo. By Stealth and Sea is on my want list and D-Day at Omaha is under my table waiting for some TLC.
Yes, I really have been enjoying Point Blank, and I think I'm still scratching the surface. Much more to explore. I really need to clone myself to play all the games. :)
@@ZillaBlitz haha - you know - I watched an earlier video of you Zilla (Storm Above The Reich Unboxing a year ago) and you had maybe a dozen games behind you on the shelves. Now you have all new shelving and a **** ton of games! 🙂
@@billyriley492 It's funny, from time to time I look back on older videos to see if I've improved, and to see if I've picked up any bad habits, etc. Just about 10 minutes ago I watched the Storm above the Reich video, which was the first unboxing on the channel. I did set aside some money last year to build up a collection or representative games, and this year expect to calm down a lot. :)
@ZillaBlitz yeah...we all aspire to calm down on purchases
I'm actually doing really well this year now. My goal is play what I have. Well, it's only 24 days old, but so far so good anyway. :)
Look at all those games still in shrink! Such willpower.
Haha! Yes, I set aside some money last year to get started on this, and one of my house rules is that I only break the shrinkwrap when I'm either making a video on the game or starting to play it. So there are a fair amount with shrink still on them, but the number is ... shrinking. :) Couldn't resist that one.
Long live Zilla! 😀
Hi Bob! I thought you might enjoy this one. :)
Liked 2 and 3, never heard of the others. But in 2022, all I did was make the effort to print out old SPI titles of the 70s. I miss them. I usually see a new game, then find out they want 150 bucks for a game I used to pay 30 bucks for. I'd rather spend 30 bucks at a printer making copies of old games from my youth.
I have a couple dozen old SPI titles, some in the boxes and some in envelopes, from the magazines. Some of them are dated in their gameplay, but a lot are still really fun I bet. Which ones have you been enjoying the most?
@@ZillaBlitz Impossible to say. I like the WW2 quads the most though.
Nice list, but I would call them war Boardgames.
Wait...hat and shirt from different teams? Does MLB allow that sort of thing?
Changed hats halfway through. You're a maniac :D
I have a good friend from the Boston area. If you're not touting God's team, the rest is just background noise!😆
Haha! Okay, so I shot the video at two different times, but set aside the same sweatshirt and hat so that I'd know the footage was for the same video. (I like hats, but I also use them to distinguish video clips quickly in editing.) I actually thought I had grabbed the same hat for both shootings, but now that you mention it, one was for KC and the other for the University of Kentucky. Whoops! :)
And totally agree on the Boston stuff, but yeah, I just like hats. I think that's also a Boston thing, from what people tell me. :)
Is Save South Vietnam a paper map?
Happy to help!
No, it's a thicker cardstock.
Two things: no Lanzerath Ridge, hmmm. You changed your hat in the middle.
I was just about to comment that I thought I would see Lanzerath ridge on the list
It was really hard to not include some games. I've enjoyed Lanzerath, and will be making a full review on the game soon.
Let's go Royals!
I love small market teams! Underdogs for the win. :)
Your comment on Hill of Doves. The game is not based on an obscure topic. Anyone in the British Commonwealth would be aware of the Boer War. I get it, it is not US history so why would you know? But when a conflict is taught involved approximately 20 nations it can not be described as obscure. By the way those nations represent approximately 19% of the Commonwealth.
Hmmm. Not sure I'd agree with you on that. Based on the numbers you are talking about, I think you are referring to the Second Boer War, no? I mean, that was three years long and had battles on a much larger scale. I wouldn't call that conflict obscure.
The First Boer War that this game focuses on was just a few weeks, involved a few battles on a very small scale, and ended inconclusively enough that it set the stage for its more well known ancestor. I guess I'd still feel comfortable calling the First Boer War obscure, at least from a global perspective.
I'm with Zilla here.