I've only just found these products, but I love the gameplay mechanics, smooth speed of play, great sense or narrative and the tactical decision making, without being bogged down by excess tables. I watched mission 2 of Fields of Normandy 2 before this video and liked that very much. I've always been a solo wargamer and would write small narrative scenarios, with simple game mechanics of D6s, and simple encounter tables called " 5 guys on patrol". Just 5 model figures trying to get across an area of random scenery, and me deciding what they can do, what decisions they can make etc. I had more fun with games like that, and games like you are making, than I did with big elaborate detailed systems.
Hi Mike! Three days ago, I'd never heard of your games. Then the channel "Ricky Royal" showcased your Solitaire English Civil War game (obviously published after this video). Ricky filmed an excellent 3 video playthough and I was hooked immediately. So enamoured was I that I went on Amazon and bought all eight of your games! I can be guilty of such recklessness but I think it's going to be worth it. I'm pretty long in the tooth and find it difficult to learn rules these days but on the basis of this video and Ricky's play through, the rules seem concise and clear which is much appreciated. I've immediately subscribed to your channel and am off now to give your games a plug on Ricky's channel. Anyone else reading this and curious, hop on over to Ricky's channel. I've been subscribed to him for a decade and his content is the best I've seen anywhere!
I’ve played about half the battles in the Battles of Medieval Britain book. The book is excellent! Battles play in about 20 minutes and require thought to win- if you win. I got counters from Boardgamegeek and using those enhanced the experience as well. Picked up Beaches for the Brave and look forward to playing that. Great job with these books!
Looks like a good format for someone who travels and wants to think/play through a scenario or even create your own using the small maps that are open to use or develop your own conflict...I like the concept and I am anxious to try it/them.
I own all your books except for Bastogne, and plan to get that one soon. I'm in love with these games. Simple, quick, yet still a lot of tactical thinking needed to play well, given how much randomness there is with the dice. Brilliant stuff. I've been working through "Battles of Medieval Britain" and finally lost on mission 4 where you have to kill King Harold. Those pikemen are sure a pain in the rear. I sent my last unit, the cavalry, in a suicide run straight up to the King with one attack chance, and I failed. The King killed me directly after. I shall return! So much fun. Thank you so much for making these games. I hope you have more books to come.
Very nice overview! I have had all six for a couple of months and its so great to have one for each occasion. If I may give some input on my personal experience on a few of them: Bastogne and Battles of Normandy are my favorite for some “serious” business. For me they are at the same level of many “boxed” tabletop war games. Beaches of the brave is my go to when I am looking for a quick fix. When you learn the combos its just so addictive and the maps offer all the variations you need.
Thanks for posting. Following a review on The Solo Wargamer channel, I have picked up three of these (Medieval, Vietnam and Bastogne) and am happy with the purchase. Simple but not totally trivial. I hope you enjoy the success you deserve.
Hey Mike are any of these available to buy PDF? I'm fine with buying the book but I like to have printed out maps that I sleeve and can pop in and out of a 3ring binder. Thanks love the books/games!
They are only available as books I'm afraid, but on BoardGameGeek.com you will find many of my games have the maps available in the Files section to download. Some even have alternatives created by the gaming community.
I've had a good time with Ghosts of the Jungle and haven't played every mission yet. I've played the first three or four over and over and continue to get different plays sometimes leading to pretty intense missions! I use 15mm Vietnam minis and they work well on the maps. Plan on purchasing a book a month and using my 1/285 micro armor for the wwii games. Listen, for $14.00 US you cannot beat these games for value! Quite nice work Mike!
Hi Mike. I just picked up The Fields Of Normandy and have greatly enjoyed playing the first couple missions. I did have one question that doesn’t seem to be addressed in the rule book…when a german force is uncovered from “behind” (i.e., from on top) I know it faces the adjacent British force, but is that the only hex in its Fire Zone or are the 2 on either side of it also under attack? Thanks!
Nice overview. The first one I purchased was the Hostage Rescue Squad. I think the next one will be The Race to Bastogne. I think I could use 3mm WW2 miniature tanks on the hex maps.
Hi Mike - what is the deal with you new Hostage Rescue Squad game? Amazon shows the release date as June 12, but is is still unavailable for purchase as of 6/17/2022. When will this be available for purchase, please?
It doesn’t really matter as none of them is overly complex. The Fields of Normandy is a good starter if you are new to wargaming but other than that, just pick the theme which interests you the most. Thanks.
Helpful, Insightful video, Mike. I’m eager to try out your games.Regarding the dimensions of your first book - can you not reformat and republish the book in Amazon’s KDP? Anyway, Keep them coming!
I could yes, but there is no real need. It was designed to fit the size it is, so redesigning won't really add anything. And yes, I'll keep them coming!
Hi Mike. I recently bought Fields of Normandy - thee first book of yours that I bought. I Love it and I know I'll be getting all the others one by one. I'm not an experienced wargamer at all. To my eyes, from your video all your books look like they're of a similar difficulty to FoN or at most not much trickier to grasp. Would you say that's right? If so I'd probably go for Medieval Battles next as the theme really appeals to me. But I was wondering perhaps you might think one of the others might be a better intermediate step. It doesn't really matter, I suppose, since I'm going to end up getting them all anyway, but still I'm also interested in your thoughts on it. Also as a PS: the version of FoN I have has a much improved look/design over the version in the video I'd say. Certainly much more than "slightly".
Thanks for your kind comments. I’d say Battles of Medieval Britain would be a great next book for you based on what you say. The Race for Bastogne is also similar to Fields of Normandy but is more about tanks than infantry. Some of the others are quite different in how they play so check out my playthrough videos before you decide. Battles of Normandy has a slightly more complex AI so you might want to leave that one for a while. And thanks for the comment on the graphic design - I have certainly been developing my skills in that respect 😊
@@mikelambosolitairebookgames Thanks very much for the quick reply. I've ordered BoMB and thought I'd have a punt at Beaches for the Brave too. Why not?
I’ve just ordered Fields and Bastogne. Lookin’ forward to giving them a try (almost certainly with miniatures). From what I’ve seen it looks like they’ll give nice & quick games, but still requiring a fair bit of decision making.Good stuff. Any likelihood of any WW2 Eastern Front games?
You've hit the nail on the head there - exactly right in terms of how they play. I'm sure they will give you a decent challenge. In terms of Eastern Front, it is not one I'm looking at presently, but I'm sure I'll get round to it soon enough - maybe the Battle of Stalingrad. Thanks for your support.
Hey great video! Looks like a lot of very fun games! I'm on Disability and I can't afford to get more than 1 at the moment. I was wondering which are your favorites. Also, would you recommend any other solitaire wargames that are board games? Thank you for your time. Edit: When I wrote the above comment, I didn't know you had other videos about these games --its gonna be a lot of fun watching these videos! And I didn't know, but you wrote these instruction books for Mr. Lambo? This is just my first video, but from the looks of it you really wrote in a very clear and concisex and easy to understand manner. You should start another RUclips Channel about writing Instructions for various PC games and what not. Many games don't even have them anymore. If they have any they are nowhere near as good as this one!
Thanks. In fact I am Mike Lambo - I design, write and self-publish all my own games as well as make videos about them to help people decide which are best for them and to show how to play them. In terms of other solitaire war board games, there are hundreds of great games. If you are on Facebook, I suggest you join the Solitaire Wargames group as that covers loads of games. It's hard for me to recommend any particular game as there are so many covering many different topics and using many different designs and levels of complexity. However, games by DVG tend to be good, and pretty beginner friendly. Board games are quite a bit more expensive than my book games though. Cheers.
@@mikelambosolitairebookgames Oh wow, sorry about that --didn't know you were him. Yeah, looks like you did a great job! I'm going to watch a few more of your vids and see which one I like. And thanks for the Facebook Suggestion, I will join today or tomorrow. Merry Christmas!
I think the format should attempt North Africa, Eastern Front (WWII), Korea, Roman, and some ancient Asian Scenario's as well. I suppose the format could work well with Fantasy and Sci-Fi concepts as well. Look forward to them...Reminds me of SPI's intro game they developed as a solo introduction to wargaming. Better then the SOLO Portfolio Games, which are good but not as compact as what you are offering....
Back in the day SPI made a solo game called "Time Tripper" where a Nam soldier turned his radio into a time machine that dumped him into battles across history.. It was more random than this but a lot of fun as you had to collect your equpment while dodging the people in the area
Thanks for the question. Yes. If an enemy unit activates and has a clear hex in front of it, it will sometimes move into that hex and take up a new facing. Cheers.
First, I first found your channel a day ago, ordered the English Civil War game, which is coming tomorrow. So I'm sold. The constant flipping back and forth is a nervous tick. Very annoying. Lots of wasted time as well. If I like ECW, this video ought to be useful in deciding my next book.
Still waiting for some naval campaigns! Let's get some battlewagons and dreadnoughts slugging it out!
American Civil War battles would be nice
This is the video I needed to see. A good, concise overview of your various books helps a lot. Thank you, Mike!
You’re welcome. Glad you found it useful.
I've only just found these products, but I love the gameplay mechanics, smooth speed of play, great sense or narrative and the tactical decision making, without being bogged down by excess tables. I watched mission 2 of Fields of Normandy 2 before this video and liked that very much. I've always been a solo wargamer and would write small narrative scenarios, with simple game mechanics of D6s, and simple encounter tables called " 5 guys on patrol". Just 5 model figures trying to get across an area of random scenery, and me deciding what they can do, what decisions they can make etc. I had more fun with games like that, and games like you are making, than I did with big elaborate detailed systems.
Thanks, you sum up perfectly what my games are about and what they are trying to achieve.
AAn excellent summary!
Hi Mike! Three days ago, I'd never heard of your games. Then the channel "Ricky Royal" showcased your Solitaire English Civil War game (obviously published after this video). Ricky filmed an excellent 3 video playthough and I was hooked immediately. So enamoured was I that I went on Amazon and bought all eight of your games! I can be guilty of such recklessness but I think it's going to be worth it. I'm pretty long in the tooth and find it difficult to learn rules these days but on the basis of this video and Ricky's play through, the rules seem concise and clear which is much appreciated. I've immediately subscribed to your channel and am off now to give your games a plug on Ricky's channel.
Anyone else reading this and curious, hop on over to Ricky's channel. I've been subscribed to him for a decade and his content is the best I've seen anywhere!
Thank you for your fantastic support - it's very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy the games.
I’ve played about half the battles in the Battles of Medieval Britain book. The book is excellent! Battles play in about 20 minutes and require thought to win- if you win. I got counters from Boardgamegeek and using those enhanced the experience as well. Picked up Beaches for the Brave and look forward to playing that. Great job with these books!
Thanks. Enjoy Beaches…. it’s tough!
Got beaches of the brave. Very nice. I'm looking forward to getting the others.
Haven't tried any of these - but may well do soon. I like the way these books are all different and not just "more of the same" regurgitations.
Thanks - some have similarities but yes, all are quite different.
Your imagination and creativity is amazing!
Thank you; that's very kind.
Looks like a good format for someone who travels and wants to think/play through a scenario or even create your own using the small maps that are open to use or develop your own conflict...I like the concept and I am anxious to try it/them.
First! Thanks for this overview of your first six war-game books!!! It is very interesting to see the "evolution" of your WW2 games. Well done!
Thank you!
I own all your books except for Bastogne, and plan to get that one soon. I'm in love with these games. Simple, quick, yet still a lot of tactical thinking needed to play well, given how much randomness there is with the dice. Brilliant stuff. I've been working through "Battles of Medieval Britain" and finally lost on mission 4 where you have to kill King Harold. Those pikemen are sure a pain in the rear. I sent my last unit, the cavalry, in a suicide run straight up to the King with one attack chance, and I failed. The King killed me directly after. I shall return! So much fun.
Thank you so much for making these games. I hope you have more books to come.
Thanks - so pleased you are getting a lot of enjoyment from them. And yes, more to come!
Very nice overview! I have had all six for a couple of months and its so great to have one for each occasion.
If I may give some input on my personal experience on a few of them: Bastogne and Battles of Normandy are my favorite for some “serious” business. For me they are at the same level of many “boxed” tabletop war games.
Beaches of the brave is my go to when I am looking for a quick fix. When you learn the combos its just so addictive and the maps offer all the variations you need.
Thanks as ever, Giuliano 👍
Thanks for posting.
Following a review on The Solo Wargamer channel, I have picked up three of these (Medieval, Vietnam and Bastogne) and am happy with the purchase. Simple but not totally trivial.
I hope you enjoy the success you deserve.
Thanks Peter, appreciate it.
I own Lone Sherman and plan to obtain more. Amazon is a great retailer to get these games.
Thanks - appreciate it.
Hey Mike are any of these available to buy PDF? I'm fine with buying the book but I like to have printed out maps that I sleeve and can pop in and out of a 3ring binder. Thanks love the books/games!
They are only available as books I'm afraid, but on BoardGameGeek.com you will find many of my games have the maps available in the Files section to download. Some even have alternatives created by the gaming community.
I've had a good time with Ghosts of the Jungle and haven't played every mission yet. I've played the first three or four over and over and continue to get different plays sometimes leading to pretty intense missions! I use 15mm Vietnam minis and they work well on the maps. Plan on purchasing a book a month and using my 1/285 micro armor for the wwii games. Listen, for $14.00 US you cannot beat these games for value! Quite nice work Mike!
Thank you for your kind comments. Glad you're enjoying it!
Hi Mike. I just picked up The Fields Of Normandy and have greatly enjoyed playing the first couple missions. I did have one question that doesn’t seem to be addressed in the rule book…when a german force is uncovered from “behind” (i.e., from on top) I know it faces the adjacent British force, but is that the only hex in its Fire Zone or are the 2 on either side of it also under attack? Thanks!
Hi. Yes, the usual rules apply….its Fire Zone will be the hex it is facing and the two on either side. Good luck!
Nice overview. The first one I purchased was the Hostage Rescue Squad. I think the next one will be The Race to Bastogne. I think I could use 3mm WW2 miniature tanks on the hex maps.
Thanks, and yes, I'm sure that would work 👍
Hi Mike - what is the deal with you new Hostage Rescue Squad game? Amazon shows the release date as June 12, but is is still unavailable for purchase as of 6/17/2022.
When will this be available for purchase, please?
Thanks for asking. It will be very soon. I just had to apply some final polish. Any day now.... Amazon are just giving final approval. Cheers.
Never tried games like these. I’m very interested in them for sure. Do you recommend playing these in order?
It doesn’t really matter as none of them is overly complex. The Fields of Normandy is a good starter if you are new to wargaming but other than that, just pick the theme which interests you the most. Thanks.
Amazing stuff. Make more!
Have done and will do!! 👍🙂
Helpful, Insightful video, Mike. I’m eager to try out your games.Regarding the dimensions of your first book - can you not reformat and republish the book in Amazon’s KDP? Anyway, Keep them coming!
I could yes, but there is no real need. It was designed to fit the size it is, so redesigning won't really add anything. And yes, I'll keep them coming!
@@mikelambosolitairebookgames Understood. Thanks, Mike!
Can we have the same but with science fiction theme like battle of BASTOGNE please
It's certainly something I've been thinking about. I'm sure I'll get round to it... Thanks
Hi Mike.
I recently bought Fields of Normandy - thee first book of yours that I bought. I Love it and I know I'll be getting all the others one by one.
I'm not an experienced wargamer at all. To my eyes, from your video all your books look like they're of a similar difficulty to FoN or at most not much trickier to grasp. Would you say that's right?
If so I'd probably go for Medieval Battles next as the theme really appeals to me.
But I was wondering perhaps you might think one of the others might be a better intermediate step.
It doesn't really matter, I suppose, since I'm going to end up getting them all anyway, but still I'm also interested in your thoughts on it.
Also as a PS: the version of FoN I have has a much improved look/design over the version in the video I'd say. Certainly much more than "slightly".
Thanks for your kind comments. I’d say Battles of Medieval Britain would be a great next book for you based on what you say. The Race for Bastogne is also similar to Fields of Normandy but is more about tanks than infantry. Some of the others are quite different in how they play so check out my playthrough videos before you decide. Battles of Normandy has a slightly more complex AI so you might want to leave that one for a while. And thanks for the comment on the graphic design - I have certainly been developing my skills in that respect 😊
@@mikelambosolitairebookgames Thanks very much for the quick reply. I've ordered BoMB and thought I'd have a punt at Beaches for the Brave too. Why not?
@@getbentlarsen5409 Why not indeed?! Thanks and hope you enjoy them 😄
I’ve just ordered Fields and Bastogne. Lookin’ forward to giving them a try (almost certainly with miniatures). From what I’ve seen it looks like they’ll give nice & quick games, but still requiring a fair bit of decision making.Good stuff.
Any likelihood of any WW2 Eastern Front games?
You've hit the nail on the head there - exactly right in terms of how they play. I'm sure they will give you a decent challenge. In terms of Eastern Front, it is not one I'm looking at presently, but I'm sure I'll get round to it soon enough - maybe the Battle of Stalingrad. Thanks for your support.
is this also available as a PDF, so I can print-n-play? The location I live in these books are not available (Asia)
Sorry, mainly Amazon, although if you Google it there are a few other providers that might help. I assume you have tried Amazon.jp.
Any thoughts towards some Ancients battles? Or the Crusades?
Yes, I do like the idea of an ancients game. The Crusades are not something I know a great deal about but I’d never say never.
Hey great video! Looks like a lot of very fun games!
I'm on Disability and I can't afford to get more than 1 at the moment. I was wondering which are your favorites. Also, would you recommend any other solitaire wargames that are board games? Thank you for your time.
Edit:
When I wrote the above comment, I didn't know you had other videos about these games --its gonna be a lot of fun watching these videos! And I didn't know, but you wrote these instruction books for Mr. Lambo? This is just my first video, but from the looks of it you really wrote in a very clear and concisex and easy to understand manner. You should start another RUclips Channel about writing Instructions for various PC games and what not. Many games don't even have them anymore. If they have any they are nowhere near as good as this one!
Thanks. In fact I am Mike Lambo - I design, write and self-publish all my own games as well as make videos about them to help people decide which are best for them and to show how to play them.
In terms of other solitaire war board games, there are hundreds of great games. If you are on Facebook, I suggest you join the Solitaire Wargames group as that covers loads of games. It's hard for me to recommend any particular game as there are so many covering many different topics and using many different designs and levels of complexity. However, games by DVG tend to be good, and pretty beginner friendly. Board games are quite a bit more expensive than my book games though. Cheers.
@@mikelambosolitairebookgames Oh wow, sorry about that --didn't know you were him. Yeah, looks like you did a great job! I'm going to watch a few more of your vids and see which one I like. And thanks for the Facebook Suggestion, I will join today or tomorrow. Merry Christmas!
@@g4340 Absolutely no need to apologise. Hope you find one you like, and thanks 😊
I think the format should attempt North Africa, Eastern Front (WWII), Korea, Roman, and some ancient Asian Scenario's as well. I suppose the format could work well with Fantasy and Sci-Fi concepts as well. Look forward to them...Reminds me of SPI's intro game they developed as a solo introduction to wargaming. Better then the SOLO Portfolio Games, which are good but not as compact as what you are offering....
Thanks and yes, I have an ever-growing list of ideas, requests and suggestions for future games!!
Back in the day SPI made a solo game called "Time Tripper" where a Nam soldier turned his radio into a time machine that dumped him into battles across history.. It was more random than this but a lot of fun as you had to collect your equpment while dodging the people in the area
I'm going to try them.
Thanks!
Does Bastogne feature mobile enemies?
Thanks for the question. Yes. If an enemy unit activates and has a clear hex in front of it, it will sometimes move into that hex and take up a new facing. Cheers.
whats your mailing addrss
You can contact me on Facebook or via email - see the about section on here.
Is there any chances to buy all your games in a bundle?
Only individually I’m afraid. Thanks.
First, I first found your channel a day ago, ordered the English Civil War game, which is coming tomorrow. So I'm sold.
The constant flipping back and forth is a nervous tick. Very annoying. Lots of wasted time as well. If I like ECW, this video ought to be useful in deciding my next book.
Thanks
Any Napoleonics Books in progress ? 😜
Not yet but it’s a period I’m interested in so I may well get to it soon! Cheers 👍
I’d love Napoleonics as well.
Sorry too simple for my taste. Keep trying as we all have different tastes.
Yeah these aren’t made for folks looking for complex games. As you say, we all have different tastes and my customers love these. Cheers.