Hey everyone! I hope you liked the video. If you did, I'd love to think I earned your subscription. It really helps me to get more of these great games to show off! You can also help by subscribing to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/wargaminghansen
Another series of games that is not hard to get into is the "Combat" games from Compass Games. It is a much more modern approach to the old "Ambush" series of games. Well worth investing in.
Nodded my head when you mentioned Hornet Leader. Great solitaire game, plenty decision making, and encompasses the basics of the wonderful Leader series without the extra rules and such of later titles in the series. Good gateway into all the DVG games in general.
My thoughts exactly. Hornet Leader isn't even my "favorite" Leader game, but in my opinion it is easily the best for a new wargamer. Some of the newer Leader games just have so much content included they can be overwhelming. Not a BAD thing, just something to be aware of.
My pleasure Herm. You have put out some fantastic designs, and I love telling people about them. Oh, and my favorite bourbons are Four Roses, Larceny (ironic for me, I know), and Gentlemen Jack. Nothing too top shelf for this working man, but I can easily recommend all three.
@@WayneHansen Thanks! Four Roses seems to show up on everyone's list, so that's my next purchase. I've also heard of Larceny and the label and name have a cool back story. I'll check out Gentleman Jack. All the best!
Another great video,I did purchase Zero Leader(You made me do it:))...Maybe one to add might be one of the Defense Series Games from David Thompson like Pavlov's House or maybe Undaunted Normady...On another side note Wayne,I hope you decide to do one on Atlantic Chase(Unboxing/Playthrough)...Great Game!
David I hope you enjoy Zero Leader. You'll have to let us know how you like it! Good call on Pavlov's House, although I don't believe Undaunted Normandy is actually a solitaire game. Does it even play well solo? Hmm, I've never played it myself. As for Atlantic Chase, I'd love to, but I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy.
@@WayneHansen You're right on Normandy but I do think the solitaire expansion "Reinforcements" is coming out to be compatable with both additions of Normandy and North Africa for solitaire play.
Nice review. Like a lot of Dan's Games. Never played war games until about 2 yrs ago. Now seems to be the only ones that I am picking up now. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Greg! And I covered various time periods on purpose. I do wish I had included a WW2 game in there, but hey, that gives me an excuse for another video down the road!
Nicely done! Solo games have helped to keep me playing once I got back into gaming almost 4 years ago. Some of my favorites. 1. GMT. Hunters/Silent Victory/Beneath the Med/The Hunted(try this after the others). 2. Compass. Night fighter Ace/Devil Boats/Interceptor Ace/Amerika Bomber 3. Legion. Picket Duty/B-29 + expansion Hell Over Korea. Yes I know basically all World War II but that's what the vast majority of all the game types that I own, Over 50%.
Bunch of great games there Charles. Well, Devil Boats is an unrefined garbage can of a game, but yeah the rest of those are actually some of my favorites!
@@WayneHansen on the three or four missions that I've run I never saw any Japanese except for a couple planes. Weather messed with my PT boats more than the Japanese did. FYI Compass has two follow-on torpedo boat games. Schnell(German) and Dog boats(British). I've got preorders for Compass for Defending America(July), Interceptor Ace 2 and Spitfire Ace. Going to wait on their Western front ace World War 1 and the American tank ace until I see more. Rumor too of a destroyer game... Legion has a pre-order for B-26, The Mauraders Strikes. And possible add-on expansions. Rumors Legion is doing a mosquito fleet game.
A bunch of those games look great Charles, and I've even preordered some of them or I will end up doing so. The next Interceptor Ace, Spitfire Ace, also I'll take a chance on Tank Ace, etc. And definitely looking forward to B-26 Maurader Strikes from Legion.
@@WayneHansen I've gotten to be a bit of an impulse buyer. Noble Knight games sent me an email and Thursday was the last day of a sale and clearance so I've got some mini tanks coming in and one box game and six ziplock games coming in. No will power. A bit over the $149...free shipping baby... Overall probably save est. $75++. Bargains are always good.
on a serious point good stuff for bringing new people into the hobby top class Wayne well done thanks for you're hard work and videos But you did leave out 1985 Under an Iron Sky 😇
Haha, well spoiler alert, that's the star game of my next video! Top Wargames to Burn Your Brain. Under an Iron Sky, Campaigns of North Africa, World in Flames, and a few others.
@@WayneHansen I cant wait One mans dream game community.consimworld.com/post/the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of-one-man-s-quest-for-his-dream-game-60d1f7490eee491652427e47
TfT and Nightfighter Ace are excellent games Dennis (no experience with Napoleon at War). Not sure I'd recommend them to new wargamers however. Maybe Nightfighter Ace or its sequel Interceptor Ace. I have several Interceptor Ace videos on the channel for those interested.
@@WayneHansen - Napoleon at war is not a complex game, but it has some fun and interesting mechanics. I have seen every video you've produced. Good work. Even chucking the Game that Cannot Be Named into the garbage was GREAT.
I’d have to agree with Hornet Leader and I would add another DVG war game, Warfighter Modern for its huge variety and replay ability or Warfighter WWII if you prefer that era. Choosing your soldiers, missions, objectives, gear and skills and then actually trying to complete it with your choices is an absolute blast!
Great game system Rocky, and a decent choice for beginners. I'd say on the more complicated side for a newbie, but nothing a dedicated gamer can't learn and play. I'd also suggest starting with just the core box and skipping any expansions until you've played the core box a few times and know you want more content.
@@WayneHansen I have the physical copy of Warfighter WWII (I meant to get Modern but I ordered the wrong one) and I recently purchased Warfighter Modern Vassal ($40 and it comes with the base game and Expansions 1-47 on a tabletop simulator called Vassal) and these were my 1st War Games and I have to say there was a little learning curve, but with all the tutorials online I was zipping through my first game and am having troubles not sinking all my spare time into them. I’m loving them and they really scratch the squad combat itch (similar to Hornet Leader scratching the squadron air campaign itch) and I recommend both. Great videos!
I am sure that these are great games but they would not be my personal choice for a first time solo wargamer. A couple are very expensive for someone who has never played a wargame before and they may not want to invest that much for something they may not ultimately enjoy. For me a better value option would be something like Decision Games Mini or Folio Series - cheap to buy, easy to play, decent choice of scenarios from different eras and a good introduction to some of the basic concepts of wargames.
I'd rather recommend what I consider an excellent game (the three I talked about) over something that is only ok. And the nice thing about most wargames, these included, is they hold their value fairly well. Pick up a used copy, if you don't like it, resell it to someone else. You'll only be out the cost of shipping.
I’ll pass on the Leader games, but In Magnificent Style is a good pick. The Hollandspiele solo titles are good choices, too. Too many recent solo designs are so process heavy and cumbersome that they take way too much effort to get into and just aren’t fun at all. That’s why I’m getting back into States of Siege for a quick narrative solo fix.
I know there are some people who enjoy heavy solo games. I get requests to cover the D-Day games from Butterfield and others like it. For me personally however, I usually prefer the lighter to medium weight. When I'm playing by myself I don't want to spend hours just playing one turn, or days learning the rules. If the rules are too heavy or complicated, I end up arguing about them... and when playing solo, that can get a little weird 😉
Wayne, the Butterfield D-Day designs do have a high learning curve - i actually learned Omaha Beach by playing FTF co-op with a buddy. However, they are a very rich experience! If you ever get into them, avoid Iwo Jima (it’s not Butterfield and thus is the typical DG misfire).
This video came at a good time! New subscriber this week as well as have never played a war game, though I did just order my first one yesterday! Wouod you be able to do a top 3 for beginners for like ww2 or civil war?
Hey murph! Thanks for the subscription. What game did you order? And the top 3 for beginners focusing on a specific genre is a great idea. I'll add it to the, admittedly long, list of video ideas 😁
@@WayneHansen haha no problem look forward to it! But I ordered The Mission from White Dog Games. The theme really sounded awesome and unique from my early research!
@@murph-4 An excellent game from the maestro of solitaire wargames, R. Ben Madison. He has put out a lot of great games. And I've covered many of them on my channel.
Thanks for the recommendation, but to be fair I need to point out that as of this video being published it's not a true solitaire game. You have to play both sides yourself. For this video I wanted to focus on true solitaire games that are designed to be played solo.
@@WayneHansen good point. In my mind I was thinking that Fort Sumter is one of those good games to “transition” people from Eurogames to Wargames. I wasn’t even considering solo, my bad!
Oh! Top 5 "as of" 2021... for some reason I read that as Top 5 "of" 2021. My bad! Yes, an all time list would be pretty fun. I'll have to add that to the list of video ideas. Fair warning, the list is huge lol
Thanks Ken! Well unfortunately a few years ago some of my hair decided to stop growing in right, so I had to start investing in razors. Now I'm #teambald lol
I think your videos are excellent. But the absence of hex and counter wargames is uncomfortable to say the least. I have seen a huge shift in historical wargaming from simulations with lots of historical data/research towards pure (fun) gaming elements over the last 2 decades and quite frankly those data less wargames were never the reason why we (or I) ever started historical wargaming. This trend has been reinforced by the elephant in the room of board gaming:BGG . No longer do you find OOB’s and TOE’s or data driven info in these wargames (like the old Panzerleader series for example), but now you play a game of … deck building with a thin military theme over it. Such things as Line of Sight, area control, Mil orders of battle are replaced with mostly euro mechanics. Now I am NOT saying these newer wargames are not fun… but you don’t learn anything about a conflict (mostly). And that was exactly the trigger for my 4 decades of wargame simulation play… An old Avalon Hill editorial put it correctly: the moment a wargame stops being a believable simulation for its player, it stops being useful for that player and just becomes an entertainment game. So yes it depends purely on how a certain player perceives his wargame, but the moment it ceases to give insight into a conflict it stops being relevant as a simulation for that player. Of the 3 games mentioned, the first is a kind of adventure game with a management system behind it, while the last is a pure State of Siege game of which there are about 18 in a dozen these days. Greatly praised in the time of Victory Point games and now done to death by every designer on the block for easely created solo “experiences”. The in between is a push your luck game - an old Victory Point game too - from a great designer btw, but frankly not a simulation at all. So where are the The Russian Campaigns or Afrika Korps or Conflict of Heroes of today? Surely a mere 6 pages of rules in TRC are not too hard either while STILL learning about Zones of Control, Breakthrough movement, supply status and production workers… I understand people want fun wargames, but frankly recruitment of wargamers is a complete different ball game than playing euro mechanics. BGG had sooooo much influence in this hobby, that miniatures wargames risk to be the ONLY data driven simulations starter players have these days. It is so odd that almost any miniature wargamer knows perfectly the difference between a Panzer IVD or a Panzer IVF1 while the starting board wargamer is met with the silhoutte of “a tank” on a counter. Of course it is NOT all black and white and YES there are a LOT of historical wargames that are not hex/counter wargames too (like Up Front or Breakout Normandy etc)… but at least mentioning the core basics of where historical wargaming came from should at the very least be mentioned. Thanks for listening/reading… 😀
Just played a few games of Soviet Dawn. A very simple and enjoyable CDG game played in under 45 minutes. Can anyone recommend a game of equal complexity? would Stilicho fit the bill?
Stilicho is definitely more complicated than Soviet Dawn. Most of the recently released states of siege style games like them have upped the complexity. Soviet Dawn is easily the most simple of them, which it is a rerelease of an older game, so that makes sense.
It's rare for a hex and counter wargame to be a true solitaire game, as opposed to you having to play both sides. Not impossible of course, see the D-Day games from John Butterfield. But I would never recommend his games to a new player anyway!
DVG has some of the best customer service in the business. They send missing charts, rulebooks, and countersheets on request, no need to pay for shipping. That includes to overseas customers. I've seen it countless times. They aren't perfect, and some of their recent games have had too much errata when first released, but they always fix the issue for people.
Hey everyone! I hope you liked the video. If you did, I'd love to think I earned your subscription. It really helps me to get more of these great games to show off! You can also help by subscribing to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/wargaminghansen
Another series of games that is not hard to get into is the "Combat" games from Compass Games. It is a much more modern approach to the old "Ambush" series of games. Well worth investing in.
Thanks for the recommendations. I am not a new wargamer, just a reborn one... =) In Magnificent Style is now on my list.
Nodded my head when you mentioned Hornet Leader. Great solitaire game, plenty decision making, and encompasses the basics of the wonderful Leader series without the extra rules and such of later titles in the series. Good gateway into all the DVG games in general.
My thoughts exactly. Hornet Leader isn't even my "favorite" Leader game, but in my opinion it is easily the best for a new wargamer. Some of the newer Leader games just have so much content included they can be overwhelming. Not a BAD thing, just something to be aware of.
The Mission is my favourite. Thanks for the list
Thanks so much Wayne!
My pleasure Herm. You have put out some fantastic designs, and I love telling people about them. Oh, and my favorite bourbons are Four Roses, Larceny (ironic for me, I know), and Gentlemen Jack. Nothing too top shelf for this working man, but I can easily recommend all three.
@@WayneHansen Thanks! Four Roses seems to show up on everyone's list, so that's my next purchase. I've also heard of Larceny and the label and name have a cool back story. I'll check out Gentleman Jack. All the best!
Another great video,I did purchase Zero Leader(You made me do it:))...Maybe one to add might be one of the Defense Series Games from David Thompson like Pavlov's House or maybe Undaunted Normady...On another side note Wayne,I hope you decide to do one on Atlantic Chase(Unboxing/Playthrough)...Great Game!
David I hope you enjoy Zero Leader. You'll have to let us know how you like it! Good call on Pavlov's House, although I don't believe Undaunted Normandy is actually a solitaire game. Does it even play well solo? Hmm, I've never played it myself. As for Atlantic Chase, I'd love to, but I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy.
@@WayneHansen You're right on Normandy but I do think the solitaire expansion "Reinforcements" is coming out to be compatable with both additions of Normandy and North Africa for solitaire play.
Very nice! I had no idea there was an expansion coming that adds solo play. Looks like those games are going to hit my list of games to acquire.
Nice review. Like a lot of Dan's Games. Never played war games until about 2 yrs ago. Now seems to be the only ones that I am picking up now. Keep up the great work.
Thank you! Glad to see more people playing wargames.
Nice selection. I agree that what you chose make great intro games for people. I really like that you picked a selection across various time periods.
Thank you Greg! And I covered various time periods on purpose. I do wish I had included a WW2 game in there, but hey, that gives me an excuse for another video down the road!
One of the first games I got when I started wargaming game was phantom leader
Another great video. The solo Wargames that drew me in were: Island of the damned wake & peleliu, phantom leader and Rifles in the Ardennes.
All three excellent solo Wargames! Rifles being the easiest and lightest of those, then Islands of the Damned, and finally Phantom Leader Deluxe.
Excellent choices and even better video -- nice work!
I appreciate the kind words my friend.
Nicely done!
Solo games have helped to keep me playing once I got back into gaming almost 4 years ago. Some of my favorites.
1. GMT. Hunters/Silent Victory/Beneath the Med/The Hunted(try this after the others).
2. Compass. Night fighter Ace/Devil Boats/Interceptor Ace/Amerika Bomber
3. Legion. Picket Duty/B-29 + expansion Hell Over Korea.
Yes I know basically all World War II but that's what the vast majority of all the game types that I own, Over 50%.
Bunch of great games there Charles. Well, Devil Boats is an unrefined garbage can of a game, but yeah the rest of those are actually some of my favorites!
@@WayneHansen on the three or four missions that I've run I never saw any Japanese except for a couple planes. Weather messed with my PT boats more than the Japanese did.
FYI
Compass has two follow-on torpedo boat games. Schnell(German) and Dog boats(British).
I've got preorders for Compass for Defending America(July), Interceptor Ace 2 and Spitfire Ace.
Going to wait on their Western front ace World War 1 and the American tank ace until I see more.
Rumor too of a destroyer game...
Legion has a pre-order for B-26, The Mauraders Strikes. And possible add-on expansions.
Rumors Legion is doing a mosquito fleet game.
A bunch of those games look great Charles, and I've even preordered some of them or I will end up doing so. The next Interceptor Ace, Spitfire Ace, also I'll take a chance on Tank Ace, etc. And definitely looking forward to B-26 Maurader Strikes from Legion.
@@WayneHansen I've gotten to be a bit of an impulse buyer. Noble Knight games sent me an email and Thursday was the last day of a sale and clearance so I've got some mini tanks coming in and one box game and six ziplock games coming in. No will power. A bit over the $149...free shipping baby... Overall probably save est. $75++.
Bargains are always good.
on a serious point good stuff for bringing new people into the hobby top class Wayne well done thanks for you're hard work and videos
But you did leave out 1985 Under an Iron Sky 😇
Haha, well spoiler alert, that's the star game of my next video! Top Wargames to Burn Your Brain. Under an Iron Sky, Campaigns of North Africa, World in Flames, and a few others.
@@WayneHansen
I cant wait One mans dream game community.consimworld.com/post/the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of-one-man-s-quest-for-his-dream-game-60d1f7490eee491652427e47
I would add Target for Today, Nightfighter Ace, and especially Napoleon at War.
TfT and Nightfighter Ace are excellent games Dennis (no experience with Napoleon at War). Not sure I'd recommend them to new wargamers however. Maybe Nightfighter Ace or its sequel Interceptor Ace. I have several Interceptor Ace videos on the channel for those interested.
@@WayneHansen - Napoleon at war is not a complex game, but it has some fun and interesting mechanics. I have seen every video you've produced. Good work. Even chucking the Game that Cannot Be Named into the garbage was GREAT.
Haha thanks man! I really appreciate the support.
I’d have to agree with Hornet Leader and I would add another DVG war game, Warfighter Modern for its huge variety and replay ability or Warfighter WWII if you prefer that era. Choosing your soldiers, missions, objectives, gear and skills and then actually trying to complete it with your choices is an absolute blast!
Great game system Rocky, and a decent choice for beginners. I'd say on the more complicated side for a newbie, but nothing a dedicated gamer can't learn and play. I'd also suggest starting with just the core box and skipping any expansions until you've played the core box a few times and know you want more content.
@@WayneHansen I have the physical copy of Warfighter WWII (I meant to get Modern but I ordered the wrong one) and I recently purchased Warfighter Modern Vassal ($40 and it comes with the base game and Expansions 1-47 on a tabletop simulator called Vassal) and these were my 1st War Games and I have to say there was a little learning curve, but with all the tutorials online I was zipping through my first game and am having troubles not sinking all my spare time into them. I’m loving them and they really scratch the squad combat itch (similar to Hornet Leader scratching the squadron air campaign itch) and I recommend both. Great videos!
I am sure that these are great games but they would not be my personal choice for a first time solo wargamer. A couple are very expensive for someone who has never played a wargame before and they may not want to invest that much for something they may not ultimately enjoy. For me a better value option would be something like Decision Games Mini or Folio Series - cheap to buy, easy to play, decent choice of scenarios from different eras and a good introduction to some of the basic concepts of wargames.
I'd rather recommend what I consider an excellent game (the three I talked about) over something that is only ok. And the nice thing about most wargames, these included, is they hold their value fairly well. Pick up a used copy, if you don't like it, resell it to someone else. You'll only be out the cost of shipping.
I’ll pass on the Leader games, but In Magnificent Style is a good pick. The Hollandspiele solo titles are good choices, too. Too many recent solo designs are so process heavy and cumbersome that they take way too much effort to get into and just aren’t fun at all. That’s why I’m getting back into States of Siege for a quick narrative solo fix.
I know there are some people who enjoy heavy solo games. I get requests to cover the D-Day games from Butterfield and others like it. For me personally however, I usually prefer the lighter to medium weight. When I'm playing by myself I don't want to spend hours just playing one turn, or days learning the rules. If the rules are too heavy or complicated, I end up arguing about them... and when playing solo, that can get a little weird 😉
Wayne, the Butterfield D-Day designs do have a high learning curve - i actually learned Omaha Beach by playing FTF co-op with a buddy. However, they are a very rich experience! If you ever get into them, avoid Iwo Jima (it’s not Butterfield and thus is the typical DG misfire).
This video came at a good time! New subscriber this week as well as have never played a war game, though I did just order my first one yesterday! Wouod you be able to do a top 3 for beginners for like ww2 or civil war?
Hey murph! Thanks for the subscription. What game did you order? And the top 3 for beginners focusing on a specific genre is a great idea. I'll add it to the, admittedly long, list of video ideas 😁
@@WayneHansen haha no problem look forward to it! But I ordered The Mission from White Dog Games. The theme really sounded awesome and unique from my early research!
@@murph-4 An excellent game from the maestro of solitaire wargames, R. Ben Madison. He has put out a lot of great games. And I've covered many of them on my channel.
@@WayneHansen cool looking forward to playing and will look thru your older videos for more of his games then, thanks!
some good ideas here
I sure think so!
Fort Sumter by Mark Herman is another fun and quick introductory type game.
Thanks for the recommendation, but to be fair I need to point out that as of this video being published it's not a true solitaire game. You have to play both sides yourself. For this video I wanted to focus on true solitaire games that are designed to be played solo.
@@WayneHansen good point. In my mind I was thinking that Fort Sumter is one of those good games to “transition” people from Eurogames to Wargames. I wasn’t even considering solo, my bad!
Good for a group though, as you point out. Or, well, for two players lol
excellent video, could you do a top 5 as of 2021 too?
Absolutely. I did my Top 6 of 2020 in I think January or February? Anyway, I'll likely do the same again for this year!
@@WayneHansen yup i watched it, but wanted to know your all time list :)
Oh! Top 5 "as of" 2021... for some reason I read that as Top 5 "of" 2021. My bad! Yes, an all time list would be pretty fun. I'll have to add that to the list of video ideas. Fair warning, the list is huge lol
@@WayneHansen make it, we'll watch it! :)
Hey Wayne where is your hair dude? lol Another great video. Keep up the good work and grow some hair bud.
Thanks Ken! Well unfortunately a few years ago some of my hair decided to stop growing in right, so I had to start investing in razors. Now I'm #teambald lol
I think your videos are excellent.
But the absence of hex and counter wargames is uncomfortable to say the least. I have seen a huge shift in historical wargaming from simulations with lots of historical data/research towards pure (fun) gaming elements over the last 2 decades and quite frankly those data less wargames were never the reason why we (or I) ever started historical wargaming.
This trend has been reinforced by the elephant in the room of board gaming:BGG . No longer do you find OOB’s and TOE’s or data driven info in these wargames (like the old Panzerleader series for example), but now you play a game of … deck building with a thin military theme over it.
Such things as Line of Sight, area control, Mil orders of battle are replaced with mostly euro mechanics.
Now I am NOT saying these newer wargames are not fun… but you don’t learn anything about a conflict (mostly).
And that was exactly the trigger for my 4 decades of wargame simulation play…
An old Avalon Hill editorial put it correctly: the moment a wargame stops being a believable simulation for its player, it stops being useful for that player and just becomes an entertainment game.
So yes it depends purely on how a certain player perceives his wargame, but the moment it ceases to give insight into a conflict it stops being relevant as a simulation for that player.
Of the 3 games mentioned, the first is a kind of adventure game with a management system behind it, while the last is a pure State of Siege game of which there are about 18 in a dozen these days. Greatly praised in the time of Victory Point games and now done to death by every designer on the block for easely created solo “experiences”. The in between is a push your luck game - an old Victory Point game too - from a great designer btw, but frankly not a simulation at all.
So where are the The Russian Campaigns or Afrika Korps or Conflict of Heroes of today? Surely a mere 6 pages of rules in TRC are not too hard either while STILL learning about Zones of Control, Breakthrough movement, supply status and production workers…
I understand people want fun wargames, but frankly recruitment of wargamers is a complete different ball game than playing euro mechanics.
BGG had sooooo much influence in this hobby, that miniatures wargames risk to be the ONLY data driven simulations starter players have these days. It is so odd that almost any miniature wargamer knows perfectly the difference between a Panzer IVD or a Panzer IVF1 while the starting board wargamer is met with the silhoutte of “a tank” on a counter.
Of course it is NOT all black and white and YES there are a LOT of historical wargames that are not hex/counter wargames too (like Up Front or Breakout Normandy etc)… but at least mentioning the core basics of where historical wargaming came from should at the very least be mentioned.
Thanks for listening/reading… 😀
Eagle in the Snow
Just played a few games of Soviet Dawn. A very simple and enjoyable CDG game played in under 45 minutes. Can anyone recommend a game of equal complexity? would Stilicho fit the bill?
Stilicho is definitely more complicated than Soviet Dawn. Most of the recently released states of siege style games like them have upped the complexity. Soviet Dawn is easily the most simple of them, which it is a rerelease of an older game, so that makes sense.
I tried to play B17 flight leader but the rules get me
It's possibly the most complicated Leader game, at least in my opinion. I know the 2nd edition rulebook is better than the first one.
I feel the list is missing a proper hex-and-counter wargame.
It's rare for a hex and counter wargame to be a true solitaire game, as opposed to you having to play both sides. Not impossible of course, see the D-Day games from John Butterfield. But I would never recommend his games to a new player anyway!
Dvg ships games missing decks and counter sheets and does nothing to help. I threw 4 games in the trash.
DVG has some of the best customer service in the business. They send missing charts, rulebooks, and countersheets on request, no need to pay for shipping. That includes to overseas customers. I've seen it countless times. They aren't perfect, and some of their recent games have had too much errata when first released, but they always fix the issue for people.
Don't buy their stuff. They need to really get their quality control issues fixed. Their Fantasy Warfighter Kickstarter was a complete DISASTER!💥