Sunday, December 14, 2008

ISO a good boardgame for my father-in-law

Hello my dear readers,

I apologize in advance for this open and somewhat off-topic request, but I trust your indulgence and broad knowledge of everything-wargaming as I work on my Christmas list…

My wife suggested that, as a present for my father-in-law, we look into a military boardgame. I have been concentrating on miniatures for two decades now, and my Avalon Hill days are long gone, so I am not really sure what to look at. My father in law is a retired high school principal, with a keen interested in American history, in particular AWI and ACW. He never played wargames before, but he seemed genuinely interested to my gaming hobby. I do not expect him to pick up brushes and miniatures, hence the idea to proceed with a boardgame first. Ideally, I'd love to find a game with the following features:

a. good/high solitaire playability;
b. very good historical background;
c. medium complexity: something engaging for an adult, not too simplistic yet not too overwhelmingly complex;
d. focus on the American War of Independence or the American Civil War.

I am sure that, out there, there must be a "present day" AH "1776"… I just don't know where to look. Any suggestion & recommendation will be greatly appreciated – and hey, if any winning idea will come, I'll buy you a drink at Historicon!

Thanks in advance!

2 comments:

CWT said...

Hi - I'd recommend 'A House Divided' by Phalanx games. It's a strategic-level ACW game, playable in a single evening once you've got the hang of it, and quite good fun. the website boardgamegeek will have details.

It's very well produced, with nice counters, good artwork, etc. Plus there's two rules booklets - one with simple basic rules, and an additional set of optional/advanced rules if you want to go into greater complexity.

CWT

Conrad Kinch said...

Might I recommend Clash for a Continent by Worthington Games or its worthy successor For Honour and Glory, which deal with the American War of Independance/Seven Years War and the War of 1812 respectively.

They're good, medium complexity games with a short playing time.