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Old 09-16-2017, 05:48 AM   #2
sparky00
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Parma, OH
Default Re: September 16, 2017: Ogre Invades .*.*. Indiana University?!

I'm not sure if Ogre qualifies as one of the earliest wargames, but IMHO it is definitely one of the best. Ever.
I played many wargames - Blue & Grey, Luftwaffe, Wooden Ships & Iron Men, Cross of Iron, endless scenarios of Squad Leader, massive Civil War games with whole armies of 15MM figures, etc.
I enjoyed all of them, but none were as good as Ogre. They all had massive, intricate rulesets, complex, multi-phase turns that took forever and required hours ( days, weeks) to play. At times they were downright tedious.
Ogre always retained its simple ruleset, fast play & excellent balance. One could play a scenario in an hour or less, so it was easy to try out different strategies & tactics. The significant chance component always kept things interesting. The very definition of the wargame.
Its great to see Ogre being used to teach game design, as its one of the best designed games ever (that's why it still has fanatical fans after 40 years). I've always believed that Ogre deserved a bigger player base than it has had (the "historical" strategy guys scoff at it) and this exposure is certainly a step in that direction.
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