impressions...

[Major Adler]

I said I would give it a chance...have played around 8 games now...

1) the game system is not bad...just a bit aukward with rolling all those dice...I would think all the defense stats vs. attack stats. at various ranges could have been tricked out and a 20 sided die used to roll...

2) the maps are a joke...awfull...

3) some of the vehicles are very poorly sculpted...the "UBER" M-18 , the Tiger's turret is all wrong , the 6 pdr. (it had split trails like the Pak38...right?)...to mention 3 of the 10...

it is a fun game...it is not a historical minis game...the maps need a complete overhaul...why WOTC did not contract one of the Japanese companies to make their vehicles and soldiers in N-gage is beyound me - most of the dies for a huge selection of vehicles are already made...

WOTC will have to step-up and get things right for the second expansion...like ALL vehicles historically sculpted IN 15MM...and much improved maps...or this game is going to fizzle...

I will play it...but I am not going to invest in it or collect it as things stand right now...

Adler...out.....................

[VFults]

I'm very pleased with AAM. The game plays fast, the rules are clear, and each game I've played has been FUN! I don't understand the complaints about rolling too many dice, but then I've played Games Workshop games where it's possible to roll 20 dice at a time. Overall, this game is a winner.

Now, we come to the constructive criticism.

The maps:
I know they were made in four double-sided panels so that the game could have a lot of flexiblity right out of the box. However, I think a series of scenario booklets should be considered, each containing a single, full-sized, double-sided map. This would increase the variation in terrain, enable theater-specific games, and end the gripes about how the four panels of the starter map keep sliding apart.

The miniatures:
The infantry figures are exactly what I expected for this game; well-sculpted with decent to excellent paint jobs. The tanks are also well-painted and sculpted. However, the decision to not include front and/or rear panels on some of the tanks to represent their undercarriage is unforgivable. Excellent models like the rare Panther are marred by this defect yet the uncommon M3 Stuart not only has the front/rear panels but a completely enclosed underbody! The primary offenders are:

M18 Hellcat: no rear panel
Both Shermans: partial rear panels
sIG 33: partial rear panel
Crusader II: no front/rear panel
KV-1: partial front panel
Tiger I: no front panel
Panther: no front panel. Compare to the Jagdpanther; that has a front panel!

These are RARES, people, and should get above average attention to detail. The decision to not add a few cents of plastic to the front/rear of the vehicles cheapens their appearance, IMHO.

That said, I'm looking forward to future expansions. WOTC has shown that they try to increase the quality of their releases in the DDM and SWM game lines, and I'm sure that AAM will be no different in that regard.

Regards,

V

[DocD]

You may want to rethink those paint jobs Fults. Take a look at them from arm length and you will see what I mean.

[fenyan]

why WOTC did not contract one of the Japanese companies to make their vehicles and soldiers in N-gage is beyound me - most of the dies for a huge selection of vehicles are already made...


Good to hear you gave it a chance, a lot more than a lot of those naysayers out there. I agree that the Takara and Can Do models are excellent and reasonably priced.

[VFults]

You may want to rethink those paint jobs Fults. Take a look at them from arm length and you will see what I mean.

Please clarify what you mean. I own the miniatures and I've looked at them from up close, arm's length, and from the table top. The quality of the paint jobs are pretty much the WOTC standard. Not perfect but decent and in some cases excellent.

Regards,

V

[Dorb]

Minis - B
Maps - D
Yet to play, waiting for the troops to arrive.(so far only starter)

[CdtWeasel]

A 5 year old with 10 min of painting instruction could paint minis this well. Even the 'rare' tanks aren't given much more attention or painting than the common and uncommons. I'm a bit worried as the second set of SWM had some of the worst paint jobs of the set. Granted the second set was probably most its way through production while the first was being produced. Same is probably true of this game, wont see any 'gripes' addressed till the 3rd set.

[Rob Irwin]

My biggest gripe with the paint jobs is that sometimes entire panels (which are obviously out of range with the production line's spray paint), are just left in their base colour. Hard to see when playing, but when examining the mini in its own right, it's glaring.

[agashamirv]

2) the maps are a joke...awfull...

WOTC will have to step-up and get things right for the second expansion...like ALL vehicles historically sculpted IN 15MM...and much improved maps...or this game is going to fizzle...

Adler...out.....................

Care to elaborate on what's wrong with the maps?

As for the fizzle, I doubt it.

People are talking about shortages in Europe, Our local shop has almost sold out, 3 days after the game is out. They would be sold out, but my buddy and I decided not to buy much in the first shipment so other players could get into the game.

I think this one's going to be around few a few years at least, unless they royaly screw the pooch (mechwhat).

[Rob Irwin]

This one's definitely going to hang around, as it has a w-i-d-e field of interest, from hardcore WWII gamers, to guys who have never played a historically based wargame before, but are intrigued by the prepainted tanks, etc.

[Danyel Phelps]

The selection of the units to sculpt was terrible. I can understand that this game isn't at all realistic and I would prefer for people to know and acknowledge this.

However, they make the PAK 38 and 6pdr AT guns comparable, when this is just not the cast at all. They could have just as easily made a PAK 40 AT gun to be the counter part of the 6pdr. The 6pdr was a damn good gun, the PAK 38 wasn't. The fact they have similar stats is almost insulting.

The game then has all of it's vehicles in different scales. I mean come on; the M18 is larger than the Easy Eight. That's ridiculous. The two tanks also had the exact same gun, yet the M18 looks like it's totting a 150mm powerhouse.

I was impressed with the quality of the hulls. Paint jobs aren't the best but they're better than I thought they would be. The tanks are sturdy and stable. I thought these would be dinky green army toys. What doesn't impress me is how they made the cannons flexible. I ended up with an Easy Eight that had its gun bent 90 degrees in the packaging because the guns are frail.

I would have preferred the map sections to have been rolled, not folded.

However, the rules are fun to play by and I like the collectable nature of the game. This game is like playing Battlefield 1942 on a table top.

[skeevo666]

The selection of the units to sculpt was terrible. I can understand that this game isn't at all realistic and I would prefer for people to know and acknowledge this.

Considering this comment is in everything you post (in fact, sometimes it's the only thing you post) you're well on the way to getting the word out :rolleyes:



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[Rob Irwin]

LOL... gotta admit, you had me nodding my head there :)

[Danyel Phelps]

Considering this comment is in everything you post (in fact, sometimes it's the only thing you post) you're well on the way to getting the word out :rolleyes:



.
Considering that this thread asks my (and everyone else's) oppinion (correct me if i'm wrong,) I would say i'm more than justified.

However, that is only my take from my obviously very poor understanding of the English language. :rolleyes:

Fact of the matter is that I, 90% of the time, only post in response to others. Usualy if I do say that the game is unrealistic, it's because someone is saying otherwise or wondering why something is pictured a certian way if the game is supposed to be accurate.

[panzerfaust666]

Have already posted an essay on a similar named thread.

In brief:

1) love the game, love the scale, love the minis...

2) Dont like maps, but thats easily sorted out

3) Hate having 2 italian/ 2 french/ 4 Soviet minis...either run with a force or don't. These small armies are pointless, and would be best left to expansions.

4) Will carry on buying as long as they don't mess up expansions. Eastern front sounds good, but I hear romanian/ cavalry/ chineses troops in the next...again small obscure units...where most people will be playing us/ uk/ soviet vs germany/ japan. I fully apreciate that there were more countries than just the big five, but too many armies will make collecting (with the whole random thing) a real pain.

[skeevo666]

Considering that this thread asks my (and everyone else's) oppinion (correct me if i'm wrong,)

The initial post is someone stating their impressions, not soliciting them from others (like that would stop you on yr crusade :rolleyes: )

There's no question mark after the word "Impressions" nor is Major Adler asking if people agree or disagree with his impressions.


Fact of the matter is that I, 90% of the time, only post in response to others. Usualy if I do say that the game is unrealistic, it's because someone is saying otherwise or wondering why something is pictured a certian way if the game is supposed to be accurate.

It hardly matters if you post in response or on yr own . . . it's the same boring rigamarole. We get it, move on (or away preferably)

And as far as yr signature is concerned . . . arguing on the internet is like being in the Special Olympics: Even if you should win, you're still retarded :p



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[bsmith13]

I am having fun playing the game. Here are my suggestions:

1. Find a scale and stick to it. The M18 (bigger than the Sherman) and the Panther (bigger than the Tiger) are two notable scale failures.

2. Painting. Make the Germans grey, the Brits khaki brown and the Americans olive drab. In other words, pay a little more attention to historical uniform colors.

2. Game boards instead of mats would be a nice option, maybe in a premium starter set like the one in the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith miniature set.