July 2006 Play It!

Armchair General

What is "Play It"?

Each issue of Armchair General magazine features articles taken from a variety of periods of history, often showcasing unique situations, leaders, and battles.  We felt it was only natural to link these articles with war and strategy titles in PC gaming and boardgaming so you (the reader) can explore the articles in more depth.  Many fans of military history and gaming will attest to the power of seeing history play out before their eyes in the form of a game.  We believe this as well. 

We hope you find something that is of interest to you.  Beginning in the July 2006 edition, each issue will feature selected game titles so you can Play It! 

How They Fought: Normandy Paratroopers on D-Day

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An abundance of wargame scenarios exist for paratrooper landings and fighting on D-Day, 1944, including Activision’s Call of Duty; Battlefront’s Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord, "La Fiere"; HPS’s Squad Battles: Eagles Strike, "Good Soldiers, All"; and Matrix Games’ great "Mega-Campaign: Screaming Eagles" for Steel Panthers: World at War.

Combat! Hedgerow Hell! Normandy, 1944

Relive history – experience this historical situation in a wargame! Some low-level tactical scenarios portraying this type of action can be found in HPS’s Squad Battles: Eagles Strike, "Purple Heart Draw"; and in Battlefront’s Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord, "Blood and Bocage" and "Painful Progress."

Games Referenced:

Call of Duty (Activision) is a First Person Shooter set in World War II.  It features action on D-Day. What we recommend: This is an older title, but an excellent one.  If you want to participate in several campaigns as the Western Allies in World War II, this game will not disappoint. Play It!

Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord (Battlefront) is a tactical combat game with simultaneous turn resolution. What we recommend: The Combat Mission series is a great way to learn the finer points of squad and vehicle based fighting in WW2.  Tank battles can be especially fierce! Play It!

Eagles Strike (HPS Simulations) is part of the award-winning tactical level game system by John Tiller. What we recommend: Players typically control several squad sized elements and possibly several vehicles in each scenario.  It has 30 scenarios covering the fighting by the Americans from D-Day through the Bulge and beyond. Play It!

Steel Panthers: World At War (Matrix Games) is a tactical level, World War II era, historical wargame. What we recommend: This game has amazing detail of tactical combat, a dedicated community, and historical campaigns – giving the game extreme versatility. Play It!