2020 Charles S Roberts Awards

[bayonetbrant]

The Charlies....
Winners are in GREEN


Ancients to Medieval Board Wargames

• Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul (GMT)
• Men of Iron Battles Tri-pack: Men of Iron, Infidel, Blood & Roses (GMT)
• Stilicho: Last of the Romans (Hollandspiele)
• The First Jihad: The Rise of Islam 632-750 (White Dog Games)
• The Mission: Early Christianity from the Crucifixion to the Crusades (White Dog Games)

Early Gunpowder Board Wargames

• Commands & Colors Tricorne: Jacobite Rising  (Compass Games)
• Imperial Struggle (GMT)
• The Conquistadors: The Spanish Conquest of the Americas 1518-1548 (Compass Games)
• The Great Crisis of Frederick II (VUCA Simulations)
• This War Without an Enemy (Nuts! Publishing)

Napoleonic Era Board Wargames

• Dawn's Early Light: The War of 1812 (Compass Games)
• Napoleon 1807 (Shakos)
• Napoleon's Wheel (OSG)
• The Shores of Tripoli (Fort Circle Games)
• War & Peace: A Game of the Napoleonic Wars (One Small Step)

Late Gunpowder Board Wargames

• Dawn of Empire: The Spanish American Naval War in the Atlantic, 1898 (Compass Games)
• Freedom! (Phalanx)
• Into the Lion's Mouth: The Second Anglo-Sikh War 1848-1849 (White Dog Games)
• La Belle Epoque (Aleph Games Studio)
• Red Sun, Blue Cross (Bonsai Games)

American Civil War Era Board Wargames

• Chancellorsville 1863 (Worthington)
• Shiloh 1862 (Worthington)
• Shiloh: First Day (Lumaca)
• Cedar Mountain 1862 (Vae Victis)

WWI Era Board Wargames

• 1918/1919: Storm in the West (GMT)
• All Bridges Burning: Red Revolt and White Guard in Finland 1917-1918 (GMT)
• An Attrition of Souls (Compass Games)
• Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno (Fellowship of Simulations)
• Versailles 1919 (GMT)

WW2 Era Board Wargames

• A Time for Trumpets (GMT)
• From Salerno to Rome Dissimula Edizioni
• Hungarian Rhapsody: The Eastern Front in Hungary (MMP)
• The Jaws of Victory: Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket – January/February 1944  (New England Simulations)
• White Eagle Defiant: Poland 1939 (Hollandspiele)

Modern, Hypothetical Era Board Wargames

• 1985: Deadly Northern Lights (Thin Red Line Games)
• Brief Border Wars (Compass Games)
• Brotherhood & Unity: War in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995 (Compass Games)
• Iron Curtain: Central Europe, 1945-1989 (MMP)
• Next War: Vietnam (GMT)

SciFi Fantasy Board Wargames

• Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps (Gale Force 9)
• Dinosaur Table Battles (Hollandspiele)
• Dune: Imperium (Gale Force 9)
• Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy  (Lautapelit.fi)
• Stellar Horizons (Compass Games)

Nominees for SF Fantasy Computer Wargames

• Gears Tactic (Xbox Game Studios)
• Shadow Empire (Matrix Games)
• Root (Dire Wolf)
• Sierra Ops  (Sekai Project)

Nominees for  Pre-20th Century Computer Wargame

• Crusader Kings III  (Paradox Interactive)
• Field of Glory II: Medieval (Slitherine)
• Libertad o Muerte! (Avalon Digital)
• Total War Saga: Troy (Sega)
• Napoleonic Battles: Campaign Waterloo (John Tiller Software)

Nominees for Modern Era Computer Wargame

• Krim: The War in the Crimea 1941-42  (Yobowargames)
• Panzer Campaigns - Scheldt ’44 - (John Tiller Software)
• Panzer Corps 2 (Slitherine)
• Labyrinth: War on Terror  (Playdek)
• Lock N' Load Tactical Digital (Lock 'n Load Publishing)

Nominees for Computer Wargame Expansion

• Field of Glory Empires - Persia 550 – 330 BCE  (Slitherine)
• Order of Battle: Red Storm  (Slitherine)
• Total War: Warhammer II: The Warden & The Paunch  (Sega, Feral Interactive)
• Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Craftworld Aeldari (Slitherine)
• Combat Mission Shock Force 2 (Slitherine)

Nominees for Computer Wargame Graphics

• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
• Crusader Kings 3
• Panzer Corps 2
• Root
• SGS Afrika Korps

Nominees for Board Game Assist Module

• Dune (Treachery Online)
• Empire of the Sun (Vassal)
• For the People (Vassal)
• Red Storm (Vassal)

Nominees for Solitaire/Coop Board Wargames

• By Stealth and Sea (Dan Verssen Games)
• The First Jihad: The Rise of Islam 632-750 (White Dog Games)
• The Mission: Early Christianity from the Crucifixion to the Crusades (White Dog Games)
• The Shores of Tripoli (Fort Circle Games)
• Stilicho: Last of the Romans  (Hollandspiele)

Nominees for Magazine Board Wargame

• “Almost a Miracle!”  Against the Odds #51
• Banana Wars Strategy & Tactics #322
• Battle for Kursk: The Tigers Are Burning, 1943   C3i #34
• Buffalo Wings 2   Against the Odds #29
• Storm Over Madrid 1936: "Miracle of November"   Battles #14

Nominees for Amateur/Print & Play Wargame

• Bomber Boys
• Gravelotte 1870
• Kettle Hill
• Lucky Little Luxembourg
• Sarajevo 28th June 1914   (Lumaca)

Nominees for Postcard/Small Format

• Austerlitz 05 (Lumaca)
• Desert Eagles: Air Battles Over Israel, 1948 High Flying Dice Games
• Goto Hell! ATO
• Lucky Little Luxembourg
• Sarajevo: 28th June 1914  (Lumaca)

Nominees for Best Board Wargame Expansion

• Buffalo Wings Expansion Kit  (Against The Odds)
• Croix de Guerre, 2nd Edition (MMP)
• Fire in the Lake: Tru'ng Bot Update Pack  (GMT)
• Labyrinth: The Forever War, 2015-?   (GMT)
• Root: The Underworld Expansion   (Leder Games)
• Wing Leader: Origins 1936-1942  (GMT)

Nominees for Playing Components

• Imperial Struggle  (GMT)
• The Jaws of Victory: Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket – January/February 1944  (New England Simulations)
• The Shores of Tripoli (Fort Circle Games)
• Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno (Fellowship of Simulations)
• War without an Enemy

Nominees for Map Graphics

• All Bridges Burning: Red Revolt and White Guard in Finland (GMT)
• Caesar: Rome vs Gaul (GMT) Games
• Imperial Struggle (GMT) Games
• The Jaws of Victory: Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket – January/February 1944  (New England Simulations)
• The Shores of Tripoli  (Fort Circle Games)
• Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno (Fellowship of Simulations)

Nominees for Wargame Rules

• Brotherhood & Unity  (Compass Games)
• Imperial Struggle  (GMT)
• The Jaws of Victory: Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket – January/February 1944  (New England Simulations)
• The Shores of Tripoli (Fort Circle Games)
• Undaunted: North Africa  Osprey Games

Nominees for Original Box Cover Art

• Imperial Struggle  (GMT)
• The Jaws of Victory: Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket – January/February 1944  (New England Simulations)
• The Shores of Tripoli (Fort Circle Games)
• Verdun 1916 Steel Inferno (Fellowship of Simulations)
• This War Without an Enemy   (Nuts! Publishing)

Nominees for Amateur Wargame Magazine

• No Turkeys
• Punched
• War Diary

Nominees for Professional Wargame Magazine

• Against the Odds
• Battles
• C3i
• Paper Wars
• Strategy & Tactics
• Vae Victis

Nominees for Wargame Analysis / Game Review / Analysis website, webcast, podcast

• Ardwulf's Lair (Counter Clipping)
• Beyond Solitaire
• Harold on Games
• Moe's Game Table
• No Enemies Here
• The Player's Aid

Individual Historical Article or Scenario Analysis Nominees

• An Active Defense of Fifth Corps: The Soviet Breakthrough at Fulda, Central Front Series, Volume 1 - RockyMountainNavy
• A Game Too Far - David Hughes
• The Military History of Jerusalem - Darin Leviloff   
• Simulating Saratoga: How Saratoga-Themed Board Games Function as Experiential Historiography - Maurice Suckling
• Wargaming in the Department of Defense -- U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Common Core: Wargaming in the Joint Planning Process - Eric Walters

Nominees for Military History Book

• A Game of Bird and Wolves by Simon Parkin
• Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific 1944-1945 by Ian Toll
• Rome – City in Terror: The Nazi Occupation 1943–44 by Victor Fallmezger
• Sicily '43: The First Assault on Fortress Europe by James Holland
• The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Alexander Mikaberidze
• Tower of Skulls: History of the Asia-Pacific War by Richard Frank

Wargame of the Year

• Brotherhood & Unity: War in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995 (Compass Games)
• Imperial Struggle   (GMT)
• The Shores of Tripoli (Fort Circle Games)
• The Jaws of Victory: Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket – January/February 1944  (New England Simulations)
• Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno  (Fellowship of Simulations)

Dunnigan Award for Design Excellence

• A Time for Trumpets: The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 Bruno Sinagalio
• Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul Mark Simonitch
• Imperial Struggle  Ananda Gupta and Jason Matthews
• The Jaws of Victory: Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket – January/February 1944
• Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno  Walter Vejdovsky

Clausewitz Hall of Fame recipient

• Walter Vejdovsky

[Martok]

[makes wordless strangled noises]

[bayonetbrant]

[makes wordless strangled noises]

we have 2+ hours of wordful strangled noises imminent

[Martok]

Oy, that should be a fun listen.   

[Barthheart]

 
 
 

[bayonetbrant]

we have 2+ hours of wordful strangled noises imminent

Mentioned in Dispatches S7E9
The Charles S Roberts Awards wrap-up show

https://www.armchairdragoons.com/podcast/unassembled-bag-of-parts-season-7-ep-9-the-charlies/

[thecommandtent]

In a weird way I've been looking forward to the Mentioned in Dispatches episode covering the results. 

[bbmike]

I'll just quote my good friend Cyrano: Not a wargame.
  

[Hethwill]

CSR Awards...
I appreciate all the time the collective of individuals at all levels of expertise put into making the awards happen.

Personally I can't give a piece of gong about them and I simply cannot explain why. Maybe because so many games get buried under the rug because of the marketing machine... ( and anyone making content is to blame for that as well).

One of the most positive aspect of the entire thing is that FINALLY there's a more international aspect to it. Way more publishers and designs from outside the US, but still there's very few ( if any ) from Japan or Australia ( which are traditionally very strong communities ).

Also I cannot comprehend how a publisher can have multiple games in a single category. I am all for representing quality but a rule should be 1 game per publisher in a category.
Second, no game should participate in more than one category except when being nominated for best game of the year.

Judges should be professional enough to decide if that game is going to compete on best bar brawl or best artwork. Not both.

Again, I am very thankful to all the effort everyone put to create the awards.

[Arctic Blast]

That list just keeps going, and going, and going, and going. Good grief.

[Martok]

Yeah, some categories were definitely unnecessary.  Others were ill-defined, or too broad/narrow. 


EDIT:  And of course, some nominees/winners weren't even wargames.  But what else is new?   

[Hethwill]

Okay, finally got through the entire thing. 

When anyone sets up an awards board it should be a collective that can cover, with their time and research, all the corners of the niche. Why hasn't this been done ?!?...

Answer: As Gary well puts up, communication.

Feels to me this is a vanity fair for whomever is behind the curtains rather than promoting the excellence of the hobby within and without.

As Jim well puts up in his own words but that I will twist to mine - "wake up the non wargamers to how cool wargames are by dilluting the wargame aspect Award". ( like seriously ? the wargamer will end transferred to the Euro front faster than the opposite... I swear to Crom this is the pure truth )

Personally I would expect to see the CSR Awards to be a medium to bring closer all the different, geographic and otherwise, communities and what they been doing throughout the year, exposing the best works... but instead is a badly cooked soup.

I'm nobody, so my opinion counts for nothing, but the same goes to any award I see plastered in some website. Counts for nothing at this point.

[mcguire]

Haven't listened to Mentioned in Dispatches yet. I'll have to stock up on blood pressure medication first.

As I attempted to communicate (via barks, grunts and squeals) last year, it's always been this way. One winner in the second year was Source of the Nile, which wasn't a war game. The era categories are a historical artifact; I think they'd correlate with the number of games published, although I don't have the BGG database to check. It's always been public voting (IIRC), so it's always been a popularity contest.

And yet it has a pretty good track record. Weird.

[bayonetbrant]

rebutting our podcast

[Barthheart]