Weekend Gaming!!!

[bob48]

No, not the games, generally speaking. I only referenced the publisher, and not the games.

[mirth]

I don't think most of us have a problem with the Tiny Battles games.

You have to play games in order to have a problem with them.

[trailrunner]

About my only semi-negative experience in wargaming that I've had came from Tiny Battles.  I don't know anything about the individual people involved, but it was not a win for customer service.  And the game I bought was a bit lame, too.

[rickbill]

About my only semi-negative experience in wargaming that I've had came from Tiny Battles.  I don't know anything about the individual people involved, but it was not a win for customer service.  And the game I bought was a bit lame, too.

which tiny battles game did you think was lame ... or was that a plural?
I've heard good things about DEVIL WILL PAY and OPERATION ICARUS looks interesting ...

[trailrunner]

About my only semi-negative experience in wargaming that I've had came from Tiny Battles.  I don't know anything about the individual people involved, but it was not a win for customer service.  And the game I bought was a bit lame, too.

which tiny battles game did you think was lame ... or was that a plural?
I've heard good things about DEVIL WILL PAY and OPERATION ICARUS looks interesting ...

Rifles in the Ardennes.  A lot of people seemed to like it, but I just didn't get it.  Besides not really liking the game, I got one of the earliest editions and the rules and scenarios had some big problems.  Maybe they've tightened things up since then.

[bbmike]

Ouch, I think I have the early edition as well. Once I picked up and played Warfighter Pacific I didn't think Rifles in the Ardennes would hold up anyway.

[bob48]

The one really good system they produced that I reviewed and invested in other expansions for is 'In The Trenches'

What put me off is that the later games, or so I was told, had been 'interfered with' by the publisher. One of the bigger expansions alluded to the use of certain units which were provided in the counter-mix, but no scenario's for them were included in the game. I took this up with the publisher and was told that I should be grateful hat they had given me some 'free extra counters'

It was also obvious that the later expansion had not had a lot of  proofreading or play testing done on them, and, whilst you have to expect that lower price games are not going to be of the same physical quality as more expensive ones from bigger publisher, things like die cutting left a lot to be desired and both maps and counters were printed on very thin material.

If the series were to be published by another company, cleaned up and more robust materials used, I would buy it without hesitation, as its unquestionably a very nice WW1 tactical system.

I rest my case!

[GriffinTwoSix]

I had gotten a game (Devil's To Pay) from them which is from a series I otherwise really enjoy.  But, the counters were so poorly punched and so absolutely off center that I almost returned the game.  Most of the pieces I had to cut out with an exacto knife. It's ashame because the other elements like the actual gameplay was great, but I've read about other people who've had this same issue with them.  Some other obvious typos in the rulebook, and one or two on the reference charts as well.  In itself it's not game-breaking,  but it's sloppy.  With so many other small publishers putting out good quality work I would really hesitate to order anything in the future from TBP.

[panzerde]

I had gotten a game (Devil's To Pay) from them which is from a series I otherwise really enjoy.  But, the counters were so poorly punched and so absolutely off center that I almost returned the game.  Most of the pieces I had to cut out with an exacto knife. It's ashame because the other elements like the actual gameplay was great, but I've read about other people who've had this same issue with them.  Some other obvious typos in the rulebook, and one or two on the reference charts as well.  In itself it's not game-breaking,  but it's sloppy.  With so many other small publishers putting out good quality work I would really hesitate to order anything in the future from TBP.

Sadly, this is a pretty common problem with their games. Sometimes they're fine, other times you get these issues. It's really an artifact of the price point for these games.


I think Vae Victis tends to do the folio/zip lock thing better. Despite having to deal with a French translation I generally find their rules to be cleaner. Map and counter artwork is nicer. TBP has struggled with not having a consistent hand at the helm for a few years, despite some pretty talented people being in the driver's seat for brief periods.

[rickbill]

I had gotten a game (Devil's To Pay) from them which is from a series I otherwise really enjoy.  But, the counters were so poorly punched and so absolutely off center that I almost returned the game.  Most of the pieces I had to cut out with an exacto knife. It's ashame because the other elements like the actual gameplay was great, but I've read about other people who've had this same issue with them.  Some other obvious typos in the rulebook, and one or two on the reference charts as well.  In itself it's not game-breaking,  but it's sloppy.  With so many other small publishers putting out good quality work I would really hesitate to order anything in the future from TBP.

Sadly, this is a pretty common problem with their games. Sometimes they're fine, other times you get these issues. It's really an artifact of the price point for these games.


I think Vae Victis tends to do the folio/zip lock thing better. Despite having to deal with a French translation I generally find their rules to be cleaner. Map and counter artwork is nicer. TBP has struggled with not having a consistent hand at the helm for a few years, despite some pretty talented people being in the driver's seat for brief periods.

so it is the production of the physical game not so much that the gameplay is messed up?
most stuff I purchase from them has been PNP ... and I convert directly to Tt or such ... my board gaming is almost all via tablet (IPAD or Andy) these days.

[trailrunner]

I had gotten a game (Devil's To Pay) from them which is from a series I otherwise really enjoy.  But, the counters were so poorly punched and so absolutely off center that I almost returned the game.  Most of the pieces I had to cut out with an exacto knife. It's ashame because the other elements like the actual gameplay was great, but I've read about other people who've had this same issue with them.  Some other obvious typos in the rulebook, and one or two on the reference charts as well.  In itself it's not game-breaking,  but it's sloppy.  With so many other small publishers putting out good quality work I would really hesitate to order anything in the future from TBP.

I had the same problem with Rifles in the Ardennes - the counters were almost impossible to punch.  I also had to use an xacto knife, but what I really felt like I needed a saws-all, and I wound up mangling some counters.  I contacted the company several times to politely inform them of this, but I never received a response back.

I also contacted them about some big issues with the rulebook.  No answer.  I finally posted my questions on some forum somewhere, and the game developer did get back to me, but at that point I knew the game wasn't for me and gave up after playing just a few scenarios.

Overall not a real positive experience.  I will avoid the company in the future.

[bayonetbrant]

Y'all should start up another thread for TBP

[trailrunner]

We're going to finish our ASL game that we started last weekend on VASL.  My internet dropped out in the middle of the second turn, which was surprising because it's normally pretty reliable.

I'm playing the Russians.  To win, I have to destroy a bunch of German units (not just capture buildings), which is pretty hard to do when they're in stone buildings.  And the Russians only have 5 turns, so they have to be aggressive.  I don't think that my attack is going well enough to get the job done that quickly, but sometimes games in ASL can suddenly shift in unexpected ways.  It will be fun either way.

[Sir Slash]

Looks like fun Trailrunner. Say, 'Hello' to Sgt. Steiner for me will you?

[BanzaiCat]

Sgt. Steiner...that guy got around. He'd lead a squad for any schmuck!