tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post8771155209547358818..comments2024-03-16T07:55:44.771-07:00Comments on Map and Counters: MIXED MEMORIES: RAND GAME ASSOCIATES (1974-76)JCB IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-1815019718133090562019-11-15T04:14:30.553-08:002019-11-15T04:14:30.553-08:00Wow...so cool to see such in depth discussion abou...Wow...so cool to see such in depth discussion about an early wargame company. I remember the Rand Game ads in Strategy & Tactics but never bought one. Fine Games for Collectors has a copy of the whole Series 1 in the red box for sale. Thinking of buying just for nostalgia. It truly was the golden era of wargaming. Really glad I found this page!Louhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17258620352479747681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-88855216902470758912019-09-12T14:39:24.143-07:002019-09-12T14:39:24.143-07:00Played Invasion Sicily as a kid. When I found it o...Played Invasion Sicily as a kid. When I found it on the internet I snatched it up. Brings back a lot of memories. What I liked the most about it were the small amount of counters, very little to fumble around with. I also liked the large, thick counters with the rounded edges. The 3 color maps and new terminology really didn't bother me. My biggest complaints were the over simplification of Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933140863339465146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-19973244813626269752017-05-24T15:46:34.762-07:002017-05-24T15:46:34.762-07:00Greetings Brian:
Congratulations on your lucky fi...Greetings Brian:<br /><br />Congratulations on your lucky find. <br /><br />As you probably gathered from my essay, I consider the games included in Vol. I to be pretty uneven in quality. Nonetheless, there are a few real gems in the Rand collection if you know where to look.<br /><br />For my own part, I really like SARATOGA (although it needs some sort of home-brewed AV rule), CAMBRAI, 1917 (JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-28800477798834550372017-05-24T15:23:13.756-07:002017-05-24T15:23:13.756-07:00At the flea market in a game convention this last ...At the flea market in a game convention this last weekend I picked up the whole shebang, including the red box, fora very reasonable price. Some of the games are unpunched and I have yet to inventory the ones that are, but I am looking forward to playing some of these!Brian Trainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14679901195609623306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-66899370541614011962015-11-27T05:57:43.332-08:002015-11-27T05:57:43.332-08:00Greetings Steve:
Yes, the game title 'HARPOON...Greetings Steve:<br /><br />Yes, the game title 'HARPOON' does sound familiar, although I have to confess that computer games have never really interested me that much.<br /><br />I do remember that a Canadian company published a game somewhat analogous to MISSILE BOAT probably forty or so years ago. The title, as I recall, was 'RAKETNEY KREUSYER' (I'm sure the spelling is JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-28546788572687121162015-11-27T05:25:05.738-08:002015-11-27T05:25:05.738-08:00Hi Joe,
Did you ever hear of a computer game call...Hi Joe,<br /><br />Did you ever hear of a computer game called Harpoon? I think it was published about 25 years ago. It reminded me of Missile Boat but on a more global scale.<br /><br />Steve BAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-4705918477579502812015-11-24T06:14:42.992-08:002015-11-24T06:14:42.992-08:00Greetings Steve:
Thank you for visiting and for y...Greetings Steve:<br /><br />Thank you for visiting and for your kind words.<br /><br />It would be nice if someone with both the time and the talent could revisit a few of these titles (e.g., SARATOGA, CAMBRAI & MISSILE BOAT) with the sort of improved graphics and presentation that are now available through DTP; alas, however, I have yet to hear of any takers.<br /><br />Thanks again for JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-32988797397192379502015-11-23T20:34:14.600-08:002015-11-23T20:34:14.600-08:00Greetings Joe,
I ran across your article and enjo...Greetings Joe,<br /><br />I ran across your article and enjoyed reading it. I recently retired and got rid of a number of my old AH games. I kept the RGA games as well as Trafalgar because they were, in their way, a bit different from the standard, AH hex grid type of game.<br /><br />I think the attraction I had/have for these games was that they were not exclusively a cookie cutter type game Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-20940611721977523822015-10-02T08:04:30.005-07:002015-10-02T08:04:30.005-07:00Greetings Steve:
Thank you for visiting and for t...Greetings Steve:<br /><br />Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to contribute your own thoughts on Rand Games. To be fair, RGA at least tried to honor its commitments to its subscribers; when it came to SPI, the "life time" subscriptions (at a price that was too good to be true) that they started to push towards the end was -- at least to me and my friends -- a flashing JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-47209122295977327992015-10-02T07:32:14.038-07:002015-10-02T07:32:14.038-07:00Thank you for your review Joe, and the pics. Well...Thank you for your review Joe, and the pics. Well written; its fair enough, and fills a missing gap.<br /><br />I have rather fond memories of RAND games. I was a subscriber to both S&T and CONFLICT (by Strategic Design Corps.) at the time. I thought many of the RAND games were innovative with easy punch/rounded counters; point-to-point movement (Saratoga 1777) and area movement (Napoleon&Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-77438480081534119042015-01-25T09:16:05.505-08:002015-01-25T09:16:05.505-08:00Oddly, no mention of the one game I have from Rand...Oddly, no mention of the one game I have from Rand: The Great War 11914-1918Calandalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15785315083937042946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-20871721366459222582013-01-24T05:54:15.969-08:002013-01-24T05:54:15.969-08:00Greetings Kim:
Alas, OMAHA BEACH -- in spite of i...Greetings Kim:<br /><br />Alas, OMAHA BEACH -- in spite of it's interesting combat subroutine -- is not a Rand game that I have much inclination to revisit. On the other hand, I would like to see SARATOGA: 1777 redone (blocks, maybe?) and both CAMBRAI and MISSILE BOAT cleaned-up, expanded (more counters and bigger multi-colored maps and more legible charts) and upgraded in terms of overall JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-54323588475072232802013-01-23T20:07:12.478-08:002013-01-23T20:07:12.478-08:00Wanted to say Omaha Beach was also in the small re...Wanted to say Omaha Beach was also in the small red Great Battles of History folder.Thats how my copy came to me.I even have Rommel set up for another go.Kim Meintsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-63211343320815468902013-01-13T17:20:58.336-08:002013-01-13T17:20:58.336-08:00Greetings Bob:
Thanks for visiting; I hope that y...Greetings Bob:<br /><br />Thanks for visiting; I hope that you connect with an opponent in the Lafayette area.<br /><br />Your view that the criticisms voiced in the above piece were a little on the uncharitable side was -- probably not surprisingly -- shared by David Isby and Al Zygier; nonetheless, I will continue to stand by my original verdicts: some of the Rand games were very good; some JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-84896443726467223252013-01-13T15:18:38.412-08:002013-01-13T15:18:38.412-08:00Ran across this while looking up if I can get a Vi...Ran across this while looking up if I can get a Vicksburg and Brandy Station game.<br />I believe the author was a bit harsh.<br />First games in the 70's by SPI, AH, GDW were all by todays standards rather bland.<br />Rand Games seemed to be trying to give us then games which were of interest and some titles not covered like they are today.<br />I always like the German symbols for combat Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-43961897882443406062013-01-07T06:16:26.555-08:002013-01-07T06:16:26.555-08:00Greetings Charles:
Thank you for your kind words ...Greetings Charles:<br /><br />Thank you for your kind words and your interest.<br /><br />Regarding your question about the games intended for publication as part of Rand's "Command Series II": As I uderstand it, three games were actually in the pipeline: HITLER'S LAST GAMBLE: THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, BRANDY STATION: THE CLASH OF CAVALRY, and WELLINGTON IN THE PENNINSULA.<br /><JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-74145345004604289332013-01-06T20:18:56.908-08:002013-01-06T20:18:56.908-08:00Excellent article... do you know what titles were ...Excellent article... do you know what titles were part of Volume II?Charles Picardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10629522887051048160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-39338212356018812132010-12-24T13:27:42.972-08:002010-12-24T13:27:42.972-08:00Greetings Kim:
Yes, Al is a real gentleman; parti...Greetings Kim:<br /><br />Yes, Al is a real gentleman; particularly considering how badly I torched him in my essay.<br /><br />Like you, I think that there are a few of the Rand games that really do deserve to be cleaned up and reissued. Poor little SARATOGA, which I really liked (although the advanced CCC had a problem), just never seemed to get any respect. <br /><br />WAR OF THE WORLDS II (JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-70193229756452645712010-12-24T12:24:42.735-08:002010-12-24T12:24:42.735-08:00I was happy to see Al Zygier post here.
I for one...I was happy to see Al Zygier post here.<br /><br />I for one didn't know at the time it was David Isby who designed so many of the games until I saw them posted over on BGG.<br /><br />I had to laugh at Joe on War of the Worlds.I must of liked it enough since I bought another copy to just add in the counters for some What If campaigns and expanded variants I've been tinkering with.<br /><Kim Meintsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-17403132594459476792010-12-21T11:23:23.466-08:002010-12-21T11:23:23.466-08:00Greetings Kim:
Thank you for visiting my blog and...Greetings Kim:<br /><br />Thank you for visiting my blog and for taking the time to comment on some of my posts.<br /><br />Interestingly, as I have gotten older, my attitudes towards a few of the Rand games has mellowed a bit; although not my feelings about either their graphic presentation or some of their production values.<br /><br />Nonetheless, CAMBRAI, SARATOGA, and MISSILE BOAT were all JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-56558682528878135562010-12-21T10:54:08.861-08:002010-12-21T10:54:08.861-08:00I just want to add I enjoyed all the Rand games wh...I just want to add I enjoyed all the Rand games when they came out and still play them today. Von Manstein,Cambrai,Sicily,Rommel and Hitlers Last Gamble plus Vicksburg at the top.<br />Rand was a important part of my early days in the hobby and have a soft spot still for the games -even the Not too good ones ;)Kim Meintsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-46560917190744264172010-04-20T19:19:18.986-07:002010-04-20T19:19:18.986-07:00Greetings Al:
First, let me say that I'm happ...Greetings Al:<br /><br />First, let me say that I'm happy that you're still around. We old-timers are getting to an age where friends and associates are beginning to exit the scene with depressing regularity.<br /><br />Now, as to my criticisms of Rand Game Associates in general, and your and David's work in particular. There is no doubt that, given the constraints under which RGA JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-26268490893330757312010-04-20T16:16:52.840-07:002010-04-20T16:16:52.840-07:00My dear Joe (may I call you Joe)?
Anyway, I happe...My dear Joe (may I call you Joe)?<br /><br />Anyway, I happened on this site by mere chance and what memories it has brought up. Wow! 36 years have passes since I even thought about Rand Games Associates. I am amazed that anyone has taken so much space and trouble to review so many old games. And a very thorough review too. A bit harsh in places though, especially on me. I am that infamous Al Al Zygiernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-21880854161932949492010-04-06T14:18:59.760-07:002010-04-06T14:18:59.760-07:00Greetings Again:
Point taken; and, in fact, when ...Greetings Again:<br /><br />Point taken; and, in fact, when I first looked at the game map for OMAHA BEACH, it did remind me a bit of an old WWII black & white bomb damage asessment photo. Nonetheless, you may recall that I never said that the map was inaccurate, only that it was not, graphically-speaking, a feast for the eye.<br /><br />To be fair, I should also note in Rand Games' JCB IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16490081362549015107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836956334020662322.post-15427914486525679122010-04-06T12:09:47.145-07:002010-04-06T12:09:47.145-07:00David Isby says --
BTW, this whole thing was Phil...David Isby says --<br /><br />BTW, this whole thing was Phil Orbanes' idea. He recruited Al Zygier and myself. <br /><br />As for the OMAHA BEACH map, I recommend to your attention the air photo of this terrain that appears in CROSS CHANNEL ATTACK, the US Army official history volume. It looks just like the map. Considering the limitations as to colors, that map was one of the most Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com