WAR ROOM - New Larry Harris Game

  • Sponsor

    The more I learn about this game, the more I get excited… there are mechanics here that many of us have been asking for in axis and allies games. The combat has elements that I’ve always thought could work in a WW2 strategy game like offensive and defensive stances for all ground units, and an air supremacy battle first between all air units before they attack ground units in a secondary land battle. I honestly think that War Room will fall on the right side of fun for those that have the open mind to try something new and different.

  • '17

    War Room will probably be a fun game for many. Also, there are many other games out there that are fun but don’t get the time of day. I’ve recently searched for axis and allies mechanics style games from different times in history like the Napoleonic era. I’m certain they are really good too. If Larry Harris’ name was attached to say the better one in that historical genre, then there would be a discussion forum for it.

    We’ll have to see. It will be interesting to see if War Room develops HALF the magic and following that G40 has. The fact that Larry Harris’ name is attached to it is THE most important promotional factor.

    I went to the website and saw the turn order ect., which sounds like a axis and allies game. It appears like the game is trying to make it more “adult” like and from the highest strategic level perspective; whereas I still like my tiny little Soldiers and toy tanks! However, if it’s to be more “adult” like, than I wish real world military graphics and symbols with capabilities were used instead of chits and blocks. Really, for a military themed game they could not get the military symbols and graphics from WW2.

    In the Army we have our war game simulators too. It’s fun for me! Symbols with military capabilities like the strength and Operational Readiness (OR) rates of equipment, and the unit level like a division, brigade…ect. go into simulator exercises. I hope companies like General Dynamics or ex-military personnel were contacted or asked for input. Gen Dynamics is a private sector company that is often contracted by the US military to setup and run simulated war games.

  • '17

    @Young:

    I honestly think that War Room will fall on the right side of fun for those that have the open mind to try something new and different.

    You’re right, an open mind will be required to try something new.


  • I agree Ich with your comment on symbols and yes i like my lil guys and ships. But I would believe Larry wanted to stay away from axis and allies game symbols.

    But yes I would of like the symbols with a pic of piece and ID letters.


  • Once this game comes out, somebody should redo all the army numbers and add nation specific unit icons and colors. I can’t believe they don’t have any desire to make this basic aesthetic, and essentially went backwards to the Milton Bradley days when units were all the same and had no characteristics of the nations they represent.


  • Formal military symbols for unit types and sizes are the correct thing to use for professional military wargaming, in which the participants are military personnel who are throughly familiar with that iconography.  In hobby wargaming, formal military symbols are probably not a problem for harcore wargamers (who may in fact actually prefer them), but they have the potential to reduce the pool of potential buyers because other types of players may find them too complicated-looking and too abstract (especially in contrast with A&A’s plastic sculpts).  Younger players would be one such group; another such group might be people who are generalist board gamers rather than wargamers specifically.  Larry’s new game seems to be aiming for a middle-ground approach: using neither sculpts nor symbol chits, but rather using stacks of differently-shaped and coloured blocks to depict in a physical but abstracted manner the size and composition of the forces operating on the board.


  • no military ( nato) symbols, but icons or figures of tanks, planes that are nation specific.


  • Do we know approximately when the kickstarter will be launched?


  • Yes, per Thomas Gale of Nightingale games the Kickstarter is scheduled for October 17th so far. The next bulletin for everyone that is signed up to receive will be today, Friday and will also include the latest set of rules that will be available for print out.
        We had our second play test of War Room with Larry Harris and Thomas Gale and 7 other players playing 2 games simultaneously in Amherst, Mass. We had a blast again and the feedback was positive! The hidden movement being written down is like Diplomacy. The bidding of oil for turn placement before each turn keeps the game fresh and simultaneous movement alleviates another major gripe by many players who don’t like to sit around waiting for their turn. Working with your partners is essential as well! A lot of attention has been paid to fix or change a lot of things that most people have complained about for years. When you get immersed in this game you will forget about the figures of the Axis and Allies games of the past. This game will appeal to a broad group of war gamers of all kinds!


  • The War Room 2nd Time Played!

    Hi All,

    Play-Tested the War Room Game a 2nd time and again had a blast plying it! Played the Pacific Scenario and played Japan. I to my distress over strategic reached with a strong Japanese Naval Stack South of New Guinea and was trapped by a strong allied counter moved based on the main striking power of American land based Fighter and Bomber Token Stacks with American Naval Tokens  plus a fair kike in of Air Tokens by the Aussie area of the British Empire. I lost my Naval Stack task force which included a Battleship Token plus a Air Craft Carrier Token. There was also Air Token losses on both sides plus a couple Naval Token losses to the American Naval Stack. But this now put Japan in a bad strategic position and now had to fight a next round of play blocking the American drive in the sea area just northeast of New Guinea which Japan had to commit another Naval Stack of Cruisers and Submarines and all the land based Aircraft Tokens that could reach. At the end of this combat Japan’s Naval Stack was eliminated but also the American Naval stack was eliminated. Japan still had other Naval forces in 3 Naval Stacks left with 1 Battle Ship, 2 Aircraft Carriers and 2 Cruisers plus new Naval stack of 3 Submarines. The US had only 1 Naval stack of 3 Submarines, but had marked superiority of Land Based Aircraft which now left Japan having to back off and needing to build up its land based air power Tokens to now confront America in the Pacific. But in the mean time Southeast Asia and China Fronts had been very active with both sides bled white with Japan taking the worst of it and lost the Industry land territory of China which Japan just barley having enough land forces to make a attempt to take back the Industries territory of China. Japan was in a tough strategic position now having the need to heavily supply the Pacific China and Southeast Asia with Tokens all at the same time, which really could not be done. But ran out of time playing the game and all agreed including myself that Japan would have most likely lost the game scenario. My hat off to my 2 adversaries which are 2 long old friends also Todd and Mike. Game Well Played! Just would like to say using the game system mechanics and rules again very impressed with the easy to use rules that cover so much representing strategic history again without all those charts of other more complicated strategic games. The writing down of the movement commands and then following the rules to move your Army, Naval and Airforce stacks add a great fog of war component to this game which I love, leaving you with now having to react to and develop plans to compensate. Sort off like the old saying all the laid out plans go out the widow when combat is engaged and now the victory goes to the side that reacts the best with add-hoc plans during combat. This is the feeling I have when playing this great game of the “War Room”!

    Joe


  • HI
        I know Joe and have played Axis and Allies with him several times. He is a very knowledgeable person on all the AA games and their history pretty much combining the points of view of an Axis and Allies Historian, Player and war game designer so I am sure his comments are good. They were helpful feedback as I am considering getting this game and now will almost definitely do so. Joe thanks and hope to see you Sat. at the Battle for Long Island.
                                                    Joe


  • See you there as well Joe! Gen. Nehring.  A.K.A. Todd

  • Sponsor

    Larry Harris and Thomas Gale loaned me one of their prototype games of WAR ROOM… I will be shooting video all about it on my YouTube channel The Cliffside Bunker… stay tuned.


  • Having play tested this with Larry Harris and Tom Gale and the guys at Y.G.'s Global '40 invitational tournament, I now have a better feel for the mechanics and game-play than just from my reading of the rules on-line and looking a production pictures and stills.
    In terms of the artwork/graphics, just remember guys that it is still in a prototype stage of development. Being a prototype, I must say that the quality of the majority of pieces is better than some other wargame’s finished product quality.
    Larry added a new feature to the command stack counter/tokens for our playtest. A rapid set-up feature that uses a colored pip system to represent what types of units are included in each command stack at start. Instead of placing each unit in a stack, you simply place the command token in the territory specified on the token{ex: a square token has a German Flag and large number. In the upper corner of the token, it shows a G8, along the bottom it show 3 yellow pips, 2 blue, 2 green. You place this one token on the territory G8(Germany) and wait to place the units themselves until you need them. Yellow=infantry, Blue=artillery, Green=armor}
    This cuts out a lot of set-up time and makes the game a quicker playing game, you have no need to populate the stacks until you actually need them in combat, or for breaking them up in movement.
    The units themselves are communal in that any country can utilize the infantry, artillery, armor, etc.(except China: they are limited to infantry and artillery)
    One more thought on the command tokens: Remember guys, this is a grand strategic level game, and the command tokens represent complete combined arms equipped army groups, and not individual infantry divisions, or panzer groups, or artillery brigades/regiments.
    Think large scale Army Groups. To have country specific differentiation of units with logos for each type of unit will add a large number of tokens and clutter the map. The tokens we played with were a mix of plastic, metal and wooden tokens that had the countries flags and unit number. Air, naval, and land command tokens all had their own range of numbers that helped quickly identify what type of unit a command issued was for.

    I have complete faith that the final artwork will be beautiful and of high quality material. The kickstarter process will also offer plenty of opportunities for continued development and exchange of ideas.

    I will be posting more content and thoughts on War Room in the future on this forum, as well as my YouTube channel(The Big ‘E’ A&A) and will also be working closely with Y.G. as he puts out great content on Larry’s new game.

    Thanks for taking a moment to read this,
    Yours Truly,
    The Big ‘E’


  • Shut up and take my money!!  :-D

    VERY excited about this.  Can’t wait for the Kickstarter.

  • '14

    Just 10 days away! I’m going to get mine!



  • I was backer number 4 with a signature edition!


  • Kickstarter is active now.

    Hurry up US and Canada, early bird offer for three days: No additional shipping costs for standard game.

    Not for UK and Europe, unfortunately (shipping is USD 55 + additional fees)  :-(

  • '19 '18 '17

    Excited - Backer #7 here, in for the Signature Edition.

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