Episode 422: Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations

[Rob Zacny]

Three Moves Ahead 422:

Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations
We kick off the Winter of Wargaming with a whale of a first show: Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations. CMANO is a simulation built for the military and played by you, the military enthusiast at home. The depth of the unit database, the scope of its missions, and the granularity of its control make one of the more intimidating games in our discussion roster. Bruce, Michael, and Troy "they call me the Nimitz of the sea" Goodfellow dive into what makes CMANO fun, or maybe not fun, but sometimes confusing, though usually entertaining.

Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations, Harpoon

 

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[Michael]

The links I promised:

 

90% of What it Takes to Play Command

 

Baloogan's YouTube Channel

 

Stoic Frog Gaming's YouTube Channel

 

Also something I found handy, a way to put pictures into the database so you can actually see the ships / planes being referenced:

Database Images

[dauntless_dad]

I'm so glad you guys chose to cover this game.  I am in the same boat (heh heh) as Bruce - I bought the game at Christmastime and have played a couple of the tutorials, but I am still trying to get a good handle on how it all works.  I played Harpoon and Harpoon 2 back in the day, so I figured that it was finally time to try CMANO.  Like Michael, I started by buying Northern Inferno and then, before I even started any of those scenarios, decided to just go ahead and buy the full game.

 

I would LOVE for you to cover Command Ops later this winter.  That's another wargame that I own but have barely scratched the surface playing.  I'd love to hear from you whether I should really be devoting more time to it or not.

 

Michael, thanks for those links.

[04048]

This is pretty much the opposite of the kinds of games that I like to play, but I am very glad that this Game/Simulation was covered. It's interesting seeing what's out there, even if I'd never want to master something so involved. 

[cpcunningham]

Enjoyed the coverage of this game. Thx. Looking forward to this WofW season. Like above, looking forward to the above commented Command Ops episode.

Wondering if you've considered Schwerpunkt's latest incarnated game: WWII in Europe?

CC

[T-Rex]

Outstanding work guys! I thoroughly enjoyed your very thoughtful and intelligent evaluation of this game. All three of you provided great insights into the strengths, weaknesses, and playability this sim / game. I appreciated the comparisons to Harpoon, and John Tiller's Modern Air Power, War Over Vietnam, and The Operational Art of War. 

 

This was my first experience with the podcast, and I was extremely impressed. I am currently downloading a batch of the back episodes, and I look forward to your next (professional grade) effort.

 

Thank you

Martin

[ilitarist]

Welcome, T-Rex.

 

You might need to listen to their Rome 2 podcast, that's the holy text that defines 3MA philosophy and the downfall of the Heretical Scott.

[T-Rex]

Hello Ilitarist

 

Thank you for the recommendation. I have been devouring past episodes all week -- Steel Panthers, Sid Meier's Pirates, and Operational Art of War -- and I continue to be very impressed with the discussion.

[DukeofChutney]

is game has grown on me a fair bit. I recommend one of the user scenarios called Duel. It pitches a mid 80s british task force against a russian in the North Atlantic. What makes it easier to play is both task forces can be handled more or less as one unit. The brit fleet will get mulched in surface combat anyhow. You also get 2 subs, and 2 airfields and mostly want to just use them. I play this game rather badly usually just mico'ing one or two units. I should probably watch some tutorials. 

 

Good episode.