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Rob Zacny

Episode 465: Mark Herman's Empire of the Sun

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Three Moves Ahead 465:

Three Moves Ahead 465


Mark Herman's Empire of the Sun
Rob and Bruce are here to sing the praises of Mark Herman's Empire of the Sun, a brilliant adaptation of the war in the Pacific. Enjoying the game through the magic of VASSAL, our wargaming duo describe how about Empire of the Sun does a commendable job of conveying the challenges of imperfect information, the plans of the Imperial Japanese fleet, and inter-service rivalry - all through the elegance of card-based play.

Empire of the Sun

 

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I was pleasantly surprised that you devoted an episode to this fine game, and it strikes me as a game that has aged well and continues to garner more respect as new players discover it almost 15 years after its first release.  There are literally hours of video and text devoted to the mechanics and strategies of this game on the internet.  When a player conquers that first plateau of grasping the basics of the rules, he/she can begin to more fully absorb what an impressive game this is.

 

I learned the mechanics of EoTS years ago, but I never had the time to soak up the many possible strategies.  Despite this, I haven't lost an ounce of respect or enthusiasm for the game.  I think it's the game I respect the most in my modest collection.  It's definitely the game I most look forward to revisiting when life allows a little more free time than I have now.

 

Gratitude to Mark Herman and GMT for continuing to support this game today.  I noticed the most recent reprint supports a complete redesign & rewrite of a solitaire play system--an earnest effort to expand the audience and enjoyment factor of an already impressive game.  Owners of older copies of the game have the option to download the latest version of the rules and improvements like the solitaire system without feeling pressured to shell out for an entirely new copy; a very respectful way to treat customers.  Also, a thumbs-up to Francisco Colmenares, a skilled player responsible in part for the latest solitaire system improvements, and the current caretaker of the most-excellent VASSAL module of the game.

 

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Hey guys,  I was wondering if there was access to the gaming session with Mark you said you had.  I believe you said it was recorded.  I would really be interested in watching this to help learn how to play myself.

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This was a great episode, and was one of the things that sent me down the rabbit hole to learn Empire of the Sun (along with Bruce's review which is one of the best game reviews I've read). The older episodes with Mark Herman were excellent also, and it was fun to delve into the archives to hear him talk about Pacific War as well.

 

@Sovyetsky here's a link to the livestream from a few weeks back. It's very cool to hear Mark Herman develop a narrative out of the game events. But they are not really explaining the game in a way that's accessible to a new player. Instead, take a look at this list from BGG with some helpful resources for beginners. Specifically, I would recommend John Sy's video series which is an entire game with commentary intended for a beginner. Judd Vance's VASSAL tutorials are also excellent.

 

Once you have a good grasp of the basics of the game, the livestream will be much easier to understand. At least that's how it was for me. And then let me know if you want to try a game by VASSAL!

 

Thanks again to Rob and Bruce for the episode (and to Michael for assembling the bibliography, that's invaluable!)

 

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