Memoir '44 Online - Nope, I'm Not Joking

[Ghambit]

http://blog.daysofwonder.com/2010/11/25/memoir-44-online-beta-call-for-volunteers/

The Open Beta for Memoir '44 Online is a unique opportunity for a limited number of Days of Wonder customers to gain early access to a preliminary, pre-release copy of the Memoir '44 Online game.
This ambitious project, in development for the past 3+ years, has finally reached the point where the software is stable enough for us to put it in the hands of a larger group of users and collect feedback to help make sure the final release lives up to expectations.

This has been in dev. for quite a while and I'd almost totally forgotten about it.  Only reason I stumbled on it again was to play an online game of Ticket to Ride (made by the same company).  
It's about a 100mb DL and the payment model (for now) is via microtrans 'ingots' you buy to purchase matches.  This is an open beta so you get 100 ingots to start.  Hopefully it's stable enough to be palatable.  Mechanic-wise, obviously it wont be as deep as your typical Matrix-style epic strat. game, but hey... this was/is considered one of the best boardgaming wargames ever made.  Still sits in most reviewers top 10 lists and now it's online.      

With luck it'll be as stable and well-received as TTR.

addendum:
And yes, there's all kinds of player tracking and achievements, along with some semblance of persistance.  Hence the microtrans.

[ffc]

Made an account and will try it this weekend.

[Ghambit]

Bear in mind this is a casual-type dinner table boardgame ported to online play.  This is not some 4x uber-strat game.
That being said, it plays very well.  Very smooth, stable, good effects and some of the tension from the original game is still there.

The larger campaigns and advanced mode are where my biggest "?" is right now.

[ffc]

About 45 minutes just flew by in two matches.  Not having played the physical game I have to say things are so streamlined here I'm not sure I can do so after seeing the hex counting, LOS, dice, card actions, terrain stats, etc., all handled automatically.  Expert mode with no rules enforcement allowing for house rules sounds like something all games should be doing.  The starting amount of "Gold Ingot" currency seems to be enough for ~20 games with an optional equipment purchase before a match.

If anyone enjoyed Risk or Axis & Allies but wants to skip the 3 hour playtime while worrying about someone flipping the board then this is as good as it gets.

[Tmon]

Finally got a match in with a human and it wasn't bad.  I really enjoy playing the system and not having to haul a box of crap across town on the chance that someone at open gaming would like to play is a serious plus.

[Falconeer]

Finally got a match in with a human and it wasn't bad.  I really enjoy playing the system and not having to haul a box of crap across town on the chance that someone at open gaming would like to play is a serious plus.

This is EXACTLY why Blood Bowl is awesome. It made possible to finally have games, it made possible to have games that don't last hours, and it made possible to have games where the rules don't get messed up. Not to mention that it made possible to have games where you don't risk to bump the table and have to cuss and scratch it.

But I am conflicted, I mean I LOVE the idea of porting boardgames to the computer exactly for the reasons I just mentioned, most of them come up just so good. Still, I am mildly worried that eventually this will impact sales of stuff in the future, like people saying "yeah, but I am gonna wait for the online version. At least I know for sure I'll have people to play with".

That said, I downloaded this and I am having a blast. Memoir is such a great boardgame that they couldn't do it wrong, but they made sure to get the right things right. And now, you all need to get Blood Bowl and enter f13 League Season #3, mofoz.

[Ruvaldt]

Gooble gobble, gooble gobble!  One of us!  One of us!

I'll be trying this out over the Winter, I'm sure.

[Tannhauser]

I'm going to be checking this out as well.  I have the boardgame but only played it once. 

[Ghambit]

But I am conflicted, I mean I LOVE the idea of porting boardgames to the computer exactly for the reasons I just mentioned, most of them come up just so good. Still, I am mildly worried that eventually this will impact sales of stuff in the future, like people saying "yeah, but I am gonna wait for the online version. At least I know for sure I'll have people to play with".

It's the opposite with me.  I played the Online version and never had the desire to play the boardgame version (i always liked my wargames a bit crunchier), but after playing the online version now I wish I had the boardgame.  Also, there is RMT with this so they'll make plenty of dough eventually.  And truth be told, Memoir44 sales were flagging due to stiff competition these days (currently boardgaming is enjoying a bit of a Golden Age).  Are they even making xpacs for the boardgame anymore?

pfft... lemme go try blood bowl too then damnit
(i saw an old copy on the shelf the other day)

[Falconeer]

Be careful. Old copies are most likely Regular version, which is a shame (and wouldn't let you play with us) compared to the newest and more expensive Legend Edition.

I didn't spend much time on the online capabilities of Memoir, is there any record-tracking thing, or possibilities to set up tournaments and the likes?