New series of Time Commanders on Mondays on BBC4

[Sir_Theo]

Perhaps they aren't going to be on it actually... I think they were playing the Battle of Cannae on the snippet video, which apparently was the first episode? So either that was just a warmup or them being shown the ropes, or they were on the first episode and nobody in this thread knows who they are? I haven't watched the episode myself yet.
Am I right in saying there are two teams playing against eachother in this series? In the old ones it was one team vs 'the computer'.

I don't think their game will be on TV.  Seems just like a YouTube thing.

[LCpl McDoom]

Episode 2 of 'Waterloo' was on last night. I tuned in, as I said I would - and I'm now wishing I hadn't.

I applaud the attempt to bring this programme back but last night was sub-par on so many aspects. I'm not sure I care enough to seek out Episode 3.

[Paddy649]

Well the Waterloo episode was much as I suspected, completely stereotyped but at an even more basic level that I was expecting.  It just seemed to be French cavalry vs English squares and made no real mention of linear vs columnar tactics.

Is it just me or does the game mechanism used seem to allow far too rapid movement as well as to totally ignore command and control.  Most unimpressive!

What battle are they going to massacre in Episode 3?  The Battle of Chalons?  Huns vs Romans?  I wonder what stereotypes we can draw out of that?

[Eric the Shed]

Watched it as well last night and although I am not familiar with the Total War engine it does appear to allow formations...

However our teams were never told the basics of Line versus Column (just that squares were the only way to defend against cavalry) - I also felt that the 'skirmish' games at the beginning were definitely biased to the Allies - our poor old French?aquarium specialists definitely had the harder job of assaulting the guns.

Perhaps it is me but I think the programme would have been significantly better if the players actually knew how to command and organise their armies -

Loved the fact that Greg the Egg was getting so frustrated...

For 60 minutes of TV it was a bit of fun

[YPU]

no real mention of linear vs columnar tactics.

I could see why they don't want actual wargamers on there if comments like these are to in depth.

[N.C.S.E]

Being a filthy colonial our fair commonwealth overlords do not deign to provide us with the television of the glorious motherland (can I include any more tropes in that sentence?    ) I can't watch the series (yet) but I guess it'd be worth giving a short spiel for the uninitiated on Total War.

Effectively, Total War is like a wargame, your unit are made up of troops that move in formation. However, command and control is instant, a click of a button gets the units moving instantly. Of course, presumably command and control issues are shown by the teams have 2 generals and 2 captains (at least in the original series that is all up on youtube, I enjoyed that - mostly) who have to communicate - and miscommunicate, with each other.

The problem with Total War is that a great deal of it is arcadified. Formations - particularly in the later ones, don't really act like they should (cavalry WILL still charge into contact with infantry, even if they are in square) and in Napoleon Total War (which I presume they used for the Waterloo game) unmodified, units don't even shoot in volleys (!!).

Whilst it's an ideal gateway drug for historical gaming and should be lauded for that, it unfortunately fails in almost all counts in historical accuracy. I'm struggling to find a game equivalent (without pissing people off) - but imagine trying to play the Battle of Waterloo in full historical accuracy mode using the rules for two Empire armies in Warhammer Fantasy. Your figures might look right (Cuirassiers = knights) but it'd play radically different to the real thing.

The one game they might've used is Scourge of War Waterloo, unfortunately, that game looks like a crap - and would be a disaster if put up on TV. Unfortunately, Total War has no direct competitor, and so we are left with Total War which in recent years usually puts out absolute tripe on release and might - if its in a good mood - fix some of it later on.

Anyway, despite the grumbling here, I'm still interested to watch it, but I won't be holding my breath. Ideally, you'd get a bunch of people in a Nato command bunker to play out World War III, but that's not happening - yet.

P.S. There was a TV show somewhat recently that was a televised version of I think a NATO wargame (or something that took place in Britain, they billed it as the first time such a thing had been shown) does anyone know what it was, presumably by now it'll be available to get a hold of in the antipodes.

[LCpl McDoom]

What battle are they going to massacre in Episode 3?  The Battle of Chalons?  Huns vs Romans?  I wonder what stereotypes we can draw out of that?

According to the BBC website it's back to Rome, with an influx of Huns upsetting the Imperial ambiance 

Possibly Estate Agents from Cheam try to hold back a trio of UKIP Doorstep Canvassers from Sunderland? 

[redzed]

  DBA would have been a better choice and have revealed more military history insights! 

insights like- these two badly painted figures on a piece of brown corrugated cardboard are the entire French skirmish line.

DBA - the game that even wargamers don't want to watch.

The new series is pretty much the same as the first series   I remember when the first series was shown thinking that owning a really powerful PC would be great as I could play the game and it would be epic. Now that I do own that PC the game itself is actually a bet meh, if not Total WarArse at times. I really do much prefer pushing my own lead rather than watching someone else do it (or pretend to do it). It's more a show for Total War than a show for wargamers. As someone has said, it's 60 minutes of TV entertainment.

[cernem1alt]

Greg Wallace from the Lord Melchett school of command "SOUT SHOUT and SHOUT AGAIN!

[Elk101]

I'm telling you, get Captain Blood presenting the next series. I genuinely think he'd be great.

[Captain Blood]

I'm telling you, get Captain Blood presenting the next series. I genuinely think he'd be great.

Love you too Steve 
(They couldn't afford me...  )

[Elk101]

(They couldn't afford me...  )

Maybe not the BBC but Channel 4 might pinch you!

[sukhe_bator]

Perhaps if you came with your own Marquee... or perhaps could bake a decent loaf at the same time?