Which Decisive Campaigns game for first purchase?

[pete]

With the steam summer sale now on I would like to buy one of the Decisive Campaigns series. Which is the best to begin with? Or are they much the same but just different campaigns? I am an experienced wargamer. Thanks in advance.

[Philippe_at_bay]

Warsaw to Paris is the first game in the series, Case Blue is the second game, and Barbarossa is an evolution of the series in a unique and ground-breaking direction.

The three games have many similarities because they're built around the same combat system, but Barbarossa is in a class by itself because of the emphasis on management and role playing. If you only get one, get Barbarossa. Note that the scale of Barbarossa is slightly different: the smallest units tend to be divisions with the other units factored into the game system. This means that the game can cover the entire Eastern Front without burying you in a plethora of units to worry about.

In Warsaw to Paris and Case Blue a division is often represented by a support element (including divisional artillery) and three maneuver units, and the air units aren't abstracted. Case Blue is more mature than Warsaw to Paris, and shows the counter-shuffling part of the system in its full glofy. Some people prefer Warsaw to Paris because they aren't comfortable relating to the Eastern Front.

Case Blue has better AI than Warsaw to Paris, though Case Blue AI has been retrofitted into a few of the Warsaw to Paris scenarios. Barbarossa benefitted from the evolution of the Case Blue AI from the get go: nothing had to be shoe-horned into the scenarios because the latest AI is native to it.

In Barbarossa how you position and use your units is about 50-60% percent of the game. In Case Blue it's 85-90% of the game. In Barbarossa you play the theater commander, in the other two your role is more like that of an army group commander.

[pete]

Wow what a fantastic reply, thanks Philippe. I will take another look at all 3 (and perhaps end up buying more than one!). Really useful info, thanks so much.

[ramyland_maelstrom]

...just adding here , the scale is different - you can really juggle in Case Blue with the units ( a division is suddivided in 4 regiments ) ( create new armies / divisions / battalions - reinforce the german allies with some SS and armors [marder / stugs ] ;-D , use heavy artillery , use air units to weaken soviet tank corps , use the navy to transport troops ) - my favourite use paratroopers and ocupy the strategic soviet city of Uralsk and by that shortening the war with at least 1 month !

...on the other hand in Barbarossa a lot is abstracted ( air / artillery dont exist on the map ) , you cant create anything on the map- the division is the only unit on map no specialized units ( if they are any , they are integrated in the divison itself offering a small boost )
also you cant rush to support another army group than yours or you will have to support penalties ) !

...to each his own - i prefer more micromanagement on the battlefield !

[pete]

Lol you are making this decision more difficult for me ramyland_maelstrom - I thought Case Blue was the least popular of this series? Thanks for the reply :-)