I received an email this morning from a long time reader, I'm happy we have at least one of those, who asked what I thought of the new Tide of Iron expansion called Fury of the Bear. I'll be honest I haven't played TOI is a very long time. In fact I have a mint condition Normandy expansion that has never been played.

Why did a game that i was so crazy about fall by the wayside? I really had to think about that. I have a shelf full of two player wargames that don't get played. I'm not your typical gamer, I'm middle aged with two young daughters and have only been living in my current area for about 7 years. Although I attend a regular board game group seldom are two player war games hitting the table. I don't have any friends at this point in my life who are like the friends I had before moving. Lets face it there is a difference between a friend you see once in a while and one you can call on the drop of a dime and go get some chicken wings with.

Next TOI while a good game is far surpassed by any number of other 2 player games I have. Combat Commander is one of the best tactical WW2 games I have ever played. I have other great 2 player games that seldom see the table like Washington's War, Hannibal and For the People. So if I have a chance to play a 2 player game Tide isn't usually number one on my list.

Finally FFG basically stopped talking about, promoting or even acknowledging the series. Honestly Fury is an expansion most thought was canceled and by the lack of activity on the Geek forums about it many could care less. I would be surprised if this series sees anymore love from FFG going forward.

Would I play Tide or Iron again, certainly I would. However my opportunities are limited and I think that it will be a while before I'm cursing those little plastic guys and why they don't stay in their stands.