My Most Highly Anticipated Games @ August 2016

Here are 5 games that I am looking forward to playing - hopefully within the next 12-18 months. Few of these are yet available - some are still sitting on GMT's P500 list, or equivalent.

1. FAB: Golan '73  (GMT)

After having gushed about FAB: Bulge being one of my top 5 games, it's little wonder that the latest FAB release from designer Rick Young has been on my radar for some time. I don't have a single Arab-Israeli War game in my collection, so this is the perfect opportunity to address that gap as well.

I'm hoping that this title will mark a return to the the ability of players to stage breakthroughs in the enemy line and exploit them using armour and motorised units. This feature of the FAB system shone in Bulge.

Check out the map:

FAB: Golan '73 is currently shipping.

2. The Dark Sands (GMT)

This one still resides in the GMT P500 list and is slated for release in the first quarter of 2017. A big North Africa title is another gap in my collection and it is a conflict/theatre that has always appealed to me. It's a very different design approach from Raicer's Paths of Glory - it's not a CDG - but I think anything from Ted deserves close scrutiny. The sister game already in print - Dark Valley - covering the Eastern Front, was well received.

3. Wild Blue Yonder (GMT)

The Down in Flames series was pretty popular back in the 90s, spawning quite a few expansions. Somehow, that phenomenon passed me by (I had a long hiatus from board wargaming during the period). I'm now keen to make amends and welcome the return of this classic WWII tactical series, now given the deluxe treatment. Disappointingly, the title has been on the lists for some time, and is currently not slated for release until the second quarter of 2017. The slow pace in attracting support for it certainly surprises me. I look forward to playing the campaign games and hope that a 3-4 player variant will also be in the offing, allowing for some monster dogfights.

4. Stonewall's Sword (Revolution Games)

This title caught my attention earlier this year as it combines a tactical, regiment-level simulation of the battle of Cedar Mountain, with an interesting chit pull system. I subsequently downloaded the ruleset and Vassal module to give the game a solo spin. What resulted was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've had in some time, even when playing solo. The uncertainty surrounding drawing chits - some of which assist you and some of which can hamper your opponent - makes for a lot of fun. You can also formulate strategy as to when you wish to play some of the event-based chits, for maximum effect. 

The counters are very attractive:

...as is the map, though it can be frustrating at times trying to work out the height difference between hexes (someone handily superimposed quick reference numerical height levels onto the map, available as a download from the BGG Stonewall's Sword site). In the image above, in addition to various units and commanders (who are activated by chit pulls), you can see some of the event chits (such as Command Confusion, which can be played on your opponent at an opportune moment in play).

Not surprisingly, I hope to acquire this title in the near future. The designer is Hermann Luttmann, which is a good sign that this is a quality ACW title. I also own his little solo game, In Magnificent Style, which is excellent.  Support for the system in this game is gathering steam, with a further title - Thunder in the Ozarks (Pea Ridge) - in the works from Revolution Games, and one coming out from GMT, called Hammerin' Sickles (Longstreet's attack at Gettysburg).

5. Hitler's Reich (GMT)

Another title on the P500 list, currently yet to make the cut. I wouldn't be surprised though if this title is fast-tracked. It offers a fast-paced and fun card-and-map game for two or more players, that can conceivably be played within a couple of hours. All of this should be tonic to gamers - like me - in a mood for something lighter in style and approach. Mark McLaughlin is one of the designers too, so Napoleonic Wars fans, take note!

The GMT blog devotes some attention to this title and the cards look great. Here's a sample:

I'm following this one with much interest......

COIN: Do I Give A Toss?

I sooooo much want to become a fan boy for one of the hottest game systems to emerge in the wargaming hobby in recent years: COIN. Short for 'counterinsurgency', in which - generally - each player controls one of 4 factions vying for dominance in a historical conflict, COIN has quickly morphed from dealing with recent conflicts in Colombia and Afghanistan, to the American War of Revolution and even - now - back to Caesar's Gallic Wars.

A fan of CDGs (card driven games), I was quickly attracted to the COIN system. To date, I have played Cuba Libre half a dozen times and Liberty or Death (which students of history unfamiliar with the game would quickly link to the American War of Independence) three or four times. 

I have to say that I enjoyed my first games of Cuba Libre. Roger of the famous Roger's Reviews Geeklist on BGG handily summed this game up as being like a 'knife fight in a phone booth". From my experience, that's a very apt description. You're often into the action very quickly, with 4 factions duking it out for dominance on the non-too-roomy island of Cuba. The game narrative is dynamic and spirited, with a single card play capable of creating quite an upset to what had been the status quo in cosy Havana for instance. 

But the Cuban magic started to wear off after I played a couple of games in which I controlled the Directorio (yellow markers) guerrilla faction. No matter how much I wanted to exercise the full palette of commands and special actions available to me, I could never quite seem to do so. Instead, I often found myself doing the same, repetitive command combination. Then I heard one of the other players express a similar sentiment about his own faction.

Yet, undeterred by this, I persisted with COIN and soon fastened my attention on Liberty or Death. Being a huge fan of Washington's War and the historical period and theatre in general, I went to quite some lengths to get hold of a copy before they sold out (ably assisted by the terrific staff at GMT in the US, I must say - a quality team). Besides, it's such a gorgeously handsome game, with first class components. Here's a taste:

Upon receiving my copy, I sooooo wanted - now - to be a fan boy of Liberty or Death. But, several games later, instead I've become a 'Doubting Thomas'. Maybe even a Benedict Arnold. Let me hasten to add that it's not that I have been punished by the game, to trail the field at the finish. Quite the contrary...in most of the games, I have come close to winning. It's more about the game experience that has left me a little cold. Let me explain. First and foremost, it is the sheer down time of waiting for your turn to come around again. This is of course an issue with many 4p games in which player interaction can be minimal. But in COIN, this feeling is intensified by the fact that there is often little to be done when your turn does come up. For a start, depending on the eligibility table on the game map, you may either choose the event on the card, or exercise a particular combination of command and (possibly) a special ability. That may seem fine, but some of the commands are specific to a particular situation in the game, so can often be ruled out. At least in my experience, what normally results then is that you either go for the event or enact the usual command that you have become accustomed to. Mustering with the British. Rallying with the Patriots. 

Whatever you choose, the sum total is that you often find yourself doing a few small actions on the board, before handing the baton (figuratively speaking) to the next player....before resuming your snooze. This is particularly the case if all you have at your disposal is a limited command, restricted to a single area.

Gaming buddy Steve shares my views on COIN. He points out that one of the pleasures of CDG games is that you receive a hand of cards, which then allows you to plan your intended strategy for the turn, taking advantage perhaps of the combination of events and 'op points' on offer. The intrigue is seeing if the strategy can be implemented....largely depending on whether it survives 'contact with the enemy'. This approach to gaming supports conceiving an overall plan....strategic goal setting. By permitting you to only respond to a single card, COIN is a much different ball game....you never know what your next option is likely to be. It's piece-meal.

This probably sounds overly critical, but my experience of COIN thus far often leaves me somewhat frustrated and feeling like a kind of machine attendant, in which the machine is the game system. A gaming buddy of mine who now avoids COIN games, quipped that you don't play the game, it plays you. I can't help but feel that there is more than a grain of truth in this.

Of course, COIN now has a legion of fans....so it has to be doing a lot right, doesn't it? Are they deluded, or am I just a lonely voice, signifying little? Certainly, I would love to hear the views of other gamers. Perhaps my viewpoint can be rehabilitated. That would be nice, especially as Liberty or Death now takes up considerable space in my game collection. Sometime, someday, it WILL return to the table.  For deep down - in the guerilla-infested forest of my mind - I still want to love COIN games.

Jena (Clash of Arms) Game Report

Roll on with another Napoleonic title! This game report has been reproduced from the BGG original by the kind permission of its author and local gaming buddy, Steve. Steve has a voluminous game collection to say the least, but if one can detect any salient themes, an abiding interest in Napoleonic gaming would be one of them.

Take it away, Marechal!

Game review: Jena: Napoleon Conquers Prussia - October 9-16, 1806.

Publisher: Clash of Arms games, 1996

Designer: Ed Wimble

Having been prompted by a recent discussion on Napoleonic tactical/operational game systems to revisit this game, I was astounded to discover that there were no reviews on BGG…this is my attempt to remedy this sad state of affairs.

Designer Ed Wimble is better known as the main man behind ‘Clash of Arms games’ and also as something of a Napoleonic expert for his work on the 'La Battaile' series of game, probably the most detailed tactical level games on the era. Fortunately in this game the designer has taken a broader view and designed a game on the campaign itself.

As Ed writes in the designer notes, ‘Prior to making a study of Napoleon’s 1806 campaign, most of what I knew about it was from general histories. Because of this I was very reluctant to develop a game on the subject. It seemed too one-sided. I asked myself, “Who would ever want to play the Prussians…?”’

Fortunately for those with a desire to refight the campaign, the designer’s interest was piqued by a visit to the region and a shift in focus from the disastrous (for the Prussians) battles of Jena-Auerstadt to the manoeuvring that led to the battles. The game focus is therefore very firmly on the opening weeks moves of both sides, which in effect was the Napoleonic version of ‘Blitzkrieg’. Essentially the much vaunted Prussian Army, still resting on Fredrickian concepts of warfare was shattered in a week of combat and totally demoralised after a lighting six week pursuit by a French army at the top of it’s game.

The game is therefore clearly focussed on the operational aspects of moving Corps and divisions to bring the most effort to bear when a battle is joined. The game system is based on Ed’s earlier offering L'Armée du Nord, and is ideally suited to the portrayal of key events without getting bogged down in detail. The game forces the player to act like an overall army commander and for those that have read the classic books on the campaign, such as F.L Petre’s ‘ Napoleon’s Conquest of Prussia’ or Colonel Vachee’s “Napoleon at work’, it really helps bring the dilemmas faced by both sides into view. 

Components

Jena! Is an impressive looking game and if ever a game was sold by its cover, then this is it. A dramatic painting by Edouard Detaille of the French 4th Dragoons making off with Prussian trophy graces the box top. Three full 34” x 22” game maps provide the next hook. Beautifully rendered in autumn tones by Rick Barber they portray the campaign area in an almost contemporary way. Roads are lined with rows of trees, villages and towns dot the landscape and slopes and hills are rendered functionally. To add period feel, the terrain features and locations are rendered in Teutonic script. You almost feel like a commander poring over a map from the era. Map scale is roughly 1km per hex. 

This photo by Mark Mokszycki shows a portion of the south map.
It's one of three such maps, so don't attempt without a large table!

The full campaign does take a lengthy table area, but the good news is that there are numerous one-map scenarios to provide a taste of the system and replay key moments of the campaign.

420 counters, comprising mostly combat units are nicely functional with uniform colours forming the basis of the design and back printed with the national flag for each side. Information is kept to a minimum with strength points (each representing 1000 infantry, 500 cavalry or an artillery battery), morale ratings from 1-6 and movement ratings.

The rulebook is a concise 16 pages, which also includes 3 pages of scenarios and setups, so the core rule systems are essentially 12 pages in total, making it an easy game to learn and start playing. 

The package is rounded out with an Off board movement track, which is used by the Prussians to bring units on to he main map and several cardstock play aids contain turn tracks, combat results table, bombardment effects and terrain effects chart.

The size of the map ensures that there is relatively little crowding and gives the Prussian player plenty of scope to trade countryside in the face of the French onslaught until they can determine where the main thrust will be delivered. There are plenty of rivers and high ground to ensure that the Prussian can choose good defensive terrain to balance out some of their tactical deficiencies when the battle is joined.

Game play

Whilst it has been over ten years since I actively played this game, I still have vivid memories of a number of campaigns that were played out and hung in he balance at times until the very end game. Whilst things do appear grim for the Prussian player, his war-game counterpart is not bound by the same errors and muddled thinking that plagued the Prussians in reality. The game system gives the French player better command control to manoeuvre units, but the back printed counters are utilised to provide limited intelligence so that each player is never quite sure which commander and force he is up against until the battle is joined.

Combat does have tactical nuances with rules for cavalry charges and bombardment to provide the feel of Napoleonic warfare. Morale is also a major aspect of the system and often you will see your troops melt away in defeat, but prudent use of terrain for the Prussians enables them to rally units back to he colours and fight another day and for the French it is a race against time to capture a much ground as possible, to ensure that shattered Prussian units stay in the dead pile.

For more detail on the system I refer to a previous review by duckweed on L'Armée du Nord which uses the same core mechanisms http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/108867/a-brief-review-of...

Overall I cannot recommend this game highly enough. Some errata is needed to resolve minor issues, but not to the extent of detracting from the game. In revisiting my copy I found numerous patient replies to my written enquiries from the designer. None of the errata I requested was overly detrimental to play of the game at the time. If you can find a copy and you are interested in the era then don’t hesitate to buy!

In terms of book companions to the battle and the period, Steve recommends the following titles:

Great review - thanks Steve!