Freikorps is one of the latest DTP games, published by Microgame Coop (be prepared to cut and paste) from the fertile mind of Brian R. Train, and while each of his other offerings have much to recommend them this may be his best game yet. Brian’s works are really of a kind and he is showing himself to be a master of this particular wargame niche. His game design style is specifically aimed toward quick play, yet without being complicated there is much complexity ( and hence replayability).

You can also rest assured there will be some level of politics built into the game mechanics, and usually there will be plenty of battles before the game is over. You can also count on some sly humor slipped into the rules (usually in the random events table).

Freikorps is a basic IGO-YUGO format, although the side with the higher morale at the beginning of the turn will go first (there is also a limited ability to “counterattack“ during the opposing player’s turn by units who were not attacked.)The concept of the game presumes that Budenny's Konarmiya won the battle of Warsaw in 1920, and Lenin has given the go ahead to try to conquer the rest of Poland and Germany in the name of the workers and poor peasants. The Soviet player must successfully drive into Germany with the Red Army and capture enough cities and town hexes within a 10 week period (each turn = one week) before winter and lack of supplies will grind them to a halt.

Standing in their way is the German “Freikorps”-various German units of demobilized soldiers (although not mentioned in the rules anywhere, these units were generally of a proto-fascist political orientation and undoubtedly would have in reality taken up arms against the “Red Menace”, a detachment of Freikorps was in fact responsible for the brutal murder of Polish socialist revolutionary , and Spartacist League founder, Rosa Luxembourg in 1919 during the ill-timed Spartacist insurrection), and the Reichswehr units currently under arms (as allowed by the Versailles Treaty), as well as interventionist Entente members, USA, Great Britain, and France, and the remnants of Pilsudski’s Polish National Army.

The actual number of units on both sides, however, is not predetermined, and die rolls are required to ascertain the actual number and types of units that begin the game. Standard combat ratios and a die roll determine the outcomes of battles, but there a number of variables included that can shift the odds or be a Die Roll Modifier. Each “force” (Freikorps, Entente, Konarmiya, Red Army, etc.) has a “cadre level” that abstractly represents that force’s cohesion, morale, fighting ability, arms and equipment, etc. that will influence it s performance in battle. The combat units, themselves are brigade or division level infantry and cavalry, some of whom have “Shock” capability (e.g. U.S. infantry divisions, Konarmiya Cavalry Divisions).

There are also “assets” (armor, trains, artillery, and airplanes) all of which provide a DRM when included in combat (they may be used for either offense or defense) and armor and trains also are “shock“ capable. When 50% or more of the units--combat and asset--are “shock’’ capable, the player, at his option may use the Shock Combat Results Table which can improve the efficacy of the attack. The various combat units all have a variety of attack and defense strengths that whenever units are made available (start up, reinforcement or replacement) must be drawn randomly from your “Force Unit Pool”. The force with the higher cadre level will shift the odds ratio by the difference in the two side’s cadre level.

For example , a stack of Freikorps (cadre level 2) attacking a Red Army stack (cadre level 1) at 3-1 odds, would shift the odds 1 column to the right making the odds 4-1. There are also couple of “curves” thrown in that , while subtle, will substantially alter both your strategic and tactical approach to combat. There are no Zones of Control, and the same defender hex may be attacked by more than one stack in a turn. Stacking levels also vary depending on the terrain. Attacking stacks in cities, with their larger stacking allowance and their 2 column odds shift defense can be ferocious bloodbaths. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of combat are some of the “results” on the CRT. By far the most interesting involves an interactive result of increasing levels of combat casualties on both sides until the attacker chooses to “disengage”. (or nobody is left standing).

Combat losses are taken in a combination of step losses and number of hexes retreated-the first loss must always be a step, and no more than two hexes can be taken in retreat to satisfy step losses. If the Shock Combat Results Table is used, at least 50% of step losses must be from “shock” capable units. Brigades are one step, as are Assets, and divisions are two steps-a division may take one step loss by being replaced by a “remnant “ unit, much weaker than the original unit. Any time a unit retreats it is “disrupted” (designated by flipping the piece over) losing most of its func-tions. During recovery phase “disrupted” units can be undisrupted by a modified die roll of 6 or higher. You refer to the Disruption Recovery Table for die roll modifiers that can help or hinder the chances of recovery.

The potentially bloody nature of combat is where movement and supply rules come in handy. It is not always easy, or even practical to try to maintain a solid front line of units, rather it is critical to defend cities and supply lines or have units available to “suppress” unforeseen revolts. Thus the opportunities for large sweeping battles of maneuver, with which it may be sometimes possible to bypass cities and force a retreat exist. It’s not a bad idea to use some cavalry to cut off supply lines, either., and to garrison cities behind your lines to protect them from cavalry raids and such (particularly Berlin and Warsaw respectively as if either is captured by units of the opposing side, Sudden Death Victory occurs for the capturing side!)

The Red supply is designed to be more brittle (one of many very well designed asymmetries in the game) than the White’s- Red supply is provided by HQ units which only have a 2 hex supply radius, and in turn the HQ must be within 2 hexes of a railroad line free of enemy units, as opposed to the Whites whose HQ supply radius is 3 hexes. Additionally the Reds have fewer HQs than the Whites., thus making sustained map wide offensive operations difficult unless planned with extreme care. On the other hand Freikorps and Entente HQs can only supply their own units and cannot combine in a multihex combat.

Each side can rapidly shift units as needed through the use of Strategic Movement which doubles a unit’s Movement Factor. The ultimate affect of all this is a lot of maneuver warfare, cavalry sweeping behind enemy lines and often a group of separate battle “pockets” rather than a coherent front line. The onus of attack, at least initially , lies with the Red Army, as victory conditions are determined by which side has the most cities and towns in its possession at the game’s conclusion, and at the start the Red Army has Warsaw...period.

The Red Army, however, should make some rapid captures, as for the first turn, Freikorps units are not allowed to leave German territory (another little subtle asymmetry).

The real heart and soul of a Brian Train design, however, is the political components that have either a direct bearing on the outcome of combat, or will channel the combat in certain directions to account for political exigencies that may occur. In Freikorps, this is represented through morale and the Random Events Table ( I don’t think Brian would object if we acknowledge Joseph Miranda for taking the use of Random Events Tables to a level of high art, which Brian has used successfully for his own purposes). Morale can be affected by capturing enemy HQs, Reds capturing towns and cities or Whites recapturing a Red held one or by a result on the Random Events Table. Morale is recorded on the “Morale Track” and can range from 1 to 20 (beginning morale levels are determined by die roll).

Very low or very high morale will affect the “cadre level” of that side’s unit. Additionally morale will affect the variable reinforcement table. Very low morale for the Whites also allows “volunteer” units from other European countries to enter the game on the side of the Whites. The Random Events Table also provides for various other points of “friction”-desertion, defection, “artistic protest”(!), and very critically, the possibility of uprisings occurring in enemy held towns and cities.

While both sides have the capability--the Whites can put Polish National Army units in Red occupied Polish cities/towns, and the Reds can put Spartacist militia units (God bless Rosa Luxembourg) in White occupied ones- the likelihood of which side will do this is skewed slightly in favor of the Reds.

These uprisings have the obvious benefit of gaining that side another town (Victory Conditions) and even has the ability to push out any enemy units in the town. They can only be eliminated from the town/city by attacking them, and as long as one remains located in its town/city, it will produce a new militia unit each reinforcement phase. Their presence also does a nice job of disrupting supply lines.

There are also a number of optional rules-the Trotsky train, Red and Royal navy, capability of forming a mechanized British division, et al. all of which easily slip into the game mechanics and I see no reason not to play with all of them. They are not particularly complicated and they add some pleasing chrome to the game without disrupting its flow at all.

The game itself, as I have alluded to is fast paced, certainly enjoyable and challenging and can easily be played in one sitting. The asymmetry, the friction of random events and random drawing from the “Force Pools” guarantees many twists and turns of fortune within the confines of a single game, and allows for substantial replayability.

Beyond what has been mentioned concerning the utilization of strategies of maneuver and harassing supply lines, there is clearly numerous possibilities for both sides as to where to establish their “centers of gravity”, given that each side will have some “elite troops” (Reds-Konarmiya, Whites-U.S. divisions), as well as deciding which assets to incorporate into your OOB. East Prussia alone presents a number of options in strategy for both sides, e.g. should the Whites place their initial center of gravity there and thus present a serious threat to Warsaw ( maintaining an open supply line to East Prussia is not easy though), or conversely should the Reds just try to contain the Whites there while smashing into Germany proper, but leaving a considerable threat to their own more brittle supply lines? Those are just a taste of the many juicy decisions you are faced with when playing this delightful game.

Certainly I have some small quibbles with some of the historicity (e.g. even if the Konarmiya had won the battle of Warsaw in real life, I wonder if its manpower and equipment had already been pushed beyond its capacity, so how effective a fighting force it would have been is open to interpretation, but certainly within the context of the game it represents a nice element for the Red Army player to utilize its high quality for maximum effect, and I would have liked to see some “proletarian volunteer” units on the Bolshevik side), but after all this is an alternate history game in which there are an infinite number of “alternatives” to choose from, so my complaints are really picking at the smallest of nits. Possibly the Random Events Table and morale could be a little more integrated For example, while morale is a direct result of events on the battlefield, there is no correlation to what may occur on the Random Events Table (which can also dictate an increase or decrease in morale).

So certainly some very surprising events can occur that may juxtapose themselves in an unusual fashion as they effect outcomes. Again, not really a major issue, particularly if you enjoy games with tons o’ friction (as I do).

Thus, it should be clear whether or not you would enjoy this game. If you are into this “niche” of political/military combat with friction and essentially infinite play possibilities, then this is a must buy. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a fan of “political” or alternate history wargames, if you at least like an intellectually stimulating few hours with a few surprises thrown in, you still would find this game totally enjoyable.

Gary Valenza fights the power every chance he gets. Freikorps is available from the Microgame Co-op for US$9.00 postpaid. Check out other Microgame Co-op products at http://members.home.net/ co-op.