for Command Magazine #12 "22" x 34" map, 200 counters, 16 pages of magazine-inset rules. $13 per issue, or $45 sub rate. Published by XTR, POB 4017, San Luis Obispo CA 93403 One of the first reviews - if not THE first - I wrote in my original column for "Moves" was for the old GDW Chaco game from the early '70's. Now a collector's item, it's success d'estime helped launch GDW as a company (although not as much as their Europa series games). The appearance, then, of a new game on the same subject exerted a strong, nostalgic pull towards Command #12. Command has been an interesting phenomenon to watch develop. Rising from the rubble of Keith Poulter's Media Empire (in somewhat controversial and disputatious fashion), it has had the fortune to step into what turned out to be a major publishing vacuum. Good luck, however, is what you make of it, and the Bomba/Perello/Hoffman triad (known corporately as XTR) has definitely steered the magazine adroitly through the early, rock-strewn years. Sporting a strikingly visual masthead logo (which manages to look uncomfortably like a Soviet magazine from the '30's), XTR fought off an early attempt to name the magazine "Iron Dreams" (which is too bad, because I had at least 437 great one-liners for THAT one) and began to establish a personality of its own. Oftimes that personality was somewhat misguided - much of the early editorial content succumbed to Ty Bomba's "chip-off-the-old-shoulder" approach - but at least it HAD personality. And, within reason, readers don't mind getting a bit riled every once in a while, as long as it appears there is some intelligence behind the comment. You may not agree with what they're saying - but at least they're saying something. After a few issues, the editorial staff seemed to calm down a bit, the magazine was less pointedly upset and more chatty (a style Jim Dunnigan used to much effect in selling the old S&T), and most of Ty's stamp collection was, mercifully, deep-sixed. And visually, they hit the nail right on the head. Making use of the hitherto little-explored - but exceptional - capabilities of veteran graphics man, Larry Hoffman (who, in an industry of mostly good folks, is one of the "really great guys"), and importing the outside help of such top-flight, creative people as Dave Fuller and Rodger MacGowan, they quickly established a Command "look". The front cover of issue #1 may have projected a bit too much Nazi-glorification for my thin skin - but, as art, it was striking. As for the games, I don't think anyone expected too much - and they weren't disappointed. Most of the first few issues contained a haphazard collection of Russo-German/WWII throw-aways and alternate history piffle to satisfy even the most fervent Bomba addict. Some were OK, some were dreary - but none were at the dreadful level plumbed by some of the recent S&T garbage. Graphics were a bit garish (counter type fonts were - and still are - a mite on the thick side) but professional. Of course, everyone was in a dither as to whether Command was going to hurtle, head-first, down the old NNN autobahn - say, guys, wonder where that acronym came from, huh?. However, after threatening to engulf all of gamedom in a blitzkrieg of modern-era goosesteppers, sloshing around the Mississippi, dreaming of iron and David Duke, XTR and Command abruptly shifted gears - and therein lies much of their success. For the first six issues, Command was simply a phenomenon; with the Kadesh issue, it became a force. Not that Kadesh was such a great game; it was all right, a nice system limited somewhat by the parameters of the actual battle. However, visually, it was spectacular - and a look into the future. Larry Hoffman's cover and counters turned the industry on its ear in a way only Redmond Simonsen had succeeded in doing years ago. Even more important, the game editorial thrust did an abrupt 180 turn away from a steady diet of 3rd and 4th Reich/Risen Sun retreads. Now we had some variety - and some interesting variety at that! We had games on biblical battles, Napoleonic battles, ancients campaigns, Korea, WWI naval . . . a really nice mix. That the actual games were a mixed bag in terms of playability and/or enjoyment has more to do with the viscitudes and restrictions of publishing magazine format games than with the actual design work. Counter limitations, a somewhat ephemeral wish for simplicity, and a desire to appeal to the widest possible audience often produces a straight-jacket sort of design/editorial mentality . . . a disease certainly not limited to Command. How many really playable, "good" games can you name from the 100 or so that SPI/S&T published? (Other than mine, that is.) It goes with the territory. Chaco Issue The Chaco issue, therefore, presents something of a change for XTR. The cover is one of the best in years, both in terms of eye-level impact as well as evocation of the subject matter. Bruce Farceau's article, while being a bit heavy on the "this unit moved here and that unit moved there" sort of exposition, was insightful, opinionated (which I enjoy) and, best of all, well written. (It was, though, not quite as good as Mike Markowitz's exceptional piece on Alexander the Great in issue #10. One of the most pleasing aspects of Command's development has been the level of writing.) But all of this is window dressing for what most people buy these magazines: the game. Farceau's The Chaco War covers that unfortunate, and mostly forgotten, episode in which Bolivia and Paraguay went macho a macho for three-plus years (1932-35) over a stretch of virtually uninhabitable ground. This game had kicked around for a bunch of years in a variety of formats, until, prodded by its champion and developer, the estimable Paul Dangel, XTR picked up its option. They have good reason to pat themselves on their corporate back for this bit of publishing acumen, because, despite some problems and reservations, Chaco is what magazine gaming is all about. The Chaco (in the SE corner of Bolivia) is one of the most depressing places on earth, and the game map (by the talented - and seemingly ubiquitous - Mark Simonitch) projects that feeling in evocative, readable, if unspectacular fashion. So what if the turn track is missing a year (1932) and a compass (North, it turns out, is to the left . . .). The counters, too, are nice-looking and easy-to-read (the fonts are not quite as "fat" as in earlier games), although, again, not exactly ground-breaking in terms of art. The rules cover 14 pages (plus charts), a length well-suited to the middle-level complexity the game intends. I do think a more descriptive play sequence would have been appreciated, but the only real problems with interpretation will probably occur with the supply rules. It takes several read-thrus to begin to grasp exactly what the supply system - admittedly the heart of the game - entails. An excellent, full-page schematic diagram/example goes a long way towards helping. The system is a bit unusual in its sequence of phases, and the emphasis here is on supply and sustained combat capability. Although there is a distinct Bolivian Turn, as opposed to a Paraguayan Turn, both players get to move and fight within each other's turns. There are two movement phases (one for each player, although "reaction" is at half-speed) followed by three combat phases (you-me-you), a mechanic which invites a lot of head-on pounding. So, while the sequence is still fairly rigid, it does allow for reaction and opportunity. As such, it represents a nice compromise in terms of playability vs reality. Basic Mechanics Most of the basic mechanics are familiar stuff - ZOC's, Replacement Points, odds-ratio CRT, etc. - although there are some interesting design twists which serve to give the game a rather Modigliani-like feel. One rather strange item is that every type of terrain - even clear - has a negative effect on the attacker's dieroll (a written rule which seems to be somewhat different from the Terrain Chart, rendering the process rather unclear). And this is a game where terrain, and its effects, are of paramount importance. It is also never mentioned whether, when eliminating strength points, you use the attack strength or the defense strength. (I assumed it depended on what the unit was doing, but you know what happens when you "assume" . . . .) Movement also presents something of a problem, probably arising from a desire to portray exactly how difficult it was to get around in the Chaco. It may seem fantastic that reinforcements being brought up from the rear could move only 100 or so miles a month, but this appears to be what actually happened. (Poor leadership, lousy roads, ill-trained recruits, bad logistics and having to walk most of the way will do it every time.) In game terms, though, this can be most frustrating . . . a feeling, I fear, that many "gamers" - especially the beer-and-pretzel buffs - will find too difficult to overcome. No blitzkriegs here, guys . . . just lots of slow, tenuous slogging. The movement system, though, does have its moments of inspiration. I particularly liked the rules for "clearings", in which units get to move along "clear" hexsides!! Now why didn't I think of that . . . All of this is enfolded in what is obviously the heart of - and the problem with - the game: SUPPLY. Farceau makes it quite clear from the beginning that the Chaco War, even more than usual, was one of supply and logistics. The troops were uniformly raw, and their leaders, for the most part, right out of "El Grande de Coca-Cola". That Paraguay had the best of a mediocre lot is obvious from the way the war proceeded, and Farceau provides some rather interesting rules which marry leadership to politics. But Supply was still king - and it rules the game with a heavy hand. Supply Chaco supply rules appear to be a marriage of convenience, something between the desire to accurately simulate and the need for people to play a game. Ultimately, while not appearing to be overly complex, they are somewhat difficult to follow and implement . . . mostly because they require the player to juggle several concepts at once. He has to establish Lines of Communications from a GHQ counter, whose length, in turn, allows him to project a Supply Radius from a variety of sources, some of which I never did get quite assimilate. Depot placement can be quite helpful, but the rules are somewhat vague as to when you go about using them. In addition to all of this, Combat Supply works entirely differently . . . and then there are the trucks, about which I had, shall we say, mixed feelings. I hypeth not when I say that the supply rules for Chaco are, at least in application, more complex than those for Campaign for North Africa. What the rules sorely need is some sort of chart laying it all out. course, there is a remarkable sense of historicity in all of this, as the problems of supply were far too much for the "rocket scientists" both sides had in charge during the war. I would venture that you would need 2, maybe 3, play-throughs to even begin to master the quirks, nuances and intricacies of Chaco's supply system. In the meantime, a lot of your troops are going to be Very Unhappy Campers. I liked Chaco; it was tough, and it was a challenge. (I should add that I spoke to several people who were less enthusiastic than I . . . but what do those Philistines know.) It's my kind of game, one that requires - actually demands - that you do your thinking on several planes at once. You have to find solutions to problems where there seem to be none readily available . . . and, let me tell you, both sides have plenty of problems here. Off-road movement is almost impossible, and supply radii are restricted, de facto, to the road network. All of this serves to channel most of the troop maneuvers, although the network is complex enough so that there is more than one avenue of approach. In addition, the fortified settlements, of which there are a good many (especially if players use their engineer units to maximum effect), are truly strong points against which poorly-planned, unsupported attacks can quickly drain even the strongest attack force. Patience is truly a virtue here, as is planning ahead. Lightening-like strikes and sweeping maneuvers are out; inexorable grinding and position consolidation is in. Chaco is not going to appeal to those who like their games to all be essentially remakes of Afrika Korps. This one requires the player to fight his opponent, the map, the supply rules, local politics . . . and himself. drawback, though, is that the game does tend to mirror history a bit too much. This, too, is a direct result of supply and its limitations. There is, seemingly, no way for Bolivia to do well in the opening stages of the game; their supply lines are so stretched and tenuous, and their commanders such dolts, that the Paraguayans can almost strike at will. It is a major challenge to win with Bolivia in the Boqueron scenario. Supply - and the scale - also make the campaign game an extremely long one. However, as the system is quite suitable for solitaire, such an extensive commitment can be quite rewarding to an introspective, history-oriented player. Chaco War is meaty stuff, a real South American beef stew . It's a tough, chewy - albeit flavorful - meat, a dish with which many gamers will not want to deal. Their loss. CAPSULE COMMENTS Physical Quality: Excellent. Playability: More of a simulation than a game, in that the hand of history (and reality) lays too heavily upon play balance. A tough, grinding game that demands much from the players. Historicity: Quite good, within the parameters of a magazine game. Good feel for the problems of this dreary war. Playing Time: Some of the 7-10 turn scenarios can probably be finished in a long evening. The campaign game is one that will take several, long play-days - at least. Comparisons: I'm sure it surprises no one that this Chaco is a major improvement over the old, GDW Chaco. Since The Chaco is so unique as a piece of terrain, its hard to compare this game to any other, operational game of this era. Perhaps Ethiopia/Mussolini invites comparison - but this is much more interesting, and a far better game, than Lion of Ethiopia. Overall: This is what you subscribe to wargame magazines for. Even if the subject doesn't interest you, the effort, the research, and the professional design and graphics approach are palpable. As a game, The Chaco War is certainly not for everybody; it can be slow-moving as well as somewhat opaque in just the wrong places. As a simulation, especially for those with a healthy curiosity about the why's and wherefore's of history, it can be quite rewarding. Back to Berg's Review of Games Vol. II #1 Table of Contents Back to Berg's Review of Games List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Richard Berg This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com