To Make Georgia Howl! is not, as one would imagine from the title, Madonna's latest cinematic foray into the kinky and dreary. Rather it is Rob Markham's game on Sherman's 1864 invasion of Georgia. The system is identical to that used by Markham in "Lee Invades the North" (Counterattack #2) and the sadly bungled "Campaigns for the Valley" in S&T # 156. The game scale is two days per turn, about two miles to the hex and the units are Confederate divisions and Union corps…with each strength point representing 300 men. The map extends from where Sherman's armies launched their campaign just north of Dalton, Georgia to some 30 miles south of Atlanta and obviously, Atlanta is the objective. While not state of the art, the map graphics are acceptable as are the counters (color-coded for subordination).
As with "Lee..." and "Campaigns...", the system has a command point-driven, Igo-Hugo sequence with some limited reaction ability by the nonphasing player. The design focuses on the effects of command, and how command and logistics affect maneuver. These are the two areas in which the game is at its strongest. At the other end of the Success Scale is combat.
Unit movement is determined by command points which each player receives according to a CP Table die roll for his Supreme and Cavalry commander. The CP's gained by those leaders are then "broadcasted" to subordinate commanders, depending on their distance from the supreme commander. This makes keeping close and open lines of communication important. Once the command points are received, they are compared to the given leader's command rating to calculate how much of the unit's movement allowance can actually be used for maneuver. Naturally, better leaders make better use of command points and are therefore more active. In similar fashion, a die roll check made against a leader's initiative rating determines whether or not his force can react to enemy movements. Leadership quality is as important in this game as in any other (worthwhile) game on the Civil War.
Logistics - treated simply but effectively - boil down to depots and wagons. Depots have fixed locations and are used to generate supply wagons that move with the armies. Supply must be present for forces to become engaged in battle. And so must a great deal of patience on the part of the players.
Combat may occur whenever both sides have units in the same hex. No problem. Combat is fought in rounds and the force available to the attacker and defender is not only affected by terrain but also by the command ratings of the leaders involved. Big problem, although one not without some charm.
Basically, a die roll is made on the Commitment Table and cross-referenced with the given leader's command rating to determine what percentage of his force is engaged in that round of fighting. Poorer-rated leaders can not only be left with less than half of their force available for combat but that force may be demoralized or forced to retreat after combat if as little as 10% of their committed force is lost to enemy fire. This simulates, rather interestingly, not only tactical abilities - and lack thereof - but also the timidity of some of the Turkey Time leaders, whom it doesn't take too many casualties to send running.
Unfortunately, combat is fought in rounds, a Markham trademark similar to seeing Made in Pakistan on your new, three-piece suit. Well, every designer has his favorite mechanic, but Rob seems intent on pushing this pill down our throats until we either swallow it whole or choke to death in the process. Unfortunately, this one is a horse-sized tablet that truly tests the gag reflex. While "combat-in-rounds" leads to some real eyeball-to-eyeball confrontations, these confrontations often get the players' blood up in a roll-til-y'all-die, realism-and-casualties-be-damned frenzy. That wouldn't be so bad if the combat calculations weren't so omnipresent and tedious. Since the CRT is bloody, and a new commitment die roll and series of computations must be made for each and every round, players have to keep note of rapidly changing force strengths and losses every time they opt to go-to again. This is a lot of die-rolling and record keeping for a fairly simple game; it quickly becomes mind-numbing.
Georgia Howler has 5 scenarios, the first four being various phases of the campaign to reach and take Atlanta, with the fifth covering the entire campaign from May 1 to September 1 1864. Victory is determined by holding certain geographical objectives and by winning "major victories". The strategic game adds a rather clever Dissatisfaction Track … dissatisfaction, that is, with either Joe Johnston or William Sherman. Each time the Union takes a significant piece of real estate, the marker moves to the right - the "can Johnston and give the army to Hood" side. The Confederate player can keep the marker in place or even move it to the left by holding towns. If the marker moves far enough to the left, Sherman can lose the army and have Thomas take command! In that event, a die roll of "6" has Lincoln call off the campaign and the Rebs get a major victory. A bit fare-fetched, perhaps, but it does make for interesting gaming.
To Make Georgia Howl! is a well-produced - and glitch-free! - game with some interesting touches. Unfortunately, it was not much fun to play more than a few times. Some of this may be inherent in the operational situation. But, as mentioned before, the combat procedure is somewhat overwrought, and, despite the use of command points to produce variable movement rates, the Igo-Hugo sequence gives the game a conservative and too-predictable feeling. As an operational game, it suffers in comparison with Stonewall Jackson's Way, which is much more exciting. The latter game also accounts for leadership effects in a more efficient and manageable fashion. Perhaps if SJW had never been published, TMGH would look much better. As it is, given the heady competition at this ball, the only howling Georgia will be doing is when no one asks her to dance.
CAPSULE COMMENTS:
Graphic Presentation: Acceptable map. Nice counters.
Playability: Good, except for a tedious combat resolution procedure.
Replayability: Fair, at best.
Creativity: In spots, quite high, but dragged down by some decades-old thinking and a reliance on a combat system that has not proven overly popular.
Historicity: Pretty good … a nice feel for the key elements and problems of the campaign.
Comparisons: Suffers. Not as much fun as Stonewall Jackson's Way. More sophisticated and realistic mechanics than Clash of Arms' Marching Through Georgia, but could have used the latter's hidden units and dummies.
Overall: A solid, well-produced game that looks somewhat stodgy next to more recent ACW operational games.
from Just Plain Wargames
One 22 x 34" mapsheet, 200 counters, charts and tables, rulebook. Ziplocked. Pacific Rim Publishing Company, 1992.
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© Copyright 1993 by Richard Berg
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