The Morningaide Game Project, Inc., meaning Jim Cumbo, Al Nofi and John Prados, designed this game, which was originally to have been published by Rand Games. Rand, of course, went out of business a couple of years ago, so the game is being published by a new company, Westend Games, Inc., the president of which, according to the rules book, is Helena Gail Rubenstein. The unit counters were printed with Rand's name on them, now crossed out with Westend's name put on with a rubber stamp. The mapboard is copyrighted by Morningside Game Project. If all this isn't confusing enough, there is some confusion about the exact title of the game. The interior of the rules book and the small print on its cover use the title in the heading of this review. The unit counters just say "Operation Avalanche," while the mapboard and the large print on the cover aay "Code Word: Avalanche!" Take your pick.

The game, whatever it's called, comes in a clear plastic, zip-lock bag. It's a brigade/ regiment/battalion level simulation of the WWII Allied invasion of Italy in the Gulf of Salerno during September 1943. It's a fairly conventional, two-player hex-grid game. Each hexagon represents an area approximately one mile across. Each turn representa half a day. Units have normal zones of control, but attacking is strictly optional. One unique idea is that only units which have not expended all their movement points may attack. I find this logical, as a unit that spends its entire turn moving into position should have no time left for attacking.

The unit counters (one 7 1/4" x 9 3/4" sheet) are 1/2"-square and plug cut with rounded corners, in the style of Rand Games and SDC. I find the color combinations unattractive, however. The American units have red numbers and symbols on olive green, German units are dark blue on light blue and British units are dark blue on pink except for one armored battalion (142 RA whatever that is) which is red on pink. It seems like a return to the days of the pink panzers. There are armored units, assault gun, armored infantry, infantry, parachute infantry (can 'drop'), glider infantry (can 'drop'), engineer, recce/armored cavalry (can retreat to avoid combat), commando/ranger (can land at nonbeach hexes) and beach and shore unite (cannot attack).

Unfortunately, no key to the symbols for these unit types is provided, ao anyone not already familiar with them would have problems, to say the least. Both sides also have Air Fire Support counters, and the Allies have a Naval Fire Support counter as well. These are not used on the map, but on a Fire Support Index to indicate the number of combat factors available. These factors can be applied to any attack or defense, except that naval support factors have a range of eight hexes from any coastal hex and cannot pass through blocking terrain.

The map is attractively drawn. In addition to roads, towns and streams, there are elevation contour lines. Everything above 400 feet is a darker olive and considered bad terrain. Everything from 400 down to 200 feet is lighter olive and considered poor terrain. From 200 to .50 feet is speckled olive and fair terrain. All below 50 feet is light olive and clear terrain.

There are three scenarios provided: The Battle Game (8 turns, A.M. 12 Sept. through P.M. 15 Sept.), The Invasion Game (8 turns, A.M. 9 Sept. through P.M. 11 Sept.) and The Campaign Game (20 turns, A.M. 9 Sept. through P.M. 18 Sept.). Victory is determined by a point system based on territorial objectives and combat losses.

This is a basic, traditional game, competently done. It's nice that something has been salvaged from the Rand wreck. Unfortunately, I don't know the game's price. It's available from Westend Games, Inc., P.O. Box 156, Cedarhurst, NY 11516

Thumbnail Analysis Reviews

1942
Salerno: Operation Avalanche
Star Fighter
The Golden Horde