Reviewing Stand

Engage and Destroy
(modern mini rules)

by Rod Burr

ENGAGE AND DESTROY is a new set of modern armor rules by Chris Kurzadkowski. The rules include basic rules for fighting single engagements, campaign rules, appendices giving weapon statistics, and the U.S. camouflage scheme. Four sheets of tables on card stock are included in the center of the booklet.

The rules for single engagements are quite detailed. The ground scales used are the same scale as the models used, except one which is one foot equals 400m. With this scale of 1000m equals 30", it is possible to play on a table as long as players are willing to sacrifice maneuvering room or use broken terrain.

Written orders are required each turn for each unit (e.g. single tank, single man) which specify the direction and distance to move along with the type of ammunition to be fired, and some other details. A periscope which the players must build is used to determine lines of sight, with different dimensions given for each ground scale.

The Campaign section includes rules for Supply and Logistics, Weather, Helicopters and Planes, Ships (including torpedo rules), and Nuclear and Chemical Weapons. The morale rules are also included here.

Overall, these rules are nearly worthless. The excessive detail and writing are neither realistic nor playable. The rules suffer greatly from poor editing. Captions are frequently misplaced with respect to charts. A more extreme example is that while the rules use the angle from the horizontal for armor sloping, the tables give the angle from the vertical. The only way to determine this is from familiarity with the vehicles themselves.

The pullout charts are poorly organized and incomplete. As examples, the firing data on the charts does not include range effects, and boxes showing base ranges aren't given on the penetration chart. There are also factual errors in the rules and the appendix on vehicle statistics. Examples of these are that neither the frontal armor of the Sherman or the T34 (the tank that "invented sloping") are listed as sloped! The rules are written in a slightly "cute" style typified by the use of "Mr. G.O.D." in place of the referee or umpire.

Finally, the rules appear to be completely lacking in new ideas or techniques that might redeem the interest value. ENGAGE AND DESTROY is published by the Chaosium and is far below the standards of their other products (fantasy and boardgames) with which I am familiar.

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