BOLO: Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade by Keith Laumer (New York: Berkley Books, 1982) 216 pages. $2.25 Back in my sometimes forgotten youth there was a "microgame" put out by Metagaming called Ogre. Some spinoffs from this included GEV and a delightful little (albeit warped, flaky and humorous) thing called Rivets. I no longer recall if there were any others. Steve Jackson Games publishes (or published, I really am not sure) a boxed version of Ogre. An "Ogre" is a high tech self-aware tank capable of reducing an entire armored battalion to rubble. It was the first wargame my eleven year old and I played together. The idea for Ogre derived, in part (and acknowledged in the games notes), from a collection of short stories written by Keith Laumer, called BOLO: Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade. What is a Bolo in this book? Not surprisingly a Bolo is a high tech self-aware tank capable of reducing an entire armored battalion to rubble. Actually some could do more. The Mark XII Bolo WV/I Continental Siege Unit possessed a mere half-megaton/second firepower. Attempts to demilitarize obsolete units included the rather unsatisfactory attempt of equipping one with a soil moving blade and calling it a "tractor." Since the weaponry was an integrated part of the Bolo it also retained its firepower. I can only imagine what happened when a tree stump got in the way. Laumer's collection is, from the military buff's point of view, uneven. The first two, and longest of the stories "Night of the Trolls" and "Courier" only peripherally involve Bolos. Both are well done, but neither really touches on the issue of what a Bolo was or what it could do and be.. But the third, and best story in the collection: "Field Test" is a gem. It is a story about courage and bravery, not by men but by Unit DNE of the Line (Denny) -- the first self aware Bolo. Thrown into battle against an invading force coming over the North Pole, "Denny" behaves exemplarly. But when all logic dictates that it should withdraw, it attacks, rushing the enemy lines despite the fact that it is mortally wounded. Why such "uncomputerlike" behavior? The reason is simple and will provide a chill to those who believe in the value of miliatry traditions. There are two other stories, but neither of these has the impact of "Field Test" at the gut level. Both are about Bolos, one bright and competent -- the other seemingly feeble minded. Both touch on duty, and honor, and loyalty. The book should be part of any Ogre enthusiast's library. Back to Cry Havoc #3 Table of Contents Back to Cry Havoc List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by David W. Tschanz. 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