Eagle games have definitely stirred up comments on the internet. There are some loud critics to be sure, but just as many fans of the game. The folks attacking Eagle Games like to point to what they determine as "rules defects". However, the simple fact is that Eagle Games are the true successor to the Milton Bradley GameMaster Series, and Attack! (Eagle Games, 2003 - Glen Drover) is one of the best of the lot. Attack! is full of plasticky goodness with hundreds of plastic miniatures and a huge world map. While some look at it as a possible World War II simulation (a competitor for Axis and Allies), I think that instead it's a natural progression up from Risk. The components are tremendous, the game plays quickly and easily, and for those who love playing light war games with hundreds of figures, this one is a no-brainer to get! I will, however, say that I much prefer Attack! with the expansion added, and that's the only way I would really want to play it. But for simplicity's sake, the basic Attack! will meet a lot of people's needs. The rules are fairly lengthy, so I'm going to condense them as much as I can here. A huge map, showing the Americas, Europe, and Africa, is placed in the middle of the board with each player taking all the army pieces (infantry, tanks, artillery, and planes) of their color as well as some naval cards (1 battleship, 2 destroyers, and 2 submarines). A deck of economics cards is shuffled, and four are passed to each players. Economic cards are one of five suits (population, factories, rail transport, oil, or minerals) and have a value from one to four. Starting with one player, all players place one infantry unit at a time into any land region on the board, until each player has claimed four regions. A Capital City is placed in one region of each player, and five other units of any type can be placed in any of the four claimed regions for each player. One player is chosen to go first, and then play passes clockwise around the table. On their turn, a player may take three different actions. The actions the player may choose are: Trade: A player may trade their economic cards with another player. Cards can be traded for promises or cards from that player. Players may only trade if they have adjacent regions on land, or if one of them "controls the seas." Build New Units: A player may total the number of production points (PP's) they currently get and buy new units if they like. A player gets 10 PP's for each capital city they control, plus the sum of the value of all the cards in their hand. If the player can form a "set" of economic cards (one each of oil, minerals, rail transport, and factories), the value on those cards is doubled. Once a player has totaled up their PP's, they must spend them immediately or discard them. Infantry, destroyers, and submarines cost 5 PP's; artillery cost 8 PP's; tanks and battleships cost 10 PP's; planes cost 15 PP's; and aircraft carriers cost 20 PP's. New land units may be placed in any region the player owns, and ship cards are placed in front of the player. Move: A player may move any or all of their land units from one region to an adjacent region, with tanks and planes moving up to two regions. Units may move across "sea lanes" (gray lines that connect two regions over the seas) if the person who controls the seas allows it. If a player moves into a region of another player, a battle occurs. If a player moves into a "neutral" region, they must fight the armies there. This is determined by turning over the top economic card and placing neutral forces there equal to those shown on the card. Blitz Move: This can only be done after a move. It is the same as a regular move but can only be done with tanks and planes. Strategic Move: A player can move all of their land units any distance they wish to (as long as it is legal) but must finish these moves in their own territory. Diplomatic Blitz: A player can attempt to peacefully take over a neutral territory. They declare the attack, then must roll an eight or higher on two six-sided dice to succeed on an adjacent territory, and a nine or higher for any other territory. On a success, they place a free infantry unit in the territory. The Diplomatic Blitz is the only action that may be done more than once. Naval Battle: Only one player can control the seas at a time, restricting all movement through and on the seas. If another player wants to take the seas over, they can initiate a naval battle. The player who controls the seas can voluntarily retreat, or stay and fight. If a fight occurs, each player places their ships in a row, each facing one opponent's ship (with a maximum of eight ships). Each "match-up" is resolved with a simple die roll, rolling two dice and adding any modifiers on the cards (for example, battleships are +2 vs. Destroyers). The higher ship gets a "hit", which is applied to the ship that is the first in line, sinking it. (Battleships take two hits). This continues until all the ships have fought, after which another round begins, or a player retreats. The winning player gains control of the seas. Land battles utilize special six-sided dice: two sides show an airplane, one an infantry, one a tank, one an artillery, and one a blank side. Each player takes all the units both from the attacking territory and the defending territory, placing them in front of them. The attacker picks four units for his initial attack, pushing them forward, with the defender doing the same. The first round of the battle begins, starting with the defender. Each round begins with a reinforcement setup, where a player can bring units from their reserves. The maximum number of units in each battle increases by one for each round, starting with four in the first. The player then rolls one die for each unit (two dice for each tank), scoring a hit for each die that matches one of their front-line units. A unit can get a maximum of one hit. The other player must eliminate units for each hit, in this order: infantry, tank, artillery, then planes. The other player then takes their turn, and this continues until one side destroys the other. The game continues until one player is eliminated at which point the game ends, and the player with the most territories is the winner (ties are broken by the player with the most land units). Some comments on the game... 1.) Components: Over six hundred plastic units is never a bad thing, especially when the models are as good as they are in this game. It did take a long time to twist them all out, especially those accursed artillery pieces; but you do get a ton of plastic in this game, and that is a fantastic thing. The only problem I had with the pieces was that it was difficult for me to tell at a glance the difference between a one-unit piece and a five-unit piece. For example, the five-unit plane is just a smidgen bigger than the one-unit plane. When you place them next to each other on the board, it's easy to tell the difference; but when a piece is by itself, it can be sometimes confusing. I just ditched the difference all together and started using chips from Axis and Allies. The special dice are really cool—an idea that is similar to Memoir '44 and Battlecry. The cards are of good quality; and while it's a little odd to have ships as cards, it works. The board is gigantic, and it's only half of the world; but it's very clean cut and looks nice on the table (better than the new Axis and Allies board.) Everything fits inside a nice-sized box, although players are going to have to provide bags for everything. The artwork, done by Paul E. Niemeyer, is very invocative of the time period c. 1935 and looks really good on the cards, board, and box. One certainly gets their money's worth when buying this game. 2.) Rules: The rules are actually quite simple - a break from the three sets of rules that Eagle Games had done up to this point. Everything was explained quite clearly, and a fully pictorial battle example was included in the twenty-page booklet - the best Eagle rule booklet yet and well formatted. The game (without the expansion) is simple to teach and play and may even be too simple for some people. It's a step up from Risk but less complicated than Axis and Allies. 3.) Axis and Allies: The game is going to be inevitably compared to Axis and Allies, since they have a similar feel with lots of plastic units and from the same time period. The differences, though, are enough that players can have both games and not feel like there is duplication. Attack! is basically my version of Risk; it is not constrained by history, and players can create any scenario they want. Axis and Allies is better if a player wants to recreate World War 2 (on an abstracted scale). Attack! is probably a better, simpler, cleaner game, although it does have some problems with players ganging up on a leader, while Axis and Allies has team. My verdict? If you like one, you'll probably like the other. Get 'em both. 4.) Expansion or not?: Read my review on the expansion if you're interested in getting it, but the short story is that the expansion adds a lot more complexity and options. If you want plastic ships, paper money, technology advances, and different governments; then the expansion is a necessity. I prefer it, because it offers more options for a player, and games are more exciting. However, the basic game is very simple, and adding the expansion can add a bit of "clutter". If you just want a game that is a step up from Risk, then this is a good one. I especially like the fact that when one player is eliminated, the game ends; this solves the problem of player elimination other multiplayer games have. 5.) Diplomatic Blitz: The only odd thing in the rules is the diplomatic blitz. It's effective, it works much of the time, and it seems more viable than attacking a random neutral army. Still, there is some luck of the roll here; so if you want a territory for sure, just attack it. 6.) Ships: The ship combat at first felt slightly out of place; a card battle with all these miniatures on the table? But after seeing it in action a few times, I began to like it a lot. It was clean, simple, and easy and was almost a mini-game in itself. 7.) Luck: Of course, with all the dice that is rolled in this game, there is a decent amount of luck. But, if luck doesn't bother you in Axis and Allies, Risk, Memoir '44, Battlecry, Samurai Swords, and other games of this genre, it's really no different here. I actually think that the land unit battles are quite interesting and fun. Although I've enjoyed all of Eagle Games combat systems, this one is the easiest and works the best. 8.) Fun Factor and Time: The drawback, of course, is time. If you're not up for a three hour game, then this may not be your cup of tea. But with each player only having three actions on their turn, the game moves quickly; and there's not as much downtime as in other light war games. I did not have as much fun with the basic game as with the advanced game, but I saw others who did who enjoyed the pure simplicity of the game. If you like the idea of Risk but find it too random and predictable, then this game is a nice step up. The plastic units, cards, and board add a nice pre-World War II period flavor to the game, and the different abilities of the units make different strategies possible. The trading of the resources adds a bit of negotiation to the game, and the ship battles are unique and interesting. If you look for more, pick up the expansion also; but if simplicity in combat is your thing, then this is the game for you. Attack! is certainly a fitting name for this game; it's all about destroying your opponent. And for a lot of people, that's fun. Attack! Expansion I really enjoy the game of Attack! but find it a bit simplistic for my tastes. This is perfectly fine for many people, but I like more options. The Attack! expansion (Eagle Games, 2003 - Glen Drover) does just this, practically changing the entire game but raising it up a notch. If you're interested in the basic game, I've written a review on that game; this review will just concentrate on the changes and my opinions of each. And there's a lot of changes! 1.) Game board: Another game board is placed next to the main Attack! board, adding the rest of Asia and the Pacific Ocean. This changes the game from being played on a massive board to a gargantuan board, doubling the size. It's neat to see it all laid out but requires a lot of space. Both boards have sea areas on them now where sea units will be placed. The world now "loops", so units can move off the edge of the east and/or west, appearing on the other side. "Control of the Sea" is no longer a valid option. 2.) Setup: Players now start with five units, but now can play and place naval units (destroyers, aircraft carriers, battleships, and submarines.) I really enjoy the model of the aircraft carrier; there are little planes sculpted on it - it's pretty nifty. Players also get a random government type (fascism, monarchy, democracy, or communism). All government types are to be represented, if possible. Counters are placed in all neutral regions randomly, to display the governmental preference of that region. A deck of technology cards, a deck of political action cards, and several new economic cards are added to the game, while the ship cards are removed - not being needed. Players start the game with four political action cards. Production Points (PP's) are now added to the game in the form of paper money and can now be saved from turn to turn. 3.) Actions: Actions now cost "oil certificates"; a player can do as many actions as they can afford each turn. The first action costs one oil, the second two oil, etc. A few new actions have been added, and some of the old actions modified. Move: The same as the original game, except players can now move ships one to two sea zones. Research New Technology: The player can attempt to research, by investing PP's. The player must then roll a "10" or higher, reducing the target number by one for each 5 PP's invested. If successful, the player draws the top technology card, receiving the benefits from it. These cards will often then determine the player's strategy, for they are fairly useful. For example, Heavy Tank Guns allows a player to roll three dice for their tanks in land battles, which will probably cause that player to emphasize amour; and Parachute Infantry allows a player to jump over regions with their infantry if air units are involved. Blitzkrieg Move: Is no longer in the game, unless the player has the matching technology card. Diplomatic Blitz: To attempt a diplomatic blitz, a player must roll a "6" or more on two six-sided dice. If they succeed, the nation "converts" as usual, and they may try again as a free action. On the second attempt they must roll a "7" or higher and an "8" on the third attempt, etc. If the region is not adjacent, there is also a +2 modifier. There is also a +1 modifier for each space the government of the neutral region is away from the attacker's government on a chart Communism - Democracy - Monarchy - Fascism. Once the player fails, they can no longer diplomatic blitz that turn, unless they fail on their very first roll. Play Political Action Cards: A player can play as many cards as they like if they take this action. Cards range from good (gain one free submarine), to very good (you and a player of your choice gain control of one minor neutral each), to the obscenely powerful (pick any region owned by another player. (Not capital) Up to four army units in that region switch to your color. (If a battle results, fight it immediately.) I like the cards, but they do add a bit of chaos to the game. The last card I mentioned is especially powerful and can really throw off someone's game if played in the beginning. Some cards have an eagle symbol on the bottom of the card. Once thirteen of these cards have been played, the game ends. Begin auction for a Trade Route Card: A player can bid 20 PP's or more, starting an auction to acquire a trade route card. These cards are new economic cards that act as "wild" cards when completing sets and are worth three to six PP's. They're extremely useful cards and will be widely sought after. Each card matches a specific trade route on the board, making them susceptible to submarine raids. Trading: Players must be able to trace a path from their capitol to the other player's capitol to trade. Commerce Raiding: A player can attack another player's trade routes with their submarines. They must choose what trade routes they will attack, as long as they have a submarine in the area(s). One six-sided die is rolled for each submarine attacking with a "6+" giving them a hit. A hit "knocks out" the trade route for one round with two hits destroying the trade route. The defender can attempt to eliminate the attacking subs if they have aircraft carriers or destroyers in the trade route zone. I really enjoyed this part of the game, as the attacking and defending of supply routes becomes crucial to victory, and it makes the game more thematic. Strategic Bombing: A player may "bomb" another player's economy. They decide how many players they want to use (on the board) and put them in two rows: fighters in front, bombers in the back. The defender may use as many defending planes as they have available on the board. The defender rolls first, rolling one six-sided die for each plane with "6"'s scoring hits, eliminating the attacking planes. The attacker's fighters then fire back in the same way, after which the bombers attack with their hits "knocking out" one non-Trade Route card from the opponent. 4.) Battles: The order of units eliminated is now changed. The attacker now chooses the unit eliminated by a hit, with some restrictions. Infantry must kill infantry units first, then tanks, then artillery, and then planes. Tanks must kill tanks or infantry first, then artillery, then planes. Artillery units can kill two infantry units, then one tank, then one artillery, and then one plane. Planes can kill whatever opposing unit they like. Ship battles occur just like the basic game, except that plastic pieces are used instead of cards, and submarines don't have to get involved. 5.) End of Round: After all players have taken their turns, a round ends. Each player then takes the amount of PP's in paper money, just like in the basic game, except that Oil economy cards can be used to get Oil Certificates or PP's. This puts a high demand on oil economy cards (just like real life), and players will go to war over them. Players also receive one more political action card, and the player who went second in the previous round begins the next round. 6.) Victory Conditions: The game still ends when one player is eliminated or when thirteen eagle cards have been played. The player with the most victory points wins the game with each player scoring victory points, depending on what government they are. All governments score two victory points for each region they control, plus… Communists: 1 victory point for each communist minor neutral. Democracy: 1 victory point for each democracy minor neutral, -1 victory point for each minor neutral they invade. Monarchy: 1 extra victory point for each region they own that's not on the same continent as their capital. Fascists: 1 extra victory point for each region they capture in battle where their opponent lost 3 or more units. I have seen arguments on the internet, where people complain that one government is too powerful, or too weak; but on the contrary, all are fairly well-balanced, as long as all players are equally aware of the differences and strengths of the governments. There are several other minor changes, but this covers most of the big ones. It's worth noting that all the pieces from the expansion fit easily into the original box. So is it worth it to buy the expansion? If you like more complication (it's not too much, but it does complicate the game a bit) and more options, then this is a must-buy. Basically, if you didn't like Attack! because you thought it was too simple, this might change your mind. However, if you love Attack! because of the simplicity and ease of play, perhaps then you should just stick with the original game. If you want hundreds more units, and like the feel of paper money and the slight chaos of political cards, then the expansion is right up your alley. Either way, I get to play with hundreds of little army miniatures, and that always makes me happy. Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 11 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. 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