It occured to me that there might be some readers who had not yet come across my E.D.N.A mechanism. For those not aquainted with this worthy system, E.D.N.A. stands for Ever Decreasing Number Allocation. It is very simple and has a lot of uses either by Itself or as part of other rule sets. It has been sucessfully Incorporated it Into a number of games, some of which have been taken round the shows. I have written this simple and fun game below as a painless introduction to the system. THE SCENARIO It is 1864 and the Southern States of the Confederacy are beginning to wilt under the continued onslaught of the Union forces and their intrusion into the South. You are part of a small group of Confederate engineers detailed to blow up a vital bridge to stall and slow down the Yankees advance in order to give your army a chance to regroup and make a stand at the nearby town of Smithereens. The barrels of gunpowder have been laid and the fuse attached. Your group then retired sixty yards away to safety leaving only the sergeant behind to set off the charge. Just as he takes the cigar from his mouth to touch it to the fuse a ragged volley of shots ring out and the sergeant drops down dead. The shots have come from some Union sharpshooters who have just appeared in the distance on the other side of the bridge intent on capturing it intact. With the sergeant dead the bridge could be lost to the enemy. All you have to do is run the sixty yards to the barrels, retrieve the cigar, light the fuse and dash for cover. You suddenly spring up out of safety and head for the bridge, ignoring the hall of bullets falling around you. After all, the safety and honour of the South rests on your shoulders. "WELL I'LL BE BLOWEDr - THE RULES E.D.N.A stands for Ever Decreasing Number Allocation. One yard = one Inch The powder kegs on the bridge are situated 60 Inches away from the start line. Figures can be used and the distance measure in Inches on the wargame table or else the players progress could be merely calculated and written down on a chart or piece of paper. Each player starts off with an E.D.N.A of 8. This number can decrease as the game progresses. If it reaches zero or below then the player is deemed dead. Step 1: "The Dashing Rebel" The player throws a D10 (0 a 10). If the number thrown is equal to or less than the player's current E.D.N.A then he can move his figure that turn the amount of his E.D.N.A in inches. If the number thrown is higher than his E.D.N.A, then the difference is deducted from the E.D.N.A to make a new E.D.N.A. and he moves his figure this new distance in inches. If a 10 is thrown then the difference is still deducted as above, but it is noted that the player's figure has received a wound. Wounds make a player even more of a hero if he survives! Step one is repeated until the player either reaches the barrels of gunpowder or has his E.D.N.A reduced to zero or below...in which case he is dead. Example: Start eith EDNA of 8. D10 toss is 5--under EDNA, so he moves figure 5 inches. Next turn, he rolls a 10. As this is higher than his EDNA (8), he deducts the difference (10-8=2) of 2 from his EDNA. His new EDNA is 6, so he moves only 6 inches now, and on subsequent turns. He also receives a wound for rolling a 10. His next roll is a 3, under his EDNA of 6, and so he can move 6 inches. At this point, he has moved a total of 20 inches (8+6+6), taken a wound, and has an EDNA of 6. Step 2:"What a Drag" Having reached the barrels the player must spend am turn collecting the cigar from the deal sergeant and checking it is still alight. He rolls a D10 and must score an odd number. If he rolls a 10 then he has collected a wound and must deduct one from his current E.D.N.A. The player continues to throw until an odd number has been achieved. Please note that for this and the next stage the difference in the score is not compared or deducted from his current E.D.N.A. Step 3: "Cor, Strike a Light" Having ensured that the cigar is still alight the player must now try to light the fuse attached to the barrels of gunpowder. He must throw his E.D.N.A or under on a D10 in order to be successful. If he throws a 10 he has been wounded and must deduct one from his E.D.N.A. He continues to throw until he is either successful or dead. Step 4:"Blown to Smithereens" Once he has successfully ignited the fuse the player has only one turn to reach a safe place from the blast, and must move a minimum of four inches away. He throws a D10 and moves as in Step One. If the bridge blows and the player has not been able to move the four inches to to safety the he is deemed to have died in the explosion, and can claim to have been hoist by his own petar and blown to Smithereens! This only serves to prove that smoking can be dangerous to your health. Step 5:"What a Blow" On the second turn after lighting the fuse, the player throws to see if the gunpowder blows. He must throw 4 or above on a D10 to succeed and achieve the status of hero. If a 1, 2 or 3 thrown it means that the fuse has gone out and the player must return to the gate and repee steps 2,3,4 and 5 again. If the player is successful in his attempt to blow the bridge then he is generally acknowledge by all other player present as being a hero and a true gentleman of the South. This is even more the case if the player is still alive and has managed to collect some wounds on the way. If desired the game could be conducted individually or if the first attempt falls a dead boc marker could be placed at the point of death and a new colleague jumps up to try and finish the job. Courage should never be in short supply. 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