by Buck Surdu and Pete Panzeri Jodie Press International (available from Old Glory)

I received this in the mail awhile back, but am just now getting a chance to review it. "Santa Anna Rules! Warfare in Mexico 1820-1870 (Vol. I - Tactical System)" is a 50-page, spiral-bound booklet by Buck Surdu and Pete Panzeri. Even without the miniatures rules, "Santa Anna" would be worth the $18 for the background information, scenarios and exhaustive troop lists.

The figure scale is 1:30, with Infantry battalions, cavalry regiments and artillery batteries being the basic units of play. The mechanics strike me as somewhat nostalgic -- harking back to the detailed types of rules written in the 80s. There are lots of charts, multiplication and cross-referencing columns to attain results, such as casualties from artillery fire. "Volley and Bayonet" or "DBA" this is not! However, despite medium complexity, the rules appear easy to pick up. The hordes of excited faces around Panzeri's demo games attest to its fun and easy of play.

The most unique and clever feature of the game is the use of stragglers for Morale. Anything that could cause disruption in a unit -- rapid movement, fire, melee -- can cause stragglers. These cluster six inches behind the unit. When the number of straggler figures outnumbers effectives, the unit breaks. This visible slide towards dispersal can be halted by ordering a unit to remain stationary, reorganizing (which recovers some stragglers).

Command and Control focuses on the Brigade leaders, These are rated "0" through "3," which is the number they add to the roll of a four-sided die "pip" die. The resulting total is the number of order chits brigadiers may place next to the units under their command. This occurs each turn during the "Give Orders" phase. Possible orders include: Move; Charge; First Fire (allows shooting before movement); Hold Fire (after movement); Rally; Hold (recovers stragglers); and Form (used to change formation).

"Santa Anna's" suggested brigade sizes (2-3 regiments for American, 3-6 for Mexican) are also tied into the Command and Control system. Units that do not receive an order chit must roll on a chart to see what action they will take for that turn. With lower-rated leaders and more units per brigade, the Mexicans are intended to have less effective command and control. A happy by-product, in my opinion, of this system is that the players controlling the "crappy" troops will have more units on table to have fun with I

The booklet includes scenarios for the Battles of Buena Vista and Churubusco from the Mexican-American War, Puebla from France's "Maximilian Adventure," and San Jacinto from the Texan War of Independence. It also contains thorough lists of units that participated in these conflicts, indicating which of the major engagements they fought at. By the way, Volume 11, "Santa Anna Skirmish," or "Davey Crocket Rulesl" should be seen in your stores shortly.

So, if you are interested in this period, don't "straggle" on your way to get a copy. "Santa Anna Rules!" is definitely worth it.