What Doin'?

Thought I would drop you a line (it has been some time). This isn't another of my "atta boy, keep it up" letters. I thought I might actually complain this time! Basically this is it: where do you guys get off publishing so many wonderful games anyway?
I mean, come on! I consider myself a dedicated hobbyist who has been pushed too far! I can't get enough ! EatG pushed me over the edge. I received the game (nice talking with you, Dean) and rapidly absorbed the new rules but just had to start with a game of GB. That was a mistake because it turned out to be the most exciting GB campaign I've played and I couldn't put it away. So then I felt guilty about not getting into EatG. So I talked an old friend out of his kids' ping-pong table and doubled my playing area. That just made it worse! That solution got me playing EatG but not the campaign yet because I had to continue my ongoing bloodbath in Omaha on one half of the table using the TCS 3.1 rules. (These area real joy for this game; it's 1420 hours on June 7, and the Germans are taking it on the chin.)
What are you guys trying to do? On top of this, April's Harvest arrived (a great head-on contest) and I see in the latest Ops (issue 16) that a new SCS game is out in May, followed by Black Wednesday in the summer. You see, if your games weren't so darned fun to play, easy to learn and retain, and good to replay, I wouldn't have to clean our all the used furniture places around here of large tables! No, seriously, keep it up and thank you.

[It's worse than you thought: now there's Black Wednesday for you, just in case the shooting stops too soon in Omaha. I share your frustration in this regard. Of the 1995 Gamers releases, I have played the campaign scenario of only one-and that was Yom Kippur. So many games, so little time. Maybe Dean should introduce a new series, the BDS (Boring Dud Series). These games will save you money (you wouldn't give a dime for 'em) and time (you'll never want to waste a minute playing 'em). Oh, never mind: I think we all have plenty of games like that already.]

Defensive Orders

Thanks for your fast reply yesterday. I had some thoughts about those [CWB] defensive orders overnight and have a suggestion to solve some problems, maybe.

When the player is writing a defensive order which involves movement to another area and then defense of that particular area, this rule could apply.

Fictitious Example: Longstreet has just accepted a defensive order to move to and defend Little Round Top (the order was written when no Union troops were present at that hill). On the way to LRT, Longstreet finds out that some Union troops just reached LRT and now occupy it. This situation should allow Longstreet to attack anyway (at the Confederate player's option), but with a penalty for lack of preplanned coordination. His order now turns into a temporary attack order for as long as he is attacking to take LRT. After about 1 hour of fierce fighting he and his excellent corps manage to "take that hill." Now his temporary attack order turns into the original defense order as it was first meant to be.

The penalty for turning a defensive order into a temporary attack order is the following:

1. The formation now rolls for standard Corps Attack Stoppage instead of Corps Defense Failure [i.e. no +1 DRM and no immunity from the -3 DRM for night turns].

2. The formation rolls on the Corps Attack Stoppage table with a one-column shift to the worse (i.e. greater risk to get a stoppage). [Ed. note: I am not sure whether this shift applies to the top or bottom Corps Attack Stoppage table. I suggest experimentation.]

The central point to using this rule is the commander's intent when he/she wrote the original order. This rule should not be used to make it easier to "get up on that hill and hold it." So, if the objective is vacant when the order is written, then this rule could be applied.

[Ed. note: Use common sense here. Marching to a vacant piece of real estate behind enemy lines still should require a complex order, per series rule 10. 1a.]

This rule should also be applicable in a situation where suddenly an enemy formation shows up on the line of march between a friendly formation and its objective. Longstreet, for example, could attack this enemy formation, but of course with the penalty.

I think using this rule should be an option for the player. Longstreet does not have to attack.

This rule is not always positive for the player executing it. Sometimes it would be better to wait and receive a "real" attack order to minimize the risk of Corps Attack Stoppage.

Dean, since you have a more knowledge than I of the adverse effects of applying this rule, I would really like to hear your comment on this.

[Dean's comment is that you have a good idea here. I would point out that players can include the defense of an objective (enemy-occupied or empty) as part of a complex order (see the examples under series rule 10. 1c). The cost of this approach is that the complex order costs 2 more command points and gives a -2 column shift on the Acceptance Table. I like the way you tie temporary attacks to the CAS table, because fresh troops lead by generals with superior brains and guts (like the 4- rated Longstreet) should have the best chance of pulling off such an improvised attack.]

Afrika

Having played Afrika a number of times against different opponents and seen other games in progress, I have noticed that the Commonwealth player always runs into the same problem: Italian players a lot smarter than Graziani!

To wit: instead of invading Egypt and getting bogged down just past Sidi Barani to be bagged by O'Connor, my opponents and many others I've seen stay in Libya and start fortifying around Tobruk, Bardia, Bir el Gubi, Benghazi and so on. Granted, there isn't supply enough to build boxes everywhere, but without the Italian player sticking his head in the noose in Egypt, Italian losses are light and by the time Rommel arrives, he has quite a few Italian infantry divisions to work with.

Needless to say, this (together with the CW withdrawals) leads to a painful problem for the Brits and is a highly ahistorical situation. You have the Italians in a solid position in Libya in no great danger, and they still get the Germans. On the eve of the Balkan invasions and Barbarossa, Hitler would hardly have sent the Afrika Korps to rescue the Italians unless they were in trouble.

In my opinion, the Italian player should be made to invade Egypt as far as Sidi Barani at least with some effort to take Mersa Matruh. this was Mussolini's will and I'm sure he would have sacked any commander who failed to do so. I would like to propose the following changes to the game.

1) The Italian player must invade Egypt and take Sidi Barani with all of the forces listed in the scenario set-up as being within three hexes of Bardia.

[Ed. note: That's a considerable force, comprising 21 and 22 Arty Rgt, Maletti Grp, 1 and 2 Lib Divs, Cirene Div, Marmarica Div, Babini Tank Bde, 3 Gen Div, and Catanzaro Div.]

2) These forces must remain in Egypt in positions east and south of Sidi Barani until Turn 6. The Bardia garrison can remain in Bardia and any two other units can remain at Sollum, Ft. Capuzzo, or Ft. Maddalena. Any reinforcements called for on the reinforcement chart must either go to Egypt or stay in Tripoli. the Italian forces in Egypt get first priority on all incoming supply points (i.e. no SP stockpiling in Libya other than those required to keep the garrisons alive).

3) the Italian forces in Egypt are released from the requirements above the instant a Commonwealth unit enters Libya, after which the Italian player can send reinforcement, units, and supplies wherever he sees fit.

4) The Italian player can choose to ignore the requirement to invade Egypt but suffers the following penalties:

a) No Italian unit reinforcements until the turn after the Italian player invades Egypt or the CW player invades Libya;

b) Regardless of the air and truck point schedules, the Italian player is limited to one air point and three truck points until he invades Egypt or the CW invades Libya, after which the respective points are received as scheduled -I

c) Molto importante: NO German reinforcements at all can be received until the turn after Tobruk is taken by the CW player (as I said before, Hitler would not have dispatched the Afrika Korps unless the Italians were in trouble). The turn after Tobruk falls, the first scheduled German reinforcement group appears, with the remainder delayed the same number of turns the first group was delayed.

Note: The CW player may try something gamey like bypassing and sealing off Tobruk to prevent German intervention. Therefore, if the Italian player still holds Tobruk and the Commonwealth player advances more than 5 hexes south or west of Tobruk, the German reinforcements begin arriving the very next turn.

I hope these rules remedy gamey Italian playing and put things in a better political and strategic perspective. At the same time, they do give the Italian the choice to see how well they fare going it alone (and if things get too hairy and Tobruk falls, the Germans will still come). Please consider adding these rules to Afrika.

P.S. Just bought and twice played Yom Kippur and like it a lot.

[So you have a set of historical handcuffs, eh? These are rather intelligent idiot rules, since they have a historical rationale and they give the Axis player the choice to blow off Il Duce and his imperialist fantasies. If the Italians decide not to invade and the Afrika Korps remains uncommitted, you might consider imposing a negative DRM on the Allied Variable Reinforcement Table. After all, if Herr Hitler has more divisions for, say, his Balkan adventure, you know Churchill will insist on sending more troops to Greece.

My dad came up with another way to give the Allies an edge in the early game: an O'Connor counter with the same capabilities as Rommel.

These variant rules can change the course of play radically, especially if the Axis player is willing to hold off on receiving the Afrika Korps. For this reason, you variant could be good for people who have fallen into stereotyped play in their Afrika games.]