Before I go on, I must make one thing clear: Gazala is not an add-on or linked game to Crusader. Besides having six months of campaign between them, the two games have different scales and share some, but not all, rules. I wanted to do more with Gazala than Crusader. Some seemed to think that the two were meant to be joined, but that was never the case.

Gazala is one big battle and also the first major battle in which the Axis was the attacker. (They had launched three earlier offensives-Fall, 1940, Spring, 1941 and 1942, but this is the first offensive into a major battle.) It represents the first major battle in Africa where major defensive works were planned and built. As such, it is a mobile battle that endeavors to pull the Allied army out of its prepared works. That is, the point of the Axis offensive is to pry the Commonwealth army out of its works by offensive maneuver. Mobile vs. Immobile desert warfare-an interesting dilemma.

The Game

Gazala is a two map, 560-counter game. It uses the standard SCS rules with the following additional rules you've seen before: Artillery Barrages with DG effects, Reconstitution (Similar to, but not exactly like, Crusader), the usual Rommel rules, and Reserves (as in Ardennes). I've added supply units (which need to be expended to get Attack Supply) and some optional rules regarding Desert Navigation.

Each player has a stockpile of supply units at start and a trickle of new ones each turn. To allow a Commonwealth Brigade or an Axis Division to enter Attack Supply, the player must expend supply. Attack Supply, in turn, allows the unit to do regular and overrun attacks and to make artillery barrages. The supply units can also be used as a substitute for trace supply should units get cut off.

The three issues players will need to confront to be effective in the game are

1) there isn't enough supply to do everything you want to do, so you must select priorities,
2) you must manage the rate of use so that you do not find yourself "bone dry" at some later point in the game and generate an emergency situation, and
3) the supplies must be moved about so as to be located where they are needed when they are needed.

In a nutshell, this means the player must correctly plan the use of this reasonably scarce asset. The tolerances (ability to be abused somewhat before generating a disaster) are "kinder and gentler" than in the OCS. One can afford to be sloppier without creating a disaster. But should the player throw caution to the wind, he will (eventually) pay for it. That is the effect I strove for.

Desert Navigation was something I wanted to interject into the game. The kinds of "circular" paths we gamers take for granted are difficult, if not impossible, to pull off in real life using a compass, distance, and map. So, I came up with as simple as a set of rules as I could to allow some of the real-life restrictions to influence the game. During repeated testing it became more and more clear that the rules generated little actual effect. While we found the odd movement here and there to be difficult to pull off under the these rules, in general, we were able to do whatever we wanted. Oddly, this was the conclusion reached by the earliest testers as well.

With their report in hand, I tightened up the rules to make them more stringent. Later testing showed even the less flexible rules to be plenty flexible to allow almost every desired action. Finally, I threw up my hands and decided the exercise just wasn't worth the price. I did, however, leave the rules in as optional so that you can decide for yourself if you want them.

Playing Around

Many test games revolved around the Axis generating a large armored battle in the desert east of the 150th Brigade box. The results of the battle, or rather who came out hurt less as both limped toward the finish line, dictates where the battle will go next. Should the Axis come out on top, then they can afford to slam into the 150th Brigade in an effort to open a better line of communication while simultaneously moving on to battle other forces in the area between the front line of boxes and Tobruk.

If the armored battle turns into a draw, the entire Axis force will need to turn on the 150th Brigade, establish communications and then launch additional offensives (the historical result). In the final case of an Allied win in the armored battle, the remains of the Axis army will need to open that 150 Brigade route before things get critical.

After all is said and done in these early battles, a second (and possibly third) major armored clash will occur during the rest of the game as reconstituted armored units return to the fray. In those battles, however, frequently one side or the other will be running on supply fumes and unable to operate at full power. Whatever happens, the first battle will not decide the game or anything like that: both sides will be back with a vengeance later. It won't be over until the proverbial fat lady sings!

Should the Axis player have more guts than sense, he could drive deeply into the area between the Gazala line and Tobruk. Regardless of the outcome of the initial battle, this Axis mobile force will find its logistical situation desperate. Not impossible mind you (if the player allocates most of his initial assets to the support of this force), but highly charged and different in effect. The player might also try to take Tobruk on the fly in these initial battles. Such a choice will send the Axis into a defensive mode around Tobruk (presuming they take it), while the Allies must both defend the frontier and seal the Axis into the port.

Out on the frontier, the Axis must make one or more breaches into the Allied minefields so as to supply operations east of that line (going "around the Horn," i.e. south of Bir Hacheim, is too far for general use). Also, the Axis player is confronted with capturing a number of boxes in order to win. The only "easy" box is the one containing the 150th Brigade ("easy" because it is the only one that doesn't have solid minefields both front and back).

Both players have some "Emergency Reserves" to tap into when things get bad, a few limited reinforcements, and the Axis player can attempt to invade the coast with KG Hecker.

Summary

Gazala was designed to cover this large complicated battle in a way that is marginally more complicated than Crusader. Part of this was in response to players who told me they felt Crusader was just too simple, the rest due to the fact that Gazala is simply a more involved battle than Crusader. My goal was to make a game that is meaty, but comfortable and streamlined to play. I hope you like the result.