There were about 14 players that showed up for Tabletop Tuesdays Historical Gaming night at Phil Gilgor’s store, Tabletop Hobbies located at 78th & Quivera in K.C. Kan.. We all gather there in his large game room every Tuesday night from 6:30-10ish PM for all forms of "historical" gaming (both board and miniatures). We also take advantage of the trip there to go into the store and review any new gaming items from the last week so we don’t miss out! I went to the back of the store to the "used" games and purchased a nice un-punched WWW "Dresden - 1813" game & Mayfair’s "Jerusalem 1948" game (originally SDC’s) for a great price (lots of treasures here for the board gamer).
When the gaming started, Chad Gilbert announced the moves from the on-going DBA campaign game and about 8 involved players set up their 4 battles of DBA caused by various players moving around the Med. Sea causing conflicts in the land areas for control! This is an on-going game and alliances shift as one faction or the other grows stronger or weaker. There are also random events (storms, revolts, etc.) that determine the outcome of the on-going game on various turns!
Two other players and I decided to try out the Columbia games "Pacific Victory" (WW2 block game in the Pacific/Asia theater). We’ve been playing the various Columbia "block-type" games and this one has interested us since it came out a while back. This was our first playing of the game so we "skimmed the rules" (version #1) and plunged in. I was the U.S. player with my friend Alan as McArthur in Australia and India while Tom tried the Japanese options in the 2nd scenario - starting in June’42 - this was the most balanced of the three scenarios and gave both sides options to try! Please realize this was our "first game" and mistakes were going to be made!!
The first turn (Jun’42) the Japanese roll high for initiative and moved first. He tried to attack Port Moresby but Jun’42 is a "monsoon" turn with no attacks allowed in "jungle hexes" so he strengthened Truk, Rabaul, Singapore, and attacked Midway - moving second I reinforced Midway from Hawaii with air power and drove him back to Wake from where he’d come! I strengthened Hawaii, Somoa, New Caledonia, & Fiji while McArthur strengthened Port Moresby, Australia, and India. After all moves and battles, the production phase comes and both sides built new units (steps) with "production points" ( the Japanese start with 14, the US gets 23, and the Brits in India get 12)! Rules concerning builds call for paying "single price" to build a unit (step) at "home" (Japan, US/Panama, South Africa) and "double price" anywhere else (out in the Pacific areas) with exceptions - Australians and Indians build for "single price" in their "home country". Also one Ally or the other (US/Brit) must give 4 points to Australia each turn and the US player must give McArthur (SWPA) 6 points for builds!
After paying for these "other areas" the actual building strength of the Brits/US players is reduced to a level about equal the Japanese but the Allies get "more" over-all and the Japanese rarely gets to build anything at "home" ( his needs are too great out in the Pacific)! I found the US could build a full-strength air & land unit each turn on the US west coast and then use "strategic moves" on the next turn to re-deploy them out in the Pacific anywhere he needed them (wherever the greatest threat was). The biggest "limit" on this building plan is the shortage of these type units in the "force pool" ( it actually helps the US player grow stronger to "lose units" of air/land each turn so they can be rebuilt back "home" at single price each turn - you can also combine "like units" to built bigger units freeing up some of your air/land blocks to be rebuilt)!
Sept’42 (quarterly turns) was a typhoon turn off Guam and saw the Japanese attack Port Moresby, expand into Guadalcanal, invade Attu, and move forces from Singapore to Rangoon to threaten India next turn. We Allies reinforced Dhaha (just north of Rangoon) and retreated from Port Moresby - the Japanese had too many Battleships, Carriers, and Air power units to hold it! We continued to build up our "supply line to Australia" ( Somoa, Figi, New Caledonia) and build up the Brits in India (lots of cheap Indian land forces).
Dec’42 saw the Japanese attack New Caledonia and strike into India (Dhaha)! By stripping Figi air units and moving naval units from Australia we forced the Japanese to retreat (an attacker must "retreat" after 3 full battle rounds if "all" defending forces are not eliminated or retreated!) - the Japanese had defeated our Naval fleet and left one of their naval units to "blockade" New Caledonia (all land/air units were reduced by 1 strength point off each unit - New Caledonia was isolated and units there could not be built-up! The Japanese took Dhaha in northern India and were threatening Calcutta next turn!!
Mar’43 saw the US fleet break the "blockade" of New Caledonia while US carriers raided Rabaul with air strikes from Somoa! The Japanese tried for Calcutta India which we’d built up in the last built phase last turn and were turned back with heavy losses! Maybe the tide was beginning to turn? Anyway we had to quit this "beginner game" (10:30PM on the store clock) and we all left with many new ideas and thoughts about the game we’d played so far! I was struck by the "building system" and tried to think of ways I could do better next time - by building up blocks of "like troops" (land, air, ships types) into bigger blocks, I’d free up more blocks to build at "home" at "single price" ( a very important concept to get ahead strength-wise). Also I thought on the way home how I could build up "a lot of little 1-point naval blocks" to get the blocks on the board and "look stronger than I really was" ( this is something you can do in a "block-game where the opponent can’t see your strength, only the back-side of lots of blocks - all looking alike)!
I was struck by the rules of the game system and the "stacking limits" within a "battle-hex": how much "force" you can get into a battle and "how many hits it takes to take good defensive hexes" (jungle, mountain, major base hexes all require "double hits" on defensive land units and if you don’t eliminate the defender after 3 full battle turns, the attacker must retreat!!
We had fun trying this and will try again next time after reading the rules and checking out the website (ColumbiaGames.com) for the new version of the rules ( #2) and the "battle-board" at the website which helps do the battles in the right sequence!
We look forward to the "Summer Camp Con" at Ft. Leav. at the Hunt Lodge July 16/17 for a $7 entry fee for the two days gaming that benefit’s the Historical Re-enactor Group there! Till then, good gaming all, Harold (Harold’s Old Games) Morgan in Gladstone Mo. (N.K.C.Mo.)
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