Rob Markham for Markham Games Two small DTP’s covering battles from the American War of Independence. These use a slightly simplified version of Markham’s excellent Napoleonic series of games. The main difference seems to be that these are smaller battles and the rules for column movement have not been included. This is not a major problem as these games involve little manoeuvre anyway. If this bothers you it is easy to do a retrofit and add them back in. Unlike many DTP’s, these come with mounted counters with the infantry having oblong shaped units to better represent line and column formation, and show facing. The effective maps have large hexes to accommodate them so no over spill into adjacent hexes. The rules may be the weak link for some but any questions are answered promptly on Consimworld. They are not complex but can appear a little vague at first. They are certainly written with the experienced gamer in mind. The game system uses cards to determine who moves. The player of the higher value card wins and only his units get to move and attack that turn. There is a limit to the number of formations that can do this with only cards of the highest value activating all formations. There are many issues around what may sound like a simple system. Firstly, cards can generally only be played once so if you launch an all out assault at games start, you better hope it results in victory because you may be unable to do much more for the rest of the game. A random event may return one of your previously played cards but to depend on this is reckless, planning is what is required. In this game brain is going to beat brawn. Some cards allow the phasing player to activate his formations for a second movement and combat phase. Each player has a very limited number of reaction cards that enable the non-phasing player to activate a single formation between these phases. These must be used very carefully, they can not be replaced and, as mentioned, are in short supply. Consider carefully if the potential damage of not playing them at that time warrants their use. Interestingly, only lower value cards allow your units to break contact with the enemy, except as a result of combat. A player is never allowed more than two consecutive game turns irrespective of the cards played. The use of cards is almost a game within a game. The remainder of the game is fairly traditional. Artillery can barrage at range whilst Infantry indulge in defensive and offensive fire against adjacent hexes. Rifle armed units have a two hex range. Infantry can assault whilst Cavalry charge. Combat results in losses, morale checks and retreats. Failing morale leads to disruption, rout and elimination. Individual formations can break via losses and the aim of the games is generally to do just that to your opponent. Many systems that cover actions at this scale can take forever to play, using buckets of dice or computer looping. This system has some repetitive elements but never sinks to those depths and does not clutter up the map with loads of markers. Indeed, these are the only games I play featuring line, column, square and other formations. Those types of finer tactical detail don’t normally appeal to me in a game but this design manages to make it all very interesting. In effect a target unit has a value which is effected by its formation, terrain and facing. The firing unit rolls a die to resolve fire and the result is modified its strength and range if Artillery or rifle armed. If the latter is higher than the former losses and morale checks result. Both titles are not only short games but physically small too. I find them ideal for killing a spare couple of hours when away from home and in need of a game fix. They are playable solo because the player with the initiative, (went first in the previous turn), plays his card first. The opposing player then decides whether to out bid the card played. He may choose not to, retaining his better cards for a later stage of the game. Alternatively he may not have a card capable of doing so. I recommend you take a look at one of these titles, even if they are not on a topic or at a scale that normally appeals. Back to Perfidious Albion #102 Table of Contents Back to Perfidious Albion List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Charles and Teresa Vasey. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com