Introduction

Angola, designed by James Rosinus and published by Gameshop (Nova Games) in 1979. The Angolan Civil War, Oct. 1, 1975 to Feb. 19, 1976. Operational; one hex equals 25 miles; 20 one-week turns (4-5 hours).

Components

One 29”x22” map in three colours
One sheet of 140 die-cut counters
One eight-page half-size rulebook

Playing the Game

Too often, obscure topics in wargames are half-hearted efforts that disappoint the true fan of the era being simulated. Angola is not one of these cases. It is a terrific little game with some elegant innovations. Most Angolan units have a three to four hex movement range, half if it is out of supply. The allies (South Africa, Cuba, Zaire, etc.) have some units that can move up to eight hexes. Units can move into a ZOC and between enemy ZOCs, but only by first going through a neutral hex. Retreats are the same, so three well-placed units around an enemy unit give a great chance of eliminating it, which is important because the CRT is unbloody. There are no die roll modifiers and the odds are obtained by subtracting the defense factor from the attack factor, so odds range from 0 to 5 (no attacks below 0). All results are DR except on the 4 column where there is one DElim, and on the 5 where there are two. Mostly enemy units are pushed back one hex at a time, with the attacking units advancing, not unlike many WWI games.

This is where it gets interesting, though. Each unit can attack as often as you want, assuming that you have the supply to do it. Supply Lines are very short, two movement points. But if you have four supply units stationed in an area for an offensive, you can attack four times into that area, which can create some gaping holes in the defense. And of course, as you infiltrate enemy lines, you can start outflanking and thus actually eliminating units. The secret is that you must plan an attack properly so as not to outrun your supply. And each time you attack, you lose a supply unit. Supply units can move only on roads, tracks and railways, so many areas of Angola are impossible to attack.

For the rebel forces (FNLA and UNITA), supply appears first in one of the ally’s areas, and can be moved next turn, usually by airlift. Then it can take one to two turns to get the supply unit to the front. The FNLA is very fortunate at the start because both of their airfields are close to the initial action and they get into the fray quickly. UNITA, on the other hand, needs a few turns to get the supply in place. For the MPLA, supply shows up in both Luanda and Brazzaville so they have a few supply units for use early in the game.

Combat units move before supply units and combat takes place after the supply movement, so planning is again necessary. But if you stockpile supply for major offensives, you are bound to attract unwanted attention. The availability of supply is also important. From turns 11 to 20, FNLA gets on average one unit per turn, UNITA gets two and MPLA gets four. This makes the FNLA very weak during the last half of the game, regardless of how well they did in the first half.

There is no stacking of combat units (except rocket launchers and air support), so things can get a bit spread out. As a rule there is no unit information on the counters other than size; most units are infantry, with some armor and other units. However, there is a FLEC unit which is fighting for the freedom of Cabinda, an enclave once known as Portuguese Congo, which is completely cut off from Angola by Zaire. There is also a Daniel Chipenda unit which is strong but takes time to get into combat.

The reinforcement chart brings on allies and supply units. If you lose your political or military HQs, your allies will abandon you. You have the option of proclaiming a Guerilla Movement, which is another way of losing your allies, but it is a method of maintaining a presence if you have been badly beaten up. When you proclaim a GM, you no longer use the supply counters as you are always in supply. But each unit attacks only with a factor of one and you can never attack more than once in a turn. And there is no going back to conventional war once you have made the proclamation.

You get victory points for cutting the enemy’s Line of Communication, the Benguela Railway, and for destroying supply units. This is not much use in a two-person game, but could be the spoiler in a three-person game. Normal victory conditions are based on the control of towns, and there are also points for having the sole capital, controlling all of the Benguela Railway and, of course, for having your Government HQ unit in Luanda. This game is perfect for those of us who love dirty little wars.

Historically, the game is very accurate. I like the low unit losses because the faction leaders spent half their time drumming up new recruits for the armies. There is enough depth to offer many different strategic and tactical options, so this game is definitely one that can be replayed. It works well as a two-player game but is best with three players.

Collector’s Value

Boone lists low, high and average prices of 2/16/8.50 at auction and 12/25/17.50 for sale.

Other Games by James Rosinus

None known.

Other Games of This Type

Angola by Ragnor Brothers.

References

Short reviews in Grenadier 11, Strategy & Tactics 77 and Fire & Movement 28.