Maplay Games Ltd. (1974)
Designer unattributed
Players 2
Period Modern, Borneo
Scale Tactical-Operational
Turn 1 day
Map 3/4 square mile
Unit platoon, section, patrol

Components
Box unknown (ziplock or envelope?)
1 25"x29" unmounted mapsheet
555 uncut counters
1 18 page rulebook
1 Ground Effects card
1 Q&A sheet
1 letter from publisher

(Note: My copy also included a small, cheap six-sided die, but I do not believe it is original to the game).

Counter Manifest
175 green counters
140 red counters
240 white counters

This manifest is based on a partially punched copy. While there is no counter manifest in the game, based on other clues in the rulebook I believe the game I examined is complete.

Green counters
6 “D”
3 “M”
6 “P”
3 “MFC”
9 base
20 0-0-15
6 0-0-80
4 1-0-15
9 1-0-3
9 1-1-2
4 1-2-3
39 3-3-2
3 3-3-3
12 9-9-1
1 9-9-2
1 0-2-3
4 0-2-2
12 0-1-2
4 27-27-1
3 15-1-0
6 7-1-0
3 12-12-0
6 6-6-0
1 Turn
1 blank

Red counters
28 “D”
7 “M”
11 0-0-15
9 0-1-3
30-2-3
40 1-1-3
20 2-2-3
10 3-3-3
6 6-6-2
3 9-9-1
2 18-18-2
1 27-27-1

White counters
40 marked “5”
30 each marked “4” and “10”
20 each marked 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9

Maplay says:

“Guerilla is based on the confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia from 1963 to 1966. It simulates at section and platoon level typical operations of an infantry battalion in the First Division (Province) of Sarawak during the first half of the period of operations ... Although an accurate simulation of the type of operations and tactics used, Guerilla does not claim to be a precise historical simulation of any particular period or aspect of the war ... The Orders of Battle do not have any historical basis, but again are typical of the forces engaged on both sides. On the Security Force side ... the composition of the game battalion is based on the Gurkha organization, slightly modified to suit the game.”

The reviewer says:

“A large map and neat counters ... Secret victory conditions, ambushes, infiltration, hidden guerilla units, canoes, helicopters and the construction of chopper-pads in villages. Great attention to detail, but supply rules odd; movement uses a rather old-fashioned method.” Charles Vasey in The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming.

Comments

Games like Guerilla are a breath of fresh air for gamers tired of endlessly recycled topics like Gettysburg or the Bulge. The game portrays an unconventional jungle conflict. It had few peers when published since there were only a handful of games available which employed squad level units.

While Guerilla is rough around the edges (including some amateur production values), the design itself shows quite a bit of creativity. This is especially true in comparison to its squad level contemporaries. Even today it is possibly (albeit by default) the definitive tactical treatment of the conflict.

Collector’s Notes

Now here’s a game that lives up to the popular eBay phrase: “You never see this one.”

Boone lists no auction prices, and low/high/average prices of 31/75/45.67 for sale.

Read the book

Before learning that someone had done a game on the “confrontation” in Sarawak, I had enjoyed reading Peter Dickens’ SAS: Secret War in South-East Asia (Ivy Books, 1995). Dickens presents an adsorbing account of the SAS participation in the conflict. I recommend the book to anyone interested in learning more about the events behind the game.

The other game from Maplay

Salamanca.

More G is For Capsule Reviews

Introduction
Gladiator: Man to Man Combat in the Arenas of Ancient Rome
Gladiator: Men vs. Animals and Gladiator: Men vs. Men
Grand Imperialism A Game of Discovery in the Victorian Era
The Great Redoubt A Game of the Battle of Borodino, 1812
Grunt Company Commander in Viet-Nam
Guerilla Malaysia and Indonesia from 1963 to 1966.
Gunslinger Dead or Alive