MicroGame 9 Metagaming (1978, $2.95)
Designed by Keith Gross
Players 2
Playing Time 45 minutes or less
Period Science Fiction
Scale Operational
Turn 4 hours
Map 12.5 km
Unit platoons

Components

[First Edition]
Container 4 1/2" x7 1/2" plastic bag with folding flap
1 8 1/2 x 14 1/2" unmounted mapsheet
1 35 strip-cut cardstock counters
1 24-page rulebook with color cover illustration
Counters: 58 brown, 77 white

[Second Edition]
Box: Metagaming small box
2 duplicate 8 1/2" x14 1/2" unmounted mapsheets
84 die-cut counters
1 24-page rulebook
Counters: 32 blue, 52 white

Metagaming says

“[S]imulates a raid on the Prudhoe Bay oilfields launched from over the polar ice cap. The ESA (Eurasian Socialist Alliance) raiders are equipped with armed hovercraft and sled vehicles. Transports carry infantry and tanks, and missile sleds carry long-range missiles.

The US Army must locate the ESA force, hold it off until reinforcements arrive, and destroy it before the oilfields are burned. The US has infantry, tanks, hovercraft, outposts, recon sleds, air transport and satellites.”

The reviewers say

“[T]here are five modes of movement: tank, infantry, sled-mobile, hovercraft and vertol. These interact with the four types of possible terrain: tundra/mud and ice/water, to make for an interesting situation, especially since terrain can change in the course of a game via combat ... The game begins with the selection of units. Each player has thirty points to expend ... In choosing a force, the strength of a given unit is an important consideration but so is the mode of movement ... The US player has the unique opportunity to greatly increase his force by taking them as reinforcements, the cost of all such units being cut in half ... Play is simple but challenging, especially if the players take the time to examine the problems and possibilities that face them.” Tony Watson in The Dragon 26.

“There is heavy emphasis on limited intelligence and the effect of various weapons on the ice pack off the bay ... Simple, but fun.” Dave Ritchie in Ares 1.

Comments

Matt Nadelhaft first brought the 2nd Edition of Ice War to my attention in 1998 when he located a number of copies at the Compleat Strategist in New York. Comparing the 2nd Edition components with those found in other Metagaming MicroGames makes it apparent that a boxed edition of Ice War was in the works.

The early MicroGames, including the first edition of Ice War, had color rulebook covers and were sold in clear plastic bags. The later Microgames were sold in small boxes. The rulebooks for the boxed games did not have color covers — they were black and white throughout. The 2nd Edition Ice War rulebooks use this same black and white style. In addition, the 2nd Edition Ice War counters are of the same style as the counters found in later Metagames.

I suspect that these 2nd Edition games were recently assembled from Metagaming warehouse stock. It has been reported that Excalibre games acquired a supply of new old stock Metagaming components several years back which were assembled into games (of varying completeness) and released to distributors. Whatever the source, most people noticed that a number of new and unplayed MicroGames found their way on to game store shelves in the nineties.

Collector’s Notes

The MicroGame series maintains a dedicated following in the marketplace. Bidding wars on rarer titles can get heated. However, Ice War is not a rare or particularly hard-to-find MicroGame.

Boone lists low/high/average prices for the First Edition at 3/20/7.73 at auction and 3/15/6.50 for sale. The 2nd Edition, as described above, is merely a curio (and of little or no value, in this collector’s opinion). The counter mix is incomplete and there is no box. In addition, the supply of this spare parts edition may not be exhausted as dealers have been recently selling them on eBay (usually failing to note that the games were incomplete).

On the other hand, a complete 2nd Edition set would be quite a rarity. Please contact this author (c/o Simulacrum -ed) if you own such a set or if you can provide further information about the 2nd Edition of Ice War.

Article References

Designer’s Introduction, Space Gamer 18
Ice Ogre (variant using Ogre tanks), Space Gamer 23
More Optional Rules with variant units, Space Gamer 20
More Optional Rules (letter from designer), Space Gamer 21
Playing the ESA, Space Gamer 39
Unit Analysis and Tactics, Space Gamer 22

Other games by this designer
The Air-Eaters Strike Back!
The Dragons of Underearth
Invasion of the Air Eaters
Lords of Underearth
(all from Metagaming)
Hitler’s War (Metagaming, Avalon Hill.)

Capsule Profiles:

ICBM
Ice War
Iliad
Intruder
Imperium
Insurgency