This is the first of what I hope will be a series of review columns dealing with some of the more eclectic, hard-to-find, under-appreciated, or just plain wacky titles that the hobby has produced.

For this first column I have selected the game Zulu War that appeared as part of issue seven of Battleplan Magazine. This title touches upon all four of the qualities that go into choosing a game for obscura: the subject is generally known (but not in depth) and the game uses novel systems to model the historical situation.

The game is tough to come by these days and, despite the cult-like following it has among its adherents, it remains relatively unknown within the hobby at large. Finally, the gyrations that Alan Emrich and his gang from the 3W team went through to produce the game and its components are, to a casual observer, just plain wacky.

Zulu War is an operational scale paper-driven historical simulation game dealing with the war that began January 1879 in what is now The Republic of South Africa when the Zulu warriors of King Cetshwayo mobilized in reaction to the massing of British forces along the Buffalo River but stopping short of invading Natal Province.

The British subsequently invaded Zululand and their army suffered its largest defeat in a quarter century. The war ended for all practical purposes that July when the forces under Lord Chelmsford destroyed the Zulu capitol of Ulundi. Despite the defeat at Isandhiwana, the British came to believe that superior doctrine, rather than the fact that they were shooting at an enemy that did not have guns, was the reason for their success, a notion that Boer farmers would disabuse them of a few years later.

Round Up the Usual Suspects

The game Zulu War was designed and developed by long-time collaborators Erich Faust and Lew Fisher. Dennis L. Bishop, Alan Emrich and James C. Gordon share development credits with Fisher.

The game, as noted above, was published as part of the seventh issue of Battleplan magazine (Nov.-Dec. 1988). The game’s components consist of four pages of black and white web-printed rules, a similarly printed one-page roster sheet and a four-color, 11”x17” map and chart insert bound into the center of the magazine. The map is back-printed with historical notes written by Dennis L. Bishop, and a bibliography.

I Don’t Think We’re in Kansas Any More

The game map takes up about half of the color insert, depicting the areas of Zululand and Natal Province (in the modern day Republic of South Africa) where the war was waged. No hexagons here – the map consists of a seven by seven array of large squares. David L. Fuller of EarthSurface Graphics has rendered the terrain in a pleasing combination of soft earth colors and muted blues with bolder umbers, reds, greens, and yellows to accent mountains and settlements (except for the Zulu capitol of Ulundi, none of these have an effect on the play of the game). The game rules state the scale of each square is 13.5 miles from side to side.

No attempt has been made to adapt the terrain to the square map grid, and rivers meander their way across the landscape in an attractive, naturalistic fashion. Unfortunately, as Zululand and Natal Province are separated by the Buffalo and Tugela Rivers, there is some ambiguity about whether a square is considered part of one area or another.

This distinction becomes important when victory points are awarded, so players will have to make their adjudications before the start of the game. By using the greatest amount of territory of each area contained within a square as my guide, I interpret border square numbers 8, 15, 23, 30, 31 and 40 as part of Zululand and square numbers 22, 37, 38 and 39 as part of Natal Province.

One problem associated with using a square grid for the map is the distortion of distance inherent in moving orthogonally versus diagonally. The diagonal distance of a square one unit by one unit is 1.4142, or almost 50% greater than the orthogonal distance. Designer Faust allows units to move diagonally, but at a distorted cost of double the movement points required to move orthogonally. Rivers channel the movement of units by halting them if a square with a river is entered (movement along the same river or across a drift is allowed). All British units have a movement allowance of two, all Zulu units an allowance of three.

Whither Wood?

One side of the insert is taken up by a strip of the 48 cut-and-paste counters needed to play the game. There are three sets of redoubt markers, a set of casualty markers, a turn marker and a battle marker. There are 19 Zulu Ibutho (regiment) and six Zulu Impi (army) units and seven British Columns. There are also two counters sporting a Union Jack, the use of which is never explained. The counters show their 3W heritage ever so slightly.

One Zulu Ibutho (uVe) is listed on the roster sheet with a beginning strength of 35. I have interpreted the counter to be correct and have modified the roster sheet accordingly. Much worse is the absence of a counter for the British Column commanded by Wood. This unit is specified in the game setup instructions but appears neither on the counter manifest nor the roster sheet.

This is addressed in a subsequent issue of Battleplan (the missing counter Wood has an initial strength of eight and has neither artillery nor gatling-gun factors). There are eight people listed as play-testers and four as developers in the credits. How could these slips have gotten through?

The counter manifest was printed on die-cut counters as part of the sheet included with S&T issue 126 (containing the issue game The Far Seas). The two Union Jack counters are included but Wood’s Column is not – for that, players will have to locate the countersheet included with S&T issue 129 (Harvest of Death) where a counter representing Wood’s command finally appears (albeit with different artwork, as the originals had been scrapped in the meanwhile).

The countersheet for The Far Seas also has 22 blank counters; players should keep these for fog-of-war purposes as explained later. A detailed counter manifest appears at the end of this review.

I know it’s easy to kick someone when they’re down, but this example of the game counters is a microcosm of the factors that would cause 3W (the SPI of the West as they were calling themselves at the time) to implode so spectacularly a few years later on.

We’re On a Road to Nowhere

Zulu War will take a maximum of 15 turns to play; turns represent the passage of two weeks of real time. The game may end sooner if the British hold Ulundi for two consecutive turns or if either side reaches a level of critical losses – 220 for the Zulus, 32 for the British (note that with the uVe Ibutho having a strength of 35 and with the inclusion of the Wood Column in the British order of battle, these numbers should be 225 and 36, respectively).

The game starts with the British covering each of the three drifts, one Column entering Zululand from the Northwest and Glyn and Pulleine poised to keep their appointment with destiny at Isandhlwana. The Zulus start with small forces masking the British and a huge army at their capitol of Ulundi. The turn sequence (Zulus go first) is basically Igo-Hugo, Move-Fight, but with a few asymmetrical touches of chrome to emphasize the differences between the two sides.

The Zulu player must use the six Impi markers to move Ibutho units across the map. Impis may be placed upon and removed from the map freely but Ibutho units may never move without one. The actual number of Ibuthos (if any) within an Impi is kept in a holding box on the roster sheet. The use of multiple blank counters in the various holding boxes will add a frustrating fog of war for the British player and obviate the need to keep the roster sheet hidden from view. The British units are moved in the open, neatly simulating, with simple rules, the differing levels of operational intelligence between the two sides.

Units of both sides must cease movement if they enter a square with enemy units, though Zulu units may attempt to move through a square where all British units are in redoubts. The British may probe an Impi by moving into its square, forcing the removal of an Impi without any Ibuthos present (allowing the British to continue moving), and gaining the count of Ibuthos (within three) of a genuine force. The strength of individual Ibuthos varies wildly – a force of just four Ibuthos could have as few as 40 melee factors or as many as 200 – so there is ample opportunity for the British to find themselves disagreeably surprised. After probing, the British may withdraw (ceasing movement), form a redoubt (omitting combat but freezing the Column in place for three turns) or stand and fight.

Ju, Ju, uSuthu!

When combat occurs, Zulus always attack and the British always defend, another simple rule that portrays the historical tactics. The Zulus have an even chance of bypassing British columns in redoubt; otherwise, combat is mandatory. The Battle marker is placed on the map and the units are transferred to the tactical display (also located on the insert).

All British units are placed in the center of the tactical display. The Zulu player totals the melee factors of the Ibuthos present and calculates 20 and 50 percent of the total. These are the breakpoints of the attackers. The Ibuthos are then laced on the three avenues of attack (representing the classic “Horns of the Buffalo” formation). Ibuthos, but not total melee factors, must be divided as evenly as possible. (I suggest that the Ibuthos remain face down until after the next step.)

The British must then divide their rifle factors as evenly as possible among the three attack lines and then allocate any artillery or gatling-gun factors as they see fit for the upcoming combat segment. Rifle factor allocation is fixed for the entire battle, but other actors may be reassigned between the combat segments – note the factors with markers or on scratch paper. (The actual identities of the various Ibuthos are revealed after British allocation.) Unless the Zulus surprise the British, they must pass four zones of fire before they are close enough to engage the British in melee combat: artillery, gatling-guns, Martini-Henry rifles, and melee.

At each line the British total the number of the appropriate factors present, apply a multiplier for the specific fire zone and roll the number of dice determined. For example, rifle factors have a multiplier of four in the Martini-Henry zone, thus three rifle factors firing at Zulu units in that zone would roll twelve combat dice. When combat occurs in Zululand – only – the Zulus may surprise the British. If they do, they set up in the rifle zone and initial artillery and gatling-gun factors throw half dice.

The Zulu’s ability to surprise decreases as the game progresses. Each roll of six and every pair of fives, rounded up after all combat dice are thrown, score one hit on the advancing Ibuthos. The British player may concentrate fire upon one Ibutho if he wishes; the Zulu player may distribute any losses as he sees fit if the British player does not make a choice. Each time an individual Ibutho suffers a loss, it must pass a morale check before advancing to the next line of fire; Ibuthos not hit advance automatically. Ibuthos that fail a morale check are placed in a holding box until the next combat segment.

The sight of the Ibuthos coming ever closer on the tactical display gives a convincing impression of Michael Caine (er….Lt. Bromhead) crying “Volley fire, present..Independent, fire at will!” barely heard above the Zulu war-cry.

When the Zulus finally close to melee range, hand-to-hand combat is resolved. The odds are figured, a die is rolled on the melee combat results table and losses are applied. Unlike fire combat, losses from melee must be distributed as evenly as possible. Larger numbers of British defenders will increase the losses suffered by both sides. Ibuthos undergo morale checks between melee rounds. British units in redoubt enjoy favorable shifts on the melee table and have an additional round of rifle fire between melee rounds.

The combat segment continues until all Ibuthos have failed a morale check and are in the holding box. The British may roll for withdrawal at the end of a combat segment (they have a better chance of this as the game progresses – units in redoubt may never withdraw and fight to the last man).

If the battle is to continue, the Zulu player takes the Ibuthos in the holding box and distributes them along the three lines of attack as before. The British player may change the allocation of artillery and gatling-gun points; rifles remain assigned as before. The zones of fire must then be passed again and any new melee combat is resolved. The Zulus must continue to attack until one of the four following criteria ending a battle is met:

• the British have successfully rolled for withdrawal
• the Zulus take 20% casualties in a single step
• the Zulus take 50% casualties cumulative over a battle
• the defending British forces are wiped out

Battles in the current game turn are resolved consecutively until all have been dealt with.

There’s Going to be an Awful Row at the Home Office About This

As soon as one of the game-ending criteria occurs, thPlay Aide game is immediately over and victory is assessed. Victory points are awarded to each player for holding various geographical objectives and for the elimination of enemy strength points. Zulu strength points lost in Natal Province count double and British losses count double if an entire Column is wiped out. Good luck getting anyone out of the Rorke’s Drift garrison alive to collect their VC’s. A differential of better than 65 points is required for a decisive victory.

This is, flat-out, a great game. It is easy to play, is able to portray two very different army doctrines and the history of the period without cumbersome mechanics, and is a quick enough player to have a best out of three matches in an afternoon. It also is a good game to introduce the hobby to new recruits (no hexes, ZOC’s or historical proximity to the evils of Stalin, Mao or Hitler to confuse or alienate). It is well worth the effort to hunt down a copy of that issue of Battleplan, and even the S&T back-issues for the counters. Just be sure to agree on the few opaque spots before playing.

In preparing this review, I have recently played the game five times against three opponents (the only drawback to the game is that it is impossible to play solitaire). The results were two Zulu decisive victories, two British marginal victories and one drawn game.

In playing the game, I have developed some play aids that have made play easier. The original roster sheet had the hit information for both sides as well as the holding boxes for the Zulu Impi on the shame sheet.

I have created separate rosters for each side, including Wood’s column and artillery and gatling-gun factors for the British and a divided hit circle and the correct strength of the uVe Ibutho for the Zulus (use half of the hit circle for a casualty taken in Zululand, the whole circle for a casualty taken in Natal province). The Impi holding boxes are on a separate sheet as well. I have created a work sheet to aid in the resolution of battles as well. Copies of these play-aids are included with this review. I hope that they will be useful and will further your enjoyment in the play of one of the hobby’s hidden gems, Zulu War.

Zulu War Counter Manifest

Marker
1 Turn gold watch on black background with "Turn" in red
1 Battle red highlighted white Blast icon on gold background with "Battle" in black
1 Casualty - 1 "1" in gold on black background
1 Casualty - 10 "10" in gold on black background
1 Casualty - 100 "100" in gold on black background
3 Redoubt level 1 Redoubt icon on cream background with "1" in black inside white circle
3 Redoubt level 2 Redoubt icon on tan background with "2" in black inside white circle
3 Redoubt level 3 Redoubt icon on rust background with "3" in black inside white circle

Unknown
2 Union Jack Union Jack on red background

British
7 column black soldier on red background with rifle/melee strength in black inside gold circle, artillery/gatling gun strength in black, and unit name in gold on black band
Chelmsford 27 - 1 - 2
Durnford 3 - 0 - 1
Glyn 10 - 0 - 1
Pearson 8 - 1 - 1
Pulleiene 6 - 0 - 1
Rork's Drft 1 - 0 - 0
Rowland 8 - 0 - 0

Zulu
6 Impi tan shield over crossed black spear on sepia background with name in black in green band Dabulmnzi (Dabulamanzi) Godide Mavmgwna (Mavumengwana) Ntshngwyo (Ntshingwayo) Siwendu Somopho
19 Ibutho black warrior on sepia background with melee strength in black within white circle and name in sepia inside black band
isAnquo - 20
umBonambi - 20
umCijo - 25
umDabakawombi - 10
uDhlambedhlu - 15
uDloko - 25
inDlondhlo - 10
inDluyengwe - 10
uDududu - 20
inGobamakhosi - 60
umHlanga - 10
amaKwenke - 15
uNokenke - 20
umQakamatye - 50
abaQulusi - 50
uThulwana - 20
umTulisazwa - 15
uVe - 35
umXapho - 20

Zulu War 1879 Components