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LIMITS OF GLORY

SANTA MAURA & CAPRI

FROM

FORM SQUARE GAMES

This recently released game is the third in the Limits of Glory series produced by Form Square Games. Sub-titled Campaigns III & IV, the box contains two mini-sized games covering what are very, very small engagements in what can only be considered a minor side-show of the Napoleonic Wars. Both involve naval attacks and landings to capture small islands. Time-wise Capri is the earlier being the French's attempts in 1808 to recapture Capri from the British, while Santa Maura, which sees the British on the attack, occurred in 1810. What they mainly provide are two very low unit density games ideal for when time is short and you need a quick fix of the Limits of Glory system. Though their brevity also suits them for introducing the system, all its elements are covered including the naval elements introduced in Maida and additionally brings shore batteries to the mix. The latter drew a rare request from me for clarification which the designer, Andy Rourke, as always was swift to reply to. His answer served to confirm my view that it's a risky business attempting to disembark land forces before eliminating shore batteries!

A single double-sided map is all that is needed to cover the very limited geographical area of each battle and the now familiar Event Clock and Combat Charts can be handled with back printed versions of each. This adds to the compactness of the package. Lavish though it is to provide a separate rule book for each game, the amount of duplication is such that it would seem easier for once just to have the very slight differences presented as Special Rules. Still this is hardly a criticism, especially as it allows for the space to include an even wider range of the superlative reproductions of Cruikshank and Gillray cartoons that are a stand-out feature of presentation in the Limits of Glory games - as illustrated below.

It's rare for me to relish a rule book for its art work. Or for my wife to ask to leaf through a set of my game rules - just to look at the pictures!

What drew me to the Limits of Glory system in the first place was the sheer innovative qualities of this game design, all centring on the concept of Glory points, the leaders who possess them and the ability to spend them to influence the dice rolls of virtually every aspect of game play. Key aspects include: area movement, the success factor for all actions based on rolling 5s or 6s, combat based on the roll of three dice on a simple matrix of the Leader's nationality and the strength of his troops, an Event Clock tailored to the historical situation of each campaign and which ensures the unpredictability of the end of each game and a momentum system designed so that each player will have a maximum of only 4 actions per turn

Santa Maura & Capri continues this in fine style, but for a more detailed consideration of how the essential Limits of Glory rules work, I’d refer you to my review of the very first campaign in this series, Napoleon’s Eastern Empire and I've included a number of illustrative photos and explanatory examples at the end of the review.

In this review now I want to concentrate on what makes these two campaigns individual. The first is the predominance of sieges. Though these have been there from the beginning of the series, they haven’t so far played such a major part. In Santa Maura, retaining control of the fortress of Santa Maura until the end of the game is the sole French victory condition, while the Allied player’s major goal is to capture the fortress, though they can also win by forcing Camus, the French leader, to surrender.

Santa Maura Set-Up

This all or nothing outcome drives the game and, perhaps, makes it the less varied of the two games. That said, the situation is enlivened by the small idiosyncrasies that I’ve also come to expect from the quirky historical contexts. Here it is the inclusion of a contingent of Albanian troops fighting for the French and the presence of one of the Greek independence leaders, Kolokotronis, whose map counter can once per turn attempt to entice those Albanian troops to desert their French allies! [I’m still waiting for Form Square Games to seek out a campaign that allows an opportunity for Lord Byron to crop up in the fight for Greek Independence.]

Capri Set-Up

Capri too introduces a number of new allies: for the French there are Neapolitan Infantry, while the British contingent contains a Maltese regiment and Corsican Rangers. The situation here is more varied; both sides have sudden death victory conditions. For the French, it is the control of Ana Capri and Capri town; for the British the destruction of 10 of the French gunboats. Should neither player achieve their sudden death victory condition, victory at game end depends on who gains the most VPs from controlling BUAs [Built Up Areas]. As such areas can only be captured from your opponent by siege and, in the Santa Maura campaign, the siege and capture of the single major fortress wins the game, you can see why I consider SIEGES as the prime factor in this latest game.

As I've implied Capri is my favourite of the two games with its wider ranging situation and more varied units and victory conditions. Both, however, are excellent for those wanting a shorter playing time and smaller playing area (which the Set-Up illustrations show) while retaining all the elements of the system...

Below are a just few close up shots to illustrate a range of rule points.

A typical impression of the map, with each number indicating how many dice you roll in order to activate units in that area - remember a success is always a 5 or 6 and you are allowed to spend 1 pt of Glory from a Leader who is present for each die you want to reroll.

So, in the town on the right, you would roll 3 dice and provided you rolled at least one 5 or 6 the area would be activated. Should you fail to roll any, then you could spend from 1-3 points from Leader Lowe's Glory in order to reroll from 1-3 dice.

However, if you were trying to activate the area to his left, then you could roll only one die and if you failed, there would be no chance for a reroll, as there is no Leader in the area.

Also notice the zero in some areas - a new feature which makes the area impossible to be activated.

Here you get a clearer image of the small fortresses which add to the defence strength of the units located in the area and also mean that the enemy must besiege you. The banners (typically red for the British and blue for the French) show the number of VPs each side would gain for controlling that area.

Where you have two (or more leaders) in an area, you must use the most senior leader's Glory points for rerolls. Seniority is shown by the small number in the black circle - with 1 being the highest ranking leader. So, if Hamil and Nichols were in the same area, you would have to use Hamil's Glory pts for rerolls.

If a battle were being fought in an area, the highest ranking leader can designate a subordinate leader to be used for rerolls, but then at the end of the combat the subordinate leader would have to roll to see if he becomes a casualty!

Here you have a small section of the Event Clock for the Capri game. At the beginning of each Turn, the appropriate number of dice are rolled to see what Event occurs. At the beginning of the game you will roll only one die, but some Events will change that to 2 dice and eventually to 3 dice. Notice that many involve a change in the weather e.g. from Wind to Calm - this is a new rule introduced to the system for this particular campaign. Finally the R indicates that this Event may happen repeatedly. If you roll for an Event that does not contain an R, then you carry out the Event and then there will be a new Event tile to place on top of the existing one. I hope these illustrations will have helped to give you a little more flavour of the game.

And finally, just as a teaser for the future, I can guarantee that the next campaign game Donning The Sacred Heart ( which is well under way) takes us to a very different situation, played out in the counter-revolution period of the 1790s in the Vendee region of France and brings new twists to the Limits of Glory system.

American Civil War Commander 1861 - 1865

Death of an Institution. The Bloodiest Conflict in the Western Hemisphere.

Student Commander

Andy De Campos

The American Civil War is one of the most written about and gamed piece of history there is, from tactical games about all of the battles to strategic ones and everything in between. There are even wargames about the various Ironclads used by both sides in the war. The few hours battle between the CSS Virginia and the US Monitor probably has enough books written about it to fill up a regular sized bookcase. Even outside of the US there are tons of people who read and wargame about the conflict. So, why would a designer pick this carcass, which has been stripped to the bones years ago, as a design product? Well, one reason is that Student Commander has based its whole line of wargames on Civil Wars. However, I do not think that is the only reason. The designer, Andy De Campos really had some novel ideas about how to wargame the Spanish Civil War so I think he might have a few things up his sleeve for this one. This is a list of the games that the designer is working on, in no particular order:

Roman Civil War 49 - 30 B.C.

American Civil War 1861 - 1865

Russian Civil War 1917 - 1922

Chinese Civil war 1927 - 1949

Spanish Civil War 1936 - 1939

Korean War 1950 - 1953

Vietnam War 1955 - 1975

I had the privilege of reviewing the Spanish Civil War game from them. Please see the link below.

The Map in all of its Splendor!

This is what comes with the game:

1-2 player game imitating the professional war gaming played by HQ staff officers.

Large premium photo paper board (45 x 35 in) with historical period map; highly detailed and educational.

Over 350 pieces with over 40 unique individual units.

Laser cut wooden counters.

24 commander chits with individual qualities and promotion potential.

Original American Civil War 54 card deck. Activate historical and fictional events.

Use deck separately for any card game.

1 set of 4 game booklets

2 black pawns

3 sand timers

1 set of tweezers

Label sheets for the counters

1 yellow fraction die

1 green vector die

1 orange measuring stick

3 sets of DD die (7 die each)

2 black D2 die

3 black D3 die

2 game trays for the pieces

2 player aid sheets with the sequence of play on one side and some play notes on the other side

The game actually comes in a pretty large tube. You kind of feel like a magician who keeps pulling scarves out of his sleeve when you empty the tube.

Board Layout

The map seems a lot larger than its stated size. As you can see in the pictures, it is extremely well done. While the map seems impervious to spills or foodstuff accidents, I cannot abide with either being anywhere near one of my wargames. The rulebook states that a normal 6' dining room table will fit it and all of the extras needed for play. I actually have it on one, so the rulebook speaks true. The only thing I would like to add is this is a game that is meant to represent a real military wargame. However, you do not need to use the timers if you choose not to. The timers are there to stop the player whose turn it is from just thinking about what to do next etc. The way the rules are stated " if your hands are not touching any component on the map or writing in your notepad the timer should be running".

The War in Virginia

This is what the designer has to say about the game:

"Excellent solitaire experience and high re-play value while maintaining historical content integrity.

While the action phase is highly competitive and entertaining, player choices will affect the economy heavily and, ultimately, the outcome of the war.

Each turn of the game gives you a chance to roll on four of twelve possible historical or probable events, which will enhance some of the political dynamics indirectly affecting your income through political popularity and support for the war. Congress is a heavy influencer, while international affairs make brief appearance."

One of the biggest differences these Civil War Commander Games have compared to other wargames is an economic part to the simulation. Do not think that this is just tacked onto the game at the end for some glitz. The economic portion of these games are even more important than most of the others. An army runs on its belly and a nation runs on its economy. These are just some of the parts of the economic phase of the game:

American Civil War ECONOMY

Agricultural: cotton, tobacco and wheat were the top cash crops.

Industrial: textiles, armaments, foundries and manufacturing.

Trade: the lifeline of the South, hampered by the blockade.

Currency: immediate and sure but resulting dangerous inflation.

Taxation: The least impact on economy but it takes its time.

Bonds: Involve the population (if they believe you'll win.)

Confiscation: a short run method with prohibitive backlash.

Financing the War

This is a piece written by the designer that shows some of his thoughts behind the game:

"For over a century, there has been an ongoing discussion on the cause of the American Civil War. One extreme holds that Abraham Lincoln was resolved to destroy the cruel institution of slavery from the start and abused his Federal charter by using the Union Army to accomplish it. On the other end of the historiographical spectrum lies the narrative of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, which holds that the South was chiefly concerned with defending the autonomy of states' rights over the preservation of the peculiar institution.

Regardless of ideological drive, the American Civil War saw the greatest clash of arms in the Western Hemisphere. The tragic heavy losses witnessed in battles such as Cold Harbor and Antietam stem from outdated military formations and tactics used with modern weapons of unprecedented killing capacity.

Differing strategies competed for victory. The Anaconda Plan sought to constrict the Confederate trade. Robert E. Lee, genial though he was, persisted valiantly to give the enemy a decisive blow in a Napoleonic battle and bring the war to an end that way. The Union finally agreed to use its advantage in numbers and resources to wage a war of attrition. Ulysses S. Grant was the first modern general to lead troops from the rear. William Tecumseh Sherman grasped the use of destruction and terror with few holds barred to subdue the enemy.

The conflict was, unlike others (Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, Vietnam) a civil war par excellence in that it was mostly devoid of foreign entanglements.

The economy of the Civil War was as frail as it was peculiar. With the failure of the King Cotton strategy, the South failed to rely on innovative ways to raise money for the war. The Confederacy mitigated the Union’s death grip on imports through blockade runners but it could have tried other methods such as increased taxes or land sales. The Union’s expert manipulation of currency proved more reliable.

All these considerations are reflected in the game, to some extent. This is a great laboratory that gives you a chance to try out different military strategies and economic policies to win. Hindsight is 20-20. Find out if victory was as assured for the Union as it may seem, or if the Confederacy could have made it!"

Thank you very much Mr. De Campos for allowing me to do another review of one of your games. This is really just a quick look at the game, which is beautiful as only a wargame can be, and I will be doing another piece which will be a much deeper dive into the game.

On Student Commander's website there is a poll about which game people want next. Please, for my sake, click on Roman Civil War. I will offer Agrippa 50 million Sesterces to 'accidentally' drop Octavian into the Mare Adriaticum.

Robert Peterson

American Civil War Commander 1861 - 1865

Student Commander

My review of Spanish Civil War Commander:

Spanish Civil War Commander by Civil War Commander - A Wargamers Needful Things

Hoplite 2nd Printing

GMT Games

The Greeks developed their own unique way of warfare somewhere in the depths of time. Other nations and peoples had similar warriors as the Greek Hoplite, but none are as ingrained in our minds as the Hoplite. Most of the Mediterranean cultures ended up using the Phalanx. Was it thought up all at once by several different nations or was it disseminated throughout the area from one source? If you read enough books about the beginning use of the Phalanx you will find many authors in both camps. To be perfectly honest, there is still a raging fight over whether the spear was used under or over-handed. Due to the mists of time and the wanton and accidental destruction of libraries and artworks there is really precious little to answer all of our questions. There are only a handful of artistic representations of the Greek Phalanx. These really show us nothing of how it was actually used. The Greek authors never really mention the mechanics of it. I have read that this is because their audience would have seen their very own cities Phalanx practicing with their own eyes. Again, much of what we read and know about this warfare comes from each different author's idea of how it actually worked. What happened when Phalanxes crashed into each other is a mystery. Did the men in the back rows just push against the back of the man in front of them or was some other tactics used. Was the Phalanx as sophisticated as the Legion and were they able to exchange places or rows during the battle? We read about some of these battles taking hours to be decided. Did the enemy Phalanxes separate to catch their breath before beginning again, as I have recently read, or just struggle against each other and over the fallen until one side broke? Whatever is the truth of the above, we are definitely given two hard facts. That the designers Richard Berg and Mark Herman are two of the most esteemed and prolific wargame designers ever and that Roger MacGowan was the grand old man of wargame artistry. Let us see what manner of game they brought forth no matter what your views on the questions above.

This is the 15th game in the Great Battles of History Series (GBoH). Once again with a GMT game, I am stuck on the horns of a dilemma. I really like all of the other games in the series. So, I am worried I might be too lenient in my review or too harsh. This is a list of all the games in the Great Battle Series:

Volume I (first edition): The Great Battles of Alexander

Diadochoi: Great Battles of Alexander Module/1st edition

Phalanx: Great Battles of Alexander Module/1st edition

Volume I (second edition "Deluxe"): The Great Battles of Alexander: Deluxe Edition

Diadochoi: Great Battles of Alexander Module/2nd edition

Phalanx: Great Battles of Alexander Module/2nd edition

Tyrant: Battles of Carthage versus Syracuse

Volume I (third edition "Expanded Deluxe"): The Great Battles of Alexander: Macedonian Art of War includes Phalanx Module & Diadochoi Module battles

Volume II (first edition): SPQR

War Elephant: Battles of the Diadochi 217-190 B.C. – SPQR Battle Module

Consul for Rome: SPQR Battle Module III

Pyrrhic Victory: King Pyrrhus in Italy 280-279 B.C. – SPQR Battle Module IV

Africanus: SPQR Battle Module V

Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module

Jugurtha: Guerrilla Warfare in Numidia

Volume II (second edition "Deluxe"): SPQR (Deluxe Edition) includes Pyrrhic Victory, Consul for Rome, Africanus, War Elephant and Jugurtha Module battles

Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module

Jugurtha: Guerrilla Warfare in Numidia

Volume III : Lion of the North: The Dawn of Modern Warfare, 1631-1632

Volume IV : CAESAR: The Great Battles of Julius Caesar – The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C.

The Great Battles of Julius Caesar: The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C. – Dictator

The Great Battles of Julius Caesar: The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C. – Veni Vidi Vici: The Battles of Nicopolis 48 B.C. Zela 47 B.C.

Jugurtha: Guerrilla Warfare in Numidia

Volume V : Samurai: Warfare in the 16th Century Japan

Volume VI : Caesar: Conquest of Gaul

Caratacus: The Roman Conquest of Britain

Gergovia

Battles of the Warrior Queen

Volume VII : War Galley: Naval Warfare in the Ancient World

Salamis

Volume VIII : Cataphract

Attila: Scourge of Rome

Volume IX : Caesar in Alexandria

Volume X : The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol War Machine

Mamluk

Volume XI : The Siege of Alesia: Gaul, 52 B.C.

Volume XII : RAN

Volume XIII : Chandragupta: Great Battles of the Mauryan Empire – India, 319-261 BC

Volume XIV : Chariots of Fire: Warfare in the Bronze Age, 2300-1200 B.C.

Volume XV : Hoplite: Warfare in the Persian-Hellenistic Age 4th-5th Century BC

As you can see, the games allows us to simulate more than 3000 years of warfare.

Some of the games, mostly the ancients, have another interesting expansion or more correctly a different set of rules. These are available in:

Simple GBoH

Simple GBoH Battle Manual

The battles that are included in the 2nd edition are:

Ephesus

Marathon

Plataea

Mycale

Tanagra

Delium

Cunaxa

Nemea

Coronea

Leuctra

Mantinea

This is another blurb from GMT Games about the battle of Plataea:

"And you get to fight what was the biggest land battle in European history up until Napoleonic times, the immense Battle of Plataea (truly the deciding engagement of the Greco-Persian Wars): two maps and about 250 combat counters covering The Greek Contingents from 26 City-States under Pausanias, Spartan Regent and General, vs. The Persians, Medes, Asians (Bactrians, Scythians, Indians and a whole lot of others) and seven Medized Greek city-states, under Mardonius, Persian Commander and son-in-law of The Great King, Darius I."

It is also one of the most interesting battles to refight because the sheer size of the armies means that you are dealing with lots of different terrain. Almost all of the ancient battles were fought on level plain terrain.

This is what GMT Games has to say about it:

"Hoplite, the 15th volume in the Great Battles of History series of games, allows players to recreate classic battles from the pre-Alexandrian Persian-Hellenistic Age, the heyday of the Hoplite (heavy infantry fighting in packed formation). This period is often considered to feature the birth of Western Warfare, as opposed to the Persian/Eastern style, which relied on archery , light cavalry, and mobility.

Exactly how hoplite warfare was fought – what really happened when “the bell rang” – is highly disputed by ancient military historians, even today. Hoplite allows you to test out your theories (well, our theories, using your dice) with eleven of the great battles of this era, from the Battle of Leuctra, featuring the huge 60-man deep phalanx of Beotarch Epaminondas … to the classic confrontations with the Persian missile-armed troops against the classic Greek hoplite phalanxes.

Hoplite uses detailed mechanics meant to convey all the possibilities of this style of warfare, from The Hellenic Law of Inertia, to Drift to the Right, to the special capabilities of the Persian Light Cavalry (Harassment and Dispersal) to three different levels of Hoplite advance to Combat (the Run Don’t Walk rules) and a whole lot more. We even still have some good old chariots!

The package includes Simple GBoH versions for each of the battles along with special rules that highlight the hoplite style of warfare."

This is what comes with the game:

4 full-color countersheets

3 backprinted 22"x34" mapsheets

2 Player Aid Cards

Rules booklet

Scenario booklet

Simple GBoH Player Aid

Rout Point Tracking Aid

One 10-sided die

The Phalanx Counters

Due to the nature of Hoplite warfare, the maps have to be a bit plain and without too much contour. This is nothing against them it was just the nature of Greek Hoplite battles. The Hoplite Phalanx was even less maneuverable than the Macedonian one, or so we are led to believe. So, the maps have to show us the exact nature of the different battlefields. Indeed, six of the maps have no terrain or contours at all, but this is definitely historical. The maps that do have differences in terrain and some vegetation are nicely done. The counters are the older standard 1/2" in size, with Phalanx counters being 1"x 1/2" in size. Then there is one large counter that is 1"x 1". This represents the double-sized Theban Phalanx, with the Sacred Band included in it, that was used in the two Thebes versus Sparta battles. Because of the sheer number of battles included the hex and counter size we as wargamers were accustomed to are used. They are a bit busy with both a picture of the leader or troop type along with all of the different values needed to play. I did need to hold them close to look at them before I memorized the different troop types etc.

The Rules Manual is 32 pages long. It is your standard fare GMT rulebook. It is in full color and uses double-column printing. It is also chock full of examples of play. Only the normal rules for the game are included in this Rules Manual. You would need to have your own copy of the Simple Great Battles of History 2nd Edition rulebook to use the Simple GBoH versions of each scenario. The Scenario Book is 46 pages long. It is identical to the Rules Manual as far as looks and setup goes. Each of the 11 scenarios/battles starts with a Historical Background write-up. Then we get into the meat and potatoes of the setups and special rules for each one. They also include a 1/2 page or better map with all of the units depicted in their starting position. This really helps with the setup of each scenario. The last four pages are the Simple GBoH rules changes for the game. The Scenario Book is very well done. It is written and shown in a style to get the player up and spearing the enemy in no time.

There is a one-sided player aid that is 8 1/2" x 11" and is made of card stock. It has the Rout Points for both sides along with the turn track. There are six other player aids. These are 11" x 17"fold outs. So, each one has four separate player aid sheets. Each player aid has a twin so that both players can have their own. There are two that are used with the normal rules and one that has the Simple GBoH Charts and Tables.

All of the components together make a grand ensemble to lead even the tyro to the battlefields of Ancient Greece.

More Counters

This is a GMT Games synopsis of the Simple GBoH rules:

"Simple GBoH is designed for players who want a faster, less die-roll-heavy version of the GBoH system, while retaining as much of the historical flavor and insight of the original rules."

The Rules Manual

The scenarios in the game really make this game one of the best, if not the best, game of the GBoH Series to learn the ropes with. While two of them are quite large, most of the other ones are very small battles as far as counter density. The lack of any different terrain in those same battles makes it even easier. GMT Games has the complexity listed as six on the scale, and a solitaire suitability of eight on that scale. Both scales top out at ten. So, it is an in-depth game but not a game where you would have to read a doctorate thesis to learn how to play, even if you do not use the Simple GBoH rules. Yes, there are a lot of die rolls. There are also a lot of markers. However, the markers do make it a lot easier to keep track of where you are and what you are doing. One of the rules I really like is 6.22 which discusses the Advance to Combat Table to find the rate of movement of your Hoplite troops (This does not affect Spartan Hoplites because of their training and moving to music). You can start your planned move with your Hoplites to find that they have either walked, trotted, or run towards the enemy, throwing your perfectly aligned line of troops into confusion.

Rout and Turn Track

My favorite battles to play are the two that match Sparta against Thebes several decades after the Peloponnesian War was won by Sparta. These two battles would be Leuctra and Mantinea, although Coronea is another good pick. I like playing the Spartans and try to beat Epaminondas and the Theban Sacred Band. Why? I have actually no idea at all. I just do. Both are also on the smaller side so you can play them out quicker than the larger scenarios. Time in the 21st century is not on our side. I do prefer to use the Simple GBoH rules also. Not that the full rules are bad, it is again just a time thing.

The game will teach you that your light troops (Light Infantry, Peltasts, Skirmishers, Javelinists, Archers, and Slingers) are not to be disregarded. They can help by causing casualties, cohesion hits, and possibly wound or kill an opposing leader. The cavalry, both light and heavy, are pretty much seen as the red-headed stepchild during this period of warfare in Greece and its environs. In Asia both of them came into their own. In fact, the Persians were horse lords like the Medes before them. They too can be much more useful than you might expect. True, they do not have stirrups but even before they were invented the cavalry was a major arm in Near Eastern Armies. Leaders, and their survival, are essential to your armies. The Activation and Orders parts of the game are simpler than the other GBoH games. The designers wanted to make these as simple as possible in this game. The game is won by making your opponent's army withdraw. This is accomplished by accumulating rout points against your opponent. Each scenario has a Withdrawal Level listed for each side. Once that number is reached or surpassed that army loses. Different troop types and leaders have different rout points assigned to them.

Simple GBoH Charts and Tables

This is the 2nd Edition of Hoplite. However, other than fixing some errata this is pretty much identical to the 1st Edition. If you have any interest in the time period at all or you just want to play a great wargame and learn somethings in the process this is your game. So, put on your greaves, cuirass, helmet, and Hoplon and then pick up your spear and join me.

Thank you, GMT Games, for allowing me to review the 2nd edition of this really excellent game, from an excellent series. Take this from a man who was reading Plutarch when my first child was being born. The nurse suggested I put the book down and watch the birth.

Robert Peterson

GMT Games

Hoplite 2nd Printing

Caporetto 1917

Europa Simulazioni

No one truly knows the actual casualty figures for the Italian Front in World War I. If you subscribe to the "Lions led by Donkeys" idea of the English Army on the Western Front let me introduce you to the Italian High Command in World War I. I am not sure what you could call what the Italian Army was forced to do on this front. Field Marshal Luigi Cadorna, commander of the Italian Army, seems to have had no strategic, operational, or tactical thinking in his body. He seemed to believe that his plans were the greatest thing since sliced bread. The only reason the Italian Army was not in Vienna was because of useless subordinates and cowardly troops under his command. His plans consisted of charging straight ahead time after time. What is that old adage about the definition of insanity? Including the Battle of Caporetto, there are 12 Battles of the Isonzo River. Almost all of them were Italians attacking the Austro-Hungarians. Several times, by the sheer weight of numbers, the Austro-Hungarians' line came close to collapsing. Unfortunately, Cadorna would not change his plan of battle to take advantage of these moments. So, we come to 1917, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is on the ropes. Their massive casualty lists from the Italian and Russian Fronts have just about finished them. Now with the Russians out of the war you would think that they had a chance for revenge against the Italians. Unfortunately for them, this is not true. The Hapsburg Emperor asks the Germans for another favor. He wants to have a joint German and Austro-Hungarian attack on the Italian Front to push back the Italians and give his Army some breathing room. So, the stage is set for the Battle of Caporetto. We do have to introduce a young German officer by the name of Rommel. He has been promised the 'Pour le Merite', the highest Prussian Medal, if he captures Monte Majur. He actually does so but gets semi-cheated out of the medal by another officer. The mistake is rectified eventually, and Rommel will be seen in his World War II pictures with the Blue Max firmly in place. Onto the game!

This is what Europa Simulazioni has to say about the game:

"After Strafexpedition 1916, and Gorizia 1916, the third chapter is added to the Great War series: Caporetto 1917. Caporetto 1917 proposes the rules of the system in their updated version, to recreate, at battalion and company level, the most famous, tragic and controversial event of the Great War on the Italian Front.

Caporetto is a picturesque mountain village, located in the upper Soča valley. It has always been a border town; his German name is Karfreit, and its Slovenian name is Kobarid, but for the story he has the Italian name. Probably the most famous battle in Italian history, it is synonymous with "catastrophe", and in use in the Italian language with the same meaning. Also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Caporetto was the aftermath of the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo, which saw the Italian army advance across the Isonzo River, creating a dangerous salient for both Ljubljana and Trieste. To drive the Italians back and make them unable to carry out new offensives quickly, an offensive was needed, but the weakened Austro-Hungarian Empire lacked sufficient resources. German help was therefore needed. Aid materialized in the 14th Army, composed of some of the best German divisions, experienced in mountain warfare, and returning from successes in Riga and Romania. But above all that they employed unknown tactics and materials on the Italian front. Operation "Waffentreue " (Fedeltà d'Armi) was born, with the aim of pushing back the Italians to the Tagliamento. The results went beyond expectations. Recall the story of the first fateful days of that battle.

The game system has been updated and refined in version 2.0. It is based on the concept of action and reaction by the formations, typically brigades or regiments, which make up the opposing armies. It is a system that requires planning in the activation of formations, provides for a lot of interaction between them, and, at first glance, it may seem demanding. The use of artillery is greatly important, as it is the morale of the fighting troops, which can deteriorate as a result of fatigue or fighting.

The third volume of the series proposes, in turns of 12 hours each, the first four decisive days of the battle of Caporetto, in four scenarios:

1. The historical battle: The complete battle in the first four days, with the historical disposition of the Italian Army, in which the two players are both attacking and defending, respectively manoeuvering one wing of each side: attacking with an Austro-German wing, defending with the Italian one opposite the opponent. Each player, or team of players, will have to reach their goals faster than the opponent.

2. The battle that might have been: The battle as it might have been if the Italians had been better prepared. The clash is between the Italian player, who can arrange his troops more carefully and respond more quickly to the enemy manoeuvres, and the Austro-German player, however stronger, who must break through against a prepared enemy.

3. The Battle of Cividale: The final phase of the breakthrough on the Italian right flank. A short scenario, to learn the system, or commit a little time.

4. The Fall of Monte Maggiore: The final phase of the breakthrough on the Italian left flank. This is also a short and undemanding scenario."

I was lucky enough to do a review of Gorizia 1916 for Europa Simulazioni; links will be below. However, it took a long time to find a copy of Strafexpedition 1916, and it was worth its weight in hens' teeth.

Close-up of the map

This is what comes with the game:

Two 22"x34" maps covering the battlefield area, from Monte Canin and Rombon in the West, to the bridgehead of Tolmino in the East, from Bovec and Monte Nero in the North to Cividale and the Friuli plain in the South

A reduced map of the Tolmin beachhead, for managing artillery in that congested sector

1400 counters

System rules and specific rules for the game, including Rommel Grouping ( Rommel Abteilung ), Stosstruppen, gas and mine attacks, the Fog of Caporetto, and more

Very detailed order of battle, the result of years of research and information gathering

Terrain Effects Chart, Assault and Bombardment Tables sheet; sheets to contain: German battalions, which can be divided into companies

Assignment sheet for Italian formations

Sheet for eliminated units, Turn Record Track and Logistics Points.

Boxed

I was given a large coffee table book as a child about the great battles of history. For some unknown reason the Battle of Caporetto really stuck with me, and I have endeavored to get every book and game in English about this battle. While it is true that this game only shows us the first four days and a limited amount of the battle area on the map, it is by far the best representation I have found of the battle as of yet.

Both maps are beauties. They have large hexes, instead of ones the same size as the counters. The Printing on the maps is also nice and large. The terrain and elevation is incredibly varied in the area, so Europa Simulazioni has done a great job in not making it busy looking. The hexes do have different terrain in most of them. The rulebook uses the expedient of whatever terrain the dot in the center of the hex is that hexes terrain. So, there should be no arguments between players. The one-page Tolmin beachhead is an elegant way to deal with the artillery in that area.

The Rulebook is 28 pages long. It is in black and white and has two columns of type on each page. It does not have any examples of play, but it does have a few photos from the time. The actual length of the rules is about 21 pages. The reset of the rulebook is taken up by the different scenario information and historical notes along with design notes. The game comes with seven player aids. These are in full color and done in card stock. They are in both English and Italian. So, the player aids are either double-sided or separate sheets. The type on these is large and very easy to read. There is also a set of thick paper tear-off sheets for all for the different scenario setups and reinforcements, etc.

The counters are small at 1/2". As you can see below, the information on them is a bit busy. The leader counters have a small picture of the commander on them. This gives them a nice historical touch. I am on the fence about the counters. From a purely artwork point of view, they are excellent. It is just their size and the amount of information on them that gives me pause. However, I totally understand that to have around 1000 counters to show all of the troops involved, something had to give. As it is, the map does not show all of the area of the battle, just the main parts. To have larger counters would have caused the game to become a true monster wargame. Do I need to sometimes pick them up to read them, yes. Is this something I have been doing since the late 1960's, yes. So, my thoughts definitely fall onto the side of the counters are great, but I wish they were larger.

Other than my hemming and hawing over the counter size the components of the game are excellent. The maps are worth the admission price by themselves. It is now so easy to understand all of the books about the battle and why the battle progressed in the way it did. This is something that you, unfortunately, only get with a wargame about a campaign or battle and I am eternally grateful to designers for them. If I cannot understand what a writer is trying to tell me about the terrain, or why things happened in wars, wargames always come to the rescue.

Counter samples including you know who.

So, components be damned, how does this beautiful Italian car drive? The rules and the maps etc. give the player a real World War I battlefield to move your counters around on. This is not just a cut and paste set of rules that would be just at home with tanks or elephants. The troops that you can control are:

Infantry

Mountain Infantry

Bersaglieri

Bicycle

Cavalry

Machine Guns

Engineer

Flamethrowers

Infiltration Capable Infantry - The Italian Arditi and the Central Powers Stormtroops.

The artillery units you can control, after all artillery was the king in World War I:

Light Artillery

Medium Artillery

Heavy Artillery

Bombard/Minenwerfer

The rules include Command Range, Stacking, Supply, Reaction, and yes, those horrific gas attacks. Playing as the Austro-Hungarian/German you need to act like water or oil. Do not attack needlessly and get bottled up against stiff Italian resistance. Flow like water trying to find the holes in a sieve. Press on for as fast and hard as you can. Once you have pierced the armor of the Italian crocodile, continue to surge forward into the Italian vitals. As the Italian player, play like you have played the Russians during Operation Barbarossa. Sacrifice your troops to gain time and space. You will be left reeling after the initial attack. However, try and make the A/H/G player dance to your tune. Try and channel them to where your reinforcements can stop them and then counterattack. Depending on the grognardness of the opposing player, this game can be a real nail biter. The first scenario has the interesting, but not unheard of, idea of one player controlling some troops from both sides during the battle. Therefore, you get to play as the attacker and defender at the same time but on different parts of the battlefield. Scenarios three and four are both two turn short ones. These both have a particularly important part of the battle but can also be used to learn the system before charging into the two larger scenarios. Scenario two is by far my favorite. This allows the Italian player to have either replaced Cadorna or given him something to turn his left lobe on. As the Italian player you can try and setup a defense against the A/H/G player. You are not left hanging out to dry when you realize that a hurricane is going to be let loose on you. This scenario represents most of the battles of World War I. Both sides know exactly where the other side is going to attack and take certain measures. I am not saying the A/H/G player cannot win but it is almost an entirely different game.

Thank you, Europa Simulazioni, for allowing me to review this excellent portrayal of one of World War I's greatest battles. I have been looking for this game for a long time.

Robert Peterson

Caporetto 1917

Europa Simulazioni

Here are some of my Europa Simulations reviews:

Custoza Fields of Doom by Europa Simulazioni - A Wargamers Needful Things

Piacenza 1746 by Europa Simulazioni - A Wargamers Needful Things

Gorizia 1916 La Sesta Battaglia dell'Isonzo (The Sixth Battle of the Isonzo) by Europa Simulazioni - A Wargamers Needful Things

I, Napoleon

GMT Games

Ted Raicer

This review is one that feels a bit strange to me. The reason being is that I have placed myself in the Emperor's shoes on many different battlefields. I have never had the chance to place myself in his bed or anything more than just in charge of his troops. I also have a small hurdle to overcome. That hurdle is the fact that this is really an RPG about Napoleon. The problem arises in the fact that when I play RPGs my characters are always long on muscle and agility and very light on gray matter. I always put as much points as I can in the beginning and throughout the games into strength. I cannot remember the last time that I tried to add any brain power to my characters whatsoever. My characters can barely hold a conversation in the games let alone read a book. To play an RPG with someone who consistently is listed as one of the highest IQs ever is quite a leap for me. Make no mistake about it, even though you are playing with crowns, political matters, and high diplomacy this is an RPG of Napoleon. The only unfortunate thing about the game is that you cannot reroll a die to become part of another family. In this case you are stuck with these people no matter how inept or voracious for money and power they are. I think Madame Mère rapped the wrong offspring on the knuckles. She should have taken a paddle to the whole lot of them. Lucien is the only sibling that gets a pass. His success as a politician, and his help to his brother, is always overlooked when it comes to Napoleon taking power. So, there we have it. You are Napoleon in this game. You not only want to be a success yourself, but you also want to leave a dynasty behind you firmly on the French Imperial throne. Oh, and I forgot, it would be really helpful to stick a shiv into Talleyrand and Fouche as quickly as possible, as soon as their usefulness is over.

The back of the box

This is what GMT Games has to say:

"I, Napoleon is a solitaire historical role-playing card game in which you step into the boots of Captain Buonoparte (as he still was) in the year 1793. Louis XVI has just gone to the guillotine, the brothers Robespierre control the destiny of France, and all Europe has joined French Royalists to take down France, end the Revolution, and restore peace and safety for the hereditary principles that have underlain society for 1,000 years.

As an ambitious but unknown young artillery officer, who speaks French with a Corsican accent, you would seem to be an unlikely agent of destiny. Can you harness a brilliant mind, titanic energies, and a sometimes-terrifying charisma to leave your mark on history? Or will you die a minor footnote in the story of France?

Gameplay

In I, Napoleon, your fate lies in 220 beautifully illustrated cards, divided into three decks: Commander, First Consul, and Emperor. Overlaying a map of early 19th Century Europe are a series of Card Boxes, where you play out the events of your life and career, along with various tracks and tables to record the yearly passage of time and the events affecting yourself and France. The choices you make with the cards you are dealt will determine success or failure. You will have to manage politics, military campaigns, diplomacy, and the domestic well-being of the French while pursuing the Glory that lures you on. You will also have to manage your family, your wives, your mistresses, and your children, legitimate and otherwise.

Your path may lead you from the Americas to the Near East, from Spain to Russia, from a throne to exile. You will be the target of assassins, coups, and coalitions. You will deal with bad harvests and plague, face Wellington and Nelson, Kutuzov and Blucher. You will rely on—and perhaps be betrayed by—the slippery Talleyrand and unleash the secret policemen Fouche on your opponents. As you progress, your options will increase, along with the stakes.

Lead your men into battle and risk an early end to your life? Sail to Egypt or Ireland? Sell Louisiana or send an army to hold it? Marry a Habsburg or a Romanov? Create the Duchy of Warsaw or revive the Kingdom of Poland? Invade Russia or try to pacify the Tsar? Every choice will affect your legacy.

But there is not one version of a life here, but many. Every game will provide a different narrative, based on both luck of the draw and the decisions you make. In addition, you can start the game as a Commander, as First Consul, or as Emperor, each with its own starting situation and challenges. The story is yours to discover, and the decisions you make may just change the course of history."

The game map

This is what comes with the game:

222 Poker-sized Playing Cards

One Half Countersheet

One 22” x 34” Mounted Map Board

One 10-sided Die

One Rulebook

One Playbook

Two Player Aid Cards

The Mounted Map is really more of a placeholder for all of the different cards and the decks they make up. It does have a period style map of parts of Europe in its background. The card placement areas are indicative of Napoleon's choice in color. The biggest fault I have found in Napoleon is his love for the color green. So, the card placeholders are about 70% green with the rest being red. There are numerous other placeholder parts of the map. These include the turn record track, and the General Records Track etc. The counters are nice and large at 3/4" and very easy to see and read what they are used for. There is one 8 1/2" X 11" card stock sheet that deals with the campaigns that can be played in the game. One side has the 'Potential Campaign Selection Table' and the other side is the 'Campaign Battle Mat'. Both sides have all of the instructions you need to use the cards different uses.

Next, we have the 24-page Rules of Play. This is your standard GMT rulebook with double column printing and in full color. There are examples of play etc. and all of what you need to know to play the game. Then we have a 32-page Playbook with the same full color and double column printing. It starts with a quick start guide and then moves into an example of play. This is followed by the complete 222 card manifest. Then we have a six-page history of Napoleon followed by design notes. It even comes with a suggested reading list from the designer along with his own take on the man.

The game is a completely card driven game. So, I would be remiss if I didn't mention them. Of course, with the number of cards that come in the box it is slightly like the elephant in the room. Most of the backs of the cards are that green color again that he loved so much. There are also some cards to keep the different years separate etc. and they are, (gratefully) beige in color. The side of the cards that are used for playing each have either a portrait of the person in question, (Marshals, enemies, and events) or a picture of the important event etc. The cards are sturdy enough for a good amount of play. However, if you do plan to play a lot of the game, and you should, I suggest sleeving them.

As usual the components of a GMT game pass with flying colors.

Some of the counters

The game comes with a few scenarios. These are:

Full Campaign Scenario 1793 - 1821

Commander Scenario - 1793 to Napoleon becoming First Consul or 1802

First Consul Scenario - 1800 to 1804 or Napoleon becomes Emperor

Emperor Scenario - 1805 until 1817-1821

Napoleon can be killed on the battlefield, executed, or overthrown.

He can also face the treason of the Marshals, as in 1814.

The following are also reasons for the game to end:

If Napoleon is overthrown as First Consul or Emperor,

because Glory reaches 0 during those eras or because of a

Defeat in Austria (Italy) (67), end the game immediately.

Resolving certain cards, such as Louis XVIII Writes (97),

Natural Frontiers (156), or Peace of Europe (209) end the

game immediately.

The game will always end, one way or another, during the

Abdication Segment (13.1).

The game always ends at the conclusion of the final Year

(1817-21).

As soon as a game ending event occurs, proceed to the Game

End and Outcomes (13.0).

The sequence of play is not long at all, especially if Napoleon is still a commander and not First Consul or Emperor. The higher you go, the more cards there are to play. This is the sequence of play:

Year Setup Phase [6.0]

(Skipped in the first Year of any Scenario)

Year & Card Draw Marker Segment

Resource Income Segment

Card Deck Phase [7.0]

(Skipped in the first Year of any Scenario)

Remove Cards Segment

Add Cards Segment

Shuffle Draw Deck Segment

Card Action Phase [8.0]

New Card Draw Segment

Existing Card Play Segment

Phase Advancement Segment

Campaign Resolution Phase [9.0]

(If the CAMPAIGN Box is empty, Discard all cards in the

CAMPAIGN MODIFIERS Box, and skip the rest of 9.0)

Assign Commanders Segment

Spanish Ulcer Expeditions Segment (EMD Only)

Resolving the Campaign Segment

Commander Casualties Segment

Other Campaign Events Segment

Additional Resolution Segment

Clean-up Segment

Diplomatic Phase [10.0]

(First Consul and Emperor Decks only)

Foreign Diplomacy Segment

Treaties and Conquest Segment

Potential Campaigns Segment

Domestic Politics Phase [11.0]

(First Consul and Emperor Decks only)

Clean-Up Phase [12.0]

Reset Cards and Markers Segment

Game End Check

Some card samples

It is a relatively simple game; the complexity is listed as a '3'. However, the player is still given a myriad of choices to make in his trek toward power and dominance. The chance that the very next card, or the first one, could be the end of the game makes it a nail-biting experience. Just like the historical Napoleon, anything can happen at any time to your character. You can choose to play out his life as closely as possible to history to see if you could do better, or you can take his path to glory any way you want. The fun, mystery, and sometimes misery is all in the cards. I have lost games within the first couple of minutes, and I have lived as long as possible as the Little Corporal. One of the things that a lot of gamers, not necessarily wargamers, want in a game is replayability. In this game the sky's the limit as far a replay value. Each game and each turn are a new chapter that you can write in an ever-changing biography of the Napoleon that you happen to be playing. Of course, it helps if you have an affinity for the color green and Golden Bees.

This game comes with nicely done components and is easy to learn, and you will be playing in no time. The 2nd edition of the game is already on the P500 list, and it has a larger more complex version of the game coming 'I, Napoleon: The Limits of Glory'. The new game has a lot more characters and takes longer to play among many other things. This is a very good thing because the original game was great, and more of it can only make it better.

Thank you, GMT Games, for allowing me to do a review of I, Napoleon. I must also say good luck to all the other budding emperors out there. May your cards always be lucky and you avoid pulling the dreaded card 33 and end up bleeding out at the Place de la Révolution. Although you do get a good view of Nostradamus's famous 'tile works'.

Robert Peterson

GMT Games

I, Napoleon

I, Napoleon: The Limits of Glory