LIMITS OF GLORY: MAIDA 1806
FROM
FORM SQUARE GAMES
Just about a year ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to review a prototype of the first game in a new series by a new independent UK company, Form Square Games. Recently I was able to update you on the final published edition of that game, Limits of Glory: Napoleon's Eastern Campaign. Now thanks again to Andy Rourke, the designer and founder of Form Square Games, I can explore the prototype of the second game in the series. Like its predecessor, virtually all the components, bar the rulebook, are virtually identical in their excellent quality to what you will find in the final published game.
The system, as is to be expected for a series game, is identical in all its primary elements. However, the historical campaign furnishes a situation that creates a whole different dynamic with some additional units that add a new level of interest and involvement in the naval side of the game. In relation to the historical events, the key point to note is that this is not a game on the individual battle of Maida, but on the developing situation in Italy and Sicily.
Map & Unit Displays, Combat Chart and Event Chart
In particular, British focus was on preventing the French from invading Sicily. From the set-up instructions and opening Invasion Phase, this seems to be the game's intent as well. The initial French forces are positioned on the north edge of the map, while various British, Russian, Neapolitan troops are scattered down the map. The fact that the French cannot be activated until a roll on the Event table allows them to potentially invade Sicily reinforces the immediate impression that Sicily will be the crucial goal. It therefore comes as a major surprise that the French total victory conditions are [1]to have more VPs than the Allied forces and [2] to capture and control Gaeta, the very next area to where they initially set up! The rationale behind this will be discussed later.
First of all I want to separate out and discuss the various components that I have compressed into the single photo presented above, starting with the map.
The Glory Track in detail
Each player has their own Command Chart that contains each Leader's two markers, until one is placed on the map and the other is placed on the Glory Track. Below you can see the Command Chart for the French player.
For the moment I want to reiterate the main dynamics of the rules. At its core, the simple foundational device is that everything is governed by seeking to roll either 5 or 6 on a D6 and Leaders' Glory points are spent to reroll dice. The only Phase that departs from this principle is the Event Phase that begins each turn.
As in the first game in the series, it's handled by a Display board with events printed on. Initially you roll a single die and ultimately will be rolling four dice and totalling their scores to find which Event has happened. Some Events [marked with an R] may happen more than once, while others happen once only and then are covered by a new Event marker. One of these announces the end of the game! So much originality achieved with so little physical effort - the first of several concepts that have made this whole design and its designer, Andy Rourke, stand out for me.
Following this comes Momentum, where each player rolls 4 dice and any dice rolls that do not achieve a 5 or 6 may be rerolled once by spending a Glory point from the Senior Leader's current total. Each 5 or 6 provides a player with a Momentum marker which can be used to attempt to activate one area. At best therefore, each player will get a maximum of 4 activations per turn - a factor that makes the game both swift playing and very interactive.
For Movement, an area is chosen to be activated. Each area contains a single number which tells you how many dice you roll to attempt to move units located there into an adjacent area. A single roll of a 5 or 6 on any of those dice is a successful activation. Should you roll no 5s or 6s, if you have a Leader in the area, you can choose to spend one of his Glory points for each die you want to re-roll. For those areas where you can roll only one die failure is only too easy and you have to place one of your precious Momentum markers and the turn switches to your opponent! Momentum markers are also placed, if you are the active player, when you lose a combat. Movement is very simple and swift to carry out and is interrupted for Combat the moment you enter an enemy occupied area. If the victor, you may continue to attempt to move on.
Combat, on the other hand, is by far the most detailed [though that is relative as it remains easier than in many other games] and highly original feature in the game, as the following example will show. A French force with a Leader and 10 infantry units and 2 cavalry are attacking a British force with a Leader with only 4 infantry units and 1 cavalry unit The first step is to total the combat values of your units, using the simple table below.
As you can see the French have a strength of 14 pts and the British only 6 pts. Both players start by placing their marker pawns on the appropriate column of the Combat Chart.
Now both players roll four dice and each player can use the Glory points of the most senior Leader in the area [or the Glory points of subordinate junior Leader at the player's choice] to reroll any dice that have not scored a 5 or a 6. If you do choose to use a subordinate junior Leader, beware. He has to roll for survival after the battle!
For the example, note very carefully that in the French Commander's box is the number 12 and in the British Commander's box the number 8. This is crucial because if the French player's four dice do not eventually add up to 12, they can count none of their 6s and 5s as successes, whereas the British player's four dice only have to add up to 8 for any 5s or 6s to score.
Continuing our example, the French rolls 6,4,3,1 and the British player rolls 6,5,1,1. The French player decides to spend three Glory pts to reroll the 4,3,1 and rolls 5,1,1. The British player spends two Glory pts to reroll the 3 and 1 dice and this time rolls 5 and 3. So now the French dice are 6,5,1,1 and the British are 6,5,5,3.
Finally each player can spend Glory pts to make their opponent reroll successes. The French player's Leader is getting low on Glory points and decides to spend only two Glory points to make the British player re-roll a 6 and a 5. The British player also spends two Glory points to make the French player roll their 6 and 5. The new rolls are 6 and 3 for the French player and for the British player 5 and 5.
So, the final results are French dice 6,3,1,1 and the British dice are 5,5,5,3. Looking back to the Combat Chart, the French player's 4 dice total is only 11 and so not having achieved 12, the French player's single 6 is not counted as a success. Whereas the Allied player's dice add up to 18, far more than the necessary 8 and so all three of his dice that rolled a five are successes and a final check on the Combat table shows that for each 5 rolled he inflicts 2 hits. Consequently, the British inflict 6 hits and the French none at all.
Please note that reading my example takes at least three times as long as actually rolling the dice and resolving the battle!! The loser retreats and, in the example I’ve used, as the loser was the active French player, they would have to place a Momentum marker and the Allied player becomes active.
The construction of the Combat table is an ingenious way of factoring in differences between nations and the quality of their troops. In this game, the British have by far and away the best units, far superior to their Russian and Neapolitan allies and the Calabrian guerrillas, but there are only a maximum of 14 British units, whereas the French who are the best in quality after the British possess the potential to have 45 units in the campaign!
For me, these concepts are the crowning success of the game system's combat and the designer, Andy Rourke’s signature most original idea. With any conventional combat system or CRT that I know the only way to achieve this is by boosting the British combat factors to ridiculously high levels or incorporating a mass of chrome rules. These considerations are highly important for the game’s success both as a game and in having the ability to simulate widely varying types of campaign, while retaining ease and speed of play.
As with the first game, sieges and uprisings play their appropriate part too and are handled largely in a similar manner, but with one or two neat little tweaks to reflect this specific conflict. So too is there a naval aspect, but whereas in Limits of Glory: Napoleon’s Eastern Campaign this was highly abstracted and played a very brief role, in Maida 1806 it has been given a significant boost. In come counters for gunboats, barges, frigates and 3rd rates and some glorious crew counters, but all with the addition of a surprisingly low number of easy rules. I’ve greatly enjoyed their inclusion and the individuality they bring to the situation. If, as the French, you're going to invade Sicily or, as the Allies, try to stop them, you're really going to need and make good use of these units. A final touch that I like is that there are just about enough VPs on the mainland of Italy so you can just about win the game as the French without getting your boots wet, but you'll have the finest of margins for error. So, you are pushed in a historical direction just as the French were, but you're not hog-tied to that path. Just one more element in a game that I relish.
The nautical angle - a particular favourite
The final component is the rule book which, as with its predecessor's proto-type, is a stark stapled black and white product which gives the bare bones of the rules with no examples or illustrations. At the moment it allows you to play the game. In its final production, I can say, with utter confidence, the quality will be outstanding and is the perfect complement to a product at the top of its game...and here's the rulebook cover for the first game in the series. If you want to see inside and see more of the physical quality have a look back at my reprise via this LINK.
For me Maida 1806 is even more of a cracker than the first in the series. Look out for its launch on Gamefound at the end of July and running through August; I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Meanwhile if you didn't pledge for the first game, I believe you might still be able to find a copy in the UK from Second Chance Games.
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