PHANTOM FURY

FROM

NUTS PUBLISHING

First published in 2011,  Phantom Fury was my initial reason some years ago for contacting Nuts Publishing in hopes of reviewing it for A Wargamers Needful Things.  A copy by then was sadly unobtainable and, though I’ve had the opportunity to review many excellent games from Nuts Publishing since then, I’ve always harboured the desire to review that earlier game. Until now, the nearest to my wish being granted was Urban Operations which included a scenario on 2nd Fallujah.

After a long wait, however, at last the oft-promised second edition of Phantom Fury is in my hands and currently on my gaming table with many thanks to Nuts Publishing for this review copy.   

The physical quality of the new release displays all the familiar advances in component production, especially in the counters that are substantially thicker and benefit from their easy to press out, rounded edges.

Similarly the two play aids are on glossy card stock.  The first being a double-sided Sequence of Play, the other a single-sided presentation of all the necessary tables.

The map, though essentially identical to the original, has undergone one or two major important changes. With the original, the location background strongly emerged, while the Zones and Locations critical for play disappeared into that background.

Whereas the new presentation reverses that process, making play substantially easier.

As a result things like the various record tracks create a stylish impression, while the Zones become easily readable.  At the groundfloor level you have the Courtyard distinguished by its red colour, the letter C and a small door symbol, subsequent levels have a connecting arrow, with usually one or two rooms until you reach the Roof marked in black and with the letter R.   Though identical in these respects to the first edition map, the ability to read them at a glance stands as a huge improvement in game play. In addition, as you can see, the outlying borders displaying the Turn track, VP track and various holding boxes, has been given a much stronger palate.  All this adds to the visual enjoyment of the game.

From visuals, we come to the situation which is broadly the USMC [United States Marine Corps] tasked with securing the town of Fallujah.  The focus is specifically on the morning of 9th November 2004 and the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines in the Jolan District in the north-west of the town.  Despite this attention to detail, it's hard not to view the game as a generic slice of any Middle East conflict involving a broadly typical action.   

The top two rows of counters are your enemy Insurgents, while the smaller counters below them are mainly the Suspect markers which are what will be the first that will be placed on the map as you approach each Zone.  When these are rolled for revelation, there's a 50% chance nothing will be there. When real opponents appear, they are an anonymous force of two types of unit, labelled Guerrillas and Martyrs, which you randomly draw from the familiar cup or bag.

This might seem appropriate for the sort of enemy and situation presented here, but your own troops are an equally simplified and faceless bunch.   Their only individuality lies in their strength factors, ranging from 4-6 and that a small number of them can be assigned a CAAT support marker which can be used 4 times to add +2 to Fire actions or Assault actions.

As the design is expressly noted as being based very strongly on an article entitled  "Infantry Squad Tactics.  Some of the lessons learned during MOUT [Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain] in the battle of Fallujah", published in the Marine Corps Gazette, I'm sure the elements involved are accurate.  Nevertheless, I consistently felt I was gaming a system, rather than a specific historical event.

That said, I enjoyed every minute of that gaming and the lack of individuality to the units may be a help in not focusing on the horrors of modern warfare.  What you do experience is the grinding progress, block by block, using fire and movement tactics to advance and assault block by block.  

Early progress in the south-east quadrant of the map

You’ll encounter the deadly dangers of crossing streets, unless you have the one and only  M1A1 Abrams tank in the locale and the endless uncertainty of Suspect markers and actions that reveal them.  You have a 50% chance that each one will prove to be nothing there, but I can assure you that I haven’t yet played a session where the number of negative sightings is anywhere near the number of actual Insurgents revealed!  You’ll face the difficulties of fighting your way upward from floor to floor of a building or the potentially swifter task of fighting from the roof down.

Virtually all your efforts depend on your Marines, with only 4 squads having the benefit of CAAT support being attached [these give an +2 bonus to fire or assault rolls].  Each of your turns begins with the ability to attempt call in some of a very, very limited number of additional missions.  In all, there are only four Dragon Eye aerial vehicle reports that merely identify suspected insurgents, two AH-1W Super Cobra close air support missions and a single F/A-18 Hornet.  Even your attempts to call these in have their dangers, as a failure to call in the mission allows a random Insurgent reaction to take place.

One feature that makes this system all the more engrossing is that there is no enemy turn as such.  Instead virtually all Insurgent action takes place as reactions to your individual actions.  Mainly these are Defensive Fire attacks when you enter a building and simultaneous fire when you are assaulting from one level of a building to the next level.

Green markers indicate Zones still under Insurgent control

Though the imbalance of the strength of your Marines against the Insurgents’ strengths is markedly in your favour, the reverse is true of the number of their units as compared to yours. You begin with 9 squads have 3 more squads as reinforcements and can take a further 3 squads at the cost of losing VPs and finally will gain 3 Iraqi squads.  The latter are absolutely essential as they are the only ones allowed to enter the area’s mosque.

To avoid automatic defeat, you have 16 turns [13 turns if you play the historical variant!] in which to clear and control every one of the 61 zones on the map.  If you avoid defeat, your tally of victory points may earn you anything from a major victory to a costly victory. Time and the number of zones to fight through and eventually control makes this a very tough task.

I've found it an uphill struggle to achieve any level of victory, but Phantom Fury has the supreme quality for a successful solo game, namely the minute that I finish one play, I want to set it up and start all over again.

My final thoughts are on the rulebook which is equally attractive.  As, I believe, it is identical to the first edition's, that is a good recommendation for its quality and clarity.  It's extensively illustrated with examples through out the text and complemented by a very good example of a turn's play.

A section of the example of a Turn's play

The layout and organisation takes you easily through the Sequence of Play with concise but very clear rules' sections.  As there are a significant number of original concepts to represent the features of urban warfare, initially I found myself frequently checking the rule book to make sure that I was getting things right  purely because of their unfamiliarity.  However within less than half the 16 turns of my first game, I was playing swiftly with hardly any further checking.  What I've found even more satisfying is that a very swift glance over the rules when I return for another game is all that's necessary to have me playing very smoothly once again.  It's a very immersive experience where you are focused wholly in the action and the situation.  As a result those rather faceless-seeming men under your command suddenly take on a very personal degree of commitment and interest on your part.

I give Phantom Fury a strong thumbs up!  Get this 2nd edition while you can.