Science of Arms

The Art of War in the Century of the Soldier 1672-1699

Volume I: Preparation for War and the Infantry

by

Stephen M. Carter

 

 For those of us who are very interested in the history of warfare this book is a Godsend. This is not just the author's idea of what took place or was thought of about both the preparations and how the infantry worked in the last years of the 17th century. As the author states:

 "This Science of Arms series is based on the original French military treatises and the translated versions published in London by Charles Bill, Henry Hill and Thomas Newcomb in the 1670s and 80s. These cover more than formations and weapons drill. They explain the military practice of the age and when combined, we gain a fresh perspective on warfare. By comparing the details held in the treaties to battle plans and eye-witness accounts, the reader can plug the unsaid gaps that were taken for granted but long forgotten."

 The book has a large amount of information, from preparing your magazine, to the artillery of the time and even its construction, and what you should seek to find and see in your Captain General, General Officers, and your General Staff. At this point we have only gone through half of the book! Then we go through a whole section on 'modeling' your infantry, cavalry, and artillery. The book uses the word modeling to show the formations, usage, and even the costs incurred with these three types of arms.

 The last part of the book is all about the infantry. From weapons, various exercises, and even to the duties of Sergeants etc. it is all here. It will show you how to advance the 'Swedish way' and how to correctly 'volley attack with your grenadiers'. 

 So, if you happen to have about 50 friends, and the money, you can equip them and then the book will show you how to put them through the paces. You can teach them all of the steps to arm and fire their muskets and how to use their pikes correctly.

 The book is a gold mine for both the military history lover and the wargamer. Thank you, Casemate Publishers, for allowing me to review this excellent addition to my library. I will have a review of Volume 2 of the series coming up.

 

Robert Peterson

Book: Science of Arms: The Art of War in the Century of the Soldier 1672-1699 Volume I: Preparation for War and the Infantry

Author: Stephen M. Carter

Publisher: Helion & Company

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

 SONG FOR WAR

MEDITERRANEAN OPERATIONS

FROM 

INVICTA REX

In 2023, I had the good fortune to encounter Invicta Rex games and their prototype for their first game, Song for War: Mediterranean Theatre.  I was able to experience the game through play with the designers on Tabletopia and reviewed the game here on the blog.   

I followed their progress and initial Kickstarter, which I immediately pledged for, and was majorly disappointed when it didn't reach its target goal. 

Fast forward two years and the expected and heralded new launch on Kickstarter rapidly passed its target and unlocked several goals.  This time there has been the opportunity to select one of two pledges.  The major pledge is for a revamp of the original game with its massive two mounted boards.  This has been greatly augmented by including two closer focused Operational scenarios: North Africa and Italy.  Each of which is played out on individual maps, each printed on the reverse side of one of the main maps.  If I say that each single map is 31"x27", you get the size of the two-mapper main game. 

Italy Map

It should be no surprise to those who've read my previous review [click here if you haven't], that I've immediately pledged for the full package.  

However, a second pledge has been offered in the new Kickstarter, which gives you just a single mounted board with the map for the North Africa scenario on one side and the map for the Italy scenario on the other.

Invicta Rex have kindly provided me with a prototype copy of this smaller game and that is what I shall be reviewing here today.  It's differentiated from its Song of War big brother by having the sub-title Mediterranean Operations.  As would be expected, it embodies all the component qualities of the massive Mediterranean Theatre game.  This starts with the stunning and vibrantly coloured maps.  Italy you can see above and below is North Africa.

North Africa map

The counters too are the identical stylish wooden pieces that cover a wide range of air, sea and land units, embracing destroyers, cruisers, naval transports and even an aircraft carrier, fighters, heavy and light bombers, AA guns and artillery, infantry, tanks and trucks. Each of the four nations featured in the game has its own attractive compartmentalised storage box making sorting and organisation an easy task. 

British Units Storage Box

Below is what you see when set up for play of the North Africa scenario.  Normally in the full Mediterranean Theatre  scenarios, the blue units are Great Britain and the green units are United States, whereas here blue and green represent Great Britain's XXX and VIII Corps.  

This is most noticeable at the start in Alexandria, where units from both Corps are located, one in the northern sector and one in the southern sector.  However this distinction does not have to be maintained here, nor in anywhere else on the map as the game progresses.

Opposing them are the Germans (red) and the Italians (yellow).  Obviously, this allows for four players, but these Operational scenarios easily facilitate play by two players, especially as both sets of units on a given side move and have combat simultaneously.  The only feature not to be seen on map is the Hidden Fleet marker which in the North Africa scenario is the German fleet.  As can be seen below, it contains two troop transporters, one containing 2 tanks and 1 infantry units, the other tank, infantry and AA, which are guarded by an aircraft carrier ( with a fighter and light bomber aboard) a cruiser and a destroyer.

All the vital information, not just for set up but play, is contained on a single double sided Play Aid; one for each player.  There is a substantial amount of information to be absorbed, which is greatly eased when playing in teams of two.  When playing two player - which is my normal situation, outside conventions -  I would strongly recommend overlaying the Set-Up Play Aid with the Standard Units Play Aid.  This allows you to see all the ability explanations for the symbols used on the unit display chart.

Again when first getting started, I found it well worth while to spend some time simply taking each group of units: land, sea and air and separately practising their movement and combat factors and abilities a few at a time.  These displays differ from those in the massive Theatre game by being much more monochromatic and this is particularly reflected in the change from the accompanying coloured dice to white, grey and black ones.  I'm unsure whether this change reflects the final intentions for both this new Operational version and the original Theatre version of the game.  If so, I personally preferred the use of the coloured dice and the matching colours on the Combat part of the Play Aids which I found greatly helped my understanding of the combat process.  My only other concern lies with the very small print (seen on the left most panel above) which explains the symbols used.  These I did strain to read.

What remains identical is the multi-stepped movement and combat process that I would describe as the signature feature of the game system.  It is this feature that absolutely sold this game for me and recent details from surveys conducted by Invicta Rex confirms that the game system is far and away the key element for the vast majority of those who've pledged to Song for War.  It is that incremental movement and combat aspect that gives the game its defining quality and its engrossing game play.  Each player is immersed in the action as it switches back and forth from player to player with none of the lengthy ennui of observing and waiting for someone else's turn to be completed.  

It is a richly layered experience significantly enhanced by the visual splendour of the maps and the tactile enjoyment of manoeuvring your equally colourful wooden units.

In short, Song for War: Operations gives you everything that can be experienced in the even larger scope Song for War: Mediterranean Theatre, but with a more specific and localised geographic focus.  In stepping down from the wider picture of the Mediterranean Theatre to these two specific Operational fields, only a single stage is omitted - the National Support Phase. This tech tree element brought to the wider conflict the possibility of purchasing cards to influence the development of your war whether in terms of new weapons, upgrades, significant events or strategy.  With the shorter time scale and narrower focus, it is an appropriate omission.

I know that purely from the point of view of having the time to get Song for War: Operations easily to my gaming table, I shall see much more play of Italy and North Africa individually, but for those longer periods offered by residential conventions Song for War: Mediterranean Theatre awaits.

 Hoplite 2nd Printing

by

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

 NORAD 3

Designed by

Dana Lombardy 

 This is a write-up by Mr. Lombardy about this new edition of his game.

"Dana Lombardy looks at his game NORAD 50+ years later

In 1973, I needed a wargame for Conflict #4 – the magazine I started the previous year. Several new designs were under development and would be published with future issues of Conflict. But I needed a new game design – and it had to be finished in 60 days.

It wasn’t the first time I published a game that wasn’t a typical wargame. Conflict #3 included a time travel science fiction paper-and-pencil design called Assassin! It was too different for many of the readers whose feedback was: “Give us a real wargame!”

This meant that the game had to be a military battle or campaign and include conventional die-cut unit counters and a game map. But I wanted to create something that was not completely traditional.

NORAD was my first modern era design: a hypothetical nuclear war caused by the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis between the USA and USSR. The readers’ reactions were extreme: they either loved it or hated it. NORAD used a polar projection map where the movement spaces were smaller at the North Pole and became wider as they moved South. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first wargame to use this type of map instead of a traditional hexagon or square pattern.

Combat did not have standard combat factors on each counter that was resolved using a customary Combat Results Table (CRT). Instead, if a Russian bomber or submarine missile reached a Canadian or United States city it was immediately flipped over to show a nuclear mushroom cloud. This designated that the city was destroyed and the Soviet player received victory points for that city. If the Canadian or U.S. fighter aircraft could reach the Russian bomber before it could nuke the city, both counters were removed. There were also anti-aircraft missile counters placed on some cities that were last-ditch defenses. Both sides had a few decoy (blank) counters representing electronic countermeasures (ECM) to confuse an enemy’s radar and weapons.

Mr. Lombardy at Origins 1976

To start, the U.S. player set up his fighters, decoys, and anti-aircraft missiles on any city square. These faster moving units were moved to the incoming Russian bombers to eliminate them before they could move onto a space with a Canadian or U.S. city.

Game play consisted of the Soviet player moving his bombers (including decoys) onto the northern edge of the map. At least four (or more) bombers of his fleet of 30 counters had to move onto the map every turn. Only one bomber could be in a square. Every bomber on the map moved every Turn until it was destroyed by a Canadian or U.S. fighter or reached a target city.

Each city was worth from 5 to 9 points. Soviet victory was achieved by accumulating at least 100 victory points. The U.S. player “won” if the Soviet total was less than 100 points. But America was still destroyed.

NORAD was easy to learn and fast-playing. One reader called the game “nuclear checkers.”

In 1977 a friend reprinted the game for his Mishler Company using the same artwork and a few rule edits. NORAD 2 was planned by Victory Point Games adding cards, chits, and major rules changes but it was never published. Banzai magazine’s NORAD 3 is a greatly expanded version based on the original design that adds the USA attack on the USSR.

I am honored and flattered to have one of my first game designs republished by Yasushi Nakaguro in a version that includes much improved graphics and the expansion of the American attack on the USSR.

New Edition!

NORAD 3

The original 1973 publication of Dana Lombardy’s “nuclear checkers” has been greatly improved and enhanced by BANZAI magazine with:

✔️Gorgeous new full-color graphics.

✔️Expanded game map that now shows the USSR as well as the USA targets.

✔️New playing pieces that represent USA bombers and USSR fighters.

✔️Illustrated rulebook in English that includes optional rules for NORAD and Dana’s 1973 designer’s notes.

✔️Plus new rules for the Soviet Home Defense forces and NATO expansion game by Yasushi Nakaguro.

✔️BONUS: Dana has written a backstory about creating the 1973 game and describes its 1977-2024 versions and a mini tournament held in Basque area of Spain in 2020.

GAME ONLY (rules in English)

Simple rules, fast-playing, amazing graphics, optional rules & expansion.

$40 includes FREE shipping to a US address

(BANZAI Japanese language magazine is out of print and not included).

Contact dana.lombardy@gmail.com for shipping to other countries.

Supplies are LIMITED."

This is a YT video about the game:

https://youtu.be/2AbP_Y8RqMA

NORAD 3

 The Breakthrough of Kampfgruppe Peiper

in the Battle of the Bulge

by

 Hugues Wenkin and Christian Dujardin

 This book starts out with the German plan for their attack in the Battle of the Bulge. It goes on to explain, more than most books, about how absurd the plan really was. All of the major German officers who were informed of the plan did not like it or believed that it could work. Even someone as fervent a Nazi as Sepp Dietrich thought it was almost ludicrous. Then the book goes into the preparation of Kampfgruppe Peiper for their part in the attack. The US troops that were going to oppose the attack are written about. The authors show us that while the German industrial capacity was the greatest it had ever been in the autumn of 1944, it still could give the German soldiers weaponry. Fortunately for the Allies, what it could not give them was gas and oil. The overwhelming strength of Allied airpower was another force that the Germans could not handle. In reality, the attack could grab headlines around the world, something Hiler was hoping, but the further the German penetration the worse it actually was for them. We are shown by the authors how the German infantry was a brittle shell of what it was when it broke out of the Ardennes in 1940.

  

 No book on Kampfgruppe Peiper could be complete without discussing the Malmedy Massacre, and others, that took place during the Bulge. The authors do a very good job in explaining what happened and what the circumstances were surrounding them.

 The authors do a very good job of keeping a balanced view of Joachim Peiper. Was he a good soldier fighting for a disgusting cause? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Should he and his superiors have been held accountable for the massacres of prisoners and civilians? The answer is also resounding yes. The book does show all of the different aspects of the human and military during the breakthrough until its inevitable failure. They heap praise on the American combat engineers that they feel were the real reason that Kampfgruppe Peiper was put in such a hopeless position. 

 Thank you, Casemate Publishers, for allowing me to review this very good book. The authors did a great job of showing the reader the whys and hows of the futile breakout. The book is filled with photographs of the people and places from the time. The only thing that I could wish for is more maps.

Robert Peterson

Book: The Breakthrough of Kampfgruppe Peiper in the Battle of the Bulge

Authors: Hugues Wenkin and Christian Dujardin

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

 Caporetto 1917

by

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

by

GMT Games

Designed by

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