A Step To Victory
by
Quarterdeck International
Quarterdeck International
Quarterdeck Games (1981-1988) was a company I had heard and read about for quite a
while. To be honest, I didn't know about their revival until recently. I had
seen some of the naval games that had been made down through the years by Jack Greene,
but for one reason or another I never picked one up. So, I am very
proud that Quarterdeck International sent me two games to review. This one is on
the Campaign for Bougainville from 1943-45. The game is very small and
comes with this:
Rulebook
Map
36 Counters
One sheet with Terrain Effects and Combat Results
The map is 11" x 17". The game needs a six-sided die to play.
The sequence of play is:
Allied Player Turn
Reinforcement Phase
Movement Phase
Combat Phase
Japanese Player Turn
Reinforcement Phase
Movement Phase
Combat Phase
The
rulebook is only seven pages long. As you can guess, there are not a
lot of rules to try and remember. The game is only ten turns long. If
the Allies do not control any of the Japanese bases at the end of the
game, it is a decisive Japanese victory. Other than that, both sides can
accumulate victory points in various ways. Both players can 'rest' all
of their troops by declaring the turn a 'rest' one. The Japanese Player
cannot rest his troops after turn six. This represents the Japanese
units being cut off from any supplies, especially food.
The
other usual wargame rules are also represented: zones of control, stacking,
and movement cost for the different terrain. Combat is resolved by the
Combat Results Table. The game rules follow the arrival and departure of
the three different Allied forces. First the US Marines land and then are removed and replaced by the US Army between turns three to five.
On turn six, all of the US troops are removed and the Australians take
over.
This is not a
game about blitzkrieg. Like all of the islands in the South Pacific,
trying to get troops from one part of the island to another is a
nightmare. Bougainville has a spine of mountains and hills through the
center of the island. The fighting here was as bad as that on New
Guinea. Half of the battle is against nature. The only real thing I can
ding the game for is that the map does not show 'Hellzapoppin' Ridge. This
could be because the game map is bilingual in both Japanese and English.
This is a great little game. Replay is somewhat limited because of the
limited terrain, although the friction of war can make it a somewhat
different game each time you play. Thank you Quarterdeck International for letting me review A Step To Victory.
Quarterdeck International:
A Step To Victory:
Robert
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