FITNA

from

NUTS PUBLISHING

Modern or hypothetical modern warfare raises more uncertainties and qualms in wargaming circles than more familiar traditional conflicts of the past.  I understand those concerns, but question why such issues don't trouble non-fiction and fiction writing that explores the same ground.

Certainly, FITNA with a sub-title Global War in the Middle East explores through its eleven Scenarios both very recent historical conflicts from 2012 - 2018 and speculates on the potential conflicts that might occur.  

The early historically based scenarios take us from the civil war in Syria through the fight against Islamic State and Russian intervention and the complexities of problems in Turkey and into the collapse of Islamic State.  From that point on the remaining scenarios explore possible developments in differing regions of the Middle East culminating in a full campaign game involving six players.

The scope of these scenarios allows play ranging from two-players up to that final six player finale, while including several three or four player scenarios that can easily be handled by just two players as well.  Consequently the game offers very good value with such a diverse and accommodating range of player count.

I have to admit that I was drawn to this game mainly for reasons that lie outside its geographical, political and military subject.  First it had been well recommended as a surprisingly swift playing and easy to understand game and second that the publisher was Nuts Publishing, a company that I have a high regard for.  

The first reason particularly drew my attention, as in the past nearly all the games on modern conflicts had turned me off with lengthy, and highly complicated rules with interminably long turns and often lengthy periods of inactivity as my opponent/s took their turns.

The Designer's Notes section of the rulebook clearly sets out his aim:

 "I conceived FITNA with two principal ideas in my head: to create a simple, fluid game to allow players, even beginners, to concentrate on their strategies and the search for alliances." 

So how has this been achieved?  Well, it's pitched at the grand strategical level with a point-to-point map, with a simple, short basic rule set and a card-driven motor.  

The suitably barren map in very muted colours covers Kuwait, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, as well as parts of Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey.

With bi-monthly turns, there's no worry about detailed terrain charts - a simple one movement point moves you one box on the map. Airmobile capacity and strategic movement allow greater distances to be covered, but with equally simple, brief rules for doing so and a very limited capacity.  

A surprisingly short rule book, only16 pages in total, proves to have a basic core system covered in a mere 5 pages.  In outline, each player in turn performs the following sequence of Phases, with a maximum hand size of four cards.

Events

The active player can play as many cards as they like.  If they play a reinforcement card, it can be played to take either a single batch of reinforcements or for replacements [i.e. upgrade 2 units on the map/return one eliminated unit.]

Supply

Check supply for all players.

Planning

The active player chooses 1 or 2 cards to play for their Operation Points [OPs] and then has to announce how many points will be spent on movement and how many on combat.

Movement

Each OP spent allows 2 units to move.

Offensives [i.e. Combat]

Each OP allows you to make one offensive with a single stack usually of up to 3 units.

Strategic Movement

A single supplied unit may be moved any distance from one friendly controlled space through friendly controlled spaces to another friendly controlled space.

Adjust Cards

Draw back to  4 cards in hand.

These rules governing the core of the game are refreshingly straightforward and swift to execute.  Whatever way you divide your OPs, there are only going to be three broad outcomes: mainly units moving with little combat, little movement and more combats or a balance of the two.  None of them involves the sort of numbers that will make a player's turn lengthy.

Any "complexity" to the game lies in the many small differences in a particular nation or faction's restrictions or allowances to the rules.  Typically such elements are the varied supply sources for the many nationalities/factions or Scenario specific details or exceptions.

What I've found is that if you handle these on a scenario by scenario basis as you come to play them, they are easy to assimilate into your game play.

The range of nationalities and factions in themselves make for a very colourful and diverse range, as seen in the three sheets of counters.

Be warned, these counters were so well punched that at least thirty or more fell out as I eased them ever so carefully from the box!  Frankly that's no problem, as they are so well colour coded - other than I wanted to be able to give you the neat, tidy picture shown above.  As I prefer to bag my counters, I also found the combination of background colour and colour-bar along the top counter edge very helpful to this task.  

For me, much of the "feel" and direct enjoyment of the game comes from the wide range of cards, that are divided into two decks: Events and Assets.  In particular, the inclusion or omission of specific Event cards help to create the appropriate historical parameters and, I suspect, for many of us provide previously unknown insights into the complex tangle of middle eastern conflict.  Because of the small hand-size [only 4 cards], the choices never become overwhelming and an aspect I like in CDG games is the constant tension between what you want to achieve on your turn and what you want to hold back for reaction in your opponent's turn.

Just a small sample from the all-important cards 

Another aspect that recommends the game to me is the handling of reinforcements and replacements.  First of all, these can only be accessed by play of a Reinforcement card and this brings your first choice whether to take a batch of pre-designated reinforcements or opt for replacements.  Normally an initial choice with be a batch of reinforcements, as choosing replacements allows either the return of only a single eliminated unit or the flipping to full strength of two reduced units. The strong point of  this element of the game system is the uncertainty of when you will draw a reinforcement card.  This lack of a totally predictable arrival is always a valuable feature.  [I think here of how many Gettysburg games suffer from knowing exactly where and when those reinforcements will arrive, so that units are being shuffled in the right direction to counter them, even before they arrive!] 

Supplementing game play are six player aids.  All have one side identical, carrying the Sequence of Play, the Combat Chart and explanation and finally actions that influence the International Tension level.  The reverse sides carry the set-up information for the final two scenarios, the major multi-player ones involving 5 or 6 players.

The Scenario Booklet opens with what is billed as a short two-player tutorial scenario Scenario.  In that it has a limited number of units and the play area is restricted to Syria, as seen below, it is definitely a good starting point.  However, don't think that it is a mere learning exercise.  It focuses on the early stages of the Syrian civil war and is the foundation for the four historically based scenarios

The set-up can be seen above, with one player controlling the Syrian army [brown background] and 2 Hezbollah units  [light green background] and the other elements of the Free Syrian army and Sunni and Shia militias [purple background], while Isis [black background] and Kurdish Peshmergas [yellow background] may come into play through card use. 

The map above displays the northern area of the game map which extends down to the Persian Gulf on the south edge, as seen below.

Along the map edges are the different Force Pool Holding Areas where you set up your Reinforcement batches, as well as the Turn Track and International Tension Track.  The latter is especially important for the introduction of some of the most powerful cards in the game along with the potential intervention of Russia and the USA.

However large or small the scenario you are playing, the footprint for the game, especially when engaged in the big multi-players, remains refreshingly compact, as the standard sized map encompasses all you need, other than each player's A4 player aid.

Nuts Publishing have achieved a remarkably accessible and playable game of a major modern conflict, largely overlooked by the western-centric American and European gaming world.  For that and for providing my review copy many, many thanks once again.

 VON MANSTEIN'S TRIUMPH

FROM

NAC WARGAMES

Initially, I was drawn to Von Manstein's Triumph purely by the bold dynamic box art.  It may be good advice not to judge a book by its cover, but I'm more than glad that this striking picture caught my attention and made me explore further! 

The game is published by NAC Wargames, itself a branch of the Spanish Publisher, Ediciones MasQueOca.  Up to now, the latter company's focus has been on providing Spanish and Portuguese language versions of well-known designs. The company's avowed intent now is to focus on historical wargames that relate to the history of Spain.  

Though Von Manstein's Triumph may geographically and in terms of nationality lie outside this intent, I can only express my delight that this superb design from Francisco Ronco has been one of their choices.  It's also warm thanks to NAC and Ediciones MasQueOca for providing this copy for me to review.

First of all, its components live up to the extremely high standards of the company's past publications and secondly, the design brings a series of new twists both to the field of block units, area movement and card-driven games.

Though Manstein features in the title of a fair number of wargames, including at least two that cover the siege of Sevastopol, all those that I am aware of utilise the standard hex and counter system that is the basis of much wargaming design.

Starting with the components, every item ticks the box for excellence.  The map is a deluxe mounted version sporting a Spanish text version on one side and an English version on the other.

This direct, overhead view picks out clearly the sombre relief, the trench defences, clearly marked VP flags, ferry points and heavy soviet shore batteries, along with all necessary charts and a simple combat display for transferring your units to.  Your forces are wooden blocks of first-rate smoothness.  I mention this because of the tendency of several more recently purchased block games I possess to have slightly ribbed or striated surfaces - not as good for sticking power. 

An additional point in this attention to quality is the inside of the sturdy box, which instead of the usual plain white cardboard is printed with similar details to those on the Playbook.

A touch of box quality

 As usual there is the familiar set of adhesive labels to apply, though as the photo shows this is a relatively low block count - so not an onerous task.  The units are based on divisions that possess from 2 to 4 individual blocks identified by colour-coding and a number of  independent units identified by white colouring.  It is this colour coding which brings my single criticism of the presentation.  First, the typical black dots that indicate the strength of a unit are very small and hard to make out against the generally dark background of the labels. but the major problem lies in distinguishing the colour-coding of the divisions when playing under artificial lighting.

Having initially played in normal daylight, they were perfectly identifiable and attractive, but later play on a wintery evening revealed the problem of clearly differentiating units, especially as divisions begin to intermingle.

On the other hand, praise goes out for the sheet of counter stickers containing two identical sets.  Although I've never had a problem with ones peeling off other games, this is always a nice sign of a company's careful attention to potential player needs.

Next up is a single sheet of cardboard markers, ranging from the obvious turn marker to a colourful range of assets, including bunkers, anti-tank guns, armour and pioneers, as well as minefields, area control markers for the German player, and trench destroyed markers.

They all punch out perfectly with the much appreciated, rounded corners that are becoming a more familiar item from many companies.

At the heart of game play are the two decks of cards, one for each nationality.  I find the backs of the cards particularly appealing, with their strong feel of wartime propaganda posters.  

Included with them are similar-sized cards giving each player's card manifest, terrain effects, counter and marker effects, a very useful short-hand list of modifiers to the number of dice thrown in combat and finally the Sequence of Play.  All these and the larger Play Aids, one for each player that summarise the usage of all the different cards in the Player Decks, are helpfully printed in Spanish on one side and English on the other. 

Play Aid detailing usage of cards in the Player Decks

All in all, an admirable package, completed by what's becoming almost the norm in board wargames, a separate rulebook and playbook.  Both are very glossy products with an abundance of illustrations.  The Playbook starts with 5 pages of photographs that show the Set-Up map section by map section; a very useful asset indeed.  Next is a page and a half of Design Notes and slightly more than a page of Player Notes, followed by six pages of Historical Commentary.  All this is rounded off by a five-page example that takes you through the first turn of the game - once more a feature that is always welcome, however easy to understand the rules are.

These two photos show the consistently high level of illustration used throughout.

The Rulebook is supported to the same degree with pictorial examples and, basically, the Sequence of Play is ultra-simple.  Apart from a preliminary German Bombardment on Turn 1, each Turn follows two identical Phases; the German Action Phase and the Soviet Action Phase.  Each Player's Deck of cards contains four different types: Assault, Reaction, Order and Combat Support.  Though essentially simple, play is by no means simplistic and what might, at first, seem an igo-ugo system has a degree of back and forth play that means that both players are totally involved and engaged.

Another distinctive feature that helps the game to shine is the asymetrical design of the decks.  Both players have a core element of Assault cards, but even here there are distinct differences, as the German player has far more of these that are dual action allowing them to interrupt the Soviet Action Phase.  In the same way both the Order and Combat Support cards include a mix of near identical cards and those specific only to one player. By these means the decks create the appropriate emphasis between the attacking besieger and the defensive besieged. [Here I would love to see the system adapted for ancient or medieval siege warfare.]  A final point to make about the cards is that both players draw to full hand size at the end of each Player Phase rather than at the end of a complete Turn.  This adds greatly to keeping both players constantly absorbed in the game play

Player Aid summarising the effects of all the different cards

As the cards are the very heart of the system, I can think of few games that go to such lengths to make sure that you both understand them and then can use them with the minimal amount of effort and rule checking.   First of all, they are introduced in detail, step-by-step early in the rule book and then a three-page section at the end of the rulebook summarises each one.  As shown above, each player has a player aid that sums up the use of both his cards and his opponents, as well as most of the counters used in the game.

One of three pages summarising each card's usage

Oddly there are one or two German counters not included on the large player aid, though they are all clearly explained in the rule book and covered by the three small playing-card sized aids that cover Terrain effects, Counters and Markers and Combat dice.  Finally, each card in your Action Deck pictorially shows how to use it.  Consequently, after a few games, you'll find yourself playing smoothly with each card's use easily fixed in your head.  

Front cover of the Playbook

So, how does the game play out.  Being the besieger, the drive and onus of the action is naturally on the German player.  They have certain advantages, the most obvious being hand-size which is 8 cards as against the Soviet player's 6 cards.  They also have more cards that can inflict hits as opposed to the Soviet ability to place bunkers and minefields and, though both sides start in defensible trench areas, predominantly it's going to be the German player who's leaving their own protection behind to advance into the Soviet trenches.   As mentioned earlier, the German player also has more double-use cards that allow an immediate reaction during the Soviet player Phase.

Generally, the German player will be seeking to soften up areas with air strikes and heavy or superheavy artillery in order to weaken Soviet blocks and destroy the fixed coastal batteries printed on the map.  The Soviet player for their part has field artillery and the power of those coastal batteries, as well as the ability to place bunkers and minefields.  Other abilities from card play cover ATs, Stugs, fighter cover and fighter escorts and mortars, while the map itself includes those powerful coastal batteries that are so important for the German player to destroy, ferry crossing points an anti-tank ditch and a plethora of trench lines.

It is, like any siege, a difficult grind forward for the attacker, but the variety of action and play and counter-play of cards, all so simply, but effectively introduced whether as Actions, Orders or Combat Support, makes the experience a continually dynamic and tension filled one.   Whichever side you play, you'll find yourself fully engaged and immersed the whole of the game.

 

 TIME OF WARS

EASTERN EUROPE

1590 - 1660

from

STRATEGEMATA

This latest game from the Polish games company, Strategemata, may signal clearly the historical period covered and its location, but for most western gamers I suspect that does little to enlighten us.  Despite familiar names like the Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Tsardom of Russia, we are very much taken to the eastern most regions that border the maps and wars that have featured in typical western Europe focused board wargames.  

Many of us have gamed the battles of Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years War [which appears as an Event card], but few will have knowledge of Charles X of Sweden's later wars that are covered by one of the Scenarios in this game.  The other shorter scenarios reflect even more unfamiliar episodes; the Khemelnytsky Uprising and the Dimitriads Time of Troubles being perhaps the most esoteric titles!

However, in many ways I feel these shorter scenarios featuring two or three powers are essentially helpful learning exercises for the real essence of the game.  But at its core, Time of Wars is a multi-player game for five players and only five players.  Inevitably this may be a drawback for many potential buyers and so the several shorter scenarios offer some attraction for those who may rarely be able to summon the magic "five" to the table! 

This multi-player game's antecedents are acknowledged in the introduction and designer notes.  The strongest influence is Here I Stand, which can be seen immediately on comparing the two games' maps.  Both are strategic maps in pastel colours with point-to-point movement between circles and squares.

 

Personally, I'm not a great fan of these blander colours, but have to agree that they do prevent the counters disappearing into the background as some games manage to do.

Both maps are equally functional.  Though overall slightly smaller in size, Strategemata's handsomely mounted map has the distinct edge. This is not only because of its looks, but because it contains a much larger, easily readable diplomatic matrix between the contesting nations, as well as the inclusion of the combat table and this all add to its playability.  

The rules too have striven to provide a more pared down experience with the obvious intent of overcoming the potential longeurs of many multi-player games.  Unfortunately, it has not managed to eliminate what I consider to be the main problem of this genre of game and that is the sheer number of small nation-specific rules.  Not only does this affect the initial learning process, but prompts the question of how to teach it to other players.  Here again, the shorter scenarios can serve a useful purpose, but I find the prospect daunting of sitting down to the task of providing a general overview to four other gamers who have little or no working knowledge of the rules.

A starting point for this learning process is each player's SuperPower Sheet, as exemplified by that of the Ottoman Empire below.

The essential holding boxes for markers and the current ruler card, available actions a player can take and recruitment costs for your units present a good starting point and the holding boxes for the maximum of five armies promise that the map will not become too counter cluttered.  Just as in Here I Stand and in Strategemata's excellent ACW game, How The Union Was Saved [see my earlier review], each army leader appears in the form of a useful standee.

here are just some of those leader units

A particular feature of each player's Superpower Sheet that I like is the range of images of the various types of unit available to each player which mirrors the actual troop counters placed on the map or in the Army Holding Boxes.  Instead of using a few identical standard infantry/cavalry/artillery images for each nation, care has been taken to individualise such things as colouring on uniforms, the stance of infantry units and variety of cavalry.  Though they may play only an artistic visual role, they do give a sense of the differences between the look of each nation's army.

This is something Strategemata's games strive for and history is reinforced in this game by the supplementary information [printed on the back of each Superpower Sheet] that expands on each historical event featured in a player's deck Event Cards.

The Holy Roman Empire's expanded historical Events

As I've observed when reviewing a range of Strategemata's games, it is the Rule  and Scenario booklets that lack the finished quality of the major companies.  This is most noticed in the rule book which is a purely black and white production with very limited pictorial illustration.  What, however, I miss most is a solid set of play examples.  Only a single page is devoted purely to an example of Interception and Land Battle.  Compare this with the excellent eight page Extended Example of Play for the infinitely simpler game system in How The Union Was Saved.  This lack can be felt just by looking at the Turn Sequence.

Game Turn Phases

 1.  Funds gaining

 2.  Cards drawing

 3.  Rulers changing

 4.  Commanders changing

 5.  Negotiations

 6.  Religious unrest

 7.  Mercenaries hiring

 8.  Strategic deployment of one army

 9.  Players' impulses

10. Armies' return to Capital Cities

11. Removal of auxiliary markers

12. Rulers' Domestic Policy

Don't be put off by the number of steps, most of them are very quick to execute, especially as many are simultaneously carried out by each player.  The thorniest and possibly the longest could be the Negotiations Phase where there is simply too much freedom of action.  Two key sentences stand out:

"Players can make secret arrangements to coordinate their strategies" and "After secret negotiations, all arrangements are announced in public."  

Just how much time is your gaming group going to spend here?  Are you going to dare play this game with someone you don't know?  And there are some I do know that I definitely wouldn't dare play this game with!  Be warned, an executive decision might just be a necessity so that the the appropriate full focus is directed to the real heart and enjoyment of the game - PLAYER IMPULSES.

This is where the game really shines with its magnificent individual 50-card, player decks, one for each player.  All are illustrated with a superb mix of full colour scenes from paintings or black and white line prints.  Very striking is that so many of the cards with coloured scenes illustrate historical events or circumstances special to that one player alone.   This is one aspect which singles out Time of Wars from many other CDG productions.

A close-up demonstrates the quality of the black and white line drawings

Also among the pluses in this CDG design is the inclusion of + cards that can be combined with another card, an idea that the designer indicates was drawn from one of my favourite CDG games, Mark McLaughlin's Wellington: the Peninsular War.  You'll note, as well, other typical elements of CDG decks, such as the inclusion of Special Cards that are always returned to your hand at the end of a turn, Battle and Reaction cards and the ability not to use but preserve some cards for use in the next turn and, of course, the all-important Operations Points number in the top left hand corner which you'll spend to undertake any of the available actions in the game.

As you'd expect for the historical period covered, there's a fine mix of religion economic actions, domestic policy and military action and the chance to expand your knowledge of Eastern European affairs.

Once again a big thanks to Strategemata for providing this review copy. 

Freedom! is an asymmetric card driven wargame that models a relatively unknown yet surprisingly important siege between the Ottoman Empire and the Greek rebel insurgents in the city of Messolonghi.  The siege in question is actually the third siege between greek insurgents demanding their freedom from the Ottoman Empire during the early 19th century, none of which I knew anything about prior to receiving this game.

The designer Vangelis Bagiartakis has written a fascinating designer's diary on bgg that is well worth a read if you're interested in the development or history of this game. https://www.boardgamegeek.com/freedom-designer-diary

Gameplay

Watch my rules overview to get an idea of how the game plays.  However, there are far more professional efforts which I will link to below.

Players control the two opposing forces and fight out the siege over 6 rounds. In each round, 7 cards will be played for a maximum total of 42 actions per player per game.  The Imperial player, however,  could end the game early if they manage to infiltrate just one of their units into the forts on the wall or into the Southern City, effectively assaulting the city from the Lagoon. 

Ready to go

The rebel player is largely stuck grinding out a victory over the full 6 rounds unless they are able to reduce the morale of the besieging units enough to where they give up and go home. However, nothing about this is a grind for the defending player. You as the defender, are as much a part of the action and must try to follow your own plan whenever possible to get a win. In other asymmetric games, the 'defender' is often just reacting to the aggressor's moves. As the insurgents, it never felt like I was just along for the ride.

I've played three full games of this and in each, they were all well balanced between my opponent and me. The only aberration I experienced was during the very first replenishment of the first game, my plea to the government, as the insurgent player was successful, (I rolled an 11) and had one point in my plea track which made my roll 12, i.e. a successful plea. This allowed my rebels to storm into the lead early on, but I eventually lost the game as my supplies completely dried up in the second period.

An early success for the rebels, unlucky for some

This timing and handling of the plea for government is crucial to manage for the insurgents to be successful.  Likewise, the Imperial Plea for aid is markedly different and nowhere near as significant, however, it is this asymmetry, not just in this mechanism, but in unit's attack, movement and replenishment abilities that really immerse players into a siege mentality, no matter which side you're controlling. There is a constant back and forth struggle, between both players that is evocative of what I imagine a siege to be like.
 
Like other card-driven games, cards are either played for the event or the action points. I should highlight, which for some reason,  it got lost on the editing floor, that when a player plays a card with their opponent's event, the opponent, on their next turn, can discard a card from their hand to have the previously played event happen.  This is an excellent innovation on the standard cdg mechanic, which serves to make the game that bit more accessible and forgiving.  This ability to 'play' your own event previously used by your opponent is unique and I would not be surprised to see the mechanic 'borrowed' by other designers for future projects. 

There are layers of games, area control, tight economic engine, and well balanced between both forces. Integrated into a whole that is engaging for both sides. The insurgents are just as much fun to play as the Imperials.

A selection of all components

Components

I have been sent a prototype and I am stunned by how good the art currently is.  I am reluctant to criticise a prototype's components but I would like there to be unique art for most of the cards. In many cases, the same art is used albeit the card events are similar. I hope they can commission the same artist to do many more pieces for the game.

The graphic design is a little dark in some places and the clouds across the board feel a bit redundant. The overall look of the board is fantastic and I'm sure will only get better as the game raises development funds through Kickstarter.

I'd love there to be unique art everywhere

Criticisms

The biggest criticism I have, and it's probably more justified to level this at our hobby rather than the game, is its theme, it is quite obscure, and serves a niche within a niche. This may serve to hinder the game's adoption amongst potential backers which would be a shame. I think wargamers who may well be very interested in the theme could be but put off by the 'simpler than Twilight Struggle' tag, (let's not discuss whether TS is a wargame or not...). Conversely, casual gamers who would be enticed by a siege game set in the Crusades, or even Leningrad which subjectively are far more accessible, may be put off by a siege in a city they've never heard of, and in a war they don't know.

Conclusion

Any game that I enjoy playing and at the same time helps me to learn something new is, in my opinion, excellent. This game has that property in spades, I knew nothing about the siege of Messolonghi before hearing about this game, and now I know some of the major events of the siege itself from reading the card texts and have also wished for some Messolonghi-related books to learn some more. 

These are glorious, more please...

We often talk about gateway games into the hobby and although this isn't one of those, it is an enjoyable foray into the CDG genre sitting firmly towards the more accessible end of the spectrum. This doesn't detract from the gameplay itself, there's still plenty to consider and mull over each turn. As much as I would like to pull out Labyrinth or TS more regularly, as an introduction to CDGs for interested players, this is a much easier teach and would be my gateway CDG game of choice. 

The underlying mechanics of this game are solid and as polished as any published title from any game publisher. The rulebook itself needs some work and the graphic design across most components could do with a little attention (I do love the art though). Freedom! is coming to Kickstarter at exactly the right time to secure some more funds to push it through the final stages of its design and I salute Phalanx Games for picking this up and giving us the opportunity to support it.  I will follow the campaign with interest. 

This project is live on Kickstarter right now, visit the project at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/phalanxgames/freedom
These comments are all based from a prototype version of the game which is subject to change. 

A preview from the designer himself:

Bonding with Board Games preview:

Detailed review from the Players Aid:

Publisher: Phalanx Games
Players: 2...
Designer: Vangelis Bagiartakis
Playing time: 2 - 3 hours