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France '40

GMT Games

Mark Simonitch

The 1940 French Campaign cannot be discussed without mentioning one individual, and that is Erich von Manstein. The idea for the 'sickle cut' came from his rather fertile brain. To go back a bit, you have to understand what the pundits, generals, and leaders had in their minds at the time. The French Army was the largest army in Europe. Who actually won World War One has been debatable down to this day. However, the French Army was absolutely one of the main reasons that the Germans finally lost. In 1940, all of the smart money was on the Allies. It is true that Germany had defeated Poland in a very short time. There were some mitigating factors about that victory, the largest being the stab in the back by the invasion of the Red Army. So, to a betting man, the size of the French Army and its strength was considered to be the largest factor in the coming campaign for Western Europe. The fact that there was also a British Expeditionary force added into the mix didn't help with the odds either. The bristling fortresses of the Maginot line also added to the thought that Germany had bitten off more than they could chew. The funny thing about the campaign is that both sides could not get the 1914 campaign out of their heads. The Allies based all of their plans on the Germans trying a repeat performance. Meanwhile, the Germans could not think of anything better to try than the same right hook toward Paris. The fact that most of the German High Command was absolutely in love with trying the same thing over again is a bit more than puzzling. More than a few of them fought tooth and nail for a repeat performance. Then along comes von Manstein with the audacity to suggest that maybe, going by how 1914 turned out, they should try something else. Was the furor on the German side just jealousy over the fact that none of them thought of it first, or our ideas that the German Great General Staff was filled with brilliant generals totally off the mark? Strangely the arguments on the German side continued until they inadvertently flew over the Allied lines and gave them the rehashed Schlieffen plan. At that moment Manstein's sickle cut became the idea for the campaign pretty much by accident. With this game we get to see why France fell in such a short time and all of the bookies went broke. It actually has two games included, so we also get to play out Operation Dynamo and see if the British, and some of their Allies, can escape the collapse of France. The box also has a nice picture of a French Char B1 tank on the cover.

This is what Mr. Simonitch says about the game:

"France '40 contains two separate games: Sickle Cut and Dynamo. Both games use the same rules and share many game pieces, but each has a separate full size map.

Sickle Cut: Guderian's Drive to the Channel

This game covers the crucial week in May 1940 when the German army broke the French line on the Meuse and raced to the sea at Abbeville. The game starts on May 13th, the third day of Case Yellow. Six panzer divisions have passed through the Ardennes and are now at the Meuse River. The French and British have raced through Belgium to reach the Dyle Line and cover the Gembloux Gap. The stage is set. Can the Germans cross the Meuse in front of strong opposition? And, if they can, will they be able to break out from the bridgeheads and advance across the map while threatened by Allied reinforcements pouring in from the north and south?

Dynamo: Retreat to Victory

This game covers the British withdrawal to Dunkirk and the evacuation. The game starts on May 24th, the day the British decide that the B.E.F. is in real danger of being cut-off from their supply base and the best option is to head for the coast at Dunkirk. However, many of the German panzer divisions are closer to Dunkirk than the British. Can the British reach the coast before the Germans? Can they hold the Dunkirk perimeter for eight days while they evacuate?

The rules for both games highlight armor, air support, and morale. Special rules include: Allied Heavy Tanks, DeGaulle, Rommel, Hitler's Halt Order, and French Command Paralysis.

2ND EDITION

France ’40 2nd Edition is a major upgrade to the original game. The rules for Extended Movement, Combat, Advance After Combat, Breakthrough Combat, and Determined Defense have been updated so they are more in line with the recent games in the 19XX series (such as Stalingrad ’42 and Salerno ’43). A new scenario has been included designed by Mark Merritt that combines both maps.

In addition, many new units have been added and some old units modified to provide a more accurate order of battle for both Sickle Cut and Dynamo. A few minor cities, some roads, and a fortified hex were added to the Dynamo map.

And most importantly, both scenarios have been sent through the playtest cycle again to make sure they are better balanced than they were in the first edition.

This game has long been one of my favorites due to the exciting situation and short playing time. I’m really pleased with this 2nd Edition and excited about the new features it has."

The Sickle Cut Map

This is what comes with the game:

Two Paper Maps

Two Countersheets

24 Page Rulebook

16 Page Playbook

Two Identical Player Aid Cards

Two Setup Cards

Two 6-sided Dice

You can also buy a mounted map for the game. The only issue that might crop up is that the new version of the game has a two-map scenario. Naturally, the mounted map has only Dynamo one one-side and Sickle Cut on the other.

The back of the box has the solitaire suitability and complexity both listed as a five. GMT Games states that playing time should be between four to six hours.

Dynamo Map

We will now take a look at the game's components. The Rulebook is 24 pages in length. It is in full color and also has many examples of play for the player to learn the rules. The type is nice and large for us old grognards. The Playbook is 16 pages in length and is produced in the same way as the Rulebook. You get some extended examples of play along with the 1st and 2nd Edition Notes. For the history lover, there are six pages of authentic situation maps of the campaign. Then you get the rules and setup to play the two games into one combined game. There are two card stock full-sized unit at start and reinforcement cards. On one side are the units for Sickle Cut and the other side for Dynamo. One is for the German player and the other for the Allied player. There are two card stock four-page fold out players aids. These have everything needed for play ie. the CRT, Sequence of Play, Terrain Chart etc. The type size on these is also quite large. There are two full countersheets. The counters are 9/16" in size and are very easy to read, and their larger than 1/2" size makes them easier for your fingers to manipulate them. They come with the standard 'NATO' markings except for the armored units which have a small picture of tanks from the unit on them. Both maps are very well done and are not just paper but have a laminate coating on them. The terrain is easy to see and there should be no quibbling about what terrain is in each hex.

The game components are fully up to GMT Games standard of excellence.

Counter Sample

The two games are part of the Simonitch 1940s wargames, which include:

Ardennes '44

Holland '44

Normandy '44

North Africa '41

Salerno '43

Stalingrad '42

Ukraine '43

These two games are in GMT Games P500 system:

Italy '43

North Africa '40

This is the Sequence of Play:

"A. GERMAN PLAYER TURN

France ’40 Player Aid Card 2nd Edition

EXPANDED SEQUENCE OF PLAY

B. ALLIED PLAYER TURN

1. German Initial Phase

• The German player flips all Air units from their Used side to their

Ready side.

• The German player places his Reinforcements in their Entry Hexes.

Dynamo scenario only:

• Starting on Turn 6 the German player must withdraw the units

listed on the Dynamo Turn Record Track.

• Each Panzer division under a Halt! marker and currently in

supply receive one replacement step (22.3).

2. German Movement Phase (7.0)

During this phase the German player may conduct any of the activities below in any order:

• Move some, none, or all his units.

• Conduct Auto-DS combat against any defending hex where at

least 10-1 odds are obtained. Indicate the units that participate in

that attack with Auto DS markers (7.7). Advance After Combat

for these units is conducted at the end of the Combat Phase.

• The German Player may place disrupted units in full retreat

(13.1.3).

3. German Combat Phase (8.0 - 15.0)

A. The German Player may attack adjacent enemy units or conduct

Disengagement Attempts (20.3) in any order. As each attack is

resolved apply the step losses, conduct the Retreat, the Determined

Defense, and the Advance After Combat before moving to the

next combat.

B. After all combats are completed, advance all units with Auto DS

Markers (7.7).

4. German Recovery Phase (13.4)

All German units that are Disrupted may recover one level—those

that are Disrupted have the marker removed, and those that are in

Full Retreat have their marker flipped to the Disrupted side. Units

adjacent to enemy units must roll for Recovery (13.4.2).

5. German Supply Phase

A. Check the supply status of all German units (18.0).

B. Roll for Attrition (18.5) of all German units that are:

• marked with a red Out of Supply marker (including those just

marked), and

• adjacent to an enemy unit.

6. GQG Phase —Sickle Cut scenario only

Any GQG markers scheduled to be removed are removed at this

time (21.2.6). The German player places the remaining GQG

markers currently in the GQG Marker Holding Box on Allied

stacks containing at least one French unit. He then rolls two dice

and removes the GQG markers with those numbers (21.2.4).

1. Allied Initial Phase (depends on the scenario)

Sickle Cut scenario only:

• The Allied player flips all non-Disrupted HQs that can trace a

Line of Supply to a W, S, SE or E Entry Hex from their Used

side to their Ready side (17.2.1).

• The Allied player draws a number of units from his Reinforcement Draw Cup and places them on a friendly controlled Entry Hex.

Dynamo scenario only:

• The Allied player flips all RAF units to their Ready side (22.6).

• Check to see if Belgium surrenders (22.4.1). Belgium automatically surrenders in the Allied Initial Phase of Turn 5.

• If Turn 4 or later, the Allied player may evacuate units from

Dunkirk (22.5).

2. Allied Movement Phase

Identical to the German Combat Phase except switch the term

German with Allied. In addition:

• Sickle Cut scenario only: The Allied player may use Rail

Movement (7.6), and may complete the Dyle Line IP’s if still

occupied at the end of the Movement Phase of Turn 1.

3. Allied Combat Phase

4. Allied Recovery Phase

Both phases identical to the German Combat and Recovery Phases

except switch the term German with Allied.

5. Allied Supply Phase

Identical to the German Combat Phase except switch the term

German with Allied. In addition:

• Allied HQs do not roll for Attrition. They are eliminated if they

cannot trace a Line of Supply to a friendly Combat unit.

• Do not roll for Attrition of Fort Units until all friendly Combat

units stacked with or adjacent to the fort are eliminated.

• Sickle Cut scenario only: On or after Turn 5 the Allied player

may use the Hitler’s Halt Order rule (21.3) to slow German

mechanized units.

• Dynamo scenario only: In the Allied Supply Phase of Turns 1

and 2 the Allied player takes any Halt markers in the holding

display (always either one or two) and places them on a German

panzer division and then rolls two dice to remove up to two

Halt markers.

C. END PHASE

Record the completion of a Game Turn by advancing the Game

Turn marker one box and proceed to the next turn."

I have to confess that I am a fan of the 1940s game system and have played all of the above released games from it and enjoyed playing them all. So, my expectations for France '40 were probably higher than normal. They seem to have the perfect mix of playability and be historically correct at the same time.

There are numerous rule changes in this second edition compared to the 1st. The components have also changed a bit. Here is that list:

1.11 new units included, plus many units had their values changed.

2. New CRT

3. A few roads were added to both maps.

4. Determined Defense Table changed significantly.

5. Disengagement Table changed.

Mr. Simonitch states that he tried to fix the play balance in Sickle Cut because it was too difficult for the German Player. I find this interesting because I have seen people posting that it is now too hard for the German player. Two things come to my mind. The first is that you cannot make everyone happy. The second is that hopefully you will not be playing against a French opponent who is as abysmal as the French Command was in 1940. After all, the Allies had more men and tanks (although spread out and poorly used) and it should have taken the Germans much longer than it did.

One of the most interesting rules of the series is the one that deals with 'Determined Defense'. Usually in games, you roll the die and crosscheck the number rolled in the CRT on the appropriate odds ratio column and voila, you follow the instructions under that column piece. Not necessarily in this game. The defending player may choose to use a 'Determined Defense' against the attackers. As the rules state "A Determined Defense represents a hold-at-all-cost order or an immediate counterattack". You do have to first deal with any step losses from the CRT roll before the defender can make use of this rule. Then one of the defending units must be a 'Lead Unit' (see rule 11.2 in the link to the online rulebook below). You then would roll and look at the 'Determined Defense Table' to see if and what applies to this action.

This game itself has some rules that add some historical reality and flavor to the game. The first are the 'GQG' (Grand Quartier General) markers. There are six of these markers that the German player can use in the beginning of the game. This number drops due to die rolls and what turn it is in the game. These are placed on different French stacks be the German player. The GQG markers are effectively army fetters that hogtie those French units affected by them. This is to show the incredible confusion in the French High Command at the beginning of the 1940 campaign. The Allied player gets to use the 'von Rundstedt Halt Order' once on or after the fifth game turn. This is to replicate the Germans' actual halt order during the campaign. They had become almost frightened by their own success and were afraid that all of the Panzers would be cut off by an Allied counterattack. Both of the above rules are used in the Sickle Cut and Combined scenarios.

Some of the Newer Units

The scenarios each last this long:

Sickle Cut: 10 Turns

Dynamo: 12 Turns

Combined Scenario: 23 turns

As I said, I have been a fan of the game series since the start of it. So, it comes as no great shock that I am more than pleased with this game's new refined issue. You can, as the German player, recreate history, which is as it should be. Conversely, you can use your French forces to dull and even stop the Sickle Cut Plan from working. The game has the best of both worlds as far as size is concerned. You can have the normal size game that does not take up a lot of space and yet still be a good game. If you have the room, you can also play the combined scenario with both games - sort of a mini monster. If you are looking for both great gameplay and historical gaming, France '40 delivers on both accounts. Thank you, GMT Games, for letting me review the newest in the 1940s series.

Robert Peterson

GMT Games

France '40 Rulebook

France '40

Rebel Fury

Battles of the American Civil War

GMT Games

Designer: Mark Herman

As a wargamer for a long time, I was not a big fan of the western battles of the American Civil War for some unknown reason. To be honest, there were some battles like Gettysburg in the Eastern Theater that never really interested me in playing for many years. However, three battles have always caught my attention. They are Antietam, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. While there have been a good number of games about Antietam, the other two have always, in my eyes, gotten the short shrift as far as wargaming. The Wilderness and Spotsylvania have always interested me as far as reading about them and gaming them. I reread 'If it takes all Summer' by William D. Matter and Gordon C. Rhea's 'The Battle of the Wilderness' pretty much on a yearly basis. So, when I saw that Mark Herman, one of my favorite designers, was going to do a series of battles based on his Gettysburg game system that appeared in C3i Magazine #32 (Published by the late and very lamented Rodger B. MacGowan) I was only somewhat enthused. Then I saw that Volume I was going to contain not just the Battle of the Wilderness but also have Spotsylvania and I became very interested. I was more than happy to review a game that included those battles even though the complexity of the game/s is on the low side. More on this later. let's dive right in and see what you get with the box and how the game plays.

This is what GMT Games says about it:

"Rebel Fury, Volume I of the Civil War Heritage series, uses the low-complexity Gettysburg system featured in C3i Magazine #32. The Battles featured are Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Chancellorsville, and Fredericksburg (solitaire).

This design features a new system on Civil War combat akin to the old SPI Blue and Gray Quads. Each game in Rebel Fury is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle.

Rebel Fury places you, the player, in the role of the Army Commander (Lee, Burnside, Hooker, Bragg, Rosecrans, Grant). You maneuver your army to find the enemy’s flanks, concentrate your forces for an attack, and determine where to commit your artillery assets.

Units are portrayed at the Infantry/Cavalry division level. The Civil War Heritage series game system features a new Zone of Influence/Zone of Control mechanic that controls unit formation (March/Battle) based on their proximity to your opponent. As your units close with the enemy, your forces naturally break into battle formation, where they then maneuver the last distance to engage. Unlike most hex and counter wargames, this system allows you total freedom to move units in any order multiple times, unleashing the full range of historical tactics in a simple and clean format.

Combat features a differential combat system with few but significant factors that capture the key features of Civil War division level combat. Units are rated for quality, artillery support, supporting units, and terrain. The game features artillery duels with the occasional Exploding Caisson result. The Civil War Heritage series combat system accurately depicts the ability of units to launch multiple waves of attacks on the same position, capturing the back-and-forth nature of many famous combat duels.

Each battle features special units and situations, such as Wilder’s Brigade of mounted infantry (Chickamauga) plus other famous units and personages. If you are looking for a competitive, quick-playing Civil War battle game, Rebel Fury may be the game you have been looking to fit into your busy schedule. The short playing time (1 hour or less) entices you to play multiple battles in the same sitting."

This is what comes with the game:

Three 22” x 34” Single-sided Map Sheets

Two 130-counter Sheets

One Rulebook

One Playbook

Two Player Aid Cards

Two Displays

Two 10-sided Dice

One 6-sided Custom Die

One 2" Box

The complexity rating is a 3

The solitaire rating is a 5

The battles that actually come with Volume I are these:

Fredericksburg

Chancellorsville

Chickamauga

Chattanooga

The Wilderness

Spotsylvania

As usual we will start with my take on the game's maps. There are three of them, and as mentioned, they are single-sided. The maps are all very well done. They show most, if not all, of the different landmarks that were parts of all of the battles. Each hex has its own terrain that is easily identifiable. I was never a fan of the older game maps that you had to guess what terrain your counters were in. One odd thing about two of the maps is that the Chickamauga/Chattanooga map shows how rough and forested the terrain was compared to the Battle of the Wilderness (to be fair, the woods in the Wilderness were newer growth compared to an old forest). The maps are certainly up to snuff. The Rule of Play booklet is on the shorter side of rulebooks at only 24 pages. The type size is more than adequate for older grognard eyes. It is in full color and has many examples of play for the gamer to more easily understand the game's rules. It comes with the now almost obligatory index, another step forward in gaming. The Playbook comes next and is similar in its appearance and type, etc. Oddly, it is also 24 pages in length. It contains the scenario setups, victory conditions, etc. Almost at the end of the Playbook there are Designer Notes which explains the hows and whys of the different game concepts. The last part of the Playbook is a piece by Mr. Herman in tribute to Rick Barber, which is another great loss to the wargaming community. In it he explains that Mr. Barber had done two of the maps. However, on the box the counter and map credits actually go to a Mr. Charlie Kibler. I am assuming that maybe the aforementioned maps from Mr. Barber were rough drafts or something like that.

The game comes with two hard stock Player Aids which are two-sided and have all of the charts and tables on one side with the terrain chart on the obverse. Next comes two more hard stock pieces. The first is the 'Union Off-Map Display' for the Fredericksburg & Chancellorsville map. The second has the remaining moves/attacks chart and the turn record tracks for all six of the battles included. There are two countersheets included with the game. The majority of the counters are 5/8" in size with a few detachments, pontoon bridge, etc., 1/2" sized. They are large enough to read all of the pertinent information except for the very small letter in the upper left-hand corner that denotes what battle the counter is from. I suggest that you use the included bags and mark them for ease of use. Two things struck me when I looked at them. The first was the very few leader counters that come with the game. The second, was the small amount of actual troop counters in each battle. For example, there are only 21 troop counters for the Confederate side in the Battle of Spotsylvania and only one leader counter. This game will definitely not be one where you will have to worry about counter clutter or stacks.

You also get the small bags and dice needed for your Civil War gaming. The components taken as a whole represent the usual GMT Games attention to detail.

I was really not expecting to become enamored of this game or the series. True, it had two of the battles that I most enjoy gaming and reading about, but it had some negatives in my mind. It was just too simple and did not seem to have enough counters to portray the immensity of those same battles. The inclusion of a solitaire version of the Battle of Fredericksburg was certainly a plus. However, it was only setup to play the Union as solitaire (which does make sense seeing how the battle historically happened). How would the Mule Shoe at Spotsylvania playout and the attack of the Confederate 1st Corps on the second day of the Wilderness. My fears and snootiness about the game were both wrong and totally uncalled for. Yes Virginia, there is a time and a place for massive maps and tons of counters with a rulebook to match and old phone book. There is also room in our hobby for a game that would take only an hour or so to play and not take up the dining room table. The shortness allows two players to try different strategies all in just one gaming session and does not take up the dining room table, much to the wife's chagrin.

I usually do not repeat what the game company or designer writes but, in this instance, I think it is needed:

"This design features a new system on Civil War combat akin to the old SPI Blue and Gray Quads. Each game in Rebel Fury is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle."

In this the designer has succeeded, in my eye, to a tee. It is not a beer and pretzels game. The game is much deeper to me than the old quad games were. The game also shows maneuvering to battle in the American Civil War, for want of a better term, correctly. Fighting until exhaustion and each side taking a pounding was the name of the game in most Civil War battles. This game reflects it in its combat rules. Apparently, some people do not like the changes in combat from the original Gettysburg game in the series. Well, there isn't much to say on that score. That is just a case of "You say potato" etc. The game is enjoyable and easy to learn. On some small level my mind still does understand that.

The first thing you will notice about the counters is that there are no strength points! I know - complete and absolute heresy! Even blocks in wargames have strength points you mutter to yourself. Once again, this is not your grandfather's wargame. The next interesting part of the game is that the rulebook states four key concepts at its beginning. The first is that the game does have normal Zones of Control, but it also has a Zone of influence going out another hex larger than the ZOC. The second one is that the game's movement points are nothing like your regular hex and counter game. The larger division counters have one side as a battle formation and the other as maneuver formation. It does, however, have extended road march. There are numerous changes to both movement and attack/defense compared to earlier hex and counter games. The separate changes would be too long to list. The most important part of this review is the next two sentences. Please pay attention to them. Yes, the game is different, and it might take some time to get used to the different rules. However, it WORKS, as both a game and a study in Civil War army management.

I also have to state for the record that Mr. Herman did not include a bibliography of every book he has read about the American Civil War since age eight or ten. Therefore, you will not be able to dig through them, or his brain, to find out where exactly he came up with the new insights and rules for the game. This might be a bit harsh, but understand I say this with love. If your idea of a good time is to disparage and refute everything a designer has done with a wargame that he designed, please get another hobby. Or better yet, you could design your own game or change the rules of this one to your own ideas. Each wargame is a child of each designer's mind. Just because they have a different take on something does not mean you are right, and he is wrong or vice versa. I have removed myself from my soapbox at Speakers Corner.

The game to me is quick and represents Civil War battles in a somewhat new light. It does not play like a game to me. It plays like a designer's take on Civil War realities.

Thank you very much to GMT Games for allowing me to take Rebel Fury for a spin. I was not expecting to become a fan but here we are. Once again, my personal foibles have been stripped bare for me to see.

For those who are interested the Great Battles of the American Civil War is going to be headed to the Battle of the Wilderness courtesy of GMT Games. Here is the P500 link:

GMT Games - Stepping Into Hell

For those who love ancients here is the link to the upcoming Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World designed byMorgane Gouyon-Rety:

GMT Games - Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World

Robert Peterson

Rebel Fury: Battles of the American Civil War

GMT Games

Norman Conquests

Conflicts of the Normans and Their Successors 1053-1265

GMT Games

The Nordmannorum, or Normannorum, (either has been used in Latin texts), burst forth from the north of Europe or Hell itself, according to the Roman Catholic Church. These were the people who went 'a Viking' (Viking actually being a verb and not a noun) all across Europe and some of Asia and North America. The first Northmen raid is usually listed as taking place in 793. From that one raid, a hurricane of death and destruction was unleashed. The southern Europeans did not really have any way to counter them. So, it became rather commonplace to offer them land and riches in return to defend the coast against others of their brethren. The Northmen would then become baptized and join the status quo. The most recognizable of these areas is the aptly named Normandy. Men of Iron Volume V follows through these Northmen to their sons, grandsons, and beyond.

The Men of Iron Series is composed of this game and four others:

Men of Iron - Warfare in the Middle Ages

Infidel - The Supremacy of Cavalry in the Crusader Era 11th - 12th Century

Blood & Roses - Battles of the War of the Roses 1455 - 1487

Arquebus - The Battles for Northern Italy 1495 - 1544

GMT Games released a tri-pack of the first three games Men of Iron, Infidel, and Blood & Roses. Unfortunately, the first printing sold out, but it is on their P500 list for reprint.

Close-up of the front cover

A portion of the back of the box

These are the battles that come in Norman Conquests:

Civitate 18 June 1053 – Normans from Sicily and southern Italy clash with the Pope and allies.

Fulford 20 September 1066 – Norwegians (Vikings) come to lay claim to the English throne. Saxon nobles raise their levy and give battle in northern England.

Stamford Bridge 25 September 1066 – Saxon King Harold II hurries north and catches the Norwegian invaders with their pants down.

Hastings 14 October 1066 – Saxon King Harold II hears of the Norman invasion of England and rushes south. Facing off with William, Duke of Normandy, on a hill in the south of England, Harold learns that arrows are pointy.

Tinchebrai 28 September 1106 – Lacking primogenitor, two of William’s children battle over his legacy. King Henry I of England and Robert, Duke of Normandy, face off in Normandy.

Lewes 14 May 1264 – King Henry III, great-great-grandson of Henry I, and a coalition of his Barons clash over Baronial rights.

Evesham 4 August 1265 – Edward (later Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots) fights Simon de Monfort to free his father King Henry III.

Of the seven included battles, three of them are about the year 1066 and the two different invasions of England one by the Norse under King Harold Hardrada, and the other from Normandy under William the Bastard, soon to be William the Conqueror. The first battle, Civitate, might seem surprising to some. We are used to reading about the Popes and the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperors meeting on the field of battle, or at least their followers. Robert Guiscard was not the leader of the Normans against the Pope at Civitate, but he was the one that won the battle that led to the Pope's capture. Robert was also the father of Bohemond of Antioch who figured so prominently in the First Crusade. Bohemond also has a big part to play in the other Men of Iron game Infidel about the battles in Outremer during the Crusades.

The next battle, Tinchebrai, has two of William the Conqueror's sons fighting over the realms that William had left as his legacy. Lewes and Evesham are battles that were fought between the Plantagenet Kings of England and their barons, mostly because of John Lackland, or Softsword, and his losing battles to the barons.

This is what GMT Games has to say about Norman Conquests:

"The Normans, and their successors, had a large impact on history. Normans, from Nortmann (northman), were originally Viking raiders that settled in what would now be northern France. Normans gained territory as far away as southern Italy and Sicily, and modern day Syria. They were Crusaders, they were Kings, they were princes, and they were scoundrels. They began as raiders from the north that fought on foot and transformed themselves into Dukes, Kings, and princes that fought from horseback.

How many games include a battle with a Papal army? Very few, so Norman Conquests visits Italy and the Norman Count of Apulia fighting with, and capturing, the Pope. Stretching the definition to include the Norwegian King Harald (III) Hardrada (undoubtedly a northman) and his invasion of England allows us to include all three battles for the throne of England in 1066, including the most famous Norman William the Conqueror and his invasion of England. Next we catch up with two sons of William I, the Duke of Normandy and the King of England, feuding over his lands years after his death. We end with the Baron’s War between William I’s great-great-great-grandson Henry III and his barons who were led by Simon de Montfort."

This is what comes with the game:

Three 22" x 34" Maps (2 back-printed)

Two 1/4 Sheets of 9/16" Counters

Three Player Aid Cards

One Rules Manual

One Battle Book

Two 10-sided Dice

I usually do not discuss/describe the box, but here I will make an exception. The box cover artwork is done by Kurt Miller and shows a Norman Knight on horseback facing numerous infantry. It could represent numerous battles, but it definitely gives me a Hastings vibe. The battle maps are split up as follows:

Evesham and Lewes are full maps on the back of each other.

Stamford Bridge and Tinchebrai take up half a map each with Fulford and Civitate, both a half map, on the reverse side.

Hastings takes up a full one side of the last map.

The maps are well done and the ones, like Hastings, that have a good amount of different terrain are very nice to look at. Most of the battles at this time were fought on flat featureless areas and the other maps represent this. There are two hard card stock Players Aids that come with the game. These are 11" x 17" foldouts They are in full color and have the different terrain charts for the seven different battles. They also have the Fire/Shock Tables and everything else the player needs. There is also a single-sided 8.5" x 11" that has the 'Flight Point Track' and the 'General Track. Next up is a 28-page Rules Manual. This is in full color. It is called the Norman Conquests/Men of Iron Tri-Pack Rules Manual. So, it has the rules for all four of those games (If you do not own the Men of Iron Tri-pack which has the games Men of Iron, Infidel, and Blood & Roses in it, you should really pick up these great games at a great bargain.) The Battle Book comes in at 24-pages and in essence is the scenario/battle playbook. It has the setups and any rules particular to each of the different battles. Included are also some examples of play. I have left the best for last. The two and 1/4 counter sheets are really well done. At 9/16" the counters are nice and large. The colors and the illustrations on them are superb. So, the game certainly measures up in the component category.

The series was first designed by the master of wit and wisdom, Richard Berg (some might add venom to the mix). This game was designed by Ralph Shelton. Having played the original games, I believe Mr. Shelton has completely caught the essence of them. Whether this was done completely by thinking and playing or if it had a bit of necromancy thrown in, I am not certain.

The game rules are like a very advanced rock, paper, and scissors game, but really so is Napoleonic tactics. The player has to learn combined arms to be very proficient in the game. You cannot just launch your heavy cavalry every battle and expect to come out the winner. The timing of your armored horseman's attacks is crucial. Supposing, of course, that your troops are even able to move. I really like the 'Continuation Activation' mechanic used in the game series. This rule allows a player who has successfully activated one 'Battle' (Battle was the term for the separate units of an army at this time), to continue to attempt to activate another Battle or even an entire Army activation, if the player had just successfully activated his army. This captures the feel of momentum in battles. Each side is also given a certain number 'Seizure Counters', depending on the scenario, to be used in the game. If a player tries for Continuation Activation, the other player can try and negate this with one of his Seizure Counters. The reverse of the Seizure counters also has effects that effect the units in the game. These can rally your troops or disorder the enemy.

The battles are on the smaller side of what you usually see in hex and counter wargames. There is nothing wrong with this. It means that the games can be quicker, and the player is not drowning in stacks (although I really like that at times). The game system to me is like the Great Battles of History series, only on a more playable level. You still get the historical feel and immersion, but at a much more playable size. The length of the battles means that you do not need to have them setup on a table for a week or two, unless you want to and have the room. The games that I have played have been mostly fast and frenzied. You get to release thundering knights on their charges and also to counter-charge them at times. I have been a fan of the series for a bit and in my eyes the mantle has been taken over and GMT Games has another great release. Having some Norman blood in me, I can highly recommend the game.

Robert

GMT Games

Norman Conquests: Conflicts of the Normans and Their Successors 1053-1265 by GMT Games

GMT Games - Norman Conquests: Men of Iron Volume V

Men of Iron Tri-Pack 2nd printing P500

GMT Games - Men of Iron Tri-Pack, 2nd Printing

Atlantic Chase

The Kriegsmarine Against the Home Fleet 1939-1942

Intercept Volume One

GMT Games

The box cover, I believe, shows the Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen breaking out into the North Atlantic during 1941 Operation Rheinubung. This would lead to the sinking of both the H.M.S. Hood and the Bismarck. At first glance, the naval balance between Britain and Germany looks ridiculous. How are the Germans supposed to try and attack the Royal Navy? In 1939, the Germans have two battlecruisers and two battleships being built, with some heavy and light cruisers. In battleships alone, the British Navy had fifteen on hand with another seven being built. It seems on paper that Britain had nothing to worry about. In actuality, the British Navy had to patrol the North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, and Southeast Asia. So, it was spread pretty thin, especially after Japan declared war on Britain. Obviously, there was not going to be another Battle of Jutland during the Second World War. All of the German ships would be used in the North Atlantic as commerce raiders. So now let us see what comes in this hefty box. This is a review of the 2nd printing of the game.

The mounted map

This is what GMT says about the game:

"Atlantic Chase simulates the naval campaigns fought in the North Atlantic between the surface fleets of the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine between 1939 and 1942. It utilizes a system of trajectories to model the fog of war that bedeviled the commands during this period. Just as the pins and strings adorning Churchill’s wall represented the course of the ships underway, players arrange trajectory lines across the shared game board, each line representing a task force’s path of travel. Without resorting to dummy blocks, hidden movement, or a double-blind system requiring a referee or computer, players experience the uncertainty endemic to this period of naval warfare. This system also has the benefit of allowing the game to be played solitaire, and to be played quickly.

The German player’s task is clear: sever Britain’s lifeline to its overseas colonies and allies. All hangs on the fate of convoys. Ultimately, success or failure in Atlantic Chase will hinge on the Kriegsmarine’s ability to breakout into the Atlantic and find convoys while frustrating British attempts to catch his raiders. The game chronicles the development of the Royal Navy’s strategy to contain the German fleet by pitting players against each other in five successive operations that comprise a Campaign Game. Seven additional scenarios treat specific historical actions, including a Sink the Bismarck scenario, a PQ17 scenario, and the Channel Dash. The game features battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, convoys, and pocket battleships, while U-boats, elusive armed merchant raiders, and air assets play an important role too. Operations during the Campaign Game and stand-alone historical scenarios each take 1-2 hours to play."

Some counters

This is what comes in the box:

22 x 34" mounted game board

Two 8.5"x11" Inset Maps

Three 11"x17" player aid cards

Two 8.5"x11" player aid cards

Two Task Force Displays

Sheet and a half of counters

240 wood segments and cylinders

Rule book

Advanced Battle Rules

Tutorial booklet

Solitaire Scenario booklet

Two-player Scenario booklet

Four six-sided dice

Some scenarios and setups

These are the awards it has won:

2021 Charles S. Roberts Wargame of the Year Winner

2021 Charles S. Roberts Best World War II Era Board Wargame Winner

2021 Charles S. Roberts Best Solitaire or Cooperative Board Wargame Winner

2021 Charles S. Roberts Best Board Wargame Rules Winner

2021 Charles S. Roberts Best Board Wargame Playing Components Winner

After the list above, I should just post this and say "Goodnight Gracie".

A game in progress

I am not often staggered by the contents of a wargame. I have more than a few that are monsters. However, I was really surprised about the number of contents that GMT Games was able to stuff inside the box. It was like a cornucopia, and seemed to be a never-ending stream of things, especially Rulebooks. I was a little trepidatious about what I had gotten myself into. Read on to see if I had bitten off more than I could chew.

For the contents, we will start with all of the booklets. First off, all five of them are made from glossy magazine type paper (although thicker). They also all come in full color. The printing, examples, and pictures throughout them are very large. It is always nice to see a game company help out us old timers. The Rulebook is sixty-three pages long! However, remember that everything in them is large. The Tutorial Booklet comes in next at fifty-five pages. Once again it is filled with large examples of play. The last four pages are the Design Notes. Please read this because it explains the missing elephant in the room. After that comes the Solitaire Scenarios Booklet. This comes in at seventy-one pages, and the last three pages are Historical Notes. The Two-Player Scenarios Booklet is sixty-three pages long. The runt of the litter of booklets comes next. This would be the Advanced Battle Rules Booklet at a mere fifteen pages. This is a bit funny if you have been keeping track of the pages from the other Booklets. Before the Advanced Rules Booklet, the total pages are a whopping 252! I was beginning to wonder if playing the game would give me some college credits.

The next component is the mounted map. The map goes from the Canadian Maritime provinces to the top of Greenland on the western edge. On the eastern edge it goes from Gibraltar to the top of Norway/USSR. There are boxes to represent all of the different ports on the map. The Battle Board that is used to plot out ship gunnery exchanges is on the right side of the map. It also has sundry tables/charts that are needed for play. The colors are muted, and nothing was added to take away from gameplay. As in most naval wargames, the majority of the map is the big blue ocean. There is also a double-sided hard card stock map. One side has the western side of Norway on it and the other side has the North Sea hemmed in by Britain, Norway, and Denmark. There are two double-sided and fold out Players Aids. These are both easy to read and nice and sturdy. Up next are two double sided Player Aids that on one side have the Campaign Player Aid and the other has the British/German Force Pool Schedule. After that comes two single-sided British/German Task Force Displays. Then we have the last one, another foldout and double-sided Advanced Battle Rules Player Aid.

The last things to talk about are the wooden pieces and the counters. The wooden pieces are all uniform in their segments and cylinders, meaning that there are no flash or missing chunks of wood in any of them. When I saw them, I gave a sigh of relief. Why, you ask? Because they are already pre-marked for the game. I was not looking forward do dealing with 240 stickers. I have stickered many a game, but I do not enjoy it. The counters are fully functional and easy to read. The capital ships, cruisers and above, are represented by large rectangular counters that are almost universal in naval wargames. These have the obligatory silhouette of the ship in question. The leaders and 'Intel' markers are 5/8" square. The other markers are 1/2" in size.

I know we grognards are a hard to please bunch. However, GMT Games should be proud of their endeavors with this game's manufacturing (so should we game buyers). I really have not had a game from them that was subpar in components, and I do not think it is because I am lucky.

Game situation

The missing elephant in the game box are U-boats. When the designer (Jeremy White) started talking about his new design, the first question was "where are the U-boats?". When he answered that they were not really present in the game, the next query would be "so, it is another sink the Bismarck game?". Apparently when told the answer to that question most people were a bit confused. He writes that some grognards even begged him to put in U-boats. The various Air and submarine assets of both sides are represented as adjuncts to the surface war. I will let him address the issue from his Design Notes:

"U-boats appear in Atlantic Chase as an effect rather than a fleet of machines. The U-boat arm operated independently (and invisibly) of surface vessels, for the most part, but because they hunted the same waters, this game presents opportunities for their operations to overlap with those of the surface arm. The player should understand that Admiral Donitz and his fleet of Steel Wolves are busy throughout this game, but that activity is not particularly visible."

The story of how this game started out in the 1990s because of working on command and control in the American Civil War is a very interesting story. The designer definitely does a deep dive into the background story of the game and its mechanics.

So, the first thing you absolutely need to know that this game is not one that you can set up and glance through the Rulebook and be at it in no time flat. The tutorials are your friend and spoon feed you bit after tasty bit of what you can handle from one to the next. The complexity level of the game is only marked at a five, and I believe that is correct. There are a lot of things going on in the game, but none of them by themselves is a deal breaker or insurmountable object. You will not feel like Sisyphus while learning the game. The hardest part, and that is not correct either, is learning about the trajectories. Those would be the different colored rectangles snaking across the map. The thing you have to remember is that you are playing the admiralty of either nation, not an admiral at sea. So, you somewhat know where your forces are heading and what bearing they will be following, but because of radio silences etc. you are not quite certain exactly where they are at any given moment. The designer explains that the board is not meant to represent the actual ocean, but instead the operational maps that were hung up in the Admiralties of London and Berlin. These would have the trajectories charted out with colored string and pins. He has just brought the representation to the 21st century for us to have a blast with. Because of the new way of representing naval warfare, it is a bit hard to describe. All I know is that the system works extremely well but does not take the fun out of gaming.

Thank you, GMT Games, for allowing me to review this really excellent and innovative game which works just as well as a solitaire game and a two-player one. You do not need a shoehorn to make it fit into one or the other. Much like the word love, innovation is used far too often for just a change or even a slight change in a gaming mechanism. The Atlantic Chase mechanism is really innovative and, as many people have said, is ripe for being used in so many other situations in wargames. The designer should be wearing shades, because his future looks bright indeed. Pardon me, I have to now go to YT and listen to Timbuk 3.

Robert

Atlantic Chase:

GMT Games - Atlantic Chase, 2nd Printing

GMT Games:

GMT Games

Skies Above Britain

GMT Games

It is 1940 and Britain stands alone in Europe against Germany and Italy. So many books have been written about Churchill's 'Few' that I would be surprised if any grognard hasn't read at least a few of them. To either soften Britain up before Operation Sea Lion or to win the war all on its own, both have been put forward as German plans. The Luftwaffe is ready to take on the Royal Air Force. From Norway to the French coast Heinkel 111's, Dornier 17's, and Messerschmitt 109's are starting their engines to start flying over Britain. It starts with Aldertag (Eagle's Day) which was August 13th, 1940. The Battle of Britain actually started in July. Aldertag was the start of a massive German attempt to bring the RAF to its knees. Luckily for the free world the British won the battle. In actuality the Germans lost so many aircraft that they had to switch to night bombing at the end of the blitz. By the end of October 1940, the Germans had pretty much given up on anything more than nuisance raids. The British Spitfires and Hurricanes had won the day.

This is what GMT Games has to say about the game:

"Skies Above Britain is a solitaire game depicting a Royal Air Force squadron of Hurricanes or Spitfires waging a desperate effort to disrupt and destroy German daylight bombing raids over southeast England in the summer of 1940. The player’s individual aircraft—each represented by a stickered block—must locate the incoming raid, intercept it, and evade or defeat swarms of escorting German fighters that usually outnumber you and whose pilots have superior experience and tactics. The game simulates the dogfighting and fighter-vs.-bomber action at an individual aircraft level using a card-assisted system that simulates key tactical decision-making without losing the feel of fast-paced aerial combat. A player can fly scenarios representing an individual patrol or use the patrol generator to create an endless variety of realistic individual patrols, multi-patrol campaigns, or larger campaigns covering the entire Battle of Britain. Each patrol will take a half hour or more to play, while a campaign can last anywhere between 6 and 28 patrols."

So, the game follows in the footsteps of 'Skies Above the Reich' and 'Storm Above the Reich'. It is a solitaire game where the player tries to stop the German bombers at all costs.

This is what comes with the game:

1 Interception Game Board

1 Squadron Display Game Board

1 Me-110 Circle Display

4 Counter Sheets

1 Rules Booklet

1 Situation Manual

1 Optionals Booklet

3 Player Aid Cards

200 Playing Cards

1 Pad of Roster Sheets

2 Historical Log Sheets

1 Sheet of Stickers

38 Wooden Blocks

10 Wooden Cubes

1 Wooden Cylinder

2 Dice

So, compared to the last two games in the series you now get to fly for the good guys. You also get to tackle bombers that are much less dangerous to your fighter than B-17s and B-24s were to the German fighters. Of course, your weaponry in 1940 is nowhere near the strength of the weapons on a 1944 German fighter. Your planes are mostly armed with eight .303 caliber machine guns, essentially the size of a rifle round.

The games in the series have two things in common. One, you are flying fighters against enemy bombers. Two, the boxes are heavy enough to start a curling routine with. Once opened, a cornucopia of items seem to come spilling out of the box. Looking quickly at the six decks, pilot logs, and all the other components might lead you to think "what have I gotten myself into", or "this is too much of a game for me". Then you get a glimpse of the three different rules/manuals that come with the game, and you are certain you have bitten off more than you can chew. Just relax and sit back and take a few slow breaths. It is nowhere as bad as it seems at first.

The first thing that you will look at upon opening the box are the above stated three rules/manuals. The Rulebook is sixty pages in length (remember to breathe). Even though it is the same size as most rulebooks it just seems larger to me. It is made with glossy paper, and it comes with wonderful extremely large printing. Everything about the Rulebook is big. On every page is a beautiful full color example of play or illustration to help you learn the rules. Next up, we have the Situation Manual. This has the different scenarios and is also chock full of example of play. It is fifty-one pages in length and is also made of glossy paper and has large print. The Optionals manual is produced the same as the other two and is nineteen pages in length. It comes with the optional rules and a historical pilot roster which can be copied and used. I think this is a very nice touch. Then comes a page and a half of Designer Notes followed by a nice sized bibliography.

One difference from the other games is that the German bombers come on large tiles, as counters, instead of them being on the game board. There are two full counter sheets of these large tiles. These represent the Heinkel 111, Junkers JU-88, Dornier Do-17, and Stukas that you will be trying to shoot down. Then come two more counter sheets. These are mostly 5/8" in size with some being as large as one inch. These come with either nicely done pictures of different fighter pilots, or the different control markers needed for the game. They are very artistic in their style and are some of the most pleasing to the eye counters I have seen. Next comes a small sticker sheet which are used on the wooden blocks that come with the game. These are just as artistic as the counters. The thirty-eight wooden blocks are mostly black squares that the stickers will be attached to. A small amount of dexterity is needed for this, unless you have some freeloaders (sorry, I meant children) around to do this for you. There are six decks of cards: Escort Reaction, RAF Advantage, Luftwaffe Advantage, Bomber, Tailed, and Head on & Tailing. These are heavier than usual cards that do not feel flimsy to the touch. The front of the card has one of the names above while the back shows you one or more example of how it is used. Then comes two card stock Pilot Rosters. On one side is a squadron with names and on the back are Squadron Logs. These Pilot Rosters are also historical for the 303 and 54th squadrons. You also get a pad of the same with no names of pilots or a squadron number on them. As I mentioned above, the addition of some historical names really helps with the immersion and is a great addition. There are three large folding Player Aids that are made of card stock. They are for the Interception Sequence, Pilots, Raid Vector Sequence, RTB Sequence, Intercept Bombers, Intercept Escort, Sequence of Play. So, everything is right at hand without having to peruse the Rulebook each turn, at least in the beginning. There is also a 'Circle Display' for the defensive maneuver that BF 110s used. Next is a small, mounted map with the Squadron Display on one side and the Advanced Squadron Display on the other. Last, but not least, is the mounted Game Board which is mostly taken up by the Interception Map. It also has some other charts and tables on it. These are exactly the type of manufactured components that we have come to expect in a GMT game. The heft of the combined components has already been mentioned for those of us who still give some credence to the weight of the box and its worth.

Apparently, the idea of a Skies Above Britain for a game was not received by some as actually a game that could be designed. Here is a quote from Gina Willis, one of the designers:

"Call me stubborn, but the cold water that Mark and Jerry (Jeremy White and Mark Aasted designers of Skies Above the Reich and Storm Above the Reich) tossed on wishes for a "Skies Above Britain" only made me more curious to see if and how such a game really could be made to work."

These two quotes from Gina Willis are about the design itself:

"Since German bombers depended more on escorting fighters for protection than their own armament, a Battle of Britain "Skies" would need to move the fighter-vs.-escort aspect of combat more to the foreground than it was in the earlier volumes."

"One new wrinkle was putting the bombers on moveable tiles instead of printing them in a formation on a board. Tiles on a tabletop could be removed or pushed apart to show disruption and attrition effects on bomber formations in a direct, spatial way."

Some of the Optional Rules are:

Confirmed Kills - Bomber kills are recorded one for one. However, to show how many times claims were not accurate, four fighter kills equal one kill.

Weave - One section will fly above and behind as a lookout. This costs more fuel.

Random Events - Self-explanatory, and too numerous to list.

Cratered - Your aerodrome has been damaged and you must fly from a nearby one. Parts and replacements are not there, and no one can return from hospital.

Graduated replacements - This replaces the one pilot replacement after every patrol. It is done by die roll now.

Some of these can only be played when using the Advanced Squadron Display. The Advanced Squadron Display adds more rules to the game. It is much like playing with basic and advanced rules.

As far as my opinion of the game: do I like it? No, I love it. This next information will tell you exactly how the wargaming community in general viewed the game:

2022 Charles S. Roberts Awards Winners Announced

Best Solitaire or Cooperative Wargame:

WINNER: Skies Above Britain, GMT Games, designers Jerry White and Gina Willis

That pretty much sums up my feelings as well. One of the best parts of the design is the fact that the Rulebook actually tells newbies "You don't have to read the whole Rulebook to start playing." Even with the number of things in the box and the three different rules/manuals, it is still an easy game to learn and to start playing. You can start the dogfighting pretty much right away. The way that the designers have added so much historical flavor to the game is also a wonderful bonus. Let us not forget the RPG part of the game. You actually feel for your small fighter pilot friends. To be able to, hopefully, follow them through a campaign let alone a single sortie is a sign of a great designed game. The tension in the game is palpable. Do you break off with your ammo getting low, or do you choose to go for that one lone bomber? Each of your decisions can be found to be the wrong one by the game's highly, (I cannot say intelligent), evolved matrix of choices the designers have given it. Just like in reality ditching your plane over Britain is usually followed by a safe parachute flight. However, woe to the poor pilot who has to eject over the Channel. This is one of those games where you look at the clock and see four hours have passed but you still sit and play a few more sorties.

Thank you so much GMT Games for allowing me to take Skies Above Britain out for a spin. I knew the history more from the German point of view rather than the British. This game has made me read some books that deal with the British side of the Battle of Britain. If that is all I got from the game, it is worth playing but there is so much more than that in this box.

Robert

GMT Games:

GMT Games

Skies Above Britain:

GMT Games - Skies Above Britain

Link to the Rulebook:

SaB RB March 22 2022 (amazonaws.com)

My review of Storm Above the Reich:

Storm Above the Reich by GMT Games - A Wargamers Needful Things