15.12.23

Breaking Teeth - The Battle of Teruel, Dec 15, 1937

Title: Breaking Teeth - The Battle of Teruel, Dec 15, 1937
Price: $*
Designer:  Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer:  Ilya Kudriashov
Publisher: High Flying Dice Games
Published Date: 2017

A little history: This is the debut game (first) in Paul's eight game series on The Spanish Civil War, from 1936 to 1939. The game came out in 2017 and showed by it's wide acceptance by gamers that it was time to bring out individual battles on this fascinating time period of human history.  And for this I am glad. This period of warfare foretold of what type of world war was coming in regards to tactics and weapons.  It was also a training war for the Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy with other countries watching.

The city of Teruel, Spain was fought over for about 3 months  starting on Dec 15, 1937 and ending later in February 1938, during one of the harshest winter storms to hit Spain in twenty years.  Lack of food and warm clothing contributed to the numerous causalities as much as guns and artillery. Originally held by the Nationalists, the city fell in December to the Republicans, who  were then counter-attacked by the Nationalists in Jan 1938 and finally re-captured in Feb 1937. Needless to say, it was very bloody and casualties on both sides including civilians ran high.

πŸ‘‰ Note: $* this means I have no idea the cost these days. Sorry.

Scale: Each turn is equal to 3 days of time and the units represent regiments or brigades for infantry and battalions for Armor. I haven't figured out how big a hex is, yet, but I believe it is about 1 to 1.5 NM* each. (see 1.1)

Note - NM = Nautical Mile - aprx 6080 feet.

Player Supplied Components:  Players will need to supply one D6 and a deck of cards in lieu of using the card deck that is available for the game.

Abbreviations Used:  AF=Attack Factor, DF=Defense Factor, MF=Movement Factor, RP=Republican unit, NP=Nationalist unit, CD=Card Draw, ACT=Activation, 1D6=one die-6 sided, RE=Random event, VP=Victory Points, M=Morale Marker, FOW=Fog of War marker (or Fortunes of War marker), GT=Game Turn.

Components and Physical Quality: These are very good and the game arrived in a binder sleeve.

Now, I bought my copy in 2017, so this could have changed to a zip lock bag by now, though not sure (I'm too lazy to ask). 

One can always tell who the artist is by their graphics. In this case, this game is by one of the most prolific game artists working now, Ilya Kudriashov, with aprx 171 different games to his credit. In addition to being a game artist, he also draws maps and charts and has designed 3 games. Being a Muscovite, he now lives in Lithuania. One of the things I like about Ilya is he also a Napoleonic re-enactor. 

Counters: Sixty-three .5" in size, double sided counters that need to be mounted.  Easy to do. If you need to see how to do this please go here for my guide. Or  you can ask HFDG to mount these for you for a small fee, as making sure the front and back are lined up can be a little difficult. You will still need to cut them out.

The counter mix is of the following -
21 pinned/entrench markers,
1 FOW marker,
1 GT marker, 

1 RP Morale marker
1 RP VP marker (x1, x10)
4 RP Armor units
10 RP Inf units
1 RP Arty Support marker & 1 Arty Strike marker
1 RP Air Support marker & 1 Air Strike marker

1 NP Morale marker
1 NP VP marker (x1, x10)
2 NP Armor units (only 1 step)
12 NP Inf units
1 NP Arty Support marker & 1 Arty Strike marker
1 NP Air Support marker & 1 Air Strike marker
63 total counters

These counters are color coded for the Division or Brigade they belong to.  Nationalist are olive drab, while the Republicans are light yellow. A side view of the correct armor and aircraft with standard NATO unit markings and the AF, DF, and MF. 

What is very nice are the two air strike support counters as they represent the actual aircraft both sides used - the Po I-15 for the Republicans and the He 51 A-1 for the Nationalist.

Though small in size, the graphics used are actually very well detailed.  I had to use a magnifying glass the other day to look at something and noticed the detail in the planes, then the armor on a couple of counters next to what I was trying to see.  Next time I need to mount counters in games that Ilya has put his magical touch, I am going to blow them up a little bit more just to look at them.  

Game Map: 11"x17" in size and includes the following tracks on it - Morale, Game Turn, and Victory Points.  There is also a Terrain Effects key (showing effects for combat and movement) and a counter breakdown.

The actual game map has 2 levels of terrain, woods, roads, and the Rio Guadalaviar (aka Rio Turio south of Teruel) river. A hex grid is super imposed over the game map to regulate movement and distance.  Again, the game map reminds me, using graphics and the pastel wash of the colors used, of the time period the battle takes place.  Of course it could be the meds talking here, but I still like the artistic ideas at work.

Rules and Play: Seven pages of rules, explaining how to set up the game, the game play, the variant rules, nuances of the various rules, and designer notes with a reading list on the Spanish Civil War. 

The heart of the game system is the card draw for both sides. As I said before, but going to repeat here, I like this system. πŸ˜€

Using a standard card deck, remove all the Face cards (remember the "Ace" is not a face card, but "1" or "odd"). Divide the deck in two and give the black cards (and 1 joker) to the NP and give the red cards (and 1 joker) to the RP. Shuffle the decks.  (see 2.0, 3.0)

Note: This is just like "A Scourge of Stone and Spirit: The Siege of Harfleur, 1415" that was reviewed here.

Is there a Card Deck? Of course HFDG has a card deck available for the game πŸ˜‰,  contact HFDG about getting this. Do you need them? Well they do make setup a little easier and they do look great (Ilya design them)!  But as always, it is up to you if you want these or not.

The game has 7 turns with each turn being many rounds. Each player turns over the top card and the highest CD wins the round. The same card, unlike some of the games that use the CD system, is also used to determine the number of ACTs available.  Odd CD gives the player 3 ACTs and an Even CD gives the player 2 ACTS.  And if both players tie in the card draw, the player who did not perform any actions in the previous round can perform 1 ACT.  (see 3.0)

πŸ‘‰ Note: Since the Republicans attacked first in the battle, they get the first round. After both sides have setup, the RP rolls a 1D6. 1-2 = 2 ACTs, 3-4 = 3 ACTs, 5-6 = 4 ACTs. After this one time roll, the game plays normally with a CD. (see 2.1, 2.2)

Ok, How do I play the game?: The player who wins the round can perform one of the following actions, per ACT, per CD, per round. (see 3.1)
a) Artillery Support Strike (see 5.0, 4.2)
b) Air Support Strike (see 6.0, 4.2)
c) Move (see 3.2)
d) Assault (see 4.0, 4.1, 4.2)
e) Rally (see 7.0)
f) Entrench (see 3.3)

πŸ‘‰ Note: These different actions a unit can do per ACT, can be performed in any order, just incase you wanted to know.  πŸ˜‰

When the first Joker is turned over (doesn't matter who) that player loses their turn and rolls 1D6 on the Random Events Table (page 7) and the event is in effect for the remainder of the turn (notice this is for the whole turn until the next Joker is drawn). Some events can happen only once per game or can happen once per turn.  Each event can happen for either player.  When the 2nd Joker is turned over, play stops, and if not the last turn, move the GT up a space.  Shuffle the decks and begin the next turn.   

Other Important Game Info: I see I forgot to chat on several things, maybe important, maybe not. Well, here it goes.

1) Stacking - Infantry Units cannot stack, but one armor unit can stack with one friendly infantry unit. That's it. Also, an Armor unit cannot be attacked separately if stacked with an Infantry unit unless that Inf unit is pinned or retreats from that hex. (see 3.2, 4.0, 4.1)

2) Pinned Units (see 4.2) - This can happen several ways during the round.
    Either by
    a) Assault (see 4.0)
    b) Artillery Support (see 5.0)
    c) Air Support (see 6.0)
   d) Units that are "pinned" are consider "disrupted". These units can attempt to remove the pinned effect by an ACT. Also, a "pinned" marker is removed at the end of the current turn (not round, unless rallied) (see 7.0)

3) Retreating (see 4.1) - This is important. Please be sure to read and understand this rule. 

Morale and Winning:  Morale is always figured immediately for either side when certain conditions happen. And if one side has "0" Morale after this figuring has been figured (lol, sorry, ran out of words to use), the game is over. (see 8.0) 

If the game goes to the end of turn 7 and morale is any other number from 1-5 for either, then victory points need to be counted and a winner declared.  (see 10.0)

Complexity: A little bit more than Introductory with four additional variant rules plus a new one from HFDG and see below in red.  As always, play with the variant rules. They don't really add much to the complexity, but ramp up the fun, IMHO. (see 11.0)

Setup Time:  With  the low number  of counters in play on Turn 1, setup is very fast. About 5 minutes if that long. 

Playing Time:  My games have played from 45 minutes to a couple of hours.

Solitaire Playability: Since I play mostly solo these days, I found the game (as with any game) easy to solo.  If there are two ways of doing something, such as move a unit or attack, I settle it with a 1D6 roll.

For example, if there are two attacks where the air unit can come into play, I would roll on a 3- (or less) for one battle and 4+ for the other to see which attack the plane will be use in.

Addenda: I found just two small ones.
1) Under 6.0 Air Support, paragraph 3, third bullet - "a unit cannot be eliminated via an artillery strike".  Need to add "Air Strike" and cross out"artillery" as it is covered under 5.0 Artillery Support.

2) The "Fortunes of War" counter is marked as "Fog of War". (see 9.0)

There is an interesting variant rule Paul came up for all seven SPW games, that I found. Here it is:

Spanish Civil War Variant: The following momentum variant rule can be used with all of the Spanish Civil War Games published by High Flying Dice Games (Black Shirts-Red Blood, Breaking Teeth, Courageous Tragedy, Viva la Muerte!, Sad Days of Battle, No Pasaran, and Tercio De La Muerte).

Variant Momentum Rule:
At start of each turn, beginning with turn 2 the player who played the last ACT of the previous turn has the Momentum for the current turn.

A player with Momentum can perform a number of ACTs equal to half of the player’s ML (round up any fraction) before players perform the first CD for the current turn.

After these initial ACTs whenever a player gets a number or CDs in a row equal to half of their ML a die roll is then made by the player. If the DR is greater than the player’s ML the winning CD is ignored and the opposing player’s losing CD is used instead. If the DR is less than or equal to the player’s ML the winning CD is not ignored and play continues normally. Perform this Momentum DR check every time a player gets consecutive winning CDs.

Note: A die roll of 6 always loses the momentum DR check!

For example: The Republican player has the momentum at the start of turn 3 and has a ML of 3. That player can perform 2 ACTs before any CDs are made. The second winning CD is red so a Momentum DR check is made (this would be 2 CDs which equal to half of the Republican ML rounded up). The DR is 4, so the Republican player’s winning CD is ignored. The Nationalist player is considered the winner instead and will activate with that player’s CD.

In case of tie CDs follow the rules as written. Also, Joker CDs trigger a Random Event check or the Turn End and are still implemented immediately with no activations per the rules. Remember, Momentum for the next turn is conferred to the player who wins the last CD of the current turn.

This variant rule is not in effect during any activations performed after the second Joker is drawn.

Now, please don't ask me how this new rule plays as I honestly don't understand it, as my head has been acting up. But if Paul says it is good and offers this variant rule, then it is good and others can probably understand it.

Play-Balance:  This game seems to be even balance, even with the differences in counter units AF/DF and the amount of Republican counters in the beginning.  It might be 55% to 45% Republican/Nationalist, but that is just a guess.  

Like all wars, after the battle, out come the reporters.  The man in the middle is Ernest Hemingway with 2 others, one Soviet (the "cool" one with the backwards beret) and one German (looking like he is POW).

Summary: The game is very good and fun to play and easy to learn. Only a small number of counters to be mounted and cut out, a short amount of rules that answer all the questions and pretty much errata free, and inexpensive - what more could one ask for?  I know, maybe one or two of Mahou Cinco Estrellas (a very good and tasty Spanish beer) should come with the game. πŸ˜‚ 

Needless to say, like the majority of games I play these days, I enjoy this one.  Not sure why I didn't look at it sooner. 

Paul has another six "ground-pounder" Spanish Civil War games available with one Spanish Civil War Air game,"Muerte Desde Arriba" (which I just bought). These are in order by month and year of the actual battle, not published date -

No Pasaran - Battle of La Coruna Road (Jan 1937)
Sad Days of Battle - The Battle of the Jarama River (or Rio Jarama) (Feb 1937)
Black Shirts, Red Blood - The Battle of Guadalajara (March 1937)
Viva La Muerte - The Battle of Brunette (July 1937)
Courageous Tragedy - The Battle of Belchite (August-Sept 1937)
Breaking Teeth - Battle of Teruel (Dec 1937) (this one)
Tercio De La Muerte - The Battle of the Ebro River (or Rio Ebro) (Jul-Aug 1938)

There is a lot more interesting history on this battle at Spanish Civil War.org. Unfortunately, I believe this site is a labor of love and as it is not very active (parts since 2010, under construction for a very long time), but the primary battles are up.  One can also do a wiki search and get the gist of the why's and hows of this civil war or buy one of the recommended books listed in the rules. 

Soapbox Time: There is  one more thing I am going to say about this battle as it is true in every war ever fought.

Civilians were killed and maimed in this battle like the present one with Hamas-Israel and in all wars past and probably the future.  

There is no such thing as a civilian casualty-free war. People need to learn to  think about this before engaging mouth and realize the simple fact of life that while civilians are not true combatants,  civilians will always be involved in war, whether thru giving first-aid, making the weapons of war or being in the area of a battle or supplying replacement soldiers. The only way to stop civilian casualties is to stop war, period.  I do know I would like to have been out of that job when I was in (military).

But then, would we be playing wargames learning a little bit of the history of a battle or Euro-Trash games like rescuing kittens who lost their mittens?  Ah, things that make one go "bluhhhh".

Oft the box.

Honestly, thank you for stopping by! I would like to hear any comments you may have on the game, good or bad.

and now for something truly awful...

πŸŽ„What do angry mice send to each other at Christmas? (look at bottom)πŸŽ…

Happy Holidays,

-ab

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.

answer - Cross-mouse cards!

19.11.23

Operation Fustian "The 1st Bridge Too Far"

Title: Operation Fustian - The Battle for Primosole Bridge July 12-15, 1943
Price: $*
Designer: Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer:  Antonio PiΓ±ar PeΓ±a
Publisher: High Flying Dice Games
Published Date: 2020
 
Subject: Operation Fustian was a military operation carried out by the 1st Parachute Brigade, part of the British 1st Airborne Division during the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The operation's objective was to capture the Primosole Bridge across the Simeto River.

Abbreviations Used: Arty=Artillery, ACT=Activations, AB=Airborne Brigade, AP=Axis Player (Italian,  German), BP=British Player, CB=Coastal Battalions (Italian), CD=Card Draw, CF=Combat Factor, DR=Die Roll, Inf=Infantry, MG=Machine Gun (German), MP=Movement Point, 1D6= one die six, Paras=Paratroops (British), CE/RE=Combat/Royal Engineers, AT=Anti-Tank. (page 3)

Scale:  Each hex is about 1/2 mile across and each turn is 8 hours of time. Inf/Paras are companies in size and armor units are 4 vehicles (when reduce, 2 vehicles). (see 1.2)

Components and Physical Quality: The graphic designer for this game is Antonio Pinar PeΓ±a and as it was said back in 1985 on SNL's Fernando's Hideaway - "Dahling, I have to tell you something. And I don't say this to everybody, your graphics look mahvelous!". πŸ˜€
 
The game map, player's aid, and counters are fantastic.  I really do enjoy his graphics and rate him in the top 10% of his profession. As of this review, he has graphically designed 29 games.  I wish him luck in everything he does.

Counters: Eighty unmounted double-sided counters that are aprx 14mm (9/16") in size on what appears to be 110lb weight paper stock.  
 
There are 16 counters of Italians in grey-green, 13 counters of Germans in dark gray (or black, just calling it as I see it) (including one Luftwaffe support counter), 24 counters of British in khaki (including one arty and naval support counters), and twenty-six  counters of Low Ammo/Entrenched counters. Last, but not least, the game turn counter. 

One will need to mount the counters or have HFDG do this for them, with a cost involved.  So why have HFDG mount your counters? Well, to get them lined up is not so easy.  Plus, the cardboard HFDG uses is pretty nice and importantly, one less thing to do before playing the game. One will still need to cut out the counters.

Game Map: An excellent realistic good looking game map... Honestly, I can smell the fields and the water.   This is just a small sample of the 8.5" x 11.0" game map on the right.

Players Aid Sheet:  Highly important. Not only is the Turn Record Track on this, but also the terrain effects for movement and combat.  And the Random Events Table that is used when the 1st Joker is drawn. (see 1.0)

Complexity:
Introductory, with no variant rules, but do not let that nomenclature fool you, as it is no beginner's game.  Simple yes, simplistic no. It has a lot of very good ideas and plays like games four times it's size and expense.

Rules: 
Would you believe 6 single pages? The rules are nicely printed on high quality paper with a good feel to them. Not some 10 lb copy paper, but true printer heavy paper.  What is nice about this rule set is that the important rules are pre-hi-lighted in yellow.  And saying it has 6 pages is not true. Pages 3 to 6 have the rules, page 1 is just the title page and page 2 is a chart showing the units and their formations.
 
OK, this might seem like I am confused, as I will be jumping around.  To be honest, I am, as the weather is playing havoc with my head.  I have listed the rules each paragraph is talking about like so (see #.#).

Player Supplied Components: A standard card deck (or the HFDG card set) is a must and as is 1D6. (see 1.1)
 
Deck Setup:
All of the cards are combined into one deck, including both jokers and all face cards.  (see 1.0)
 
The chart to the left shows how many acts a card gives.  BP uses Red cards while the AP uses black. Note: I think I included everything a certain card draw does (such as face cards).

It is important to know to ignore the 2nd Joker if it is drawn before both players have been able to activate and play until all cards are drawn. If not the last turn, shuffle the deck, advance the turn marker and continue play. Game lasts 11 turns. (see 1.2)
 
Please do note that the card draw is used for the number of activations available to a player, with each activation being used to allow either combat or movement or entrenching a unit or recover once per unit per round (CDs), with many rounds in a turn.  (see 3.0, 3.2, 3.3, and 4.0)
 
And yes, there is a card set available for the game.  From HFDG, cost is $*. Order from them by clicking here. Enter which card set you want to buy on the last page in the box at the bottom.
 
Is it needed? Only you can say that.  I find it has all of the information needed in a very easier to read and understand format as shown to the left.

Note: $* means I have no idea the cost.
 
Game Setup:  The Axis Player sets up first using the setup guide.  (see 2.0, 2.1,  and 2.1.1)

The British sets up second according to the setup guide and conducts the paratrooper/glider landings  and sets up the British Reinforcement schedule. (see 2.2, 2.2.1, and 2.2.2)

And don't forget to reshuffle the card deck to start the game!

Formations:  In a lot of games, one doesn't need to keep track of unit formations, however in this game formations are important for the correct setup and stacking (allows up to 2 units to share a hex). (see 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.2, 2.2.2, and 3.1
 
Each country has units in formations that are color coded representing paras (considered inf for play), inf, and armor.  AT and Combat/Royal Engineers do not have a formation stripe and can stack with any nationality unit. (see 3.1 and 5.0)    

Special Units:  Some units have an asterisked * to indicate these are units with special abilities. AT, Armor (Tank), and CE/RE have an *, allowing these units to increase the CF of any inf unit it is stacked with by 1 or said unit can attack with their own CF.  (see 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3)
 
Armor units in addition to the *, have a red square under their MF to signified that the BP needs to roll 1D6 when the tank unit enters a non-bridge river or canal hex side, or enters a cultivated hex.  I believe it is to see if the tank unit gets stuck in the mud (see 5.1.1). 
 
Armor has the ability for one armor unit to freely stack in a hex with 2 other units (and use it's +1 CF increase). There is no Zone of Control and combat is voluntary. (see 3.1, 4.0, and 5.1

Support attacks such as Air, Arty, and Naval are resolved by 1D6 and do not require an activation.  (see 4.0 and 5.4

Units can "entrench", which offers a +1 CD attack modifier (or +1 DR if attacked via Air, Arty or Naval), against the entrenched unit when it is attacked. (see 3.2)

A reduced unit can attempt a full recovery with a 1D6 check.  (see 3.3)
 
Combat: Units have a range of 2 hexes.  Units can fire into but not through hills and cultivated hexes.  Naval, Air, and arty support units can attack any unit (no range limit.). Remember, a unit can either move or have combat, not both from an activation during a round. (see 4.0)

Add the hex terrain modifier, subtract the CD bonus modifier if an AT or Armor is stacked in the hex. This is used even if the target unit is 2 hexes away.  The engineer is used the same way, EXCEPT it can only subtract the CD bonus if attacking 1 hex away. (see 4.0, 5.1 and 5.2)
 
Low Ammo: The BP can suffer from low ammo if the BP draws a face card when resolving a Paratrooper unit's attack.  Units that suffer this have their CF reduced by 1.  Axis Player and British reinforcement units do not suffer this.  And when any BP reinforcement units enter the game, all Low Ammo markers are removed.  (see 4.1

Winning the Game:  The Axis Player wins by controlling one or both hexes of Primosole bridge.  The BP wins by controlling both hexes and having 1 to 4 units north of the Simeto River.   (see 6.0)
 
Playing Time: From 2 to 3 hours, easy.

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10): I would say it is about a 9.   Remember, just about any game can be played solo. This one is no different and is how I played it, still fun and without the bother of having to supply the beer and chips to an ungrateful guest complaining about using cards.
 
Addenda:  Yes, just a couple of lines.  And here it is -

Operation Fustian
Addenda, November 2023

2.2.1 Paratrooper Landings (correction):  A Paratrooper unit is unaffected if the CD is less than or equal to 4 (the underscore beneath the less than sign is missing).

3.0 Activations (correction): Disregard case “d” as this is holdover text from the play test version of the game that should have been deleted. Rule 4.1 is correct and the only way by which the Low Ammo markers can be removed.

3.2 Entrenchments (addition). Units in Fortified Terrain may not entrench.

Player asked Clarifications:  Several questions have been asked these past few years concerning the game.  Here are the answers.

 1. Per 4.0 the modified CD result is compared to the attacking unit's CF. If the modified CD is less than or equal to the attacking unit's CF the target is reduced; if greater then there is no effect (attacker missed).
 
2. Per rules 1.0 and 3.0 each unit activates individually. When activated an activated unit can do ONE of the listed actions in rule 3.0. Per rule 5.1 an activated attacking unit can have its CF increased if stacked with an armor or AT unit (and/or Engineer unit).
 
3. Since units activate individually, multiple units can attack the same target but each requires its own activation and each of their attacks are resolved individually.

4. Per rule 4.1 the low ammo markers are removed as soon as any British reinforcement unit enters the game. There is no other way to remove a low ammo marker.

5. Per the rule 3.1, one British tank unit stacks for free, so it can stack with 2 units (making 3 to the hex).
 
Not part of the errata (sorry, I mean "addenda") is just something to be aware of -  there are CD modifiers, meaning a "card draw" modifier (such as "entrenching") and there are CF modifiers, meaning Combat Factor modifiers (such as "Low Ammo") and a Die Roll modifier (such as the "Arty, Naval and Air support" attacking an entrenched unit DR) in the game.

Play-Balance:  The game is finely balanced, giving either side a 50% - 50% chance of losing or winning.  That is until the British reinforcements arrive.  At that point, the low ammo chits are removed, the armor adds another +1 CF and the Axis player better hope that "lady luck" comes into play.  IMHO, the British chances for the game goes up to 65% to 35%, still possible to win for the Axis, though, especially a "wily Axis player".
 
Airborne operations were always risky and problematic affairs and this game, though small in size, is bigger in stature than many games that are larger and cost a hell of a lot more, shows this in detail.    
 
It is a very intense game and using the card draw system for activations (movement and resolving combat) combining said activations with entrenching (digging in), rallying (recovery), low ammo, having certain units able to improve the attack and defense, plus the landing of the paratroopers (which was an actual mess for the battle), make for a daring game of cat and mouse.  I found it fun, easy to understand, and a hoot to play.  
 
Soapbox time: Why use playing cards for activations?  This is a question I am asked from time to time, as really there is no simple way to show the frustrations or the chaotic nature of combat. Minutes seem like hours, seconds seem like minutes, everything speeds up or slows down, at least from what I remember. Some parts of a unit may attack or not. I remember there were several people in the platoon during combat, who even when they fired their weapon, didn't aim for people and some folks hunkered down without firing their weapon.  Many a time, one could hear rifle fire after the battle, just incase Gunny did a weapons check.
 
Pulling chits (as some of HFDG games use) is one way. But what if one doesn't really have the entire OOB of units or doesn't want to have tons of chits? Right!!! Using a card draw system allows a designer to show the stop-start motion of combat, without resorting to having more pull chits for leaders or other rules than necessary. I really do like this way of gaming.  It allows a good play without having an umpire.
 
Will I play it again? You bet.  Right now it is my game of the month, just edging out  "A Scourge of Stone and Spirit: The Siege of Harfleur, 1415".  I haven't had fun like this in a while and I actually owe it to "Guarding the Land", a PBG for getting me back into playing games.  

Let me know how you like this game in the comments section. I would appreciate knowing your thoughts on the game, what you may or may not like.  And of course if you find anything wrong in my review. 
 
Happy Thanksgiving 2023,
-ab



This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors, or update with new information. Also, this is my opinion, right or wrong.

10.11.23

Happy Birthday Marines!

Today, Marines celebrate the 248th birthday of our beloved Corps. The history of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) begins with the founding of the Continental Marines at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia on 10 November 1775. The United States Marine Corps has served in nearly every conflict in United States history.

 

Here is the 248th Birthday Message from the Commandant...

10 November 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS

             For 248 years, Marines have earned a reputation as the most disciplined and lethal warfighters in the world. This legacy of honor, courage, and commitment passed on to us was paid for in sweat, blood, and sacrifice. From Belleau Wood to Inchon and Tarawa to Sangin, Marines have stepped forward to defend our Constitution when others either could not or would not. Our history is filled with heroes like Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hershel "Woody" Williams, Private First Class Hector Cafferata Jr., Sergeant Major Dan Daly, and thousands of others who performed acts of bravery which went unseen in the heat of battle. We stand on the shoulders of these Marines, and we owe it to them to earn our title "Marine" each and every day.

             Marines have given, and have been willing to give, their lives for Country and Corps in every fight our Nation has entered. Our actions turned back the tide of tyranny in Europe during the Great War, defeated fascism in Asia during World War II, fought for democracy in Korea and Vietnam, and offered the hope of self-determination in the Middle East. We go to war whenever our Nation calls, and in the interwar periods we train, we prepare, and we innovate. We have chosen a life of service and sacrifice — an honorable life that has meaning. We sacrifice so our fellow citizens don't have to, and we seek nothing in return but a chance to be first to fight. Most will never understand why we choose to attack when others do not, why we revel in being covered in mud, why we snap to attention when "The Marines' Hymn" is played, or why we say, "Ooh Rah." We understand it, and this message is for us, for the Marines.

             As Marines, we live on a war footing because someone must. This means that we ruthlessly adhere to our standards of excellence — Marine standards — as we know this will best prepare us for the wars of the future. Our high standards are a prerequisite of professional warfighting, and how we keep our honor clean in the cauldron of combat. They prepare us for the most difficult mission there is: fighting from and returning to the sea. Most importantly they shape our unique Marine culture which is respected at home and across the globe.

             Sergeant Major Ruiz and I are proud of all that you have done this past year to protect and enhance our reputation as America's best warriors. We hope you know that we will be with you every step of the way as we prepare for the fights ahead. We ask that every Marine - active, reserve, and veteran - honor the legacy of those who went before us by continuing to uphold our high standards.

             Protect your fellow Marines and our shared legacy. Happy Birthday Marines!

 


No longer green, not as mean, not as lean, but still a Marine. 

Semper Fi Marines,

-ab





1.11.23

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more..."

Title: A Scourge of Stone and Spirit: The Siege of Harfleur, 1415
Price: $*
Designer: Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer: Tim Allen
Publisher: High Flying Dice Games
Published Date: 2022

Subject:  The siege of the port of Harfleur France by the English King Henry V, in 1415 during the 100 Years War.   

 A little history:  This battle was part of the 100 Years War (1337 AD to 1453 AD, actually 116 years long). In Mid-August 1415, Henry V invaded Normandy with an army of around 10,000 men to besiege and captured the port of Harfleur after a gruelling five-week siege on Sept 22, 1415.  This is also recorded as  the first time in a siege that gun powder cannons were used.

With winter coming and his force already depleted to aprx 6,000-7,000 men by the fighting and a wave of bloody flux (aka dysentery - still a killer of a million+ a year in this day and age), Henry decided to withdraw to English-held Calais and regroup.  What happen after the siege a month later is the "Battle of Agincourt" occurring on Saint Crispin's day, 25 October 1415AD.  
 
This campaign of Henry the V was also in the Late Middle Ages, forever immortalize equivalent of a TV movie,  Shakespeare's play "Henry V", around 1599.  A very good play, click here if you would like a free pdf of it.

Abbreviations Used:  WA=Wall Area, M=French Militia Unit, FMaA=French Men At Arms, EMaA=English Men At Arms, FP=French Player, EP=English Player, ERL=English Resistance Level, FRL=French Resistance Level,  EB=English Breach marker (the back side of the EMaA), EAL=English Artillery Level, EML=English Mining Level, CF=Combat Factor, CD=Card Draw, LDR=Leader, ACT=Activation, TM=Turn Marker, TRT=Turn Record Track. PBG=Pocket Battle Game, 1D6= one die-6 sided, RE=Random Event. I am going to do my best to use these in the review and I am NOT going to use the obvious abbreviation for Breach Marker.

Hey, I've seen this before:   Why yes, yes you have. 😲 The gaming system has been used in few other games that Paul has designed.  I recognized one, but he put me straight onto the others.  The first is the pbg "Nothing So Well Lost: The Siege of Rhodes", "Guarding the Land: The Siege of Fort Griswold" (the last review I did and the one I recognized), "Not Men But Devils", and "Surrender Unto Caesar". πŸ‘ 

Note: Being part of a small group of games that are not the same, but very close is a good idea. I know when I like something, I wouldn't mind playing a few other games like it.

Player Supplied Components: The player will need to supply 1D6 and a deck of cards or purchase the card set from HFDG. (1.0) 

Components and Physical Quality:  The graphics designer or "artist" is Tim Allen.  With (at the time of this review) 109 games in print, Tim looks to be on every game publishers list of artists.  Also, the principle artist used by Victory Point Games (I wish they were still active in the publishing world), and used by others such as High Flying Dice Games, his work is legendary. 

Game Map: The game map is of the surrounding area around Harfleur France and is presented to us as area movement.  This is IMHO about the only correct way to show the siege of an entire town.  At 8.5" x 11" in size it is larger than a PBG, but small enough to take on trips.  How small? Heck, I bought the game within a few days of it coming out, but lost it until a few days ago.  I had used it as a book marker in a large book.  Thank goodness I needed to look at that map of Gettysburg last week!  😁

Counters: The counters are double sided and small in number, only 21 total.  Also, the counters are 18mm (bigger than usual, very NICE for these old fingers). 

The English have 9 Men At Arms on one side and a wall breach on the other, 1 ERL marker, 1 EAL marker, and 1 EML marker.  While the French have 2 men at arms and 4 Militia. These are on both sides with one side being a reduction, 1 LDR, and 1 FRL.  There is also a turn marker. (1.0)

One will need to mount the counters.  If you never mounted counters before, you can click here to see how to do.  

Of course one can purchase mounted counters from HFDG, but one will need to cut them apart using a #11 knife or a utility knife.  Price is $* for this service.  Why do this? Well, lining up a front and back is a little bit hectic to get it "just right" and if you like thick counters....  

Note: $* means I have no idea of the cost these days.  Things change too much these days and I don't want to go back and have to change the blog again.

Complexity: The game is considered introductory, though  there are 3 variant rules to increase the complexity, such as taking into account an Impatient King, Boggy Ground, and Critical Walls.  I would recommend that all 3 variant rules be used. (12.0, 12.1, 12.2) 

Is There a Card Set: You bet! Here is what the HFDG card deck looks like.  Pretty snazzy, these are. Why get 'em?  Well, you won't have to do all sorts of removing cards to get the cards ready for play. And these are designed for the game. Order from HFDG by clicking here. Enter which card set you want on the last page in the box at the bottom.

Setup Time: About 5 minutes, if that long.  Actually longer to get the card deck ready than game setup.

Playing Time: Anywhere from 30 mins to maybe an hour.  Me, I am use to the gaming system and play (the card draw is actually a favorite of mine), 20 min to 45min easy.

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10): Very rare do I have the time to play a live opponent.  I gamed this one solo and found it to be fun and exciting.

Addenda: Yes and it is below-

Page 1, 2.0 Play of Game (correction): The player that draws the first Joker card performs a Random Event DR check.

On Page 3, 11.0 Random Events, DR = 6. (count sentences)
Sentence 3 - clarification - If a French unit is returned to play, it enters reduce.
Sentence 4 - If the DR result is <  there are no reinforcements.  Put an underline under the < sign as it should be "less than or equal to".
Sentence 5 - remove the words "or less" after "DR result was 1 or less".

Note: as of Oct 27 2023, the above addenda has been fixed in the game rules. 

Card Deck Setup: Using a regular deck of cards, remove all the face cards, separate the cards into two decks by color, a red deck for the British Player (BP) and a black deck for the French Player (FP).  Each player gets a "Joker", too. Shuffle the deck.  Remember, Aces are not consider face cards and are "odd" or "1".  (1.0)

Rule Differences: The rules are very polished and straight to the point.  If you have played PBGs and most of HFDG games, then you will know of the card draw system.  I am going to only touch on the little differences this game has.  

Note - Numbers such as (2.0 or 6.0) after the sentence refers to the rules section where you can read the rules.

The game has 7 turns consisting of many rounds.  Players turn their top card over and highest card wins the round - 

1) If the winning card is odd, the winner can do 1 ACT then the loser of the round can do 1 ACT. (2.0)

2) If the winning card is even, then the winner can do 2 ACTs and the loser of the round gets 1 ACT.  (2.0)

3) If the CD is tied, then no one gets an ACT and play proceeds to the next CD. (see 2.0)

4) If a joker is drawn, then the person who drew it rolls on the Random Event table. (2.0 and 11.0)

5) When a joker is drawn a second time, play stops. The turn marker is moved to the next turn, decks are reshuffled, and play begins again until the FRL is reduced to 0 at the end of any turn, or no later than turn 7.  Any other result, the FP wins. (9.0 and 10.0)

6) No EMaA starts the game on the map. The EP brings them into play by first creating Breach Markers. Up to 3 breach markers can accumulate in any one WA.  And on the back of the EMaM are the "Breach Markers"(2.0).

The Game has a few differences when it comes to the Activations (ACTs). Each ACT allows a side to do one of the following (3.0):

1) Bombardment (see 4.0) (both) or
2) Mining (see 5.0) (EP only) or
3) Assault (see 6.0) (EP only) or
4) Counter-mining (see 7.0) (FP only) or
5) Sally (see 8.0) (FP Only)

Other things that can be done in an ACT-
1) The EP can recycle "Breach Markers" by voluntary removing them from the WAs (no ACT required) during that player's portion of a Round. (3.0)

2) Also the FP (only) may move 1 (odd CD) or 2 (even CD) unit(s) (this is a free move) to and from any WAs before performing an ACT, but ONLY if the FP wins the round. (3.0)

Play-Balance:  The primary focus is on the English as they need to be attacking to win the game.  I have played 20 or so games and out of them, the English have won 15 or 16, I lost count.  I believe it is probably 60% to 40% in favor of the English.

Summary: Why a card draw system? Simple. Battles are chaotic affairs. Nothing goes right 100% of the time and those things that do, one chalks it up to the war gods picking a side.  Using the cards for movement and attack shows how command and control basically goes right out the window. People hide, run away, with too much smoke, battle noise, and confusion reigning supreme.  Nothing is perfect.  Outside of using an umpire to manage a game, using a card draw simulates these problems well.   

Using area movement, the breaching of the town's walls, mining, counter-mining, the French sally forth using a card draw system and area movement shows a lot of thought and play-testing to make this game work and feel like a siege. 

Though the game's footprint is small, the rules are finely written and mesh well together.  I believe this is the first, if not the only game to show the siege of Harfleur and though this is a small game, the design of it is truly huge.

This siege of Harfleur and battle for the town is the start of Henry V's reign as king, leading up to one of the most important English battles in history a month later, Agincourt.

I do believe you will like this game. Not many counters, but a lot of good play.
-ab

The game’s afoot.
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry “God for Harry, England, and Saint George!”
William Shakespeare's Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1

 
This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information. Also, this is my opinion, right or wrong.

22.10.23

Guarding the Land

Another PBG, one of the newer ones, and a very spiffy game it is, "Guarding the Land, The Battle for Fort Griswold".

Title: Guarding the Land, The Battle for Fort Griswold
Price: $ free when bought with something
Designer: Paul Rhorbaugh
Graphics Designer: Mark Mahaffey
Publisher: LPS, Inc
Published Date: 2023

A Little History: 
Headed by that infamous traitor to this country, Benedict Arnold (a Brigadier General btw, as the British were silly pogs for accepting him. Arnold pretty soon shown his true colours as a whinger), he commanded the infamous attack on New London, CT area with attacks led by Lt Colonel Edmund Eyre across the Thames River against Groton, CT and Fort Griswold, on Sept 6th, 1781. 

The actual attack on the fort has several names, but the most infamous is "The Fort Griswold Massacre".  The story goes that when the militia force led by Lieutenant Colonel William Ledyard surrender, he was killed by a British Officer's sword and the British continued firing on and bayoneting the defenders.  Unfortunately, this story is backed up by several survivors.

There is a pdf of a historical book written on the Battle of Groton Heights that is available for free. If you would like to read it, please  click here to download. 

Be warned, it is 439 pages of reading, written on March 25, 1882 for the Groton Heights Centennial Committee. I couldn't get away from the computer while reading because it is interesting and goes into a whole lot more history than what I can or will do in this review. If you are stuck with reading it, mea culpa.

Abbreviations Used:
IU=Infantry Unit, AP=American Player, BP=British Player, BASA=British Assault Staging Area, ARL=American Resistance Level, BRL=British Resistance Level,  AM=Assault marker (the back side of the British IU), AC=Artillery Crew (treat as IU), CF=Combat Factor, CD=Card Draw, LDR=Leader, TM=Turn Marker (use a coin or make your own), TRT=Turn Record Track. I am going to do my best to use these in the review.

Subject:
The British attack on Fort Griswold, Sept 1781. (dang, we already know this. sorry for the repeat.)

Scale:
Area movement.  I am thinking about 250 yards or so for each area.

Player Supplied Components:
1D6 and 1 set of playing cards is needed. 

Components and Physical Quality:
Yes, a bigger than life 4" x 6" in size game and the standard high quality that most game companies can't match with their overpriced games, pretty much for free. Amazing.

Counters:
The game has 17 counters that need to be cut out. The breakdown is as follows - 8 British counters (7 BP IUs and 1 BRL marker) and 9 American counters (6 AP IUs (2 of these are Artillery Crew, treated the same as infantry), 1 ARL marker, and 2 LDRS (Col Ledyard and Capt Latham)).

The counters have a front side and a reduced backside, except the BP IUs, who have an AM on their backside.  Important to know as the British must be flipped to their AM side to be able to assault - cold steel up da bum. Hear about the peanut walking down the street? It was assaulted.  Of course that makes an ass... a... ah, never mind.

Card Deck Setup:
For regular card deck
- Divide the deck into black and red.  Remove all face cards (Jack, Queen and King) and 9 to 10 cards. Give black cards+1 joker to the American player (AP) and red cards+1 joker for the British (BP).  Each player shuffle their cards.

YES!  There is an HFDG card set available.  From HFDG, cost is $*. Order from them by clicking here. Enter which card set you want on the last page in the box at the bottom.

Do you need it? Why not!!! πŸ˜€  Has all the imperative information on the correct cards and you don't have to hunt for a card deck and set it up correctly.

Complexity:
Introductory, but a nice intro game. Perfect for teaching younger people a fun game AND history to boot (but don't tell them that they are learning!).

Game Map:
A nice overhead view showing the fort, with the area divided in zones. The fort areas have a red circle with a white number, while the white circles with black numbers are general non-fort areas. 

There are two red circles that are NOT Fort Griswold proper (for setup), but are part of the American fort defense complex and do count for the BRL and ARL changes. These are areas 1 (River Battery) and 13 (V shape redoubt). You can see these on the game map above.  

And last but most important, there is a red zone marked British Assault Staging Area, where all British IUs start the game.

Mark, as always, does a very pleasing job on any graphics that he puts his name too and this is no different. If you look at the game map, one will see the ground is not solid green but has shadows.  Nicely done.

Playing Time:
About 20 to 30 mins if that long.  This is one short game, once one has it figured out. 

Addendum: 
None, none at all.

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10):
I found it works pretty well solo and it is about 65% to 35%, in favor of the British winning whether 2 player or solo.

Here are the rules.  Probably not much help to you, but  you should be able to print these out. 

the rules of the game

Game Play:
The game has 8 Turns, each with many Rounds. In general, play occurs with the side winning the Round declaring which ACT(s) it will undertake, then moving, firing at targets, conducting Assaults, and checking for success, followed by the other side.

To start a Round, players turn over the top card from their decks. The highest Card Drawn (CD) wins the Round. If the winning CD is odd (ace, 3, 5, 7), that side can do 1 Activation (ACT) or pass, then the loser may do 1 ACT, or pass. If the winning CD is even (2, 4, 6, 8) that side can do up to 2 ACTs, then the loser may do just 1 ACT. On ties, neither side can do any ACTs.

First side to draw a joker gets no ACTs that Round, but the other side gets 1 ACT.  When the second joker is drawn, the Turn ends immediately (with no ACTs performed). 

Remember, the first round of the 1st turn, the BP rolls 1D6 and has that many acts. The American player gets no acts for the first round. On the second round, do a CD as normal.

Activations:
A unit can perform only one activation per CD but can do so multiple times in   a turn. For example, either move 1 unit or fire 1 unit (see Movement, Fire Combat) and/or Assault (BP only, see Assault) or and the BP can also recycle IUs during his portion of a Round (bring back the dead) or voluntarily remove them from an area and return them to the BASA (no ACT required).

Each ACT allows a side to perform one of the following:  Move 1 IU/Leader (AP and BP) (See Movement),  Fire with 1 IU (AP and BP) (see Fire Combat), Assault (BP only).  Assaulting requires 2 ACTs and allows BP to flip all his IUs in one Area to their AM side. (See Assault), Re-enter a previously eliminated British IU to the BASA (BP only) or Voluntarily removed a BIU from any area and return the BIU to the BASA  for NO ACT COST.

Movement:
Both sides can move an IU/Leader from one Area on the map to another adjacent Area via an ACT. A Leader moves for free with any friendly IU he is stacked with (no ACT needed) or 1 ACT if alone, can move to the nearest friendly IU on the next American ACT.

Up to 3 IUs or AMs can stack in any one Area (Leaders don’t count). Neither side can move/deploy an IU/Leader to an Area occupied by the other side. Only the BP can move units to and from the BASA to and from any adjacent Area.

Exception: AP player (only) can directly move an IU/Leader to/from Area 1 and Areas 8, 9, and 12 using an ACT; units do not have to move through Area 4 (this models “the covered way”).

Fire Combat:
Both sides IUs may conduct Fire against adjacent enemy IUs/Leaders. Indicate a single firing and target IU. Roll 1D6. 

For the BP, add +1 for an unwounded Leader in the same Area and +1 if the target is in a red # Area. A roll < (equal to or less than) the current BRL is a hit, flip the American IU to its reduced side, otherwise no effect. If already reduced, either reduce the ARL by 1 level or eliminate the IU (AP’s choice). 

On a roll of 1 (regardless of modifiers) flip a Leader (BP’s choice) in the Area to his wounded (0 modifier) side; if already wounded, eliminate the Leader. 

When the AP fires, he also roll 1D6. Subtract -1 if a Leader is in the Area with the firing IU. A roll < (equal to or less than) firing IU’s CF eliminates the target IU, otherwise no effect.

Assault:
The BP (only) may attempt the Assault ACT against defenders in red # Areas (only) by expending 2 ACTs for one assault.

Flip all IUs adjacent to the target Area to their AM sides. Use the CF printed on the IU side as the AM’s CF value.

Add them all together and subtract all defending AP’s IU and Leader CFs in the Area to find a net + roll modifier. Subtract 1 from the BP’s total if attacking a Fort Area. BP then rolls 1D6. A roll of 1-2 is 0, a 3-4 is +1 and a 5-6 is +3. Add this # result to the net + roll modifier.

The Assault succeeds if final total is > (greater than) the current ARL. Reduce 1 defending AP IU (flip over) or remove from play if already reduced. A roll > (greater than) than twice the current ARL reduces 2 AP IUs (or remove 1 if it has 2 steps). For even rolls, if a Leader is present, flip him to his wounded side; if already wounded, eliminate him. If the Area is now empty, the BP can advance his assaulting AMs, up to stacking limit (3), into the Area.

The Assault fails if final total is < (equal to or less than) the current ARL. Flip 1 AM to its IU side and remove it from play (and again, it can be re-entered by the BP).

Before the Assault is made, the AP can try to move 1 Leader from anywhere to the Area under Assault (free move) to improve his chances (once per Assault per Round per Turn). Roll 1D6. Add +1 if the Leader is wounded. A roll < to the current ARL is successful, otherwise the Leader cannot move. Flip all AMs back to their IU sides when Assault is resolved.

BRL Changes:
Increase the BRL by 1 level, but never above 4, for every 2 red # Areas that have at least 1 AM on them at turn end (and no AP units present). Reduce the BRL by 1 for every combination of 3 IUs or AMs eliminated by the AP.

ARL Changes:
Increase the ARL by 1, but never above 4, if there are no British IUs/AMs on the map at the end of any turn. Reduce the ARL by 1 the instant when: Leader Ledyard unit is eliminated. For every 2 American IUs, or Leader Latham, eliminated.

At the start of even numbered Turns only, the AP must check his overall morale. Roll 1D6. Add +1 for every 2 (round down) red # Areas with at least 1 BP IU in them. A roll < 4 is no effect, otherwise reduce the ARL by 1 level.
 

you will need this.

Play-Balance: 
I found the game is about 65% British to 35% American.  Hopefully you can do better. It is a battle where the defenders were overwhelm. Think "Alamo".  But it can be won.  I am not going to say how to play, as that is why you are playing and need to figure out, but either side can win or lose.  

Summary:
I like this little gem of a game.  I was invited to play test this game and stuck it out.  It was fun and I learned a lot about the workings of game publishing.  LPS, Inc and HFDG are bringing out more of these pbgs, so it can be safely said that PBGs are not a fad anymore due to amount and types of them now.

If you need assistance with this one, let me know. I will try my best to help you out. 

Thanks for taking the time to drop by, always a pleasure.  And I will probably add more to this review, but right now... no. 

oh yeah, one of my favorite jokes - What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet?  "SUPPLIES!"

-ab

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.  Also, this is my opinion, right or wrong.