2 MOVES nr.

51, published June/July 1980

Opening
Moves
In this issue we have the firSl of our
companion pieces for the Fecent games in
S&'T and Ares. Note that in all.cases, the ar-
ticles involve scenario material - even
though I' m al\.vays making 'negative noises
Circulation: 9100
about such material. This is more by coin-
cidence than intentionsinee it's .hardenOl)gh
Editor/Executive Art Director Redmond A. Simonsen getting any materjal 'On the most current
Managing Editor Robert]. Ryer games quickly ellough to get it into the
Art Director Manfred F. Milkuhn following 1'v[OI(ES, muc.h less gelling
Contributing Editors precisely the type of article I might want.
Greg Coslikyan, James F. Dunnigan, Eric Goldberg,Phil Kosnett, This is nOl to'say.lhallactualfy discourage
Steve List, Thomas O . Pratuch, Charles Vasey scenario material ,on the most recent issue
MO VES Magazine is copyr ighl :i:' lY 80 , Simu lmiom Publicalio ns , Inc. Primed ;n U.S.A . All righ,s rcscrved. All games - in fact, si.nce almost everyone has
edi lOrial and general mai l sh o uld he add re"cti 10 Simula tions Puhlicat io ns Inc., 257 Park Ave nue Sout h. N . Y. N. Y. t.hem (and since there. are space limits .on issue
100JO. MOVESi, )ollblish ed himQllIhly . One ycar slib sc riplio ns(six issue., ) arc ava il a ble fo r $9.60(U5). Bac k is.' lle'M games), they .are probably the mosl likely
single ~opic.\ of Ihe cu rrent issue a re a vai lable at $2 .50 pcr copy . Please remit by check Or mo ney urdeT (US funds).
candidates for such articles.
Printing a nd Ilinding by Wellesley Press, Inc., Fra mingha m. Ma. s.
ARTIC / .f : SUBMISSIO,VS: Reade rs are invited 10 suhm ;1 arti cles ftlr possible publica,i n n in MOVES MUf!,Gzine.
Note thal I have these articles done by
l\januscri pL' m us, be IYPc'w ri tt en , doublespaced, o n 8 V,x l I while bo nd , with generou s line Je.n gth of 55 It' 65 assignment - since . by the time a reader!
cha racters_ Please include you r last name and pH ge nu mber on each MS pa ge, a nd your name, address, pho ne numher. au thor gets the game, plays it, and writes his
suggested l i(h~ ! and ho no rariu m prefcrCIl\.:C on lhc cover page. \Vith .;;ubmissiOrl , indude a sLa mped self-addressed article, the subject is pretty much cold
postcard with the na me of your art icle Oil Ihe message side. Articles a nd illuql'ulio ns mnno t be returned. In no in -
Slance ! hu we \-er, can SP I as:; ume l'e~ pon ~ ibi1il y ror ma nuscri p ts and illusfra lio n:; nOt s peci fica)) y so licited _
pot.atoes. Before the issues arc evert publish-
ed, pre-produclion copies of the games are
used to develop the material f.or MOVES,
and these arlicles are wrillen by people who,
through involvement in the design or tesling
process, already have ajump on the game,
T hose of you who might be interested in
In this issue_ .. writing an article on a recent Ares or S&T
game would be well advised to first see the
Wi'l son's Creek Historical RICHARD WRIGH T 4 following MOVES issue to avoid dupl icalion
of effort. Also, please don't write profile or
On Little Round Top HA fIfI Y ROA e H 6 re view arlicles on such games - since
everyone has these games, it really doesn' t
Eric Goldberg's Kursk THOMAS HUDSON 8 make much sense lO describe them or advise
people on a purchase decision. This doesn't
The Son of the Son JOHN G. ALSEN 11 mean you can't write a critical piecc on such a
of Squad Leader game - but that criticism must be deeper
and broader than the simple "fair or foul"
Roll Up for the Mystery Tourl .Jus TIN LEl TES 15 commenlary of an ephemeral review.
& M A TTHEW T. RUFF
I'd also like lO see some more material
on non-SPI games. See the rating charts in
Flights of Fancy ROBER T S. HOPKINS 19 5& T and A res and choose from amongst
those that have high percent -played and ac-
Workshop-Talk GREG COS T/KYAN 29 ceptability ratings.
Pandora with Brains TED WOODS & DA VID RITCHIE 31 NEXT MOVES
In the next issue (52), we'll have articles
Opening MOVES REDM OND A.. S/A40NSEN 2 about Barbarian Kings (Ares 3), Tito.l (S&T
MO VES in English CHARLES VASEY (ed.) 24 81), and a spate of mini-reviews' on
P.,H BOt TON & W. M. ORR Napoleonic-era games . Designer's No tes will
be back - they were fresh out for this i ss u~
Feedback/Playback Questions vox POPULI, vox DEI 34 - and we'll catch up on Playback ratings. !
hope between this issue and next I'l! be seeing
many of you at Origins 80 - we're h;;tving a
MOVES subscriber seminar ilt he COnven-
tion, and I'll be reporting the consensus of
that get-together in MS2. ~Redm(l"d

SpiBus Lives Again!

Simu lati ons Public fl ions, Inc., 257 Park
Avenue South, New York , N, Y. 10010
No later tha n issue 53 you will see SpiBU$ asain as
a regular featurewith personal comp\lter gaming
articles for .novices and experts. We need articles.
Send them directly to : Bill St. John (SpiBus
Editor) 17 Glen Drive, Troy, New York 12180.
 3

NEW from the Award-Winning

Terrible Swift Sword Game System

Drive onWashington
The Battle of Monocacy Junction
In July of 1864, time was clearly running out for the
Confederacy. The years of grim attrition had all but ex-
tinguished the capacity of the Army of Northern Virginia
to carry the war home to the Yankees . Almost extin-
guished ... but not quite!
Drive on Washington recreates the last battle of the
last offensive launched by CSA forces in the East during
the War for Southern Independence. A Confederate
Corps under General Early surprised a U .S. Army Divi-
sion led by General Lew Wallace some 30 miles outside
Washington, D .C. Drive on Washington simulates the
desperate struggle that ensued when Early's troops tried
to force the Monocacy River defended by Wallac's scat-
tered brigades. The game includes special rules detailing
the influence of Early' s leadership, the Confederate
search for a hidden ford during the battle, the effects of
fighting over fences and wheatfields, and more . Drive on
Washington includes 200 counters, Exclusive and TSS-
system Standard rules books, charts and tables, and a 22"
by 34" map .

PeaRi~
Gettysburg of the West
Early in 1862, Union prospects looked bleak indeed .
Far from controlling the rebellion , the armies of the North
appeared hard pressed even to contain it. Confederate in-
roads into the border states pointed the way to potential
military and political disasters that seriously threatened
the viability of the Union war effort. The darkest hours
came on 7 and 8 March when , below the towering Pea
Ridge, an outflanked and out-numbered Union army fac-
ed a Rebel force twice its size and fought desperately to
save not only the state of Missouri, but its own collective
skins as well!
Pea Ridge simulates this critical two-day battle in a
game that can be short or long, but is always prone t o un-
foreseen reversals of fortune. "Special rules include Con-
federate militia (armed with shotguns), attachment and
detachment of brigades (fighting often splits into two
fronts, and how a player' s forces are distributed can be
decisive), and the possibilit y of the battle lasting into the
night and a second day. Pea Ridge includes 200 counters ,
TSS-system Standard and Exclusive rules books , charts
and tables, and a 22" by 34" map.
Drive on Washington; $8.95.
Pea Ridge: $8.95.
4
SCENARIOS & VARIANTS
WILSON'S CREEK HISTORICAL
The Designer Comments and Provides
by Richard Wright
With this article, it's twice in .a row that we have
immediatelfollow-up on an S&T game. Wilson 's
Creek was one of those games that for no par-
ticula r reason had more than its share of minor
fl uffs associated with it As Richard will relate.
some historical data never made it through the
sketch map stage into the art department, and
some of the co unters grew warts When it was
printed , the map had a true printer's error in-
trodu ced to itlthere really aren'l many such errors
that yo u can legitimately blame the printer for)
that was solved by a last minute run through the
press - your map has gone through the press
three times instead of the norma l two times, and
now it can be told! - RAS
You are Ben McCulloch, just SlUing
down on this 10 August 1861 morning to a
fresh, piping hot breakfast of corn bread ,
lean beef, and coffee. Your mind drifts a bit
to the events of the last several days. General
Stirling Price, at whose HQ you are dining
this morning , and his rag-tag "army" have
been totally unmanageable. Ever sinc e you
finally got Price to relinquish command over
the combined force, it has been a constant
battle to keep them in step with your disci-
plined , well-equipped regulars. It was not ten
days ago that you found out that Price did
not obey your instructions about leaving all
unarmed men behind at the start of this cam-
paign. Extra mouths to feed that cannot pro-
vide any firepower are a drain you can ill af-
ford on your 10,000 man army.
Then, several days ago, Rains Brigade
of the Missouri State Guard was sent out to
recon the Union strength while your army
was camped near Dugs Springs. Despite your
order not to attack and the reaffirmation of
that order by your able second in command ,
Colonel Mcintosh, Rains' s men charged the
enemy and were summarily thrashed by
General Nathaniel Lyon's Union regulars .
So complete was the rout that they stamped-
ed through the center of your camp. That ac-
tion precipitated the rout of other MSG
units. The entire camp was in disarray. Total-
ly disgusting!
Recently, Price has pressed you to at-
tack Springfield, Missouri, where the Union
army is known to be. You were in favor of
maneuvering the enemy out of Springfield
rather than attack the fortified camp. You
had planned to march yesterday to the out-
skirts of the town and attack this morning,
but the wet weather postponed that strategy.
You assumed, of course, that even though
the army was resting "on their anns," ready
to move at any hour, each command would
select sentries to protect the army from a sur-
pise attack. Hmmm . .. . Damn that Price!
Suddenly your consciousness is jerked
back to the present by a tap on the arm by
McIntosh who has sighted a fast moving and
excited rider. It is Colonel Snyder, General
Rains's Chief of Staff. Almost breathless, he
announces, "Lyon is approaching with
20,000 men and 100 pieces of artillery. They
are at this moment within a mile of Rains's
camp." After putting down a piece of corn-
bread , you reply laughingly, "Oh, pshaw!
That's another of Rains's scares," alluding
to the Dug Springs fiasco. "Tell General
Rains I will come to the front myself
directly."
Colonel Snyder r'ides off and you ask
General Price to pass you a second helping of
beef. Within two or three minutes, another
officer rides up and reports, " Rains is falling
back before overwhelming numbers and
needs instant and heavy reinforcements."
You again express disbelief, remarking, "Oh,
nonsense! That cannot be true. The Union
army is in Springfield ." Glancing up from
the table, however, you, McIntosh, and Price
see a great crowd of men on horseback, some
armed, others unarmed, mixed in with
wagons and teams and lead horses, all in
dreadful confusion, scampering over the hill
and rushing toward you - clearly a panic-
stricken mob. Moments later, you hear the
report and see the muzzle flash of Union ar-
tillery from the direction that the mob is flee-
ing. Then, in response, you hear enemy guns
180 0 to the south. As you quickly grab your
saber and mount YOUf horse, you hear
General Price order the "long roll" alert to
be beaten out by the staff drummer. The Bat-
tle of Wilson's Creek has begun.
[27.01 THE HISTORICAL
SCENARIO
COMMENTARY:
In t he actual battle, the Rebels succeeded in
holding off the Union sur prise al.lack from Bloody
Hill and wiped out Sigel' s encircling force.
However, the Confederates were unable to
dislodge the Union force .on the summit of Bloody
Hill. The Federals left the field because they were
nearly out of ammo , not due to a successful Rebel
attack. In this scenario, the Confederates have a
decided advantage and will usually be the victors.
CASES:
[27.1] UNION DI<: PLOYMENT
When playing the historical scenario, the Union
units are deployed in the following hexes and the
facing of the units is determined by the Union
player. The formation is indicated by the following
Code: C: column; Ln: line; M: mounted; D: dis-
mounted; L: limbered; U: unlimbered; R: routed.
(Unit/ Leader: Set-up Hex/ Formation):
LYON: 2641.
STURGIS: 2641; Plummer: 2441 Ln; 2 Mo: 2742
C; Kan e: 25420; 1 US De: 2542 D .
SIGEl.: 1004; 3 Mo: 0905 C; 5 Mo: 1004 C; I
US Ie: 1309 0 ; 2 US Cc: 1104 M.
ANDREWS : 2641; 1 Mo 1: 2640 Ln; 1 Mo 2:
2640 Ln; Steele: 2647 C.
DElTZLER: 2641; I 10 1: 2644 C; 1102: 2645
C; 1 Kan 1: 2541 Ln; 1 Xan 2: 2541 Ln; 2 Kan 1:
2642 C; 2Kan 2: 2643 C.
BATTERIES: Totten: 2641 L; Backoff: l008L;
DuBois: 2646 L.
[27.21 CONFEDERATE DEPLOYMENT
McCULLOCH: 1926; 1 Ark Ie: 2216 RI M; 1
Ark 2c: 2516 RI M; 3 XI Ie: 1819 RI M; S XT 2e:
1923 RI M; 2 Ark e: 18290; 3 La 1: 1528 Ln; 3
La 2: J529 Ln; 3 Ark 1: 1428 Ln.
PEARCE: J525 ; I Cav c: 2414 RI M; Carroll c:
1525 0; 3 Ark 2: 1526 Ln; 4 Ark 1: 1425 Ln; 4
Ark 2: 1426 Ln; 5 Ark 1: 1424 Ln; 5 Ark 2: 1524
Ln .
PRICE: 1926; Rains: 1937; Hunter c: 24350;
McCowan c: 2635 D; PeJton c: 2835 D ; 1 MSG
1: 0925 C; 1 MSG 2: 1025 C; 1 MSG 3: 1026 C;
1 MSG 4: 1027 C.
PARSONS: 1824; Kelley; 1824Ln; Brown: 2513
RI M .
CI.ARK: 1726; Burbridge: 1726 Ln; Major: 2213
RI M.
SLACK: 1727; Hughes; 1727 Ln; Thornton:
1827 Ln; Rives c: 2433 D.
McBRIDE: 2025; Wingo: 1925 Ln; Foster: 2026
Ln; Campbell e: 2025 D.
BATTERIJ::S; Guibor: 1825 UL ; Woodruff:
1732 UL; Reid: 1622 UL; Bledsoe: 1024 L
SUPPLY WAGONS; Wagon 1; 1530; Wagon 2:
1629; Wagon 3: 1729.
[27.3] SPECIAL RULES
[27.31) During the Confederate Playe r-Turn of
Game-Turn One only, Confederate leaders may
move vo luntarily. The Confederate unit in hex
2433 must make a Morale Check at the starr of the
Confederate Movemem Phase and performs rout
movemen t if necessary.
[27.32) Du ring Game-Turn One, all Union units
north of hex row XXIO may move (all of Lyon's
Division plus independents) and all Union leaders
may move. Sigel's force cannot move except Sigel
himself on Game-Turn One.
[27.33) The Confederate cavalry units which
begin play already romed may not rally until the
Confederate Rally Phase of Game-Turn Four.
These units were routed before the time frame
covered by this scenario and were considerably
disorganized. Union units do not get the move-
ment bonus in this scenario; delete Section 24.0.
 5

[27.34J The supply wagons and Pearce's Brigade
may not move till Confederate Game-Turn Four.
[27.35] The alert rules (Section 22.0) are not used
in this scenario, and all Confederate units are
already alerted at the start of the game.
(27.36] The Confederate units are deployed in the
hexes and formations listed in Case 27.2.
[27.37] Victory conditions are the same as those
used in Option #3. See Section 26.0 of Wilson's
Creek Exclusive Rules.
Designer Notas
Overall, the game developed very
smoothly. it seems to be a real Player's game.
It allows the Union Player many options of
strategy and tactics, while the Rebel Player's
reaction techniques are tested to the limit.
25 rounds average per man since the cam- loch's men were equipped with Springfield
paign started two weeks before the battle. To rifles from the Little Rock arsenal. The
add to the Rebels' problems, Price's army of Union force had a common weapon - also
Missourians was equipped with shotguns and the Springfield. My dilemma was that if I in-
flint-lock rifles/smoothbores, while McCul- creased the chances of the Rebel Player am-
mo depleting, then in game strategy it would
SUMMARY OF COMBAT UNIT TYPES greatly benefit the Union Player to sit and
Front Back wait for the Rebels to ammo deplete
themselves and then attack. I decided to
1 Ark
MrlnlSh leave ammo depletion at noI'mal for the Con-
[nfan/ry federate Player and decrease the chance for
RTD
the Union Player while changing the original
victory conditions. Only half a point was
14 Voc 14 Var awarded to each Union strength point still on
McC,\nd MrCslnd
the map with a line of communications, in-
r pt Cavalry
p~ stead of a full point. The game balanced out
nicely during the play-testing.

-- I
Both Players must be adept at offense as well There were many people who aided my
Nelson Nelsen
as defense. Most of my design material came Indpnl Indpnl effort in the design of Wilson's Creek. I first
from source number six in my bibliography Artillery
wish to thank Jim Dunnigan for listening to
and from my personal correspondance with '-TO: unlimbered limbered my comments in a seminar at Origins '79 and
Mr. Edwin C. Bearss. then enlisting me to make this game for SPI.

I~'
The biggest problem in designing the Tom Bennett has given me constant and un-
game was that the TSS system was revised tiring support on this game. He was primary
after my initial design was submitted to SPI. s,'," W,"" blind-tester in the early stages of the game's
From that revision, two problems arose. ere wed uncrewed
design. Finally, the entire group of the
First, the map had to be scrapped. My Pioneer Valley Military Strategy Club of
geological survey map made creation of
another map easier than anticipated, but un-
fortunately I did not ask to approve the final
version of the map before blind-testing was
[J "lnK
I/\' 4 full
crew
Artillery Crew
Springfield, Massachusetts, was im-
measurably helpful in blind-testing the final
version of Wilson's Creek.
Bibliography

D
initiated. I say "unfortunately," because
most of my errata did not get onto the final Wagon Supply Wagon Crew 1. Official Records of the Rebellion,
printed map. The original map was filled Crew Series I, Volume 3
with steep crest hexsides. While they, as well 2. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War,
as other corrections, did not get onto the Volume 1

D
map, 1 found that during the play of the Van Om
game the many contour changes achieved the ~iJ
Division Leader 3. Memoirs: Historical and Personal;
same result. Brush hexes were the second 10 2 Including the Campaigns of the First
problem. The area around Wilson Creek Missouri Confederate Brigade, by Ephraim
abounds with large oak trees and con- Anderson, copywritten 1868
Slork Slork
siderable dense undergrowth. However, Van Drn Bri/:ade Leader Van Om 4. A Southern Record: The History of the
none of this type of terrain deterred artillery ~~ REPL Third Louisiana Infantry, by W. H.
3 1 (5) 20(2)
from firing to various contour levels as Tunnard, copywritten 1866
desired: hence the rule that ignores brush 5. Confederate Cavalry West of the River,

D
hexes for artillery fire but retains a modified 8rigade by Stephen B. Oates, copywritten 1961
Cmdr Replacement Leader
woods hex for infantry fire. RRPL
My next big hassle was the alert rules 2 0 (2) 6. The Battle of Wilson Creek, by Edwin
and the variable Union entry options. As C. Bearss, copywritten 1975
7. An Account of the Battle of Wilson

o
originally conceived, my alert rules just did SUMMARY OF MARKER TYPES
not provide the flavor of attacking an un- Creek or Oak Hi/ls, by Holcombe and
suspecting enemy camp. Tom Hudson, the Pinned
r::l
0
Adams, copywritten 1961
SPI game developer, really coalesced the sur-
prise attack situation with the many Union
entry options. The entry options are actual
L:J Routed
8. General Nathaniel Lyon and Missouri
in 1861, by James Peckham,
copywritten 1866
avenues of attack that Union General Lyon
had contemplated using. The only change
that I had to make in the alert rules was the
Column Forma/ion

Engaged
Q
0
9. Civil War on the Western Border:
1854-1865, by Jay Monaghan,
copywritten 1965
deletion of the possible loss of horses due to
the Rebel camp being alerted during the Con- 10. General Stirling Price, by Albert

D
federate Player-Turn. There is no historical Castel, copywritten 1961
Ammo
fact to base that rule on. In the actual battle, Depltd Ammunition Depleted
all of the Rebel cavalry were routed from Addenda
Sharp's cornfield by Sigel's guns, and [22.5] (correction) C.onfederate Cavalry

[2]
somehow the Rebs managed to escape to the Panic.
woods with their horses. Current Slrenglh Delete reference to case 22.32. Confederate
The ammo balance between the two cavalry cannot loose their horses if they are
sides was the last hurdle. The Union army alerted in the Confederate Player-Turn.

D
stuffed their pockets with ammo and percus- Game Scale (addition) The game scale is 125
sion caps just before leaving Springfield to GameTum yards from hexside to hexside. Each Strength
attack the sleeping Rebel camp. The Rebels, Point represents 100 men or I gun. Each
on the other hand, had been carrying about Game-Turn represents t~enty minutes .
6
SCENARIOS & VARIANTS
ON LlrrLE ROUND TOP
A Revision for Terrible Swift Sword
by Harry Roach, EDITOR, MILITARY IMAGES MAGAZINE
Since we dit1 a little revision/correction of
Wilson's Creek in this issue, it seemed not in-
appropriate to run a revisionist article on the
system's parent game, Temble Swifr Sword.
In case you didn't keep track, there are now
six games in the system (with the promise of
more to come if you all go for the series-style
numbers). And if, by chance, you're one of
the seven people in the world who don't
have the original game, you should by all
means go get a copy - and we'll keep on
revising and spinning it off for you . - RAS
After numerous playings of the Little
Round Top/ Peach Orchard scenario of Ter-
rible Swift Sword, it became apparent that it
was almost impossible for the Confederates
to reach Little Round Top in any strength. In
the actual battle, Law's brigade and half of
Robertson's reached the hill practically
unscathed to begin their contest with Vin-
cent's brigade of the Federal V Corps.
Research on the subject revealed major
errors in the Initial Deployment instructions
for the scenario, particularly On the Union
side. Where the historic line formed a salient,
the game instructions call for placement of
the 1st Division/ III Corps on a roughly
straight north-south line from hex 0130 to
1627. In fact, the di vision's line ran south on-
ly to hex 0532 (the apex of the salient) then
turned east for quite a distance before jog-
ging southeast to encompass Devil's Den.
The dispositions given below more ac-
curately reflect the actual locations of the
troops, insofar as brigades are concerned.
Regimental locations within the brigade line
are arbitrary. If the player will set up Map C
according to the following directions, the
discussion will be easier to follow:
Graham's Brigade (1/1/1111: All units
placed as per original directions except 2nd
N.J. Light Arty, 0531. Henry Hunt, Chief of
Artillery for thc Army of the Potomac, states
that this unit was on the lower leg of the
triangle, facing south . Battery E, 1st R.I.,
was at the apex facing west. There is one
mystery unit for which no location is given:
Battery K, 4th U.S. Hunt states that this unit
was pulled from the right of the IJI Corps line
and placed on "the left of the Smith House,"
but there is no Smith House on any map I
have perused. A visit to Gettysburg to locate
the monument of K, 4th U.S., would solve
the problem. In the meantime, I have placed
this unit at 0530, on the left of the Scherfy
house. In addition, two units in the infantry
reserve stacks should be eliminated: 5th N.J.
(3/UIII) and 9th Mass. (2/l/V). Both were
detached on picket duty and did not par-
ticipate in the fighting on this particular por-
tion of the field.
Ward's Brigade (2/1/111): 1st U.S.S.S.,
0925; 86th N.Y., 1025; 20th Ind., 1126; 99th
Pa. & 4th N.Y. Lt. Arty, 1225; 124th N.Y.,
1224; 3d & 4th Maine, 1324; 2d U.S.S.S.,
1726. All sources agree that this brigade oc-
cupied Devil's Den with the exception of the
2d U.S.S.S., which was placed at the foot of
Big Round Top. There is some evidence that
Devil's Den was not as heavily wooded as
portrayed on Map C, which seems to be bas-
ed on the present-day foliage. Therefore I
would treat hexes 1325, 1326, and 1226 as
clear terrain hexes.
%,:~. . _~>.t,~f:':r!:~".""
:.~~~,
DeTrobriand's Brigade (3/1/11\): 17th
Maine & 40th N.Y., 0626; 3d & 5th Mich.,
0625; 110th Pa . & Battery D, 4th N.Y. Lt.
Arty, 0725. Confederate brigade commander
Joseph Kershaw states that his first-wave
unit passed through the Rose Farm (approx.
hex 0831) and into the woods beyond without
opposition. DeTrobriand's brigade then at-
tacked him in two lines from across the
Wheatfield. This brigade should thus be
placed on the northea~t side of the Wheat-
field, not in the Rose Woods. DeTrobriand
was followed by the brigades of Tilton
(l / l/V) and Sweitzer (2/ 1/ V), and
Caldwell's division (l/JI), who pushed Ker-
shaw back to the Rose Farm and were then
enveloped and routed in turn by the brigades
of Semmes and Wofford.
Which brings us to the subject of Con-
federate unit dispositions. In the interest of
accuracy - if one wishes to play an historical
scenario rather than a "what-if" situation-
Confederate units should be assigned initial
dispositions and a timetable as are the
Federal units. I would suggest the following:
Law's .Brigade: 44th & 48th Ala. , 2131;
15th Ala., 2031; 4th & 47th Ala., 1932.
Robertson's Brigade: 4th & 5th Texas,
1832; 1st Texas & 3d Ark., 1733.
Benning's Brigade: 15th & 17th Ga.,
2133; 2d & 20th Ga., 2033.
Anderson's Brigade: 8th Ga., 1834; 11th
& 59th Ga., 1735; 7th & 9th Ga., 2033.
The division's artillery was massed on
its left, so place it in line from 1434 to 1633.
It is clear from the records that most of
Hood's division formed up east of the Em-
mitsburg road "in heavy woods . . . at an
acu te angle" to the road, so treat this area as
wooded terrain. General Warren on Little
Round Top ordered the 4th N.Y. battery
(hex 1225) to fire a shot into these woods
"between Plum Run and the Emmitsburg
road," thus revealing the Confederate loca-
tion. When Hood's first wave attacked (Law
on the right, Robertson on the left), the units
became intermingled in traversing the rough
ground. The 15th & 47th Alabama pushed
aside the 2d U.S.S.S. and advanced to the
summit of Big Round Top. The 1st Texas, 3d
Arkansas, and 44th Alabama attacked
Ward's brigade in Devil's Den and were join-
ed on the left by the brigades of Benning and
Anderson. Ward's brigade was pushed out of
the Den after heavy fighting, and was then
reinforced by the two brigades of U.S.
regulars (2/ V). While all this was going on,
the 4th & 5th Texas and 4th & 48th Alabama
marched in column up the Plum Run Valley
to Little Round Top, where they formed in
line of battle to attack Vincent's brigade
(3/ l/V). The 15th & 47th Alabama came
down from Big Round Top and formed on
their right. These latter two units were engag-
ed in the famous fight with the 20th Maine.
Kershaw's Brigade: 3d & 7th S.C., 1135;
15th S.c., 1035; 8th S.c. & 3d bn., 0936;
2d S.C., 0836.
Semmes's Brigade: 10th Ga., 1335; 53d
Ga., 1235; 51st Ga., 1136; 50th Ga., 1036.
Wofford's Brigade: 16th & 18th Ga'.,
0738; Cobb/ Phillips, 0638; 24th Ga., 0539.

Barksdale's Brigade 13th Miss., 0636;
21st Miss., 0537; 17th & 18th Miss., 0436.
Cabell's artillery battalion was on
Kershaw' s right, 1234, 1334. Alexander's
was on the left of Barksdale, 0137-0336. Ker-
shaw states that his brigade was the first in
McLaw ' s division to advance, followed by
Semmes. Barksdale did not advance
simultaneously. Kershaw's unit went for-
ward with its center guiding on the Rose
Farm (0831). After crossing the Emmitsburg
road, the tHree left flank regiments faced left
to attack the Peach Orchard line held by
Graham' s brigade (l / 1/1II), while the re-
mainder of Kershaw's brigade passed into
the Rose Woods. It is clear from Kershaw's
description that hexes 0928, 0929, and 0930
should be clear terrain hexes, not wooded.
The drawing at the bottom of page 334, Bal-
tIes & Leaders, volume III, verifies this fact.
Once in the woods, Kershaw was attacked by
DeTrobriand.
Establishing a timetable for the Con-
federates presents few problems. The divi-
sions were to attack in echelon from right to
left, beginning with Hood 's first wave, thus:
1600: Law & Robertson advance
1620: Benning, Anderson, & Kershaw
1640: Semmes & Barksdale
1700: Wofford
A few alterations also must be made in
the Union timetable for release of reserve
units:
1600: 3/ 1/ V & Battery D, 5th U.S.
1620: balance of I / V
1640: begin arrival of 1111
In addition, certain Union brigades
should be given independent status and ex-
empted from divisional command and con-
trol rules: Ward (2 / 11III) fought his own
private battle in Devil's Den; Vincent
(31 11 V) , Tilton (lIl I V), and Sweitzer
7
(2/I1V) all showed great initiative during the
battle. Their division commander, James
Barnes, was an especially ineffectual1eader,
and was relegated to command of a prison
camp after the battle.
With these changes, the Second Day
scenario more closely approximates the
historical situation. The Confederates have a
shot at Little Round Top.
References
Battles & Leaders of the Civil War. Arti-
cles by Henry Hunt, Joseph Kershaw, and
Evander Law are particularly relevant.
O.W. Norton, The Attack and Defense
of Little Round Top. Published in 1913, this
book remains the standard referen ce of this
portion of the battle. It is a thorough,
systematic analysis that leaves few questions
unanswered.
William Frassanito, Gettysburg: A
Journey in Time. This is especially helpful in
the areas of Devil's Den and the Rose
Farm .
8
PROFILE & CRITIQUE
ERIC GOLDBERG'S KURSK
Intensity in the East
by Thomas Hudson
I know I'm eventually going to get a lot of
questions as to why I made Eric's name so
big on the Kursk gamebox (and John Hill's
on the BarrIe for Stalingrad gameboxl. Well,
partly it's to distinguish between this brand
new Kursk game and the old Kursk game.
The Goldberg design is a completely new
game that doesn't resemble the old one in
much of anything. Of course, there's
another reason for the big designers' names,
but you're going to have to guess that one.
-RAS
Finally, the long awaited and much
heralded game on one of the epic battles of
WWII - Kursk - has been published by
SPI. Eric Goldberg's Kursk (the title makes
one wonder if we are entering an era of
"famous" game designers) is a complex
game, and, in the words of the designer, a
"most ambitious undertaking." Kursk is a
major effort, taking well over a year to pro-
duce, and deserves an in-depth analysis.
Readers of this magazine, as well as of S&1:
have, no doubt, followed the on-again, off-
again progress of Kursk, from its original in-
ception as a PGG spin-off, designed by Brent
Nosworthy, -to its totally redesigned version
by Mr. Goldberg.
Mr, Goldberg seems to represent the
"historical analysis intensive" school of
game design (if all the information is there,
the game will take care of itself) as opposed
to the " design for effect" school, perhaps
best represented by John Hill. For example,
Mr. Hill's latest effort, Battlejor Stalingrad,
which has counters with little or no historical
information on them, is indicative of an ap-
proach to design that dismisses much of the
information dear to Mr. Goldberg as irrele-
vent toward the achievement of his ends,
which are, generally, entertainment and the
cre.a tion of a certain "feel" for the subject. I
find it interesting that SPI has recently
published games by both gentlemen: Eric
Goldberg's Kursk and John Hill's Battlejor
Stalingrad.
The amount of research and informa-
tion in Kursk is staggering. Kursk can almost
be considered an historical document (some-
thing almost unheard of in the hobby). How
much of the information is necessary and im-
portant is something else again, but Mr.
Goldberg has presented the owner of Kursk
with probably the most accurate O.B. ever
devised for an East Front game. Players
would be well advised to spend considerable
time absorbing the lengthy O.B. information
before attempting to play the game. Players
are urged to forego the Optional Command
System Rules (11.5) and get the thing right to
begin with - you wouldn't want to render
most of the information pointless, would
you? Kursk is a complex affair, and players
should not sit down to play unless they are
willing to spend a considerable amount of
time studying the game and planning. (In this
respect the game resembles the award win-
ning Green Fields Beyond).
Before scaring off those who run for the
hills at the first hint of complexity, let me say
that the game mechanics are relatively easy to
assimilate. Although the game is fairly in-
novative in many areas (the combat routine is
especially interesting), Kursk remains a dis-
tant cousin to Panzergruppe Guderian and
other PGG system related games. I suspect
that Mr. Goldberg would resent any com-
parison to PGG system games, but, be that
as it may, the familiar old bones are there in
Kursk. Players already familiar with over-
run, mech movement and so on will have an
excellent jumping off point when trying to
master Kursk. As for the rest, a complete
course in army administration for only $15 is
quite a bargain.
Setting up the game is a pain. Even
though the game includes lengthy O.B. infor-
mation and various playing aids, the sheer
amount of information is, at first, over-
whelming. To facilitate set-up, the game in-
cludes two Deployment Displays: one Soviet
(broken down into fronts) and one German
(broken down into armies). As helpful as
that is, perhaps the most useful touch for set-
up, and for play of the game, are the
counters themselves. A Kursk set-up is a very
attractive visual array; the German counters
are in various shades of gray and green(each
army having its own individual shade) and
the Soviet counters are in shades of orange,
red, and pink (according to front). The visual
presentation not only speeds set-up (cutting
down a seemingly endless task to a
manageable two hours) but also greatly eases
play. The counters also indicate which units
are capable of mech movement, a capability
repre,sented by yet another band of color.
The Mechanics of Kursk
The basic sequence of play follows
rather closely that of PGG. First, both
players participate in a rather abstract Air
War Phase (the air game is given as an op-
tional rule, but I suggest its use as it is fairly
simple to perform and adds a nice seasoning
to the game). The German player then moves
his units in the Initial Movement Phase, per-
forming overruns as he goes. Movement is
greatly affected by a unit's mode (a very im
portant concept in the game). The three
voluntary modes a unit can be in are: mobile
(units are always considered in mobile mode
unless otherwise designated by a neutral
counter), assault, and static. Units in static
or assault modes have only half their normal
movement allowance and may not perform
overruns.
After the Initial Movement Phase comes
the First Segment Combat. Units in static
mode may not attack (though they receive
beneficial shifts on the CRT when attacked
- static mode is the defensive mode). Units
in assault mode may attack twice, creating in
effect two rounds of combat.
Following combat comes the Mechaniz-
ed Movement Phase in which units may once
again perform overruns. After the Mech
Movement Phase, the German player-turn is
concluded with the Disruption Removal and
Reorganization Phases.
The movement system follows fairly
standard lines once modes have. been deter-
mined. Units must SLOp when entering enemy
ZOC's, though units may exit ZOC's at the
beginning of the Movement Phase by ex-
pending movement points. German units
may "infiltrate" - move from zoe directly
to zoe - in the first Movement Phase only.
Rail movement is presented with two lines:

single track and double track.
Overrunning units that lose steps while
overrunning may continue movement, the
single criterion for a successful overrun being
whether or not the defending unit retreats
from the hex . Defending units that retreat as
a result of overrun also become disrupted.
Disrupted units may neither move nor at-
tack, though they continue to exert ZOe's.
Stacking is by the point (not to be con-
fused with steps); 6 points may stack in a hex,
which works out per hex to three German or
two Soviet units (not including anti-tank or
artillery units, which stack additionally) .
The combat system is one of the many
unique features of Kursk. The combat pro-
cedure involves two segments: the Gun Seg-
ment and the Combat Segment. In the Gun
Segment, anti-tank units stacked with the
defending units "attack" the attacking
units. Attacking steps lost in the Gun Seg-
ment are lost before the attack is carried out.
The attacking strength may bc further
decreased by defending artillery units . This
procedure is called suppression . Surviving at-
tacking units (hen apply their attack strength
against the defending units.
Combat units in Kursk do not have a
defense strength per se; rather, the step value
of the defending units serve to modify the at-
tack die-roll. The attacking strength may be
further modified by a number of column
shifts on the CRT. The attacking strength
can be favorably modified by artillery units
(called barrage) in the form of column shifts
for the Soviets and an addition of strength
points for the Germans. Besides column
shifts for terrain and modes, there are shifts
for air . points and the composition of the
defending stack (units stacked together from
different armies or fronts or in independent
command receive an unfavorable shift on the
CRT). Combat results are in either "steps
lost," "hexes retreated," or a combination
of both. The mode of the defending units
strictly limits the number of hexes they may
retreat. The mode may also either increase or
decrease the intensity of combat in terms of
losses.
Mr. Goldberg's rules are generally clear
and concise; however, he occasionally drifts
into some quite inaccessable passages. One
example is taken from the retreat section: "A
unit is retreated three hexes. Optimally, the
shortest route from the hex in which it ends
its retreat to the hex from which it was
retreated is three hexes." Ah .....
An interesting note here: Kursk has a
modified version of the PCC untried unit
system. Some Soviet rifle divisions have a
" ?" in place of the unit's designation (not
combat values). When such a unit takes a
step loss, the unit is flipped over to reveal its
"surprise" value. Some of these units have a
"0" value and are removed from play oncc
they ha ve taken a step loss .
Headquarters and Command
The heart of the Kursk game system is
the Headquarters-Command System. Head-
quarters affect almost every aspect of the
game . Combat units are considered to be in
the same mode as their HQ . Generally, for a
unit to be in supply, it must be able to trace a
Line of Communications to its parent HQ.
Units are given a limited ability to trace supp-
ly without the use of HQ's, but this method is
much less efficient . A Line of Communica-
tions is always 7 hexes, which is unaffected
by enemy ZOe's or units! Once a Line of
Communications has been established, the
HQ itself must be in supply in order to serve
as a source of supply. A disrupted HQ can-
not function as a source of supply. A unit
that is either out of supply or unable to trace
a Line of Communication has its movement
allowance halved and may not conduct over-
runs. A unit out of supply has its combat
strength halved. A limited number of units
may be designated as independent com-
mand.
The command and supply systems are
very important in the play of Kursk; the
players must always keep in mind the
organization of their various army forma-
tions. Since supply is determined at the in-
stant of combat, there is considerable in-
fighting, giving the game a nice tactical feel.
HQ's also supply the German units with
anti-tank and artillery points (the Soviet anti-
tank and artillery are represented by in-
dividual counters). The German player -is
thus faced with a dilemma; he must decide
whether or not to keep his HQ's out of
harm's way or to bring them close to the
scene of action in support of his units. I find
that problems like this presented to the
player always add enjoyment and interest to
a game.
Another nice feature of Kursk is the
deployment of the Soviet artillery and anti-
tank units. They come in various strengths,
and before play starts they are all inverted so
neither player knows their exact strength.
Then the Soviet player chooses a limited
number of them and deploys them as he sees
fit, not knowing their actual strength until
used. The deployment of the artillery and
anti-tank units is very important, so the
Soviet player should take some care with
their placement.
Both players have the capacity to
"breakdown" a limited number of their
units into smaller formations. The mechanics
for breakdown are rather simple.
Once players have digested the rules on
mechanics, they then move on to the in-
famous Scenario Format section of the rules.
As mentioned previously, setting up one of
the scenarios is not an easy task. initially, all
HQ's called for in the scenario are placed on
the map; players generally have no leeway in
the placement of Headquarters. The combat
units themselves are placed on the map as the
owning player sees fit so long as they meet the
following criteria: 1) they are placed on their
own si.de of the front; 2) they are placed in
supply and communication; and 3) every
front line hex is either occupied or in the
ZOC of a friendly unit.
This brings us to the most confusing and
convoluted part of the rules - The Order of
Battle and Set-up Sections . Each combat unit
has at least one of 21 possible "indicator let-
ters" printed on it. The indicator letter tells
whether or not a unit is in play at the beginn-
9
ing of the scenario, if the unit begins off-map
as a possible reinforcement, if the unit is not
involved in the scenario at all, and finally if
the unit begins play at reduced strength. In
the scenario I played, there were 6 indicator
letters indicating various units were in-play, 8
indicating various units were possible rein-
forcements, and 7 showing which units
weren't in play at all!
There are no introductory scenarios in
Kursk. All three scenarios are complete
games that use the whole map and the ma-
jority of the counters.
As a final note before moving on to an
actual playing of Kursk, there are surprising-
ly few charts included in the game, and of
those, the majority are playing aids. The
designer should especially be commended for
the inclusion of the Miscellaneous Informa-
tion Table, which serves as a general review
of the rules that are most easily forgotten and
would otherwise have to be looked up .
Kursk in Action
The May scenario is not the historical
scenario, but rather a hypothetical one
presented by Mr. Goldberg as an important
"what-if." The actual historical battle is
represented by the July scenario: Hitler 's
Plan. Mr.. Goldberg states in the July
scenario commentary that the Battle of
Kursk was a foredoomed affair forced on the
German General Staff by Hitler. Because
Mr. Goldberg hints that this scenario is
somewhat unbalanced against the Germans,
one has the impression that it would be bor-
ing to play. But, in all fairness to the
designer, I will reserve further comment until
I play it. The August scenario, The Begin-
ning oj the End, simulates the Soviet
counterattack, and promised to be an engag-
ing game, but again, I haven't played that
scenario, so I won't say anything further.
The May scenario simulates the attack
planned by the German General Staff in
order to catch the Soviets before their
Siberian reinforcements could arrive. But
Hitler wanted to wait until his armies could
be reinforced with the new Panther tanks .
The result was the fiasco of Kursk. Mr.
Goldberg maintains that the General Staff's
plan (Von Manstein's plan) was the
German's best chance.
The special .rules for the scenario in-
dicate that many of the reinforcements (for
both players) are conditional and won't enter
play until "triggered." The German rein-
forcements are triggered if any German unit
reaches Lgov, or if a German unit comes to .
wtihin two hexes of Kursk. As those two hex';; .
are centrally located, and the capture of them
practicially assures the German player of vic-
tory (they are worth 50 of the 71 victory
points needed to win), they are the obvious
objectives.
The Soviet player begins ttie game with a
healthy portion of his army in reserve. Until
these reserves are activated, they can take lit-
tle part in the game. Reserves can be ac-
tivated in two ways: \) if the German player
attacks them, or 2) if the Soviet player
"spends" 1 victory point. Once activated the
German player receives 1 victory point per
10
game-turn until game-turn 8. This is another
dilemma for the German player (choices like
this are always desirable in a game) - to ac-
tivate or not to activate.
Practically all of the Soviet rein-
forcements are conditional, and predicated
on German actions. Soviet reinforcements
are activated if the German player captures
various cities (including Lgov and Kursk)
and if a German unit enters a "trigger" hex.
Trigger hexes are a line of hexes that run
behind the Soviet front line, generally at a
distance of th~ee to four hexes.
Kursk and Lgov are in the center of a
huge pocket (The Kursk Pocket), surround-
ed on three sides by German units. The Ger-
mans have three powerful panzer armies on
the south facing a relatively weak force in the
Voronezh Front. On the north the Germans
are strong too, but face a powerful defensive
force in the Central Front troops. As the
game is only nine game-turns long, my initial
plan was to attack hard almost the entire
length of the front, especially at the bases of
the pocket, both in an attempt to reduce it
and, in the process, perhaps destroy the en-
tire Soviet Army. The Soviet fo rces outside
the pocket were not inconsiderable and had
to be kept in mind.
The German player has a slight edge in
the initial set-up because the Soviet player
must deploy his units first, thereby letting the
German player know the modes of his oppo-
nent before he deploys. B.F. (my opponent)
deployed his units in the pocket in static
mode, those a little farther away in mobile
mode and those farthest away in assault
mode. On the first Game-Turn I placed all
bu t those units farthest away from the pocket
in assault mode. The rest I placed in mobile
mode.
On Game-Turn one, I attacked all along
the line in a manner that sent paroxysms of
glee through B.F. One lesson I learned im-
mediately was: mass. MASS! In order for
any attack to be effective, the weight of at-
tack must be massed at key locations.
Another quick lesson was that players should
generally mix the modes of their units and
keep some units in mobile mode; it' s
delightful to be able to soften up the defense
with overruns. A related point is that anti-
tank units are quite brittle defending against
overruns. Surprisingly, I made some progress
against the northern side of the pocket, cap-
turing Dmitriyev-L'gorsky and destroying
the 60/ CF HQ. The progress I mad,e against
the northern side of the pocket I attribute to
B.F. 's somewhat poor deployment. B.F. did
not stack his weaker units (admittedly the ap-
pearance of Soviet strength on this front is il-
lusionary) , and because of the nature of the
defense system, stacks with low step value ac-
.tually help the attacker.
As it turned out, the cost for my success
in the north was steep. To gain weight for my
attacks around Olkhovatka, I had stripped
my lines around Ore!. The result was a
vicious Soviet counterattack. Luckily, B.F.
couldn' t take full advantage of my blunder
because most of his units were weak. The
counterattack didn't reach Ore!.
In the south I made good progress,
reaching to within one hex of Oboyan. I had
initially decided to let the sleeping giant lie
and not drive toward locales that would trig-
ger Soviet reserves - except those locales in
the pocket itsel f: Kursk, Lgov and Oboyan.
I almost panicked when the Soviet
player counterattacked toward Kharkov
while my units melt away. The Soviet attack
reached to within two hexes of Kharkov.
On Game-Turn Two, I had mixed suc-
cess: I captured Oboyan, Lgov and reached
to within two hexes of Kursk. However,
some of the blunders I made on the first
Game-Tum came back to haunt me. B.F.
was able to cut me up pretty bad around
Oboyan and actually drove me out of the ci-
ty, though with very heavy losses. He con-
tinued to attack in the Ore I area but he called
off his attacks around Kharkov, throwing
those forces into the fight around Belgorod.
On Game-Turn Three, I retook Oboyan
and came to within one hex of Kursk, at a
cost that proved to be disastrous. B.F.
almost eliminated my entire force around
Kursk, destroying three whole divisions! He
retook Oboyan in decisive fashion, although
his drive to retake Lgov proved to be ineffec-
tive. Seeing that I had stripped my northern
line in order to defend Orel, B.F. attacked
toward Bryansk. His initial success almost
devastated me, but luckily the Soviet forces
were weak. Another lesson learned.
On Game-Turn Four, I was able to cut
through and save the rest of my forces
around Kursk. However, with the arrival of
two Soviet reserve armies I could see the
handwriting on the wal!. I would never be
able to retake Kursk and even though the
Soviet losses were high, mine more than off-
set them. I conceded a tactical Soviet victory.
After-Action Report
Kursk is not a game with lightning
penetration and deep thrusts; it does reward
the careful planner. Kursk is a game that can-
not be mastered easily. A game between two
inexperienced players can be a rather dull,
sloppy affair, with little action and lots of
breaks to look up details in the rules. This is
no t a criticism of the game, however. Once
mastered, the game is an absorbing and in-
teresting simulation, with many subtleties.
One can even admire the intricate workings
of the many parts and sub-systems. The rules
are generally clear and there were no major
lapses or gliches in the rules that rendered the
game unplayable.
Kursk is not a game to approach lightly;
it is akin to a monster game even though it
has but one map . In our game we spent a
good two hours on each game-turn, probably
the norm for even experienced players. Nor
can Kursk be recommended for those that
are put off by complexity. For those who do
not mind complexity and have a large chunk
of time to invest in it, the game can be vastly
rewarding.
A Critical Analysis
As far as I am concerned, the designer
has indeed attained his goals. He has
given players a truly impressive O.B. thaI
must stand as a standard of excellence in the
industry. He has created a simulation that re-
quires hard work and rewards that work. He
has given players a complex and intricate
game that can delight those who perceive its
subtleties, and he has accomplished all this
with great ability.
For all of the game's achievements, I
can't give myself over to unq ualified praise. I
can't whip up much enthusiasm for the
game. I would guess tha.t's the way Mr.
Goldberg feels about it too. I can't picture
the designer getting Kursk off his shelf to
play it .... ever. Now is that necessarily a
criticism?
This judgment is perhaps uncalled for,
but the nature of Mr. Goldberg's achieve-
ment thrusts the game in the forefront of the
hobby in many ways. With Kursk, a game
which is clearly state-of-the-art, one gets the
feeling that it is a competent design, a rehash
of many "good" game systems, by a
designer who delights in complexity for no
other reason than to display his considerable
talents. One feels that the designer would
never want to play this game, that for him
there are no absorbing concepts or problems
that attract and excite him to further crea-
tion.
The designer should be justly proud, in
that he has achieved his aims: layers of com-
plexity that do hold together. One only
regrets that the designer (for all his ambition)
set his goals too low.
Erratum
The city of 8elgurod (1520) should have a
Victory Point value of "2/ 10."
Are You Changing
Your Address?
If YOIl a re. YOIl mus t leI. us know in advance in
order to avoid missing an y of your isslles of
Ares, S&Tand/ or MOVES .
1. Your name - as it appears on the mail ing
label of your A res, S& Tand/ or MO VES.
2. Your Customer Code and Expiration Codes
(this is the very lap li ne o f information on your
mailing label) .
3. Your old address (clearly indica te it is
"old" address).
4. Yo ur new address (clearly indica te it is
" new" address).
5. The effective dale or your new address.
When YOIl send us a ~hange of address, don't
enclos e any ofher ~ o rres pondence that does not
pertain to thal change - it just slows up the
processing of [he change and creates a
possibilit y of mi ssed in forma tio,n. A postcard
is best. Write LO:
Simulations Publications, Inc.
Customer Service, COA Dept.
257 Park Avenue South
New York. New York 10010

GAME PROFILE
THESONOFTHE
SON OFSQUAD LEADER
Crescendo of Doom: the Latest Growth
by John G. '"Alsen
I joke a great deal about this game system -
not, as one defensive reader supposed,
because I secretly admire it - but because it
is so unabashedly a kitchen sink style design
that succeeds in charming its adherents into
suspension of disbelief. There's nothing so
bad about that - but there's nothing wrong
with me tweaking old AH a bit now and then
either - particularly if I print a basically com -
plimentary article on one of their products.
Now I wonder where that 'Crescendo of
Doom' title comes from? And why AH per-
sists in the propaganda that their products
are so well developed that they never need
errata? Tweak. Tweak. - RA S
For Origins '7S, Avalon Hill promised
us two additions to their production of John
Hill's Squad Leader. One, Cross ojIron, was
delivered, but the othcr, Crescendo oj
Doom, was delayed. The long wait by Squad
Leader fans for this gamette was ended this
year when the game was finally publishcd.
Avalon Hill has obviously used the timc to
their advantage and to the advantage of
gamer~ interested in the SL system.
This gametle is not inexpensive with its
price tag of $15. Keeping in mind that owner-
ship of both Squad Leader and Cross oj Iron
is necessary to understand and use the
gamette, one would question what can
possibly be added to command a price this
steep. The components are, however, im-
pressive and include two mounted geomor-
phic mapboards, 1324 double-printed 112"
and 5/S" counters, a 36-page rule book, and
eight cardstock sheets with twelve scenarios
and two with various charts and tables. All
this just barely fils into AH's I" box.
Considering the number of com-
ponents, the box is inadequate. Considering
the numb.er of components in the SL system,
all three boxes are not enough. By the time
you have sorted the COl counters, your
original SL game has grown to 7 mapboards,
over 3100 counters, lOS pages of rules and
hard data, and - if you havc subscribed to
The General and purchased supplemental
scenarios - 29 cards of scenarios and game
tables (LOtal cost about $43.00). This is a tru-
ly impressive package and is the equal of any
of today's monster games. Storing this much
material requires some additional funds. For
example, I have the units sorted into a 36
drawer storage case (with room available for
maybe one more gamette). The rules, map-
boards, and charts are stored in the three
boxes, and the informational countcrs are
separated into four shallow plastic boxes to
facilitate use. Anyone who plays the game
frequently is going to need something along
these lines because of the quantity involved.
Refinement
Generally speaking, Crescendo oj
Doom introduces combat circa 1939 to 1941.
Most of the rules and counters are included
with this in mind. Unlike COl, Crescendo
does not include any major alterations to the
game system established in the first two
games . The emphasis here is on expansion,
clarification, fefinement and chrome.
Both new mapboards introduce major
terrain features, and each map concentrates
on one of them. Map #6 is a French chateau
accompanied by an orchard. The chateau is
just a large building and does not need any
special rules. The orchard is described as
woods without dense undergrowth. These
lesser woods hexes allow sighting into t..,,'o
hexes in summer and three hexes in winter.
Machinegun fire is unaffected for two hexes
and halved thereafter. Sighting from a higher
elevation creates a blind hex behind the or-
chard along the line of sight in summer only.
Board #7 is a river which extends length-
wise on the board between four and nine
hexes wide. The river includes islands and
many additional marshland hexes . Specific
rules for the fiver include fording, depth,
{low, bridges and assault craft with seasonal
variations. The rules for marsh hexes are
slightly changed in that they may now be
entered in the normal movement phase if
crossing a clear terrain hexside.
The boards do not have the hex size
problem of the original SL boards, but the
color is not exactly the same, being of a
slightly darker hue. Each hex still has the lit-
tle white dot near the middle.
The counters are a pleasant surprise
after the coloration and cutting problems of
COl. All were uniformly colored and
centered on the individual counters on both
sides. The British and their allies are on a tan
background. The French are on a medium
shade of blue. Minor Allied forces are on a
pale green. Informational counters are all
white. All printing is black. There are three
major deviations from counters in the
previous games. First, each infantry squad
and crew now has an identification letter. It
is up to the gamer to letter his existing Ger-
man, Soviet, and American units: hard to do
on the shiny counters and impossible if
you've already numbered them.
The wreck side of all vehicle counters
is black on white. Those of us who had prob-
lems distinguishing functioning vehicles
11
from wrecks and moved them will no longer
have this problem. Some of the vehicle
counters have an asterisk (*) on them. This
symbology is not explained in the game. As
near as I can tell the asterisk refers to a vehi-
cle with a special characteristic found only in
the armor listings for all AFV's. On a final
note, none of the crew-served ordnance have
yet been given an identification letter even
though they are affected by the same rules
which require AFV's to have identification.
The rules book is thirty-six pages of
standard SL fare. The rules are introduced
gradually in conjunction with individual
scenarios as in past games. What would nor-
mally be called designers' notes are presented
with each rule as necessary rather than com- .
bined in an article-like feature. A complete
ordnance and armor listing for Belgium,
Britain, and France has been included. Last,
but not least, is a page of rules errata (adden-
da) and three pages of questions and answers
to all rules, including those first presented in
Crescendo oj Doom.
Presentation
With respect to the overall rules package
for the Squad Leader system, I believe AH
has overlooked an opportunity to be in-
novative in the presentation of the rules.
Once the decision was made to expand the
game into a miniatures-oriented armor
system and to present WW2 infantry tactics
in as much detail as feasible, AH must have
realized that future rules would be long and
complicated. Also, AH has been in the
wargaming field long enough to know that
for every rule there is an erratum, and that
the longer the rules, the more changes will be
made. These hard facts have manifested
themselves in three editions of Squad Leader
notebooks, two editions of Cross oj Iron
rules, and many fulings in The General.
Perhaps it would have been easier to print the
rules on loose-leaf sheets a la GDW's Europa.
series. Whenever a rules change/correction is.
necessary, only the appropriate page(s)
would need to be reprinted instead of a com-
plete rules booklet. This is even more sensible
when you realize that AH could use The
General to obtain general circulation of the
changes.
As in the other two games in the series,
the rules are presented a few at a lime and ac-
companying a specific scenario. The
scenarios are in chronological order from
Poland, 1939, to Greece, 1941.
The first Crescendo scenario, or
scenario 21, is titled "Battle for the Warta
12
Line." This is the only Polish scenario. It
finds elements of the SS Liebstandarte Regi-
ment battling time to exit almost half their
squads off the opposite side.
Elite Line Airborn e
Commando
Gurkha Elite Crew
Crew
This scenario encompasses four rules.
Rules for all participants in the Blitzkrieg are
presented first. N ati onal characteristics for
the French, British, neutrals, and Finns are
explored. An infantry hierarchy is presented
consisting of elite. 1st line, 2nd line. Home
Guards, and crews. Some minor countries
are given unique capabilities. Gurkhas excell
in close combat and have quicker movement
in hills , while Finns are given the ability to
self rally.
All infantry are affected by the presence
of armored vehicles: if adjacent, infantry
must roll less than their morale value to re-
main in the hex unless they have a function-
ing AT weapon capable of destroying the
AFV . Infantry is finally given the ability to
move around buildings and woods obstacles.
The rule increases the mobility of infantry
while not really dirtying the system. LOS
rules are slightly modified to accommodate
the movement along hexsides.
Rules for ordnance. off-board artillery.
and mortars are also expanded. Guns that
are not 'dug in are considered to be small
vehicles for the purposes of sighting. Off-
board artillery is now given several new capa-
bilities . Availability of battery fire is now
dependent on an access roll of the dice. The
firer no longer knows how many' 'fire for ef-
fect" counters a given artillery module con-
sists of. Continued artillery fire softens the
defender by decreasing the morale value by
one step for each consecutive turn of off-
board artillery FFE. The firer is also given
the option of extending the area affected by
FFE to two hexes from the target hex with a
2/ 3 decrease in battery firepower . Mortars
which move during the course of the scenario
have their breakdown number decreased by
one to simulate the difficulty of carrying am-
munition .
The neXt two scenarios picture diverse
situations of the Russo-Finnish war. T he
first, "The Borders are Burning," shows the
ease of a tank heavy force moving through a
. defender without any antitank weapons . The
second, "Silent Death," is the effect of com-
mandoes on a 'sleeping enemy.
New Rules
A selection of dissimilar rules includes
those giving the Finns a more distinct identi-
ty. The Finns are given the Lahti, a superb
antitank rifle; the Kloriharsti. a pipe bomb
for AFV's; and P ulkkas, reindeer powered
sledges (which flip over for horse drawn
wagons) . As expected. ru les for ski troops
are unveiled.
Range
Portage C OSt
Mo vement Points
Size M"diflcr (1 08.241
Passenger Survival
Moralt Level (/08.24 /)
Ponage Capacity - .......=.;;.;..;..____
Home
Guard Infantry is affected by three new rules.
First, units in advantageous terrain may be
visited with an HE Critical Hit. The critical
hit will turn a positive modifier into a
negative modifier. Both direct and indirect
HE fire may result in a critical hit. Second.
infantry of all nations may go berserk, not
just the Russians. Third, new leaders may be
creat.ed during the course of the scenario by
low dice rolls in certain situations. Then, a
tab le is consulted, the dice are rolled, and a
new leader may be born.
Armor gets the benefit of one rule :
vehicular bypass movement. This rule per-
mits vehicles to move around buildings and
woods obstacles in the hexes. However, this
rule creates many situations which must be
explained in the context of established rules .
Bypass movement utilizes hexsides for move-
ment. Such things as target facing, line of
sight into and out of a bypass hex, position
within the hex if the vehicle chooses or is
forced to stop, and loading and unloading of
passengers must be redefined .
This additional realism also has its price.
The rule is complex and time consuming, and
there are some facets of the rule which are
plainly ridiculous. For inst.ance, the stacking
limit of one vehicle per hex still remains in
force . In one turn a vehicle may be on the
east side of the building. In the next turn a
vehicle may be on the west side of the
building. However, both vehicles may not be
stacked in the hex at the same time. I've
always thought limiting a 40 meter hex to one
vehicle was not all that realistic, although it is
functional in the game system . This rule goes
in the other direction. but only halfway. If
anyone rule should be left out. this is it. This
rule is aptly prefaced with a warning that it
may be hazardous to your gaming pleasure.
The Longest Scenari o
"Action at Balberkamp" is a British
delaying action along the road to Trond-
heim in Norway. Components of a British-
Norwegian force try to prevent the Germans
from opening a north/ south road. At fifteen
game-turns, this is the longest scenario in
Squad Leader, matched only by two other
Crescendo scenarios.
A new unit, scouts, debuts. A scout is
one man sent ahead to find mined hexes or
buildings and locate hidden or concealed
units. Any squad with a morale level of 7 or
better may create a scout. The creating squad
has its morale level reduced. The scout may
recombine with any squad, raising that
squad's morale one level. Unfortunately. a
scout does not always find what it is looking
for, except for mines. When' searching for
enemy units a scouting table must be con-
sulted with a possibility of adverse effects for
the scout.
Additional rules introduced include
concealed movement, machineguns versus
armor, and interrogation . Concealed move-
ment heretofore meant the moving unit lost
its concealed status . This is no more the case
if the moving stack stays out of the line of
sight of enemy units. A period rule is the one
that allows any MG adjacent to an AFV an
immobilization dice roll due to the lack of ar-
mor protection for treads and rear bogey
wheels. Lastly, there is added a fine piece of
chrome called the interrogation table .
The next scenario's rules investigate the
effects of fire on units and leaders in greater
detail. Units moving may be forced to stop
and take cover in the hex they are moving
through if a mandated morale check is just
barely passed. This is called grounding. Units
fired on may also be pinned in their ensuing
defensive fire phase if they barely pass thei r
morale check. Firing units are not immune
to the stress that is inherent in the situation.
Leaderless squads resolve their attacks one
column lower if doubles are rolled . And, in a
rule culled from Yaquinto's Panzer game,
squads may now attempt to break down into
two half-squads (using crew counters). Last-
ly, in certain instances. leaders are given the
chance of being only wounded rather than
eliminated.
With or Without Sidecar
.
C,d t' Sideca r
*---
~'.
28 ." 28 ~ 24
~., I~ 'I)
.,
., "
1~ " PO
PO
" )
1123.521 Po nagC' Cos
Terrain J:::ffe":f ~ [) R~1 (}]J .OJ} Single ....tachin ' II J3. JI
Po rl ag.c C apabll l1Y M m 'eme nl Poi ru .t;
Motorcycles, the newest vehicle
counter, are first seen in this scenario. Each
counter represents enough motorcycles to
transport one squad and leader . Unlike most
other vehicle counters. the flip side
represents only one motorcycle for use by a
single leader. Cycles with and without
sidecars are given. Passengers in sidecars are
given a 1;2 firepower, but do not have the
capability of firing on the move (overrun) as
half tracks and AFV's .
The scenario which accompanies these
infantry and motorcycle rules is an attempt
by advance elements of a German motorcy-
cle battalion to force a Belgian position
before darkness stops the fighting.
Feeling they have a good thing going
with the motorcycles, AH features them in
the next scenario as well. "Assault on a
Queen" is the only hypothetical situation in
the set and is' based on an actual plan which
was foiled by a transport plane crashing with
the assault group on board. The rules con-
cern themselves with hostages and third level
buildings .
Scenario 27, "The Dinant Bridgehead,"
adds a tactical situation which has not been
given much attention by tactical level games:
the river crossing . In fact, you would be hard
pressed to name one game which has a river
or water obstacle wide enough to hold a

counter - a necessary condition, being that
the boats must be in the water to accurately
simulate a crossing in force. Crescendo more
than adequately fills this void with its map-
board of a river and its section of rules deal-
ing with assault craft, flow, depth, etc.
(bridges are handled in a later scenario).
S[urmboat Kleine Flossack Grosse Hos.sack
~ ;
~
~:
MC~ IML
II ]8. 74) IS/3PP 7ML ~+
IS/2PP
&ML
2SI10PP
Capacit y Size Modifier Movement Points
The emphasis here is definitely on a
small unit crossing of a river. The boats are
obviously German, but usage by all na-
tionalities is allowed and rationalized by
acknowledging that the craft of all nations
were similar to these. Usage in future
scenarios will only be modified by the special
rules of the scenario (which are not normally
extensive).
Reading the rules gives a good idea of
the hazards of an opposed river crossing.
These hazards are then amplified in the
scenario . Boats can only be launched in the
advance phase. This means each squad and
its boat must endure one phase of defensive
fire in the open followed by the enemy fire
phase before it can move. The river is suffi-
ciently wide to need more than one turn to
cross, so units in the boats face another
round of unfriendly defensive fire and subse-
quent offensive fire . Debarking from boats is
again restricted to the advance phase which
allows a good chance to be pinned on the
landing hex by ensuing enemy fire phases.
Being in the boats offers little protection
to the occupants. There is some relief in that
the boats are considered hull-down vehicles
with die roll modifiers for small target size
for direct ordnance fire, and MSG fire has no
penetration in water hexes. Unfortunately,
indirect HE fire is given a - 3 die roll modi-
fier. Coupled with the time it takes to
physically cross the river, there is ample time
to call in indirect fire with devastating ef-
fects.
Infantry small arms fire has a slight twist
when directed against boats. Unless the
passengers fail a morale check, the boat is
unaffected. If they fail the morale check, the
boat undergoes a morale check of its own.
Failure means the boat is sunk with no sur-
vivors. The reasoning here is that the boats
and their passengers are physically close
together. If the passengers are unaffected by
small arms fire, so is the boat.
This scenario, with its river crossing
rules, really illustrates the ability of the
Squad Leader system to portray the many
coinciding facets of small unit tactics in
WW2. Included in this scenario is armor and
off-board artillery on both sides, the French
and German. If anyone ever asks "Why
Squad Leader?" - this scenario is the
answer.
A Bridge for All Gaps
Skipping a scenario but keeping with
the subject of rivers, Crescendo showcases
bridges and a new vehicle type in "In Rom-
mel's Wake." All aspects of bridges are given
13
treatment. There are rules for wooden
.-
bridges, stone bridges, pontoon bridges, and
foot bridges of all sizes. Movement across
~, L-j9 Wreck
.~
[:11
bridges may depend on the number of lanes 37* [') /1 lMT S3
and the weight of the vehicle. An important
section concerns bridge demolition. Bridges .- . - Wreck
~:::-. 8 ~
<t'~ 8
can be blown within the confines of the Wreck
U::~ r.~
.1
scenarios. Demolition charge ru les are ~ . 1. ......
11 1 ...
+1 J . .
modified to allow a leader or unit to scamper !tDL 76* SG
S6
.J> 11
onto a bridge hex, place the charge, move to "
a hex 2-4 hexes away, and depress the
plunger. French armor is characterized by two
The new vehicle introduced is bicycles. restrictive rules. First, most French tanks
The rules, except some minor modifications, were designed with turrets large enough for
and counters are the same as for motor- one man only. In game terms this means
cycles. French tanks are handled as though they are
Scenarios 28 and 30, "Counterstroke at only self-propelled guns. Also, main guns
Stonne" and "Ad Hoc at Beaurains" pre- cannot fire if coaxial MG's are fired, and
sent French and British armor and additions main gun fire is automatically hampered as
to the armor game. though the vehicle was buttoned-up. The end
Scenario 29 IN ROMMEL'S WAKE
c llnru~ i('m {ollollo'in g I h~ 7th Pallzu
01\' THE MEll.Sl=:, .\b y 11, 19.40: In rh e-
D I \'i~ l lj n' ~ hreaio: {]Ll[, L~ olalc d French uni { ~ ~( iIL helo:. ! c r tl.H i n 8 ~ iJ .... ro~ ~ Lhl;:' Mo:u ~ ~
wt"k Itl(- Cicrman infamry ~ lrult gl e1J IV ;:?ll ~ h up. Nt)w Itlenl tr'll" of Ihe XlV
r 3J11Cf sr enadier Carps, v n lIn b ;h i ~ o f Fi oC sei el S I(II .;:h I e"::l1n, hCl[le 10 grab
anorller b Ti dl!:eh~i) d inl V f l a Jl ~ f r(1l1l ..... h ::.1 app(:an [0 be a platoon sm=nl!:lh
~uar d b d'or ~ FrO;:rl,.:1L rl:' il~ fon.'tm crm can arrjvc=. In thi.s heavily ...... ootkd l ~~ io n
an r t'Jlvrl ~ an.' unrd iabk but l imc= i s o f : h~ t',.."_.,_"'_.,....,.____-,
Board
C onfiguralion
A
N
VICTORY CONDITIONS
Ii ~ gam~ ~ nu I h ~ t.o!rman , mUM c=~ [ab li ~h fi~'e unbr ok.en .;qu illd ~ on I h~
Rules Introduced: Sections 132 - 133 ~o ulh \ I .;.! ~
m() r~ d
(I f I he ri ~ er w ith a bT1 d g~ sl[1I m t<tn. A m illn n ~d li('rm iul ;.rr-
\:,Ir ,' ('I llrll ~ ;\, I ..... 0 '(w ad , p f ,' ~ j dill ~ il h.u ;)IlY ;)r m am-c.ru flln o.=[ i(lniIlS
h'(11IJl I, 3 , n ~ 41J;) d~ if n(ln- flm cl ioni ll gl. The f r o=:nd t \\ in by rr rc ~' c-min g Ih~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~-r____' -____r-~
( .~
"~m~3"~,~'c~
,o~"T
'n~"=
d'=[io="i
' ----,-----r----,-----r----,
RrtO Il rllf'mlf'llls or Ihlf' I ht Rltlim(,lll, 2Ylh 1'1II11:Hr GJltnlldiltr Uh isil.lll enler tm _~ y , 0 in c(liumn u.!-Ing se4u t:rlllal mr:lo\'em eot wiltl i nh.ntry
nl (\lln r(:d ~) n C(l I I I1)I:a n d~l (' d b i ('yd~~:
~,2a
~~~
, l.MG
....i 2'-B
' 112 0 ~
lOl ", .I i
9 4
2 9
t:.lltm<rnl! or Ihlf' III Rr-j/;imltnt . l td ~' onb Arrlun Ilivision sel 1.lT' I i t ~l 011 [he ~ou[ h ~ I d ~ I.}i lh ~' 1 1 ~~ r '-I ~ing Hidden I nl.tlltllJl ;t ~~rnC'nl fOr all
bnr :\1\ ) l hr(:e" ~'(lI.l I\ {oe(~ ~' hi dl m rJ.\ 1~ et up in ~'! eW ;.rnd ~ ~ l hv UI ~' I) ll o.=c-almc-nl. Randvm ly ~c1C'(1 ;) ~ h il numtJer'l'd from I I ~) 4. T he Frc-nch ge[
nnl >' Ihm.e forL'tS L:lII ~d {or hy the s.c::Jerlc=d t:hn .
C hit 1 ( l .. l !
6 2
*
2 2 2 8 2
A bTJd j!;C' h ~ ' t\a ~ bt('n wired ....'n ll C1 )ud(krl dem o (ha r~c In itrJU11 10 11 1(1 I h~ ;;I~ m(l char!.c ~ho\oln for U1 h~ r U \~.
2 2
19. 1 T h e ri "'er i ~ d~ep arrlJ runllinH-'-c rl(l {mal l c~' el ....'i l h a mod':= J al~ ~' u r
r enl running 10 lh ~ .... e~l . M :\r~h h ~, c , arc e(ln~ idc rc-d mud tlal \ _
19_5 Tll r:- m (l lOr ..:~ clc C r:lounter ~ aCl uall y repre smr b IC)' d~~ _ B i~ ~'d~ s m43 Y
~rllr::"r che b oard ~ c:-quC"nl i all )' wl1h a I/ J M}-' w~1 bel"""ot'r::"n ull i ( 5 - nO~ Ih e J
19.2 A on~ la:lt', ~th i ~ lI l:lr , ~lO ne bridge (: x l c n d ~ fr om "1 21 0 J18 '-Ild <l MP penal! ~' o f ~ehlcles. A blc~'[ lc:- Ulll! and ilU arm orreq ... ", rlla~' clUer (he
om' l al1C: . vehicula r. 'A'ocHkn bfidgc= (: xl c= nd~ fro m iA I\6 Iv '7/\ 1\ 8- boar d stm ullill nwu~ I ~ .....llhvul p"yin8 seQucnl i.al movement po::'naLtic:-~ for
19_J Tn" .:-hi! dra..... n by the: frc=nt:h pl ayc:-r I~ 1101 1C'\\"31ed 1(\ Inc G(:rm.an o::ach ol h r=r .
unl il t he French playu dcd ill rc ~ Ihc I.!!ilme O\'Cf The Fr c:no.= h mU.n declare 19.6 fh(' FrtiWh m~ y nnl hore.sighi (781.
Ih ~ game m 'er al Ihe starl of t he rus t Rail )' Ph,he' I ) r I h~ IlJtn IndKat~tJ
by (he drillw n -r.: hit n(,lm~ r ('i r d~' d 011 lI)e Turn Record Chillrl.
19.4 The!"r!" i~ ;) ch3ncc lJ1.at one n r Ihc br id ge ~ h a ~ b~m ....i r til hy an 8-0
AfTl::RMA TH: O n l~' t-r~lKh C'f,mm;and blun r:ltr ~ had prC\ (111tci Cn fO bridS!:' IlI1m be
m ~ blu.... li t3l1L'l'r C'truin Frtn ~ h ~k fTl'~ n l' r~lTUIln~ nllrl h 01ttlC"~ 'l' r and IlN'r( Wil ~
leader who al~o ~ er~' es as a d emoht l 0n ~ e;\DI=T1 If I tl(, <'hi l pidcd ind i ~ale ~ a. ~u~ 5.llO n ~I 1() ~Aot~II J .... lrC11 Ihc bt: ld~(:!j should be blown. Th~ tr nd~ ....n~ h~1d
iI. .... .r~tl brid:g(' h e .~ ( he he:t SrJ ..... iled ! 'HI ~ I be recordc:-d al I ho:: <JU I ~ t ;"l m1 ~'rr )' I Ql I'![ I ~ du~ {o cl1( l"rr \cnce Qr n~~~' ~ ~e.\ ~H~~ Belli br, but e~'en so {h~ bridB~ w~rC'
~n rh e rr("-'C. ~ uf beulS .... ired for demolition ""'111 arr ~ 'lJ d~ i mJ ~ rlu n D} Goerrn~
I h ~n :)(!f \ C'.a.~ ;.l hid d ~ll dot-mnl ir ioflf\o I' l a Celll~1ll n.~~ fI .V . 'L Deml) l"h::r.r~r
L' nu n ra ~ n:3r\'e nCtl b een pr e-..... i r~.d :and mU ~ 1 hi: ~' 3r ' i ~-d b\' [ he I!: _t) dcm(lll-
~ O ~I ,'an ~n d ~ ! r~d jlbllnnn tl [ bl~ rd ~ mOtJ.nlC'd lI,lantr y ,;-"pn;rrC'd. the ...."()Odc-rt
I-oriiJe i nl~ d . Suppvr!n\ b ~ verman I. MO file fr om Ihe fl.Ortn l id'l' uf Inc Meuse Ihe
[ ion charge )eulc:-J. .
<.iO ll ldlU l"rC'ld Il\e b ricii,~ lill re i n rn rc: emcm ~ rrom D I \' I ~ I On afri~ C'd .
14
result is that the German player will get the
first shot in AFV engagements and, in equal
situations, have better accuracy .
The second restriction deals with the
lack of radios in the majority of French
AFY's. For every six AFV's or fraction, the
French player must roll one die. The
resulting number is the number of AFV's
which are allowed to move that movement
phase. This can be negated if the vehicle's
commander has a line of sight to another
AFV which has been designated as a com-
mand vehicle during set-up.
British armor is not encumbered by the
above rules. However, all early antitank ord-
nance could fire only armor piercing shells
which were not effective against. infantry. In
the SL system, it has been assumed that each
shot fired is either AP or HE, whichever was
most effective against the selected target. For
the British, all their AFV guns and antitank
ordnance counters are marked to show those
guns unable to fire HE shell. All such ord-
nance firing at infantry can, at best, force the
target into a morale check.
The rules added to the armor rules are
complex and do add dirt to the game system.
The rules are straightforward enough, but do
require much memorization of causes and ef-
fects or you will find yourself forever refer-
ring back to the rules. The rules do have the
disclaimer stating all the Cross oj Iron and
Crescendo rules are optional, but why buy
the game if not to use the counters and rules?
The point is that AH has published rules in
the SL system which are hard to assimilate,
and they have spread them out over at least
three rule books. They have moved away
from the original premise of a smooth,
somewhat abstract game system, but choose
to hide from any criticism by saying the rules
are optional, and I do not feel we can expect
any sort of a master rulebook from AH in the
future.
AFV Add-Ons
Specifically, there are four rules which
are added to the AFV combat system. The
first deals with the location of hits on an
AFY. By using two differently colored dice,
the locations of hits are deemed to be hull or
upper body and turret. Anywhere from 33070
to 43070 of the hits will be turret or upper
body hits. Hits of this type will use the turret
facing to determine the target aspect.
The second rule is based on the small
caliber of most AT guns of the period. These
occurs and the following player turn. The Crescendo purchasers in the box advertising,
first turn penalty is no further movement or but nothing is said in the rules. AH would
fire . If the AFV is moving there is a chance not want to hurt their sales of Tobruk. This
the driver will be hit resulting in a one hex same complaint also holds for British versus
random movement. In the second player turn German actions beyond 1941. As with Cross
all fire by the AFV is given a slight penalty. oj Iron, you are given every imaginable
On top of this, further AT fire against the af- British vehicle. Most of these will remain in
fected vehicle may cause the crew to abandon their box, because no scenarios are printed
the vehicle or it may prolong the effects of using them. Finally, American produced
the shock. vehicles used by the British - such as
Fourth and last is a rule which permits, Stuarts, Grants, and Shermans - are con-
in a sense, movement in the opposing spicuously absent.
.player's turn. During movement, if a player Second, no attempt has been made to
decides that he wishes to continue movement expand the time segment of the games. Most
during the next player turn, he places a mo- scenarios last about 10 turns. Although the
tion counter on his vehicle. Vehicles with this complex rules mean a 10 turn game can last
counter are treated as moving targets during 4-5 hours, the popularity of monster games is
the opposing player's turn. This counteracts an indication that an even longer, more in-
the involuntary stationary status conferred volved scenario or "macro-scenario" is
during the opposing player's turn on all your possible. Again, the box mentions the use of
vehicles. All fire from a vehicle in motion is the SL system to "portray any company or
treated as moving fire. In the next friendly battalion level action." But, any rules or set
movement the vehicle must move one hex of rules for battalion level actions would
and may move its full movement allowance have to include the battalion TO&E of all
plus 10070 more. The Jast part of this rule is a participants of WW2. This is probably too
real sleeper. It states all vehicles buttoned-up ambitious a project for AH to take on and
will have to come from other publications or
may not use the road movement rate.
The next to last scenario, "Chateau de even other games.
All things considered, Crescendo oj
Quesnoy," highlights the third longest rule in
the SL system. This rule covers advanced Doom is a worthy successor to Cross oj Iron.
There are no major problems with the rules.
mine warfare. The rules are too detailed to go
into in detail but cover topics such as booby The counters are plentiful and well done. The
scenarios are diverse and balanced. Two ma-
traps (doorway and stairway), blundering
onto friendly mines, antitank mines, sap- jor new terrain features are introduced. This
is a package with the potential to provide
pers, and mine clearing vehicles. A much
shorter rule introduced with this scenario many hours of enjoyment to those interested
in the period. Besides, you will need this
detailing the use of trenches (as opposed to
entrenchments) rounds out this scenario. gamette to add the Americans in the next
gamette. Or, was that the gamette after the
"Rehearsal for Crete," the last scenario
is a combined parachute and glider assault on next gamette?
the Cornith Canal. The rules sections in-
troduced describe gliders, armored carriers
Feedback [conlinu.djrompage35j
BA TILE FOR STALiNGRAD
(Bren Carriers) and a more involved method
of receiving air support. The glider rules 133. A I mapsheetl 140. H {setup timel
134. B I rulesl 141. J (complexity)
parallel the parachute rules but add to them
because of the characteristics of gliders. The 135. C Icountersl 142. K I realisml
136. D (ease of playl 143. L loveralll
Bren Carrier, a uniquely British vehicle, has
131. E (rules completeness) 144. M Ithen and now)
specific rules for its crew and weapons. The 138. F (balance) 145. N {money's wonhl
air support rule now includes fighters (straf- 139. G (length) 146. No question
ing) and dive bombers, and as one would ex-
ULTIMATUM (Yaq)
pect in an infantry game there is a rule for
141. A (mapsheet) 154. H (setup time) .
dogfights if both sides have air support on
148. B (rules) 155. J (complexity)
the board at the same time. 149. C (counters) 156. K Irealisml
Expansion 150. D lease of play) IS1. L loveralll
151. E Irules comp letenessl IS8. M Itheil and now)
As you can see, there is an abundance of 152. F Ibalancel 159. N I money's worth)
material presented in Crescendo. Fortunate- 153. G Ilength) 160,161. No question

weapons had very high rates of fire to the ex- Iy. there is not as much modification as we IRONCLAD (Yaq)
tent of almost being belt fed. The SL system saw in Cross oj Iron. Most of the rules here 162. A I mapsheetl 169. H Iset-up timel
has never claimed to offer shot for shot ac- add to or expand on previously written rules. 163. B Irulesl 110. J Icomplexity)
curacy, but these weapons need a method to This is countered by the fact that use of most 164. C Icountersl 171. K Irealism)
present multiple hits. Therefore, any to hit of these rules does add dirt to the SL system. 165. D lease of playl 172. L loveralll
Any prospective buyer should be forewarn- 166. E Irules completeness) 113. M !then and now)
dice roll V2 or less of the number needed in-
dicates two hits and damage is rolled for ed, unless they are already an SL enthusiast. J67. F (balance) 114. N Imoney's wonh)
Those folks will not be disappointed. 168. G (length) 115. No Question
twice.
P ANZIR (Yaq)
The third rule investigates the effects of From another point of view, the release
partial armor penetration or "shock." Any of Crescendo to expand Squad Leader raises 176. A (mapsheet) 183. H Iset-up time)
177. B Irules) 184. J Icomplexityl
to kill dice roll which is one over the number some question about the utility of this
178. C (counters) 185. K Irealisml
needed to destroy the vehicle causes the crew gamette. First, there are no rules or guide- 179. D (ease of play) 186. L loveralll
to check morale. Failure of this morale check lines for the use of SL to expand into the 180. E Irules completeness) 187. M Ithen and now)
results in shock. Shock is temporary, lasting desert warfare in North Africa. This theater 18t. F (balancel 188. N Imoney's worth)
for the balance of the player turn in which it is mentioned as an expansion area for 182. G Ilengthl 189-196. No question

GAME EXPANSION
ROLLUPFOR
THE MYSTERY TOURI
A Growing DeathMaze
by Justin Leites and Matthew T. Ruff
Whether you like it or not, wargamer-types,
role-playing/ adventure style games are get-
ting to be 'hot stuff these days . And if you' re
to tally in the dark about it, DeathMaze is a
good way to get your feet wet without swim-
ming the Atlantic. Of course, once you r feet
are wet. can your kneecaps be far behind? To
assuage the urge to immerse yourself in the
magic pool, we here present an enhance-
ment of the original game, with which we
hope you' re enchanted. -RAS
1. THE ORIGINAL DEATHMAZE
DeathMaze is a miniature adventure and
role-playing fantasy game, in which players
assume the personae of heroic adventurers
and descend into the Corridors of Doom, a
dead ly dungeon. Each player is represented
by an individual playing piece and another
counter is used to represent the entire party.
As the game progresses, the players actually
build a dungeon step by step as they move
from room to room, using a random method
of dravl ing corridor and room chits.
There are also counters for the
monsters, the terrible denizens of the maze
world, and treasure galore for any who can
defeat its guardians. This treasure is deter-
mined through the use of special Treasure
Charts and Tables.
2. WHY AN EXPANSION KIT?
DeathMaze as its stands now is a neat
and entertaining game and game system. It is
a well-balanced game, requiring skill and
luck to survive and leaving the ou tcome for-
ever in doubt.
Be that as it may, DeathMaze at present
is somewhat limited in scope, and the ex-
perienced role-player will soon become bored
after all of the possibilities have been ex-
plored. It is, after all, a mini-game and there-
fore relatively simple.
Another point that may annoy the ad-
vanced fantasy role-player is the somewhat
limited number of Character Classes. Three
types - Hero, Thief and Wizard - are more
than enough for the beginner, but a seasoned
player who has played games with many
more classes will want greater variety in his
game.
Finally, there is the question of what to
do if, when playing the Character Continuity
Rule, your character or characters become
very powerful. The game loses l1avor when
you have so many Wound Points and
magical items that even Vampires and
Gargoyles become child's play to deal with.
When this happens you either have to begin
again or continue as you are, eventually
becoming invincible.
3. WHAT WE HOPE
TO ACCOMPLISH
IN THIS EXPANSION
In this article we have tried to enhance
the original DeathMaze rules, adding to
them without actually changing any of the
main systems . Many of the charts have been
made larger by simply increasing the number
of dice rolled when using them, thus increas-
ing the possible number of results. A fourth
character class has been added, and this has
been subdivided into three basic types, offer-
ing more variety. Also included are rules on
allowing players to play the part of monster-
adventurers.
Obviously, this article will be of little use
to those who are not familiar with the rules of
DeathMaze. It might be best to first become
well accquainted with the game system
beforeattempting to read further.
4. NEW CHARACTER CLASSES
A priest is a fourth type of character,
able to cast spells in the same manner as a
Wizard . The first thing that must be done
when choosing a priest is to decide which of
three types he will be. The type chosen will
15
decide what all of his original abilities are,
and which spells he may use.
A Witch Hunter begins the game with 7
Wound Points and a Magic Resistance of 2.
In addition, he is totally immune to the
Charm ability of Vampires. Witch Hunters
are able to use all weapons. However, any
party which has a Witch Hunter in it will
automatically receive a "Failure" result
when trying to negotiate with Vampires ,
Skeletons, Mummies, and Vampire Bats; ad-
ditionally any of the these above monsters
will always attack the Witch Hunter if they
can .
A Healer begins the game with 4
Wound Points and a Magic Resistance of 1.
As their sole purpose in life is to heal the sick
and wounded, Healers will only use daggers
in combat, and only if they are attacked and
hit first. Their list of spells reflect this curing
purpose .
A Peace Maker begins the game with 6
Wound Points and a Magic Resistance of 1.
Theirs is a philosophy of non violence , and
they will never carry weapons or engage in
combat. However, to make up for this,
Peace Makers get a + 4 on all negotiations,
and several negotiation type spells. Also,
when facing monsters of over 15 Wound
Points, they may apply this + 4 as a - 4 on
the Bribery Table roll .
All of the above begin the game with one
spell, and use and gain more spells in the ex-
act same way as Wizards. Each has a separate
listing of spells. Cost is the cost in Wound
. Points to cast the spell.
WITCH HUNTER SPELLS
Witch Hunters are fanatics when it comes LO
religion. and if they so wish. they may cast a spell
even if the subtraction in Wound P6itlls would kill
[hem. However, the suicidal spell must be an at-
tack spell. used against an undead monster.
Undead creatures include Vampire.l , Vampire
Bats. Skeletons. and Mummies.
Protection From Undeed (Cost: I, Combat
Spell) When this spell is cast , all undead creatures,
attacking the party must make their magic
resistance roll. Those that fail to resist this spell
may not attack the Witch Hunter. This is not an at
tack spell for the purposes of the Witch Hunter
commiting suicide (see above).
Light Ray (Cost: 2. Comba t Spell) An undead
monster that fails to resist this spell suffers "\ D
+ 2" wounds.
Righteous Fury (Cos t: 2, Combat Spell) When
this spell is casi, the Witch Hunter goes berserk.
He receives a "+ 1" to hit in combat, and" + 3"
agaimt Undead Monsters.
Redeem Traitor (Cost: 3. Combat Spell) Any
character who has been charmed during .the pre-
16
sent combat is returned to the party, the charm
having been broken.
Dispel! Undead (Cost: variable, Combat Spell)
An undead monster is killed if he fails to resist this
spell. The cost is 4 for Vampires, 3 for Mummies,
and 1 for Skeletons and Vampire Bats. In addi-
tion, for each extra Wound Point paid by the
caster, ")" is added to the resistance die roll.
Wrath of God (Cost: 6, Combat Spell) Each
monster attacking the party must resist or it Suf-
fers "~D6 + 2" Wounds.
HEALER SPELLS
Healers may not cast a spell if the subtraction in
Wound Points would kill them . Also, their heal
spells will not cure wounds caused by spell casting.
Heal (Cost : I, Non-Combat Spell) The spell reci-
pient immediately cures "ID6" wounds.
Dispel Poison (Cost: I, Non-Combat Spell) This
spell, if cast immediately after a character is
poisoned (before rolling the damage), results in the
character taking no damage from the poison .
Premonition (Cost: I, Non-Combat Spell) This
spell results in an immediate "Detrap" of any
trap. It may be cast after trap's existence is
discovered (by die roll), but must be cast before
any attempt is made by a thief to detrap it. The
Healer receives no experience for the detrapping.
Heavy Heal (Cost: 2, Non-Combat Spell) The
spell recipient immediately cures "2D6 + I"
wounds.
Magic Shield (Cost: 3, Combat Spell) The
character on whom this spell is cast is immune to
all spells that cause damage (i.e., Charm and
similar spells still have full effect).
On monsters with a 4 or higher negotiation value,
the spell only works on a roll of 1-3.
Skin Saver (The Run-For-Your-Life Spell)
(Cost: 4, Non-Combat Spell) When this spell is
cast, no monsters in the entire dungeon will attack
the party. The spell is broken at the moment the
party attacks any monsters; it is best used when the
pany wishes to exit the dungeon with no hassle
from wandering monsters. However, the high cost
often makes it unusable if the Peace Maker has us-
ed any other spells that adventure.
5. MONSTERS AS
PLAYER CHARACTERS
In addition to straightforward adven-
turers, Players may want to try playing
monster-explorers for change. The special
rules below describe several possible
monster-character types and their statistics
and powers. Players may run parties con-
sisting entirely of monsters, or they may mix
them with normal adventurers. To represent
the monster-characters, use counters from
the original counter-mix or make your own.
Cronks begin the game with 6 Wound
Points, and a Magic Resistance of 1. Cranks
Deathmaze Counter Section Nr. 1 (100 pieces): Front
Quan!i!) of Sections of Ihis idenlicall)Ile: 2. Tolal Quanlil)' of Sections (a t! 1}'Ill'S) in game: 2.
+.~ Horo Here
may not wield weapons; they instead fight as
a normal monster with a combat die roll of
"ID6" on the monster column on the Com-
bat Results Table. As with other adventurers,
experience may add a Combat Bonus to this
ability (e.g., Weapon Skill). Also, three
times per game, the Cronk player may use his
special Stench ability before entering com-
bat, which is the same as the normal Cronk
Stench in the Advanced Gall1e Rules of the
original DeathMaze (see 12.32). '
Ogres, Goblins, and Orcs are treated
as normal Heroes.
Trolls begin the game with 8 Wound
Points, and may fight either with weapons or
bare-handed on the Monster Column. They
have an original Magic Resistance value of 2.
Also, once a Troll has gained four points of
Ability, he gains the special Troll Regenerate
Ability described in the game rules (see
12.35). However, due to his stupidity, a Troll
req ui res 100 Experience Points and 150
Bezants in order to gain an additional point
of Ability.
Vampire begins the game with 6
Wound Points, and a Magic Resistance of 2.

I
Wizard

i
Wizard

Q 1 2 3
5 3+0

--i ~t ~~
4 1+0 4 1+~
Resurrection (Cost: 5, Non-Combat Spell) This

-
is an extremely powerful spell, used to bring back
Thief Thief W 1+6 W 1+4 W 1+3 9 3+1
to life characters who have just died. This spell
must be cast immediately at the end of the combat
or event in which a character died. The character
returns to life with full Wound Points, unless a
~ i 4 5 6 !~
, ,i\~
~ ~~ $I
<i' ~

MONSTlRS
" I" is rolled on one die, in which case he is dead
forever; the spell is considered wasted . 8 2+0 4 2+0 2 2+0 7 4 1+2 4 1+2

mf ~f
3 2+0 W 1-' WI-I WI - I 1+2
PEACE MAKER SPELLS
Peace Makers may not cast a spell if the su btrac-
, ~~ ~f ~i ~f ~~ ~f ~f ~~ - ~
-- .j)

tion in Wound Points would kill them . As

previously mentioned, any party containing a
Peace Maker automatically gets a "+ 4" on
W 1.0

.~ ~~
W 1+0 W 1+0

~W
2 1.0

~f
2 1+0
~,
2

~~
1+0 6
~~
2.' 11 3+0
~;J
-'" ~~
.-.- -..i
o Yt+~

!l'
!l ~ +0

!l'
negotiation die rolls.
Sleep (Cost: 1, Combat Spell) This is a cheaper (in
Wound Points) version of the Wizard Sleep Spell .
Monsters get a "+ I" on the resistance die roll
against this spell.
Cow (Cost: 2, Negotiation Spell) When this spell
is cast, the result is as if a "Cow" result had been
rolled on the Negotiation Table. There is no
..
o lh +~
~
!l'

resista nce roll.

Fair Fight (Cost: 2, Combat Spell) The monster
(or group of monsters) on whom this spell is cast
cannot use its special ability (if it has one) during
thi s combat. If the num ber of monsters is great.er
than the number of characters, eliminate monsters
until the numbers are equal.
Hesitate (Cost: 2, Combat Spell) When this spell
is cast, the party may cast heal spells and use heal-
ing potions, immediately before entering combat.
Cease Fire (Cost: 3, Combat Spell) This spell has
the same effect ' as an "Agreement" on the
Negotiation Table. The advantage of this spell is
that it may be used after combat has begun, par-
ticularly if the party is losing.
Friends (Cost : 3, Negotiation Spell) This spell has
all of the effects of a "Cow" result on the Negotia-
tion Table, except that the monsters hand over half
their Bezants, and any magic items they may have.

A Vampire may fight either with a weapon or
using the Monster Column. Due to his great
strength, a Vampire Character begins the
game with a "+ 3" Weapon Skill in the
monster column. A Vampire also gains the
special Charm Ability after he has gained 4
A bilily points.
Werewolf begins the game as a normal
Hero, but wiih 10 Wound Points. However,
whenever engaged in combat, a die roll is
made each round during the Party Reorgan-
ization Phase. On a roll of 1-3, the Werewolf
Player becomes a normal Werewolf, keeping
his own Wound Point Total but using all the
combat values of a Werewolf. He then moves
to any adjacent open space on the Monsters'
first rank (they will make room for him if
necessary), and will fight with the Monsters
during their Combat Phase. During the next
Monster Reorganization Phase, another die
roll is made, and the character reverts to
human form and rejoins the Party on a roll
of 1 or 2. There is no limit to the number of
times he may revert back and forth during
one battle.
6. CHARTS AND TABLES
A. Deeper Into the Dungeon
The following table is provided for
those who wish to increase the elemen t of risk
in the game, especially when the charaeter(s)
have become advanced and more experienc-
ed. Due to the great variety in character
classes and ways of "improving oneself," it
is impossible to say exactly when to go on to
the second or deeper levels. The temptation
will be strong, for as one goes deeper, the
treasures increase as well as the dangers.
There are basically two methods of "go-
ing deeper." The- simplest is to begin the
game as if starting at the entrance to the 2nd
Level. Though the dungeon is harder, getting
back to the entrance is as easy as ever.
In the seco.nd method, whenever a roll
onthe Trap Door Table indicates a "room,"
instead of making it a room with no exits,
draw a room chit from the Room Cup and
begin making a 2nd map, one level lower
than the one begun in. In this way it is possi-
ble to descend several levels in one game,
although the counters may run out eventual-
ly. To leave this dungeon, retrace your steps -
all the way back up to the starting level.
Level Numbflr
New Rule 2 3 4 5
": ~;9';;~~i!~~;;~\i~[~j!f~~~7b~if}t';H~~
Monster Com +0 +1 +2 +4 +5
' M:~lf,~Ie~pltf?EX~I~l~??X:~::dg:3~~~Th~
Treas Type +0 +1 +1 +2 +3
~I?R~~l!~i!~E~y;~:iAt>~12~;~'jtt!~171Ji~~#:
To use the chan, simply find the level number that
you are on, and read down the column, applying
the indicated modifiers during the game.
EXPLANATION OF MODIFIERS:
Monster Hd: When rolling for monster's Wound
Points, add this number to the Ilumher of dice nor-
mally rolled for each monster. (Thus, rolling
Wound Points for a monster with a Wound Point
die rol l of "2 + 2" when on the thi rd level, you
would actually roll "3 + 2" dice to determine
Wounds.) Monster Com: Whenever a monster
rolls on the Combat Results Table, add the in-
dicated number to his die roll. Monster Num:
Multiply the number of monsters encountered on a
level by the indicated multiple. (Thus, an indica-
tion of an encounter with 3 goblins on the third
level becomes an encounter with 6 -g oblins.) Treas
Type: Whenever rolling on the Treasure Table,
shift down the column the number of letters in-
dicated. (For example, a monster that normally
has Treasure Type C would have Treasure Type D
if encountered on the third level.) Exception : A
monster that normally has Treasure Type A will
always have Treasure Type A. If the shift takes you
beyond Type J, (see table below). Exp Points:
Whenever a character gains experience points,
multiply the number gained by the given multiple.
[9.81] EXPANSION OF
TREASURE TYPE TABLE
Type Bezants Gems Magic Items
K 6:2D6x 20 3:ID6 3:ID3
L 6:2D6x 25 4:ID6 4:1D3
M 6:3D6x 25 3:2D6 3:ID6
Note: Treasure Types K, L, and M may be trap-
ped (see 10.0).
B. Other Charts and Tables
The charts and tables in this section
replace the game charts and tables with the
same title and number; simply roll the
number of dice indicated next to the title of
the new chart or table instead of the old
number of dice. Also included are two totally
new tables, the Mist and Bribery Tables, and
instruction on their use.
~
....'
Room wilh ~ 8-10
Fountain
[6.15] ADVANCED FOUNTAIN TABLE (308)
Die Result
3 No Effect
4-6 Poison
7-8 Treasure Pool
9 Alcohol
10-12 Potion
13-15 Mist
16 Alligator Pool
17 Midas's Waters
18 No Effect
EXPLANATION OF RESULTS:
Poison: Adventurer testing Fountain immediately
takes "1 D3" Wounds. Treesure Pool: Find a
type C Treasure in Fountain. Alcohol: Adven-
turer testing the Fountain is considered drunk. and
has a - 2" Combat Bonus for the remainder of
the game. Potion : Roll for a Potion on the Potion
Table. The party gets one dose of the Potion. In
addition, the adventurer testing the Fountain im-
mediately undergoes the effects of the Potion.
Mist: A strange - Mist eminates from the
Founlain', waters; roll on the Mis t Sub-Table.
Alligator Pool: An alligator lives in the Fountain.
It makes one aitack roll on the adventurer testi ng
the Fountain, and after the results are applied,
normal combat is undertaken. The alligator may
nor be negotiated with, but it may have treasure.
Midas's Waters: The adventurer testing the
Fountain turns to gold, and is now worth 20
Bezal1ls for every hit point that he had. A Stone-
To-Flesh Spell will revive the advemurer, but this
must be done immediately; the gold is lost.
17
[6.25J ADVANCED STATUE TABLE (308)
Die Result
3 No Effect
4 Medusa Face
5-6 Statue Falls
7-9 Becomes Gargoyle
10-12 Potion
13-14 Misi
15-16 Gems
17 Medallion
18 Magic Weapon
EXPLANATION.OF RESULTS:
Medusa Face: The adventurer investigating the
Statue must make a successful resi stance roll or
turn to stone. Statue Falls: The adventurer in-
vestigating the Statue has the Statue fall on him,
and suffers "ID6" \Vounds. Becomes
Gargoyle: The Statue is now a living Gargoyle,
which may be attacked or negotiated with. It may
have treasure just like any other monster. Potion:
The party finds a Potion in the base of the Statue.
Mist: A magical mist emanates from the Statue's
mouth. Roll on the Mist Sub-Table. Gems: T he
eyes of the Statue are two gems that may be pried
out. Roll twice on the Gems Table to determine
their value. Medallion: Around the statue's neck
is a magical Medallion that may be taken by the
party. Magic Weapon: The Statue holds a Magic
Sword that may be taken by the Party.
[6.35] ADVANCED TRAP DOOATABLE (3DSI
Die Results
No Effect
3
4-5 Cronk Hole
6-7 Pit
Room
11-12 Type J Treasure
13-14 Mist
15-17 Trap
18 No Effect
EXPLANATION OF RESULTS:
Cronk Hole: Trap Door is really home for
"ID3 + I" Cronks, who may be negotiated with or
attacked. They may have treasure just like any
monster. Pit: Adventurer investigating the Trap
Door falls into a shallow pit, taking "1 D6"
Wounds. However, on a roll of 6, the pit is a
magical bottomless pit; if the adventurer fa ils to
resist he is gone forever and cannot be resurrected .
Otherwise he takes no damage. Room: The Trap
Door leads to a room directly below the present
room_ This room automatically has no doors or
Special Features, but may contain monsters and
treasures as usual. Type J Treasure: Finda Type
J Treasure behind the Trap Door _Mist: A magical
mist billows up from behind the Trap Door. Roll
on the Mist Sub-Table. Trap: The Trap Door is
trapped. Roll on the Trap Table. This trap aul0,_
matically affects the adventurer investigating the .
Trap Door, unless he is a thie r and can detrap it.
C. The- Bribery Table (Negotiation)
The Bribery Table is a special negotia-
tion table that may be used any time during
the Game-Turn before combat begins. It is
generally used as a last resort, after normal
negotiation has failed, because it involves
paying the monsters Bezants, or their
equivalent in gems, to change their minds.
To use the table, simply cross-index the
sum of the Wound Points and Negotiation
Value (from the Monster Characteristics
/cmrtinued on page 23J
18

SPI announces
a major new
fantasy role-playing
title
- the leading edge product
of a totally
organized and designed
state-of-the-art
fantasy world
generation system
and
role-play
gaming
rules.

INTRODUCTION n General Course of Play 0 Game Equipment 0 ELEMENTS OF ROLE- PLAY 0 HOW TO BE A
GAMES MASTER 0 CHARACTER GENERAT ION 0 Description of Characteristics 0 Effec ts of Cha racteristics 0
Character istic Generation 0 Birthrights n Aspects LJ Heritage 0 COMBAT O lntroduction to Combat 0 Combat Equipment
o Preparation for Combat 0 Basic Tactica l Proced ure 0 Maneuver Actions 0 Martial Actions 0 Restrictions on Actions 0
Strike Proced ure 0 Inflicting Damage n Grievo us Injury 0 Weapons 0 Unarmed Combat 0 Specia l Strikes 0 Mounted Com-
ba t 0 Infection 0 Mu lti Hex Characters 0 MAGIC 0 Definition of Magic Terms n How Magic Wor ks 0 How to CaS1 Spelts 0
The Effects of Spells 0 Restr ictions on Magic 0 Backfire (from Spell s) 0 Resisting Spells and Counterspe ll s 0 Special Magical
Preparation 0 Incorporating Magic into Combat 0 The Colleges of Magic 0 Magic Conventions 0 The College of
En sorcelme nts and Enchantments 0 The College of the Mi nd 0 The College of Il lu sions 0 The College of Naming Incanta tions
o The College of Air Magics 0 The College of Water (Ocean) Mag ics 0 The College of Fi re tviagics fJ The College of Earth
Magics 0 The College of Celestial Magics 0 The College of Black Magic 0 The College of Necromantic Conjurations 0 The
Colleg e of Greater (Demonic) Summonings 0 SKILLS 0 Li mita ti ons on Ski lls [l Special Skills: Spoken and Written Languages
o Alchemist 0 Assass in 0 Astro loger 0 Be,ast Masler 0 Courtesan Healer 0 Mecha nician 0 Mercllant 0 Mil itary
Scientist 0 Naviga tor 0 Ranger 0 Spy and Thief 0 Tro ubador 0 MONSTERS 0 Encountering Mons ters and Non Player
Characters 0 Reactions 10 Encoun ters 0 How to Read the Monster Descriptions 0 Land Ma mmals 0 Avia ns LJ Aquilt ics 0
Lizards, Snakes and Insects 0 Giants, Fairies and Earth Dwellers 0 Fan tastic Monsters r Creatures of Night and Shadow 0
Summ oned Creatu res 0 Undead 0 Drilgons 0 Ridin g Beasts 0 ADV ENTURE 0 Se t-up for Adventu re 0 Ga me Conventions
o Adve nture Seq uence 0 Organizing a Party U Monetary Matters 0 Encumbrance 0 Adventure Actions 0 Consequences
o Recove ring from Affl ictions 0 How Experience is Ga ined U How Experience is Used 0 The Continui ng Campa ign
Available now f rom SPI and in stores
nationwide for $9.95

SCENARIOS & VARIANTS
FI-IGHTS OF FANCY
Scenario Models for AirWar Update
by Robert S. Hopkins
Air War continues to sell gratifyingly well,
even though it is one of the more concep-
tually difficult games to adjust to in the U _S_
In some ways, Air War is our Squad Leader
- tremendous detail, steady sales, and
system capable of withstanding modification
and addition (plus we did go to the mat at
least twice on its errata), Now one of these
days we'll do an air war game that feels like
flying! -RAS
The concept of individual-unit tactical
combat in simulations is not new nor unique.
Games such as Tank, Patrol, Dauntless and
Squad Leader have been available for quite
some time and have been well received. In
designing and developing scenarios for these
games, players had little to do other than
select the number of individual units involv-
ed and, on some occasions, the armament us-
ed. Most scenarios had a specific objective as
a term in the victory conditions, and time was
seldom a factor.
In SPI's Air War, the problem of
scenario design and development is much
more significant. The vast number of aircraft
and weapons involved in the game make
authentic or historical selection difficult, to
say the least, for the novice aerial enthusiast.
During play test sessions for the newly-
released Air War Updated Edition, it became
painfully obvious that the typical player of
Air War was in many cases misled by arma-
ment availability charts, and frequently
underarmed or misarmed his aircraft. Fur-
ther, in establishing scenario parameters,
most players failed to allow sufficient dif-
ferences among the aircraft and starting con-
ditions to allow a unique and exciting game
session.
General Guidelines
When designing a potential scenario for
Air War, it is best to have a general objective
in mind. Select the victory conditions (or part
of the victory conditions) in advance. If the
scenario involves some form of ground at-
tack, set a specific target's destruction as the
main goal in the victory conditions. Implicit
in this selection is a consideration of the type
of target and, in many cases, the nationalities
of the aircraft involved.
Once the target has been selected, the
next problem lies in the selection of
weaDonry to destroy the target. This is best
determined by referring to Table 25.94, the
Target Destruction Table. -In many cases, a
scenario may be made more challenging (or
balanced, in a novice/expert situation) by
selecting weapons which are less than advan-
tageous to the destruction of the target. Bear
in mind that there may be ground defenses
surrounding or en route to the target - be
certain to account for imy defense suppres-
sion which may be necessary. Likewise, for
the defending player, it is preferable to select
defensive weaponry in relation to the
historical environs of the target and to the
skill levels of the players involved.
Once the target and weapons have been
selected, the aircraft involved may now be
chosen. Again, the main constraints are
historical utilization and play balance. This is
not to say that only historical scenarios may
be considered. In fact, experimentation is en-
couraged. It remains, however, that players
should be realistic in selecting their aircraft.
A time limit is then placed on the game.
Normally, 15 to 30 game-turns are more than
sufficient, although players may wish to
make things more difficult by introducing
time limitations or by allowing open-ended
scenarios.
The arrangement of the maps is essen-
tially irrelevant. What is relevant is the ar-
rangement of the aircraft, targets, and
defenses on the maps. Except. in cases of
historical reenactment, players have total in-
19
dependence in the location of these factors.
It is recommended however, that the maps be
arranged to facilitate achievement of the vic-
tory conditions within the game length. It is
unrealistic to expect ten MiO-21 's to fly
across eight maps to dogfight eight F-4's in
only ten game-turns.
During play testing all optional rules
were used, as well as a number of proposed
rules. Players may use any of these, although
certain optional rules require some attention.
Pilot capability is best used when trying
to balance a scenario. For example, a novice
player might take a "Honcho" while the
more experienced player would be
"Normal." Further, when practising against
an equal opponent, one player might opt for
a "Novice" or "Turkey" rating in an effort
to improve his own game skills.
The presence of land is an interesting
variable, and players are encouraged to play
the scenarios with multiple land contours,
especially in ground attack scenarios. Pilots
who forget about the ground usually find
themselves six feet under that very same
ground. This author is one of those
pilots ... .
Visual sighting is probably one of the
few important rules which were frequently
omitted during general (although not final)
play testing. It is time-consuming and is best
used in an unbalanced scenario where one
player must rely upon "getting past"
without detection.
Weather is an interesting concept, and
we encourage the use of all kinds of weather,
especially bad weather. Clouds are the most .
useful, since aircraft can hide in them or ap-
pear from them. Clouds also tend to make at-
tacking ground targets much more in-
teresting, particularly if the aircraft fails to
see the radar-directed tlak emplacement ....
The selection of Electronic Counter-
measures (ECM) is rather simple, taking
what is available and what works (see the new
ECM-Specificity Table in Updated Edition).
[t should be noted that using an ALQ-123~
pod is useless against flak or radar-directed
missiles. A final note: avoid ECM pods
unless a bsolu tely necessary. Pods "load"
aircraft, and are essentially useless, especially
in a twisting dogfight. Some may argue that
it is appropriate to carry a pod until engaged,
and then jettison the pod. This is the sole ex-
ception to the "avoid" maximo.
Armament Selection
The second step in the formula of
scenario design is the most difficult: how to
20
arm the aircraft. The Bomb Capacity Table;
28.3, lists maximum loads of specific
weaporrs, but it is not explicit in the arrange-
ment. For example, most players will arm an
F-4 with four Walleye ASM weapons, and no
more. Yet another rack remains, and players
may add other weapons to this centerline sta-
tion. In g~neral, players unknowingly cheal
themselves out of potential armament
because of the massive number of unknown
options. Of course, many other factors are
involved: internal and external fuel load, ex-
ternal temperature, airfield length and
altitude all determine maximum load.
Aircraft charts are equally guilty. The
F-15 carries both four AIM-9 HS missiles
and four AIM-7 RH missiles. Most players
believe that only a maximum combination of
four may be carried, and once agaill short-
change themselves.
The second dilemma is easily solved.
The former, however, remains a formidable
problem. What is the standard load of an
A-lO? (I'm sure that only an A-lO pilot really
knows ... ) Of course, the beauty of the
airplane is that it can vary so widely. The
table lists normal air-to-air loads . It should
be noted that these loads are those most fre-
quently encountered or most widely used.
For example, although the Mirage mc can
carry two HS and one RH missile, the Israelis
normally arm their J-models with two AIM-9
or Raphael Shafrir HS missiles.
Scenario Balancing
The purpose of scenario balancing is to
make an otherwise one-sided scenario more
amenable to both players. While preparing
and play testing scenarios for Updated Edi-
tion, a great deal of time was spent on at-
tempting to achieve the most challenging
scenarios. What would happen if the Iraqis
sent two Hunters out to surprise the USS
Eisenhower in the Eastern Med (due to a
hypothetical oil confrontation)? There is lit-
tle doubt that the two Tomcats sent to in-
tercept them might deal the little Hunters
fatal blows. The scenario becomes more
challenging (and balanced) when three Iraqi
MiG-23's show up.
In another case, one might balance a
scenario by omitting certain weapons. For
example, three Syrian MiG-17's with cannon
might meet two Israeli F-J5"s with cannon
and Shaf rir, but with no AIM-7 radar-
homing missiles. The scenario becomes more
equitable by adding a "Honcho" to the
Syrian flight while leaving the Israelis all
"Norma!. "
Again, the purpose of balancing is to
.make the scenario more equitable, par-
ticularly in terms of drastic disparity in
equipment or pilot capability, and in the case
of players of unequal skill. Balancing may be
used in other cases, with equally significant
effect.
The ability to play Air War is tanta-
mount to the ability to fly well. That is not to
say that an expert Air War player would
necessarily make an excellent pilot. It simply
posits that the ability to take all of what the
game and particular airplane offer and put it
to use in any given situation; it happens that
this is also what makes a good flyer. In Air Pilot Capability: RAAF-6; NKAF-8
War this skill can best be achieved by flying Land Altitude: 20
an inferior aircraft in an outnumbered situa- Game-Turns: 25
tion against an opponent of equal or greater One group of six MiG-IS's is on the board. The se-
skill. A tall order indeed, but one which will cond group appears after the NKAF rolls two dice
undoubtedly sharpen the skills of any player. and totals them, thi s being the number of turns of
This author has a personal fondness for the delay before entry. Use the values after the slash
MiG-I7 in a number of situations, and claims for these aircraft. The second group may enter
an F-15 among his ten Fresco kills. anywhere along the northern or eastern mapedge.
Regretably, my regular opponent (himself a Victory Conditions
Naval Aviator) has quite a few MiG-17 kills. The RAAF player wins if he shoots down more
MiGs than the NKAF player shoots down
(An interesting idea for players who thrive on
Meteors, but at least one Meteor must remain at
reco rds or bookwork: keep records of the the end of the game. The NKAF (Russian?) player
number of kills for each type of aircraft. wins if he shoots down one Meteor without NKAF
Once an airplane has at least five kills, ad- loss or if he shoots down all of the Meteors,
vance it from "Normal" to "Honcho." The regardless of loss. Any .other result is a draw.
hard-.core player may select the "Turkey"
status when flying an aircraft for the firsl
time, progressing in rating with ensuing 2. MORE MUSHROOMS
flights and/ or victories.) Sortie 02 of the 479th BS at Wurrsmith AFB is
completing the third leg of its Single Integrated
Some New Scenarios Operations Plan deep within the Soviet Union.
Equipped with the ALCM, the B-52 provides a
While preparing scenarios for Updated formidable target for the Foxbat-E. (Designer's
Edition, Dave Isby and this author realized Note: This is an interesting scenario, similar to the
that there simply was not enough space "penetration" scenario of the Updated Edilion.)
available for all of the new and exciting Map Arrangement
scenarios developed. To that end, some of F
A BCD E
those scenarios are presenteo here to give the
reader.an idea of how these guidelines exhibit USAF
Aircraft: 1 B-52G
themselveswithin the finished product.
~- , . *, ..
~
1. THE FIRST MEETING 4
Gloester Meteo r F.8's of 77 Squadron, RAAF,
were first used in Korea as air superiority fighters.
A Ircrafl Name'
On 29 Augusl 1951, the Meteors clashed with
MiG-IS's. One Meteor was los t; the cla,h fueled Boeing B-529 Stratofortress
the argument against the Meteor as a true air
superiority fighter. (Designer's note: This banle is Ba~ic Aircraft Informalion Table
not the same as the scenario for a "Meteor vs. Aircraft Type: Strategic Heavy Bomber
MiG" battle which is the Updated Edition - This Cannon Type: A, rear mounted
one occurred a few miles away at the same time.) Cannon Shots:20
RH Missiles: 0
Map Arrangement
HS Missiles: 0
A B Damage Capacity: 50
C D Ceiling: 244
Deceleration: 30
RAAF
Size: 9
Aircraft: 4 Meteor F.8
Number of Crew Members: 6
Movement Allowance: 3
Point Value: 5/ 44
Throttle Selling: 3 Within Altilude Groups: LO MLMH HI
Energy Points: 0 Maximum ThrOllle: 5 5 5 5
Acceleration Points: 0 Minimum Throtrle: 1 2 2 2
Wings: Level Maximum Energy: 9 to 12 13
Dive/Climb: Level Flight Maximum Energy Addition/Turn: 4
Missile.s: None Cruise Speed: 4
Hexes: 00805,01106, 00908, D1208 Special Rules:
Altitudes: 140 I. Electron ics given for rules are only for
Headings: NNE modified B-52s existing since c. 1976.
2. The B-52s tail -mounted cannon has a
NKAF range of nine hexes . with the three divi,ions
(Aussies said they were Russians) being t-3. 4-6, 79 hexes re.'pectivcly. Other
than this they are treated as normal.
Aircraft: 12 MiG-15
Movement Allowance: 3/4
Throttle Setting: 3/ 5 Movement Allowance: 4
Energy Points: 012 Throille Selling: 4
Acceleration Points: 0 Energy Points: 0
Wings: Level Acceleration Points: 9
Dive / Climb: Level Flight Wings: Level
Missiles : None Dive/Climb: Level Flight
Hexes: A0403, A0703, A0405, A0604, Mis.liles: None
A0306, A0407 Altitude: 1
Altitudes: 160/175 Hexes: A0901
Headings: SSE Heading: E
Special and. Optional Rules USSR
Sun Direction: ESE Aircraft: 1 MiG-25 Foxbat-E
 21
Movement Allowance: 4 Two A-4's were downed immediately . Rein- G07XX through G JOXX, inclusive, 4
Throttle Selting: 4 forcements were on the way, as 16 Mirage Ill's GIIXX t.hrough GI5XX, inclusive, 6
Energy Points: 3 dropped three of the Frescos. (Designer's Note: A G16XX through HI6XX, inclusive, 8
Acceleration Points: 0 historical situation from 1970.) Victory CondItIons
Wings: Level Map Arrangement The Israeli player receives 2 points for each MiG
Dive/Clihlb: Level Flight (maps are immovable laterally) destroyed, I point for each truck destroyed, and 2
Missiles: 6 AA-X-9 ABC D E F G H points for each tank destroyed. The Syrian player
recei ves 4 points for each A-4 destroyed, 2 points
Altitude: 32
for each A-4 which jettisons any armament which
Hexes: F0918 /sr8e/ it carries, and 5 points for each Mirage III
Heading: W Aircraft: 4 A-4F, 8 Mirage III destroyed.
Special and Optional Rules Movement Allowance: 517
Sun Direction: As per Case 32. 1 Throttle Setting: 517
5. CLASH OVER THE SINAI
Game Turns: Unlimited Acceleration Points: 0/0
Tired of repeated violations of Israeli Air space,
Pilot Capability: Both 5 Energy Points: 0/6
F-15's from the 133rd Sqd. at Eqron were scrambl-
Terrain: Up to the Players' discretion Wings: Level/Level ed to intercept two Libyan MiG-25's.
ECM: Use B-1 values for B-52 Dive/Climb: Level Flight/Type I Dive
Map Arrangement
Cannon: B-52G uses Type "0" Missiles: 012 AIM-9B on 4 Miarage
ALCM: the B-52 carries 4 ALCM Hexes: A-4: ElD07, E1207, ElllO, E0911; A BCD E F G H
ISTBel
Mir.age: AID02, A1203, AI 106, A1207, A0709,
Victory Conditions A091O, A1510, AI412 Aircraft: 2 F-15
The USSR player receives 15 points for each

~
ALCM destroyed and 10 points for the destruction
Altitudes: A-4: 2; Mirage: 28
Headings: E
4
of the B-52. The US player gelS 20 points for each Aircraft /'iame:
ALCM exited from the Eastern edge of map F and SyriB
20 points for the B-52 if it exi ts anywhere off of Aircraft: 6 MiG-17 McDonnell Douglas FlSA
mapF.
Eagle .
7 ,
3. 1971INDO-PAKISTANI
Basic Aircraft Inf()rmat;,," Tahle
Airerafl Type' fightcc and fightcr-bomber
Two Pakistani Mirage IlIEP's bounced four In- Aircraft Name:
dian Hunters. One Mirage downed two Hunters Cannon Tvpe: A
Mikoyan MiG17CFresco-C
with AIM-9's and succeeded in damaging the other Cannon Shots: 4
two with cannon fire. RH Missiles: 4
Dusic A ircrafl Information Table
HS :\1issiles: 4
Map Arrangement A ircraft Type: fighter and fighter-bomber. Dama~e Capacity: 18
A B Cannon Type: C Ceilillp: 312
C D Cannon Shots: 2 Decel~rati()n: 17
RH Missiles: 0
PBkistBn Size: S
HS Missiles: 2 (somelimes)
Aircraft: 2 Mirage IIIEP Numher of Crew Memhers:
Damage Capacily: 5
Movement Allowance: 4 Point Value: 11 / 15
Ceiling: 210
Within Altitude Group,: 10 MI. MH HI
Throttle Setling: 5 DeceleraTion: 6
MaXllllUm Throllle: 7 9 10 t 2
Energy Points: 2 Size: 5
Minimum Throttle: 1 2
Acceleration Points: 0 Number of Crew Members: I
Maximum Ener~y: 14 16 17 19
Wings: Level Poinl Value: 51!
Maximum Ener~y A dd per Game- Turn: 5
Climb/Dive: Type I Dive Within Allitude Groups: LO MLMH H1
Cruise Speed: 4
Missiles: 2 AIM-9D Maximum Throllle: 5 5 5
Special Rules:
Hexes: D0608, D0806 Minimum Throlfle: I I 2 2
~hy !la'oc up to 2 lock-ons ,irnuliancollslv.
Altitudes: 60 Maximum Energy: 9 9 9 10
May rirc HSM at other targets while havCng
Headings: NNW Maximum Energy Add per Game-Turn: 2 lock-on.
IndiB Cruise Speed: 4 Other \'cesi()m:
Special Rules: nonc RF-I51\: armed rccOllnai ssance vc,,;on,
Aircraft: 4 Hunter F.6
R~lain s armamrrH.
Movement Allowance: 4 Other Versions:
MiG-17 Fresco-A: Use ,mailer number of cannon
Throttle Setting: 4 Movement Allowance: 3
shot ~ and lowC'r al'cdcra[ inn figurc~. MiG-17
Energy Points: 0 Fresco-E: Ha, radar; can use AA-l missiles: other- Throttle Setting: 10
Acceleration PointS: 0 wist like MiGI7C ! D.
Energy Points: 0
Wings: Level
Acceleration Points: 2
Climb/Dive: Level Flight Movement Allowance: 4
Wings: Level
Missiles: None Thrott.le Setting: 4
Dive/ Climb: Type III Climb
Hexes: A1014, A1212, A1214, A1412 Acccleration Points: 0
Missiles, 4 AIM-7F
Altitudes: 24 Energy Points: 2
Altit.udes: 185
Headings: SW Wings: Level
Hexes: H0909, HI01\
Special and Optional Rules Dive/Climb: Level Flight
Headings: W
Sun Direction: SE Missiles: None
Libya
Game Turns: 30 Hexes: A: H0403, H0602, H0701;
B: H0214, H0414, H0513 Aircraft: 2 MiG-25A
Pilot Capability: Pakistan-4, India-5
Altitudes: 14 Movement Allowance: JO
Victory Conditions
Headings: A: W; B: NW Throttle Seni ng: JO
The Pakistani Player wins if he destroys two or
more Hunters without loss. The Indian player wins Special and Optional Rules Energy Points: 0
if he destroys at least one Mirage while losing Sun Direction: S Acceleration Points: 0
fewer than two Hunters. Any other result is a Game Turns: 20 Wings: Level
draw. Pilot Capability: Israeli: 2; Syrian: 8 Dive/Climb: Level Flight
Ground t.argets : Trucks on Map G, hcxc.1 1007, Missiles: 2 AA 6 heat seeking,
4. SURPRISE OVER THE GOLAN 1008,11 10, and 0711. Tanks on Map G, hexes 2 AA-6 radar-homing
Four Israeli A-4 Skyhawks were flying an "air- 0705,0805, 0806, and 0610. Altitudes: 272
borne art.illery" mission over the Golan Height> Land Altimde (hexrows) Hexes: A0607, A0510
when they were bounccd by six Syrian MiG-I7's. G02XX through G06XX, inclusive, 2 Heading: E
22
Spacial and Optional Rules
Sun Direction: E
Land Altitude: 0
Sun Direction : W
Game-Turns: 20
Pilot Capability: USAF: 5; Cuba: 6 Aircraft Name:
,
Game-Turns: Unlimited Each F-looD carries 4 lOoo lb bombs. A hardened Mikoyan MiG-2IE, F, J and K
Libyan Foxbats may not change flight configura- "SAM" site is on hex F0507 with 5 12.7mm flak Fishbed (late model)
tion until they spot an F-15, a missile, or take units placed within l wo hexes of F0507.
damage. Victory Conditions
Victory Conditions US player receives 20 points for destroying the
Basic Aircraft Information Table
The Libyan player gets 5 VP's for each undamaged "SAM" site, 3 points for each MiG-17 5hot down ,
A ireraJt Type: Figh ter
MiG-25 which exits the eastern edge of map H, 2 and no points for each flak gun destroyed. The
Cuban player receives 4 points for each F-loo shot
Cannon Type: B
points for each damaged Foxbat which exits the
down and 3 points for eaeh F-loo which jettisons Cannon Shots: 5
eastern edge of map H. The Libyan gets 10 poims
its load while the "SAM" site has not been RH Missiles: 0
for each F-15 destroyed . The Israeli player gets 3
destroyed. HS Missiles: 4
points for each damaged MiG-25 and 7 poims for
each destroyed Fox bal.
Damage Capacity: 8
7. 18APRIL 1989 Ceiling: 251
8. THE MISSILES OF OCTOBER F-I06 Delta DaTis stationed at Pusan AB in South Deceleration: 8
One alternative to the Cuban Missile Cris is Korea are scrambled to provide support for a se- Size: 5
response was tile "su rgical" extraction of the cond EC-121 under attack by North Korean MiGs . Number oJ Crew Members:
Soviet missile sites. Such a strike could have (Designer' s Notes: This never happened but it Point Value: 8/ 1
possibly met with some aerial resistance. sounds interesting - it's one rugged EC-12l , Wilhin Altitude Groups: LO ML MH HI
however.) Maximum Throllle: 7 8 9 10
Map Arrangement
Map Arrangement Minimum Throllle: I 2 2 3
ABC
A BCD E Maximum Energy: 12 13 14 15
D. E F
USAF Maximum Ener!!J' Add per Game-Turn: 3
USAF
Cruise Speed: 4
Aircraft: 4 F-looD '\ircraft: 4 F-I06, I EC-121
Special Rules : none_

5 -----
I

Airerajl Name:
-4 Other Versions:
MiG-21 C & D (earl~ model): Cannon: Type
D. HS Missiles: 2 Ceilin g: 230 levels. Turn
A ireraf! Name: Convair F-I06 Mode: use figures after -siasnes where dif-
Delta Dart ferent. Acceleration: use figures after slashes
North American F-IOOD where different. Roll: 1-2 PIS., 0 MP cost;
Super Sabre 3-5 Pts., I MP cost; 6+ pIS , 2 MP cost.

Basic Aircraft In forma tion Tahle

Basic Aircraft Information Table Airerafl Type: fighter
Airerajl Type: figh ter and figh ler-b omber Cannon Type: A (non pre-1975)
Cannon Type: Q Cannon Shots: 4 Acceleration Points: 0
Cannon Shols: 4 RH Missiles: 4 (Falcon only-may carry "Vings: Level
RH Missiles.- 0 any mix of A1M -45) Dive/ Climb : Type I Dive
HS Missiles: 4 HS Missiles: 0 Missiles: 2 Atoll
Damaf(e Capacily: 9 8if( Nuclear Rockels: 1 Hexes: E 1202, E1304, EII06
Ceiling: 204 Damage Capacily: 10 Altitudes: 140
Deceleralion: 7 Ceiling: 229 Headings: SW
Size: 6 Decelerarioll: 7 Special and Optional Rules
Number of Crew M embers: 1 Size: 6 Sun Directio n: SW
Poinl Value: 6/ 2 Num~er of Crew Members: 1 in F- I06A, 2 Game Length : 20 turns
Within Altitude Groups: LO ML MH HI in F-106B Pilot Capability: USAF: 3; NKAF: 8
Maximum Throllle: 6 6 6 6 Poinl Value: 7/ 1 Use the 8-52 counter and chart for the EC-121
Minimum Throille: 222 Within Altitude Groups: 1.0 ML MH HI with the following modifi<:ations: the aircraft may
Maximum Energy: 9 9 10 10 Maximum ThrOllle: 7 8 9 10 not accelerate past an MA of 2. The EC-121 is
i.faximum Enerf;y Add per Game-Turn: J Minimum Throllle: I 2 2 3 unarmed and carries a crew of 18, has a ceiling of
Cruise Speed: 4 Maximum Energv: IJ 14 14 15 164, may add no more than 2 energy points per
game-turn, and carries 20 Oares . T he EC-121 has a
,Waximum Energy Add per Game-Turn: 3
Movement Allowance: 4 damage capacity of 25 (Designer suggests 12) and
Cruise Speed: 4 has a loaded ceiling of 140. All other loaded
Throttle Setting: 4
Special Rules: Ca n usc Bi Nuclear Rocket characteristics are those of the B-52.
Acceleration Points: 0 (blivel), See Case 106.2. "
Victory Conditions
Wings: Level
The NKAF playe r gets 10 points for downing the
Dive/ Climb: Level Flight .
EC-121, or 4 points if it is damaged to a loaded
Missiles: none Movement Allowance: 7/2 condi tion . The NKAF player gets 5 points for each
Hexes: A0704 , A0707, A0506, A0905 Throttle Setting : 712 F-l06 destroyed and 1 poin t for each F-106
Altitudes: 28 Energy Points: 0/ 0 damaged to a loaded condition. The US player
Headings: S Acceleration Points: 0/ 0 gets 15 points if the EC- J2l escapes off the
Cuba Wings: Level southern edge of map B, 7'points if the EC-121 is
Dive/ Climb: Level Flight loaded and escapes. The US player also gets 3
Aircraft: 2 MiG-17 "Fishbed-C"
points for each MiG-21 shot down.
Movement Allowance: 3 l\1issiles: 2 AIM-4F, 2AIM-4G
Throttle Setting: 5 Hexes : F-106: A0408 , A0606, A071l, A0813;
Acceleration Points: 0 EC-121: DI509 8, THE "ARAB-EGYPTIAN" WAR
Wings: Level Altitudes: F-106 : 44; EC-121 : 116 Constant provocation by the Libyans of the now
Headings : E pro-Israeli Egyptians has led to a "punishment"
Dive/ Climb: Type IT Climb
strike by the Egyptians. Newly-acquired F .9 Fan-
Missiles: none NKAF
tans are striking th e EI Uotia airfield.
Hexes: F0206, F0403 Aircraft : 3 MiG-21 C
Movement Allowance: 4 Map Arrangement
Altitudes: 10
Headings: NW Throttle Setting: 4 A B E
Special and Optional Rules Energy Points: 3 C D F
 23
REAF Wings: Level Mystery Tourl [contiKUedjrompage 17}
Aircraft : 4 F.9 Fantan Dive/ Climb : Level Flight Table) of the strongest monster in the group,
Movement Allowance: 4 Missiles: 2 Atoll with the amount in Bezants (or their
Throttle Setting: 4 Altitudes: 4S equivalent) offered by the party. The in-
Energy Points: 0 Hexes : AOS13, AIOII dicated number is the number that the party
Accelcr~on Points: 0 Headings: SE must roll equal to or less than on a single
Wings: Level Special and Optional Rules "D6" to convince the monster(s). Success in-
Dive/ Climb: Level Flight Sun Direction: W dicates that the equivalent of an
Missiles: none Game Turns: 20 "agreement" on the Ne,gotiation Table has
Altitudes: 32 Pilot Capability: REAF : 6; LAF: 10 been reached. Bribery may be tried only once
Hexes: F040S, F0607 , F0511, FOSIO
Victory Conditions per group of monsters , and if successful the
Headings: NW
The Egyptian player wins if he gets at least 2 F.9's party subtrac ts the appropriate number of
(all are in a loaded condition due to armament) off Bezants from their treasure and gives it to the
LAF of the western edge of map A. The Libyan wins if monsters . if the monsters are later slain, the
he can prevent this . If the Libyan player has any treasure is regained.
Aircraft: 2 Mirage V
"Honchos," these are assumed to be Soviet-
Movement Allowan ce: 5 piloted aircraft. If any non-Egyptian "Honcho" is BRIBEAYTABLE
Throttle Setting: 5 shot down, upgrade the level of victory once in Sum of Monstflr Wounds
Energy Poinls: 0 favor of the Egyptian player, e.g., draw to Egyp- + Nflgotifltion Value
Acceleration Points : 0 tianwin . 8-9 10-12 13-16 17-20 21 +

"Standard" Air-t~Air Loads for Ai, Wa, Aircraft

All aircraft cannon-armed unless otherwise noted.
Aircraft HS RH Aircraft HS RH
~M"J~i~:~~14.t1b~~~~'2~1I~:P~~1;~~:7:'~, ~2i~~1~l~i:;~~3j~S:s~~~G2'~~7;fE~~~;~~~
Mirage F. l 2 2 2
~~l~t?i~i~~~~t~~:?ll~l~J:f~;;:~ EXPLANATION OF RESULTS:
Ouragon lor 2 I = Plavers mUSt roll this number or less on
~~~ft~f;JfJ~E;fij~~~~~~~~~~:Rt!lr. "I 06" i~ order to reach an "agreement" with the
monsters. Note: Negotiation is not possible after
MRCA 4 A-7 2 Bribery, no matter what the result.
GWW~e.ilf::~~;~:~~~~fi~i5'{~~f~~~~4,:~~~ ~~~~ti~i0~3~;;;ig"~r~0~;ri:~~fF~~ D. MistSub-Table
Draken 2 A-1O
This table is used in conjunction with
!;~~g;}~"~~;~iI.~~~:;;:~~;:*j;i;:~i;r~ the three Advanced Special Features Tables.
MiG-17E 2 or 2 B-52 Roll on this table whenever instructed to by a
die roll result. This table uses a die roll of
~1~g:9P~~~~1;iJ!t~!~ tf~~~~~~~~~~2~r;fI;r::~~~1~~[~ "lD6" for resolution.
MiG-19D 4 or 4 F-4F 4
Die TYPfI of Mist
~~~~~:~ii?i?~Jk~~~ ~:[IL~$~~?~~~~::~~~~~~~~ 1 Lycanthrope Fog
MiG-21C,F 2 F-5 2
2-3 Healing Vapor
~l~~iq!~~~t~~~~f;~~~ 4 Midas's Mist
MiG-2lJ-N 2/4 2/ 0 5-6 Stone Haze
EXPLANATION OF RESULTS:
MiG-25A 2/ 0 2/ 4 F-16 2 Lycanthrope Fog: Player investigating the
~1:I~t[*f~~~ii~"~~~ Special Feature is from this point on governed by
the Werewolf Player Character rules, although his
MiG-27 2 F-86 Wound Points remain the same. Healing Vapor:
Each member of the party is healed of "106"
wounds . Midas's Mist: Effects identical to that"
Su-7 x x of Midas's Waters on the Advanced Fountain
Table (6.15) . Stone Ha~e: The Player in-
vestigating the Special Feature must resist or be
SU-19 x x F-106 2/0/4 214/0 turned to sto ne .

Numbers represent quantity of missiles of
given type (RH =Radar Homing; HS = Heat-
Seeking) that may be carried. x =Missile type
carried in undetermined quantity.
I. The United States Navy is currently
evaluating the feasibility of two AlM-9L's on
A-6E's. Decision has not been made as of this
writing.
2. U.S. Marine Corps Harriers can carry twO
AIM-9's. UK and Spanish Harriers are seldom
seen with the missile. It is unknown if Japan or
China (PRC) will purchase the Harrier and, if
so, whether they will carry this missile. PRC
and India will probably missile-arm their Har-
riers, possibly with Matra 550's.
3. Not cannon-armed.
4. The French F-SE (FN) can carry only two
R530 RH missiles"
5. The F-I04S may carry two AIM-7's, but
may not carry cannon if so armed.
24
MOVES IN ENGLISHeditedbyCharlesVasey
FREEDOM IN THE
GALAXY
by P. H. Bolton and W M. Orr
Role-playing is a strange sector of the hobby.
What currently passes for role-playing seems
rather far distant from the old concept of
playing a game rather as a method actor
might portray a character and not as a cun-
ning games-player with an eye for the rules
loophole . It now seems role-playing has ap-
proximated to the introduction of characters
rather than just units. FfTG seems to be
within this definition, but it's interesting for
another reason - simply that the rules are
required to handle such massive differences
in scale and size . It is asking a lot of a
designer to be able to swing from small
bands of galactic heroes to the sight of the
Imperial Death Ships. My limited playing of
the game indicated considerable success,
and these reviewers seem to agree . - CHV
"Ly Mantok piloted the damaged
spaceship Explorer through the defense
screen of the Planetary Defense Bases of
Sufi. The !?ebel cause had suffered a
devasting set-back on Mrane when the
Imperial Forces, using the Planetary
Stabilizer, ripped through the outer crust of
the planet and hurtled everything on the
surface into space. Ly and a few others had
been lucky enough to escape, although the
Explorer had been badly damaged by the
orbiting Imperial spacecraft around Mrane.
The rebels only hope was Jor Ly, Doctor
Sontag and Yarra Latac to convince Drakir
Grebb, Prince oj Suli, to come over to the
Rebel cause. "
Thus do events unfold in Freedom in the
Galaxy (FITG in shorthand form), which is
one of SPI's responses to the recent flood of
science fiction games . In PITG, the goodies
- consistent with the standard plot in the
endless series of Stu'r Wars type movies - rid
the Galaxy of the baddies. The gallant band
of rebels overcome impossible odds to make
the GalaXy a safer place for us all to live.
FITG has a relatively simple role-
playing element compared with the more
popular fantasy role-playing (FRP) games,
such as D&D. To this base is added an
abstract land and space combat and move-
ment system (there is no detailed ship to ship
combat as per BattlePleet: Mars) and an
abstract Galaxy game which provides for
strategic events. So, in one game, events
range from man-to-man combat to events
having 'major effects on several planetary
and star systems.
The game is split into three levels: Star
System, Province, and Galactic levels. While
each of the three levels is only moderately
complex, the three together add up to a fairly
complex game with over thirty pages of rules,
plus details and descriptions of all char-
acters, planets, etc. The game comprises:
A. A 22" X 34" four colour map which is
unusual, as it consists of 25 star systems with
a total of 51 planets. A typical planet is
shown in Diagram I. As can be seen, each
planet has a number of environs of differing
types.
B. 140 cards representing Characters and
Possessions and signifying events.
C. 400 counters which represent Characters,
Possessions or military units.
System Effectiveness
The Star System game, the simplest
level of PITG, is useful only in learning how
to play. As the Province level, dealing with a
number of star systems grouped together,
changes a large number of the Star System
rules, there is no point in discussing how the
Star System game works.
Due to the unusual nature of PITG, it is
worthwhile highlighting some features of the
game's mechanics before commenting on the
effectiveness of the system. T he game's se-
quence in the province game is:
Operational Phase. The phasing player's
military and character units move. The non-
phasing player has a limited reaction phase
wherein a number of his units can move in
response to the phasing player's movement.
Combat is initiated between military units if
either party wishes.
Search. The non-phasing player may search
for detected phasing player's characters.
Mission Phase. Characters can perform
any of the 15 different missions in this seg-
ment. A typical mlSSlOn would be
Diplomacy, whereby the characters try to
change the Loyalty rating of a planet.
Military combat and movement, as
mentioned earlier, are slightly abstract.
There is ' no cietailed ship-to-ship action;
rather combat is at group level. Each military
unit has a land and space combat value, while
the latter value also acts indirectly as a move-
ment allowance. While it is possible to move
a low navigation unit several times its printed
second value, the farther one goes, the
greater the probability that units will be lost
in space. Similarly, moving large stacks is
also dangerous, and units moving from one
planet to another have to go into orbit
around each planet in turn. The stacking limit
is controlled by the Environ Size (see
Diagram I) which limits the number of units
and also the number of action cards that can
be drawn. Within the restriction of environ
size, units can move freely about a planet.
Overall, the military movement system is
simple to operate and effective. Movement
of large stacks is difficult, but it is possible
while taking risks to send a small force over
vast distances.
Military combat, both in space and on
land, is resolved O'n a straightforward odds
ratio CRT. Column shifts are introduced
because of leaders, elite units, or special rebel
units. Land combat, because of certain
shifts, tends to favour the Rebel player. Nor-
mally, for the Imperial player to get
favourable odds against the Rebel units, he is
forced to either use a large force or commit
one of his few characters to lead the attack.
Hence, the simple combat system gives the
Rebel player an advantage, as would exist in
a real situation whe re the Rebel is able to pick
his time for fighting.
An unusual aspect of the system is the
fulfillment of combat results. Each combat
can require the player to remove up to, but
never more than, a certain number of combat
strength points. For example, say the result
called for the loss of two combat points; if
your smallest unit is a strength three, you lose
nothing . However, if you have a combat
strength two unit or two ones, you have to
lose either the two or both ones. Also, there
are two dice throws for each combat, one for
the defender's losses and one for the at-
tacker's. Both dice throws are resolved on
the same CRT column, thus increasing the
uncertainty when attacking, because even at
high odds, high combat strength units can
fail. Except for these two dice throws, large
units could have become invulnerable. High
strength point units, which represent elite
units , thus have built-in advantages to show
their superior fighting abilities.
All combat in space occurs in orbit
around planets; either player can intercept
rival units entering or leaving a planet.
Unlike land combat, however, there is no
limit to the size of the rival stacks, so it is
possible to have two large stacks in orbital
combat slugging it out, with each side only
chipping away at the other's stack. It is not
advisable for the Imperial player to tie up so

many units just to take off a few Rebel units
per turn.
Before rounding off this section on the
military aspects of the game system, mention
must be It)ade of the Planetary Defense Base
(PDB), which represents a planet-wide net-
work of tracking, detection, and weapons
systems. Control and use ofPDB's is critical
to the success of either side. The PDB's are a
means of detecting characters. They are also
useful for space combat and bottling up both
military units and characters on the surface
of planets.
To sum up the military movement and
combat system, it is slightly unusual and
presents problems (e.g., in picking your
force mix). Do you go for a small force of
large semi-invulnerable uni ts, or a large
number of small easily destroyed units? The
movement system allows each player the op-
tion of trying to overjump their ability, so
you can never be certain of how far rein-
forcements can come from. Large stacks are
unwieldly to move. Overall, although the
military unit segment of the rules is at a more
abstract level than the character level, it is in-
teresting, challenging, and demands atten-
tion to details.
Characters in Action
The character leyel rules are really the
essence of the whole game. -Each character is
provided with an individual counter. Com-
pared to most FRP games, the character side
of FITG is at a very much simpler level. The
DIAGRAM I: Planel Track from Freedom in tlie Galaxy.
G pect from these biographies, particularly the
Ge//as
.I --~
A. Orbit box (name and identity number of planel).
B. Political status of planet (information on capital ,
Throne, secret, or star-faring race).
C. Political Track (for determining loyally of planet).
n. Planet'S loyalty at beginning of scenario
(A = Al'megeddon; S = Start .Rebellion;
AC = Rebel Controlled).
E. Environ.
game credits list Bill Seligman, who is well .
known throughout FRP circles, if only for
his efforts in A/arums and Excursions and
other FRP APA's. Given Bill's experience,
one would expect a good character system.
[Ed. Note: The character system for FlTG
was designed and developed by Howard
Barasch and John Butterfield.]
The main function of characters, par-
ticularly the Rebel characters (at least in the
early part of the game when the Rebels can
not hope to challenge the Imperial military
units) is to undertake missions. In the Pro-
vince game, there are 13 missions that the
Rebel character can perform. The individual
missions are listed in Table I. The Imperial
player has fewer options available.
Having decided on the missions to be
undertaken, the appropriate number of ac-
tion cards, as given by the environ size, are
drawn and acted upon. Table II shows the
likely effects of the action cards. There are 30
different cards which act as random event
generators. As there can be eight or nine dif-
ferent mission groups drawing on a limited
number of cards, one of the major
drawbacks of the game system appears . You
will be surprised after a while how irritating it
becomes shuffling the cards. Imagine doing
this over eighty times as is possible in the
Galactic Game.
Undoubtedly one of the strengths of the
game system is the wide variety of the mis-
sions that can be undertaken. Anyone used
to role-playing games will adapt to this func-
D
F. En"iron size (its population and geographic size).
G. Environ race (siar next to race indicales it is
starfaring) .
H. Resource Rating
I. Coup Raling or name of sovereign.
J. Environ Type Symbol (Urban, Wild, Liquid.
Subterranean, Air, or Fire) ,
k . Creatures .
25
tion readily, yet it is not so complex that it
will confuse anyone not used to the basic
idea. In the game, the Rebel player's chance
of victory wholly depends on his choice of
characters to go on individual missions . As
can be seen from Table I, the primary mis-
sions, such as Diplomacy, Coup, and
Sabotage, have a success probability of
around 10-20070 per card. J-lence, the riumber
of cards drawn must be maximized to ensure
success. This can best be done by the correct
selection of the characters who undertake a
mission, as different characters qualify for
different bonus draws.
The abilities of various characters are
vitally important. Anyone who has played
any FRP games will be acquainted with this
concept. Each character has six abilities, as
shown by a typical character card in Diagram
II. Obviously, characters with high combat
and endurance values make good fighters,
while characters with a high navigation value
make good spaceship pilots. In addition to
these traits, most characters have either
bonus draws or other special powers.
One of the reasons for the success of the
FRP games is the gamer's ability to identify
with and assume the role and the mannerisms
of the character he is playing. As FITG is a
role-playing game, the question must be ask-
ed: Can a player identify with the characters?
Yes! This identification is due to the amount
of detail provided and to the fact that each
character is suffidently different from the
others to maintain his own personality.
Furthermore, each character has substantial-
ly different probabilities of success on mis-
sions and chances of surviving attacks. While
the system is simple, there is enough meat to
bite on.
All the characters, planets, possessions,
ctc., have their own potted history. Anyone
accustomed to SPI games knows what to ex-
creatures and wandering monsters.
Combat between characters is handled
differently than between military units. The
differential CRT has column shifts for un-
successfully trying to break off combat and
trying to capture rather than wound an oppo-
nent. Again , FRP garners will see this as a
very simple system. Simplicity does not imply
ineffectiveness, however. While the system
lacks such subtleties as hit location, for ex-
ample, it is still enjoyable to play. The relec
vant question is whether you can identify
with your characer during combat. Again .
the answer is yes.
Search and Destroy
A critical point in any guerrilla warfare
game is how it handles the necessary limited
intelligence aspect. SPI falls back on the time
honoured system of not being able to attack
unless the enemy is spotted. FITG adds an
additional search procedure. First, the
character has to be detected. The opponent
can then try to search for that character dur-
ing the search phase. If the search is suc-
cessful then that character can be attacked by
the successful searching party. Unless a
character has been detected, no searches can
be made . Detection can occur either via the
26
action cards or when leaving or entering a
planet by an active Planetary Defense Base .
Military units are always found and hence
can always be attacked.
This sys,tem, like all the present "state-
of-the-art" systems, suffers from the pro-
blem that although the contents of a st.ack
may be hidden, its whereabouts - and hence
the rival's reaction to it - is biased by the
location of the attack. Since at some time
during the game most units take part in com-
bat, it is not too difficult to work out what
most stacks contain. AB can be seen from re-
cent articles in MOVES, no easY-lo-operate,
foolproof system has yet been developed for
this type of game. Can you imagine playing a
game of this type with most of the counters
as dummies, all being moved about to con-
fuse your rival? Until micro-computers
become more widespread and games are
played on them, limited intelligence will
always be a weak part of many games, FITG
being no exception .
Another important aspect of a guerrilla
game is how the loyalty of the population is
measured. Considering the number of
planets and the possible changes in loyalty, a
simple, easy-to-operate system is necessary.
SPI has supplied one . There are several states
in which the population can be, ranging from
Imperial to Rebel control through various in-
between states. Going from one extreme to
the other is arduous, and it is thus difficult
for the Imperial 'player to get a planet out of
rebellion. Therefore, most of the struggle for
the hearts and minds of the populace takes
place in the middle ground . The whole objec-
tive of the Rebel player is to shift planets
from the Imperial faction to his own . The
game successfully recreates the long slow
struggle that takes place, with the normal ex-
ponential growth once the critical point is
reached. A large part of this phenomenon is
provided by the Domino Effect. What hap-
pens on one planet can affect the loyalty
rating on another planet. Either player will
ignore this rule only at his peril. During the
later discussion on tactics, the importance of
DIA GRAM II: Character Card from Freedom in
Doctor Sontag
the Domino Effect will be examined. All that
needs to be said is that it has a major bearing
on the game.
Bouquets & Brickbats
The question, as it relates to FITG, is
whether the whole is greater than the sum of
the parts . Overall the system plays well.
Although complex in total. each subsection
is relatively straightforward. The player who
has a long term plan is rewarded; patience
and thoughtfulness lead to victory. Each
player has many options. and the built-in
randomness of the system ensures that no
two games are the same. Within the limita-
tions of the state of the art, guerrilla warfare
is reasonably well represented.
There is , however, one majo r problem.
There is a gross imbalance in the work load of
each player. The Imperial player will have to
sit back and watch the Rebel player for long
periods, particularly during the Rebel
player's mission phase. The only fun the Im-
perial player can have is watching the Rebel
being attacked by monsters or irate locals.
But the Imperial player can do very little to
affect the outcome of the Rebel's missions.
While the Rebel has to be patient , the Im-
perial player has to be even more so . The
system does not suit the all-out attack .
How could the major criticisms of the
system be overcome? One possible way is to
adopt the system used in Football Strategy,
which has a matrix where the defensive
player secretly picks one of a number of
possible defenses, and then the o ffensive
player picks his option and the two are cross
referenced. Each side is constantly trying to
out-guess the other, which is surely the
essence of guerrilla warfare. Also, the
number of options could be limited by the
loyalty rating of each planet. After each side
picks an option, these could be cross
referenced to determine which action chan
to use. These action charts would have a list
of probable likely events . A dice throw could
then show which event happens . This pro-
cedure would add a bit to the complexity, but
thewhole of the game would be improved.
t"~ Galaxy.
nr.12 REBEL RHONE
Doctor Sontag
Combat: 2 is that the Imperial Player picks fourteen
Endurance: 2 Strategic Assignment Cards, each of which
In {ell igence: 4 outlines some movement limitation. The Im-
Leadership:
Diplomacy: 3 mains unknown to the Rebel player.
Navigation: 0
Home Planet: Orlog
May heal other characters (see
Case 13.72). Receives two
bonus draws on Gather Infor-
mation mission (I).
Freedom in t he Galaxy
The preceding comments apply primari-
ly to the Province Game, but there is one
more level. While few new rules are introduc-
ed - only 2 Vz pages - there is a major in-
crease in scope. Whereas, in the Province
Game, the maximum number of planets that
are in play is 14, the Galactic Game encom-
passes 51 . SPI reckons that the Province
Game shou ld take five hOlm, while the
Galactic Game can be played in about 20
hours. Some people fee.! that SPI generally
underestimates the time taken to play their
games, so you can judge for yourself how
long the Galactic Game takes. It is definitely
one for a long weekend or a desert island. To
work out the optimum strategy, if one exists,
would take a good part of a lifetime
The sequence of play in the Galactic
Game is slightly different from that of the
Province Game, in that a single turn in the
Galactic Game consists of two entire Pro-
vince Game turns plus one Galactic Stage.
This consists of three parts: Galactic Event,
Resources, and Imperial Strategic Assign-
ment Phases.
The Galactic Event Phase is another
draw of an event card and is more or less a
random event. Typical events include
changes in planet loyalty, attacks by a ghost
fleet or pirates, and movement restrictions.
In the Resource Phase, the imperial
Player can tax the populations he controls.
The rates of taxation affect the loyalty rating
of the planet. This revenue is used by the Im-
perial player to maintain existing units and
build new forces. The Rebels gain resources
by placing planets in rebellion . The Rebel
units must travel from the Rebel Secret Base
Planet, however, while the Imperial player
can bring his on from several planets.
The Imperial Strategic Assignment
Phase is another random event which
restricts Imperial movement. Following this
phase there is a Rebel turn, broken down as
previously outlined, then an Imperial turn,
and finally another Rebel and Imperial turn,
and then back to the Galactic Event Phase.
The Imperial Strategic Assignment is a sim-
ple yet effective way of restricting the Im-
perial movement to show a typical
bureaucratic army mentality - the attitude
that tries to fight this war like the last one.
The phase introduces a known restriction to
the Imperial movement without letting the
Rebel know these restrictions. What happens
perial player can arrange these cards in any
sequence he wishes. However, this order reo
Niceties & Atrocities
The Galactic Game also' introduces
Planet Secrets and Imperial Atrocities . Up
until now there is little in the lean, efficient
system that can be called chrome . However,
Planet Secrets fall into the chrome category.
Sixteen of the planets have some secret such
as hidden wealth, or a special effect such as
increasing all characteristic ratings by one.

While it adds some colour to the game, the
concept adds very little to the system.
Imperial Atrocities range from minor
atrocities like sneak attacks (Rebel takes
dou ble losses '" in combat) to the Planet
Stabilizer, which destroys whole planets. Ob-
viously, the atrocities have some drawbacks
in that they are sometimes one shot weapons
and / or can change a planet's loyalties.
However, their threat is very effective. Just
watch the Rebel units disappear if he thinks
that the Planet Stabilizer is in orbit! Also,
while the Suicide Squad is not an Atrocity
unit, it will make Rebel characters melt away.
A wise Rebel player will spend the first few
turns working Out what the Imperial force
mix is . It is harder for the Imperial player to
work out what the Rebel player has, because
most of them are hiding.
Although there are few additional rules ,
the Galactic Game is several magnitudes
more complex than the Province Game,
mainly because of the increase in the number
of planets and options open to each side.
Long term planning is now even more impor-
tant. The Strategic Assignment Cards require
the Imperial player to decide a t the start of
the game where he thinks the Rebels ' main
blow will fall every turn; otherwise a great
deal of reshuffling of Imperial forces wiLl be
required just to get around the Assigment
Cards. Also , it is wise for the Imperial player
to husband his resource points, because at
some time in the game the Rebel player will
move from guerrilla to a full military level of
fighting. Up until this stage, the Imperial
player has a vast superiority in units, and it is
a shock to be attacked for the fi rst time by
the Rebel player. The Imperial player has to
get used to the idea that the Rebels are
fighting back. Due to the nature of the col-
umn shifts in the CRT available to the
Rebels , the Imperial forces have to mass to
obtain suitable odds . Then suddenly, it is not
always possible to attack the Rebel forces at
favourable odds .
Keeping revenue demand at a low level
increases the loyalty rating of planets in
favour of the Imperium, so prudent Imperial
economic management is called for.
Remember that the Imperium , unlike the
Rebels, can never win until the last turn. It
can be very discouraging to think you have
the Rebel forces bottled up, while all along
there is a danger just around the corner. It
just lakes a few careless slips to turn a strong
position into a weak one.
During his long periods of concentra-
tion, one of the few pleasures the Imperial
player has, besides watching the Rebels be at-
tacked by monsters, is to bluff the Rebel
player over the location of the Atr ocities
units or the Suicide Squad. While these units
are costly, the knowledge that they are pre-
sent stops the Rebel player from presenting
too large a target in one place. The Rebel
always knows that the Imperial force has big
guns capable of blowing away any target.
In summary, FITG has a number of very
good points. The wide scale of the game
demands long term planning, patience, and
carefully thought-out ideas. While the mili-
tary combat system is abstract and lacks a
feel for space combat, it is satisfactory.
27
Where the game really scores well is in the
character game. It has a simple, effective, yet
well constructed role-playing game.
Although it obviously cannot have the depth
and detail of the more popular role-playing
games , the players should nevertheless have
no trouble in identifying with the characters.
However, FITG will not be everyone's
favourite game, as playing the Imperial side
demands a player who .is not overly ag-
gressive and who can sit back and wait for his
chance to come. There is no doubt that play-
ing the Rebel side is more fun and provides
more control over density. Most people
would rather side with the goodies anyway
and rid the Galaxy of evil once and for all .
Tactics
Due to the scope and playing 'time of the
Galactic Game, few people will ever try to
discover the optimum moves, if they exist.
However, general comments can be given.
These are adequately covered in the Players
Notes section of the rules, so there is no need
to go into details on them.
It is useful to show a few ideas of how to
play the Province Game, as most people will
settle for this level of complexity because of
time restrictions. The first thing to consider
is the Planetary Defense Bases. A level two
PDB that is up is a very effective force
against both characters and military units.
One of the early objectives of the Rebel
player is therefore to put the PDB's down, as
this gives him a greater flexibility of move-
ment . Remember that, unless a character is
already detected, he cannot be searched for ,

TABLE II: Probability of Action Cards Events

Event Urban Special Wild
" Missi~~ Ab6tttd *~ '
., ',. SuliY~ir' tw;ps ::
~ : , <... ~,... . '-"

-.',. : Start Rebellion 3.3

6.7 Diplopia.eyt :,.:' :3.3/ 6;7 ,
" ] Q,O:, ';-J).3
, Coup 10.0 10.0
Coup 16.7 16.7 ,. Cnp;a(Jters;ij~teeted ' 16.7 . 13: 3' '',,:z:l l.3:?'~
J biplomll,~Y :,':' lJ.3~ ' 10.0 No Searches 6.7 10.0 10.0
Free P risoners 16.7 20.0 16 ,7 ' ~Local~ Raid En~niy ' 6:7 - " 3.3 '" 3i}
.Gain', C.haracters ~: 16.7 I f ;f' . ij,j Extra Bonus Cards 10,0 6.7 6.7
- Gather Information 13 .3 10.0 10,0 '~o Creature Attac>~s This .T urn - CU) "" "O.Q .- '.3.; 3. "'''-
";' ,'.
' Seave!J.:ge Joi.Fossessi6ru~. 13.3 '" :" B.3 d6 ~ 7 Populace Goes Wild 6.7 6.7 6.7
, Start Rebellion/ Stop Rebellion 16 .7 16.7 16.7 Attack ~ ?y q reatures Qr' LocalS ~6.7 13.3 i3>~ ,: "
~ s liho tage .. ~,
' 16:7 , 16.7 '1 6.7 Accidents (One Wound) 3.3 0.0 .
,'''' .. ,
~ ' . 0.0
> Subvert Troops 6.7 6.7 6.7 , ' E[1emy Ageni: ReveaIS'.Mi~.Sion . 3.3 ;-" 3:~ 1: ' 3.3 ,:
PRO VINCE i
F. VEl., 6,7
No Bonus Cards This Turn 6.7 6.7
Summon Sovereign 10.0
"'
10.0 10.0
>
Mission Group StuinbI.e son E nemy " , 0.0 i .l ~3 ;3 '
Spaceship Quest 'C 10'.0 "" 10.0 W.O Atrocity 3.3 3.3 3.3
~~.~;~.., .. ~.

GALA CTlC LEVEL ' 'Civil War 3.,3 ' : 3'~T , n :.

, Steal Enemy Resources 10.0 10:0 10.0
The percentage chance numbers are based on one Miss ion Group per En-
10;0 lOiO 1.0.0 viron as multiple miss ion gro ups affect odds slightly . This is the
minimum , as the "Enemy Agent Reveals Miss ion" card will increase the
chances of a n aborted mi ss ion . t Character with Diplomacy rating greater
than two/ rating less than tW O.
28
and a level two PDB makes a good detector.
A level two PDB has a three colum shift on
detected spaceships. Only the better space-
ships and crews shQuld contemplate trying to
get past one . One should not get the idea that
PDB's are invulnerable, as the Sabotage mis-
sion is very effective against them; even so,
attacking a downed PDB with large space
units is the safest way to destroy them.
The Imperial player never has the luxury
of too many units, so he must make optimum
use of those he has. In the early turns, before
the Rebel starts to gather milita ry units, the
Imperial forces can try to bOLlle up and
destroy the Rebel characters. The Imperial
player should always obtain the Suicide
Squad and choose his force mix to contain as
many large units as possible. He should then
follow the Rebel characters around, waiting
for a chance to attack the characters. The
Imperial player should always use squads to
attack t.he Rebel characters, as his own
characters are too few in number for him to
afford losses. Also keep forces in orbit to
discourage the Rebel player from sending his
characters to a planet. Planets with two
space-faring races should always be a,
well
defended as possible because of the Domino
Effect. The Imperial characters normally re-
main stacked with their units to get satisfac-
tory combat odds, so the Imperial player
should accept that nOL only are his mission
options fewer than the Rebel player's, but
also that his number of missions will be
smaller. The Rebels should remember that
some of his own units gel column shifts for
being in certain types of environs during
combat, so he ought to keep mixed units
together. to get this column shift as often as
possible.
The Mission's the Thing
At the character level, it is especially im-
portant to decide on the missions. Tables [
and II show the probabilities of success and
t.he risks of each different mission in the three
different environs . They are useful aids in
helping one to decide on the best type of mis-
sions to undertake.
As well as deciding what missions must
be undertaken and where, the size and com-
position of the mission groups is importanl.
Obviously certain mission chances are im-
proved by certain character characteristics .
Another important factor is the number of
bonus cards that can be drawn; and you
should,. examine what type of monsters and
locals inhabit the environ that the mission
group is in, ~o that the combat strength and
endurance necessary for the mission group to
survive an attack can be determined.
Needless to say, there are many con-
straints and boundary conditions placed on
the selection of missions, mission groups and
where they take place. Some decisions are
easy: for example, Doctor Sontag should
never pilot a spaceship. Other choices are
harder. Very few missions are ever under-
taken by only one character - no character
is that good.
Not all monsters are dangerous. Some
are just irritations, and hence there is no fear
of attack from them . Some monsters can
even be helpful (e.g., Zop on Mitrith [143]
will actually give things to help the
Rebellion). The only time in the early part of
the game that a Rebel character is not under-
taking a mission is when ' he' is recovering
from wounds. Hence if you have one
character left over from the selected mission
groups, go back and redo the groups. Always
have the maximum number of groups possi-
ble, particularly in the early part of the game.
Some of the missions are more impor-
tant. or useful that others. The Sabotage mis-
sion will bring PDB's down to allow more
freedom of movement. The differences in the
success and failure of Coup and Diplomacy
missions are sho""n in Tables I and II. You
will have to decide for yourself which one is
best. The Rebel Camp mission is useful only
in an environ at the Patriotic Loyalty rating,
as they have to be disbanded when the rating
becomes Dissent or Unrest. Whether you
want additional characters or possessions
depends on how things are going. Obviously,
if a number of characters are killed, thev
must be replaced, particularly if killed earl)'
on. 1\-1ost of the other cards have specialized
uses which are only occasionally called upon.
The most important is the Start Rebellion
which, if you have a number of planets in
unrest, can trigger them all off. Hence you
should not have to use the mission often , if
you are doing things right.
Dominoes
One of the biggest aids for t.he Rebel is
the Domino Effect. The Rebel objective is to
get several planets with space-faring races in-
to unrest, to be triggered off by one St.an
Rebellion. There is nothing worse for the Im-
perial player to watch than planet after
planet going into rebellion because of the
Domino Effect. The Imperial player should
heavily defend planets with two space-faring
races. Always walch the number of planets in
the unrest class. Remember that in order to
stop a planet changing from rebellion to
Rebel control, the Imperial player must sta-
tion troops there. It is extremely difficult for
the Imperial player to get a planet out of
rebellion, and the Imperial forces on any
planet in rebellion must be a prime target for
Rebel units nearby.
The Rebel player should realize and ac-
cept that during the early part of the game his
characters will be detected a large percentage
of the time. If the Imperial player is doing as
he should and keeping military units with the
Rebel characters, there is only one thing for
the Rebel player to do - keep moving .
Hence, Rebel characters should always land
on a planet with two or more environs while
being always wary of walking into a Suicide
Squad. During character combat, always
remember that only the defender can break
away, never the attacker, so never attack with
your characters unless you are prepared to
lose them or you are very sure of victory .
INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
FOR MO YES MAGAZINE
Most of the articles in MOVES are written
by its reader,. We'd like you to give it a try - if
your article i, well written and on a subject of
interest [0 readers, there's a good chance it will
see publication. The Subject of your article is
up to you. From time to time the Editor will
:;uggest potential article topics. Don't be afraid
to write on other publishers gan1es - MOVES
is not a "house organ" that ignores the rest of
the gaming world .
Types of Articles. The kinds of articles
we're looking for fa ll into the following
. general.categories:
I. Operational AnalYSis. Deals with the tactics
and strategy of play in a specific game.
2. Game Profile/ Review. Description of a
game or games with particular attention to its
simulationalsystem and playability . Any criti-
cism must be well-supported by logical argu-
ment and fact (not simply personal opinion).
3. Documented Play . Description of and com-
ment on the move-by-move progress of an ac-
tual t.wo-player or mUlti-player game. Docu-
melllcd play should be the result of several
playings, the mO.l t relevant of which being lhe
subject of the article.
4. Field Report. Provides organized, va lid in-
formation un some aspect of conflict simula-
tion of general ilHcrest.
5. Scenarjoplex. An experimental section of
scenarios (each no longer than two Iype.wrillen
pages) in the style of the parent game rules.
6. Footnotes. Short essa ys (no longer than 500
words) on almost any subject relatcd to gam -
ing . 0 honorarium is paid for Footnote~ .
7. Mis,ellaneous. Ar ticles that don't fit in the
specific categories, but which the author feels
appropriate for publication in MOVES .
Manuscript Requirements. Typewritten,
double-spaced on white bond. Line length 55
to 65 characters; no more than 25 lines per
page . Min-max lcngth: 6 tu 30 manuscript
pages . Pages should be numbered and tagged
with author's last name. Cover sheet .s hould
give date written, full-name, address, phone
number, suggested title, and honorarium
preference.
Honorariums. For all published submis-
,ions (except leller, and Footnot.es) MOVES
Magazine pays an honorarium at the rate of $5
pcr running 10" of edited text , calculated to the
nearest half column. Alternatively, Authors
may elect to take their honorarium in SPI pro-
ducts at the ratc of $10 per 10" rendered
against the list price of the items. Honorariums
(cash or credit slip) will be rcndered 30 days
after publication.
Cop)'rights and Agreement are located on
the back flap of the Feedback card in this issue.
A facsimilie may be used.
Please include with your submission a
stamped, self-addressed postcard. On t.he
message side of the card wrile I.he name or your
article. This card will be used [0 inform you of
the st.atus of your submission. Articles and iIIu-
st.rations cannot be returned. Address all sub-
mis sio ns to:
Redmond Simonsen, Editor, MOVES
MAGAZINE, SPI, 257 Park Aven ue South,
New York , N.Y. 10010
British Isles. Readers in the British Isles
wishing to submit articles to MOVES should
direct their submissions and correspondence 10:
Charles Vasey, 5 Albion Terrace,
Guisborough, Cleveland TS146JH, UK

INTERVIEW
WORKSHOP-TALK
A Conversation with Marc Miller
by Greg Costikyan
Young 'Bulldog' Costikyan once again has
thrust his brash taperecorder into the face of
one of the giants of the industry and caused
it to speak. Marc Miller is one of the major
people at Game Designers Workshop - at
least one of whose games you probably
own . Unlike most of the poohbahs in our in-
dustry, the guys at GDW are publicity-shy,
self-effacing Midwestern types, and so we
doped their Dr. Pepper's to get one of them
to talk to us. Sorry, Marc. - RAS
GC: Where were you born, where did you go
to school, ~hat did you do before you got in-
to gaming?
MM: I was born in Annapolis, Maryland in
'47. I went to school all around - I was in a
Navy family, and ended up living in the
Chicago area. I spent a year at the University
of Illinois at Chicago, and then three years
down state at the University of Illinois at
Champaign-Urbana. I graduated in '69 with
a degree in sociology and went right into the
ArmY'as a lieutenant - a result of ROTC. I
spent two and a half years in the Army, in the
Air Defense Corps, including a year in Viet-
nam, and got out when they cut back the size
of the Army after the war. I guess that's
when my life really started . I was bumming
around taking unemployment, and- when it
ran out I took the Gl Bill and came down to
Illinois State University, mainly to take
courses that I could never take when I was
working for a degree - so I could take
chemistry and art and not have to worry
about meeting requirements . It was there
that I met Rich Banner and Frank Chadwick,
who'd already been in gaming for some time.
I showed up at the games club meeting really
for lack of anything better to do. They were
running a really good club here at the time.
What happened was, they had a program set
up where if you hadn't played a game, they'd
assign a member to playa game with you. I
ended up playing France 40 with a geography
professor which was very nice because he was
an adult who knew how to play and talked
me through it - we got about half-way
through before we quit, but by then I knew
how to play games. That was in '72. By the
end of '72, I'd designed my first game, which
was Triplanetary. About that time, Rich and
Frank had gone a bit further afield and got-
ten some educational incentive money and
set up a simulations design department as a
project here at Illinois State University. The
idea was to design simulations to specifica-
tion for instructors for classroom use. That's
where CHACO came from; it was designed
for a Latin American history class. We did a
bunch of other games - speech games,
political science games, and when our money
ran out, we pretty much decided to go off on
our own. At that time, we produced Drang
Nach Osten, trying to beat SPI to the punch
- they'd been promising War in the East for
a long time - and we went to press. The suc-
cess of DNO and the success of Unent-
schieden, which followed on within three
months, really got us started, and we all were
kind of committed by that point. We
published Triplanetary at about the same
time and just slaved away. I think all of us
had extra jobs, part-time jobs, or we were
students or doing something. For about three
years, we worked part-time, trying to get our
games published. By '75, we had all transfer-
red to the company on full-time salaries. So
that's how I got started.
GC: Well, that pretty much answers my next
two questions . SO ... what do you see for
yourself in the future in the field?
MM: It's strange. Science fiction is really big
righ t now, and people are starting to realize
that sCience fiction is big. My first game was
a science fiction game, but then I turned
around and started producing historical
games , because that's where we were produc-
ing games . There was no market for science
fiction at the time. It's given me a strong
background in producing games which play
realistically - I think it' s helped the science
fiction games I've done as a result - because
29
I'm not making up ideas and then simulating
them, I'm trying to simulate something that
feels real, even if it is fiction. In my future, I
see myself doing a Jot more science fiction -
I'm alre'ady doing a lot of science fiction -
while keeping my left hand into historical
games. I'll probably do one or two historical
games a year in addition to the science fic-
tional games.
GC: Were you a fan before you got involved
in gaming or did your interest in science fic-
tion develop afterwards?
MM: I was a very strong science fiction
reader, but I didn ' t know science fiction fan-
dom existed. It's only in the last couple of
years that I have realized more and more that
fandom does exist.
GC: That's true for a lot of people.
MM: I realize that I'm much stronger in
gaming.
GC: Triplanetary was actually one of the
first games I got. At the time I was publishing
a small science fiction fanzine called Gigo. I
gave it a favorable review and you people ex-
cerpted the review as part of your advertising
- and sent me a check, which I guess was the
first check I got for something that was ac-
tually published . Where do you think that
gaming is headed in the future.?
MM: Well, I don't think it's going into the
computer gaming. I think that's probably my
strongest thought. People keep looking to
where gaming is going, and when we first
looked, all we had was boardgaming, and we
said "We used to be miniatures and now
we're boardgaming." And pretty soon they
saw, "Well, here's role-playing games." And
I don't see it going much beyond that. I see
more of a blending between the two - Com-
mando is a good example. More of the role-
playing being inserted into the boardgames,
more of boardgaming being inserted into the
role-playing games, more miniatures being
used in both. I see more quality coming
out .. .
GC: Well, I hope you're right there ...
MM: If you look at the history of what
ODW's done, we filled a void, because there
was basically SPI and Avalon Hill here. Peo-
ple wanted more variety, and they were a lit-
tle discontented with some of the stuff they
got from Avalon Hill; they didn' t get
enough , basically. It's pretty hard for a small
company to get started today. They' ve got to
do so much of the merchandising. I mean,
they've got to have a box, they've got to have
good advertising - and that often counts
30
more than the game inside. People who do
just bagged games don't get very far, and it's
ashame.
CC: The Chaosium's having problems with
that.
MM: Yeah. Lou Coatney, who's a fellow up
in Alaska, publishing a $14 game on the Rus-
sian front - and it's a good game, it's a very
good game. It's just very difficult for him to
get it out to enough people to make any
splash in the hobby .... Where are we going? I
guess the strongest thing J can say is, not
computer games. The cost is just too high.
People who play games don't want to spend
that kind of money for just one game. Some
people do, but not enough to make it a
market. I mean, the same people who go into
the hobby :;hops, that's where they spend
their money, not on electronics.
CC: Although, as the cost of home com-
puting , comes down, that will make home
computers more common, and also make it
possible to sell computer games somewhat
more cheaply, since there will be a larger
market.
MM: That's true. Just to criticize computer
games for a minute, computers do things you
can't do with boardgames, but they don't do
things you can do with boardgames. And
there's the big problem. I mean, computers
are great for hidden movement systems, but
computers aren't all that smart. And until
they get reasonably smart that they can't play
even Afrika Korps a]ainst you, they're not
going to provide much of a challenge.
CC: Well, possibly. I think the situation
with computer games is a bit more com-
plicated than that. You don't necessarily
have to have a computer playing one side of
the game - you can have a multi-terminal
multi-player game, Secondly, it seems to m~
that there are more solitaire-system games
being produced, and those can be adapted
more easily to computer play.
MM: I think thai you may have hit on one of
the imporqmt points there, which is that the
computer will probably not be your oppo-
nent. I use a computer right now to take care
of the paperwork. I've got programs, and I
ask it something and it tells me information I
want to know, generating it randomly, and
it's easier than me generating it randomly.
That's what I use it for. I use it for role-
playing, for the most part - I manipulate my
characters that way, using the data the com-
puter has given me.
CC: What do you think the role of role-
playing games is and will be in gaming?
MM: Role-playing games are really big right
now. Personally, I see it taking care of a ma-
jor problem serious garners have always had
- which is the closet Nazi. Once upon a
time, we had a lot of problems with people
who really wanted to be the Germans, not
because they're Nazis but because they're
really good, or because they had colorful
uniforms. And those people were kind of
men without a country. They didn't really
have any place to go, and it ended up that the
closet Nazi syndrome appealed to them.
Now, they wear armor and carry swords and
slay dragons - which is a more healthy
enterprise, I think. That's what has happend, MARC MILLER:
that a lot of people really transfer their feel- Game Design Credits
ings into the role-playing - something which Game PUb. YBB'
wasn't available to them before. To some ex- :;''C::'"Z;;1c.''''
[:"''<''00' ''''';s:'0;;; ,*~i.,+,z;,,,,,,,,,";o'"'",,,,,~""~C''i<'~';S:
tent, that has cleared the historical market ,,,Top anetary"r-"" , " ",=="'GDW",,=s.b,13 ",
~~ . . ~ .. :."::'"'':: .-;:::::~ ..'!..';: -::: ""'-:r.-:_~.~~:::~,,;;-:~~...... ;~~'.;:::--:~":::: .........;'.~~::h ...0"!2
Chaco GDW 1973
out.
GC: I know what you mean. It is amazing, 1<?~t1FSeJI~?ft~:fC{K~~Ef;:~GQ~~~~~12?~~1
some of the people who get deeply involved "Their Finest Hour"
in role-playing. I know several people who (with Chadwick
have essentially flunked out of college and Banner) GDW 1975
because they're playing D&D or one of the
~~II!;f~lif;~~'Y~;:!
role-playing games to such an extent that
they don't get the work done.
MM: Right. And they used to do it when
SSN (developer) GDW 1975
they were playing Russian Front games. Now
they do it with role-playing games, and I at :;iJ~~tfFfot:id~*y,,00~;",t2RWJ:5~~::i:9:7~5:~
least think it's healthier. They aren't forced Burma (developer) GDW 1976
now to feel Nazi feelings - anyone can feel
fantasy feelings without being looked down :,,;~,~ghiIl' ~17 it~f@~:!offt~~~R~f:t~;J:~;nrl:i
Traveller GDW 1977
upon politically or socially. I think it's a lot
healthier. I see a lot of expansion of role- ~1J!iP~,,~~!:1>;tq~~~W~J:IQ9illJlsf,,')9fjJlfk
playing into other fields. I see some mating Indian Ocean
of role-playing with the boardgames. I see Adventure GDW 1978
specific areas turning up role-playing games
- like piracy, like World War II - which :;M~i~fty " "- . ~;.:,\ 5ipVl.,=;,/; t~?~;<
Agincourt GDW 1978
hasn't been done yet. Unfortunately, or
perhaps fortunately, those role-playing ::Ve'idnn "," '" '
games are going to be minor. The major em- '~(d..eve/ofJ~r'''2fJd edL ' ' CoArifc:t :~;;ti7~;' ,
phasis is on people who live alternate lives,
1942! GDW 1979
and the Society for Creative Anachronism is
another aspect of the same thing. Fields for " DQuble Star . " Bi[)"W'~ "" ij79~~'
role-playing are relatively limited in that Belter GDW
sense, for people who'll grow totally : ~Spapsho~
dedicated to them. They end up being science
fiction and fantasy. High Guard
(Traveller supplement)
CC: What do you consider your best game,
and why?
MM: Imperium - my best because it plays
well. It's really a distillation of all the science
fiction work I did for four years - including
Triplanetary, including a lot of stuff that
never got published, and a lot of stuff we that you can't cross the T. I thought people
played to death here but we never published would see it was not all that important. I
because we didn't think there was a market should have realized that simply because it
for it. It all fit together in '77 when I started was mentioned so often, I would have to in-
working on it again. It turned out very well. I clude it. That's why I would have to put that
think the time I spent working on it is what game at the bottom of my list.
made it come out so welL It also came at an
CC: Do you 'have any particular philosophy
opportune time. Science fiction was just start-
of design?
ing 10 burgeon at that point. It was a boxed
MM: Oh, sure do. I go for playability. I go
game - on a scale of one to ten of what's im-
for simplicity. That doesn't mean simple
portant, a box ends up being important
games; I prefer to cur some corners - like
because the retailers will buy it to put it in
leaving off crossing the T - in order to make
their stores, so that you the customer can
the game flow faster. I think that in the end it
notice it and buy it.
makes the game more popular. I've found
ce: Conversely, what do you consider your
worst game, and why? that in historical games that is not always the
truth - primarily because the people I get
MM: Tsushima. The problem is that I also feedback from are the more vocal and 'more
consider it one of my better games. Tsushima dedicated people, who want more detail. In
is the naval part of Russo-Japanese War- science fiction games, I think I probably have
there's a land version and a naval version, a reputation for putting in mor~ detail than
and together they make up the whole war. most people do. Yet I think I know enough to
It's a nice system. It works welL It's put the kind of detail in that people want,
reasonably easy to understand. 1 put in what without grubbing the thing up with unneeded
I thought were the important aspects of the detail. That's pretty much my philosophy.
war, to fit within the parameters of the game, GC: In other words, what you're looking
but I left out crossing the T. That's the single for is not so much simple mechanics as
most common criticism I get of that game, elegant mechanics.
{continued on puge J3j

GAME EXPANSION
PANDORA WITH BRAINS
The Specimens As Player Roles
by Ted Woods and David Ritchie
I have an intuitive feeling that this form of
Pandora may turn out to be the most popular
of all - the sides are so clearly drawn, the
victory conditions so primal. Who amongst
us hasn't at one time or another wished to be
an all powerful monster, stalking the puny
humans in the shadowy claustrophobic con-
fines of a death-trap space ship? Isn't being a
source of terror a greater thrill than being its
victim? -RAS
A game, like a novel, tends to develop a
life of its own, exclusive of the intentions of
its designer or developer. Regardless of what
the designer is trying to say ar how the
developer is trying to say it, the game will in-
evitably wander down many a shadowy dead
end and explore any number of obscure cor-
ners during its developmental existence. Part
of being a developer is (hopefully) knowing
when to let the game "find its own way" and
when to cut a bit of extraneous fluff. If the
developer guesses right, he usually ends up
with a clean "player" dressed in just enough
chrome so that it retains the players' interest.
If he guesses wrong, he may end up with a
game that is so streamlined as to be barren,
or with an ornate monstrosity that only a
parent could love . The milestones marking
the degree of success or failure are manu-
script pages filled with notes on all those
great ideas that never made it into the finish-
edgame.
In the case of SPI's Ares #2 game, The
Wreck oj the Pandora, not a week went by
when the ever-inventive members of the
Munchkin Brigade who were testing the
thing did not come up with some new bit of
oprjonal insanity. Many of these ideas were
actually quite good, but they simply did not
fit into an 8-page rules format. Others were
180 0 opposed to the design concept. Pandora
was supposed to be a solitaire game first, and
a two-player or multi-player game second,
and had been designed accordingly. It was
also designed primarily for team play in a
semi-cooperative setting. The idea of a stan-
dard two-player competitive game was out-
side the scope of the project. Yet, it was ex-
actly this idea that kept creeping into play
(and into the testers' suggestions)_ So ....
The rules that follow are designed for
use in a two-player game of Pandora in
which one player plays the crew members
and the other player takes on the role of one
of the escaped specimens in a battle for con-
31
trol of the ship. A number of the sections First Player must roll for hull breaches before the
below can be plugged into the existing game start of the game. If the First Player must roll for
even if players do not wish to play out the hull breaches one or more times, he consults the
scenario provided . They follow the same for- Breach Location Table (17.3) and rolls two dice
fOf each possible breach (maximum of 2). By in-
mat as the original Pandora rules for easy
dexing the first die with the second die on the
reference. Breach Location Table, he determines the location
of any breaches at the start of the game. He then
places a Hull Breach Marker in each space (Pod or
Tube) on the Ship Display where the Breach Loca-
tion Table indicates that a breach has occurred.
Once all Hull Breach Markers (if any) arc in place,
[17 .0] Placing Hull Breaches play may commence.
(Optional) CASES:
[17.1] A Hull Breach Marker may not
COMMENTARY:
be placed initially in a space containing
Early in testing, somebody gOt the bright idea
a Crew Member or in a space which
of placing hull breaches around the ship during the
initial set-up. The appeal of that idea was not suf- would prevent a Crew Member from
ficient to balance OUI the dirt it added to the game, exiting the deck he currently occupies.
but some of the situations that result when this rule If such a situation arises as a result of a roll on
is used are quite interesting. the Breach Location Table, the Hull Breach
Marker is not placed and the First Player must roll
again on the Breach Location Table until he gets a
result which is possible without violating this rule.
[17.21 Hull Breach Table
Number of Players
DIE 2 3 4 5 6
:';1--
2
4 2
6 2 2 2 2
- = No Hull Breach Markers are placed at stan.
t = The First Player must roll the dice this number
of times to determine the possible placement of
Hull Breach Markers (fe-rolls due to 17.1 do not
count).
[17.3] Breach Location Table
Second Die Roll
FIRST
DIE 1 2 3 4 5 6
[~gfillI~~fr~~ft;~~~t~~~~~~frJIi~j
2 7a 14a NB NB 25a 7a
GENERAL RULE: ~~~~~~~S'~t:~~;'~~4biii'~!~i1TiK~~~
As part of the initial set-up of the game, after 4 7b 14b NB NB 25b 7b
all crew members have been placed on the map and
the order of movement has been determined (see
~!:~~~~~2~E;~~#5.~~~1::g~i]
6 7c 14c NB NB 25c 7c
1.0), the First Player determines the number and
location of hull breaches according to the pro-
1a, 2a, 38, etc. = The alpha-numeric code of the
cedure below. Pod or Tube in which a Hull Breach Marker is
PROCEDURE: placed . NB = No Breach ; no Hull Breach Marker
The First Player rolls I die and indexes the is placed on the map as a result of this roll, and the
resulting number with the number of Players in the First Player does not re-roll the dice. Unless a se-
game as shown on the Hull Breach Table (17.2). cond po,sible Hull Breach must be checked for,
The resulti ng number is the number of times the the Players proceed to the first Game-Turn.
32
[18.0] Sealing Locks
(Optional)
COMMENTARY:
A continuing refrain on the pan of testers was
"what do I do when Mother, Typhoo and Grendel
are all three following me around and I can't seem
to shake them?" One suggestion was that Crew
Members be allowed to seal Locks behind them to
keep the specimens out of the way. Unfortunately,
that tended to make it too easy in a test conducted
by the developer. As it turned out, the developer
made a snap judgment based on that one test and
was wrong. Subsequent testing indicated that a
few modifications in the mechanic suggested made
it a valuable tactic without giving the Players a
"lock" on the game, so to speak. By then,
however, the game was in the can and it was too
late to change the rules.
GENERAL RULE:
Crew Members (only) may seal a Lock
through which they move during their Movement
Phase. After moving through a Lock, the Crew
Member's Player rolls the dice to determine if he
successfully seals the Lock behind him. A Crew
Member cannot seal a Lock which he has not mov-
ed through in that Movement Phase. A Crew
Member cannot seal a Lock during a Movement
Phase in which he used Hasty Movement.
PROCEDURE:
If the Crew Member's actions during a Move-
ment Phase could not cause one or more
specimens or berserk bOIs to react by following
him through a particular Lock, he may seal that
Lock behind him automatically. If there is a
possibility [hat a specimen or bot could follow a
Crew Member through a Lock, the Crew
Member's Player must roll a die to determine if he
seals the Lock. On a roll of 1-3, the Lock is sealed.
On a roll of 4-6, the Crew Member is unable to seal
the Lock in time, and any specimens or berserk
bats that' might react by following the Crew
Member through that Lock during the ensuing
Reaction Phase do so automatically. The Player
checks for their reaction during the ensuing Reac-
tion Phase only to determine if they attack him in
addition to following him through the Lock. All
reactions except a Move-Kill are ignored and
treated as a si mple Move Reaction.
CASES:
[IB.I] A sealed Lock is impassable
unless "forced."
All Locks have a nominal Shield Rating of 8.
Any specimen or bot which would have to pass
through a sealed Lock as part of its reaction must
either force the Lock or remain stationary. Only
specimens with an intelligence of 5 or greater may
attempt 10 force a sealed Lock. Bots may always
aLtempt to do so. The specimen or bot attempting
to force the Lock "attacks" the sealed Lock as if it
were a Crew Member (more than one specimen or
bot can attack at the same time) and any successful
attack (i.e., one resulting in damage) forces the
Lock and allows the specimen or bot to pass
through,it. Once forced, the Lock opens and doses
automatically as it did prior to being sealed. It
may not be sealed again.
[IB.2] Locks leading into spaces
containing Hull Breach Markers may
not be forced.
[lB.3] Crew Members may
automatically unseal a sealed Lock by
moving throuah it .
This action requires no die roll and involves
no delay in movement. The Lock may be resealed
afterwards using the procedures outlined in this
rules section. If not resealed, the Lock will con-
tinue to open at the approach of any Crew
Member, bot, or specimen.
[19.0] Special Crew Attributes
COMMENTARY:
Strangely enough, the question didn't really
arise in testing, but afterwards a number of people
wondered why all of the Crew Members
(regardless of their position and, presumably,
their talents and training) had the same basic at-
tributes. Neema Strof, for example, could have ex-
actly the same Repair as L.J . Gepidus, despite the
fact that Gepidus, as SO, could be expected to
know more about systems functioning (or even bot
functioning) than Strof. The point is, of course,
well taken - even more so when one realizes that
the system included in this section takes very little
play time to implement.
GENERAL RULE:
Each Crew Member's Player may select one
special ability for that Crew Member from those
listed on the Special Crew Abilities Table (see
19.1). Only those abilities listed opposite each
Crew Member's name on the Special Crew
Abilities Table may be chosen for that Crew
Member.
PROCEDURE:
After assigning all attributes 10 the Crew
Members as outlined in 4.0, the Players individual-
ly (and in secret) assign to their Crew Member any
one special ability from among those listed for that
Crew Member. The nature of each ability is
described in 19.2. The Crew Member is then con-
sidered to possess this ability throughout the
game. The nature of the ability chosen is not
revealed until it is actually used in play.
CASES:
[19.1] Special Crew Abilities Table
Crew Member Speciel Abilities
Neema Strof, CO D, E, F , G, M
L. J. Gepidus, SO A, B, C, D, J
Najeb Kelly, MO A, C, E, F, L
Blnt Skraaling, GSO G, H, K, M, N
Hesiod Charybdis, BIO B, I, J, L, N
[19.2] The following special abilities are
represented by the alphabetical code
opposite each Crew Member's name in
19.1:
A: May increase Repair by 1 when attempting to
repair CompPod, CompComm, or CompKit.
B: May increase Repair by I when attempting to
repair MedPod, MedKit, or Crew.
Sr>etQ:"
5s~' ~
9 ~O
c: May increase Repair by I when attempting to
repair all Bats.
0: May increase Repair by I when attempting to
repair any Major System (Power, Envio, Comp,
Con, or Nav).
Stunguo
2si
o 0
J 21
7!
,9
Armorig
8
2
E: May increase Repair by I when attempting to
repair all Weapons or Rigs.
F: May increase Impair by 1 for all purposes.
G: May increase Shield by I for all purposes.
H: May use Crew Member's own Impair Rating
(tripled) in Stun Mode (i.e., as if armed with a
Weapon with a Stun capacity).
CO
Strol
Stunned
I: May automatically recover from Stun during
the first SLUn Recovery Phase after having been
stunned.
J: May subtract 2 from Aggression of any
specimen when making a Reaction Check.
K: May subtract 2 from specimen's Shield for
purposes of Stun Recovery if the specimen was
stunned as a direct result of one's actions (not ac-
tion by Bots).
L: May increase Port by 2.
M: May increase Speed by 2.
N: May Remote Survey Pod from any other Pod
(i f one possesses the appropriate Pod Marker).
[20.0] The Specimens Strike
Back (Scenario)
COMMENTARY:
Almost from the first, someone wanted to
play the specimens against the crew. It was an at-
tractive idea, but not really in line with the design
concept of the game. Here, we do not labor under
such constraints.
GENERAL RULE:
This scenario is designed for two Players, on-
ly. One Player takes on the role of from I to 5
Crew Members (his choice) while the second
Player takes on the role of one of the specimens
(blindly drawn from an opaque container at the
start of the game). The First Player is called the
Crew Player. The Second Player is called the
Specimen Player. The two Players fully control the
individual Specimen or Crew Members on their
side. The specimen controlled by the Specimen
Player is considered to be an Active Specimen;
that is, he is possessed of the same Intelligence as
Crew Members and may move and act in all ways
as a Crew Mem ber.
PROCEDURE:
At the beginning of the game, all attributes of
the Active Specimen are generated as described in
4.2 with the following exceptions:
1. Neither Intelligence nor Aggression is rolled
for. The Active Specimen is presumed to be in-
telligent, and his actions and reactions are con-
trolled by the Specimen Player.
2. All Active Specimen attributes are rolled im-
mediately before the start of the game (not when
used as de.scribed in 4.2).
3. The specimen's Intelligence modifier is used to
modify a die roll which is used to determine the
specimen's Repair. In addition, 2 is subtracted
from the die roll. Modified die rolls of less than I
are treated as 1.
After the specimen's attributes have been
generated, the Specimen Player chooses one
special ability for the specimen from the Special
Specimen Abilities Table (20.2). All attributes and
abilities are chosen secretly by both Players. Once
the Players have determined their characters' at-
tributes and abilities, the characters are placed on
the map as described in 1.0 and play may com-
mence. All rules from Sections 1.0 through 21.0
are employed in this scenario.

CASES:
[20.1) The Active Specimen is treated in
all ways as a Crew Member.
The order in which the Crew Members move
is determined normally, but the Active Specimen is
treated as a Crew Member. This means that there
a re up to 6 Player-Turns possible with the -Crew
Player executing up to 5 of these individual turns.
Active Specimens may attack Crew Members (and
vice versa), may repair and use Pods, Tools, con-
trol Bots, etc., and generally function as Crew
Members.
[20.21 Special Specimen Abilities Table
Specimen Special Abilities
Mother B,D , K,L,M
Mouse E,F,a,K,O
Grendel A , B, H, J, 0
Golem H, J, M, 0, Q
Typhoo A, L , P , Q_, B
Shazam A,H,I,K,O
Mary C,D,E,L , O
Blind Pig A,H , J, M, N
Fletcher C, E , J, L, N
Scrod B, a, K, M, N
[20.3) The following special abilities are
represented by the alphabetical code
opposite each specimen's name in 20.3.
A : May increase Impair by 2 for all purposes.
B: May increase Shield by 2 for all purposes .
C: May increase Repair by 1 when attempting to
repair all Kits.
D: May increase Repair by 1 when attempting to
repair any Major Syst em.
E: May increase _Repair by 1 when attempting to
repair _all Bo ts .
F: May increase Repair by 1 when attempting to
repair any Weapon or Rig.
Workshop-Talk {continuedfrompagdO!
MM: Right. I have a philosophy I call
counter-dynamics. If I have twenty units
which are all the same, I'll go back -
especially in an historical game - go back
and look at them and find the worst one and
downgrade it for some reason. And I will
find the best one, and upgrade it, so that
these units are not totally inter-changeable
anymore . It makes people pay more atten-
tion to the units they have under their finger-
tips. Yet that is very simple - rather than
rating each individual unit on a very specific
basis and giving them all characteristics that
differ.
GC: Who do you see, other than yourself, as
being the best active designers?
MM: It would have to be Frank Chadwick.
Notwithstanding the fact that he is my part-.
ner, and that he and I work together a lot.
I'm amazed at his ability to design systems. I
can walk into his office with a piece of paper
and say, "Look, Frank, I'm doing
s0mething." And he'll say, "You know, you
can do this with that." Just off the top of his
he'a d he can spout full-blown systems. I think
he's really an unsung hero. Perfidious Al-
bion has been listing him as having won the
G: May increase Repair by 2 when allempting to
repair any Pod other than a Major Sys tem.
H: May autOmatically recover from Stun during
the first Stun Recovery Phase after having been
stunned.
1: May increase Speed by 2.
J: May increase P Orl by 2.
K: Can survive in va cuum (space containing a
Hull Breach or Open Lock Marker) without
damage.
L: Empath. Can control the actions of any other
specimen in the same space as if that specimen
were a Bot so long as the combined Intelligence
and Aggression of the specimen being controlled is
12 or less.
M: Alien Disease. Contact between the Active
Specimen and any other specimen or Crew
Member in the same space leads to a loss to
Stamina (or Shield) for the other specimen or the
Crew Member of I per Game-Turn. Beginning 6
turns after the contact between the two figures, the
stricken Crew Member or specimen removes I
from the appropriate attribute at the beginning of
each turn until dead or until a Tepair atlemptleads
to an increase of I or more to Stamina (or Shield)
of the character. A stricken figure does not infect
others.
N: May use specimen's own Impair Rating in Stun
Mode .
0: Specimen moves 3 spaces when using Hasty
Movement.
P: Electrical Field. May increase Impair by 2
when attacking Bots .
Q: Fear. All Crew Members or specimens in the
same space at the beginning of a Reaction Phase
must roll their Shield or less or implement a Flee
Reaction ou t of the space.
[20.4J The Players win by meeting the
Victory Conditions of 16.0.
Additionally, all Crew Members must be dead
Hall of Fame last year, although he did not.
He's been trying to figure out how to quash
that rumor without destroying his own ego.
GC: What do you think is the role of the
conventions in the hobby, and do you think
they're going to play an important part in the
future?
MM: I think Avalon Hill took a really great
step by setting up Origins. Before then there
was really nothing to bring the companies
together. Right now any company that
doesn't show up at Origins is really left out in
the cold. Conventions are a lot of fun for the
people who go. I make about five conven-
tions a year; but in my mind, the real benefit
has to be for the professional designer,
because we can get together at the cons and
get to know each other and get to understand
each other. That's what I see as the real
value.
GC: What do you see as the role of the
Game Designers' Guild?
MM: The Game Designers' Guild is in a
really difficult spot, because it really isn't
getting the support it needs from Avalon Hill
and SPI. Until it does, it's got a hard road to
follow. On the other hand, most of the other
designers are owner-operators - they own
their own companies, or they work very
33.
or restrained (in the same manner and according to
the same rules as for specimens) in order for ' the -
Specimen Player to win, and the Active Specimen
must be dead or restrained for the Crew Player to
win . Exception: See 20.7.
[20.51 The Players may choose to keep
any knowledge secret from one
another in this scenario.
By mutual agreement, the Players may keep
the nature of all Pods secret and need not reveal
the nature or number of tools in each other's
possession. When this option is used, the map
should be machine-copied and all information
normally recorded by markers should be written
on the machine copy in pencil. The progress of the
ship toward Cold Shutdown is always recorded on
the Display.
[20.6] If more than one Crew Member
is present at the beginning of the
scenario, the SpeCimen Player may
attempt to select a second special
ability for the Active Specimen.
The Specimen Player secretly rolls a die and
adds to the resulting number the number of C.rew
Members his opponent is using. If the result is
grea-t er than 6, the Specimen Player may choose
one additional special ability.
[20.7J Typhoo, Shazam, and the Blind
Pig win the game by slaying all Crew
Members.
They need not re-establish control of the ship,
seal Hull Breaches, or Restart Major Systems.
They can win even if they, themselves, die in the
process of killing the crew. However, they subtract
3 (not 2) from their Repair, and they cannot seal
Locks, use the Scapecraft, Restart the ship, or use
Tools or Pods. They can further damage equip-
ment by attempting to repair it.
[20.8J Specimens cannot use Rigs. it.
closely with their companies, instead of being
like novelists who go to a publisher to see if
they can get published. The Guild is currently
in an adversary position with Avalon HilI
and SP!. I think that's going to have to end.
Unless the Guild gets awfully powerful
awfully quick, it's not going to make
anybody toe the line for Ouild policy. The
Guild has to become more cooperative. But
with the population base the Guild has now,
with all the designers it can get hold of and
talks to every three months, I think it's en-
tirely possible that it can become less of an
adversary and more of an important group
within the hobby.
GC: What do you see .as its purpose, then?
What should the Guild be doing?
MM: Very strictly, I think it should be
representing designers and designers' in-
terests. I don't know that we're going to be
able to force anyone to pay us better salaries.
As a result, we're going to have to be a little
more soft-spoken. But I think that the Guild
can play an important role in letting
designers know what they can get as opposed
to what they have been getting. It's also im-
portant in letting designers know what's go-
ing on. Right now, the only place they find
out is at Origins .
34
Feedback
MOVES nr. 51, published Jun/JuI1980
How to use the Feedback Response Card: After you've
finished reading this issue of MOVES, please read the
Feedback questions below, and give us your answers by
writing the answer-numbers on the card in the response
boxes which correspond to each question number. See
centerfold fo r card .
Please be sure to answer all questions (but do not write
anything in the box for question-numbers labelied " no
question") , Cards that are incompletely filled out cannot
be processed.
What the numbers mean: When answering questions,
" 0" always means NO OPINION or NOT APPLICABLE .
When the Question is a "yes or no" question, "I" means
YES and "2" means NO. When the question is a rating
question, "I" is the WORST rating, "9" is the BEST
rating, "5" is an AVERAGE rating, and all numbers be-
tween express various shades of approval or disapproval.
SECTION A
1-3. No question (leave blank!.
Questions 4 through 18 ask you to rate the articles in this
issue on a scale of 1 = poor, 9= excellent, O=; no opinion.
4. Wilson's Creek Historical
5, On Little Round Top
6. The Son of the Son of Squad Leader
7. Roll Up for the Mystery Tour!
8. Flights of Fancy
9. Pandora with Brains
10. Workshop-Talk
11. Eric Goldberg's Kursk
12. Opening MOVES
13. MOVES in English
14. issue (overalll
15. Was thi s issue better than the las t one?
16-24. No Question
25. Assume that you don't subscribe to MOVES . Wou ld
the quality of this issue alone motivate you to subscribe?
26. For how many issues have you had a continuous
subscription to MOVES? 0= I don't subscribe; 1 = This is
my first issue; 2 = This is my second or third issue;
3 = This is my founh or fifth issue; 4 = This is my sixth
issue; 5 ~ This is my sevenTh through eleventh issue;
6 = This is my twelfth issue; 7 = Tllis is my thirteenth
through eighteenth issue; 8 = This is my nineteenth or
subsequent issue; 9 = I am a MOVES Lifetime Subscrib er
(regardless of number of issues received),
27. What level of complexitY do you prefer in games?
Rate your preference on a 1-9 scale, with higher numbers
indicating in creased complexity . Use these games as
guidelines: 4-5 = Chickamauga; 7 = Parroll; 9 ~ A ir War.
28. Your age: 1 = 13 years old or younger; 2 = 14 17;
3= 18-21 ; 4= 2227 ; 5 = 28-35; 6= 360r older.
29. Your sex: 1 = Male; 2 = Female.
34). Education: 1 = 11 yea rs or less; 2 ~ 12 yea rs; 3= 13- 15
years; 4= 1315 years and still in school; 5 = 16 years ;
6 = 17 yea rs or more.
31. How long have you been playing con fl ic t simulation
games] 0 = less than a year; 1 = 1 year; 2 = 2 yea rs. . 8 ~ 8
years; 9 = 9 or more years.
32. What is the average number o f hours you spend play
inq si mulati on games each monttll 0 = none; 1 = 1 hour or
less; 2 =25 hours; 3=6-9 hours ; 4 =1 01 5 hours ;
5= 1620 hours; 6 = 2125; 7 = 26-30; 8=3 1-40; 9= 40 or
more hours .
33. How many simu lati on games (of all publishersl do
you possessl. 1 = 1-1 0; 2=1 1-20; 3 = 21-30; 4= 31-40;
5 = 41-50; 6= 51-60; 7=6170; B=7 180; 9=81 or more.
34. Did you send in the feedback card for your last issue
of MOVES? 1 = yes; 2 = no.
3S . Pick the one area about wh ich you would most like to
see games and arti cles done : 1 = Ancient {Rome, Greek,
Biblical , 3000 BC - 600 AD}; 2 = Dark Ages and
Renaissance 1600 AD - 1600 AD); 3 = 30 Years War and
pre-Napoleonic (1600 - 1790); 4 = Napoleonic (1790
1830); 5 = Civil Warl19th Century 11830 - 1900) ; 6
World War 1 11900 - 1930); 7 = World War II (1930
1945); 8 = post-Wor ld War II (1945 - presentl; 9
Science Fic tion and Fantasy.
36, How did you purchase this copy of the magazine? 1
~ by subscription ; 2 = by mail as a single copy; 3 = in a
store; 4 = it was passed along to me by a friend; 5 =
other means 1describel
Rate the fol/owing game proposals on a scale of 1 to 9,
with 1 indicating very little inclination to buy the game if
p ublished up through 9 indicating a definite intention to
purchase it.
37 . The Legions of the Han. In 98 A .D. a Chinese
General, Pan Chao, began an epic campaign which cut a
swath from China to within one day's march of the
Roman garrison in Parthia. Their objective: to defeat the
"additional kingdom" of Rome, centered at the supposed
Roman capital of A ntioch. Trajan. the "Soldi er Emperor. "
was in his fi rst year on the Imperial Throne, after a hard
fight to the top . Who would win in this colossal encounter
of east meets west, each wi th its distinctive, highly suc-
cessful combat system? This simulation crea tes that
hypothetical co nflict, stressing the tactical-operational
differences of the two armies , each responsible for main-
tain ing the largest empires in antiquity. To be designed by
the author of Armies and Enemies of Ancient China.
Would include one 22" x 34" map, 400 counters and sell
for $12.
38 . Triumvirate. A political-diplomatic game set in the
tumultuous first century A . D. Rome's emperors were nOt
always the offspring of other emperors. PatriCian and ple-
bian families alike con1ributed members to the Purple.
Players take the part of "family patria rchs" and attempt to
gain positions of note such as tribune, consul, pro-
consul, commander of the Preto rian Guard , etc., all w ith
the aim of assuming the throne. If an Empero r's rival is
getting too powerful, guess who is dispatched to quell the
revolt in Judea? But beware the Preto rian commander. As
Nero can attest, this man can have great power, especia l-
ly in the "C ity of Rome" display superimposed on the pro-
vincial map . Would include one 22" x 34" map. 400
counters, cards, and not a little chrome, and wou ld sell
for$15.
39. Magna Carta. A two or three player game covering
the turbulent and exciting era of early 13th centu ry
Eng la nd and France, out of which arose the cornerstone
of human f reedom, Magna Carta . The situation is loaded
wi th political power plays as well as bloody civil wars, and
stunning (and sometimes disastrous) campaigns of con-
quest. The two basic players are King John (and his Plan
lagenet followers) and the rcbellious barons, led by Fitz-
Walter and de Vescey. The thi rd pla yer (who in two
player versions wi ll probably be somewhat of a rand om, if
powerful, effect) is t he mighty Phil ip Augu stus of France,
and his son , th e SOOn to be Louis VII Iwho at one point
was actually crowned Kin g of England!!. John's
disastrous French campaigns, the sinking of Phili p's en-
ti re fl eet at Damme, the stunning victory over the Eng lish
at Bouviens. the treache ry of the Lusignans, and the over-
poweri ng attempts of the barons to assert their
prerogatives leading to a vicious civi l wa r, all of these and
more wil l be covered in a mil itary/po liti cal game in wllic h
the ba lance of power sways like a pendulum . Complexi ty
will be moderate, at about t he sa me level as Kingmaker.
One map, 100-200 counters, 56 cards, boxed for $12.
40, The Thirty Years' War. The Thirty Years' War was
one of the most decisive conflicts in modern history. It en
sured the survival of Pro testantism, iT th warted t~le
Swed is h ambiti on to obtai n mastery over the Baltic Sea ,
and it ensured that Germany would remain weak and
divided . One of the most con fUSing. bloody, and drawn
out conflicts in history, it is a subject which has gone vir-
tually unnoticed by game designers. The Thirty Years'
War is a game for two to five players, dealing with the war
on a st rategi c leve l. Great attention w il l be paid to the
problem of supply, the nature of leadership and the infra-
structu re of the mercenary armi es w ith w hich all nations
but Sweden fought the wa r. Diplomatic interaction will be
highly importan t. and many of The smaller states may
defect ~rom one side to another in the course of play. The
Swedish-P olish con flict, which was ancilliarl' to the Thi rty
Years' W ar and w hich dictated the nature of Swedish
intervention, will also be covered. 600 counters, 4-color
34" x 22" ga me-ma p, 32 pages of rules, to sell for S1 5.
41. War of the American States. American In-
dependence has been won from England, but " States'
- Rights" representatives at the Continental Congress have
= pushed through a Constitution which has preserved the
- selfgovernment of each state at the expense of the
=
federal government. As a result , the thi rteen states are
strong riva ls (much like the sovereign Germani C states in
the 18th century), more than willing to go to war to
preserve their hard-won rights. War of the American
Scates is a mUlt i-player, alternate-history Simulatio n in
which each playe r would contro l one state (or morel and
attem pt to bui ld it into the strongest and most influential
entity on the continent. Through diplomacy, trade em
bargoes, industrial development, and hiring of foreign
mercenaries (if necessary I , each stale would prepare itself
for war - if one state grows 100 powerful. The game
WOu ld include a 22" x 34" map of the thirteen colonies,
400 ca rdboard playing pieces, and various economic-
military produ ction displays. Depending on the success of
the o riginal game, the series might be expanded to cover
other regions, as they develop into self-governing states.
To sell for $12.
TSS-System Games: There are a great number of Civil
War battles, small, medium, and large. Many of chem are
exciting and quite playable. and we are just beginning our
efforts to simulate as many of these as possible with an
eye toward creating a solid library of CivtJ War games.
Please rate the following prospective titles (questions
4244), all of which are under consideration.
42. Olustee: The Battle for Florida. This was the battle,
ordered for political reasons, that w as to decide the fate
of Florida . Special rules include Union cavalry doctrine,
the Confederate railroad gun, new te rrain types (such as
marsh and bay edge), and a free set-up scena ri o in addi-
tion to the historical one. 22" x 17" map, 100coun ters. To
sell for $7 .
43. Brice 's Crossroads. Nathan Bedford Forrest defea ts a
group of Union infantry and cavalry wh ich out-num'ber
him two to one . It was a remarkable Confederate victory
and tactical performan ce. 22" x 17" map, 100 counters .
To sell fo r $7.
44. Champion 's Hill: Prelude to Vicksburg. The Con-
federates pu ll their scattered army togethe r fo r one last
chance at stoppi ng Grant on his march towards the fo r-
tress of VickSburg. This is one of The truly deCisive banles
of the Civil War . O~e22" x 34" map, 200 counters, $9.
45. The Relreat co Vic tory. An operational simulation of
the fi rst engagements of the First World War o n the
Western Front from the Ardennes to th e Sea, 10 August
to 15 September, 1914. This intense wa r of maneuver
commenced w ith the German invasion of Belgium and
culminated. one month later, wi th the decisive Allied vic-
tory at the Battle of the Ma rne. In the interim, the nor-
thern group of German armies, led by von Kluck's First
A rmy, had overrun Belgium and dangerously threatened
Paris. Combat units wou ld operate at divisiona l level on
hexes representing approximately five miles across. Time
scale would be two days per Game-Turn . All in all, a game
of subtle movement and leadershi p. Simple rules, 200
counters. In a I" box for $9.
46 . Singapore, The Campaign In Malaya, 1941-42. A
Simu lation of the Japanese Blitzkrieg against British
Malaya in World Wa r II , using 40 backprinted counters to
represent brigades and reg iments. A main map
(11" x 17" 1 using a scal e of 1 hex per 16 miles and weekly
tu rns is supplemented by an inset map of Singapore
Island at a scale of 1 hex per 3.5 miles, w ith 3 "mini-turns"
to the week. Standard rules, w ith special effects for armor
and air support, Japanese amphi bious assau lt, and in
filtration . Three game lengths: Standard 114 turnsi , Short
110 tu rnsi and Extend ed {26 turnsl. Th e meat of the gam e
is co ntain ed in 10 opti ona l rulos which demonstrate
histoncaloptions open to the British. Using the opt ions, it
becomes appOrent that even with slim resources, a
resolute and farsighted British command could have turn
ed the tables on the Japanese, and wi th proper prepara
ti ons the campaign wou ld have been anything but a fo re-
gon e co nclusion. Optiona l Rules include increased Brit ish
and Japanese rei nforcements, British ai r support, the
Prince of Wales and Repulse, Malaya n guerrill as, extend-
ed British fo rtifications, British training options for anti-
tank, antii nvasion and ju ngle tacti cs. $6 .
47. Normandy Beachhead. After the successfu l A ll ied in-
vasion of France, in early June of 1944, the A llied armies
squared off with the once vaunted Wehrmacht in some of
the best defensive terrain in all of Europe. To run a suc-
cessfu l campa ign in France, the Allied armies had to ac-
compl is h two essentia l ta sks: capture a working deep
waTer port to support the vast logistical base of the Allied
army, and gain room so th .. prowing Allied army could

d!<ploy ilS full amount of cambilt divisions in the front
li""'5. Normandy Beachhead w il! tre?t this decisive cam-
paign on a divisional level, using a unique system of
limited mtelligence so the attacking pluyer usually docs
not know the s\renglh of the defending units until tIC at-
lacks. Tne g8me would in clude an 11" x 17" map, and
TOO COlmTers, In a 1" box for $6.
48_ The 8artle for Leyw Gulf. October, 1944: The
Japanese "S ho" (Vic\Oryl Plan was put into opemtion in
ttl e last-ditch 811empt to prevent the America n seizu re 0;
the Philippine ISlands - an accomplish ment thot would
cu \ the Japanese Em pire In .wu _ The J apanese FI~et was
spl it imo three Task For ces and lau nchRd towa rds l uzon
~cconjir1~ to an ingenio us and deceptive Dian oi opera
I,ons. HOWRver, numerouS c ummand failures t-rll)(fered
the Jap.nese effort ano, despite a severe scare to Admrral
H~ i Rey's Third and Admiral ' inkard's Seventh rIeelS, the
pl~n en- cd in disaster. Thirty Ships and 500 airer81 t were
10$,. cflpp li fl9 the Ja panese Fleel for the remUince r of lile
Nar. The Battle for L,,'fIU GuN would be a simple. qu ,ckly-
play"d simufatlon of rhis decisive naval engagement . Twu
l(1e'Hical capsule size maps would be used to resolve
srrruegic SCarCC1f';S f or the enmv. An fJbstraci tactical
SV!; ti.W1 WOLJl rl r P-~()lve .all forms of combuL Ti me sea lu
'NOVIO be flpprnxi m~te l v 12 hou s pe, Game-Turn . 'IJ
counters .. S10 .
The following proposals 149-55 !would be packaged in our
new one inch box format and would feature quick-
playing. highly developed, novel systems that have been
carefully balanced for competitive play. Each game would
have an 11" x 17" map, 100 coun ters, four pages of
ff.Jles, and would self for $5-6.
49. l.iule Rour;d Top. The critical action at lhe battle of
GBirysburg .
50. Orr.aha Beac!). The 1st ~ nd 29th DiVISions hit t'1e
':->8.::chcs on D-Day,
51. Sdn JiJ8n !-/ill. Ted dy Rooseve!t rea e'11 9 be,!ond
rnar lJ:es t desti nv.
52. BSrbBrossa, S trat8glc \//\/'./11 Eastern Fro L miJp symbuls keye d ?iO Th e..,.' c Eln repwsunt different 0 '0 -
53 . Hornan Ernpire. S trnTeg ic- level H8(;tmen t 0 1 St'vercl
HornnT1 r.amp8 tgns .
54. Romiln Gladialor Lions. Cnristlans, \hwnhs ur , and
in J m05uo . .""'rl ,
55 . r/le A.1..:3:no. D?vA Crockea and TexfJs's n ne~t hour .
56 . BiJwball When rhp. GI'flSS was ReEJ/. Babe Ruth . Lou
Gehrig . Joe D,MaCjej 0, Teet W illi8ms, Willie M DW - il ll
:J reat American 101 heroes of lhL' :30s. 4O's, alld 50s.
&asehal! W.~en rhe GriJss was Real would I)e a det8'led
;i ~'u I<Hlon of the <Widen era of baoetall. FOCU Sing on The
HU 'V Ir stori e 110ments of this era throuqh " thorouqh
anAivs,s o f the sc{entif lc uspectS 0 1 the qar; ,e. th iS sirrll. ia-
non \lv'ould slrivo to rep re~en t th:=: RlJhtle IflTr u:.;cip.5 of
b"lSuf)a il that brought constrH1t fascinu inn to ns spec-
t.'10rs . Rep lay ,\1 8 classic "1933 A.II -Sta r Llame. In wli let'l
(Pol' Hubbe ll of the NY Gi;. lnts cons'cc' li','c!y struck oul
five ~!f the .A.rneriC6 [1 LeClque's nr ealest sllJoqers, 11"1-
cl udlr,; Babe Ru lil, I 01.1 Gehng , ann .Ji mmy Foxx. Repla v
th e 9 th int1 tPg of th e h Is tori e 194 1 VVorid Serim; C1asn be
tween the Brooklvn Dodgers iHld lhe NY YanKees, III
'~v n c h ~./tlckey O'~vefi , tno Dodner c;-ncher, d.rOPPAd Thp.
3id SVik8 o f \Nh?t v . . ouln nc;ve been the iu5t OU1 at t c
nAme, eventuu lly ~l ivin,1 lhe Yanks tile vic tory . Position
'lou r li f..:,k :ers Ul l he fa mous " \..VIII18rn5 S lltf ;:," d eVised by
Cleveland shonstop Lou Boudreall TO contilin til e Red
Sox .=:Iugger. Baseba;l When- the Grass was RCti/ v'iould
Slmu lfllo' i,s aC lion ill c deto:led. p lt~h-b'l-pitr;h systel11.
r elde' s wUlI ld be posi li oned in specif iC lo ca ti ons on tl e
D'~yi"q field ~ no ph ysica l aCTion (~. g . bose- rll n ring,
1. ~H OWj ng, caTching, b:JtTingl . . vou ltl be unde rtakon bv
pinyers individu allv 2H..:c.ordirlq to C::: refl lUV re.,se5fcl"JBd
copabrit \'6S. All in air, a " "'Que baseball ~i:irne Thm <;lIow5
\"Ie r lovers to understamJ lhe sub tI t,,:s of t)a sei).311 skills
rather than si rnply l olling dir.p. FInd 0 htaining outcomes of
each play. T05ell for $12.
57_ Energv C":s,". An emnomic simulatior 0 1 Aml'riCJ 's
future_ A soli taire gar"8, Ihe pl8yenilkes the pail of a )la,
tiondl economic p lAnnp.r, w ho must ublain enoug h p,op.r';J V
to k~.ep America's economy running, whj l ~ S! mu lwneous
Iy devp.loping new SourCOS of energ-y . A l Thp. su m8 , imc,
I)~ must prevOnt econoln i ~ col la p,e. et:U c" \\~S llOphe
Tli rou g h overpopulmion. i:in~ war lhro l.l lJh ove r-
Ilggressive attemPts 10 sei7e foreign oil. Severill differenl
sceniuios wou ld be inciudc<,J tu satis fy the rrejudices of ~II
players - i. l.)" ulle in whic li "Ilclear power is completel y
s?f!", one in wh'ch lluGle'lf power is hideouSly dange rou s,
one in which solar powp,r is cheap. easY, al1Q well within
35
lhe range of present-day teChnology: and onother in moi nly historica l but inciudt:d some science 'ic Tion and
which solar power is not worth the investmont under tan tas'!. you w rite "2" or "3;" evenly divided. in teres t
almosl ev{!ry Circ umstance. One 22" x 34" game bmu d , '"",oll id be " 5. " and, o f course, pure silt in terest would
400 counters, 32 PJges 01 rules: to sell for $12. rateiJ "9."
58. MegalOn. The game would silllllla,e lil e strategic and Please rate the acceptability of the following games on a
oDmational o8c-isions of 0 nuclea war. The plaYRrs woul d scale of 1-9. Rate only games you have played within the
con trol the ICBM's. bombers, nuclear submarines, cruise last 12 months.
mrssiles, and oth er IIuclear weapons of today's super- 85 . "Vilson', Cree
pov'Iers. anrJ 'vvOil ld try to neunalize enemy nucleAr and 86. Ter iDle Swi ', S'Nord
c onv entional force,. US well as, in some situations. to kill
civilian populalion. Victor'! would depend Oil offic lency of 87 . E ic Goldbp.rg's Kurs',
'.,\'eapon use, as 'Nel! IS reliJtive damAgR betvveen th e 88, Crescen do o Doom
sides . Rules feaT ures wou ld " ,elude: nuclea r do clri ne . 89. Dea Thrvt aze
grollnd ~ l a-Ai r missiles and other defense SVR Te l11s. corn-
90. AirWal
Oland breakdown. city UOI '\)i ng, submarine tracking. and
the effects of radiation fa lloli t ~ Scena rios would include 91. Pu"dOI03
full-sca le cunflicts oe\Ween the eaSlern and WeS tern 92 . Freedom in the Giliaxy
iiilialices. US/Soviet con fl ict, pre-er )ptlve st nk" siTua- 93. T iplanetar,.
:ion5, Sino/ SovieT bombing, third w orlo situations , ~nd 94. Imperi\)m
mu lti -country c onliicts. Siluations would be n1()dern for
most scenarios, bUT potential SUPCf pO""ier ccn fl iCT in the 95-96. No question
SO'5 would also be de,llt WI tn. Tile game wou Id ha'l0 a 22"
x 34" map ancl200 to 400 count er,: to SCil la, $12.
59. Targer. Earth. .t;" operatio nal !evel tr~alrnent of The
claSSIC science fiction tl1 crne of nn ext~(] t err(:sr.r ia l m VfJ si0n
of Earth . SeT in the pr esent-day north eas tern Uni led SF.CTION B
Slates. the qame 'Nou !d cre8te t e ini tia l land in,]s 8nd The results of the following survey are used in our
subseq"enr 'confusion and hvstclla of the populuce PLA YBACK system. This system reviews games by
foBowen by Ihe tim el'llhopefully) derl ovment of milnary showing the response of the people who play the games.
fr.rces v....ith conven ti onal nnn nuclem (lir and n rolJnd Questions 104-188 are part of PL A YBACK_
....vc;:.po ns. Spp.ciai utes 'Nould allow for variable
capBbi!iTies and m,-ibutus of Ule invaoers. Would inclu de After each game title there are thirteen Questions !lettered
one 22" x 34" map, 200 counters and rules. To sell fo r $8. "A" through " N"!. Unless otherwise no ted, these qu~s
tio ns are answered with a " 1" I poor] through "9' lex-
60. Snubfiphrer. A acticill simulation o - I!uflstic sr ace cellent! mtiny.
combar.. One pl8yw is in -:omC',a"d of a flight of snut;
Question A - Wha, d,d you think of Ihe phl'sical Qua li ty
fightes - small, one-man attac', ;;hips. 'J,signed to
dRS HOY the second player's command , the evil I "sta l!.,- and la you~ of the ma p,-;heel?
tion . T 8 C;dpsu le-Slled rrrop wou ld dupict the 'nu ln- Question B - Whm did you thin k of Ule p hysica I quality
leve led section of the InS Tallation "nder " nac <, Wilh T"8 and lavou t of The ru 16s (older?
QueS:,on C - \"!hat did vou r.hin~ oi the physicill Quality
Jer-Ts in diff erent SC01\all05. The p.ight Dages ul Iules w ill
"r'c! layout 01 tho lnit COllnters?
cover pilo t ralings, dep~ rting contro lled fhnht, oomblng,
Question D - W hat did )'ou think of the 9~ me'5 "ease of
Slroing. sraceshlp design. ane! sRveral " hislOrical"
sCEnari o~ . VoJit h l OU (;Uu nter5 ?o rlO an 11" x 1 r
map in 8 pln\''' IIlow well thR game mowd alann)?
1" box for $6. Quesli on E - VoJ 8t did \,Oll H,i ll' of t!i~ "c;omp lst\lnt:SS"
The following questions con c 71 lJi,'er mag,wnes. Pick
of the g8me's ru les Iwas everyThlllg tho oUQh ly
explained Ii
one statement th.1t is most true Ilb [}Jt each maga,dfle~ 1
- I h8ve never seen a copy; 2 ~ I almost never buy a Ques lion F - W hat d id you think of the g~ me . play
copy; 3 ~ I occasionallv buy a copy, but I do not have a b~ lance IWdS :i'le name intereSt ing for bOll sidesi?
subscription; 4 = I did have a subscription to this OIJp.stlon G - What did vou think about the ap-
magazine in the past, but I clo not read it anymore; 5 = I o'opniltonp-ss o f . e lengtn 01 the average game?
did have a subscrip tion to the magazine in the past, but I
only buy it on the newsstand now; 6 = I hctve II subscrip- OUl:stion H - iNna- did you thi nk of the amOUnT 01 " sel-
tion to the magll7ine for o"e vear or less; 7 = I have liP time" needec t)efOfe VOU could begin playinn lhe
subscribed to this magazine for -two years or less; 8 ~ I
game? .
have siJb scribad to this m8g~zin~ for 3 to 5 years; 9 - I Quusli on J - Whm did 'IO U t t'link 01 t,16 8Pproprimeness
have subscribed to this magazine for over 5 vears. of th e comp lexi1\" of this game?
61. St"~leq'l8 Toc ues. Questlo ll K - What did yau thi ,, ', of Ul is fjame's realism?
62, MOVES Questi on L - W ~,8t did you t!'olnk of thIS game overall !
63. A.rPo;
QucsrJon M - Wou ld yau still have bOllg t this gam.;: if
64. The General you knR\h' then \vttt.=l you knovv nov", ~hout it (1 - Yes; 2
65 . Fire and MDvement = No\ ~
66. T ,e Space Game. Qucs non N - Do "lOU I hink you received your money's
61. SC" CE!rer's ApW?r.tlc", worth w;ih thi s galTlc? 11 = Yes; 2 = N oL
68 . T hp. Dragon We will ask you (0 rate six games. If you have not plilyed
69. Compa l~n
these games, or have not played them enough to be able
10. Diff~(ent Wo rlds
to evaluate them, then simplv place "0" in the boxes.
i} , Journa l of Triive llAr's Ai d Soc iety
PATTON 'S THIRD ARMY
n . Th" Dung80niler
73_ An~ , ug
104. A Irn~ps l.eeti J11 . H (sel,up tim e)
105_ B (rulesl 112. J (complexitvi
14. Orr"" 106. C (counters'l \\3 . K Iretlilmll
15. Fanlas..," & Sc,el)cP' Fiction 107. D lease of rla,; 1 114. L IOvralil
16. Galax',' 108, E In,les completeness) US, M (then and nowl
77. I S~nc ./\;;:i n10V S r M :Jguzine 109. F Ibalance) 116, N lmon\Jv's vvorthl
78. Galilee 110, G (leng rhi U7, No qlJ<;;stiQn
19. Starb ;l FREEDOMINlHEG~LAXY
80. T~e GrBnmJier 118, A I marshee,1 l2~. H (set-up timel
81. P~r f idious Al bi on lJ9 , fl
Iru les l 126, J logmplexiTi'
82. SWClbber5 120. C ICOUO\f),sl 127. K Ireali.s ml
83 . AH IK S 121. D lease o f P Ily) 1~8 . l l.over,,111
84. I ndictlte Em u 1 TO 9 histori cill to SI / f SoeC-Lru I'n ...vllere g2_ ~ (ru l!js coml'!let<;n\ls$) lZ~ , tv! lthen 'lnd now)
you r interest lies. For e~ump !e , if YUU v'lorr; (:)nl''I in ~ (:r eSls:9 )23, F (pal.ancel 13Q. N (monel"s '.."grttt)
ill ,islurical games , \,ou ' d w rile "1; " if YOW ' mterest w~re 1M, )32 . N B oue li qn
It]rrl!i!I~U!g t;m page !4j
Simulations Publications, Inc.
257 Park A venue Sourh BU LK RATE
Nev. York ,N .Y . lOOIO U.S. PO ST AG E PAID
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED PERMIT NO. 15
FRAMINGHAM , MA.

The Magazine of Science Fiction

and Fantasy Simulation
A totally new magazine experience, Ares places you in control of
events as they may unfold in the dist.ant future, and as they occur-
red in the fantastic past. Included in every bimonthly issue of Ares
is an original work of science fictio n or fantasy presented as a com-
plete simulation game. Out standing feat ure length fiction, plus
a uthoritative and provoking science fact articles and reviews of all
media, are offered in a formal marked by first quality design ,
graphics, and illustration .

Reduced reproduclion of Pandora map and COUnlers.

Rates: I year (6 issues): $14.00.2 years (12 issues): $26.00.

3 years (18 issues): $36.00.
Single Issue: $3.00.