Issue #17 Air Combat:

A Primer for Wargamers

Spring 2007

Like moths to the flame,

wargamers cannot resist the
urge to partake in air com-
bat. Whether it’s the
thought of men dueling one
on one in the clouds with
jets over Vietnam or flying
canvas and wooden aircraft
over the trenches in WW1,
there is an entire host of
games on the subject. Ac-
tual air to air combat is a
very complex subject, so it
should be no surprise then
that in gaming this is what
creates the most arguments
WASATCH FRONT HISTORICAL GAMING SOCIETY

amongst gamers. So, what Ken Chandler F-4 art from the USAF web site.
kinds of games are out games, how air combat is back to. Mustangs &
there for gamers that deal portrayed, the complexity Messerschmitts was one of
with air combat and how level, and the overall game the first miniatures rules
complex are they? play value. Again, this will that crossed the barrier
be highly subjective de- between board games and
As with Ancients,
pending upon your point of miniatures by using flight
ACW, Napoleonics, WW2,
Warning Order

view. If you’re just a cas- stands. These first few

and others, this will depend
ual air gamer, then discus- games along with some
greatly upon what you are
sions about the turn radius others that are long forgot-
trying to simulate, what
of an unloaded F-4 Phan- ten, formed the core of air
resources you or your gam-
tom in 1969 will bore you combat gaming for that era.
ing group have, and how
to tears, but if you’re into Gamers were pretty knowl-
much time that you can
that era, then you will keep edgeable about the periods,
invest. There are so many
reading on to determine if had time to invest in re-
miniatures rules, board
this rules set is how you search, and many long
games, and card games that
envision air to air combat. hours were spent discuss-
it would take a book to
ing the performance of the
detail all of them and how First, there have been
P-38 against the Zero in the
they simulate the subject. air combat games since the
Pacific Theater.
This doesn’t even include hobby really got going in
the vast number of flight the 60’s and 70’s. Richto- Times have changed
simulators for computers fen’s War by Avalon Hill and today’s air combat
that are available. and Foxbat and Phantom gamer has many choices,
by SPI were two board but limited time to enjoy
In this article we will
games that many air com- the hobby.
look at several sets of
bat gamers trace their roots
miniatures rules and board (cont. on p. 14)

Inside this issue:

Special points of interest:
Interview with Patrick Wilson of TVAG 2
• Interview with Patrick Wilson of The Vir-
Board Game Reviews 6 tual Armchair General.
WW2 North Africa Battle Report 8 • WW2 North Africa battle report.
ITNOG Vittoria Scenario Replay 11
• Editorial on card driven wargames along
Air Combat scenario replays 19-21 with plenty of board game reviews.

Wargame Downloads reviews 22 • Huge section on air combat gaming with

two battle reports.
Paper Terrain review 24
Interview With Patrick Wilson of TVAG
for $75.00 (serious money back is requires a bit more explaining.
then!), I bought in immediately--my
membership number was "001"--and In 2000, I was offered the job of U.S.
my game designing interests became Retail Sales Rep for The Foundry. This was
more serious. That same year, I met a an amazing period when my long standing
certain madman--Mr. Jeff Key--who Anglophilia was tested, and though it has
was just forming up the "Southwest survived, it is a more mature relationship
Regional Association of Wargamers" than before. When, however, after an amaz-
here in Oklahoma City, and through ing ride, Foundry switched its business
him and his own circle of gaming model to direct sales from Nottingham via
friends was introduced to the Internet, I was "let go." I must say, for a
"Diplomacy" and other games. In that few days there, I didn't exactly feel
same year, we collectively decided to "emancipated"--or at least no more than the
try our hands at the (then new to us) little guy does who's getting thrown out of
Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame, and the lifeboat by the big guys.
our first annual Convention--WarCon Still, for some years I had become de-
I in OKC in July of 1970--was given pendent on the job and too fond of being at
over to it almost entirely. It was a home, so the logical step was to go free-
case of mass love-at-first-sight. lancing, and The (Virtual) Armchair Gen-
The next year, the one-and-only Duke eral (TVAG) was re-born. I had the great
Patrick Wilson, the owner of The Virtual good fortune to become acquainted with
Armchair General, or TVAG as it is affec- Seifried was our GOH, and he introduced
us to that other great narcotic, Napoleonics. Bobby Jackson (easily one of the industry's
tionately known, is one of the driving forces top four or five sculptors), and we collabo-
behind Victorian Colonial wargaming. A year later, our 25+ regular membership--
way too big for our usual game rooms-- rated on producing a line of figures based
TVAG has many new and interesting prod- on the historical (not movie!) Gangs of New
ucts coming out for gamers and Patrick was groaned under the weight of lead. But being
of wider appetites--some would say simple York he had started for his own enjoyment.
kind enough to answer a few questions With my long time gaming companion and
gluttony--I was the first to buy into ACW
about TVAG. creative colleague, Mr. Chris Ferree, we
(the classic K&L 20mm figures produced in
Shawnee, Oklahoma), and then Ancients, as read the book and developed our first dedi-
1) How did you get started in the hobby?
well as skirmish gaming cated set of rules for sale via
Like so many, from infancy I played via Mike Blake/Ian TVAG.
with toy soldiers (particularly all the old Colwill/Steve Curtis'
classic Marx figure sets of the 50's), and At the same time, I collabo-
classic "Rules For West- rated with the late Spyros Kou-
then board games like "Conflict," "The
ern Gunfights" in '71. mousis in Piraeus to act as his
American Heritage Game of The Civil
In '75, a group of us U.S. Distributor of his unique
War," "Dogfight!," and the like.
collaborated on the first 15mm figures lines for the War
I had begun reading military history miniatures game I wrote of Greek Independence, The
(primarily WW II) when I was around 11, and sold, "Cordite And Balkan Wars, and subsequently
and eventually acquired some 500 titles in Steel" through TSR. some remarkable Hoplites, and
paperback. I read "Rise And Fall of the Other titles followed, ultimately his ground breaking
Third Reich" when I was 13--but make no some published, others Footballers.
claim to full appreciation of all the history not. In 1981, I tried my The design for TVAG was
and related subjects involved at that time! hand at a "brick and mor- largely based on my spending
But it was in 1962 that I asked for and tar" store, The Armchair as little cash as possible--not a
got for my birthday Avalon Hill's General selling not only bad deal for a business if you
"Stalingrad." From that point, there was no all manner of historical wargames materi- can do it. I acted as the "go between" from
looking back--"serious" wargaming was my als, but Militaria (God, what I'd give for customer to manufacturer. I take a portion
passion. I owned every AH game after that, some of the treasures I sold just to make the of each sale, less than if I were paying a
and the first non-AH boardgame was Lou rent!). After two years, I closed the doors-- Distributor or Wholesaler's break, leaving
Zocchi's classic "Battle of Britain." debt free, but almost "cash free," too. more profit for the manufacturer. In return,
Still, by that time other developments I handle all sales issues, created the original
I had been buying and painting the old TVAG site, and promote the products. All
Airfix figures and ROCO Mini Tanks in the had set me in the groove that I have called
collected postage goes to the product's pro-
early 60's, but never quite tumbled to the "home" for some 25 years now.
vider for mailing himself directly to the
means of gaming with them in any sort of customer. Thus--especially for Overseas
2) How would you describe The Virtual
regular fashion. products--there is no extra shipping time
Armchair General?
In 1970, I subscribed to "Strategy And from manufacturer to me and then to the
Well, two answers come to mind. One is customer. Similarly, with little or no inven-
Tactics" Magazine, and when James Dunni- somewhat basic--my food source. The other
gan took over, and offered Lifetime Subs tory here, there's never any danger of an

Page 2 WARNING ORDER

Interview With Patrick Wilson of TVAG (cont.)
item being out of stock and having to wait realistic as anything in life and history by tury Games.
to be shipped to TVAG to fill a languishing being uncertain. From that moment on,
those Gawd Awful sets of rules which I had However, when the Broms family chose
order.
played--and written!--that had processed to pull up stakes and move to New Orleans
All in all, it seems to be a plan that has out everything that made gaming fun and (just in time for bloody Katrina!), we all
worked for some four years now. Of course, unpredictable were relegated to the ash agreed to simplify our arrangements, and
as I have been able to produce my own heap of history. Since then, I have em- the rights to all the old titles reverted to
products ("Mean Streets", "Mean Sets," braced--if not always comfortably--"Chaos Chris and I, and subsequently were sold at
"B'hoys Towne," rules sets and accesso- Theory," the idea that the unknown and first as PDF's on CD, and later as profes-
ries), my profit margin is much higher as I unexpected are not only the missing ingre- sionally printed editions. All of these have
don't have to share any--or not much! I have dients in most "Old School" gaming, they enjoyed good sales, partly due their having
been able to find some remarkably talented their chances to be reworked and greatly
are the very soul of the subject.
artists, rules designers, sculptors, and no improved.
less than Howard Whitehouse as an "in So, to continue an abused metaphor, I
house" painting service ("Brushes With figuratively changed my name from "Saul" None of this would be possible without
to "Paul" and began to the generosity and unstinting support of
Danger!").
convert the Heathen Larry and Lori Brom--and the Little Mem-
But maybe the best thing from the very faith I sahib, his daughter Christy. TVAG supports
going for TVAG is that there Sergeants Three in whatever capacity we
had held before.
is nothing in my now consid- can and there will always be preferential
erable "catalog" that is avail- Years later, while treatment for their efforts. After all, to a
able anywhere else in the running the BY great extent, TVAG would not be growing
world. I'm the fellow who JINGO! Colonial as it is without their help and the opportuni-
either makes it, or has the Games Website with ties they have given me.
manufacturer working for me my Faithful Indian
exclusively. It's nice not be- Companion (Chris
ing the umpteenth provider of "Don't Call Me 'Tonto'" 4) What is your favorite gaming period
the same dozen or two prod- Ferree), I contacted and why?
uct lines that can be gotten TSATF author Larry That's easy--Colonials!
anywhere. Brom about writing a
column discussing the I was raised on "Gunga Din," saw
3) What is your relation- history of the rules and "Zulu" when it was first released,
ship with The Sword and their many spin-offs. "Khartoum" a few years later, "Young
The Flame game series? Generously, Larry did Winston," "The Four Feathers, " etc, and
In 1979, I had been playing a set of Co- write a brief have always had a romantic appreciation for
lonial Skirmish rules (cleverly called "Rules "historical" piece (which now appears on the Era of the British Empire. When
For Colonial Skirmish Games") by the self the Sergeants Three Website), and generally TSATF gave me the means to explore all
same Mike Blake and his two collaborators. provided comments and answered rules the campaigns, Native Armies, weapons,
I loved the game, but it was a decidedly questions as he could. tactics, and more that characterize the sub-
complex system (typical of its time), and ject militarily, it was rather like a marriage
When in 1999, the 20th Anniversary made in heaven.
didn't practically allow more than a few Edition of TSATF was being prepared, I
figures in a game. had the distinct honor to prepare a set of Part of the charm of Colonial Era
Then I was told of a new set of rules, Unit Record Sheets which act as Quick wargames is the nearly infinite variety of
The Sword And The Flame (TSATF), and Reference Sheets for play. These were in- armies--not merely organizationally, but
promptly went out and bought them. Ea- cluded with the final printed sets are still in their visual splendor in miniature on a beau-
gerly, I gave them a read--and quickly foun- use. Later, when Larry acquired the rights tifully terrained table.
dered on concepts I just couldn't compre- to the classic Colonial Campaign And who can read
hend. Variable movement distances? Draw- Rules for TSATF, "The Sun Never of disasters like Mai-
ing cards to determine order of movement? Sets," from Dave Waxtel, Chris and wand, Isandlwana,
Nah, this guy's gotta be nuts. I were given permission to update Khartoum, Majuba, and
and expand the rules along the lines "near run things" like
Then, in early '82, I decided to host a of the variants already worked out
Colonial Wargame at my then wargames Chillianwallah, El Teb
by the OKC gaming group some and Tamai, and not
shop in the big game room and use these years before.
rules since they did, after all, accommodate want to be vicariously
One thing led to another, and for in the thick of it, trying
a lot more figures and players.
a while there, some six or more sets like mad to prevent a
Before the end of the first turn, I had my of rules written or edited by Chris repeat of history?
"Road to Damascus" moment. In a blinding Ferree and/or I were being sold as
flash, I knew the truth--I'd seen the light! I'm aware that many
part of Larry and daughter Lori's gamers (and unfairly, I
Gaming was supposed to be FUN--and as catalog of Colonial and 19th Cen-

Page 3 WARNING ORDER

Interview With Patrick Wilson of TVAG (cont.)
think) put down the most recent remake of 5) What recent developments in the I HATE "Pseudo-Historical" Wargam-
"The Four Feathers." Well, it has plenty of hobby have excited you? ing. I don't mean an artificial British-French
things I would like to have seen differently, Napoleonic Action in Spain--those hap-
but that overhead shot of Well, the first that comes to pened. But--and this is especially true in
the British square being mind is that we do indeed live in Colonial gaming over the last several years-
swarmed from all sides is The Golden Age for Historical -games were Mahdist Steam Camels attack
the very soul of what Miniatures Wargaming. There is Kitchener's wind powered supply column
Colonial Wargamers live hardly a period or army not repre- while Gordon lifts from Khartoum by zep-
to see and experience on sented in multiple scales, and sup- pelin and drops electric bombs on the Ma-
ported by rules and accessories. The hdi's wrought iron tents where the Ansar are
their table tops.
variety seems to be ever increasing- busily assembling their magnetic powered
My personal collection -and indeed I'm trying through submarine to control the Nile, and call it a
of Colonials is now rather TVAG to do what I can to keep up
"Colonial Game!"
old--but has the charm of the momentum.
largely being painted! I There is a tendency, I think, among
have several thousand Ral There is also, over the last num- those who play what has come to be called
Partha and MiniFig ber of years, a growing appreciation "Victorian Science Fiction," or "Alternative
25mm figures, with leav- of the importance of terrain and History" games to just throw elements to-
enings of Iron Brigade, Frontier, "old" making tables as beautiful as possi- gether, but have no interest or respect for
ble. For so long, gamers painted exquisite the history itself. After all, there's no way to
Foundry, Falcon, and more.
figures with the greatest care to accuracy play the ridiculous scenario above and be
Something in which I take inordinate and craft--and then used flat tables with
“wrong”.
pride is that brought together Chris Ferree crepe paper roads and streams! I've seen
and the legendary Richard Houston and the games where miniature trees were set up, Mind, games involving Nemo's Nautilus
old "Houston Collection" Colonial Lines then on turn one taken off because "they get or Wells' Martians are one thing. But to
resulted. in the way (!)" make vast fruit salad out of fact and fiction-
-requiring no appreciation
Chris had been sculpting some key fig- Fortunately, we seem to be of either--seems lazy to
ure types for our then ongoing "The Sun moving past that and realizing me. And perhaps my
Never Sets" campaign back in about '91, but that the hobby cannot be limited attitude makes me “Old
there were just so many Native Armies not to buying, painting, and orga-
School,” too.
available. But with Richard agreeing to nizing miniatures alone.
produce what Chris would sculpt, they pro- Wargaming is a hobby that can I have never found a
duced a huge range of Chinese, Tibetans, draw on our every imaginative person or event in fiction
Abyssinians, Ashanti, and ultimately the and creative ability, and to arbi- more interesting, frighten-
most complete line ever of British/HEIC trarily draw a line at one's com- ing, heroic, brilliant or
and Sikh figures for the Sikh Wars. I sug- mitment is terrible loss--to one's stupid than I have in his-
gested "Battles In A Box," and the pair of self and our gaming friends. tory. All fiction pales
them produced large lines of figures for the when you know enough of
SP-AM War, including Moros and more for Finally, I am also glad to see the facts, and that's plenty
the Philippines, as well as Zulus and Red- that uncertainty and the un- for me to base my escap-
known are increasingly becom-
coats all in 15mm. ism on.
ing part of wargames rules. I
Only when Richard retired some years give full credit to the movement to Larry To quote old Carl Sagen, "Some people
back and sold his casting equipment and Brom and his honorable imitators. Many come to the fountain of truth to drink, and
many of these lines to The London War new rules have also begun to realize that some come just to gargle."
Room did Chris stop producing new lines complexity of game mechanics does not
and figures. equate at all with "realism." Speaking from 7) Where do you see the hobby five years
shameful experience in the 70's into the from now?
Of course, I do have other interests. 80's, if 25 common Firing Modifiers aver-
Naval Wargames, particularly of the Pre- The hobby is definitely getting "greyer"-
age a "+3" to the dice roll, then why not roll -when it's not like Your Servant, simply
Dreadnought Era, is always a soft spot (in two dice, and add or subtract their differ-
heart, if not head). I've had hundred plus getting "shinier on top." The amazing things
ence? The results in such ways can be iden- that Computer games are capable of, both
fleets of Napoleonic Era ships in 1:1200, a tical, but now more time is spent moving
fortune in the models made in Germany for as reasonable simulations which providing
the troops and finding out who takes the eye catching--even stunning--images simply
WW I and before in metal, and even some
hill. don't bode well for the true Grognards of
Triremes.
6) What recent developments in the the hobby.
The American Revolution is a almost the
hobby concern you, if any? The "need for speed" and instant gratifi-
only other period for which I have kept my
old 25mm Hinchliffe figures. I haven't been Well, that's a truly personal opinion cation (which is part, I suspect, of the trend
able to use them in years, but they're keep- towards "Pseudo-Historical" gaming) is
being asked, so I'll give it as such.
perfectly served by the computer, and the
ers, and I will get back to them.

Page 4 WARNING ORDER

Interview With Patrick Wilson of TVAG (cont.)
games will only get better. of the rules to win, they're lost. They're not tion, designed by Mr. Eric Cox, is
dishonest, or even just crafty. The games being released about the time this in-
When the day comes that for a fee, one they play depend on one or more "super terview will appear. These will be over
can enter a virtual reality Waterloo or Mara- rules" or "facts" that whenever applied 250 of the most authentic and well
thon , and flit about the life sized battlefield bring success, so they spend more time researched flags for units of the Ansar
like a Valkyrie, experiencing the combat looking at the rules than considering the and the Egyptian Army yet. Like all of
from every level of command and participa- TVAG's flag sets, these will be offered
situation on the table.
tion, I don't think spending thousands of in 54mm, 28mm, 20mm, 15mm, and
dollars on miniatures, taking years to paint Mind, "Old School" gamers are com- 6mm scales to satisfy the gaming itch
them, mount them, store them, making or monly knowledgeable--encyclopedic--in
of any collector.
buying terrain to complement them, is go- their areas of greatest interest, and should
ing to have much appeal. be considered a priceless resource. • Eric will also be returning to the
Don't know that's going to happen in five Just don't ask to play their games. Manchu/Qing Sets that are part of the
years, mind, but it does seem the ultimate 19th Century Chinese Flags Collec-
future of the hobby--and likely of most 9) It looks like TVAG has a number of tion. The nearly 1000 flags that are
entertainment itself. exciting products on the way. What are available for the armies of the Tai-
the future plans for TVAG? P'ings and the "Imitation Foreign Dev-
8) What is your definition of "Old ils" (such as the famous
School" gaming? Short and sweet! "Ever Victorious
At the risk of splitting a hair, while I am • We will continue our Army"), and the four
publishing program of the currently available sets
not of the generation of game players and
last year. There are sev- for the Boxers are all the
inventors like Donald Featherstone, Jack
eral sets of rules in differ- best researched and most
Scruby, or Larry Brom, I've been around
ent stages of being re- authentic flags of their
long enough to distinguish not only what I
designed, or new alto- kind ever offered to
can call "Old School" gaming, but "Ancient
gether. These include wargamers. I look for
School" gaming, and probably "Pre-
Chris Ferree's "Rough many more sets of ob-
Cambrian School" gaming for that matter. scure and exotic flags
Riders!," Scott Saylor's
That being said, I find "Old School" "We Only Kill Each from Eric over time.
gaming is characterized by rigid systems of Other," and several new
rules writing and playing, where players • As soon as I can
titles by the inde-
have total control over every aspect of their take a break from the
fatigable Howard Whitehouse, mostly
forces. When, for example, rules are based latest publication, I mean to revisit
in support of his wildly successful
on “statistics” that are not really "Mean Sets" and produce the long
"Astounding Tales!" delayed Nightclub/Casino. I've also
understood by the designer, when
weapons are deemed the ultimate • The newest item is, been collecting sources for the Egyp-
determinant of battles, and the of course, "The Mahdist Wars tian Tomb and other Sets that will be
human element is dismissed as Source Book," and it has of value to Pulp Fiction gamers, what-
being impossible to measure, so already been the most suc- ever rules they prefer.
is ignored, wargames become an cessful title by far in my Sub-
• And then there's the long delayed
exercise in fossilization. Too scription Publication pro-
"Send A Gunboat!" line of 15mm and
often egos are at work trying to gram. Several other titles also
25mm card stock gunboat designs for
prove the author’s-and some- in cooperation with Richard
Colonial and Adventure gaming of all
times players’-total grasp of a Brooks of "Savage And Sol-
kinds.
period’s minutiae. Again, these dier" Magazine are in the
are games with everything enter- discussion stage, and he and • And if I can get around to making a
taining and truly challenging his son, Ben, are working on deal, there's the return of Chris Ferree's
“processed” out. Like a bag of a book about terrain for Colo- 15mm lines--including brand new
chips whose principal ingredients nial Wargames. items--as "Splendid Little Warriors,"
are scientifically prepared artificial flavors hopefully sometime later this year.
and preservatives, it’s an experience that • A book by Mike Blake on the
may be filling, but is empty of nutrition. Mexican-Revolution of 1911 is in the The beauty of the thing is that I have no
works. end of projects and opportunities for new
"Old School" gamers have played hun- and original products at TVAG. Now, if
dreds or even thousands of games--and • It appears that TVAG Publishing only I had the time each deserves!
played to a real conclusion maybe one or will be the busiest component of our
two (but probably not). products this coming year, but the For more information on TVAG’s prod-
Historical Flags Collections are con- ucts, visit their web site at:
"Control Freaks," tend to be "Old tinuing to grow as well.
School," and panic when they have to think http://home.att.net/~patrick.wilson33/VArm
on their feet. If they can't use the wording • The Mahdist Wars Flags Collec- GenIndex.html

Page 5 WARNING ORDER

Paths of Glory Game of the Year Edition Board Game Review
There’s not much War. Each card can be played quickly, so that after re-
more that can be writ- as an event, to redeploy units, shuffles you can get to the
ten about what is for replacements, or to move good cards faster than your
thought as one of the and fight with pieces on the opponent.
greatest wargames of map. As certain events happen,
Of all the games I own,
all time. This is the they trigger the addition of the
Paths of Glory has so
latest edition of Paths other cards to be added into the
many different strategies
of Glory, a World deck.
and options, that trying to
War One card driven
Now, what makes this game make a choice is more
wargame by GMT.
great (and this goes for many difficult and challenging
The map covers all of Europe and the good card driven wargames) is that you than anything else I’ve tried. There are
Near/Middle East with a point to point have a number of decisions to make each so many fronts,, so many needs, and so
movement system. Units are armies and turn. In fact, the choices can be over- many threats that the cards in your hand
corps that represent all of the armed whelming, so a plan needs to imple- can’t address them all! The events and
forces that were involved in that conflict, mented and followed through on or you options could take many plays to work
including Turkey, Greece, Italy, and will get yourself into a mess rather out a good strategy. In several games
many more than you would ordinarily see quickly. Should you play a card as an I’ve sometimes just sat there, not know-
in a WW1 game. The map event? Or, should ing really where to go and hoping that my
and counters are up to you use the card for opponent did something dumb!
GMT’s high standards and reinforcements to
Granted, WW1 isn’t everyone’s fa-
have a great degree of func- bolster a section of
vorite subject (me included), but this
tionality. the lines? You also
game is so good that gamers should be
need to “burn”
The cards are broken out able to see past that and enjoy it for what
through the cards by
into Early, Mid, and Late it is, an excellent game.
playing the events

Britannia Board Game Review

Britannia stroyed, and special rules. Each player turns where you feel helpless, so the idea
has always will control a number of nations through- is to score as many points as you can
had almost a out the game as the centuries progress while you have momentum. For exam-
cult like fol- (each turn is about 75 years). ple, on the first turn the Romans land and
lowing in the pretty much overrun must of southern
Each round starts off with a sequence
gaming England, crushing everything in their
of going through each nation by checking
world. Part path. However, they’re gone on Round 6
population, adding armies, moving, com-
wargame, part and the Yellow player who has the Ro-
bat, and on some turns there are scoring
Euro-game, mans isn’t left with much. Then the Red
rounds where objectives that are met gain
the Avalon player, who has been beaten up gets a
victory points. Combat is almost like
Hill version is thought of as a classic and huge Saxon invasion force and beats up
Risk and the rules are pretty easy to un-
is seen in a number of tournaments and on the others. This cycle follows with the
derstand once you see the game played.
championships as it is ideally suited for Scots, Danes, Normans, and more.
The only problem, and
multi-player games. Now Fan-
it’s minor, is that there Overall, I can easily see why this
tasy Flight Games has released
are a lot of special rules game is so popular. Great components,
a new version with even better
covering the Romans, fairly well balanced, and the constant ebb
components.
Saxons, and a few other and flow of
The board is a beautiful map odds and ends that play- player’s for-
of England broken up into areas ers need to be on top of. tunes makes
that regulate movement, popu- this a great
The game is designed
lation, and scoring. There are multi-player
for 4 players and that is
quite a few nations involved and each one game. Highly
the ideal set up. The 3 and 5 player
has a card that lists their victory objec- recommended.
games work, but not as well. Each side
tives such as areas that must be held or
will have its day and each side will have
occupied, enemies that have to be de-

Page 6 WARNING ORDER

Card Driven Wargames: Are They For Everyone?
When We The Peo- history. In all of these type of games that
ple was released in I’ve tried I have not seen any major im-
1994, designer Mark balance by having these types of cards
Herman started a trend forced to be played.
in gaming that has seen
I think that the
explosive growth in the
major sticking point
last few years. We The
comes down to that
People is regarded as will be, and you can plan with almost
there are some gam-
the first of what are chess like precision, your campaigns as
ers who like cer-
now known as “card driven wargames”. the Japanese or Allied player. With Em-
tainty and some like
Up to this point most wargames used pire of the Sun, you may get additional
to have options. The
hexes, counters, and had usually medium reinforcements through certain cards,
certainty group likes
to high complexity rules regarding move- weather cards may postpone operations,
the comfort of know-
ment and combat. Events were either events might assist a defense of a strate-
ing that all of their panzers will roll for-
rolled for on a chart or scripted into the gic area or provide additional assets for a
ward with a movement of 6 and can at-
game. The entry of cards into wargames large operation, and you never know
tack all units in their ZOCs. The card
has changed all of that. what you may or may not be able to do
driven gamer knows that there might not
each turn. Basically with Fire in the Sky
So what exactly do the cards do? In be enough cards to get an offensive roll-
there’s not going to be many surprises,
most card driven wargames the cards ing, so he better do what he can and use
but with Empire of the Sun you will need
handle a number of functions, including the remaining cards to shore up a future
to react differently each turn depending
events, reinforcements, operations position.
upon your card draw.
(moving and combat with your forces),
Both games are good, From my point of view I find that
redeployment, and more. The trick is that
offer similar strategic card driven games are challenging in that
each card can in most cases be used for
choices, but one offers a they add another layer on top of just play-
more than one thing. So now gamers are
reasonable amount of ing a wargame and that is card manage-
faced with a multitude of choices. It may
certainty and the other ment. This can almost become a skill in
be tempting to play that card as an event,
offers the potential for itself and bad card play can quickly doom
but you may need the replacements listed
chaos. your position in the game. I also under-
to shore up a threatened sector, or rede-
stand the argument that a bad draw of
ploy a unit to a critical front, or any of a This is what clearly
cards can ruin the game for one player,
number of other things. separates card driven
but good play can sometimes offset this.
from conventional wargames. This is
This is what separates the genre from Most card driven games I’ve tried are
what has also created three groups of
other wargames and what is the most balanced and each side has the potential
gamers; those who love the card driven
argued about in the gaming community. to use their cards to win the game.
games and can’t get enough, those who
This leads to the question, “Are card
will play either, and those who hate card Card driven wargames are clearly not
driven wargames for everyone?” The
driven games. The arguments aren’t over for everyone. They do add the unknown
answer depends upon what type of gam-
components, graphics, subject matter, to a game and can be much more decision
ing you like best
etc…, but rather they focus on the cards heavy than a normal game. However, if
and what you are
themselves and how they handle the his- you are looking for something different
familiar with.
tory of the period while either giving or new challenges in wargaming, I would
Let’s say for players too many choices at times and no suggest picking up Paths of Glory, Shift-
example, that you choices at some point in the games. ing Sands, or Wilderness War to get
enjoy Pacific WW2 started and see if you like them or not.
It is true that in some of the games the
games. You have
cards are somewhat scripted. For exam-
Empire of the Sun,
ple, in Shifting Sands the German player
a card driven
can insert the Rommel card in his 1941
wargame and Fire
deck, almost guaranteeing that it will be
in the Sky, a conventional wargame.
played shortly. In Empire of the Sun the
Each game is fairly recent, have above
initial attack cards must be played and in
average graphics and components, and
Paths of Glory the only real choice on the
they roughly handle the operational level
first turn is to play the card for the Cen-
of the Pacific campaign.
tral Powers to attack in Western Europe.
With Fire in the Sky you know what In defense of these cards, however, you
reinforcements you will get, how far units do have to create triggers to get the game
can move, what their combat strengths going or to provide certain elements in

ISSUE #17 Page 7

British Probing Attack Scenario Replay
This WW scenario sented by a com- try , with one dug in around the objec-
was set in the later pany of infantry, tives.
stages of the North a company of
The British plan was to pin the left
African campaign. motorized infan-
flank with the light armor, then establish
The British forces try, a full com-
a base of fire in the center-right with the
have run into a heav- pany of Sherman
Shermans. It was hoped that this would
ily fortified German IIIs, an AT bat-
allow the motorized infantry to seize the
position in Tunisia tery, a mortar
village on the right and move into the
and are probing for an platoon, a MG
objectives from there. A sound plan that
opening into which platoon, and a
went bad from the beginning!
they can launch a full light company of
scale assault. The Stuarts, plus a 25 The German plan was to counterattack
British side had sev- lb. artillery bat- with the German armor in the center,
eral objectives that were located just be- tery. supporting the dug in defending infantry,
yond the center of the board and the Ger- with the Italians moving into the village
The Germans and Italians had several
mans were allowed to set up first, with to secure that flank. The German plan
armor platoons, a section of 88’s, two self
their 88’s behind defensive positions. was more about disrupting the pace of the
propelled anti-tank platoons, some artil-
Allied attack.
The British had a sizeable force, repre- lery, and about two companies of infan-

The Battle Begins

The German 88’s had been placed too board created The Germans now
far forward and they started to attract fire traffic jams and launched a massive counter-
right from the start. As the British moved the supporting attack with at least a com-
up the weight of fire began to tell on the infantry units pany of panzers in the center
German defenders and by turn three the could not get into and the Axis left. The Ital-
British were firmly established in the the village in ians move and the Germans
center of the board, with the Shermans time or prepare on the right move towards
commanding the entire center and the for the second the village, engaging the
88’s having been knocked out. phase of the at- Shermans at long range while
tack. the infantry establishes them-
However, the amount of units on the
selves in the town outskirts.

Page 8 WARNING ORDER

British Probing Attack (cont.) Scenario Replay
The Shermans have some but it’s too late panzers. The Germans in the center and
initial success, knocking out and several the Italians on the Axis left have taken
a platoon of Mk. IIIs and close range grievous losses, but they continue to
knocking out a few Marders firefights break block the Allied advance.
and Mk. IVs. The traffic out.
Finally, one more platoon of Sher-
jam, however, prevents the
The Ger- mans goes down and the remaining two
full weight of Allied fire-
man armor are under a blistering fire from the Ger-
power from overwhelming
keeps coming, man center. The AT battery is now stuck
the Axis forces.
and despite in the traffic jam around the village and
Meanwhile, the British heavy losses they lose several vehicles and guns to a
light armor company has they erase the determined Italian counterattack.
taken a beating and the supporting infan- British light company and the Shermans
The Allied forces keep pressing the
try attack on the Allied left has ground to are down to half strength. The Allied
attack, knowing that several enemy pla-
a halt. Things are better in the center as armor and supporting units make one
toons are near the breaking point and one
the Shermans are still in a good position, final attempt to re-establish themselves in
more push might do the job. The Sher-
but they are being whittled down ever so the center and press on to the objectives.
mans position themselves to meet a flank
slowly. The British motorized infantry Some long range gun duels break out
attack from some Mk. IIIs.
tries desperately to get inside the village, between the Shermans and the remaining

Finale & Summary

The Allied forces by plan, but gamers have a nicely from the disastrous first few turns.
this time have lost the mo- bad problem in wanting The game did show that we needed to cut
mentum and are down to to get right into the back on stuff as there were too many figs
their last few tanks. The game and shooting and vehicles on the board. Although it
continued German fire things. This caused a looked good and everyone had plenty of
makes it impossible for the huge traffic jam and stuff to run (it was a seven player game),
British infantry to advance, blocked fire just when it there wasn’t enough maneuvering space
so the game is called as a was needed to stem the (even on a 6 x 10 board!).
narrow German victory. German counterattacks.
Still, it was an exciting game that
The Axis players barely
The British had a good went down to the end.
escaped with a victory and recovered

ISSUE #17 Page 9

Panzergrenadier: Airborne Board Game Review
For years if you for, rules, and a booklet of scenarios de- with U.S. airborne
wanted to do WW2 picting airborne actions in the Normandy forces on one small
tactical combat you area in June of 1944. map! This is my
basically had two biggest complaint
The Panzergrenadier system is at the
choices. The first with this boxed in-
scale of one counter equals a platoon of
was to sell every- troductory game.
infantry or vehicles or a battery of guns.
thing that you own,
There are also counters for individual However, for $20
quit your job, and
leaders, who help to control units and can there’s not much to complain about. You
dedicate your life
influence morale. The rules are well laid get enough counters, scenarios, and ba-
to playing Ad-
out, although I’m not sure that beginning sics to give you hours of playing time and
vanced Squad Leader. The second was to
wargamers will have an easy time figur- it’s a great way to get into the system
play Avalon Hill’s Panzer Blitz or Panzer
ing everything out. Fortunately, after a while teaching others who might be inter-
Leader, both of which were showing their
few games the system gets pretty easy to ested in this level of WW2 combat.
age. Now there’s several alternatives.
use. The combat tables can take some
Of course the big reason that this mod-
One of these alternatives has been out getting use to in that it is a 2D6 system
ule exists is to get you into the Panzer-
for several years and that is the Panzer- where all the middle numbers produce no
grenadier system, which is quite exten-
grenadier system from Avalanche Press. results.
sive. From actions on the Eastern Front
To get more gamers into the system they
Although the to scenarios with just South African units,
have created an introduc-
scenario book you will someday be able to game almost
tory boxed set called
comes with quite a any historical tactical level operation
Panzergrenadier: Airborne.
few scenarios, you during WW2. This series has been one of
For $20 you get a boxed
soon realize that Avalanche’s strongest and it’s easy to see
game with a nice looking
there’s only so why. Good components and a wide vari-
mapboard, the counters
much you can do ety of games make gamers happy.
that Avalanche is famous

The History Channel: Dogfight Review

I, like many age are also welcome addi- hunt for the Bismarck, featuring some
others, often find tions to each episode. incredible CGI of the Swordfish flying
The History Chan- into the Bismarck’s AA, Israeli jets in the
So far, I’ve seen several
nel annoying, Middle East Wars, the death of the Ya-
episodes and I eventually plan
rather than infor- mato, and more. Hopefully the series
to collect them all. The epi-
mative. The con- will be successful and more episodes will
sodesabout the dogfights over
stant stream of be created to chronicle some of the lesser
Guadalcanal and the introduc-
experts who seem known air combat theaters such as the
tion of the Hellcat to the Pa-
to know nothing Eastern Front, Finnish-Russian War, and
cific Theater had some amaz-
about the period others.
ing renditions of islands and
they’re talking
interesting battle sequences. The other If you don’t catch these episodes on
about, the sensationalism of some epi-
episode I saw featured an engagement of TV, it could prove to be a substantial
sodes, and the utter disregard of anything
where one F-8 held off five Migs! investment if you have to buy them at
but the PC version of history can at times
around $25 an episode. I’m sure at some
make the channel unwatchable. The only complaint I have,
point you will see
and it’s pretty small, is that
So, when I sat down to watch my first the seasons in
every time they come back from
episode of the new Dogfight series about boxed sets at your
a commercial they have to revisit
four F-4s over North Vietnam, I was local Wal-Mart or
the overall situation. I under-
pleasantly surprised! First, the CGI Costco for a good
stand that with today’s ADD
graphics are well done and the way that price as they are
society that might be necessary,
the maneuvers are plotted on a virtual not to be missed.
but let’s cut to the good stuff!
map of the airspace is good. The inter-
views, background history, and file foot- Other episodes feature the

Page 10 WARNING ORDER

Battle of Vittoria Scenario Replay by Dave Marks
Hi All. Well in sort of keeping with the front. Behind Gazan was placed the
‘Friday Night’ battle reports that feature Army of the Centre under General
in this web-mag, I thought I would do my d’Erlon. Last of all he positioned the
own write-up on the wargame battle we army of the North under Clausel on the
fought ‘Saturday Night’….well all day road from Logrono.
Saturday if I’m honest. We staged a re-
On the 20th June Wellington arrived
fight of the Peninsular battle of Vittoria
on the Northwest intending to give
using a 10’ x 6’ table and thousands of
battle, knowing that the French num-
1/300th scale Adler figures.
bers were far less than his own. The
HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE day was spent in a reconnaissance of
BATTLE OF VITTORIA Joseph’s position. Judging by the
French disposition, Wellington as-
Here is a brief outline of events. Anglo-
sumed that Joseph was expecting a
Portuguese and Spanish army totalling
frontal assault, but he had no intention
approximately 80,000 men. Commanded
of undertaking such action.
by the Duke of Wellington. French army
totalling approximately 57,000 men. Based on his reconnaissance informa- that they were incapable of marching in
Commanded by the King Joseph of Spain tion Wellington decided to divided his pursuit of the enemy.
and Marshal Jourdan. army into three columns. On the left Gra-
Because much of the Allied army was
ham was to carry out a huge nortward
engaged in finding plunder and the subse-
swing to engage Reillie and to cut the
quent lack of pursuit, many French pris-
road to Bayonne. On the right Hill was
oners were able to escape while those
facing the Army of the South and the
who had fled the field were left to retreat
centre was commanded by Wellington
unmolested. As a result the loss of artil-
himself. At 4 am on the morning of the
lery was quickly made good from the
21st the Allies attacked along the entire
arsenals in southern France and the
front.
French army was soon in the field again.
Amid fierce fighting Wellingtons
THE WARGAME
plant went as hoped. By the afternoon
the French had abandon the valley and The refight was played using ‘IN THE
began an orderly withdrawal towards NAME OF GLORY 2006’ rules and re-
Vittoria. It was late afternoon when Gra- sulted in an Anglo-British victory, so
Painting of the battle of Vittoria by ham’s force arrived on the field. News history remained unchanged. The troops
William Heath. soon reached the retreating French that were laid out in their historical starting
the enemy was at their rear. French moral positions and the Allies won the choice to
King Joseph of Spain and his army soon started to falter and it was not long go first or second, the Allied team went
were forced, by the advance of the An- before the entire army was panic stricken first and started to advance their units
glo-Portuguese and Spanish to vacated and fled the field. into position, supported in places with
Madrid on the 17th March 1813. This was some fairly ineffective artillery fire. The
This was a decisive Peninsular battle,
the third and ultimately the last time Jo- French response was also very no-plus.
total Allied losses were 5,158, and the
seph would leave the capital. The French
French 8,400. Joseph’s army was shat- By about turn 3 it appeared that both
withdrew to Burgos, which they quickly
tered and the French left the battlefield in armies were building-up their cavalry. It
abandoned and continued their retreat to
an unparalleled state of confusion, aban- looked liked both teams were so eager to
the Ebro. Wellington continued to out
doning everything including every gun get to grips with each other that they
manoeuvre the French, who in a effort to
except two and the entire baggage and could not wait until their artillery and
avoid being out flanked pulled back to
treasury, which choked the French lines infantry was in place, so totally unsup-
Vittoria and established a camp on the
of retreat. It was the result of so much ported cavalry melees were the order of
left bank of the Zadorra river.
booty falling into allied hands that the the day. This resulted in most of the cav-
The French army covered each of the pursuit was so ineffectual. Wellington alry of both armies being decimated in
three roads that converged on Vittoria. was outraged at the conduct of “our vaga- the early stages. Good job this was a one
Joseph expected a straight forward frontal bond soldiers who have got among them off battle and not a campaign. The loss of
attack from the west and deployed ac- about a million sterling in money. Instead so much of the cavalry so early on had a
cordingly. On the road to Bilbao he of getting rest and food to prepare them great impact on the overall battle as nei-
placed the army of Portugal under Reille. for pursuit they spend the night in look- ther side was able to fully exploit any
On the Burgos road, he placed the Army ing for plunder”. The consequence was gains that their artillery and/or infantry
of the South under general Gazan at the created in subsequent game turns.

ISSUE #17 Page 11

Memoirs of a Miniatures & Board Wargamer Pt. 4
Although I had lost So now the 40K universe gamer had To this day I still wonder why GW
a lot of friends and everything he or she could want. The never came back with an adult orientated
had just married, I local stores were swarming with bat- version of their games. Certainly there’s
was still very much tles in both scales and people were interest in a hard core sci-fi skirmish
into wargaming. Un- buying the latest releases as fast as game that’s done well and most adults
fortunately, entering they could. After about three years I have the money to lay down for the figs
the 90’s historical had several armies in both scales and and books. I can still recall the excite-
gaming was at its low had played around 50 games of both . ment and fun of those first few games,
point. Board game It was at this point I started to notice but the current state of GW operations
manufacturers had run the changes that would one day drive has left a bad taste in my mouth.
out of ideas with the me out of playing WH40K and what
As I slowly started to get back into
Cold War being would later be called Epic.
historical gaming I did invest in one last
played out, Avalon
It started with the Eldar Harlequin. GW product and that was Space Hulk.
Hill, SPI, and Victory Games were gone,
Warriors in pink striped outfits running Probably one of the most tactically chal-
and historical miniatures needed some
around the battlefield at first seemed kind lenging games I have ever owned, it was
new ideas.
of strange, but were ignored as Eldar original and produced not only fun, ex-
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depend- players were far and few between. But citement, good game play, and tension,
ing upon your viewpoint, I blundered then came the “Weapon/Monster/ but it looked
across the original Warhammer 40K rule- Vehicle of the Month Club” good and you
book called Rogue Trader. I think I’ve where each issue of White Dwarf could get play-
mentioned this before, but I am a big sci- had the latest item that you had to ers involved in
fi guy and after reading the introduction I have and the following month just a few min-
was hooked and picked up the book and a there was something to offset that utes. To this
box of marines. Today, people have a and so on. Game play at the day I will for-
hard time believing that you could get the stores became wacky, with every- ever regret
rulebook, a box of marines, a box of one using every special rule they selling this
Rhino APCs (3 in a box!), and a box of could find and I, along with many game and it’s
Land Raider tanks (2 in a box!) all for others, began to lose interest quickly. I supplements off, but it was done at a time
under $100! Now this is not the WH40K think that the final straw was when the when I was just so sick of GW that I
that we know today and it was not mar- new version of Epic came out and all of dumped everything.
keted towards twelve year olds as it is the existing army organizations were
Although that was not the first time I
now. This was hard hitting, dark future, blown away. I got so mad seeing that I
had ventured into sci-fi and fantasy gam-
science-fiction tactical combat. would have to spend another few hundred
ing( I had played Starguard in the 70s
dollars that I simply swore the game off
It grew quickly and my friends and I along with D&D), it wouldn’t be the last
and sold every-
played several games, either. However, it had the outcome of
thing. WH40K
plus there were local making me more determined than ever to
followed quickly
tournaments and cam- focus on historicals, buy more research
after that as it too
paigns being run at the and uniform books, and try to improve
had gotten way out
local stores. White my painting skills. It had the effect that
of hand.
Dwarf quickly changed has stayed with me to this day that to
into a much more pro- Fortunately, I make a period look good on the tabletop
fessional magazine and had met several you need to invest time in the miniatures
Games Workshop took gamers at a local and the terrain (something that the sci-fi
off. It is still ironic that store who were also gamers were beginning to forsake), plus
to this day I think that they owe a lot to into historical miniatures. We discussed with historicals you know that in two
the adult gamers who originally got into similar interests and I was asked to join years a Tiger tank will still be a Tiger
this game and propelled it into what it has their group, starting an association with tank.
become today. many that has lasted to this day. Like
So that ended about a four year fling
myself, they had gotten into the entire
GW quickly followed up on the suc- with sci-fi gaming and while it had been
WH40K and Epic games as they had
cess of 40K by releasing Adeptus Titani- fun for awhile, it did provide me with a
appealed to adults at the start. The con-
cus, which was the 1/300th scale version few more life lessons in that 1.) Nothing
stant change had forced them to recon-
of 40K and designed for big battles. lasts forever, 2.) Always have a core
sider their investment into these games
Again, the boxed set was incredible as it period or two that you can fall back on,
and they decided that it was also now
had beautiful rulebooks, six well de- and 3) Gaming companies are there to
time to move on.
signed titans, and plenty of game aids. make money and don’t care about your
past support.

Page 12 WARNING ORDER

Blast From The past Pt. 3

Leningrad by Decision Games Striker Ice War

This is the old game from the SPI “Back in the day”, there were only Besides putting out classic games like
days that has been given new life by De- two kinds of role-playing games, D&D Ogre and Melee, Metagaming had several
cision Games. The graphics on the map and Traveller. While I never thought that other microgames that were quite suc-
are average and the counters are satisfac- the latter was much of a role-playing cessful and to this day still enjoy an al-
tory, but definitely not on the level of game (TOO much paperwork!), I did like most cult like following. One of these
COA or Avalanche’s recent releases. some of the spin off games that came great games for only $2.95 was Ice War.
The Rules are written in that SPI/ from its universe.
The Cold War was great for the board
Decision Games style from yesteryear,
One of these games was Striker. game industry and Ice War took it a step
but are picked up quickly and there’s not
Striker came in a boxed set with three further by taking place in the near future.
much that will leave you scratching your
booklets and several charts. It was an The Russians are going to strike at the
head. So, despite the average box, aver-
entire ground combat system for the Prudhoe oil fields by coming across the
age map, and below average counters,
Traveller universe that primarily focused polar ice cap. They are armed with infan-
what’s so great about this game?
on mercenary units. Not only did you try, tanks, and APCs that have all been
First, there aren’t many games on this create the units, but created their back- heavily modified to move across the ice.
subject, namely the drive on Leningrad grounds, technology level for equipment, The U.S. defenders also have tanks and
by the Germans in 1941. Most games and then you had to purchase their vehi- infantry dug in around some of the main
have this as the northern part of larger cles and armament. As was standard with oil installations.
scenarios and it quickly becomes a side- everything in the traveler gaming uni-
What makes this game great is that
show. With this game you get to see how verse you had to do a lot of paperwork
the game play is fast and furious, but a
the Russians threw themselves at the and re-calculating. Usually this is a turn
number of different strategies can be used
Germans at the opening of the campaign, off, but in the case of Striker it was fun.
each time that you play, so there was
then watch the Germans chew up huge
The ground combat system was way great replay value. The Russians charge
sections of Northern Russia, then see the
ahead of its time and the tactics and tech- across the ice and try to launch missiles
Russians desperately dig in around the
nologies it addressed would almost come that the U.S. satellites try to shoot down.
city of Leningrad.
to life in the Gulf Wars. True, there Too much firepower in some hexes can
The Germans are under a strict time- were no plasma or rail guns, but the inte- melt the ice, creating a virtual minefield
line and must reach the area around the gration of mechanized warfare, training of obstacles for both sides. The game
city quickly before Russian fortifications levels, hi-tech equipment, and air support usually comes down to the last few turns
and counterattacks make taking the city were all there and it was first stressed in as both sides desperately try to meet their
impossible. Also, German replacements these rules. victory objectives.
don’t come in fast enough, so the German
So why didn’t Striker succeed? As The great thing about Metagaming
player sees his force strength being
with many of the Traveller spin off games, especially the early ones is that
slowly grinded down. The final few turns
games, the requirement to do a ton of for $2.95 you knew that even if the game
see a desperate struggle by both sides
paperwork put off a lot of gamers. Add was mediocre, you hadn’t wasted a lot of
with the few remaining forces.
to that the fact that the rules were not for money and more often than not, you had
Overall, the game has those late 70s beginners and you had a double dose of bought a great game. The maps, count-
graphics and with the small map doesn’t problems. What was needed was time ers, and rules were just the bare basics,
look like much. But don’t let that fool and patience and even in the 80s there but no one really complained because the
you as this is a great game and ideal for wasn’t enough. It’s a shame as this sys- games were really that good. Hopefully
teaching someone new to wargaming or tem had some good ideas and deserved someday these will be reissued so others
for a quick two hour game. better. can enjoy them.

ISSUE #17 Page 13

Air Combat: A Primer For Wargamers (cont.)
So what makes a good air combat has purposes best, miniatures based games or
combat game? In my view the always been board games.
game needs to meet the follow- about using the
ing criteria to meet the bare advantages of Miniatures Based Games
minimums of at least trying to be your aircraft in The attraction of miniatures based
realistic. Now, this is not saying a dogfight and games is readily apparent, namely being
that games that don’t meet this minimizing able to see the aircraft, their position, and
criteria can’t be fun or enjoyed your disadvan- get a good picture of the overall situation
by gamers. Rather, to be taken tages. in a 3D environment. Unlike board
seriously as an air combat game games, however, where you can just open
and as a simulation of the sub- the box and start playing, miniatures
ject, the rules should allow for the follow- 4) Combat Needs Modifiers games will take some work. First, you
ing: will probably need a game mat marked
When I look through the gunnery, mis-
out in hexes, then miniatures (usually
1) Use of Altitude sile, or air to ground combat section of a
1/300th scale), followed by some kind of
set of rules, I start checking the modifi-
Above all, this is the major item I look flight stands, and finally you will proba-
ers. If there’s only one or two or some-
for in a set of miniatures rules or in a bly need to copy all of the game materials
times it’s just a roll a D6 and on a 6 you
board game. If you try to tell me that needed to play for the players.
hit from the front, 5 or 6 from the side,
altitude is not important in air to air com-
etc., then this thing is going into the stack All of the above will take an invest-
bat then I must respectfully tell you that
of rules on my shelves and will never see ment in time and money, with the more
you are an idiot. Altitude, speed, and
the light of day again. There must be spent of both the better the overall visual
power are everything in air to air combat
modifiers for angles, altitude differences, appearance will be. Again, there will
and they must be represented in the game.
number of guns, and countermeasures if only be so much that you can do with
Every great ace and combat pilot makes
using missiles. While this adds a layer of flight stands, so although it will look
use of what is called “the vertical”. Gam-
complexity to any rules set, it is neces- good you may not achieve your desired
ers who know how to use altitude much
sary and historical. level of complexity, especially compared
like real pilots do will finish off gamers
to some of the more detailed board
who fly in horizontal circles in no time at 5) Suitable For Group Play?
games. Here’s where you may have to
all. However, this is also the one area (Optional) sacrifice some realism for the sake of
that turns off casual air combat gamers or
Because most of our games are done with visual appearance and game play.
others who might be interested in this
subject area because it will add on a layer a group of anywhere from 4-10 people on
There are many sets of miniatures
of complexity to the game. game nights, this is a huge part of the
rules for all periods and aircraft models
evaluation process for me. If your group
are readily available in a variety of scales.
2) Maneuvering is small, you play solo, or
From plastic
there’s only one other person
Barrel Rolls, Split S, Half Loops, Side- models to
that’s interested in this era and
slips, and more must try to be reasonably 1/600th aircraft,
wants to try some air combat
represented in the game. The mechanism the air gamer has
with you, then you can ignore
for this can be complex (The Speed of many choices.
this last requirement.
Heat) or relatively simple (Phantoms or There are also
Blue Max), but gamers have to be able to Game systems like Air War, several good air
maneuver their aircraft, have multiple Downtown, and others do not gaming groups
options, and must be able to understand work for group play. To suc- and sites that
what those maneuvers will accomplish. ceed with those kinds of systems every- have ideas about creating flight stands,
one in the group must own a copy, they mats, and putting on a good air combat
3) All Aircraft Are Not The Same!
must know the rules reasonably well, and game.
When I open up a new set of air combat they must be able to dedicate several
Board Games
rules or a board game on the subject, one nights of gaming for a single battle. The
of the first things I look at are the stats for odds of that happening in any group are Board games have a distinct advantage
the various aircraft. If they are all the slim and none. So the trick is to find in air combat in that they can portray all
same or the differences are relatively something that grognards and casual of their altitude, angles of attack, and
minor, then it’s going up on Ebay pretty gamers will enjoy, plays relatively maneuvers with markers, control panels,
fast! I don’t want a game where an F-4 quickly, is historically accurate within or paper logs. Like miniatures rules, they
and a Mig-21 have the same horizontal reasonable tolerances, and will make run the gamut of complexity, from the old
turn radius, a P-47 flies the same speed as people want to try it again. A tall order. SPI Foxbat & Phantom to the Clash of
a ME-262, or a F-15 performs the same Arms Fighting Wings series. Naturally,
Now we need to decide what suits our
as a Mig-29 over 30,000 feet. Air to air the big thing is that you don’t have to

Page 14 WARNING ORDER

Air Combat: A Primer For Wargamers (cont.)
paint anything for the game. If you want in air to air combat the reverse is proba- tives and negatives of each along with a
to do a WW2 East Front action you just bly true for this period. There are no short commentary. This list is by no
pick out the Russian and German count- constraints for scenarios, complexity, or means comprehensive as we could not
ers for the aircraft. types of aircraft, which can be a problem hope to comment on every rules set or
in miniatures gaming. game produced. Rather, we hope to give
Although I’ve always believed that
you a good starting point if you’re inter-
miniatures games look better and portray In this next section we’re going to take
ested in this era and try to show the
battles in periods such as Napoleonics, a look at some miniatures rules, board
many ways that it can be gamed.
Ancients, etc…, better than board games, games, and card games, listing the posi-

Air Combat Miniatures Rules

Mustangs & Messerschmitts
This is pretty much the first set of rules that tried to use three dimensional movement to simulate air combat. Hav-
ing played in quite a few of these games back in the 70s and 80s I can attest that they do a good job of giving gam-
ers the impression of flying in a WW2 aerial dogfight. The rules are of average complexity, but it takes a few tries
to get the hang of it. Probably the biggest obstacle to getting into the game is having to create the wheeled stands
that are used to regulate movement, height, and angle of attack for the 1/72nd scale aircraft. Today’s gamers aren’t
interested in investing that kind of time, which is a shame as they are missing out on a good gaming experience.

Hostile Aircraft
This is to WW1 air combat what Mustangs & Messerschmitts is to WW2 air combat. Basically, you’re using smaller
sized models (usually 1/285th) with flight stands to regulate movement, height, and angles in relation to other air-
craft. The rules are not the easiest to teach to a gaming group, but they do a great job of simulating 3D air combat.
The rules are comprehensive in that they cover almost every aircraft that flew in that period and have some great sce-
nario ideas. They are very hard to find now, as well as the aircraft and the supplement. Definitely worth getting, but
like M&M above, they do require an investment in time and money if you want to play them.

Canvas Eagles
I have only read through these rules, but I have played Blue Max, from which they are based upon. Again, playing
these rules will require an investment by the gamer in preparing models, markers, and flight stands. The rules are
much simpler than the two sets listed above and are ideal for group play.

Phantoms/Mustangs/Mig Alley/Flying Circus

In the interest of full disclosure I developed the revised edition of these rules, so yes, I like them. Based off of the
Avalon Hill Mustangs board game, this innovative system uses 1/300th scale aircraft with maneuver markers that
are placed in front of the flight stands. Once an aircraft reaches that marker, the maneuver is performed. Besides
Phantoms there are WW2 rules (Mustangs), rules for Korea (Mig Alley), and WW1 (Flying Circus). There is a
dedicated Yahoo group and best of all, the rules are free! As with all of the rules listed above you will need to in-
vest in models, flight stands, printing materials, and a hex mat of some kind.

Red Sun/Blue Sky

In the mid-90s this system became very popular and spawned a number of supplements including Red Star/Blue Sky
and White Star/Blue Sky. Designed for 1/300th scale aircraft on flight stands, it was more operational in nature and
hard to describe here. The game was used to, for example, portray a full strike on a carrier, but meant to be quick so
many of the tactical details were kept to a minimum so that you could have a large number of aircraft on the game
board.

Board games, card games, and others continue on the next page.

ISSUE #17 Page 15

Air Combat: A Primer For Wargamers (cont.)

Air Combat Board Games

Foxbat & Phantom
One of the first wargames I ever owned and also one of the first air combat games. This came out at a time when SPI
was pumping out games as quickly as possible and although many were awful, this was one of the good ones. The F-15
and F-16 had not come into service yet, so it was like playing “next war” type scenarios with Vietnam era aircraft. Still,
it was a good system that gave everyone their first taste of jet combat.

Air War
Essentially this was Foxbat and Phantom on steroids. Still one of the most complex games ever designed with each turn
being 2.5 seconds of real time. I remember spending days just trying to figure out how to fly your aircraft, let alone
engaging in combat. The errata that came out was the size of a novel and later editions did little to improve the game
play. However, there is no denying the realism of the game, it’s just that it will take you 15 hours for a two on two dog-
fight!

Air Superiority
This is what Air War should have been. Designed by a former pilot, this game was still complex, but it was very play-
able. It used a unique flight system and although combat was still tricky with missiles, it worked. There was a sequel
called Air Strike and a module called Desert Falcons, then the designer and GDW parted ways which led to the Fighting
Wings series being published by Clash of Arms. My friends and I played dozens of scenarios when this game first came
out as it was realistic, playable, and worked well even for multi-player sessions.

Flight Leader
This game had the misfortune to come out just a little bit before Air Superiority and was one of the last of the Avalon
Hill games before they went under. It was a good game and could be likened to Foxbat and Phantom with easy to use
systems, although you always had the feeling (much like in F&P) that everything was so generic. We played a few
games of this and the system wasn’t too bad, but when Air Superiority came out it got shelved.

The Speed of Heat

Probably the best air combat board game that I own, even though it only covers jet combat from the 50s to the early 70s.
The designer of Air Superiority created this system and it works well, although it is not for the beginner. You really get
the flavor and feeling of being in an F-4 high over Vietnam dueling it out with Mig-21s. Air to air, recon, bombing,
SAMs, and more are all covered in a very playable and user friendly system. There is still hope that further modules will
come out for this, but it’s been quite awhile since this game came out and nothing yet.

Downtown/The Burning Blue

Both of these games represent some new thinking in the air combat genre, namely how to model the operational aspect
of air warfare. Downtown focuses on the USAF/USN aerial campaigns over North Vietnam from 1965-1972 and the
Burning Blue covers the Battle of Britain. Surprisingly, the air to air combat between aircraft is only part of the game.
Players take the role of air tasking officers and must plan a large raid, then execute it, with the defending player doing
whatever they can to disrupt the raid. In the case of Downtown, for example, this means plotting ingress and egress
routes on a small map, tasking aircraft with SEAD, MIGCAP, Strike, IRON HAND, and recon roles, plus coordinating
electronic support. The raid then begins with intercepting aircraft, flak, SAMs, and more all adding to the chaos. Add
into this the fact that many of the scenarios and campaigns have multiple objectives which lets you play these games for
a long, long time without getting bored. Not for the meek as the system is complex and will take a few runs to get the
hang of things, but the pay off is worth it in the great game play and a better understanding of air warfare. Also, since
it’s published by GMT there are great components and excellent support.

Page 16 WARNING ORDER

Air Combat: A Primer For Wargamers (cont.)

Air Combat Board Games (cont.)

Richthofen’s War
Again, this is one of the earliest air combat wargames produced and it still enjoys an almost cult like following. The origi-
nal game, while playable, had a level of predictability that was solved when the sets of maneuver cards came out. Simple,
quick, and did a good job pf portraying WW1 combat in a 2D environment.

Blue Max
This game was essentially a better version of Richthofen’s War and is still very popular with many gamers. The move-
ment and combat systems were novel for their time and coupled with good playability made this game an instant classic.
The basic system has been modified into many other rules sets and games as it can be grasped easily by any air combat
novice.

Luftwaffe
Probably the first operational level air combat wargame. One player took the part of the U.S. forces that were trying to
bomb a series of targets while the second tried to stop the bombers with a variety of German aircraft squadrons. If you
played the original rules the game was not very realistic, but most players misunderstood the combat rules, which meant
that by playing the game wrong it was actually better! Still, this is a classic game that should be on the shelf of every
WW2 air combat game collection.

Air Force
When this game first came out it had a huge following. It was pretty much the first really detailed WW2 air combat
board game and in an age of complex games most gamers ate this up. The charts, movement, and combat were all pretty
unique for its time and I can recall many an enjoyable game the first few years it was out. The data cards were what
really stood out in the game and many an hour was spent comparing the cards from different aircraft. A sequel for the
Pacific called Dauntless, was also released and was well regarded “back in the day”.

Fighting Wings Series

J.D. Webster, designer of The Speed of Heat and Air Superiority, moved over to Clash of Arms Games to produce this
trilogy (so far) of air combat board games. The three games are Over The Reich (Europe ‘44-’45), Achtung! Spitfire
(Battle of Britain), and Whistling Death (Pacific). They use the Air Superiority/Speed of Heat system, so gamers famil-
iar with those will be able to adapt quickly to any changes in the WW2 rules. Be forewarned that these are not for the
beginning gamer! It will take awhile to get the hang of this system, but it is very good and while it may not be the last
word on WW2 air combat, it’s pretty close.

Ace of Aces
This is certainly one of the more novel games on this list. Both players had books for their aircraft and the illustrations on
each page showed your view of the enemy aircraft. By cross-referencing your maneuver with the enemy’s you got a view
of where you ended up. Very fun and we spent years playing this thing with sometimes up to four planes on a side!

Zero
Zero is listed here as for $20 you get a lot in the box and a great introduction to this card driven air combat game from
GMT. Each player has an element of two aircraft and all maneuvers and combat are done by playing through a special
deck of cards. You can do a dogfight in 15-20 minutes and a four mission campaign in a few hours, making this ideal for
those nights where you really have no set gaming plans. Average complexity and great game play.

ISSUE #17 Page 17

Air Combat: A Primer For Wargamers (cont.)

Air Combat Board Games (cont.)

Wings of War
This is a new game system where you lay out maneuver cards for each aircraft and then resolve movement and com-
bat. The simplicity of the system means that it is great for large groups or casual air combat gamers. Optional rules
allow for altitude and there are several boxed sets and supplements that include almost every aircraft and balloon that
fought in WW1. Excellent components.

London’s Burning
I reviewed this game as part of an essay about solitaire gaming a few issues back. You essentially play the role of an
element flight leader in the tactical part of the game, but the role of a general in the operational part of the game. As a
solitaire game it features great game play with medium complexity. Probably not for everyone, but the campaign game
is tough to survive and the game is well worth whatever the going price is on Ebay.

Again, there is no way to possibly go chance to try them out yet. There are also floor, there are more than enough op-
over all of the games that are dedicated to several sets of rules coming out for the tions. The big problems for most gam-
air combat. I went through a Geek List on Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale aircraft line ers is finding the right game that offers
Boardgamegeek.com and there were well which seem to gaining some traction. the complexity, historicity, and feel that
over 50 board games, not to mention how you or your gaming group is looking for.
As you can clearly see, however,
many sets of miniatures rules that there have This may take a few tries and test games
there are many ideas, philosophies, and
been published. In fact, two recent sets, to find the right one. Or, if you’re like
ways to game air combat. From low
Wings of Fire and C:21 have gotten favor- me, the Holy Grail of air combat is still
complexity card and board games, to
able reviews by users, but I have not had the out there and my search goes on!
1/72nd scale models dueling on a gym

The Future of Air Combat Gaming

While air combat wargames are defi- to run the gamut from low complexity to critical factors in making a decision
nitely not as popular as Napoleonics, ACW, rules that will require a degree in physics! about what rules or game system that
or Ancients, they do have a dedicated fol- I am actually surprised that no one has you want to try. Miniatures will re-
lowing. It is also easy to generate interest come out with a Memoir ‘44 or Battle Cry quire some painting, research, and ma-
as the topic, while it can be type air com- terials while board games come ready
complex, has definite appeal. bat game. to play.
With the tremendous improve- On the other
So, the future of air combat gaming
ments in technology, however, end of the
looks like it is in pretty good shape.
ultra-modern air combat will spectrum, the
There are more than enough rules and
not be able to be accurately Birds of Prey
board games to suit gamers of all per-
portrayed on the tabletop. This board game
suasions. More games, figures, and
will essentially force air com- is still under
rules will continue to come out, much
bat gamers to focus on the development
like the WW2 side of the hobby. Al-
period from the First World and it looks
ready in the past few years there has
War up through the Cold War. to be the
been an explosion in the number of
Aircraft such as the F-22 and most com-
1/300, 1/600, and 15mm models that
F-35 have completely changed plex, detailed
have come out. Add to this all of the
air combat as we now know it and there is treatment of jet combat ever.
die-cast models in varying scales and
little enjoyment in playing a game where
Of course much of this will depend the air combat gamer has more than he
two F-22s knock down ten SU-27s in under
upon the gamers themselves. What kind of could ever want. This period definitely
a minute!
group you’re in, the level of complexity looks like it is ready for a big leap into
Rules and games systems will continue that you enjoy, and time constraints are all the forefront of the gaming hobby.

Page 18 WARNING ORDER

Duel over North Vietnam/CSAR Mission Scenario Replay
To go along with this in the 60s and Both sides were able to damage an
issue’s theme, our gam- 70s). After real- enemy aircraft and the chopper changed
ing group did two Phan- izing that the course to get out of the combat area. The
toms scenarios, both set Mig-17s weren’t two A-4s had launched a pair of Shrikes
over North Vietnam in going to play fair, which heavily damaged a Fire Can AAA
the late 60’s. As with the F-4s disen- radar that was targeting the USN aircraft.
many gaming groups we gaged and moved The Migs and the F-8s were still dueling
play too many periods off, using their when the pair of Mig-19s broke for the
and then when we do incredible power deck and tried to engage the A-4s.
something we really to create some
Now this started what was a pretty
like, we wonder why it separation. Both
exciting sequence. The A-4s turned at
took us so long to get pairs turned back
the river and started their attack run on
back to it! We had not played Phantoms from opposite ends of the compass and
the AAA defenses. The Mig-19s acceler-
in over a year, so we were a little rusty began lighting up targets with their ra-
ated to try to catch up to them with a pair
with the rules during the first game. dars. The Migs, which were trying to
of F-8s trying to break off to intercept
stay close to the F-4s and dodge the pair
Scenario 1: MIGCAP them. The A-4s ran a gauntlet of AAA
of F-8s at the same time, were caught in
fire which damaged one aircraft, but they
The first scenario was strictly a MIG- the unenviable position of being in the
successfully delivered a load of cluster
CAP operation, with four F-4Bs and two middle with a wave of Sparrows coming
bombs that knocked out three AAA posi-
F-8s out trolling for some Migs over at them. However, several missile fail-
tions. The Mig-19s fired and damaged a
North Vietnam. The NVAF, in the form ures, tight turns, and lucky die rolls saved
second A-4, but they had to break off
of four Mig-21s and two Mig-17s came the Migs. However, one Sparrow did
when the F-8s arrived. The A-4s re-
up to play. By all means it was not ex- finally catch up to its target, another Mig-
versed course and with 500lb. High
actly a fair or balanced scenario, but with 21, and destroyed it.
drags, knocked out two more AAA posi-
several new players it was decided to
Although the Migs had damaged a tions. By this time they were both dam-
give them the better aircraft, which
few aircraft, they were aged and out of ordnance, so they headed
worked out
now outnumbered 6 to 4 for home.
well in the end.
and totally on the defen-
After some tough maneuvering the F-
The game sive. When a Mig-17
8s damaged the Mig-21s and knocked
began with one got heavily damaged it
down a Mig-19. leaving the area free for
of the pairs of was time to disengage
the chopper to pick up the downed pilot,
Mig-21s guess- and run for home!
just before the NVA ground forces got to
ing wrong and
Scenario 2: CSAR him.
turning into the
missile arc of a The second scenario Two very exciting scenarios that gave
pair of Phan- was a CSAR mission everyone a good taste of jet combat. The
toms. One into North Vietnam to Phantoms system is easy to learn and new
Mig-21 went rescue a downed pilot. players can get up to speed very quickly.
down in flames Four F-8s were flying Our group uses a few house rules, such as
quickly and top cover for a CH-53 hidden maneuver markers which adds
things were not looking good for the helicopter with two A-4s armed for close greatly to the game play. Log on to the
NVA right off the bat! Fortuantely, the support/IRON HAND missions. The WFHGS site and download the Phantoms
NVAF side recovered and a ferocious pilot was surrounded by several NVA and Intruders rules!
aerial duel began. infantry platoons with some mech units
crossing a pontoon bridge to help with
All of the Migs began turning tightly
the ground search. The entire area had
into the USN aircraft, trying to break
AAA defenses, particularly around the
them up into smaller groups and shake up
bridges in the center of the board.
their plan. The F-4s were having a hard
time staying with the slower Mig-17s as On the first turn the two Mig-21s in
every time they thought they had the an- the area went for a high speed pass on the
gle the Mig-17s would turn inside of F-8s while the Mig-19s dove low and
them. The Mig-21s almost lost a second tried to strafe the chopper. This soon
aircraft, but the Sparrow missile fell off developed into a low level dogfight, with
the rail and went into the ground (we use the Migs trying to get at the A-4s and the
the optional rule to see if the missiles chopper while the F-8s tried to keep them
actually launch and track-a big problem busy.

ISSUE #17 Page 19

German Raid 1940 Scenario Replay
After playing a few escorted by four which stood little chance of success
Vietnam games the ME-109s and against the German 109s, decided to head
group decided to try a four ME-110s. straight for the bombers, while the Spit-
WW2 game. We had a The German fires just wanted to engage anything that
number of guests come players posi- came their way!
by that night and we tioned the 110s
On the first few turns the German
ended up with ten play- behind the bomb-
109s moved out in front of the bombers
ers for this game! Natu- ers and the 109s
while the Spitfires raced to intercept
rally this means that in the middle,
them. The Hurricanes maneuvered to
rules like spotting and hoping to trap the
line up for a firing run and began to
the AA had to be thrown attacking British
change altitudes for optimal firing dis-
out or we would have fighters in be-
tance. In hindsight, the ME-109s proba-
been there all night tween them.
bly came out a little too early and one
long!
The British side had four Hurricanes pair took a bad angle which let the British
The scenario is set in the summer of and four Spitfires. The British fighters fighters through to the bombers a little
1940. A German strike consisting of four were positioned on an intercept course too easily. The HE-111s droned on to-
JU-87s and four HE-111s are on their and attempted to come up on the sides of wards the target while the JU-87s
way to bomb an RAF airfield. They are the German formation. The Hurricanes, dropped altitude and headed in.

The Dogfights Begin

A pair of Spitfires started off the fes- Spitfires dove into On the other flank
tivities by taking some long range fire in the bomber forma- the Spitfires and the
a head to head position with a pair of tion, twisting and escorting 109s got into a
109s. An incredibly lucky shot and sec- firing as they tried turning dogfight while
ond roll started an engine fire on one of to get into better the Hurricanes moved
the 109s. The Germans turned into the positions. They around the bombers and
Spitfires and this started a several turn scored several hits, took a long range shot at
duel over on the right side of the German but none were se- a pair of 110s, causing
formation. vere enough to an engine fire and dis-
knock down a rupting the German
The Hurricanes that were with the
bomber. plan.

Page 20 WARNING ORDER

German Raid 1940 (cont.) Scenario Replay
Both the 109 and the 110 with the four were dam- fighters and denying
engine fires crashed into the ground and aged, with two in them easy routes to the
at this point the Germans were having a serious shape. bombers. The 110s as
bad day. This was reinforced when a pair The British lost well were taking shots at
of Spitfire raced through the 111s and another fighter to the fighters and the Stu-
damaged two of them. The 109s, how- the 109s and one kas remained untouched.
ever, came back with a vengeance. First, pair of Hurri-
Finally at the end
one Spitfire was blown apart by some canes ran out of
there were only five
incredible gunnery, then a second Spitfire ammo and disen-
British fighters left out
was damaged by another 109. The 110s gaged. The re-
of the original eight and
were making life hard for the Hurricanes maining British
only two were undam-
as they tried to line up on the bombers. fighters contin-
aged, plus most were out
ued to close on the bombers, pumping
At this stage in the game the Germans of ammo. The British fighters disen-
more machine gun fire into several of
were in good shape, even though they had gaged and the Stukas raced in towards the
them, but taking a few hits in return from
lost two of their escorting fighters. The airfield, scoring several direct hits and
the defensive gunnery of the bombers.
combat moved on with the British fight- putting it out of action. None of the HE-
ers returning for more passes on the HE- The remaining 109s were still on the 111s made it back to France as they had
111s. After another series of passes, all prowl, making life difficult for the British all suffered severe damage.

Summary
Despite the early setbacks and the considered a success in this type of battle. the Stukas. They also at times suffered
bomber commander crying from target fixation in that they kept giv-
For their part, the
for help, the German fight- ing German fighters a shot at them so that
British fighters did well
ers performed well, knock- they could take a shot at a bomber.
in scoring a lot of hits on
ing down several British
the German fighters and All in all, a good game that was pretty
fighters and disrupting
bombers, but most of exciting. Even though we had ten players
attacks on the bombers.
them were non-critical, and 24 aircraft flying around there were
Even causing a fighter to
meaning that they could no problems with the game play. Next
have to attack from a side
not finish off the 111s time we’re going to try some German jets
angle instead of directly
fast enough to go after against a B-17 formation.
behind a bomber can be

ISSUE #17 Page 21

More Wargame Downloads Games! Game Reviews
In the last issue I reviewed several the province of Corrientes, Argentina. Down With The Empire
games from a great website called This battle, fought between wooden river
OK, warm up
Wargame Downloads gunboats, barges turned into artillery
your printer!
(www.wargamedownloads.com). For platforms, and land based artillery, re-
Down With the
this issue I was sent several more games sulted in a Brazilian victory and ensured
Empire (here
to review, with all of them being quite their naval dominance of the region.
afterwards re-
different.
ferred to as
Malaya: V-Mail Postcard Game #1 DWTE) is a mas-
sive two player
game simulating
a rebellion against an interstellar empire.
Just think about the setting in Star Wars
and you’ll be alright. It lists a 20 hour
playing time and after seeing the compo-
nents and the rules you’ll probably agree
that is probably a fair assessment.
The game comes with an 11 x 17 map,
We’ll start off with the components as
45 counters, player charts, and the ship
this is what will drain your printer of ink
charts for each fleet. For $12 it’s a pretty
or boost the price of shares at Kinko’s!
good deal, even if you have to print it
Yes, from the title and the size of the First, there is a 3 foot by 5 foot map of
yourself. The rules only take up a few
board this is a “back of the postcard” type the empire, broken into planet boxes,
pages and despite some problems with
wargame. There is a small board repre- jump routes, and districts, with a lot of
the English translation, it’s pretty easy to
senting Malaya with Singapore at the information. The map is truly impressive
figure out how the system plays.
bottom and around 20 double-sided and can make you want to play the game
counters, all of which fit on a 8 x 11 sheet After checking for initiative, each side just by itself. Next are 1400 (!!!) count-
of paper. The Rules can be read in under moves and fires its ships. The charts do ers representing characters, missions,
two minutes and play can begin right cover the widely varied armament and fleets, ground units, and more. The
away. The game covers the Japanese penetration, so there is an attention to counters aren’t
invasion of Malaya and goes for six turns. detail here not usually found in this small bad and will do
The combat results table is a little unpre- of a game. Hits and for a game of
dictable, so my two games had vastly critical hits are this size as
different endings. The great thing is that marked off on the there are so
you can be done in 15 minutes and set it separate ship charts many of them
up again! As far as I can tell the game is until ships are ei- that will be in
free (the price lists $0.00) so you have ther sunk or put out of action. The game play that the artwork is not that critical.
nothing to lose in trying it out! I would is pretty wild (much like the actual bat- Following this you have some displays,
like to see a whole series of these as they tle!) and the islands in the middle of the money in several denominations, scenario
are great to introduce people to the board add some interesting tactical ele- info, and then a 108 page rulebook. Most
hobby. ments. The Brazilian fleet has a number of the rulebook is filled with examples
of options of how to engage the Para- and information on the various charac-
Riachuelo’s Naval Battle guayan fleet, either by masking them- ters, planets, monsters, and more, so it’s
selves from the shore batteries by hiding not as complex as it sounds. The biggest
in the island area, or going for a head to complaint here is that the rules are in the
head confrontation. The game is very A4 format, which makes re-sizing and
playable and can be finished in around printing quite the challenge. Finally,
two hours. there are about 200 cards representing
ships, items, treasures, events and charac-
My only problem with the game is that
ters. In my view this is the weakest part
after two or three plays I think that you
of the components as the cards are func-
will have pretty much exhausted all ave-
tional, but they won’t win any awards for
nues of approach and strategy. However,
artwork.
I highly recommend this for introducing
Now here’s a gaming topic that you don’t
people to wargaming or to naval So, you’ve spent quite a few hours
see every day. On June 11th, 1865, dur-
wargames as it is worth the price. Hope- printing, cutting, gluing, and poring over
ing the War of the Triple Alliance, a cru-
fully we’ll see a few more of these un- the rules, charts, and map. Everything is
cial naval battle was fought between Bra-
usual actions. set up, so how does it play?
zil and Paraguay on the Parana River in

Page 22 WARNING ORDER

More Wargame Downloads Games! (cont.) Game Reviews
Because of the deadline to get this makes such interesting reading that most had a gaming company produce a profes-
issue out I have not had the chance to gamers will have no trouble getting right sional version? I can see if you’re paying
play a full game of DWTE, but I have set into the game. I will say that the sheer $10-12 for a PDF version and have to
it up and tried out a few turns solo, so I size of the game can be daunting and it print out a few maps and counters, but
have a fairly good will probably take a when a game is this big I’m not sure this
idea of how the serious commitment is the best way to go. I know that I and
system works. to finish a game. probably quite a few other gamers would
First off, the Re- I’ve only tried a mis- gladly pay $100 a copy to see a profes-
bels don’t start off sion or two and some sionally produced version of this game,
with much, so a of the combat exam- even if it just sat on my gaming shelf!
good part of the ples, but the game After all, Decision games just released a
first game is to plays pretty well, new version of War in the Pacific with its
nurture the rebel- especially when you dozens of maps and 5,000 counters for
lion and avoid consider that not around $350 and they’re going to sell
going up against only are you trying around a thousand copies (in the gaming
the Empire’s fleets Small section of the DWTE map. to simulate a rebel- world that’s a huge success!). Gamers
and armies which lion, but economics, like big games, especially if they’re as
are pretty good. events, characters, and military opera- good as this is. A little more time spent
tions. on the art for the cards and professionally
Basically, each side has a number of
produced components would certainly
characters with weapons, ships, etc…, The only game I can think of that is
generate a lot of interest in this game.
who run around the empire trying to com- close to this is the old SPI/AH Freedom
plete missions. These missions influence in the Galaxy, which was a knock off of Finally, I think that for $20 it’s a bar-
the support and ever shifting alliances as Star Wars, but still enjoys an almost cult gain. This is a rich, full game with so
the rebellion grows. The game also fea- like following. This type of game is truly many outcomes and interesting pieces
tures a full economic system and a mili- a rarity in the gaming world and for $20 that you can’t help but love it. Playing it
tary system that could be a game in it’s it’s hard to go wrong, although printing will take some time and commitment, but
own right. As the rebellion grows the 50+ color and another 50+ pages in black these kinds of games should be sup-
amount of forces that each side has con- and white could set you back easily an- ported.
tinues to increase until full blown war other $20-30.
Also, I would like to thank Greg
opens up across the empire.
Now this is the only point of conten- Moore of Wargame Downloads again for
Again, there’s no way I can possibly tion that I have with this kind of game. If sending me these games to review. The
describe the amount of detail and think- it’s going to cost you around $50 or more site is a great place to try out wargames
ing that went into this game. As I’ve to buy the game online and print the com- and get them delivered to your computer
stated before, the rule book is huge, but it ponents out, wouldn’t it be better to have pretty quickly.

Battle of Vittoria (cont.) Scenario Replay

So by turn 5 the French and Allied rearguard action as it went. With the cavalry had suffered no damage and
players had brought up their infantry and French army on the defensive, the French asked Bob, who commanded the artillery,
artillery and started to engage each others players spent a lot of activation counters how he had managed to miss the cavalry.
forward elements, with the few scraps of on trying to consolidate their position in Bob explained that he had not fired at the
cavalry that were still on the field being an attempt to stem the steady advance of British light dragoons because he thought
withdrawn to the rear of each respective the Allies. But the French plans were they were on his side. Well, that mistake
army. once put into turmoil. More allied troops really did recreate the fog of war and
(Cole’s division) started to make their ultimately lead to the collapse of the
Turns 7 to 10 saw the days bitterest
presence felt and at this critical time dis- French centre and subsequent French
fighting; the French had been cleared
aster struck. A large French gun battery, withdrawal from the field.
from the Puebla Heights and were falling
that was supporting the French centre,
back towards the city of Vittoria. So an Allied victory, so history was
was overrun and destroyed by the few
not changed this time.
So by the end of turn 11 the French remaining British light dragoons.
army was in full retreat, fighting a strong
I was surprised to see that the British

Page 23 WARNING ORDER

 WFHGS
Recently I’ve been taken to task on one or two threads on TMP regarding my rants in previous
issues. Fortunately, from at least my perspective, more people have agreed than disagreed with
my editorials. One of the common themes is that I keep saying that the “old days” were better
than gaming is today. Actually, I’ve never said that in any of the editorials that I’ve written.
What I’ve been trying to show through features like Blast From The Past, Memoirs, and occa-
WASATCH FRONT HISTORICAL
GAMING SOCIETY sional editorials are the differences in gaming over the years. There has been a steady pro-
gression in the number of companies producing gaming products, there are more miniatures of
Meets every other Friday night in Salt lake City, Utah. We
currently play Age of Reason, Age of Discovery, Age of Eagles, higher quality, and the internet has created explosive growth in the hobby. My theory is that
Blitzkrieg Commander, Flames of War, Legends of the Old
West, The Sword and the Flame, Battles For Empire, Arc of Fire, some of this has been good and some of it has been bad for the hobby. Nowhere have I said,
I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum!, and more….
You can contact the editor at:
“Burn all of your copies of Flames of War, melt down all of the Perry miniatures in your col-
mirsik1@juno.com
Articles and submissions are welcome on anything related to
lection, and let’s go back to Tractics, masking tape roads, and playing NATO vs. the Warsaw
historical miniature or board wargaming.
Pact in battles that lasted three days!” Rather, I’m trying to get people to look at why we used
to spend a week getting ready for a battle on a Saturday and now we open up boxes of pre-

The best in historical wargaming painted miniatures, throw some stuff on a board, play a game in 60 minutes, pack everything up
in a trendy carrying case, and go home to repeat it again in a few weeks. For those who have
been gaming for a long time, the articles bring back fond memories of the social aspect of
wargaming that didn’t just exist for an hour or two every now and then. Many letters, phone
calls, exchanging research materials, etc., happened between games that helped to establish
Visit our site at: friendships that may even last to this day. No one wants to go back to the days of all figures in
www.wfhgs.com the same pose, rules on mimeographed paper, only one or two gaming magazines, etc., but I
still think that something is missing in today’s gaming hobby and my editorials will keep trying
to figure out exactly what that is.

Paper Terrain 10mm North African Set Product Review

This has to be one of the hardest prod- thick paper (almost to the level of thin So, what’s the problem, if there are
uct reviews that I’ve ever written. I’ve cardboard) with numerous buildings, any?
been building up my 10mm Ancient sheds, gates, walls, and awnings. As in
For one thing the large buildings will
Egyptian army for Warmaster Ancients the picture below, there is more than
take some time to build. There is a clev-
and needed some buildings to go along enough to make two completely separate
erly designed system for the roofs that
with the era. After trying other 10mm villages. The other thing I liked, besides
have entrances to them that requires a
ranges that either were too expensive or the selection of buildings, was that they
healthy dose of patience. In 10mm, some
the wrong scale (being closer to 15mm are in a darker tan color that was preva-
of the tabs are very small, so again, it can
than 10mm) I decided to try the 10mm lent in the biblical Egyptian era, so they
be difficult to finish the archways, awn-
North African set from a company called were ideal for the ancient period. Also,
ings, and the stairs can be a nightmare.
Paper Terrain. each building has a destroyed version that
You will also need some thin foam core
fits under the outside shell.
The 10mm North African village set for the walls that is not sold in all craft
goes for $30 and many gamers stores.
might be thinking twice about or-
Having said all of that, the
dering paper buildings for that
buildings do look good when fin-
price. However, what you get is
ished and I like the destroyed parts
definitely worth the price. I ordered
under the outer shell. You have a
my set the week before Christmas
wide choice of buildings and can
and received it in around 4 days, so
arrange your village in dozens of
already you have excellent customer
ways.
service.
Overall, a good product with
I was quite surprised by just how
excellent service, but if you’re look-
much you get in this package.
Building set picture from the Paper Terrain web site. ing to finish the entire set in an eve-
There are about a dozen sheets of
ning or two, then you’re in for a sur-
prise.