Wargame Wednesday – Imperium Take Two

In preparation for my Second Interstellar War using GDW’s Imperium, I was doing my customary rules review when I noticed a few rule nuances concerning Maintenance, Planetary Defensive Fire, and Surface Combat that I missed in my first go-around last year. The rules are important enough that I decided not to go to the Second Interstellar War but restart from the beginning.

Maintenance

This time I really paid attention to the Economic Rules, given my somewhat recent attention to the IMTU Arden background I am developing. Specifically, I was trying to see what lessons/inspiration I could draw from the RU (Resource Unit) approach to economics that is used here in Imperium as latter in T5. The budget system in Imperium with RUs is different than Traveller Adventure 5: Trillion Credit Squadron and Power Projection: Fleet which uses Credits as their currency.

I discovered I played Maintenance totally wrong. Maintenance represents “expenditures…necessary on a recurring basis to ensure that ships remain functional and in fighting trim” (Rule Book, 12). Basically, Maintenance is paid by turn (each turn representing two years) in one of two ways:

• Civilized Maintenance is paid if a ship is in a primary system with a friendly world marker; the player expends RUs equal to the maintenance number for the ship
• Frontier Maintenance applies in all other situations; the player rolls 1d6 and must be equal to or higher than the maintenance number to be successful – unless there is no friendly outpost present in which case a +1 modifier is added to the die roll; missing the maintenance roll results in a disrupted ship.

Players really want to avoid disrupted ships. A disrupted ship must roll its maintenance number or higher to move and it subtracts one from any attack die rolls or when defending against planetary defenses. To become undisrupted, at a friendly world the players pays RUs equal to the maintenance number plus 1 or in all other conditions the player must roll higher than the maintenance number.

Maintenance has a tremendous impact on fleet budgets and deployments. If a player keeps all his ships in a primary system world, he pays directly from his budget for maintenance. Far better to keep your ships at outposts and pay nothing, right? The catch here is that ships using Frontier Maintenance have a better chance of breaking down .

Take for instance the lowly Scout. With a maintenance number of 1, it is always ready if at a friendly outpost and even if in unfriendly space it only has a 1 in 6 chance of disruption. A Heavy Cruiser (CR) with a maintenance number of 4 has a 50% chance (3 in 6) of being ready if at a friendly outpost, but only a 1 in 3 chance if in unfriendly space. The worst is the Dreadnought (Imperial B1/Terran B) with a maintenance number of 6! If at a friendly outpost there is only a 1 in 6 chance to avoid disruption, and if in unfriendly space there is no way at all to avoid being disrupted. Remember that to undisrupt a Dreadnought it will take 7 RU at a friendly world; there is no way to undisrupt it elsewhere since you have to roll higher than the maintenance number of 6 – impossible on 1d6. If you really need this ship, better to station it at a Primary System World, but that means paying 6 RU per turn (Civilized Maintenance) to have it standing by.

So the player has to chose between having ships at the ready, but paying directly from the budget, or paying less maintenance but risking disrupted ships. The practical impact is that larger ships will tend to be based at at primary worlds to be “at the ready” whereas smaller ships will depend on Frontier Maintenance at friendly outposts.

HALO ODST Drop Pod (Megabloks)

Planetary Defensive Fire

I totally missed the difference between Jump Troops and Regular Troops when it comes to Planetary Defensive Fire (Rule Book, 8). Since a Jump Troop can be inserted from space, the Jump Troop is subject to planetary defensive fire but the transport is not! The obvious impact is that the useful Transport can be protected.

Surface Combat

Two aspects of Surface Combat (Rule Book, 8-9) also caught my eye. First, I totally missed that starships can participate in Surface Combat! This is because when terminating space combat (Rule Book, 7) there are some ships that could be left behind:

“Ships which cannot perform hyperspace jumps (monitors, fighters, reaction forces which have already jumped three times, and disrupted starships unable to make the required die roll) are left behind to carry on the battle alone.”

The attacker then gets to conduct Planetary Bombardment using World, Outpost, and Planetary Defense markers for Planetary Defensive Fire. This is followed by Surface Combat.

I guess I got caught up in thinking of Surface Combat as just that; troops versus troops. But in reality it goes beyond that simple view. As stated in the rules, “If the defender has fewer troops than the attacker, the defender must now move forward non-troop counters (planetary defense markers, ship counters, and lastly world or outpost markers), each to be matched by an attacking troop counter.” There is an implied priority here; first used to defend are planetary defense markers or ships (monitors, fighters, and disrupted ships) and secondly outpost or world markers. The rules even specify that planetary defenses defend at a factor of 2 but all others (including starships) defend with a factor of 1.

The second nuance I missed is Defensive Fire (Rule Book, 9). Given that Jump Troops are “lightly equipped,” they are at a disadvantage against Regular Troops which include heavy artillery (Rule Book, 11). Regular Troops get a defensive firing that could destroy the Jump Troop before it even gets a chance to fight! Really makes for an interesting budget and strategy decision; pay 3 RU for Regular Troops (1-4 combat factors and Transport risked) or 2 RU for Jump Troops (4-6 combat factors but less risk to transport yet vulnerable to defensive fire).

Conclusions

Every time I play Imperium I get a greater appreciation of the depth of economics as well as strategy and tactics that are in this seemingly simple game. Simple it that the rules are really uncomplicated (I just have to read them better) but represent a very complex set of interactions making for a fun and thoughtful gaming experience.

“The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright 1977 – 2012 Far Future
Enterprises.”

Newsflash Earth (Imperium)

Earth, 2114

Forces of the Terran Navy have moved in force to occupy Agidda and Procyon. Confederation Navy spokesmen talk about preemptive moves to forestall Imperial aggression.

Procyon, 2115

Refugees from Procyon tell of a terrible campaign and defeat. Imperial forces invaded the Procyon system and defeated a Terran Confederation task force. Losses are said to include a light cruiser, destroyer, several scouts and transports. The Procyon outpost and 5th Rifles Division were also defeated. Inside the Navy, anonymous sources are calling the strategic situation “grave.”

Miniatures Monday – Star Trek Heroclix Tactics

Star Trek Heroclix Tactics - Kobayashi Maru Map (Figures.com)

I really want to like this game. After all, it has Star Trek and miniature ships! Just imagine, the Enterprise dueling with a Klingon D-7! But the sad reality is that if you are looking for a dueling starship game, look elsewhere.

Out of the Box

The components of the game are fairly nice. The Starter Kit comes with four pre-painted miniatures; two Federation and two Klingon with “character cards.” Also included are two double-sided poster-size maps in nice full color. The kit also includes the Heroclix 2011 Core Rulebook, one laminated Powers & Abilities card, and two dice.

The miniatures themselves are decently painted. If you are used to the Star Fleet Battles/Federation Commander Starline 2400 series color schemes you will be a bit thrown off here since these paint schemes follow more along the movie/newer series painting guides. These are also smaller than the new Starline 2500 series supporting A Call to Arms Star Fleet. Be careful when selecting your kit off the shelf; of the four kits I selected from two had obviously deformed figures due to shifting during shipping.

The maps are really beautiful and evocative of space combat. There are four maps; Kobayashi Maru which has mines and a ship in the middle, Wolf 359 with derelict spaceship and debris, The Mutara Nebula with a nice piece of cnter terrain, and Deep Space Nine featuring the station. All four maps are done in nice colors and go well with the theme of the game.

The Rules – or Super Hero Space Brawling 101

Heroclix Tactics draws directly from the Heroclix line of duels featuring superhero characters. So does Heroclix Tactics. WizKids elected to use the Core Rules for Heroclix but instead of superheros one uses starships. The result is starship brawls in space.

Heroclix approaches combat by thinking each ship is a character rather than a weapons system. In addition to the basic combat values found on the clix base (Speed, Attack, Defense, Range, and Damage) each ship also has a “character card” with special abilities. For example, the Enterprise-A in the Starter Set has seven special abilities. My problem here is that the translation from superheros brawling in the streets of Gotham or Metropolis does not in my mind translate to ships fighting in space. To further complicate the matter, in order to use the special power you have to understand the translation. For instance, Enterprise-A has the special power/ability called “Deflector Shields (Toughness).” In order to use this power, you have to look up Toughness on the Powers & Abilities Card. This same Toughness ability is known as “Deflectors 100%, Captain” on the USS Rhode Island card but is not the same as “Deflectors to Full (Invulnerability)” on the IKS Bortas card.

Confused? If you are already a Heroclix player you are probably not; indeed in all likelihood such a person has already mastered the game. For those of us drawn by the theme the chance for disappointment is very high.

Is There Any Worth Here?

If you are looking for a starship battle game go elsewhere. Even the rules for set up reflect the brawling nature (pick a map, pick a team, fight). I will keep the basic game around because I can play it with the kids. I maybe even will enjoy it as I push the ships nicely painted ships around beautiful maps. Maybe enjoy it, but more for playing a game with the kids than playing a game of space battles.

RPG Thursday – Broadsword Mercs in Tomorrow’s War

Broadsword and ATV (biomassart)

Looking to create a small unit in Tomorrow’s War, I drew inspiration from Classic Traveller Adventure 7 -Broadsword. The Broadsword-class mercenary cruiser is an 800 dton spherical-hull ship (an obvious nod to Nemesis from H. Beam Piper’s Space Viking novel). The ship carries a 28-troop mercenary contingent along with a pair of modular cutters and an air raft and ATV for the ground force.

The Vargr require special rules. Treat the Vargr squad (Third Squad) as an Irregular Unit. Vargr attributes are Augmented Senses (see exception) and Natural Weapons. Generally speaking, a Vargr unit has higher morale but lower confidence than a human unit. Vargr units use the Morale of the Leader for all Morale Checks. If the Leader dies the next-highest leader assumes command. If there are multiple leaders of the same rank the unit takes on the Animosity Attribute, though Vargrs will only snipe amongst themselves. Vargr have Augmented Senses except for at night where the Night Fighting rules (TW p. 80) apply unless using night vision equipment. Twice per game, a Vargr may use Special Rapid Movement which is 2x the usual Rapid Movement distance. Once both Special Rapid Moves have been used, the unit can only use Tactical Movement (no more Rapid Movement allowed) for the remainder of the scenario.

Using the data and personnel presented in the adventure, the unit  in Tomorrow’s War terms could looks like this:

Basic Force Attributes
Initiative Level: D8
Confidence Level: High
Supply Level: Normal
Body Armor: Combat Armor (TL2/2D)
Fusion Gunners wear TL2 Standard Power Armor (3D)
Troop Quality/Morale: D10
Overall TL: 2 On Grid: Normally, No.
Attributes: Medic, Old School
(Vargr use special rule; see Third Squad)

Broadsword Mercenary Contingent
Command Element
Troop Commander w/Auto Pistols (Gauss Rifle Available) (Leader +2)
Leading Sergeant w/ Gauss Rifle
Runner (Vargr) w/Gauss Rifle

First Squad
Squad Leader w/Gauss Rifle
Fire Team Leader w/Gauss Rifle
3x Trooper w/Gauss Rifle
ATV Driver w/Auto Pistol
Medic (Unarmed)
Fusion Gunner w/FGMP-14 (TL3, Hvy. AP: 4/AT:4 (H)

Second Squad
Squad Leader w/Gauss Rifle (Leader +1)
Fire Team Leader w/Gauss Rifle (Leader +1)
3x Trooper w/Gauss Rifle
ATV Driver w/Auto Pistol
Medic (Unarmed)
Fusion Gunner w/FGMP-14 (TL3, Hvy. AP: 4/AT:4 (H)

Third Squad
Squad Leader w/Gauss Rifle (Leader +2)
Fire Team Leader w/Gauss Rifle
3x Trooper w/Gauss Rifle
Demolitions Specialist (Carries Breaching Charges, Sticky Bombs, Satchel Charges/Limpet Mines)
Medic (Unarmed)
Fusion Gunner w/FGMP-14 (TL3, Hvy. AP: 4/AT:4 (H)

Available Assets
[Asset/Operational Momentum Points Expended]
ATV/4
Man-Portable Tac Missiles/2 (Different versions available: Anti-Air – treat as Light AD Environment; Anti-Armor – treat as TL2 ATGM; Anti-Personnel – TL 2 ABW Lt AP:2; each soldier can carry a single round; can be fired in lieu of regular weapon)
Modular Cutter in Interface Strike Mode/12
Modular Cutter with Assault Boat Module/10
Modular Cutter with ATV Module/10
Modular Cutter with Weapons Module/8

Vehicles/Landers
ATV
TL:2, Wheeled
Armament: Gatling Laser (TL 1 EWS, Lt. AP: 2/AT:1 (L)
Front/Side/Rear/Deck Armor: each 3D8
Crew: 1+15
Attributes: TL2 Armor, Amphibious
Note: The ATV does not carry a dedicated gunner; gunner must come from carried passengers

Air Raft
TL 2, AGV (but treat as DTV for movement)
Armament: Light MG (TL2 ABW, Lt AP: 2)
Armor: Soft-Skinned 1D6
Crew: 1+3
Attributes: Open-topped

Modular Cutter
As Interface Strike (6x Medium PGM)
As Dropship – Combat Modules Carried:
- ATV Module (1xATV)
- Assault Boat Module (16x troops in 2x sections; upon landing power spades scoop out entrenchments and troops drop through bottom doors; troops in entrenchments are in Improved Cover (+2D))
Other Combat Modules Available:
Weapons Module (Triple Laser Turret, TL2 EWS, Hvy AP: 4/AT:2(H); can only fire when Cutter is grounded)

Gauss Rifle

I originally made the design decision to ignore the 4cm RAM GL but now am thinking twice. Some of the color commentary from Central Supply Catalogue (CSC p. 81) is needed to understand a few of my (new) design decisions:

“Rifle, Gauss 4mm…The round itself consists of a dense armour piercing core…excellent stopping power and good armour penetration…A single-shot RAM grenade launcher is fitted…takes two full combat rounds to load a new grenade…either the rifle or the grenade launcher may be fired in a given round….”

Comparative damage in Traveller terms is 4d6 AP for the Gauss Rifle and 6d6 for a 40mm grenade (CSC p. 81/p. 109).

With all that in mind, I propose:

Gauss Rifle w/4cm RAM GL, TL2 (Lt. AP:0*/AT:1(L) *Note: Armor Piercing – When used in Infantry Combat target reduced by 1D of armor/cover; Grenade Launcher can be used as Support Weapon (Lt. AP:1) in lieu of Gauss Rifle in ONE Round of Fire or Close Assault per turn (no armor piercing bonus)

The Lt. AP:0 looks funny but this is to avoid making the Gauss Rifle a super weapon. With Lt. AP:0 each figure has a Firepower of 1D when firing the Gauss Rifle; whereas if I call it Lt. AP:1 each figure gets 2D Firepower (Number of Figures + Special Weapon Dice – see Firepower Table on P. 62 of Tomorrow’s War). Also, by making it Lt. AP:1 (representing the 4cm GL) the weapon gets the advantages of a Support Weapon – making it worth 2D FP in combat (TW p. 60-61) – but not so much that it counts as an Advanced Support Weapon (TW p. 74-76).

Sources Used: Adventure 7 Broadsword (Classic Traveller), Alien Module 3 Vargr (Classic Traveller), Mongoose Traveller Pocket Rulebook, Mongoose Traveller Supplement 4: Central Supply Catalogue

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright 1977 – 2008 Far FutureEnterprises.

Wargame Wednesday – Tomorrow’s War SOP

Elite Soldier by wiredgear

I am still trying to get Tomorrow’s War up to a condition I really call playable. I have been over the Rule Book more than a few times and think I may have something close to a workable Sequence of Play.

Basic infantry combat in Tomorrow’s War plays well but when one tries to add in all the extra modules (vehicles, artillery, etc.) it quickly becomes confusing. It certainly appears the developer did not put all the pieces together to see the seams in integration. For instance, in Infantry Combat you modify Firepower, whereas in Mechanized Combat modifiers are to Defense. Generally the modifiers are for the same reason (Tech Level, movement, etc.) but in Infantry Combat you add/subtract from Firepower unlike in Mechanized Combat where you add/subtract from defense. The net result is the same but confusing because there is a lack of internal consistency to the rules.

Like I have said before, the whole game sorta feels thrown together. A complete Sequence of Play is lacking. Below is what I think is a good stab at a complete SOP:

1. Campaign – Spend Operational Momentum Points (p. 177 Spending Operational Momentum Points)

2. Initiative (p. 38-40 Initiative)

3. Apply Loss of Grid penalties (p. 159 Loss of Grid)

• House Rule: Units in a TL2 or TL3 force that suffer Loss of Grid are considered Pinned for purposes of FIRE COMBAT at this point; MOVEMENT restrictions for units Pinned this way take effect during the Action/Reaction segment.

4. First Aid; Call for Medic; CASEVAC – Walking Wounded (p. 64-68 Casualty and Casualty Evacuation)

5. Stress Test (p. 88 Stress Test)/Regain Confidence (p. 88 Regaining Confidence)

6. Morale: Pull Back Units noted as Regrouping (p. 86 Pull Back)

7. VTOL Morale Check (p. 134 VTOL Damage Effects – VTOL Damage Chart – Withdraw)

8. Arrival of Reinforcements (p. 37 Start New Turn – Arrival of Reinforcements, Hot Spots); Insurgency Level Test (p. 168 Insurgency Level and Reinforcements)

9. Resolve Airstrikes (p. 126 Calling in an Airstrike)

10. Dropship Landing (p. 130 Dropships)

11. Hot Drops/Parasail Assaults (p. 134 Hot Drops & Parasail Assaults)

12. VTOL Landing/Take-off (p. 131-132 VTOL Troop Insertions)

13. Fast Rope or Grav Belt Insertions (p. 132 Fast Rope or Grav Belt Insertions)

14. Declare (and test for) unbuttoned AFVs (p. 103 Tank Commanders – Buttoned Up & Unbuttoned)

15. Declare Hidden Units (p. 80-81 Special Fire Combat Rules – Hidden & Stealthy Units)

16. Merge Units (p. 53-54 Merging Units)

17. Declare Controlled Dumb Bot; Recall Bots (p. 144 Independent Dumb Bots; p. 146 Recalling a Separated Bot)

18. Drone/UAV Detection Check (p. 80 Aerial Drones and Hidden Units); Distributed Drones Grid Quality Check vs Hidden Units (p. 148 Distributed Drones)

19. Disperse/Manipulate/Transform Mobs (p. 160 Regular and Civilian Mobs, p. 161 “Popular” Leaders and Civilian Mobs)

20. Declare Overwatch Units (p. 70 Special Fire Combat Rules – Overwatch)

21. Initiative Force activates unit (p. 41 Actions)

• House Rule: If a TL2 or TL3 force with Initiative suffers from Loss of Grid, the active unit must act as if Pinned (p. 159 Loss of Grid, p. 86 Pinned)

22. Resolve Reactions (p. 41+ Actions and Reactions); Round of Fire (p. 41-44 Reactions)

• Resolve Reaction Tests starting with non-Initiative unit nearest to activated unit and work outward

• Resolve Reactions starting with non-Initiative units that lost; nearest to farthest from Active unit

• Resolve Reactions where non-Initiative units won Reaction Test nearest to farthest from Active unit

23. Repeat 21 and 22 until all Initiative Units have been activated (p. 35 SOP)

24. End Phase

• After all Initiative units have activated, any Non-Initiative units that has not made a Reaction during turn may move and/or fire.

• Regular Initiative units who are fired at may react as part of a Round of Fire, as may units on Overwatch (p. 35 SOP)

25. Move civilian mobs (p. 160 Civilians on the Battlefield)

26. Morale: Pinned units become “un-pinned” (p. 86 Pinned)

27. Grid Quality Check/Jamming Grid Quality Check (p. 155 Grid Quality Check, p. 158 Jamming the Grid)

• No ECM Unit present = “regular” Grid Quality Check

• ECM Unit present = “Jamming the Local Grid” check

28. Remove Smoke (p. 74 Smoke)

Threat Tuesday – Loss of USS Baltimore – NOT!

In the Navy! (Courtesy AP Photos)

In this undated photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second left, rides a boat when he visited Unit 158 of the navy of the North Korean People’s Army. (AP Photo)

The NorK Kid continues his toy travels inspection tours of various military units. Not unusual, but thanks to North Korea Leadership Watch we get a few more details. Here Kim Jong Un is visiting Combined Unit 597. Later in the same day he visited Unit 158 of the Korean People’s Army Navy. A very famous units, as KCNA tells us, because it sank CA-68 USS Baltimore.

According to KCNA:

The history of the development of the unit is recorded with feats which strikingly demonstrated the might of the KPA Navy by sinking or destroying a lot of enemy warships including the battle results unprecedented in the world history of naval battles KPA navymen achieved by sinking the U.S. imperialist heavy cruiser “Baltimore” with just four torpedo boats in the naval battle in Jumunjin during the Fatherland Liberation War.

NorK Propaganda Poster (Wikipedia)

The NorKs apparently even have a display in a museum in Pyongyang which claims the same.

Poor “Engrish” aside (a nearly 70-word sentence), the above is a great example of NorK delusional propaganda. The battle referenced is better known as the Battle of Chumonchin Chan which took place on 2 July 1950. As the Naval Historical Center tells it:

In the early hours of July 2, as the allied fleets converged on Korea, U.S. cruiser Juneau, British cruiser Jamaica, and British frigate Black Swan discovered 4 torpedo boats and 2 motor gunboats of the North Korean navy that had just finished escorting ten craft loaded with ammunition south along the coast in the Sea of Japan. The outgunned North Korean torpedo boats turned and gamely pressed home a torpedo attack, but before they could launch their weapons, the Anglo-American flotilla ended the threat; only one torpedo boat survived U.S.-British naval gunfire to flee the scene. After this one-sided battle and for the remainder of the war, North Korean naval leaders decided against contesting control of the sea with the UN navies. The surviving units of the North Korean navy eventually took refuge in Chinese and Soviet ports.

Victorious KPA Navy - or just a Survivor? (Wikipedia)

So let me get this straight; USS Baltimore was not involved and three NorK torpedo boats were sunk. Yet the fourth boat is heralded as the victor in that same Pyongyang museum.

All this makes one wonder just what stories the young NorKster is being told and what he really believes. Is this really just propaganda for the masses? Does Kim Jong Un believe it? Is he inclined to act based on interpretations of history like this? Has he already done so? All the more interesting in light of reports that Kim Jong Un masterminded the sinking of 26 March 2011 sinking of the ROK Navy ship PCC-772 Choenan.

 

 

Threat Tuesday – NorK “Green” Air Force

Courtesy Yonhap Photos

This still image taken from North Korea’s official Korean Central Television Broadcasting Station on Jan. 31, 2012 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un taking a look at the cockpit of a plane during an inspection of the North’s Air Force unit 1017 honored with the title of the Oh Jung-hup-led Seventh Regiment. According to North Korean accounts, Oh Jung-hup was the commander of the seventh regiment of the North’s founder Kim Il-sung’s anti-Japanese guerrilla unit during the second half of the 1930s and was killed during combat with Japanese troops to safeguard the top commander, Kim Il-sung, in the spring of 1940. (Yonhap)

Kim Jong-Un at NKAF Unit 1017

That’s not a trick of the camera; the plane is actually green! In another view here, we can see that the plane actually has a very interesting paint scheme; green tones on the upper surfaces and blues/grays on the lower surfaces. This scheme is very similar to standard Soviet Air Force summer schemes of World War II.  Looks like the NorKs at least try to keep then antenna surfaces good for  transmitting. And look at the pilot in the brown leather flight suit!

The airplane appears to be an original 9.12 (NATO: MiG-29B Fulcrum-A) variant, most likely the downgraded 9.12B export variant North Korea was reported to have bought from Belarus in 1995. The NorKs are also known to operate the later 9.13 (MiG-29SE Fulcrum-C) with the enlarged dorsal spine.

What you DON'T want to see!

NorK Mig-29′s are rarely seen in public. The first (and maybe most famous occasion) was in 2003 when a NorK MiG-29 intercepted a USAF RC-135 over the Sea of Japan. The aircraft involved appeared to be a 9.13 armed with a drop tanks and what looks like R-60 (NATO: Aa-8 Aphid) short-range air-to-air missiles.

Wargame Wednesday – Reichswehr & Freikorps

S&T #273 Courtesy BGG

Strategy & Tactics magazine and games can be a hit-or-miss affair. The articles are generally well-written if not original (as in original conclusions though the topics may be more obscure). The games are usually limited in scope due to rules length, map size, and counter limits. They also are not necessarily cheap at $29.99 for the game edition (magazine + game). But I am a sucker for alternate history and a fan of Brian Train’s work. So when I saw that Train (master of asymmetric warfare simulations) had teamed with Ty Bomba (known for his alternate history games) I took the chance.

Reichswehr & Freikorps (RWFK) advertises itself as a “low-complexity, strategic-level, alternative history wargame of the conflict that likely would have resulted had the Poles been defeated by the invading Read Army late in the summer of 1920.” The Soviet player is invading Germany; the German player is defending his homeland.

S&T magazine games usually have a “gimmick” that each game tries to showcase. In this case, the gimmick is the Red Army Morale. With High Morale the Red Army can favorably shift combat odds and move further. Low Morale negatively shifts combat odds and reduces movement. Morale is gained by seizing towns and cities and holding them.

The Sequence of Play is also interesting. The Soviet player has two fronts but can only move one front at a time. The German player has no set sequence of play but rather can “interrupt” the Soviet players turn three times to conduct rail movement, regular movement, or combat.

After setting up the game, I was rather dubious as to the coming experience. The 22″x34″ map is overlaid with a 16×24 hex grid. Though there are 176 counters, nearly half are markers meaning there are only around 100 combat units of which 1/4 are reinforcements. Taken together with the stacking rules which allow the Germans to put seven divisions in a stack or the Soviets to have all the units of the same army together I ended up with a few stacks and many empty hexes.

The first few turns see a nearly unstoppable Red Army juggernaut rolling over the countryside to take towns and cities. It is not until a few turns in that one realizes the impact of supply lines on the Red Army advance. Though the Soviets may be able to seize many towns, they are only able to create one new railhead each turn. The effect here is to slow the Red Army advance. This in turn means a loss of Morale since morale is gained by taking towns and cities but lost every turn over time.

In the end, the game sets out to do what it was designed to do; the Red Army player must keep up an offensive while dealing with a slow supply chain and gradually reduced morale. To be victorious the Red Army needs to stay ahead of that inevitable decline in morale. Reichswehr & Freikorps delivers on this gimmick, though I don’t see to much replay value here.