Marshal Lannes
Member
Slurping action in 1979 - which should lead to sales of Drooly buckets increasing by the end of 2014 ! :yummy:
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Campaign for North Africa Slurp-fest !
- Thread starter Marshal Lannes
- Start date
Sgt_Rock
Member
I have always wondered why a really good North Africa PC game has not come out. The code could include all of the intricacies of the campaign to include the effect of the sea and air campaigns on the supplies for both sides.
Dion
Ober Field Marshal
Ya, it would really be competitive. You would never know when your best laid plans would fall apart, and you would never know when your opponets overwelming odds for victory would suddenly fall in your favor. At all times your troops would be fatigued, including machines, troops would get lost, roads and lines of communication would just disappear. It would be a logistical nightmare. I think it would make for a great game (non-sarcastically of course).
Marshal Lannes
Member
Holy Smokes ! Feast your eyes on this baby - talk about going to town on the old SPI Version. The map is at least twice the size of the old version. They even add a little piddly bit in the south-eastern corner ; no doubt some important hill or historical objective. Way over 4000 counters with loads of company units .... it finishes on August 22nd.....Iiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmpprrreeeesive. :thumup:
Awaiting your hard earned greenbacks...........available to buy as of last Thursday. Drooooooool !
ON 6 JUNE 1944 the greatest armada the world has ever seen approached northern France. That fleet consisted of more than 5,300 ships carrying over 300,000 men and 50,000 vehicles. Opposing them was Germany’s veteran Wehrmacht.
ATLANTIC WALL is a grand-tactical simulation of that campaign. The counters represent almost every formation that participated at the company and battalion level. Infantry, armor, anti-tank, reconnaissance, engineer, assault gun, howitzer, rocket, parachute, ranger, commando, glider and Headquarter units are fully represented. Features include Widerstandnesten (resistance nests), Cherbourg’s fortifications and the all-important Bocage. The map portrays all primary and secondary roads, trails and other types of terrain, along with the villages, towns and cities that formed the bastions of German defence. As always with this series, the orders of battle have been extensively researched to provide an accurate and functional depiction of the armies of both sides.
There are three introductory one-map scenarios depicting critical periods in the campaign that use an abbreviated set of rules while still maintaining the historical accuracy of the campaign game as a whole. In addition, there are three larger multi-map scenarios that allow players to either play a short period within the overall campaign or play the campaign from various starting points. The 6 June assault is covered in two modules, the Airborne Assault Module and the Amphibious Assault module, which allow players to recreate both the airborne and initial amphibious assault stage of the campaign. The Amphibious Assault Module is played on a special Beach Display that shows each sub-area of the invasion beaches with units depicted at the company level. It can be played as a solitaire scenario. The campaign game can be played from 6 June to 22 August, with a total of 234 game turns.
This is the third installment of the Grand Operational Simulation Series (GOSS), the first two being: Wacht am Rhein and Hurtgen: Hells Forest. All three games share a common rules set that’s been extensively updated and revised to simplify game functions while still maintaining the design of the earlier games. In addition to the basic rules, Atlantic Wall includes a set of exclusive rules to cover the special requirements of the amphibious and airborne landings and the logistical system required to support the armies coming ashore.
Contents:
7 22x34” map sheets
4,480 die-cut counters
ONE GOSS Rules booklet
ONE Exclusive Rules booklet
Assorted Player Aid Charts & Displays
Two 10-sided dice
Storage bags
Awaiting your hard earned greenbacks...........available to buy as of last Thursday. Drooooooool !
ON 6 JUNE 1944 the greatest armada the world has ever seen approached northern France. That fleet consisted of more than 5,300 ships carrying over 300,000 men and 50,000 vehicles. Opposing them was Germany’s veteran Wehrmacht.
ATLANTIC WALL is a grand-tactical simulation of that campaign. The counters represent almost every formation that participated at the company and battalion level. Infantry, armor, anti-tank, reconnaissance, engineer, assault gun, howitzer, rocket, parachute, ranger, commando, glider and Headquarter units are fully represented. Features include Widerstandnesten (resistance nests), Cherbourg’s fortifications and the all-important Bocage. The map portrays all primary and secondary roads, trails and other types of terrain, along with the villages, towns and cities that formed the bastions of German defence. As always with this series, the orders of battle have been extensively researched to provide an accurate and functional depiction of the armies of both sides.
There are three introductory one-map scenarios depicting critical periods in the campaign that use an abbreviated set of rules while still maintaining the historical accuracy of the campaign game as a whole. In addition, there are three larger multi-map scenarios that allow players to either play a short period within the overall campaign or play the campaign from various starting points. The 6 June assault is covered in two modules, the Airborne Assault Module and the Amphibious Assault module, which allow players to recreate both the airborne and initial amphibious assault stage of the campaign. The Amphibious Assault Module is played on a special Beach Display that shows each sub-area of the invasion beaches with units depicted at the company level. It can be played as a solitaire scenario. The campaign game can be played from 6 June to 22 August, with a total of 234 game turns.
This is the third installment of the Grand Operational Simulation Series (GOSS), the first two being: Wacht am Rhein and Hurtgen: Hells Forest. All three games share a common rules set that’s been extensively updated and revised to simplify game functions while still maintaining the design of the earlier games. In addition to the basic rules, Atlantic Wall includes a set of exclusive rules to cover the special requirements of the amphibious and airborne landings and the logistical system required to support the armies coming ashore.
Contents:
7 22x34” map sheets
4,480 die-cut counters
ONE GOSS Rules booklet
ONE Exclusive Rules booklet
Assorted Player Aid Charts & Displays
Two 10-sided dice
Storage bags
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Sgt_Rock
Member
I like board games but could never justify playing on this level again.
I liked the regimental scale games that came out on Normandy. One was by GMT and the other was be New England Simulations. The latter will never be reprinted they say. A shame as the game design is great! Loved the expansion they added to it.
I liked the regimental scale games that came out on Normandy. One was by GMT and the other was be New England Simulations. The latter will never be reprinted they say. A shame as the game design is great! Loved the expansion they added to it.
Marshal Lannes
Member
Confessions of a Monster Wargame perv..........SPI's Atlantic Wall.....
View attachment 48871
Normandy Landings Reference Picture :
First of all - I am aware that the pictured game map is not the SPI Atlantic Wall version. Unfortunately, I cannot readily find one with the correct perspective. This will do brilliantly for reference purposes. The counters look like they are positioned for the 8th June evening turn, but that is an irrelevancy.
So - Simulations Publications Incorporated; faced by the, ` gods of Wargame design ` , at that time; Redmond Simonsen, Joe Balkoski et al,..... gave the chipmunk brainer, wargames fraternity, their second instalment of the ` Wacht Am Rhein ` - Battle of the Bulge game format, The resplendent Atlantic Wall - Invasion of Normandy.......This,... like the previous Wacht, had a 5 map, monster game-play surface area. I fortunately, at the time,.... managed to buy a 8 foot by 4 foot piece of hardboard, which when popped onto a large chest of drawers,...was quite adequate as a playing area. One thing that veteran wargamers might remember about buying SPI Products,... is the lovely smell that emanates from the contents of these gameboxes,... some sort of early, subliminal counter colour treatment effect, which made you want to buy more stuff, perhaps.
So,....as with most monster wargame pervs, you open the box slowly to reveal it's delicious contents. First ,you see and take out the chunky Rules booklet and then the scenario booklet, and then the Combat Results table charts and other applicable game play aids. Then you are confronted with the black plastic counter trays,...... of which from previous experience, you already know that, no way in hell, will they be enough,....not for 2000 odd counters.( " Use the counter trays from your other games " well that would work if you want to unorder 1000`s of other counters - I actually used ths square plastic thingy which females use for storing different button types - smarter than the average bear and you could label the front with the divisional contents }.
Then you pluck out the 3 dice and get to see the counter sheets in all their magnificence; green, tan, black and grey with a small amount of red for the British airborne. The surprise here, when you closely examine the German counter sheets, is that there are company level units available. Coooool !..... Wacht had no German company level units apart from 4 units of h (whose name escapes me ), been a while,....who parachuted north-west of Malmedy on the first day and were more blockers than potent combat troops. The point being that the original Wacht game penalised the german player way too much in not having company breakdown ability. This was blatantly obvious, wherein subsidiary diverionary attacks on the flanks of main attacks were so costly , especially at the mid-game point , that a wily german player would mostly be discouraged from making too many offensive attacks as the collateral attacks negated any gains of successful assaults that were made........... I have read somewhere, probably a magazine article - possibly Moves magazine; that the German company level units were originally mooted for inclusion, but were cancelled due to counter number restriction; this in an age before computer digital printing wherein technique and cost limited design and colour variation, as well as content.I forgot to mention that you get about 30\40 Allied ship counters.......
Where was I,.....Oh yes !, after looking at and counting the number of total counter sheets; you are then presented with the game maps. The game area seems to be OK,..... but the thin spatial area between the coastline and the southern map-edge raises an eyebrow of suspicion, especially as only the top third of the city of Caen is shown; Hmmmm !...... also seems to be a lot of green bocage country hexes. The map anyways is pleasing to look at and when joined up; gives you the monster birds- eye view experience.
This is the point where your stomach starts groaning and you fold up all the stuff, re-box the contents and go off to fill your face with a meaty mouthful, washed down with a hot liquid of your choice.
You pat your belly with satisfaction, adjust your waist belt, and then devour half a packet or box of chocolate covered biscuits, crunch, crunch..muuuunch,......buuuuuurp ! and ruminate as to when you will begin your attack or defence of the Normandy coast. Rommel or Eisenhower; difficult decisions are the privilege of rank...
Notable changes to the previous Wacht game Were not only the company level units....... Another huge issue with the original Wacht was inevitably the Combat Results table. The problem was simply that it was polarised almost completely towards a defensive stance. You really needed a lot of odds in your favour, as the german player to achieve consistent results and momentum. Unfortunately, the overwhelming preponderance of American artillery units,( Albeit historically accurate),..... just were able to defensively blast the crapolas of selected hi-intensity german attacks. This translated into powerfull attacks struggling to get even a retreat result for the american defenders who could be facing elite german armour and mechanised unit stacks, not that realistic in formal terms. Fortunately, the lesson was learned by the designers, as the Atlantic Wall Combat Results table was increased from the usual 1-6 option results (Using 1 six sided die ) table to almost twice that, giving a greater variance of result effect. So even a crappy attack might,....just might get you a slight retreat result for your opponent or a completely neutral result for both combatants.
What other changes were made; Ummmmmm !.........this may be wrong,.....as I have been through a lot of monster games;.....I believe that some units had 3 steps before they were removed from play;i.e. a battalion took loss and was flipped over to it's weakened reverse side and then if attacked again , went into cadre status; like a company marker. By and by; an annoyance with the company level units for the Germans was that they were all Wermacht grey, even for the black SS unit counters.
What about the game-play then.....?, Marshal ?......." I'm glad you asked me that,..... Chipmunk brainer !" People,... often, when describing boardgames, seldom go beyond what it is and what you get and, of course, apparent flaws. With Atlantic Wall; there was a way for the Germans to win........no chance in Wacht,....unless you were playing against a drooling baboon or a Canadian. This piece of fortune would only become apparent in your third serious attempt at gameplay.
Obviously, most gamers will initially test out the beach landings to get a feel for things; how the ships bombardment works, air interdiction, entrenching etc. Now this is only he minutiae but is crucial to the later development of things........well, any player wants to use tactical skill but it is more fun when things turn out historically. The perfect example of this, is the Omaha Beach landing site. A seasoned and savvy German player can make this a living nightmare for the american player. This however is also determinate by the game mechanics;i.e. if the shore bombardment is comparatively weak and the die rolls are consistently medium to high level for the German player; Omaha becomes blocked, giving time for the german player to move in battalion sized re-inforcements. The American airborne units usually scatter all creation and generally, being of company size; do not pose a serious threat as they have to keep Omaha and Juno linked. Omaha beach is a nightmare only one in say 5 times and a relative nightmare for 3 out of five times. In fact you can udge your overall progress from this landing alone.
Juno beach is a pushover and the German player will make some nasty counter-attacks, which fizzle out once enough American infantry land. The Brit/ Canadian beach landings are much easier, due to the terrain, but, a wily German player can pull off a nasty surprise. The Brits try to build uo a 4 to 5 hex bridgehead, aided by some light tank company units and generally get stuck pretty well in. " Up the Ox & Bucks, and then down to the pub for a swift one ! ". Now a good german gamer knows that if he sacrifices his initial armor complement and simply blocks the front of tha attack; he has enough power to do so.This is done by using the depleted 21st Panzer Division which is initially split into 2 Kampfgruppen in and before the city of Caen. A cat and mouse tussle ensues with the German player feeding in Volksgrenadier regiments for about the first 2 days. Naturally if Omaha beach is blocked up nicly another couple of Volksgrenadier regiments can hit the Brits in flank. This should work nicely for the triumphant arrival of the 12SS Panzer Division; a bit depleted, but ready to go. These buggers can split into 3 attack columns and hit the eastern flank or cut up a chunk of the Brit main assault. The terrain is clear and acessible close to the landing beach and as a rule, the allies will be bunched up in disorder, and now is the time to focus the german artillery on causing company retreats , which cause overstacking in hexes and so easy meat eliminations, as they cannot retreat into hex ovestacking. You can hear Rommel weep for joy , as some of his panzers do the work they were intended for.
The British 6th Airborne Ds too weak to mount anything problematic for the German player and has to worry aboutan infantry enemy division arriving from he eastern map edge. So in this game; the German win, all things being equal ,once in every 4 tries.
As for Juno Beach landing: as said, there are some german attacks which trail off. Eventually, the American 4th and 29th infantry divisions , with some small armor addition will see the germans set up a defensive line some 15 to 20 miles south of Cherbourg. Their main role to occupy the Americans for the rather late than never, 17SS Panzergrenadier Division which is meaty enough to balance the situation out. Given the optimal results for Omaha and British beaches; it's game over for Eisenhower, Churchill and John Wayne,{ 1 click is answered with 2 clicks........Click Click ! ".].........:laugh:
View attachment 48871
Normandy Landings Reference Picture :
First of all - I am aware that the pictured game map is not the SPI Atlantic Wall version. Unfortunately, I cannot readily find one with the correct perspective. This will do brilliantly for reference purposes. The counters look like they are positioned for the 8th June evening turn, but that is an irrelevancy.
So - Simulations Publications Incorporated; faced by the, ` gods of Wargame design ` , at that time; Redmond Simonsen, Joe Balkoski et al,..... gave the chipmunk brainer, wargames fraternity, their second instalment of the ` Wacht Am Rhein ` - Battle of the Bulge game format, The resplendent Atlantic Wall - Invasion of Normandy.......This,... like the previous Wacht, had a 5 map, monster game-play surface area. I fortunately, at the time,.... managed to buy a 8 foot by 4 foot piece of hardboard, which when popped onto a large chest of drawers,...was quite adequate as a playing area. One thing that veteran wargamers might remember about buying SPI Products,... is the lovely smell that emanates from the contents of these gameboxes,... some sort of early, subliminal counter colour treatment effect, which made you want to buy more stuff, perhaps
.So,....as with most monster wargame pervs, you open the box slowly to reveal it's delicious contents. First ,you see and take out the chunky Rules booklet and then the scenario booklet, and then the Combat Results table charts and other applicable game play aids. Then you are confronted with the black plastic counter trays,...... of which from previous experience, you already know that, no way in hell, will they be enough,....not for 2000 odd counters.( " Use the counter trays from your other games " well that would work if you want to unorder 1000`s of other counters - I actually used ths square plastic thingy which females use for storing different button types - smarter than the average bear and you could label the front with the divisional contents }.
Then you pluck out the 3 dice and get to see the counter sheets in all their magnificence; green, tan, black and grey with a small amount of red for the British airborne. The surprise here, when you closely examine the German counter sheets, is that there are company level units available. Coooool !..... Wacht had no German company level units apart from 4 units of h (whose name escapes me ), been a while
,....who parachuted north-west of Malmedy on the first day and were more blockers than potent combat troops. The point being that the original Wacht game penalised the german player way too much in not having company breakdown ability. This was blatantly obvious, wherein subsidiary diverionary attacks on the flanks of main attacks were so costly , especially at the mid-game point , that a wily german player would mostly be discouraged from making too many offensive attacks as the collateral attacks negated any gains of successful assaults that were made........... I have read somewhere, probably a magazine article - possibly Moves magazine; that the German company level units were originally mooted for inclusion, but were cancelled due to counter number restriction; this in an age before computer digital printing wherein technique and cost limited design and colour variation, as well as content.I forgot to mention that you get about 30\40 Allied ship counters.......Where was I,.....Oh yes !, after looking at and counting the number of total counter sheets; you are then presented with the game maps. The game area seems to be OK,..... but the thin spatial area between the coastline and the southern map-edge raises an eyebrow of suspicion, especially as only the top third of the city of Caen is shown; Hmmmm !...... also seems to be a lot of green bocage country hexes. The map anyways is pleasing to look at and when joined up; gives you the monster birds- eye view experience.
This is the point where your stomach starts groaning and you fold up all the stuff, re-box the contents and go off to fill your face with a meaty mouthful, washed down with a hot liquid of your choice.
You pat your belly with satisfaction, adjust your waist belt, and then devour half a packet or box of chocolate covered biscuits, crunch, crunch..muuuunch,......buuuuuurp ! and ruminate as to when you will begin your attack or defence of the Normandy coast. Rommel or Eisenhower; difficult decisions are the privilege of rank...
Notable changes to the previous Wacht game Were not only the company level units....... Another huge issue with the original Wacht was inevitably the Combat Results table. The problem was simply that it was polarised almost completely towards a defensive stance. You really needed a lot of odds in your favour, as the german player to achieve consistent results and momentum. Unfortunately, the overwhelming preponderance of American artillery units,( Albeit historically accurate),..... just were able to defensively blast the crapolas of selected hi-intensity german attacks. This translated into powerfull attacks struggling to get even a retreat result for the american defenders who could be facing elite german armour and mechanised unit stacks, not that realistic in formal terms. Fortunately, the lesson was learned by the designers, as the Atlantic Wall Combat Results table was increased from the usual 1-6 option results (Using 1 six sided die ) table to almost twice that, giving a greater variance of result effect. So even a crappy attack might,....just might get you a slight retreat result for your opponent or a completely neutral result for both combatants.
What other changes were made; Ummmmmm !.........this may be wrong,.....as I have been through a lot of monster games;.....I believe that some units had 3 steps before they were removed from play;i.e. a battalion took loss and was flipped over to it's weakened reverse side and then if attacked again , went into cadre status; like a company marker. By and by; an annoyance with the company level units for the Germans was that they were all Wermacht grey, even for the black SS unit counters.
What about the game-play then.....?, Marshal ?......." I'm glad you asked me that,..... Chipmunk brainer !" People,... often, when describing boardgames, seldom go beyond what it is and what you get and, of course, apparent flaws. With Atlantic Wall; there was a way for the Germans to win........no chance in Wacht,....unless you were playing against a drooling baboon or a Canadian. This piece of fortune would only become apparent in your third serious attempt at gameplay.
Obviously, most gamers will initially test out the beach landings to get a feel for things; how the ships bombardment works, air interdiction, entrenching etc. Now this is only he minutiae but is crucial to the later development of things........well, any player wants to use tactical skill but it is more fun when things turn out historically. The perfect example of this, is the Omaha Beach landing site. A seasoned and savvy German player can make this a living nightmare for the american player. This however is also determinate by the game mechanics;i.e. if the shore bombardment is comparatively weak and the die rolls are consistently medium to high level for the German player; Omaha becomes blocked, giving time for the german player to move in battalion sized re-inforcements. The American airborne units usually scatter all creation and generally, being of company size; do not pose a serious threat as they have to keep Omaha and Juno linked. Omaha beach is a nightmare only one in say 5 times and a relative nightmare for 3 out of five times. In fact you can udge your overall progress from this landing alone.
Juno beach is a pushover and the German player will make some nasty counter-attacks, which fizzle out once enough American infantry land. The Brit/ Canadian beach landings are much easier, due to the terrain, but, a wily German player can pull off a nasty surprise. The Brits try to build uo a 4 to 5 hex bridgehead, aided by some light tank company units and generally get stuck pretty well in. " Up the Ox & Bucks, and then down to the pub for a swift one ! ". Now a good german gamer knows that if he sacrifices his initial armor complement and simply blocks the front of tha attack; he has enough power to do so.This is done by using the depleted 21st Panzer Division which is initially split into 2 Kampfgruppen in and before the city of Caen. A cat and mouse tussle ensues with the German player feeding in Volksgrenadier regiments for about the first 2 days. Naturally if Omaha beach is blocked up nicly another couple of Volksgrenadier regiments can hit the Brits in flank. This should work nicely for the triumphant arrival of the 12SS Panzer Division; a bit depleted, but ready to go. These buggers can split into 3 attack columns and hit the eastern flank or cut up a chunk of the Brit main assault. The terrain is clear and acessible close to the landing beach and as a rule, the allies will be bunched up in disorder, and now is the time to focus the german artillery on causing company retreats , which cause overstacking in hexes and so easy meat eliminations, as they cannot retreat into hex ovestacking. You can hear Rommel weep for joy , as some of his panzers do the work they were intended for.
The British 6th Airborne Ds too weak to mount anything problematic for the German player and has to worry aboutan infantry enemy division arriving from he eastern map edge. So in this game; the German win, all things being equal ,once in every 4 tries.
As for Juno Beach landing: as said, there are some german attacks which trail off. Eventually, the American 4th and 29th infantry divisions , with some small armor addition will see the germans set up a defensive line some 15 to 20 miles south of Cherbourg. Their main role to occupy the Americans for the rather late than never, 17SS Panzergrenadier Division which is meaty enough to balance the situation out. Given the optimal results for Omaha and British beaches; it's game over for Eisenhower, Churchill and John Wayne,{ 1 click is answered with 2 clicks........Click Click ! ".].........:laugh:
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trauth116
Webmaster: hist-sdc.com
So does this mean CNA isn't out yet? Serious question, as I don't follow the DG site that often (and almost never go into their pledge area), so I have no idea -just know that I was not able to locate a listing for it at BGG.
PS -someday I intend to play the GMT Normandy title (was never into Wacht am Rhein, in fact it was the first thing I ever sold online...).
PS -someday I intend to play the GMT Normandy title (was never into Wacht am Rhein, in fact it was the first thing I ever sold online...).
Marshal Lannes
Member
Ummm ! Campaign For North Africa is still receiving pledges and has been relegated to release after 2016. They are bringing out SPI's Wellington's Victory this year and some smaller titles.
As usual with games companies; they are a bit cagey; I personally believe that they are developing parts of it and are waiting for the pledges to increase over time before taking it off the computer and put it into vanilla print production.
Cannot see it being released before the second half of 2016 - my hunch , but they are industrious little beavers, so who knows. The play-testing of this monstrosity will take some time too; even with computerised charts, tables, etc....................
As usual with games companies; they are a bit cagey; I personally believe that they are developing parts of it and are waiting for the pledges to increase over time before taking it off the computer and put it into vanilla print production.
Cannot see it being released before the second half of 2016 - my hunch , but they are industrious little beavers
, so who knows. The play-testing of this monstrosity will take some time too; even with computerised charts, tables, etc....................
Marshal Lannes
Member
View attachment 49005
SPI's " Highway to the Reich " - Publihed 1977 - the original version.
Obviously, it is another monster wargame depiction by SPI ;....... the main difference between this and others, being that the unit scale is at company level for infantry, and platoon level for tanks, afv's etc. Lots of units and detail.You could lose 25 men in increments and individual tanks etc.... A long map; over 9 feet in length, with about the usual map width of almost 3 feet.. The game depicts the Allied " Operation Market Garden ", airborne assault to take all the main bridges to the Arnhem Rhine river crossing; ostensibly to allow the divisions of the British Xxx Corps to race forward and create a salient beyond Arnhem. There are tan counters for the Brits; green counters for , " amerikanischer schweinhunder " .....,... grey for Germans; light blue for Luftwaffe/ composite forces and red for British 6th Airborne troops ,and, naturally black for SS units.
With almost 2600 counters;.......it's super detailed. The 2nd Editon was better, as unit sheets with boxes made organization of the different divisions easy to manage. The great aspect about this game was the innovative use of an interlinking play turn system; meaning that the usual one move and then combat system was interrupted by your oppnent, being able to bombard and attack during a certain stage of your turn. The Combat Results Chart was more intricate and had the use of morale levels; as I remember; there were 1 to 4 triangles to depict this. SS units having 4 small triangles on the counter front. It was a tactically interesting game, wherein small mistakes could be pounced upon by your opponent. My pet cat always used engineers in a fighting role, rather than blowing bridges,...................You can play smaller one map scenarios, rather than the full 10 day, 2Hour turn slug-fest.
The British 6th Airborne units were an attractive matt red and looked good on the green wood and tan colour broken terrain. It was very interesting and fun, just dropping the buggers,.... as there was a scatter mechanism which could throw them miles from their initial landing zones. Not so problematic at the start, but was a bit hazardous with ever increasing german build-up. The Germans main blocking force to stop the Brits getting to the Arnhem Bridge;.....about 12 miles away was a battalion of Dutch Ss troops,..... consisting of 3 infantry companies and 1 machine gun/heavy weapons company,.....which I believe had mortars,...... and could hit at range 2-3 hexes;..... think that's right. Anyhow, they could be a pain in the butt, if handled properly,... blocking the main road. With the ever increasing arrival of further airborne regiments; it became a difficult tactical decision as to whether sending more men into Arnhem was a good idea. With the imminent arrival of one SS division from the south of the bridge and then another from the North-east; anything in Arnhem would be surrounded and eventually have supply issues.
The American 101st and 82nd Airborne drop zones were easier and build up would see the bridges taken and held quite easily. Opposition to the Americans was mainly consistent of sporadic Luftwaffe brigades and some regiments of german armour dripfed through . Sensing half of the Ss division south of Arnhem to help their comrades was a bit tricky, as a few minor bridge blowouts neutralized the heavy tanks quite nicely.
The British XXX Corps attack and advance was less interesting to play in overall terms, because of the high unit density on both sides, and all the Germans had to do, is block the main highway with anti-tank gun batteries and threaten to cut off advanced elements with sharp attacks of reserves. The drip feed of German re-inforcements on both sides of the map against the American airborne troops did create nervous moments, and the game in this area had a greater degree of variability in outcome, depending where the Germans wanted to concentrate.
It would be a rare thing for the British XXX Corps to be able to cross the Arnhem Bridge; I remember having a brigade worth of tanks sitting near an airfield with nothing to do, as SS Panzer, heavy armour tanks were covering the southern streets of Arnhem, and with Brit infantry still needed to cover the flanks of the Highway, are next to impossible to shift, without combined assault modifiers.
SPI's " Highway to the Reich " - Publihed 1977 - the original version.
Obviously, it is another monster wargame depiction by SPI ;....... the main difference between this and others, being that the unit scale is at company level for infantry, and platoon level for tanks, afv's etc. Lots of units and detail.You could lose 25 men in increments and individual tanks etc.... A long map; over 9 feet in length, with about the usual map width of almost 3 feet.. The game depicts the Allied " Operation Market Garden ", airborne assault to take all the main bridges to the Arnhem Rhine river crossing; ostensibly to allow the divisions of the British Xxx Corps to race forward and create a salient beyond Arnhem. There are tan counters for the Brits; green counters for , " amerikanischer schweinhunder " .....
,... grey for Germans; light blue for Luftwaffe/ composite forces and red for British 6th Airborne troops ,and, naturally black for SS units.With almost 2600 counters;.......it's super detailed. The 2nd Editon was better, as unit sheets with boxes made organization of the different divisions easy to manage. The great aspect about this game was the innovative use of an interlinking play turn system; meaning that the usual one move and then combat system was interrupted by your oppnent, being able to bombard and attack during a certain stage of your turn. The Combat Results Chart was more intricate and had the use of morale levels; as I remember; there were 1 to 4 triangles to depict this. SS units having 4 small triangles on the counter front. It was a tactically interesting game, wherein small mistakes could be pounced upon by your opponent. My pet cat always used engineers in a fighting role, rather than blowing bridges,
...................You can play smaller one map scenarios, rather than the full 10 day, 2Hour turn slug-fest.The British 6th Airborne units were an attractive matt red and looked good on the green wood and tan colour broken terrain. It was very interesting and fun, just dropping the buggers,.... as there was a scatter mechanism which could throw them miles from their initial landing zones. Not so problematic at the start, but was a bit hazardous with ever increasing german build-up. The Germans main blocking force to stop the Brits getting to the Arnhem Bridge;.....about 12 miles away was a battalion of Dutch Ss troops,..... consisting of 3 infantry companies and 1 machine gun/heavy weapons company,.....which I believe had mortars,...... and could hit at range 2-3 hexes;..... think that's right. Anyhow, they could be a pain in the butt, if handled properly,... blocking the main road. With the ever increasing arrival of further airborne regiments; it became a difficult tactical decision as to whether sending more men into Arnhem was a good idea. With the imminent arrival of one SS division from the south of the bridge and then another from the North-east; anything in Arnhem would be surrounded and eventually have supply issues.
The American 101st and 82nd Airborne drop zones were easier and build up would see the bridges taken and held quite easily. Opposition to the Americans was mainly consistent of sporadic Luftwaffe brigades and some regiments of german armour dripfed through . Sensing half of the Ss division south of Arnhem to help their comrades was a bit tricky, as a few minor bridge blowouts neutralized the heavy tanks quite nicely.
The British XXX Corps attack and advance was less interesting to play in overall terms, because of the high unit density on both sides, and all the Germans had to do, is block the main highway with anti-tank gun batteries and threaten to cut off advanced elements with sharp attacks of reserves. The drip feed of German re-inforcements on both sides of the map against the American airborne troops did create nervous moments, and the game in this area had a greater degree of variability in outcome, depending where the Germans wanted to concentrate.
It would be a rare thing for the British XXX Corps to be able to cross the Arnhem Bridge; I remember having a brigade worth of tanks sitting near an airfield with nothing to do, as SS Panzer, heavy armour tanks were covering the southern streets of Arnhem, and with Brit infantry still needed to cover the flanks of the Highway, are next to impossible to shift, without combined assault modifiers.
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Marty Ward
Senior Member
This was probably my favorite SPI monster game. If you could find 6-8 people to play it, the game was a blast.View attachment 49005
SPI's " Highway to the Reich " - Publihed 1977 - the original version.
Obviously, it is another monster wargame depiction by SPI ;....... the main difference between this and others, being that the unit scale is at company level for infantry, and platoon level for tanks, afv's etc. Lots of units and detail.You could lose 25 men in increments and individual tanks etc.... A long map; over 9 feet in length, with about the usual map width of almost 3 feet.. The game depicts the Allied " Operation Market Garden ", airborne assault to take all the main bridges to the Arnhem Rhine river crossing; ostensibly to allow the divisions of the British Xxx Corps to race forward and create a salient beyond Arnhem. There are tan counters for the Brits; green counters for , " amerikanischer schweinhunder " .....
With almost 2600 counters;.......it's super detailed. The 2nd Editon was better, as unit sheets with boxes made organization of the different divisions easy to manage. The great aspect about this game was the innovative use of an interlinking play turn system; meaning that the usual one move and then combat system was interrupted by your oppnent, being able to bombard and attack during a certain stage of your turn. The Combat Results Chart was more intricate and had the use of morale levels; as I remember; there were 1 to 4 triangles to depict this. SS units having 4 small triangles on the counter front. It was a tactically interesting game, wherein small mistakes could be pounced upon by your opponent. My pet cat always used engineers in a fighting role, rather than blowing bridges,
The British 6th Airborne units were an attractive matt red and looked good on the green wood and tan colour broken terrain. It was very interesting and fun, just dropping the buggers,.... as there was a scatter mechanism which could throw them miles from their initial landing zones. Not so problematic at the start, but was a bit hazardous with ever increasing german build-up. The Germans main blocking force to stop the Brits getting to the Arnhem Bridge;.....about 12 miles away was a battalion of Dutch Ss troops,..... consisting of 3 infantry companies and 1 machine gun/heavy weapons company,.....which I believe had mortars,...... and could hit at range 2-3 hexes;..... think that's right. Anyhow, they could be a pain in the butt, if handled properly,... blocking the main road. With the ever increasing arrival of further airborne regiments; it became a difficult tactical decision as to whether sending more men into Arnhem was a good idea. With the imminent arrival of one SS division from the south of the bridge and then another from the North-east; anything in Arnhem would be surrounded and eventually have supply issues.
The American 101st and 82nd Airborne drop zones were easier and build up would see the bridges taken and held quite easily. Opposition to the Americans was mainly consistent of sporadic Luftwaffe brigades and some regiments of german armour dripfed through . Sensing half of the Ss division south of Arnhem to help their comrades was a bit tricky, as a few minor bridge blowouts neutralized the heavy tanks quite nicely.
The British XXX Corps attack and advance was less interesting to play in overall terms, because of the high unit density on both sides, and all the Germans had to do, is block the main highway with anti-tank gun batteries and threaten to cut off advanced elements with sharp attacks of reserves. The drip feed of German re-inforcements on both sides of the map against the American airborne troops did create nervous moments, and the game in this area had a greater degree of variability in outcome, depending where the Germans wanted to concentrate.
It would be a rare thing for the British XXX Corps to be able to cross the Arnhem Bridge; I remember having a brigade worth of tanks sitting near an airfield with nothing to do, as SS Panzer, heavy armour tanks were covering the southern streets of Arnhem, and with Brit infantry still needed to cover the flanks of the Highway, are next to impossible to shift, without combined assault modifiers.
Marshal Lannes
Member
What did I say,.........pilgrims.....Decision are advertising for play-testers for the behemoth; Campaign for North Africa,....that is if you are a flea scratching ,long-haired, bearded hermit, who lives in a cave, with about 300 to 400 hours of spare time to just do the basics. State Penitentiary lifers will obviously be given preference,...... as long as you have a single cell of at least ten feet in length.
So, they have a vanilla printout and all the rules done at this stage,......so at least you will get a free game for your time: just my luck, that I am otherwise occupied........not really sure I could do it anyhow,............and Welly's Victory is out in 4 weeks time,....so , a bit late for the anniversary, but should do well. I might buy it, if it has Grouchy's corps in the unit manifest and a pretty map, and more detailed loss rate etc...........
[video]https://youtu.be/09KCf_-wby4[/video]
Yeeeeeeee Haaaaaah ! :vegguitar:
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Marshal Lannes
Member
It looks like Korsun Pocket 2, ( Pacific Rim Publishing ) is available for buying and shipping just recently. This is the updated 2nd Edition of the original which came out in 1978/9 by Peoples Wargames. It ticks all the Monster category list boxes - 2400 Counters and 4 slightly larger than the old SPI Monster game map sheets.
Am I going to buy it ? Hell - NO !...Why Not ?.......For the simple reason that I have the original in Near Mint condition. If I was a newbie to the game - then I probably would. It is a very good game; no doubt about it.............but the enhancements do not justify the temptation.
Nice box artwork.....Yes !........slight improvements to the map... Yes !....Improvrd counters with tank silhouttes rather than the old Nato tank symbol.....YES ! Oob Organization charts ( which the original did not have ),.....Yes !......but apart from that , it is basically the same....except from some notable and it can be argued ,...non - improvements to the game by some.
What sacrilege has been done - are they Devil worshippers who sacrifice bloodied animals to their dark Master....Not quite , but almost. Bear with me......
They have removed the fighter to fighter combat which was in the original edition, as it does not have an impact on the ground game-play. Some people like this extra stuff......the large Russian regiments in the original have been stream-lined and reduced in size to fit a more accurate OOB of the units involved. Some peole like having larger Russian regiments........and here is the blood-curdling, throat-cutting of the cute, small furry animal; who never did anybody any harm and just wanted to jump around and play peacefully in the sun, before these Wargame designers got their hands on him and shoved him brutally into a woven sack bag to be sacrificed to the monetary God of $300 per copy.........
They have completely done away with all the Supply truck counters in the original game and replaced these with a - if you can trace a supply line to a friendly map-edge....then you are in supply. Dumbing down an important part of the original game may not be to some peoples taste as you cannot easily cut an invisible supply line as well as you can attack a supply truck and blow it to bits with a PzkwIV tank shell. Hmmmm !
The good thing about both editions is that you still have 3 scenario map sheets which cut down the minutiae of individually placing combat counters in specific hexes; rather in delineated sections of the map - this also cuts down on opponent cheating as the set up can be different each time but always in the same delineated space.
One thing that irked a lot of people with the original game - was that all the German infantry combat counters had misaligned printing....they were literally printed close to the right side of the counter which was really irritaing and here is the funny part....watching the promotional play videos of the 2nd edition which were given to a few , select animal sacrificers.....What do you know ! ......some of the German combat units have been misprinted........it was a bit acceptable in 1978/9 but definitely not in 2023.... I will laugh my head off......if the printers in Hong Kong have done the same thing.....maybe they are the same printers...the sons are now running the business, decades later. Free noodles with every badly printed counter sheet......................you likeeeey Spiceeeey !
To sum up - if you are a newbie - Go for it...........if you have the original....it might not be as tempting.......you apparently can get 25% off because of some cat's birthday on the website - I guess that cat is no longer with us -being small and furry ????? ; after all, a second hand copy might be better idea ; except not if you are buying from that game company which sells second hand games at ridiculous prices..........Happy gaming !...... Little Stalingrad on the Dniepr.......
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Marshal Lannes
Member
There have been some recent unboxing videos of Korsun Pocket 2. Does getting a freebie advance copy of the game cloud your judgement in a review ????? A lot of the comments of these new videos seem to baulk at the price and see it as a rehash that still recreates a late 70's game in a 2023 hashy veneer format.
It seems that some of the counters are printed too close to the left edge........deja vu ....make your own jokes. Seriously - that should not be an issue with modern digital scanning and printing technology.............map graphics are still stuck in the 70's......a more modern map style would have made a huge difference....a missed opportunity, definitely.
Since it's core design was already there and only tinkering has been done; a $150 pre pub price would be more acceptable........I think that about a third or more of potential buyers, including myself, have been put off.
I will console myself with my old copy.............which is always better than nothing and keeps valuable dough where it belongs.........in my tight grasp...
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Marshal Lannes
Member
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Marshal Lannes
Member
( Fire In the East - this pic is omitting Finland and Sweden and a part of Northern Russia , so it is a bit smaller ....tablus giganticus issue ).
Managed to get GDW's Europa Fire In The East (1984 ). The seller said it was in pretty good condition for it's age. Whenever you see this description; it may trigger some alarm bells. I knew that the box was worn but that sort of thing does not really bother me.
Anyways the good news is that everything is there. I am happy that the rules and charts are in very good condition, being 40 years old. The maps are nice and crispy and the counters are also excellent. All this for a bargain price.....not bad.
There is a guy called Aardwulf who has done a lot of unboxing videos and he bought this title preowned for a more realistic price. His copy was musty smelling and the counters had mould on them and needed to be cleaned and the maps wiped down........I think my cheaper buy has outshone his.
You takes the risk and pay the piper. That said , I am more risk adverse than most as 3 years ago , I bought an operational Napoleonic game, and it exhibited the same problem with the musty smell.........it had missing French Organization displays but you can readily get images online and blow them up to about the right size for printing out. Annoying it is..................
Fire in the East is Monster category with qbout 2850 counters and six mapsheets. This game has always passed me by as it's scaling is is mostly divisional with 16 mile hexes which has always put me off. I guess you have no choice if you want to cover the entire Russian front in a reasonable fashion. I always remember the double-sided adverts in Strategy & Tactics magazine extolling it's virtues........but, still, it passed me by.
Since; I have seen stuff, which mostly comments that it is a great game and people have fond memories of it and are even returning to this system , as it is still playable- so, why not give it a go.
The map size is definitely intimidating..........the counters functional. I am glad that there is some generic breakdown of divisions and some specific. Apparently , the air game is it's own entity and the CRT has 8 possible dice outcomes with a nice touch , that you have a 1.5 odds table.....this obviously giving variation for the most used odds of almost 1 or 2 to 1. Looks like the supply system is not too onerous and there is specific armor and anti- armour effectiveness tabulation. All pretty good.
The map detail is Ok ; I say that with slight disappointment....it is typical 1980's.
If, I had not got this for a bargain price....I probably would be complaining more.......it goes on my back -burner anyhow, until I get the urge.......no doubt, take it out have a look, put it back and maybe set it up one day and have a quick initial playthrough with my non-mould counters and crispy map-sheets..............
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Blackcloud6
Elder Member
Who is publishing this?
View attachment 25900
" I'm so thirsty.............I can't walk any further............the heat.......the heat....my mouth is drying up.........lips sore and cracking................I feel , so, so dizzy.............Ugh !...........Wait !,....... What's that ?.................It's ,..... it's the prospective re-issue of the greatest Monster game ever created............Wait,....wait,............what's happening...........it's going away,............it's fading away,............No ! , No !,........it's gone,..................it was a mirage,..................just an illusion................only a mirage. "...
Korsun Pocket 2 got 2 short of 500 pledges with an outdated map and this can't.................Sheeeeesh !. ( and it's $100 cheaper ).
It's been in the design stage twice as long as the actual, real freakin Campaign.
Estimated Retail Price: $200.00
Estimated Pledge Price: $150.00
North African Campaign (design stage). There is no paperwork or data tracking in this update of the SPI classic. Streamlined but realistic procedures allow the realistic portrayal of unit assignment and supply expenditure. Command and control cards drive the action, enabling a player to tailor his emphasis on building units, gathering intelligence, conducting operations, or building up supplies. The map has undergone a graphic update. The air war is updated and enhanced and the OOB presents the latest research with all units at a battalion level (armor in companies and air units in squadrons). Five maps, eight counter sheets, 100 cards, illustrated rules booklet, displays, charts and tables.
Marshal Lannes
Member
Decision Games - North Africa Campaign.........it is still in their Pledge Program..........which means that not enough people have pledged to buy it so that they can print/publish it and make a viable profit.
Blackcloud6
Elder Member
Thanks
Marshal Lannes
Member
Looks like Decision Games will be doing a Third reprinting of this game this year. I wonder whether it will have new box cover art. I have the original which I like , ( small pic ).
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Speak of the Devil - claystone x is currently doing a playthrough of Wacht am Rhein by Decision Games........wonder why it is necessary to clip your counters if you are going to use callipers anyhow...........I guess that Covid transmission might be at work..........( you might infect yourself ! ) ,and as of 2 weeks ago - there is a playthrough of Hurtgen Hell's Forest going on with the Vassal thing - still prefer the real game...........hear those dice rattle.
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Marshal Lannes
Member
The Muttleys at Decision Games are putting Operation Market Garden ( Over the Rhine ) into playtest soon. Whhhaaaaat..... ! ........It will use the GOSS system rules and map design. What the hell do we need a Goss system for Market Garden.......people who are interested ,have got SPI's - Highway to the Reich, ( Monster game ); if they feel like a big treatment................Another Monster game on Market Garden seems not right.
This is probably a result of a snap survey conducted in the backwaters of Louisiana, where most people are inbred; have dodgy teeth and play the banjo all day, while filling in game surveys for stuff people do not really want. I do not want it - that's for sure.
.What happened to Goss Sicily ?????? ........Pushed down the road to 2030................. no doubt.
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