The Star and the Crescent

The Arab-Israeli Wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973 deserve close scrutiny by the serious gaming community. Although all three ended in Israeli victory, these conflicts could serve as controlled observations of modern warfare, just as the Spanish Civil War did for World War II. Lessons learned surely were applied to the First Gulf War and the Second one up to the capture of Baghdad. Talonsoft's Divided Ground and HPS' Arab-Israeli Wars do a fine job of looking at this topic on a grand tactical/operational level. However, modern wars are won at the company level. Using ProSim Company's Armored Task Force engine developed by Major Patrick Proctor, designer Curt Pangracs and Shrapnel Games have addressed the issue of small unit tactics during these conflicts in a hard-core way with The Star and the Crescent, a truly continuous, pausable real-time game where players must think at a battalion level but act via companies, platoons or individual units.

I can usually get into a game after playing the tutorial and the most cursory glance at the manual. The Star and the Crescent demands study before a player can even dream of winning. The tutorial is actually a walk through of a regular scenario. Available in the print manual and as an online document in the windowed game, the tutorial teaches enough of the basic mechanics so players can understand why they must read the rest of the 130-page manual. The many levels of consideration on play and multitudes of commands are detailed there. The description of the many weapon systems does more than serve as nice information; the data presented is crucial to play. The online help and vehicle specs are also necessary to use if the player aims to do well. Manual and information sources are integral to play; players, even veterans of the system, cannot simply jump into a system whose mechanics and depth earn it the label of military-grade simulation. Special attention should be paid to how the manual is laid out. For example, chapter five is devoted to detailed descriptions of every menu command. Many questions apparently omitted elsewhere can be found in this chapter or in the online Help file. The manual could use supplementation via online color shots of the different unit states and a hotkey list but the sources at hand, used together, are more than sufficient and are very clear. An article near the end of the manual by Lieutenant Colonel Mike Robel, USA (ret.), is a fine introduction to basic tactics.

The Armored Task Force series is not known for dramatic graphics. Players who absolutely must have 3D terrain and animations will experience an initial let-down. However, those who stay to look at game play will see that this game's graphics meld nicely into its purpose. The maps can be displayed in two modes: a color mode with illustrations for terrain features and shaded elevations and Russian military contour (topological) maps from the US Military Academy. Players can choose either mode from a menu although some zoomed in-or-out levels automatically switch modes. Map scales vary from scenario to scenario with the largest being 50,000 by 50,000 meters. Man-made obstacles such as mine fields, wire, ditches and holes appear slightly abstract but serve their purpose. A colorful map function is the line-of-sight (LOS) fan. This sunburst-like graphic radiates lines into visible areas. When placed on a unit, that unit's visibility ranges are also shown. Smoke icons from direct and indirect fire are nice indications of combat while the sounds of shelling rounds out the audio experience of combat.

Unit graphics are more varied if not spectacular. Israeli (blue) units are shown on vehicle/team, platoon, company levels using NATO symbols; Arab (red) also use NATO units but don't have the platoon level available. Unit icons have vehicle silhouettes for player-controlled vehicles as well as identified friendly and identified enemy pieces. Unidentified contacts switch to NATO symbols. Symbols for unit facings, status and current orders are superimposed on icons. The hierarchy list also has designations for commanders and unit status. The hierarchy screen is, in fact, the easiest way to check on force status at all levels. Actual photos along with three screens of vital data can be seen by clicking in “unit info" from the vehicle context menu. The familiar key routines can create ad hoc battalions.

A last graphic deserves special attention. In The Star and the Crescent, way points, called "nodes," are necessary for movement. Nodes are triangles, with “go-nodes" as green and pointing up and “no-go" nodes as red pointing down. Vehicle, platoon and company nodes and lines connecting them each have their own color. Thus, seeing how sub-units are moving in relationship to their parent hierarchy is a simple matter of color-coding. The use of nodes is one example of how creative but “unglitzy" graphics aid, not distract from, play.

The Star and the Crescent is unquestionably a menu-driven game. Seven different menus dealing directly with play can be brought up on the tool bar plus the multi-played and help menus. All seven do not appear at once but most are triggered from a main toolbar and are then fill in blanks in the toolbar. For example, clicking on “Show Path" replaces some commands on the tool bar with “Copy," “Paste," and other functions associated with plotting movement. Other commands summon drop-down menus that may have sub-menus themselves. Types of command groups on the toolbar include actions, orders and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) along with single orders such as Stop, Hold Fire, Mount and Defilade. Command issued from the toolbar can be applied to the hierarchy (company, platoon or vehicle/team) selected. The “View" command contains the hierarchy table, an extremely valuable tool in this game. Initially, all the player's companies are displayed in this table but the view can be expanded stepwise down to vehicle/team level. Double-clicking on a unit will locate that unit on the map and right-clicking brings up the same context menu as if the unit had been selected on the map. At the vehicle/team level, symbol show unit status, an invaluable way to ascertain if a unit's commander is still in action of if a subordinate unit is detached from its command structure. This table comes in very handy during large scenarios.

Many of these commands can be issued directly from the unit or its proxy on the hierarchy tables by right-clicking a selected unit and brings up the context menu. This menu allows for more information ---important not only for vehicle capabilities but also for ammunition levels, path plotting and editing, assigning orders for movement, formation of units within parents units, SOP for contact with the enemy, mission types to achieve overall objectives and tactical SOPs to allow default actions. Each of these choices either has further choices such as the twelve Israeli company variations or the seven SOPs. Players need not give their units orders from every single category as the default orders are usually fine at first. However, as the battle develops, the multitude of choices will be welcome.

One more menu system needs discussion. Calling in a fire mission is a two-step process. First, a fire control menu prompts the player for one of ten ammunition types (not all are available for every scenario), the pattern of the drop and the time of the drop. Then, a fire mission is assigned by clicking on an artillery unit marked as capable of firing that mission and then clicking on a target on any spot on the map. Firing uses ammunition so the sub-routine for re-supply should be memorized.

Although the menu system will become second nature soon, beginning players might be frustrated with some aspects of it. Toolbar buttons must be turned off as well as on; sometimes more than one right click is necessary to bring up a context menu; the cursor may lose sub-menus. Nonetheless, patience will allow determined players to revel in play.

The Star and the Crescent has fifteen scenarios: three from 1956 and 1967, eight in the 1973 war, two Arab scenarios and two future scenarios set in 2009. Scenario goals range from pursuing and destroying a fleeing enemy to assaulting a heavily defended position or defending a crucial spot. The goals and resources to carry them out are outlined in operation orders (OPORD) in a browser window. Because these scenarios are historical, units and obstacles cannot be re-positions. Still, players must make several decisions before starting the clock. Maneuver units usually have beginning moves plotted but players will probably want to change or elongate them. Changing is a simple matter of clicking and dragging nodes around. Changing from “go" to “no go" is largely a function of terrain and proximity to likely enemy positions. Time and effort can be saved by copying paths to other units; a simple “Paste" duplicates the first path's directions from the second unit's spot while “Paste in Line" has the other units following the first.

Plotting for individual units can allow for more fluid tactics but, once having a path independent of the parent company or platoon, the vehicle cannot receive additional orders until it rejoins its parent. The death of a company commander and his executive officer also scotches further orders until another officer is assigned to the units via the hierarchy table. Individual units in a hierarchy with a formation cannot be plotted independently. The choice of formation depends on terrain and reconnaissance; a column formation is fine for passing through tight spots but bad for defense while the combat-friendly line requires room. The same kinds of deliberations go into assigning orders. Should a unit sprint at first and then be ordered to go into defilade at the first “no-go" node? Should SOP be to engage the enemy at max range on contact or hold fire? Is artillery better used to lay smoke early or save rounds for when the enemy appears? These early decisions can be crucial.

Players should now be ready to start the clock for action. Movement in attack at 1:1 time is very slow so compressing to 2:1 or 4:1 until the enemy is seen keeps the fun level up. Also, players may want to switch between map levels and platoon or vehicle views to get a feel for the most comfortable way to play. Action should begin around five or ten minutes into game time. The AI in The Star and the Crescent is clever so artillery shells or hidden out posts will open up soon. Shell bursts spring up like mushrooms and direct fire tracks will crisscross the map like lightening. Vehicles will go up in smoke or become suppressed, temporarily immobile and unable to receive orders. Players should stop the clock, check the report log to see what's happening and consider such options as units popping smoke and hiding, laying down suppressive fire, modifying paths, dismounting infantry or calling in artillery or close air support. Eventually, some units will have to move out to ascertain the enemy's power the hard way using the 1:1 time scale. Should they meet obstacles like ditches or mines, special units with missions like “Attack to Breach" will be called on to deal with them. Other elements must coordinate with these special units to insure their survival. Changes in order are not implemented instantly; troops and equipment require time to re-orient themselves and this system models the communication lag well.

Once a path has been cleared, firepower should be concentrated at the decisive point and mech units blast through. Making it into the objective may only be half the goal. Units may have to go into defensive postures to beat off counterattacks. Victory is judged on different combinations of surviving friendly units, destroyed enemies and coming in under a time limit. Bypassed hidden enemy units make scenarios tense down to the last minute.

The Star and the Crescent models the technical aspects of warfare quite well. Yet, players will notice factors like morale and troop quality missing.The Israelis had an advantage in these intangibles through all three wars, although the Egyptians were improving in 1973. This lack is partially compensated for by limiting the number of orders and formations available to Arab forces, increasing time lag and susceptibility to suppression but does not address issues of rout and surrender. On the other hand, would a battalion commander consider these factors while planning and executing an attack? Planning and responding to enemy actions is what this product is all about.

In all but two scenarios, players command Israeli forces. Replayablity may seem to be a problem but instructions on “flipping" sides can be found at the ProSim website. The same site will provide instructions on using the game's powerful tool kit and scenario builder. With these applications, players can edit scenarios to taste and create fine new ones. When the AI becomes predictable, games via LAN and TCP/IP will bring in wily human opponents.