Fortress Europa Designer Signature Edition 2019 - solo suitability 7/10 - Compass Games
OOP: Out of Print. Last items in stock."Commands & Colors: Ancients depicts warfare from the Dawn of Military History (3000 BC) to the opening of the Middle Ages (400 AD). Quite an ambitious undertaking for one game, yet Commands & Colors by design is a unique historical game system which allows players to effectively portray stylized battles from this time in history. The 15 battles, showcased in the scenario booklet, although stylized, focus on important terrain features and the historical deployment of forces in scale with the game system. The battles include Bagradas, Cannae, and Zama."
"The scale of the game fluctuates from battle to battle. For some scenarios, an infantry unit may represent a legion of fighters, while in other scenarios a unit may represent just a few brave warriors. But the tactics you need to execute conform remarkably well to the advantages and limitations inherent to the various units, their weapons, terrain and time."
"Unlike its older brother, Battle Cry by Avalon Hill (Hasbro), Commands & Colors: Ancients is moderately more complex and contains additional historical details without the battlefield clutter. Most scenarios will still play to a conclusion in less than an hour."
"The command card system, drives movement, creates a true fog of war and presents both challenges and opportunities. There are four types of command cards: Leadership cards, Section cards, Troop cards and Tactic cards."
"The battle dice system resolves all combat efficiently and quickly. Each battle die has one Light, one Medium, one Heavy, one Leader, one Flag and one Swords symbol."
"The game mechanics, although simple, will still require strategic card play, historical tactics, timely dice rolling, and an aggressive yet flexible battle plan, to achieve victory."
On the morning of August 16th, 1870 at the Gravelotte crossroads outside the fortress of Metz, Napoleon III, Emperor of the French Second Empire, turned over command of the Army of the Rhine to a reluctant Marshal Francois Achille Bazaine. The Army of the Rhine, the last intact field army and already the last hope for France during the two-week old Franco-Prussian War, was gathered around the protection of the Metz fortress complex. The Prussian I and II Armies were sweeping forward, hot on the heels of the retiring French.
But poor weather and a disorganized cavalry screen allowed the French army to break contact with the pursuing Prussians. Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of the Prussian General Staff, instructed his armies to wheel south of the fortress, cross the Moselle River and attempt to catch the French in flank. The only problem with this plan was – where were the French? The resulting two-day campaign produced some of the more remarkable battles in military history – the Battles of Mars-La-Tour and Gravelotte-St. Privat. These two battles produced over 60,000 casualties, with each army suffering equally. Both battles had significance not only for the Franco-Prussian War, but for the course of European history. In fact, Otto von Bismarck remarked at Versailles in January 1871: “What is certain beyond argument is that the war – and with it the future of Europe – was decided at Mars-la-Tour on 16 August 1870.”
"It will cost what it will!" - Adalbert von Bredow, immediately before he led the famous "Deathride" of the Prussian 12th Cavalry Brigade at the Battle of Mars-La-Tour.
"Put yourself on the road to Verdun as soon as possible. On no account compromise the army." - Napoleon III's last order to Marshal Bazaine
At Any Cost: Metz 1870 is a game simulating the situation west of the Metz fortress during those few days of August 1870. The game is designed to be a playable, two-player brigade-scale game that allows players to experience the unique tactical warfare matchups that characterized fighting during the Franco-Prussian War.
This era, though generally overlooked in the gaming industry, is a fascinating study in Napoleonic tactics (and uniforms) slamming head-on into modern killing technology. The Prussian military juggernaut is armed with the new steel Krupp breach-loading artillery pieces that far outclassed the French guns. Prussian doctrine, adapted to the lessons learned during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, allowed junior officers to exercise initiative and aggressiveness. The French army, meanwhile, was armed with the modern and deadly Chassepot rifle, a firearm so advanced that many argue its deployment alone should have won the war for the French. In addition, the French army was now equipped with their ultimate secret weapon - the Mitrailleuse, which was the first machinegun used en masse. Moreover, the game system makes clear that the French soldier, despite misconceptions to the contrary, fought valiantly during these battles. By all rights, they could have – and should have – won many of these engagements. But leadership, morale and tenacity won the day for the Prussians.
All these factors are seamlessly embedded into the At Any Cost game system and players will be challenged to utilize their advantages and minimize their disadvantages throughout the game. Will YOU as the Prussian player be able to withstand an early severe numerical disadvantage and use the brave audacity of the Prussian soldier and artilleryman to win the day? Can YOU as the French player overcome the lethargic and uninspired command structure of the Army of the Rhine and allow your tough and well-equipped infantry to fight unhindered?
At Any Cost: Metz 1870 also features the Blind Swords chit-pull system which emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of military conflict: fog-of-war, friction-of-war and fortunes-of-war. With each chit pull, players will be challenged to make tough decisions based on their assessment of the current situation. Unlike traditional chit-pull mechanisms, the Blind Swords system ensures that no combat units can be counted on, or conversely, counted out. This yields an environment of tense action and constant surprises – an environment that will challenge each player.
UNITS
All brigades and artillery groups of both the French Army of the Rhine and the Prussian First and Second Armies that took part in these actions are represented in the Order of Battle. Each Strength Point equals 600 infantrymen, 450 cavalry troopers, 3 heavy artillery pieces or 4 light artillery pieces. In addition, units have a Cohesion Rating, representing the unit’s morale, training and experience plus a Movement Allowance.
SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS
Combat and Cohesion System: The combat system is “firepower” based and utilizes the unit’s size and Cohesion Rating to determine its effectiveness. The combat system is driven by a two-D10 dice mechanic. Two differently-colored dice are rolled simultaneously. The first (colored) die generates an initial result and the second (white) die simultaneously informs the players of any physical casualties suffered by the unit and any morale effect of the enemy’s fire. The assault combat system uses a differential mechanism and results in a more dynamic combat outcome.
Orders System: A player must first choose one of four possible Orders that an activated Brigade will operate under – Attack, Defend, March or Regroup. Each Order has specific parameters that provide benefits and restrictions. This Order choice can be critical to a unit’s performance during its activation.
Chit-Pull System: The Blind Swords chit-pull system generates challenging actions and difficult decisions for both players. It features three different types of chits, all of which reside in the same cup, each with special effects:
Prussian Strategic Movement: In order to add player input into the strategic off-map movement of the approaching Prussian forces, some scenarios offer the opportunity to use the unique hidden Prussian Strategic Movement system. This involves the Prussian player openly moving units on a special point-to-point map whose results, nevertheless, are hidden from the French player. This will vary where and when the Prussian forces arrive on the map. However, the system is set up so that even the Prussian player cannot be assured of the arrival time or the content of his forces. There will be a solitaire friendly version of this feature, as well.
MAP
The map is 22” x 34” hexagonal map of the entire west of Metz. Each hex equal approximately 500 yards and contains all the significant terrain details – elevations, slopes, woods, towns, quarries etc.
SCENARIOS
The game will include at least five scenarios:
COMPONENTS
Suitability and Scale
DESIGNER: Hermann Luttmann
DEVELOPER: Fred Manzo
Cataclysm: A Second World War is a quick-playing game about politics and war in the 1930s and 40s, designed for two to five players. The three primary ideologies of the time contend to impose their vision of order on the world. The Fascists (Germany, Italy, and Japan) seek to overthrow the status quo, which favors the Democracies (France, the United Kingdom, and the United States), while the Communists (the Soviet Union) look for opportunities to storm the global stage.
Not Your Father’s Panzer Pusher
Cataclysm is unapologetically a game of grand strategy. Military pieces have no factors or ratings. The capability of your forces increases as you shift the commitment of your economy from civilian to military production. Land, air, and naval forces all have their role in prosecuting war. There is no Combat Results Table; instead, battles are resolved by opposed die rolls with a limited number of modifiers capturing the most important operational effects. The area map emphasizes political boundaries, drawing attention to strategically critical territory, encouraging players to think in broad terms of resource acquisition, control of border states, and the perception of power as the arms race plays out.
Geopolitics and The Clever Use of Flags
Flags are the currency of political capital in Cataclysm. Nations earn flags through public mandate or provocation by opposing powers. Spending this political capital is subject to the effectiveness of your power, which determines how easily you can implement your policies. Readying for war requires you to increase your commitment, straining the stability of your government. You can offset this by using propaganda to shore up your position. You can form strong alliances with friendly powers, or use diplomacy to sway your neighbors to your side. You may need to pressure reluctant partners into taking action. Manage your political actions to suit your goals, but be wary of provoking your opponents, allowing them to earn flags in reaction.
A Continuous Flow of Action
There is no sequence of play. Instead, Cataclysm relies upon a strategic chit pull system that randomizes the order of not only your actions, but also the appearance of newly built combat units. This creates riveting tension that keeps players involved at all times. Random crisis events will upset plans, as well as signal the approach of the end of the turn. Not all is governed by luck. Players can use their reserve to carefully time important moves. Each side faces unique challenges managing its political, military, and economic resources in the face of constant uncertainty. Without long-term planning, any crisis can turn into chaos.
A Sandbox Spanning Two Decades
The full game of Cataclysm covers the entire globe and runs from 1933 to 1950. The extensive playbook includes several additional scenarios allowing for a range of theatres and start points. Special rules account for Appeasement, the Chinese Civil War, Lend Lease, the Atomic Bomb, the Great Purge, Dreadnought Refits, etc. Great care has been taken to allow a different but plausible alternate history to unfold with every play.
Scale
Armies are groups of 25-35 divisions, approximately 250,000 to 500,000 men.
Fleets are 2-4 capital ships with attendant lighter ships and escorts.
Air Forces are roughly 1500-2500 aircraft of all types.
Turns are 2 years long, with multiple opportunities to act.
Scenarios range from 60 minutes, to 5 or 6 hours for the full game.
Components
Complexity: Game processes are generally simple, but novel even for experienced game players.
Solitaire Suitability: There are no hidden elements to hinder solitaire play, but no solitaire-specific rules.
Designers: William Terdoslavich and Scott Muldoon
Developer: Kevin Bernatz
Combat Commander: Europe is a card-driven board game covering tactical infantry combat in the European Theater of World War II. One player takes the role of the Axis (Germany) while another player commands the Allies (America or Russia). These two players will take turns playing one or more “Fate” cards from their hands in order to activate his units on the mapboard for various military functions.
Players attempt to achieve victory by moving their combat units across the game map to attack their opponent’s combat units and occupy as many objectives as possible. The degree to which a player succeeds or fails is measured by a scenario’s specific “Objective” chits, the destruction of enemy units, and the exiting of friendly units off the opponent’s board edge.
A game of Combat Commander is divided into several measures of Game Time. There is no sequence of play to follow, however: each Time segment is divided into a variable number of Player Turns, each of which may consist of one or more Fate Card "Orders" conducted by the active player. Fate Card "Actions" may generally be conducted by either player at any time. "Events" — both good and bad — will occur at random intervals to add a bit of chaos and uncertainty to each player’s perfect plan.
SCALE: Each hex of a Combat Commander map is roughly 100 feet of distance (about 30 meters). Each complete Player Phase abstractly represents several seconds of real time. Each complete measure of Game Time abstractly represents several minutes of real time.
Each unit in the game is approximated as either a single Leader, a 5-man Team, or a 10-man Squad. Radios — and individual weapons larger than a pistol, rifle or BAR — are represented by their own counters.
Combat Commander: Volume II - Mediterranean (or CC:M) is the expansion to Combat Commander: Europe ("CC:E"). CC:M's main theme is the addition of three new "nationalities" to the Combat Commander family:
This second module in the Combat Commander Series includes units, cards, and scenarios depicting the fighting forces of these nations.
FATE CARDS: As for Germany, Russia and America in CC:E, each of the new nationalities has its own 72-card Fate Deck highlighting its historical strengths and weaknesses (marksmanship for the British, giving them fewer shots but of higher quality; a higher likelihood of surrender for broken Italian units; quality Orders, Actions and Events for the French but saddled with only a "1" discard capability; etc.).
CC:M's Playbook will include the following:
Combat Commander is one of those rare exceptional values in wargaming - one that can be revisited time and time again, each with a new tale to tell.
NOTE: Combat Commander: Mediterranean is not a stand-alone game. You will need to own Combat Commander: Europe in order to play it.
Components:
Command & Colors Ancients - Expansion 2 and 3: Rome vs Barbarians; The Roman Civil Wars (2nd printing)
Command & Colors Ancients Expansion 6 Spartan Army
