Benny’s Weblog

BattleLore (2): Another 2 games played.

War of the Ring (2): Went straight to Mt Doom and destroyed the jewelery.

Talisman (2): A luck-fest but kinda fun too.

BattleLore (2): A single game using Lore this time. I’m not sure if Lore adds a great deal to Battlelore, yet to see. There is a little rock-paper-scissors going on.

Powergrid (2): Played with the Benelux map. Reminded me why Powergrid is such a frustrating game to just pick up and play. The rules weren’t entirely clear as to how to select the areas of map and therefore we played incorrectly… again!

die Sieben Siegel (5): A fun little trick taking game, feels a little too traditional for my taste.

No Thanks (5): Chaotic!

Emerald (4): Pretty good game, enjoyed it the most out of all the stuff played.

Tichu (2): Good old Tichu, got completely beaten… again.

Piggy Back (4): Kids game.

Command & Colors Ancients (2): Still the game I continually lose at but always willing to play!

BattleLore (2): Played four times. Excellent fun and I’m really looking forward to playing again.

Duel of Ages (2): We took eight characters each and played on three platters. It’s a hectic game, two hours of play didn’t feel long enough but may be about right for players with a lot of experience. Next time we will probably play to two and a half hours total.

Ardennes ‘44 (2): We only played through the first day of the battle (3 turns). Wow, what a game! I really, really want to play this to completion.

The Russian Campaign (2): Wow, just so much fun. This time around I took the Germans, managed to take Kiev but lost it again right before the sudden death victory check! We’re still in the process of trying to figure out how the Germans can even come close to winning this game! It’s been play-tested by experts for years so we know the game is balanced.

Conquest of the Empire (4): Kind of fun but I prefer Struggle of Empires. Took about four hours to play which is just way too long.

BattleLore (2): Starting to enjoy it more now. There’s enough going on to keep it interesting.

Die Macher (3): I dunno. The game is good but keeping track of phases and turns and orders is a headache for the fun gained.

China(3): Good, short fun but just not meaty enough. Might have to trade it away.

The Russian Campaign (2): Excellent game. The supply rules are a bit screwy and we haven’t yet got a feel for how to cash in on them from an attacking or defensive standpoint. Still, the game has very little chrome but lots of decisions.
Excellent, really looking forward to figuring out the best attacking strategy!

Memoir ‘44 (2): An old favorite, still fun to play a couple of scenarios of this.

Memoir ‘44 - Eastern Front (2): More interesting than the base game is the addition of Russian command rules. Good to re-discover how much fun this game is!

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Movement
- Units must stop before they cross a strait.
- Units may retreat across straits.
- The 2-7 SS Reserve, Army Group HQs, Stavka, Hitler & Stalin units do not add to stacking.
- Infantry, mountain, paratroop do not have to stop in woods hexes.
- HQ units may only operate during the second impulse.
- HQ units may not use rail movement.
- HQ units my use Sea movement on second impulse.
- HQ units may not move into an enemy ZOC unless a friendly unit is present.

Rail
- Rail movement offboard then onboard is allowed on the same friendly board edge.
- A friendly controlled city may be in an enemy ZOC and still support rail movement.
- A player may never use a rail line that is in an enemy ZOC.

- A player controls a rail junction if he was last to occupy it or has it in his uncontested ZOC.
- A junction is also controlled if all rail lines lead to a friendly controlled city, board edge or hex passed through by a friendly unit (with no enemy ZOC on a rail hex in between ).
- Rail junction control can change during movement and combat phases of either player.
- A rail junction is controlled by neither side if it is in both player’s ZOC.
- Junction control impacts rail conversion but not the tracing of supply lines.

- A friendly controlled city may not support rail conversion if it is an enemy ZOC and the rail line in the city hex is not friendly controlled.
- If a player controls a city at the end of his turn and it is not in an enemy ZOC, then the rail line in that city becomes friendly controlled.
- Neither player may use the North edge for offboard rail movement.

Sea
- Any unit which may not move during a particular impulse may not use sea movement.
- The Black Sea/Sea of Azov and the Baltic are two separate areas.
- Sea moves may be conducted at any point in the movement phase.
- Units arriving from the Off-map units box are treated as reinforcements for the purpose of sea movement.
- A sea transfer can be made between friendly ports.
- The German player cannot conduct a sea invasion during the first turn of the game.
- Sea movement between the two seas is not allowed.
- Units can be moved between friendly ports or the Off-Map holding box. One unit may sea move per turn in either impulse.
- Only two sea invasions per player per game.

HQ & Leaders
- Hitler and Stalin may only use first impulse rail movement.
- Russian units defending beyond rivers of May/Jun turn of ‘41 are not doubled in the first impulse.
- Units defending in woods or attacking from woods do not retreat.
- HQ units and Stavka may only move in the second impulse but may use full movement allowance regardless of weather.

Overruns
- With an automatic victory the attackers must stop but other units may move through.
- Russian may not make AV attacks before Jan/Feb ‘43.

Control
- ZOC extends into all adjacent hexes.
- Partisans and leader units( Stalin & Hitler) only project ZOCs in their own hex.
- A player controls a city if he occupies it OR if it is out of enemy ZOC and he was last to occupy it or have it in his uncontested ZOC.
- Control of a city can change during movement or combat resolution of either impulse.
- A city is controlled by neither side if it is vacant and in both player’s ZOC!

General Supply
- To trace General supply, the unit and/or city being traced to may be in an enemy ZOC but the supply line may not.
- During snow months every supply line is reduced to 4 hexes.
- Each friendly unit not in general supply in the end phase is eliminated.
- Supply may be traced to friendly controlled cities.
- Friendly controlled rail hexes can provide supply if a route can be traced to a friendly controlled city or board edge.

Combat Supply
- Combat supply is determined during combat in snow turns of the first two winters.
- Russian and Finnish units always have combat supply.
- During snow turns of the first winter, non-Finish Axis units in Russia have combat supply if they are in a city or adjacent to an Axis controlled city.
- During snow turns of the second winter, Axis units have combat supply if they are in a city or adjacent to an Axis controlled city. They are also supplied if they are adjacent to a hex which is both adjacent to an Axis controlled city and not in a Russian ZOC.

Russian Paratroops
- Paratroops may be dropped during the first impulse of any snow turn.
- Only paratroops that are in the Paratroop Reserve Box may drop.
- Paratroop units in the reserve box may be brought into play on later turns as reinforcements from the East edge.
- When dropped they must be plced within 8 hexes of the Stavka unit.
- Paratroop units may not be dropped in enemy ZOC, woods or mountains.
- They may not move further on the turn they are dropped.
- They need no supplies.
- They cannot b dropped a second time or come back as reinforcements.

Partisans
- Partisans must be placed in an Axis controlled rail or city hex not in enemy ZOC or within 5 hexes of an SS unit.
- Partisans block rail movement and supply through that hex.
- A Partisan occupied city is still a source of Axis supply.

Reinforcements
- Only delayed reinforcements and units that used a sea move may use the Off-Map Units box.
- These units may enter play on any subsequent impulse as reinforcements but do not get free rail movement.
- Reinforcements may enter using sea movement.
- If the initial placement hex is in an enemy ZOC then the unit may move no further that impulse.
- Units arriving in the second impulse may use only their normal second impulse movement.
- If the city specified is enemy controlled or would be forced to violate stacking limits then units must enter from a mapboard edge.
- Rumanian reinforcements start at Bucharest. Hungarian units on the Hungarian rail line at the west edge of the map. Italian units anywhere on the West edge.

SPECIAL
- If the Russians capture Helsinki, the Russian 14th Army enters the game.
- If the Germans capture Archangel, the 36 Dietl Mountain units enter the game.
- Starting 1943, if a Russian unit is moved within 5 hexes of Bucharest, the 15th and 21st Mountain Corps arrive.
- Starting 1944, if a Russian unit is moved to within 5 hexes of Bucharest, the 91st, 97th and 5th SS Mountain Corps arrive in addition to the 15th and 21st.
- Starting in 1944, if Russian unit is 2 hexes from Warsaw, the 4th SS and Herman G units arrive in Warsaw.
- In May 1944, the German player must withdraw two armor corps from play or he loses the game immediately.
- German player must withdraw one German corps in March 45 and one in May 45.

Axis Replacements
- Enter in the same manner as reinforcements.
- Fins enter at Helsinki.
- HQ units enter on the second impulse, others on the first.
- Replacements must be identified before movement.
- German replacements happen in May/Jun of ‘42, ‘43, ‘44.

Russian Replacements
- Russian replacements = worker points + Archangel
- New worker units generate replacements on the turn they enter.
- Worker units may not move once placed.
- Worker units count as combat units for attacking/defending and losses.
- Worker units are always eliminated permanently if taken as a loss in combat.
- Worker units may be placed in any major or minor city in Russia that was Russian controlled at the beginning of the turn and does not already contain a worker unit.
- Commencing Jan/Feb ‘42, Archangel provides an extra 3 factors.
- No archangel replacements are received in ‘45.
- Russian Replacements may enter the game from the east edge as for Reinforcements OR may be placed in any friendly city containing a worker unit.
- Beginning May/Jun 1943, replacement value of all worker units doubles (except Archangel).
- The Stavka may be replaced once per year in Jan/Feb at a cost of 1 replacement factor.

Minor Allies
- Hungary surrenders when 5 or more units in Hungary after supply check in Russian turn.
- Finland and Rumania surrender when their capitals are Russian controlled as above.
- Italy surrenders at the start of Sept/Oct ‘43.
- Finland surrenders at beginning of Axis impulse of Sept/Oct ‘44 unless Leningrad is Axis controlled.

Battle Lore (2): Not a bad game, looking forward to discovering more of the Lore side of the game. Need to get a few scenarios in to start becoming familiar with it.

Die Macher (3): DM played surprisingly well with three. The coalition mechanic seemed to play less of a role but there was still enough going on to make the game tight right to the end. Great stuff!

Age of Steam - Southern England (5): Good old AoS is still going strong. Always fun but one of our players is on a huge winning streak!

Pueblo: A pretty good game and well presented. Really enjoyed it.

Duel of Ages: This was great fun. I’d only played once before, a long time ago. We handed out equipment cards at the start to get into the game early. 4 platters with 8 characters a side. 16 equipment cards dealt out.

Shadow of the Emperor: I’m enjoying this game the more I play, it’s a lot of fun. Many strategic options and paths to victory points. Plays so much better with 3 than 2.

Reef Encounter: Another game going up in my esteem. I went for the quick shrimp eating early strategy but it fell apart when I hadn’t planned my final swallow. One player ate a single tile of my last group knocking it just under the 5-tile swallow restriction. Great fun!

Goa: Fun, but I just don’t get the strategy!

Descent: Journeys in the Dark (4): Not a bad game, basically Doom:The Boardgame set in a fantasy world. The most obvious difference appears to be the ability to collect gold and purchase items. I prefer Doom, I’m not a huge fan of fantasy.

Ricochet Robot (4): Always good fun probably because I win more often than I lose.

Carcassonne: The City (3): It’s just Carcassonne at the end of the day. Not bad but not great. Feels like there may be more strategic decisions but in practice I’m yet to be convinced.

- Units may never move more than once per player turn.
- Axis may designate one Group/Regroup move as Rommel’s move for +1 movement.
- Players can do a Forced March for one extra hex of movement at risk of Disruption.
- Units can only Disengage through Friendly Hexsides.
- Units Disengage, Groups Retreat.
- A Battle Hexside is friendly to the units who last engaged across it.
- If the Active Player passes while he is engaged in a Fortress Hex (and he is the original Attacker), he must Retreat his Force by Withdrawal move. If this is not possible then he must Rout.
- Provisional Losses are always applied and retained until the end of the entire combat round.
- Disrupted units may be Overrun, allowing the attacker to complete his move after the Overrun.
- Fortresses are initially controlled according to the scenario setup deployment areas.
- Allies always get full Port capacity. Axis gets half Port capacity rounded down.
- If a Fortress changes hands, during Buildup that side gets a number of Supply cards equal to the enemy Port capacity.

ASL - To Lose A Battle [U15]: A playtest of an old Squad Leader scenario converted to ASL format. Seemed quite balanced but an 8 hour marathon to play, like many of the old scenarios. The French have very few units, their goal is to slow the Germans down enough to prevent them physically having time to get off the map for a victory. Inevitably the French will be eliminated.

Die Macher (5): Lots of fun but very long for a Euro. If I’m going to spend 4 hours playing a game I would rather it be a wargame to be honest. Still, it’s good every now and then.

Clash of Giants II(2): Operational game set during the First World War. Fun but overly simplistic. The chit draw mechanism is kind of interesting however.