Below is the fifth part of the series regarding “Why We Do What We Do in The Last Hundred Yards.” This article deals with Tactics. Enjoy!
Why We Do What We Do in LHY: Tactics
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Monthly Archives: April 2019
The Arjuna Chronicles #1: An Intro to Gandhi’s Arjuna System
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Gandhi ships soon and includes a brand new Solitaire system, called Arjuna, that replaces the flowcharts that have become a staple of the COIN Series. Players who play COIN Solitaire have asked many questions about how the system works – and don’t fear! – COIN Series Developer Jason Carr is here to walk through the design, ergonomics, and play of Arjuna. This installment serves as an overall introduction to the system and outlines some of the changes you can expect to see when you open the box for the first time.
Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea: An Example of Competition Resolution
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Introduction
When I was first introduced to Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea by its Designers (Chris Vorderbruegge and Mark McLaughlin) one of its facets which held immediate appeal was that conflict/battles in this game, called “Competitions”, DID NOT INVOLVE ANY DICE ROLLNG!!
I’ve been a gamer for decades, since playing my first wargame, Avalon Hill’s D-Day 1961, and for all that time have been plagued by strange dice-rolling. One of my Rockland Guys gaming buddies, Stephen, had a great tee shirt for when we attended conventions: it had in big letters the saying “I win on anything but a one… ARGHHH!” Yup, that’s a gaming garment I’m in great sympathy with.
When Mark and I were play-testing Kutuzov; one of the games in The Napoleonic Wars series, there was a memorable game when my French invaders took eighty-five (85!) dice rolls to take out a two value Russian border fortress. Those of you familiar with the Nappy game series should appreciate what a game-losing feat that was!
So, although there’s still “luck with cards” in Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea… at least there’s no dice rolling to contend with!
There is a wealth of information concerning this game within InsideGMT. There are After-Action-Reports with explanations of the game’s cards and Civilizations (each with its special attributes) as well as a rendition of its “near final” map. But until this article, discussion of the actual mechanics of resolving a Competition was lacking.
This is hopefully now remedied and those gamers, like me, who dread taking dice in hand, can take heart instead.
Normandy ’44 Campaign AAR Part VI: June 19th-20th
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The Invasion So Far…
After linking the beaches, the US Army landed two more divisions, the 30th and the 79th Infantry. The former subbed in for the 82nd Airborne which took a lot of casualties in the fighting around Carentan. The latter is forming up between the 1st and 2nd Infantry divisions so greater firepower can be brought to bear against St. Lo. The British Army has also landed more infantry (the 15th and 53rd Divisions) since 50th, 51st an 3rd Canadian have taken a beating while fighting the SS troops in their sector.
The Significance of Dice Rolling Probability in Hitler’s Reich
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After having played about ten games of Hitler’s Reich, I still find it difficult to really categorize this game into a particular niche. I cannot state if it’s a card driven game, for it is a game which has lots of cards to it; but does not fall into the tradition of most CDG’s. I can state that it is a game where many dice are thrown, for it is, in fact, the game during which I have thrown the most dice in my life (and that is saying something!).
A Brief Example of Fire Resolution in The Last Hundred Yards
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The following article shows a brief example of how Fire Resolution works in The Last Hundred Yards. Enjoy!
Tank Duel Scenario 2: Hold the High Ground – Round 10
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Lowering his head, the Commander slumps back into the gulley – this battle is lost. He has failed to take the high ground, and worse – the Germans have a commanding view of the field of battle, and are moving up additional tanks and infantry to secure their lines.
“Get ready to fall back, we need to get out of here!” He shouts to his crew. They grab the wounded driver and slowly and carefully make their way back to some better cover. Tanks are retreating, the battle is lost. Soon they leave their cover and continue their way back to the rear as darkness falls. Tired, bruised and demoralized, they stumble along until finally reaching a first aid station. The driver is conscious but needs blood; the rest of the crew is essentially uninjured.
The Commander leaves his men and makes his way back to HQ to debrief the General. How to tell him that he lost the battle? He will be lucky to survive this meeting…
Enemies North, West, and South: Playing Maria Theresa in Clash of Sovereigns
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Who’s in the Hot Seat in COS? Without a doubt, it’s Austria! Maria Theresa and the Austrians face daunting tasks the entire game – for most of it, you’re fighting a three front war – a distressingly focused, but intermittent Prussia to the north, a consistently powerful France to the west, and a lesser but occasionally highly menacing effort by France/Spain down in Italy. The Austrian player probably has the most exciting role in the game – hanging on in Austria up to ’43, counter-offensives west in ‘44-48, repeated tantalizing opportunities in Italy, balanced by yet more large doses of hanging on in the Austrian Netherlands from ‘44-48! The Austrian role is very similar to that of the Prussians in Clash of Monarchs; beset on all sides by foes throughout the game (Austrian, Russian, French/Imperial), but never out of it, thanks to their worthy army and leaders.
Normandy ’44 Campaign AAR Part V: June 16th-18th
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The Invasion So Far…
The US Army successfully took Carentan and linked the Omaha and Utah beaches. More infantry will be needed as the front continues to expand deeper into the boccage. The British Army has landed more tanks and expanded their front line. Joining as reinforcements are the 11th Armoured Division and the rest of the 4th Armoured Brigade to help make up for losses sustained by the 7th Armoured Division, 8th Armoured Brigade and 27th Armoured Brigade. They were added to the front lines to complement the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade and the Guards Armoured Division.
Secrets of the South Pacific – Part 1
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Strategies for South Pacific: Breaking the Bismark Barrier Scenario in Empire of the Sun
The South Pacific Scenario was initially released in C3i Magazine #30 in late 2016. It was also integrated into the 2nd Edition/2nd printing (or 3rd Printing) of the Empire of the Sun base game that was released in Feb 2019. At the World Boardgaming Championships last year (2018), it was added into the Empire of the Sun tournament event and was very well received. The attendance for the event more than doubled from the previous year and many attendees took the time to discuss the scenario at length after playing it for the first time.
It’s getting a lot of attention and play time for a couple of key reasons. One, this scenario uses the base game rules without modification, so experienced Empire of the Sun players can get a quick fix of the game in less than 3 hours. And two, the scenario significantly lowers the barrier to entry for new players by presenting a relatively simple and focused scenario for Empire of the Sun.
With all this table time, strategies have started to emerge that highlight the fact that although the scenario focuses only on small section of the base game map, it still fully carries its depth. The next (or first) time you sit down with this game, these strategy secrets should help propel you to success.
Each section will open with a brief discussion on the objectives that both sides will be looking to accomplish during that turn followed by some detailed tips to help highlight advantage. Note also that I’ll be discussing South Pacific strategy as it is played at a tournament. Meaning, all draw conditions are considered a Japanese victory.