From: Doug Murphy Subject: Review: Bloody Kasserine and official errata A few of you asked for this via private email so I thought I'd post it to the list...Bloody Kasserine was published by GDW in 1992, along with its sister Race for Tunis, as an introductory wargame. With the original game concept by John Hill and design work by Frank Chadwick, you would expect to find some interesting ideas in this game. In my opinion, BK largely succeeds as what it is: a relatively simple game on the battles around Kasserine Pass in French North Africa during WW2. You get an 11x17 map, about 100 counters, two identical chart sheets and 2 d6. The counters are large, well designed with setup info on the back (though there's some errata there) representing battalions (w/ co. breakdowns for German mech units) with NATO icons (or tank symbols for the co. breakdowns). Counters contain combat and movement values ( some units have separate def. and attack strengths), unit id, range (for arty), "heavy equipment" units are further separated by a red box around the values. The game lasts 11 turns with the goal for the attacking Germans to capture key game terrain / towns. Each turn is simple: Axis move/fight, Allied move/fight. The rules are generally pretty simple, easy to read and well -laid out but with some quirks: - Units that find themselves in enemy ZOC must attack. And ZOCs don't extend in certain terrain for certain units. A key strategy: force your opponent into situations in which he must retreat or attack you at bad odds. - Allied units pay 2 extra Mps to enter ZOC, while Germans pay only 1. - Stacking allows 3 "maneuver batt." and 1 "support" batt. in a hex. - Terrain affects combat by halving or quartering attackers in certain situations. - A huge hole in the original rules (covered by errata included in most games) is units can't retreat more hexes than their movement allowance - German units can attack a single unit in a stack, tank and recon units can breakdown into co. at any time (including to take losses), can break off an Engaged result and move through ZOC of French and US inf. - Engineers can kill or build bridges. - Arty can't retreat and is halved firing at higher elevations. There's a plethora of combat results on the CRT (on which you roll 2 d6): AE, AR, Contact (nothing happens - except def. must attack), Engaged (no move away, attackers must attack again next turn, can be reinforced), EX, DR 1-4 hexes. The rules are covered in 7 pages, with 7 more pages of hist. commentary and optional rules. The optional rules provide nice chrome: add tac air units, counterbattery fire, simple supply, weather...or are for play balance: reduce the powerful German recon units, place restrictions on German units due to command disputes between von Arnim and Rommel), or add more units of 10 Pz, or lower the enter-ZOC MP for US units to 1 (alleged to be the effect of Patton taking command). This game is tough for the German to win because the terrain favors the defending Allies. But it's very fun in a "traditional" wargame sort of way because you get to set up and follow through on some interesting tactical situations. And I did once win big. In one game, my Allied opponent unexpected struck east to push back the German and Italian inf. screening my German advance, taking two VP towns (and in the process killing my v. effective Stuka), but couldn't pull back enough units in time to stop me from blasting through the Pass and gobbling him up as he pulled back piece-meal fashion. By turn 11, he was down to about 6 batt. and I had suffered practically no losses...The game is playable in one evening or at most two. Errata: Counter setup: US II/26-1 Inf (Bou Chebka 1715); 701 Tank Destroyer (Sidi Bou Zid 1303), 601 Tank Destroyer (Maktar 0311), III/6-1A Armored Inf (Hadjeb el Aioun 0804), US 751 Tank batt (Turn 11, Feb 24). Page 4, ZOC substitute the following: If a unit ends its movement in the ZOC of one or more enemy units, it must attack any and all of those units in the Combat phase. If more than one unit ends its movement in the ZOC of one or more enemy units, all enemy units must be attacked by at least one unit, and each moved unit must make at least one attack. Page 6, Retreats and Advances: A unit must have sufficient movement points to retreat the full number of hexes required by the combat result. If it does not, it is eliminated instead. However a unit may always retreat one hex, even if it has insufficient MP to do so, provided it doesn't enter an enemy ZOC or prohibited terrain. Page 6, German Tac. Expertise, in discussing the break-off option, the word engagement should be specifically understood as the effect of an "engaged" combat result. Doug Murphy