From: Doug Murphy Subject: Review: S&T 175 Germania (long) I received this earlier in the week, but wanted to wring out a scenario or two before sharing this info with you. S&T 175 continues a heartening trend of Decision Games providing an excellent magazine-with-a-game-in-it. Features in this issue: a nice article on the Roman campaigns beyond the Rhine by game designer and editor-in-chief Joe Miranda, a detailed look at Operation Iron Hammer, the Luftwaffe's plan for a bombing campaign against the USSR by RIchard Muller; a good overview on The Moguls by Bryan Booker, Fighting Light (1806 Edition) about Fr light infantry at Jena (and the Prussian response) by Lt. Col. Wilbur Gray (Ret.); Reform or Modernization (of the Nap-era Prussian army) by Brig. Gen. Raymond E. Bell Jr. (Ret.); an overview of Operation Pegasus in Vietnam by Perry Moore and the usual departments. Plenty of somewhat decently edited text. While S&T is nowhere near the standards of Command magazine in terms of design or copy, this issue against the low standards of those published by 3W and the early DG is not bad. The game: Germania, completes the series on the Roman Empire by Miranda which began with Trajan, continued through Roman Civil War and Caesar in Gallia and covers, as it's title suggests, the Roman campaigns beyond the Rhine in early 1st century. Two scenarios in fact: cover Varus and Germanicus' campaigns. As the fourth game in this series, the series rules are now mightly firmed up. The map, in the same bizzare Ptolematic fashion of its predecessors by Joe Youst contains all the necessary info (charts, tables, etc.) need to play the game and mates fairly neatly with Gallia and RCW although there are some terrain differences. Indeed, the playing area takes up only half the entire 22 x 34 map. 280 counters with relatively clear iconic symbols. 13 pages of rules and 1 random events chart bound in the text. So unlike many S&T games, you neither have to photocopy anything (less the events chart I guess) nor continually flip the pages to find tables, et al. As an aside, this issue also happily contains counters and rules to add the Ottoman empire to the 30 Years War game. As has been mentioned in the past, this system is very solitaire playable with phased activities and chit play which in this game is very straightforward. Units contain a combat strength, discipline class ranging from Imperator thru Vet, Recruit, Mob and Barbarian, and move allowance. One rolls on the events table, then the Roman turn sees that player choose a number of strategem chits equalling his supreme leader's rating, recruit and upgrade units, move, fight, supply. Then the Barbarian performs the same actions. I also recommend using all the advanced rules as Ty would say, it is both manly to do so and adds immensely to the game. The Strategem chits are the heart of the game. One uses them to enhance movement, combat, force march, intercept opponents, retreat before combat, recruit tribes, force or negate defection of enemy tribes, check out certain enemy hexes and attempt to assassinate enemy leaders. Leader counters have ratings which equal the number of chits a player can play during a turn. Chits move from Ready to Available to Expended map boxes. Forces roll against a march table to move and fight enemies in the same hex. Higher roll gets tact superiority and goes first. Losses are not simultaneous. First round is missle combat, then assault with heavier units, and finally pursuit. One rolls on a relatively straightforward CRT losing either combat strength points or making discipline rolls which could lead to disruption. Double disruption equals elimination. Cities can be garrisoned, besieged, go into revolt, or even be founded anew by the Romans. One can move and fight by sea. Barbarian units belong to one of three differently colored tribes which can change allegiance in the advanced games Advanced rules cover tribute (which forces/negates allegiance), limited intellgence, supply and attrition, pillage, promoting Roman units, founding colonies, forced march, intercepting enemy forces, attacking from march, vexillations and an optional tribal mobilization (don't bother). Scenario 1 covers Varus' disastrous campaign. This one is scary. In a solitaire game playing primarily the Roman, I was hard pressed to escape Arminius. The Roman settlements are too far out from the Rhine to defend individually and it is very difficult to go after the Barbarian tribal centers. So you either are attrited to death on a gradual retreat or as I did, fall spectacularly in a climactic battle. Scenario 2 is more fun for the Romans as they are better configured but dangerous as well. Germanicus goes after the German-held areas and lost Eagles (a separate unit). Enjoy! Gives you the feeling of romping after those barbarians! Doug Murphy From: Doug Murphy Subject: More S&T 175 Germania Some quibbles still. A glaring one involves the counters: are the Barbarian levy infantry 10-B-3 as says the rules or 10-B-4 as says the counters? I would have been nice to have an abbreviated sequence of play on the map -- a nice touch is the Barbarian tribes status track -- enables you to tell at a glance who has declared for whom or hasn't. Don't forget the various doublings and undoublings of units in certain combat phases and terrain. As you can guess, tactical superiority -- who goes first in combat -- is all important. Your most important unit IMHO as a Roman is your engineers who allow you to speed (relatively) on your way through most terrain. Stay out of the bloody forests. Re Scenario 1: Teutobergiensis Saltus Most action takes place in one part of the map. Varus begins scattered in camplets of 3 units or less in a shallow salient from the Rhine and its accompanying line of Roman settlements. Arminius and his minions has the great advantage of being able to start with massive force, set up within a Roman-occupied hex, and with strategem markers ready to use. Playing strictly according to the victory conditions, the Barbarians win if four settlements are taken and 3 legions lost; Varus has to hang onto the settlements and ten tribal center hexes. We have played several games of this scenario and while it's relatively easy for both Barb and Rome to hold onto the minimum number of settlements, it's altogether easy to lose those legions. Varus must desperately collect his forces and head for the Rhine. Arminius has a very good chance of defeating most of the detachments in detail. As you can guess, trying to hang onto the legions often sees the rapid attrition of the swifter auxiliaries and lighter troops. The impeditus (supply train et al) also can slow one down. We've tried a number of strategies: trying to hold up in Aliso or Colonia Germanae and win out a siege, gathering Varus, the 3 legions and the engineer and running full tilt for the Rhine settlements, using the rest as bait. It's also easy to lose everything as Arminius crushes the mobile Roman units and then is helped by Roman player panic to methodically take one settlement after another -- although lack of siege equipment will usually defeat this. Re Scenario 2: Germanicus This is the opposite situation. The Romans start in very strong groups. Its not quite a bug hunt though, as the Barbarians in this scenario are still pretty strong and usually take up the captured Eagles (key to Roman victory) and run for the interior, trying for battle on their own territory. If Germanicus isn't careful, he can be (as I was) caught off-guard by a big battle. Anyone who has played one of the myriad of "Fall of Roman Empire" games will recognize the situation in Germania. The hordes are coming and have got to be stopped. Miranda's take on this design certainly gives one the impression that Germania was never meant to be anything more than a sort of buffer zone -- wild territory full of hostile tribes -- and if the Romans went onward to colonize the east, it would've been just so much more of a harder fall farther from home as it were. Doug Murphy