This review first appeared in IPW, the newsletter for all discount games
club members. Contact colin@allusedgames.demon.co.uk for details.

FALL OF MANJUKUO (Grognard Garnes)

This could quite properly be subtitled How Not to Design a Wargame! Fall
of Manjukuo is an operational level simulation of the liberation of
Manchuria by Soviet forces from the occupying Japanese during Ihe
closing days of World War Two. Historically, experienced Soviet
mechanised formations overran a Japanese army comprising of infantry,
light artillery and obsolete tankettes. Despite this obvious one
sidedness, I believe the subject, nonetheless merited a game. In fact,
it still does because, as will be revealed, this offering is a disaster
of huge proportions.

Fall of Manjukuo was an amateur game published back in 1987. Maps were
strictly black and white and unit counters had to be mounted and cut. I
don't know how many games this outfit published in all, but I know of
one other title which, if memory serves, was a naval game entitled
Bismark.

Rather than review this game in my traditional manner of running through
the sequence of play, I am, instead, going to quote from the designer's
notes which, as you will see, say it all. These start by stating, "..the
principles used to design the great games of the past are known. To
design another great game, one needs only to apply the same principles
and have a little bit of luck."

These are given as simple rules, little chrome and short game turns. We
are told that the map should feature a pattern that allows a wide
variety of tactics and lines of approach. Fnally, the number of units
should be large and replacements plentiful.

If we look at this game within these paramcters, it seems to succeed
very well. The rules are remarkably simple, with players taking it in
turns to just move and have combat. Units which start in a rail hex may
move entrained, units may also move between two friendly ports. There is
no chrome whatsoever and a high number of units, but this, sadly,
clashes somewhat with the desire for short game turns. The, so-called,
designer has therefore thoughtfully saved the gamer time elsewhere by
allowing free set up at the start of the game for both sides. This
means, of course, that the entire Japanese army can set up on the border
with Russia if desired - there are no historical set ups or constraints!

The map does succeed in offering not just a variety of lines of
approach, but also variety in terrain as well. Surprisingly, in the
circumstances, it looks reasonably accurate, as does the order of
battle. I am not qualifed to comment on the unit strengths. Whilst he
has clearly applied the principles required to create 'another great
game', I'm afraid that the playing of it shows that the "little bit of
luck' which is also required is sadly lacking in this case. In fact, in
the light of experience, I am forced to say that, in my opinion, the
entire content of the designer's notes is just a lame excuse for not
making much of an effort in the design process.

Another classic quote from the designer's notes reads, "..game designers
talk about all the books they have read as though reading books about
history fitted one for designing a game." Whilst I can have a certain
sympathy with this point of view, I think a little knowledge on the
subject cannot, surely, go amiss? He later goes on to say, "I confess
that I did read a book about the campaign, but only after designing tbe
key parts of the game. There is thus little danger that my game design
has been contaminated by tedious and unnecessary issues of historical
accuracy." So when some other game from this 'designer' is released,
probably entitled The Siege of Constantinople and it plays like the
invasion of France in World War Two, we should be grateful that our
hero, yet again, didn't allow his design to be 'contaminated by
historical accuracy'. Such claptrap defies belief, doesn't it?

Finally, another gem, "..Combat factor analysis is the art of arranging
unit strengths to give interesting patterns, so that battles have some
degree of tactical finesse, rather than being pushing contests." Dear
reader, there are no prizes for guessing what the combats in this game
turn out like.

As I said earlier, the designer's notes speak for themselves.
Unfortunately, what they are saying is the very stuff of the historical
gamers' nightmare - a so called historical military simulation handled
by someone whose interest, apparently, lies anywhere but in history
itself. Whether the perpetrator of this travesty has other more
worthwhile talents, I suspect we shall never know. He has certainly
failed miserably with this title and I can only recommend that the
reader form his own conclusion as to whether this game would make a
worthwhile addition to the collection or not.

Alan Sharif