From: Roberto Chiavini Subject: First review of the week Battle for North Africa (GMT) This is, I suppose, at least the third time that Richard Berg design a different game on the War in Africa 1940-42. After the splendid Desert Fox (you may read my review of it here on Grognard) and the daring, but definitely unplayable Campaign for North Africa, here is an interesting design, that could be considered an updated version of the former (as a project), but probably has a few problems left from the latter (even if the complessive approach for this GMT game is for medium complexity). In a very bright box, with splendid art by Rodger McGowan, you find even more brightful counters and two maps that cover all of North Africa from Egypt to most of Lybia. The first approach to the game is definitely very positive, as the maps and the counters give you an extra will to set up the game and start really soon. As always in a Richard Berg's design you will find something new, peculiar, innovative, or a strange combination of these various aspects: here, you have a game not difficult to learn (but with a convoluted explanation of a few important rules, it seems), but full of great ideas, really a joy to try. Not all these rules seem to work perfectly on the board, but the initial enthusiasm may be contagious. Here you have to different kinds of combat units: the bigger ones, called formation, are the core units, mostly divisions, and are rated for combat, cohesion and movement (they may also have armor and artillery values). The smaller, normal sized units are called assets, and are mostly artillery, antitank and light armor. Then there are HQ units, that are used to better coordinate the movement of the various components of the same division. Each HQs (but for the Italians most of the division sized units) has 2 or more Activation Markers (AMs), that, as in several of Berg's designs since the early '90, are the most important function in the game. Both sides may also have a commander on the field, normally used to achieve coordination among more than one HQs (and could be really important to be able to activate more HQs at the same time to win an important battle), and also to obtain the initiative each turn. The latter is very important, as the player with the initiative may choose one of his AMs to start the turn with. All other AMs bought by each player are put in a cup and blindly drawn, until only one is left: this is not used. HQs so activated may exploit all their functions, making their units move and have combat normally. HQs not activated this way (for various reasons, see below) may move only in the secondary phase, where all the units not already activated on the map may move without entering enemy ZOCs. As each division have normally 2 or even 3 AMs, it's possible to activate the same unit up to three times in a turn. And as movement factors for the motorized units are very high, it's easy to achieve a great territorial gain very fast, if the opponent is not able to block your street. But to use the markers you have to spend your Resource points, that are the core of the system: each action, in fact, from activating an HQ, to taking replacements or reinforcements, to building fortifications, cost 1 or more points (and the rate of accumulation of these much needed resources is terribly low, especially for the Axis player in the first turn of the game). And, another nice design trick, you must announce how many points you want to expend in that turn, before to actually drawing the chits from the cup or putting your reinforcements on the map. So, you must allocate your points very cautiosly, or you risk to delapidate them or not having enough of them when you really need that particular fortification or replacement. Combat is another strange mixture of different system: the attacker rolls a die, adding several differential, and the result affects both the attacker than the defender. Differential to the dice are made by the odds ratio, difference in armor and/or artillery support, concentric attack, isolation (supply, as it must be in a game on the Africa campaign, is decisive in establishing the sort of the war, but this time the system designed by Berg is easier to use and understand that the ones used before), terrain. Results may vary from Cohesion checks to total elimination (with unit reductions and retreats in between). There are several scenario, a couple one map, but mostly needing all the two maps stretched one after the other for the short sides. I've tried the 1940 one-map scenario and I have obtained an unexpected victory for the Italians, that have reached mid Egypt by the end of the scenario, without serious defeats in the meantime. It's possible that I may have misunderstood a few rules, but the game seems balanced and I would be able to have the time and the space to try the campaign game, beacause I like this game, even if the few of the rules that seemed so exciting on the chart, are not so anymore when you try them: for example, the combat system seems too bloody and destructive and it's almost impossible to use a fighting retreat as an option. Reinforcement and replacement rules are not explained too well and I wasn't sure of how many RPs I have to expend to put the units on the map or to move the replacements one box on the Refit chart. But all in all the game convinced me. It's another little gem by Richard Berg, a game that you need to have in your collection, even if you already have Desert Fox (that is better, but dated) or other strategic games on this war. I rate the game 7 in a 1-10 scale.