I recently finished a solitaire playing of 3W's "Fury on Champlain" (the Plattsburgh/Lake Champlain campaign, 1814). Once I got past the copious rules, map, and counter errata, it turned out to be a pretty good game. It combines a simple naval system with small fleets sailing and fighting on Lake Champlain with a land game centered on the control of Plattsburgh (the largest town in the area). The British must win the naval war (have at least two combat ships remaining and at least a 2/1 advantage in guns remaining at the end of the game) as well as the land war (control the four hexes of Plattsburgh) to gain the victory. If they accomplish only one of those objectives, the game is a draw, and if they accomplish neither, the Americans win. The naval system seems work fairly well, with rules for navigating the lake (with frequently-changing wind conditions), anchoring, interception of enemy ships, damage repair, and naval combat. One complaint I have is that any sizeable naval battle will require a lengthy combat sequence with lot of die rolls and few player decisions. About the only meaningful choices a player has to make during a naval battle is if/when to retreat and when to turn your ships to bring the other broadside to bear. In my playing, there was one big battle involving the entire naval force of both sides, as I couldn't see any reason to split the fleets and risk defeat in detail. The Americans won, which meant that the best the British could manage would be a draw. Supply is handled simply but effectively: in order to fight at full strength, units must be within three hexes of a supply counter (there are a limited number of these), which must in turn be within three hexes of a road that leads to that side's entry hex (and is free of enemy ZOC). It's enough to give the players a good taste of the supply concerns of the historical commanders, without a lot of tedious rules or bookkeeping. One thing I wonder about is the game's replayability: The victory conditions and the nature of the map would seem to limit the number of viable strategies. The British have to take the town of Plattsburgh (about a third of the way up from the bottom of the map) to win, so you wind up with the Brits moving their forces south (they start at the top of the map) and the Americans north, with a series of battles in and near Plattsburgh to decide the issue. With the limited road net, there are not many avenues of advance for either side, and not very many strategic options, except for naval transport (which can be used to cut off the enemy's supply line, but if he garrisons a few key points, it limits the effectiveness of that particular gambit). The Americans can throw up roadblocks and blow bridges to slow down the British advance. In my game, the British managed to gain a foothold in Plattsburgh, but ran out of time; if the game had gone on for another turn or two, they would have been able to take the rest of the town. I don't know enough about this period of history to make any detailed comments on the game's historical accuracy. From what little I do know, I believe it does a good job putting the players in the position of the historical commanders. They will be faced with the same dilemmas: supply, reliability of militia, trying to move as quickly as possible through difficult terrain (and, for the Americans, trying to impede that movement), and the vagaries of Lake Champlain winds. In summary: A fun game that I wouldn't mind playing again, but maybe not again and again. Randall Favero faverorw@deltanet.com >I recently finished a solitaire playing of 3W's "Fury on Champlain" (the >Plattsburgh/Lake Champlain campaign, 1814). Once I got past the copious >rules, map, and counter errata, it turned out to be a pretty good game. I found a lot of the map errata to be not that meaningful. Most of the "which lake area you enter from" is rather intuitive. Of course, the CRT errata is rather massive, and the game truly is unplayable without it. Thank you, Grognard.com! >The naval system seems work fairly well, with rules for navigating the >lake (with frequently-changing wind conditions), anchoring, interception >of enemy ships, damage repair, and naval combat. One complaint I have is I thought so as well. It's really rather clean and simple, given all that goes on. >that any sizeable naval battle will require a lengthy combat sequence >with lot of die rolls and few player decisions. About the only meaningful True. Realistic, but not a lot of fun. I wonder if in two person play this might be better, as maneuvering and wind conditions might lead to mismatches in force. >Supply is handled simply but effectively: in order to fight at full snip >enemy ZOC). It's enough to give the players a good taste of the supply >concerns of the historical commanders, without a lot of tedious rules >or bookkeeping. One of the game's better features. Logistics on the frontier were a nightmare, and why lake control is so essential. Simple and effective. >One thing I wonder about is the game's replayability: The victory You hit the nail on the head. >British advance. In my game, the British managed to gain a foothold in >Plattsburgh, but ran out of time; if the game had gone on for another >turn or two, they would have been able to take the rest of the town. I find it most useful to march south, and leave the fleet alone. Once you get to the town, there is enough time for the sea fight. >I don't know enough about this period of history to make any detailed >comments on the game's historical accuracy. From what little I do know, I fancy myself an 1812 enthusiast. I find it very historical in feel, and that what is important to you as a gamer was important to the commanders on the scene. >In summary: A fun game that I wouldn't mind playing again, but maybe >not again and again. A very good summary. The system is so useful for this type of action, it seems a shame that there isn't more applications for it. The situation on Ontario might fit. Of course, it doesn't help that this was literally the last game 3W put out. Regards, Pat tippecanoe@netzero.net http://tippecanoe.tripod.com/ Last Played: Great War Spearhead, Lesnika (SGBoH), This Sceptered Isle ---------------------------------------------------- Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinum&refcd=PT97