From: "tomwilde" Subject: item for web-grognards Here's a post I wrote on CSW about Schutze Games' 'Somalia' that might be worth adding to the 'Somalia' listing on grognards. Yours Tom Wilde >>> I've recently played Somalia with my student wargames club (a.k.a. the STAGs); they loved the first part of the game (the famine) but it is *very* tough for the UN to get anywhere if the bandits keep hitting them with critical hits. The UN team abandoned their mission to Somalia after about 9 turns. They were way behind and although the US military was helping them to catch up it was a distant prospect! This was fine when playing solitaire - it seems to reflect the impossible situation the UN/US forces were actually in - but for more competitive play (at a cost in accuracy) I would change the critical hit rule and not allow the bandits to take the initiative every time. Suggested changes. 1. Initiative. Each operations phase is divided up into 'impulses'. Before either side can conduct an operation, each player rolls 1d6. The player with the higher die roll wins the initiative for that impulse and can conduct a mission or pass to the other player. Bandits win ties. If both players pass or are unable to conduct further missions, the ops phase ends. 2. Critical hits. If the bandits score a CH, roll 1d6: if the result is *equal to or less than* the CH number, the UN is confined to base and the bandits automatically have the initiative for the next impulse. (If they don't inflict another CH on the UN/US in that impulse, roll for initiative as usual.) [An alternative would be that only those UN/US units who suffered the CH would be confined to base, but that this effect lasts for the rest of the ops phase.] If the UN/US inflict a CH, roll 1d6: if it is *less* than the CH number, the penalties listed in the rules are applied (either the bandits gain 1VP or they can recruit a new bandit gang at random). Examples. 1. It is the Ops Phase. Both players roll for initiative for the first impulse. The bandits roll 4, the UN 6. The UN wins the intitiative for that impulse and performs a mission. Then both players roll for initiative for the next impulse. This time both roll a 2. As the bandits win ties, they may now conduct a mission. 2. In their mission, the bandits inflict a CH3 result on a UN force. They roll a 3. As this is *equal to or less than* 3, the UN units are confined to base and the bandits automatically have the intiative for the next impulse. [OR: that specific UN force is confined to base for the rest of the Ops Phase, and may not take part in any missions.) 3.The UN player inflicts a CH4 result on a bandit faction and then rolls a 3. As this is *less than* the CH number, the bandit player can either add 1VP or recruit a new gang. Brian Train - 03:48pm Dec 11, 2003 PST (#263 of 264) "There ain't no Devil, there's just God when He's drunk." - Tom Waits Yeah, Stefan, deep breath here. Simple solution. Updated rule: ** 6.3 Critical Hits (@). If the UN player is firing on the RAF Table and scores a @ result, then the Bandit player gains 1 extra VP and may add one unit to his forces (draw new unit at random). (This represents civilian casualties from excessive firepower or irate Somalis taking sides as a result.) If the Bandit player is attacking the UN player and scores a @ result, then the UN player may not conduct any Flush or Development missions in that Zone for the rest of the turn. He may still place Convoys and detail units to Escort them. ** Better? I take Tom's comments above about the original rule being one to point out the impossible situation the UN/US forces were in. Such was my intention in designing this game. Some of you might recall that SPI put out a game in Strategy & Tactics called South Africa where it was impossible for the "White" player to win over the Black Nationalists - people played it anyway.