Dave Shaw
dshaw62197@home.com
Assault on Sevastopol
(Special Edition #1)

Assault on Sevastopol is a very small, very simple game simulating the
German attack on the Russian Black Sea fortress in the summer of 1942.
This is one of the smallest wargames I've ever seen - 40 counters, one
8x11-and-half map, one sheet of charts and tables, and four pages of
rules. The game's premise is straightforward: the German player must
push the Russians back past an objective line west of Sevastopol itself; the
Russian player must prevent this to win.

Intended as an "introductory" level game to interest newcomers, AoS is a
fair game for teaching novices. With only the most basic rules of
general wargaming applied, this game offers a fundamental look at the
structure of wargames. It's not a particularly attractive game, with generic
unit counters and a bland map. However, there's enough here to at least get a
newcomer interested.

Whether it would bring that newcomer back, however, is debatable. The
game really doesn't have much replay value (even for a novice), and
lacks a real appeal that might entice someone to look at other games. Unlike
other "introductory" games (like some of the AH "classics," for example), AoS
just doesn't have much going for it -- while the simulation of Germany's
attack on Sevastopol is well-represented, it doesn't have much (for lack
of a better word) personality.

In its defense, AoS is a great game for experienced gamers to get in a 
quick fight: the rules can be read, the game set up and played in less
than a half-hour for most grognards. With such a short playing time, it's
possible to switch sides and see if you can win as both the Germans and
the Soviets, and still have time for dinner.

Still, while AoS is a good example of how wargames are played, it just
doesn't have much to offer on why wargames are played.  My suggestion?
Use AoS as a tool to show a novice the more difficult to understand
aspects of wargaming, then get out a copy of Afrika Korps to show how wargames
can be fun.