On Tue, 27 Aug 2002 20:04:56 -0700 Andrew Walters writes: > > Anyone tried this? I've only read about it, but it looks like an > interesting mix of the block wargames and the card-driven wargames. > > I'm curious how it actually plays... > > Andrew Yep, tried the "early" scenario last week, took about 3 hours including head-scratching time as it was our first game. Good game - the rules are on line at the Columbia website. Map is divided into areas. Each turn both players get 5 cards with either a number or an event. The numbers let you activate all the blocks in that many areas (1, 2, or 3) to move/fight while the events are, well, events (resupply, naval move, etc.). Thus a turn goes for 5 "rounds" unless both players play events, in which case the turn ends early - a nice feature as you're never sure a turn will go all 5 rounds. Movement is generally 2 areas, though some units (cav) can move 3 areas, a few can move by sea. Border-crossing limits (either 2 units or 6 units) make it difficult to move huge armies about. It's slow crossing from England to Scotland so it takes some time to build a significant English force. Combat is "Victory-like" in that units fire in order (A units, then B's, then C's). The number needed to hit varies from 1 (scrubs) to 4 (kings). A four-step King Edward, who fires first (being an A unit) and hits on 1-4 is potent force. At the end of the year, blocks in an area above and beyond the limit that the area can support over the winter are eliminated. Only certain types of English blocks can overwinter in Scotland. Units with the King can ignore this restriction and exceed the support limit (but not 2 turns in a row) so we saw several campaigns where the King lead a mighty force into Scotland over a 2 year span. Interestingly, the English King is not among the types of that can overwinter in Scotland, so after his second year in the field he goes back into the box and the English player starts hoping to "recruit" him back soon. In the mean time, the Scottish come storming back... So it goes. About half the blocks are nobles - they're duplicated as they may either fight for England or Scotland (thus only 1 of a noble's blocks is in play at any time). Nobles switch sides if defeated in combat or if there are enemy blocks in the noble's home area when they "go home" for winter. You (basically) by having the majority of nobles under your control at game's end. After winter is resolved, blocks rebuild a number of steps equal to the support level of the area they're in. England "recruits" troops by randomly drawing half of the out-of-play blocks and starting them off (at full strength) in England. Blocks come and go a lot in this game, and a lot of territory changes hands. Our game saw Scotland make 2 huge pushes south, sweeping English blocks from the board and the second time threatening England herself (Scottish blocks in England is a bad thing for the English). The English made 2 mighty marches north under Edward I, never eliminating the elusive Wallace but ending the game ahead when the final noble-count was made. Bob Titran rmt66@juno.com Last 3 played - Mere Matter of Marching, Napoleonic Wars, Hammer of the Scots ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.