Command 32: Bunker Hill: A Dear Bought Victory ============================================== Bunker Hill: A Dear Bought Victory is a game of one of the most well-known battles in American history and produced by XTR Corporation in Command Hobby Supplement 32 (Jan-Feb 1995). The game is a two-player simulation of the first organized engagement of the American Revolution and is a direct lineal descendent of Hougoumont, published way back in Command 11. The designer of both games, William M. Marsh claims its genesis began within six month of Hougoumont's publication when his son expressed a liking for the game but wanted to play one where he "could be the Americans." As with most follow-on designs, this one works out the kinks inherent in the previous game: the biggest weakness being the confusion arising from terrain not following map hex lines. Since Marsh designed his game, in part, to appeal to his son, it combines a nice mix of historicity with ease of play. Basically, one player commands the Americans and the other, the British who seek to drive the rebels from their positions on the Charlestown peninsula in front of Boston. The game includes about 15 pages of rules, a cardboard sheet of charts, a 34x22 mapsheet and 178 counters. A six-sided die is also required. The map represents the Charlestown peninsula where the battle was fought and is very clear and done in a series of greens and blues with the surrounding Mystic River and Boston Harbor nicely set off by the hex grid. The unit counters are differentiated by color for the British and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire men. Each unit contains indicators for morale, stacking value, set-up group, fire modifier and movement allowance, along with a silhouette of an infantryman or unlimbered artillery piece. Some units (mostly British) are two sided, representing a capacity to take casualties. There are also leader counters which contain a melee and movement bonus number. Terrain is neatly dealt with by assigning a different stacking value total for each different kind of hex. The morale values is a measure of the unit's ability to perform under adverse conditions: the higher the number in game term's, the better the unit. American values are mostly low, reflecting shortages of ammunition and bayonets. Play consists of a series of well-known phases: the American gaining reinforcements, moving, firing with a British reaction; then a reversal of roles with an added British melee and American point-blank fire phase. There are a couple of non-recurring phases: Twice during the game, at the beginning of their turn, the British can declare a reorganization turn, which allows them to return to play units which have previously been eliminated by American action. This represents the reorganization of routed units at the beachhead. In addition, the Americans can declare a general retreat. The most important rules are the American command control or rather, lack of it. During the actual battle, the American units were crippled by a lack of co-operation between units from different states. In addition, a lack of a generally recognized supreme commander added further to the American confusion. In game terms, this has the American units remaining in place and not being able to move without their (missing) commanders. In alternate scenarios, the American restrictions are removed, but these rules make American set-up very important and allows the British to dictate flow of play. The British are overwhelming in melee combat due to their training and bayonets. In addition, the non-simultaneous nature of fire combat allows the Americans to hammer the British and move away (the infamous "Boom and Zoom"). American units suffer severely by having to check for ammo depletion each time they fire. If they do not pass, the units are removed from play (simulating the mass of men without ammunition dissolving into smaller groups and individuals heading for the rear.) Victory is decided by points awarded for occupation of certain hexes and elimination of units. The glory of this game is in the scenarios. I was struck by the wealth of strategic options considered and open to the British. In addition to the historical scenario which has the British land at the tip of the peninsula and assault the American redoubt on Breed's Hill, there is one with an immediate landing in Charlestown, another with the British landing at the peninsula's neck and cutting the Americans off from the mainland and lastly a British landing along the Mystic River. Designer Marsh includes a partial map scenario designed as one to introduce a younger and less experienced player to a game. In game terms, the game follows the historical result in most of my playings, but with plenty of uncertainty and nail-biting tension. Generally speaking, the British are powerful enough to take any position on the map, if they are willing to take losses. Low movement factors make the British slog across the map. The light units can be used as a mobile striking force, but the temptation must be resisted to throw them into the attack immediately. Unsupported, they can get creamed. The Americans lack of command control makes set-up crucial as one can't move units around (with the exception of some detachments and the New Hampshire units) after placement. The lack of powder simulated in the ammo depletion checks can have devastating effects on an American line which prematurely enters combat. In some of my games, the entire American line melted away due to ammo depletion as the British neared in attack. The game becomes a nail biter between the effectiveness of American fire at point-blank range (the "whites of their eyes") and the negative impact of ammo depletion. In one of my replays of the historical scenario, a savvy British player took his time in forming up for an assault on the redoubt out of range of American fire, then carried the position with a bayonet charge. In most of my games, the British have tried to reach the American lines as quickly as possible in several unsupporting columns which attack separately and are just as quickly routed. The slow British movement across the map can be maddening to a player used to modern combat simulations. This can lead to mistakes of aggression for the British. Since units are taken off the map when hammered by American fire, now I know what General Clinton might have felt as his troops fell back in disorder: looking around and realizing he has no fresh troops left. In terms of "feel" for the era, this game works perfectly. The American disorganization is frightful to someone weaned on NATO Division Commander (or Napoleon at Waterloo for that matter). The British must carefully put together an assault force, ensure mutual support between attacking columns and hit the weak spots on the American lines. Of course, the American will ensure the weak spots are well-away from the British and everyone is behind cover. Lastly, explore the alternative scenarios. One will get a true feeling for the strengths of the British forces and the American militia. In one playing of the Charlestown neck scenario, the British found themselves under assault from two directions: the mainland and the peninsula. It had the feel of a true-colonial era game: the redcoats vs. natives. British fire discipline won the day and the Americans were routed. In the historical scenario, it is pretty impressive to watch the British attacking columns literally dissolve under American fire (and at the same time, watch the American units disappear as well). In many instances, the British will be forced into retreat at just the moment the Americans line cracks! This game features fast play, very little looking at charts, no paperwork and a historically significant design. An excellent magazine game! Doug Murphy