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En Garde!
A quasi-RPG (no ref necessary) first published in 1975. A revised edition was published in 1977.

"INTRODUCTION
En Garde is a semi-historical game/simulation representing many of the situations of an Errol Flynn movie set in the Seventeenth or Eighteenth Centuries.
The game was originally devised as a fencing system, with background added to provide scenarios for the duels. After a time, it became appearant that the background was more fun than the duels, and En Garde, in its present form, was born.
In En Garde, a player finds himself born into and educated in a world where social climbing is a way of life, and status is a goal to be pursued even over money. It is a world inhabited by Cyrano, Roxanne, Scaramouche, Errol Flynn, Porthos, Athos, Aramis. Rhonda Fleming, Francois Villon, Constance, and, of course, D'Artagnan. There are people to be used, friends in high places to be cultivated, enemies to be humiliated, ihe Cardinal's Guard to be trounced, lackies to be abused, the hand of a fair damsel to be won, and the ear of the King to be gained.
Come with us now, to those vibrant, bawdy days of Yore .. .
Sharpen your sword .... Sharpen your wit.... Take care not to insult a small man with a large nose . . . .All for one and one for all ... Good luck, friend, and may your Swash never Buckle!"

1975, 1977 ... 48 pages ... GDW #?

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En Garde! (4th edition)

2005 ... 100 pages ... Margam Evans #?? ... ISBN 0955162300

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The Brotherhood

The Brotherhood: The Game of Organized Crime [BOX SET]
See Also: Gangbusters

CONTENTS:
• one 11"x17" map
• 160 die cut counters (32 each green, red, orange, blue, yellow)
• one deck of 16 cards
• one rules booklet
• tally sheets

"When the Capos of the Five Families met in Detroit, it was to decide who would control the rackets in Midland City. But even as the crime bosses dickered, each was sending his thugs into the city, setting up revenue operations and bribing local politicians. Negotiations soon broke down, and it became clear that only a gang war would determine the ultimate winner.
The Brotherhood is unlike any game you have ever played before. It portrays the problems and decisions that face present day crime lords. Since organized crime is first and last a business, you must think as a businessman. How many hoods should be on the payroll? Should you buy political influence? If so, how much? Which part of the city should you move into?
The map for The Brotherhood portrays the six areas of Midland City: from ritzy Riversnobs through Status Quo, Whitewash, and Bunkerville to the slums of Sewertown and Lakedump. Game markers represent thugs, hitmen, revenue operations, political influence, and the all-important Godfather.
With its unique system of simultaneous movement, double-crossing becomes a fine art, and The Brotherhood is a fast-playing tongue-in-cheek free-for-all. Can you control the city or will you be rubbed out? Play The Brotherhood and find out."

1983 ... John Hill & Frank Chadwick ... GDW 451

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Assault

Assault: Tactical Combat in Europe - 1985 [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• two 17" x 22" maps (Assault maps A&B)
• 480 die-cut counters (3 sheets)
• rules booklet (16 pages)
• scenario sheets (US & Soviet)
• briefing booklet
• terrain key (cardstock)
• reference folders
• game charts (8 sheets)

"Chobham armor. Hypervelocity smoothbores. Core penetrator and self-forging rounds. T80's and AT-5's. Laser rangefinders. Copperhead and dual-purpose improved conventional munitions. All of the advanced technological hardware of the mid 80's is available, but the men who command and control the hardware remain the critical battlefield variable.
Assault postulates a conventional conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union in the European environment in 1985. The weapons that were once merely dreams of science fiction authors are today entering service, and by 1985 will be standard issue. Assault provides an in-depth examination of the potential of tomorrow's weapons.
Assault is a tactical level game of armor and infantry combat in the near future. Each hex of the two geomorphic maps covers 250 meters of actual terrain and each turn represents only a few minutes. Each counter represents a section or platoon-sized unit. The unit counters allow representation of everything from company meeting engagements to a full regiment/brigade assault. The rules cover all aspects of modern equipment, but stress flexibility, initiative, and command control."

1983 ... GDW 471 ... ISBN 0943580757

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Boots & Saddles: Air Cavalry in the 80's (Assault Series) [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• 480 large die-cut counters (Assault sheets 4,5,6)
• two 17"x22" maps (Assault maps C&D)
• one Assault rules booklet
• one Boots & Saddles rules booklet
• reference/background folders
• scenario folders
• one set of game charts

"Boots & Saddles, using the Assault system as a base, adds complete rules for combat helicopters (and the air defense weapons intended to fight them). Helicopters are rated for armor, infrared signature (used when attacked by heat-seeking missiles), movement, and maneuverability. Rules cover terrain-following and nap-of-the-earth modes, pop-ups, landing and takeoff, laser-guided missiles, and more.
U.S. helicopters include the AH-1 Cobra and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, UH-1 and UH-60 transports, and the OH-58 observation helicopter. Soviet counterparts are the Mi-24 Hind, Mi-8, Mi-26, and Mi-2. Air defense weapons include the U.S. Sergeant York and Stinger, Soviet ZU-23, ZSU-30, SAM-7, and SAM-9. Over 400 counters provide a variety of helicopter and ground forces for both sides, including U.S. and Soviet mechanized infantry and tank battalions, airmobile infantry, armored cavalry, artillery, and regimental and brigade troops."

1984 ... GDW 475

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Reinforcements: New U.S. and Soviet Units for Assault
Module Components:
* 320 large die-cut counters
* reference/background folder
* rules folder
* one set of game charts

"Now you can have a complete set: with this module, plus Assault and Boots & Saddles, you will have counters for every type of U.S. and Soviet maneuver unit likely to be in central Europe. Here are some of the units you get:
Soviet Vehicle Types: Tank battalions equipped with T-72s and T-62s (T-62A or T-62M). A motorized rifle battalion with BTR-60s.
U.S. Cavalry: The ground elements of a U.S. divisional cavalry squadron. (The air elements were included in Boots & Saddles.)
Desant: All the different types of maneuver units making up a Soviet desant (mechanized parachute) division, including a full desant regiment with three battalions and regimental troops, plus the divisional assault gun battalion and recon company.
Helicopters: A U.S. air cavalry squadron equipped with the AH-64 Apache and an aviation battalion with the UH-1H Huey.
Air Defense: For the Soviets, the old ZSU-23 and the new SA-13. For the U.S., the Vulcan air defense gun and Chaparral missiles.
Anti-tank: A Soviet divisional antitank battalion armed with towed 125mm smoothbore guns—the gun also mounted on the T-80 tank.
"Suvorov": Suvorov is the pseudonym of a Soviet defector who has written two books on the Soviet military, revealing—or claiming to reveal —a number of secret weapons previously unknown to the West. There are the IT-1, a missile launcher on a T-62 chassis and firing the Draken missile; the Grad-P, a regimental-level multiple rocket launcher; the Su-130, a modern heavy assault gun. Do they really exist? That's up to you.
Reinforcements also includes fire charts, organization charts, and background notes.
The Point System: This module contains a system designed to allow players to create their own force levels and victory multipliers for Assault scenarios. All units in the module, as well as those in Assault and Boots & Saddles, are given point values. Also included are the specifications (minus force levels) for new scenarios."

1985 ... Frank Chadwick ... GDW 477

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Bundeswehr: NATO's Front Line [BOX SET]
Module Components:
Bundeswehr contains three sheets of 160 counters each, two 17x22" geomorphic maps, several charts, two scenario folders, a briefing folder, and this rules folder.

"Bundeswehr is a module in the Assault series, a tactical level simulation of ground combat in Europe in the 1980's. In order to use this module, players must also have either Assault or Boots & Saddles; for full use, they must have both. Bundeswehr serves two purposes: it provides counters for the West German army and rules for combat engineering."

1986 ... GDW 479 ... ISBN 0943580838

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Chieftain: The British Army of the Rhine [BOX SET]
Module Components: Rules, scenarios, and briefing booklet (16 pages); Charts (4 pages); 480 counters; 2 maps

"Chieftain is a British module for the Assault series, a tactical level simulation of ground combat in Europe in the 1980s. In order to use this module, players must also have either Assault or Boots & Saddles; for full use, they must have both. This module includes new British and Dutch units, plus a point system to allow players to design new force levels for existing Assault scenarios."

1988 ... Frank Chadwick ... GDW 482 ... ISBN 0943580609

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Third World War





Third World War: Battle for Germany [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• two 17" x 22" maps (Maps A&B)
• 480 die-cut counters
• rules booklet
• a reference and background booklet
• game charts

"In 1990, Europe is an armed camp poised on the brink of Armageddon. Years of increasing defense spending and brushfire wars have left the armies of East and West ready for war at a moment's notice. Then from a spark in the Persian Gulf, the fuse of war is lit and armies of the Warsaw Pact pour across the borders of western Europe.
Third World War is a game of the struggle for central Europe by the forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The divisions and independent regiments and brigades of fifteen nations battle in multi-impulse turns that feature NATO reserve movement and Pact echeloning. Air units represent groups of 100 aircraft of a specific type, each rated for air superiority, close support and strike capability.
The maps, scaled at 45 kilometers per hex, cover all of Germany and the surrounding area from Denmark to Yugoslavia and Italy, from France to Poland. Future games in this series, featuring constant scale and mateable maps, will include Scandinavia, the Balkans, and the Persian Gulf."

1983 ... GDW 473 ... ISBN 0943580773

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Southern Front: Race For the Turkish Straits (Game 2) [BOX SET]

CONTENTS:
• 360 die-cut counters
• two 17x22" and one 8x17" maps (maps C&D&E)
• one rules booklet
• one reference/background booklet
• one set of game charts

"Game Two in the Third World War series, although it uses the same rules, is very different from its parent.
Bulgaria and Romania, reinforced with three Soviet armies and special-capability forces, face Greece, Turkey, and Jugoslavia, thinly reinforced with a few elite units from the U.S., France, and Italy.
The campaign is very mobile, with neither side having enough troops to cover a solid front (although the mountainous terrain of the area helps somewhat). Special units such as airmobile, airborne, and amphibious troops, with their abilities to outflank a line, become even more important.
Another important feature is the tangled web of Balkan politics. Romania is the least reliable of the Pact countries, arid its participation is half-hearted at best. A second scenario allows for its total neutrality, forcing the Soviets to reinforce their armies and invade before taking on NATO. Greece and Turkey are uneasy allies, and rules allow for Greek withdrawal from NATO. And Albania is completely unpredictable.
Additional rules allow Southern Front to be combined with Third World War, players can reinforce one front with forces from the other, requiring a host of new decisions on the strategic level. One or two new divisions or air units sent to the Balkans can turn the tide there, but at what cost to the main front, where every unit is desperately needed?"

1984 ... GDW 476

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Arctic Front: Battle for Norway (Third World War Game 3) [BOX SET]

CONTENTS:
• 240 die-cut counters
• two 17x22" maps (maps F&G)
• one rules booklet
• one briefing/background sheet
• one set of game charts

"Arctic Front, the third game of the Third World War series, uses the same rules as its predecessors but presents a very different gaming situation.
The Soviet Leningrad Front, with its special airborne, amphibious, and arctic-equipped contingents, assaults Norway, reinforced with a few elite units from the U.S., Britain, Canada, and other NATO nations.
Norway presents a constricted front to offensive operations. Along the Soviet border, the relatively open terrain in conjunction with possible outflanking moves through Finnish Lappland allows a rapid Soviet advance. The rest of the Norwegian Arctic is mountainous and can be a formidable barrier if well defended. The Soviet player must make full use of his airmobile, airlanding, and marine forces to penetrate this region, while guarding against raids from U.S. marines and British commandos.
The complex relations between the Soviet Union and the neutral Scandinavian nations — Finland and Sweden — has its effects in the game. Soviet forces may attempt to pass through the Finnish Arctic, and Finland may allow violation of its neutrality or offer limited or full resistance. Sweden will always defend its territory, but its effort may not be total. Also, Sweden may volunteer an expeditionary force to join NATO in Norway even if Swedish neutrality is not violated. Finally, the Soviet high command may mandate a general offensive in Scandinavia rather than just operations against Norway, providing additional forces from the strategic reserve for combat in Finland and Sweden.
Additional rules allow Arctic Front to be combined and played with Third World War and Southern Front, thus covering all the European war zones of the Third World War. Players can reinforce one front with forces from the others, requiring a host of new decisions on the strategic level. One or two new divisions or air units sent to Norway can turn the tide there for either side, but at what cost to the central or southern fronts, where every unit is desperately needed?"

1985 ... GDW 478

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Persian Gulf: Battle for the Middle East (Game 4) [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• 360 die-cut counters
• four 17 x 22" maps (maps H-K)
• one rules booklet
• one briefing/background sheet
• one set of game charts
• one combined-game rules folder

"Persian Gulf uses the same rules as the other games in the series to show a different aspect of modern warfare: operations in the deserts and mountains of the Middle East.
Persian Gulf includes a special 'game within a game,' covering the diplomatic, political, and military maneuvers by the Soviet Union and the United States in the Middle East before —- and leading to -— the general outbreak of the Third World War. Both sides try to gain control of the various Iranian factions and influence the other Middle Eastern nations. As the superpowers' confrontation continues, fighting breaks out between committed factions. Either side can decide to send troops to support their factions: the U.S. may send the Rapid Deployment Force while the Soviet Union may use its forces along its southern borders and in Afghanistan. Each move, however, escalates the conflict until the superpowers are directly fighting one another in the Middle East and their alliances in Europe are mobilizing for war.
The four game maps cover the Persian Gulf region in detail. Centered on Iran and Iraq, the maps include bordering areas of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the USSR, and Afghanistan. Mountains and sand dominate this area of the world, and wilderness rules show the effects of the scarcity of roads on military operations.
Vying for control of the nations on these maps are the regional forces and those of the superpowers. These forces range greatly in capabilities: from the poorly-equipped and trained Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Soviet-controlled Afghan Army to the capable Turks to the elite Israeli and Jordanian intervention contingents. The Soviets have large forces available in their southern border regions and in Afghanistan. The small but strong U.S. RDF is on hand, and they can call on B-52 strikes for support.
The rules cover the special political and military situations of the Middle East, and the various Arab and Arab-Israeli rivalries are shown. Victory conditions take account of the oil resources of the Gulf. Additional rules allow Persian Gulf to be combined and played with the other three games in the Third World War series."

1986 ... GDW 481 ... ISBN 0943580854

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Engarde!

Other GDW

Pearl Harbor: The War Against Japan, 1941-1945
CONTENTS:
* rules booklet
* 3 cardstock combat charts
* 2 maps
* 840 counters (3 1/2 sheets? 69 blanks?)

1977 ... John Prados ... GDW 813

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Bloodtree Rebellion: Guerrilla Warfare on the Planet Somber [BOX SET]

CONTENTS:
• 1 operations map
• 1 sheet of 3 city maps
• set of 4 charts
• 240 counters (2 sheets)
• rules booklet

"Bloodtree Rebellion simulates a guerrilla action on the planet Somber (fifth satellite of Nu Phoenicis) occurring several centuries from now. Presented in science fictional guise, the game integrates military action with the realities of power politics in a fashion relevant to and revealing of many earthly situations.
Bloodtree Rebellion is operational in scale, with military units ranging from squad to company size. Political factors include riots, demonstrations, kidnappings, assassinations, and more.
One player takes the part of the Mykin invader and his ally of convenience, Petrochem Orionid. The other plays the FedTrust-sponsored (but not controlled) guerrilla movement and its sympathetic but necessarily secret allies, the native Dochanivann or Glyphs..."

1979 ... Lynn Willis ... GDW 815

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A House Divided: The War Between the States, 1861-1865 (Strategic American Civil War Game) [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• Puzzle-cut Hard Game Map
• Rules booklet
• Advanced Rules booklet
• sheet of counters
• 2 game charts

1981, 1989 ... Frank Chadwick ... GDW 0101 ... ISBN 1558780076

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Blue Max: Dogfights Over France (1st Edition) [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• two 17" x 22" maps
• 60 die cut aircraft counters
• 66 die cut markers
• maneuver schedule set
• player record sheets
• rules booklet
• charts

"War on the Western Front was grim and static; all along the line, battles were being fought by faceless thousands over a few yards of no-man's land.
But far above the trenches was a different kind of war, a war without front lines, in which victory depended on individual skill and daring. Successful pilots became national heroes: Manfred von Richtofen and Ernst Udet, Rene Fonck and Georges Guynemer, Billy Bishop, Eddie Rickenbacker. They received their countries' highest awards: the Allied Victoria Cross and Legion of Honor, and the German Ordre Pour le Merite — the Blue Max.
Blue Max is an exciting multi-player game of aerial combat. Each player flies a single Allied or German fighter aircraft. Seventeen different types are included: the Nieuport 17, Spad VII, Albatros D.lll and D.Va, Sopwith Camel Bristol F.2B, Fokker Dr.I and D.VII, and many more. Airplanes vary widely in maneuverability, and each type has its own maneuver schedule which graphically displays every maneuver the airplane can perform. To move, the player chooses a maneuver from his schedule. Machine gun fire and aircraft damage are also covered in detail.
Even with all its detail, Blue Max is remarkably easy to play. Since most of the important information is contained in graphic displays, there are few rules to remember, leaving players free to concentrate on the action."

1983 ... GDW 421

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Blue Max: Dogfights in the Skies of France (2nd Edition) [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• Rules booklet (16 pages)
• Aircraft Maneuver Schedule booklet
• Aircraft Record Sheets booklet
• play map
• 3 counter sheets

"The Most Beautiful Counters Ever!
The centerpieces of this Blue Max World War I aerial combat game are the exquisite color counters. Sixty-six counters show all types of aircraft from the Western Front: the Albatros, Snipe Camel, Spad, Nieuport, Bristol, and Tri-plane. The color schemes reflect actual airplanes that flew in the skies over France in 1917 and 1918.
But beautiful counters alone do not make a game that is fun and easy. The rules do that. Simple rules make this game a joy to learn and allow play to start within 15 minutes. No grand strategies are necessary to play Blue Max. Easy-to-follow charts make it simple for players to decide on their moves and make them. Everyone sees what has happened immediately and moves on to their next action.

The Latest Addition: Altitude. The only thing that Blue Max originally lacked was altitude rules. Now this revised and updated second edition incorporates easy to use rules for five altitude levels. Naturally, the rules go on to add spins — many a pilot (when hit by an enemy) finds himself in a spin, desperately fighting to regain control as he plummets toward the earth. Will he pull out at the last minute?"

1989 ... Phil Hall ... GDW 0421 ... ISBN 1558780084

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The Normandy Campaign: Beachhead to Breakout [BOX SET]
"'The Normandy Campaign' is a two-player game on the fighting which took place in Normandy after D-Day, covering the period from D+1 (7 June) to D+75 (20 August). Playing pieces represent the divisions, brigades, and regiments of armor, airborne, and infantry which participated in the campaign. Players use a two-map hidden movement system to move their pieces across Normandy on a map scaled at 10 kilometers per hex."

1983 ... Benjamin L. Knight & John M. Astell ... GDW 472

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8th Army: Operation Crusader - The Winter Battles for Tobruk, 1941 [BOX SET]
"Throughout 1941, the British forces in North Africa suffered an unbroken string of humiliating defeats at the hands of Rommel's Afrika Korps. The Agheila narrows were seized, Benghazi lost, Mechilli overrun, and Tobruk surrounded. Two British counteroffensives were quickly stopped and then tumbled back into Egypt. By November, however, the British had massed the forces they believed were necessary to relieve Tobruk and destroy Rommel. Operation Crusader was ready.
Eighth Army: Operation Crusader is a battalion-regiment-brigade level game of the British Eighth Army's winter offensive against Rommel. Each hex covers 41/2 miles of ground and each turn represents one day of combat. While quick-playing, it is an extremely tense game, as both sides play on separate, identical maps of the battlefield. Thus, neither side can be certain of the enemy's position until recon patrols collide with armored spearheads. The imprudent commander may often find his British cruiser tanks blundering onto a lethal nest of 88's."

CONTENTS:
* two identical 11" x 17" maps
* 240 die-cut counters
* one rules and campaign reference booklet
* game charts
* one die

1983 ... GDW 474

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Johnny Reb: Miniatures Rules for the War Between the States [BOX SET]
CONTENTS:
• Rules Booklet
• Scenarios Booklet
• 240 Counters
• 4 Rules Briefing Handouts
• Separate Game Charts

"Johnny Reb is a complete set of miniatures rules for the American Civil War for use with almost any scale of miniatures: 9/10mm, 15mm, 20mm, and 25mm. Each miniature infantryman or cavalryman represents 20 actual soldiers; artillery models represent two actual cannons. Every game turn represents approximately 15 minutes of battle time, making Johnny Reb games move and flow in almost the same time as the battle being recreated.

THE RULES:
The basic operational unit in the Civil War and in Johnny Reb is the regiment. Regiments in Johnny Reb are easily given orders each turn using conveient order counters, which does away with time-consuming bookkeeping tasks. Additionally, the mechanics of having all regiments composed of exactly five stands, with varying numbers of figures on each stand for different regiments, further reduces the need for bookkeeping, and it facilitates easy, at-a-glance calculations of game effects.
Johnny Reb is the most playable set of Civil War rules ever.

THE SCENARIOS:
Included are six scenarios, with Berdan's Sharpshooters at Pitzers Run in July 1863. Morgan's Raiders at Cory don in July 1863, and Breckinridge's Division at Chickamauga. September 1863. Each has orders of battle, detailed maps, historical commentary, and special rules governing the battle.

THE SECOND EDITION:
This second edition of Johnny Reb has incorporated the experiences gained through many years of Johnny Reb play. In brief, the second edition has more carefully addressed the questions of variable base sizes depending on the number of figures, "uneven" regiments in increments of 20 men. cavalry dismounts and horseholders. extremely simplified artillery firing procedures, and command limits based on the abilities of officers on the Civil War field."

1988 ... John Hill ... GDW 0720 ... ISBN 0943580390

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To the Sound of the Guns: Scenarios for Johnny Reb Miniatures Rules
"From its start to its bloody finish, the War of the Rebellion drew the forces of North and South into confrontation in thousands of different situations and circumstances. The strategic demands of the respective capitals of Washington and Richmond were ultimately all carried out by the grit and determination of individual brigades and regiments, right down to the poor soldiers themselves, on dozens of battlefields ranging from Virginia to Mississippi.
To the Sound of the Guns is a book of scenarios for Johnny Reb (you must have Johnny. Reb in order to play the scenarios in To the Sound of the Guns). Each scenario takes one of these battles — these windows on our country's darkest time — and allows you to be a part of it."

1988 ... John Hill & Dean West ... 48 pages ... GDW 0721 ... ISBN 0943580641

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Phase Line Smash: VII Corps Shatters the Republican Guard (Solitaire Game) [BOX SET]

CONTENTS:
* Rules (56 pages)
* Optional Rules & Historical Notes (56 pages)
* cardstock charts (1 large, 2 small)
* variants & errata sheets (2)
* play mat
* 528 counters (3 sheets)

1992 ... Frank Chadwick &David C. Nilsen ... GDW 0126 ... ISBN 1558781404

"In the trackless desert of south-eastern Iraq, there is an imaginary line. Starting at Kuwait's western border, it runs northwest toward the Euphrates valley. On this line, the most powerful armored force ever assembled paused to pivot eastward. There it formed itself into a "tight fist," and launched itself eastwards. The name of the imaginary line was Phase Line Smash.

By late February, 1991, the US VII Corps was the most powerful armored formation in history. Comprising five heavy divisions plus six separate brigades, it boasted 145,000 soldiers operating over 47,000 vehicles. Of these vehicles, 1300 were Abrams or Challenger tanks, the west's most modern.

On 24 February, this force stood poised to fight "the Mother of All Battles" to liberate Kuwait. In its way were the Saddam Line's minefields and fire trenches. Beyond was Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard. Its T-72M tanks were said to be superior to any Coalition equipment. Some American units anticipated 60% casualties during the breaching operations that first day. But four days later. VII Corps had sliced through Hussein's best, destroying 4600 armored vehicles and shattering 10 divisions, at a cost of 239 killed and wounded.

What went right? What didn't? Phase Line Smash explores these questions by placing you in command of all aspects of the VII Corps operations.

Phase Line Smash is an innovative solitaire system with no sequence of play. Units are activated individually to conduct bombardment, tactical air and helicopter strikes, movement, and three different types of ground attack in any order the commander chooses. By properly combining these, the commander can blow holes in defensive lines, exploit, and roll up an entire flank in one turn.

But coordinating these actions is not easy. Deadly American units pose a danger to each other at night, or in the heat of a fire-fight. The breath-taking speed of advance can leave crucial supplies far behind. Fast-paced around-the-clock combat fatigues troops, and tired troops make mistakes.

And then there are the Iraqis. Phase Line Smash's artificial intelligence system controls the Iraqi forces in this solitaire struggle. At its heart is a series of command postures which respond to battlefield developments. Iraqi reserve corps can go to the offensive, surprising the commander who ignores his flanks. But the player has a deadly bag of tricks, including deep missile strikes and electronic warfare, to keep the Iraqi command divided and ineffective.

Phase Line Smash is a comprehensive examination of the Operation Desert Storm ground war for both the gamer and the historical enthusiast."

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Phase Line Smash - Production Notes

David Nilsen, by email, 6/21/2012:
As memories continue to fall into my conciousness I recall interviewing Fred Franks (VII Corps commander, ODS) during his retirement period. He was entertaining various offers, such as becoming the Commissioner of Baseball. Another was his memoirs/biography to tell his side of the story in contrast to Blackhead's self-serving and disingenuous pushing him under the bus. He had received an offer from Tom Clancy to write his bio with him and asked my opinion. I gave him three scenarios: he could write it by himself or with some no-name like me, the former being more work for him, the latter a little less. But the problem was that the ODS market was sated and his story probably wouldn't get a lot of distribution or attention. If his goal, which I believed it was, was to get his story out there where the maximum number of people could see it, Clancy was the way to go. However, the significant problem with that was that he would be in Clancy's shadow: Clancy's name would appear first in huge letters, "with Fred Franks" in small letters. When the book came out, the back cover photo just really ticked me off. It looked like big old Tom Clancy and his little buddy Fred Franks, kind of like the movie poster for "My Bodyguard." For Pete's sake, they could have shot it with Clancy sitting down or something. Shortly after ODS, Clancy told Frank Chadwick that he thought the US could have taken Kuwait back with a troop of Girl Scouts, which really surprised Frank that Clancy's understanding was that shallow. Part of the point behind PLS was to correct that misconception.

Also:
There are three physical flaws with this game, none of which were the Art Director's fault. Kirk Wescom was the art director, and as you can see, that was a massive undertaking. First is the cover. Kirk had created the most incredible photorealistic cover image from a photograph and sand and dust and smoke effects; it was just incredible. However, the computing power of computers in 1992 could not handle it, and the mighty Art Mac could not save the image. This was after a couple days of all-night save attempts, and it kept crapping out. Deadline requirements finally won, and as there was no time to go back and re-execute a new image that could be saved by 1992 technology, Kirk had to go with whatever resolution the computer could hack (my point being, why design an application that allows you to create a computer-rendered image that the computer is incapable of saving?). Second is the map, a gorgeous hand-painted masterpiece which, when printed, looks muddy. This is the fault of the printer. Our print manager, Darlene File (Marc Miller's wife), got a call from the printer saying that they were having problems, so we drove over there. It was a four-color process, and they had already done the blue layer for the entire print run, and they had put the blue on far too heavy. However, due to cost and time considerations, they were not going to start over on 5000 new maps and do the blue correctly. So we had to painstakingly, by trial and error, figure out the best mix of the remaining black, red, and yellow layers to make the maps as clear as possible. That took all day. "Back off the black 10%," and they'd run a half dozen which we would examine, "push up the yellow 10%," a half dozen more, and so on, FOR HOURS. What you see in the box is the best that could be accomplished with the bad blue layer they'd already done, and it does not do justice to the original, which I know, because I own it. Third, the counters are true works of art. Compare them to any counters done in 1992 and you'll see how far ahead they were. However, sheet 3 is off-register. When we got the proofs back from the printer, the white layer was missing from about six counters, making them un-useable. This was some kind of glitch in how the printer's computer read the Adobe file, because the layers were perfect on our machine. Again, due to time and cost pressures, we could not redo the color separations, so Kirk had to take apart the four-layer color separation, make the changes to whatever layer it was that had blocked the white, and put them back together. However, once you take a color separation apart, it never goes back together again perfectly, which you can see on sheet 3. Proving once again that life is not perfect.

As a final note, I will observe that Frank thought I went a little overboard on this game. In my defense, I will point out that I had access to the best information possible, and as GDW had firmly established itself as the leading expert on the Gulf War, I really wanted to hold our end up on that. Besides, had I not written the historical section while it was fresh in my mind, I would have forgotten most of it within six months, which would have been a shame. Sorry, Frank, I just got carried away. :-) Although Frank has designer credits on this game, he did turn over the rights to me (but retained 1/2 of computer rights) because I just loved the thing so much. At the time it was completed, I worked out from my timesheets that I had spent 1/2 of 1% of my entire life on the game. So yeah, a little overboard.




Volley and Bayonet
"Take control of the great battles of the 18th and 19th centuries with Volley & Bayonet Created by the people who brought you Command Decision, Volley & Bayonet gives you the ability to recreate the full scope of the epic battles of the black powder era."

1994 ... Frank Chadwick & Greg Novak ... 96 pages ... GDW 780 ... ISBN 155878179X

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Battles of the Civil War (Volley and Bayonet)
"BACW is GDW's first expansion volume for Volley and Bayonet, covering the bloodiest and hardest fought war in American history. Ten major battles are presented as detailed scenarios, just as in the basic game. Second Manassas, Antietam, Brandy Station, Gettysburg, and Third Winchester cover battles in the east, while from the western theatre there is Shiloh, Stones River, Champion's Hill, Chickamanga, and Franklin.
But in addition to pre-generated scenarios, this sourcebook provides additional rules to enable a much broader scope of game. An army point system allows balanced and historically plausible hypothetical and tournament battles. A strategic movement and campaign system allows you to refight the entire Civil War!
Additional rules cover subjects such as hasty entrenchment of troops on the battlefield, siege artillery, and more, while leaving the basic battlefield mechanics uncluttered.
For the Civil War enthusiast, this book is a must-have."

1995 ... Frank Chadwick & Greg Novak ... 96 pages ... GDW 781 ... ISBN 1558781870

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