Anyway, game designer Perry Moore came up with a variation of the usual move, blow things up, fight the remains, and exploit if possible. In his scheme, Soviet air and all artillery bombardments come first, then move and combat, and then any exploitation from the CRT.
Decision making is marvelous, because the air and artillery you use in the bombardment phases are not available to you as artillery and air support in the regular combat phase.
Written in a memoir style, with a hint of a detective story in tracking down sources, the elder Jephson was able to collect information from the diaries of various British officers to supplement his own memories and the official histories obtained from the Imperial War Museum. This informal style highlights the journey of the former soldier of obtaining the truth about the battle and placing it in context of stopping the Afrika Korps from slicing through the El Alamein position.
The Republicans were on the other side of a great gully with cliff-like sides that ran the width of the board. The good news was that it basically formed a firepower-proof covered highway. The bad news was that it channeled attacks to the limited egress spots. The situation unhinged the British commander, who filtered squads through the gully and into nearby buildings.
Triumph & Tragedy by GMT Games is a rare example of an excellent three-player game. Having played it a few times, I thought it could be adjusted to a five-player game and amended the rules to accommodate five players.
T&T uses blocks as units and like Stratego and Columbia Games’ block games. The block faces remain hidden unless attacked or attacking. Card play for diplomacy (‘Government Phase’ in T&T lingo) is usually card by card, but Dan divvied up the Phase into a maximum of three sub phases to make it easier for the PBeM umpire. As long as one player plays a card, the next sub phase occurs, but if nobody plays a card, the Government Phase ends. You get an updated map at the end of each sub phase
Alsace 1945 uses 2.5 miles per hex, one turn equals one day, and most units are regiments with some battalions and weak divisions sprinkled in. Corps HQs get their own counters with the ability to support two attacks and two overruns, but an unlimited number of defensive supports, per turn. HQs also serve as supply centers and a chit-pull activation by HQ system offers some variety from traditional Igo-Ugo
The Boardgaming Life 