From: Chris Salander Subject: Game Review: Rommel at the Meuse Review of Rommel at the Meuse by Sierra Madre Games Co. When you first open up this game you might be disappointed by its low production value. The map is small and simple, and the counters are thin and have to be cut out. However, as you read the game and start to play it, you will discover that a great deal of research went into this game, making it interesting to play. The game starts with the French units holding the line of the Meuse as French units come tumbling onto the board out of the Ardennes, racing to escape the Germans. As soon as these units get across the Meuse, the French player tries to blow up the bridges, and waits for the German onslaught. Soon, a whole panzergruppe starts pouring onto the board. But these are not the Tigers of Kursk or the Panthers of Normandy. These are Pz Mk Is and IIs, and Praga 35 and 38(t)s. So the real muscle in the game is the infantry and artillery. The artillery can fire over the river without penalty, and some of the infantry can cross the river without help. The combat system is simple and unusual. A unit's attack factor is the number it must equal or go below with a d6 to get a hit. A unit's defense factor is the d6 saving throw required to avoid a hit. Terrain and special rules alter the die roll. Sixes always hit and ones always fail to save. Infantry in a town can be very difficult to dig out. There are special rules for using boats, and weirs (small dams), for repairing bridges and building new ones. The Germans get some air support, but it is random, since this was not considered to be the main thrust. The Rommel counter adds bonuses to the units it is stacked with. Only the Germans get a special combined arms bonus if they put infantry and tanks together in the same stack. There is a possibility the Luftwaffe will hit German positions. Oh sure, you're thinking, this is one of those games that gives the Germans all the special units and special rules and they stomp on their opponents. Not true. Forcing a bridgehead across the river is very difficult. And the Germans must get across quickly, because that is not enough. Most of the map is open countryside west of the Meuse and the Germans must cross it and get off the board before the game ends. In the first game that I played, the German player lost by a significant amount because he failed to get a single unit off the map. Late in the game the French armor shows up, just when the the Germans are breaking out of their bridgeheads. But, the French have trouble obtaining gasoline for their tanks, and refugees are clogging the roads. Other French reinforcements include a crack North African division. All in all, Rommel had a tough job and you will wonder how he did it. The die rolling can be a little tedious, and the counter printing needs to be darker (more contrast with the background), but the game is pretty interesting, with several variants, and several attack options. Bridge blowing is not guaranteed, and quite a battle can develop over an open bridge. I became absorbed in the game. It is a keeper.