From: Doug Murphy <dmurphy@WPPOST.DEPAUL.EDU>
Subject:      S&T 179: The First Afghan War ( very long)

I got this issue the other day and have waited until now to share it with
you...gave me some time to study the rules, play both scenarios solitaire
and drag my uncomprehending brother through a ftf game.  S&T 179
contains articles: "March to Kabul: The First Afghan War" by editor and
game designer Joe Miranda "The Battles of Nadir Shah" by Bryan Booker;
and "Apocalypse Next: The Struggle for Peru" by Brian Train, along with
the usual departments...

I've been intrigued by this era (mid-late 1800s) ever since reading the
Flashman series of novels which place our hero smack in the middle of
Kabul...indeed, the only thing missing in this game would be a "Flashy"
counter... The game is kin to a new DG game on British Empire
campaigns: March to Peking; Zulu War; Sudan.

This is a great game...and I mean "game."  It has excellent solitaire
playability and is lots of fun FTF.  I am generally a fan of Miranda's
games, not to say he hasn't had some "duds."  As an interesting aside to
his "era" at S&T is the similarity of concepts within his designs which
allow a player familiar with one of his games to easily grasp concepts in
others.  I was struck by this when my opponent, not a regular gamer,
readily picked up rule concepts as a direct result from remembering them
in other games...this significantly improves "playability" in that it allowed
us to immediately get "into" the game.  That is not to say his games are
clones of each other, although we've discussed this on the list before,
but more that he gets the details right.  For example, his morale rules
classify units in categories from vet to rabble.  While the effects of these
categories are unique from game to game, the "letter" on the counters
designating the effects are the same as in other games.  BTW, DG is
offering free games with new subscriptions...indeed, this game just
about convinced me to re-up my sub which was expiring...

Two scenarios: March to Kabul, covering the invasion, and Rebellion and
Retribution, covering the retreat and punitive expedition.  The map is
functional with stylized terrain running from Peshawar to deep in
Baluchistan and India.  1 hex: 15 miles. I prefer the more artistic "natural
terrain" to "triangles" as mountains and "corduroy" as rough, but you
won't argue about what terrain is where...a nice touch I prefer is having
all the necessary charts on map and oriented in the same direction which
significantly improves solitaire play.  Only 180 counters, including
markers, by Beth Queman...a mix of NATO-esque symbology and little
men on horseback and cannons...but very functional, containing all
necessary data.  Another nice touch is "demoralized" counters list its
effects.

Unit counters include cavalry, infantry (noted as armed with rifles,
muskets or sword/spear), artillery, engineers, supply train, civilians, and
Hqs.  Units are backed with Union flags or Afghan to ease fog'o war.
Each unit contains a symbology, designation, combat strength, letter
denoting weapons type, movement factor and morale factor.  Hqs
contain tac and strat factors instead of combat/weapons.

Turns go: First player rolls for events; takes reinforcement /
replacements; moves; fights; checks supply and rallies, then Second
player does the same.  Each player has his own events table which can
significantly impact subsequent turn activities.  Movement is standard.
No stacking limits.  Units can be formed into Columns (which are marked
with a Column counter on map and units moved to a display area) for
fog'o war.  Terrain costs are lower for the natives.  One rolls on the
March table before moving a unit/Column to see if movement is enhanced
or negated.  A HQ modifies the roll.  Combat is voluntary and occurs
between adjacent units but effects are not simultaneous. One rolls for
tac superiority, modified by a HQ, which means that side fires first (with
effects immediately taken); then, all arty fires; all rifle/musket fires (by
morale class...vets first); and melee.  There are three CRT: Arty, Rifle,
Melee.  Weapon type is cross-referenced with combat factors firing, roll
die for number demoralized and/or eliminated enemy units (not factors).
DRMs for morale class, HQ, and terrain effects.  If a side takes 50%
loss/demoralized, it is defeated and retreats 2 hexes.  There are the
usual retreat / ZOC effects.  Units pay 1 extra mp to move into a ZOC but
leave for free.

HQ s influence rally, tac superiority, combat, march, supply and have
some optional effects.  Demoralization is pretty serios: movement is
halved; no DRM for morale class; and another DM eliminates them.   One
does roll on a Rally table per unit at turn end.  Supply is simple.  Either
elim a supply unit to maintain supply for the turn or trace a 2 (4 via Rd)
hex LOS to a source (fort), else roll per unit for Forage, modified by
terrain.  OOS units are demoralized.  Civilian units count as 4 units for
supply...ouch.  Supply units reappear as "free" replacements up to a limit.
 Reinforcements appear on designated hexes per turn with some limited
combat factors-worth of replacements.  The Afghan player rolls for
desertions.  Victory is due to taking and physically holding objective
hexes by game end, combat losses and special conditions by event.

Optional rules are great fun, adding engineers (that can sap and build
fieldworks); sieges; attacking from march (to adjacent hexes during
movement phase); negotiations between adjacent enemy Hqs (roll on a
table, can surrender/move through enemy hex, etc.), atrocities and other
"civilian effects."

As the British, I succeeded in marching on Kabul in scenario 1 but got
severely bushwacked along the way.  In scenario 2, which is more fun
IMHO, I first got attrited to death on the retreat in one game but
succeeded in reaching safety in my second game by sacrificing my
civilian units...so I lost anyway.  In our FtF games with scen. 2, the
Afghans (me) had great fun destroying the Brits who in our first game
attempted to hold-up in Kabul, and in the second almost made it due to a
valient sacrifice of a column which distracted me.  I did manage to fall
apart against the Army of Retribution sent after me though.  Great fun.
No big rule holes which inhibited playability.

Doug Murphy