From:         Cremona Luca <asterix@LINKNET.IT>
Subject:      LITTLE BIG HORN

Someone discussed about games on Custer's last stand.

The Italian company INTERNATIONAL TEAM (now defunct) produced in the latest
80' a game named :

- LITTLE BIG HORN : THE VICTORY OF SITTING BULL

This was one of the few decent games produced by I.T. in the last period of
their existence, and it is a pity that never reached the USA because
probably someone could have developed better rules to arrive at a good game.

Graphically it was very good : remember the I.T. original production was
about PUZZLES, on heavy cardboard, and the same material was always used for
their wargames.  Unfortunately their rules were too bad, tested by athe same
group of teenagers and always under the supervision of the game designer :
no blind tests at all, and no answer to the proposals of us, veteran
wargamers, for "free" help. The answer was that they feared to be ... copied.

LITTLE BIG HORN is no exception to the other games.

The MAP (940x680 mm) was beautiful, with pastel colours and nice derawings :
it cames in 5 sections, with the 5th one, central, connected and fixed the
other like a puzzle piece.  A lot of "elevations" was also provided in order
to have a final map with 3 levels of elevations, phisically differentiated
by colours AND 3D layers.  I repeat, it was beautiful, expecially if you
glued the layers directly on the basic map and if you cutted then with an
x-acto knife in order to fit the folded map into the box.  Map and layers
were all printed on heavy "puzzle" carton, super strong.
In the center is depicted the indian camp, just on the bank of the Little
Big horn river (who cross the map in the middle for the whole lenght) : with
the help of the "level" you really get the right picture of the battlefiled.

The COUNTERS were also very nice and colorfull : althought they have NATO
symbols (as it was usual at that time) I.T. suceeded in giving you another
bonus towards the feeling of the battle.

US troops were all blue, with the NATO symbol painted yellow : on the front
side you have the cavalry symbol (representing the unit mounted and at full
strenght) while on the back you have the Infantry symbol (at reduced
strenght, and a very small cavalry symbol, just to remind you that this is a
"dismounted" unit).
Each counter represent about 25 men.
You have to divide your units in columns : Custer, Terry, Crook and Gibbon
(each column has a counter for his leader and one for the HQ).

RED FACES units cames in various background colours, one for each tribu
(Sans Arc, Minneconjou, Oglala, Brule, Hunkpapa, Araphao, Black Foot,
Cheyenne, etc.): then each tribu has also a distinctive drawing (supposed to
be similar to the decorations of their clothes, or I do not know what) all
around the counter : in the middle a very small NATO symbol and their
strenght.  The back of the counter is like the BLUES, with a reduced
strenght and the dismounted symbol.

On the map those counters brings colour to the picture and are really nice.

You have a player aid card (to solve firing and combats), 2 rules books in 4
languages (italian, french, english and german) and an OOB booklets with
example of play.

SEQUENCE OF PLAY
This is quite normal, with some chrome :
- US fires
- US moves
- move "smoke" and "charge" counters
- RF opportunity fire
- US combat
- RF fires
- RF attack declarations (and verification)
- RF moves
- adjust again "smoke" and "charge" counters
- US opportunity fire
- RF combat

Of course the rules have some "strange" things (i.e. when you fire you do
not consider the units' strenght, but their cohesion, or a die check to se
if the RF unit attack as ordered or if decides to stop the fighting, use of
the feared  Gatling machineguns, etc.) but they work (more or less).

SCENARIOS

You have 3 scenarios :
(1) - THE END OF THE 7th (historical one)
(2) - AFTER THE ROSEBUD (Custer waits for the others, but Crook is out)
(3) - THE PROGRAMMED ATTACK ( All 3 colums arrive according to the original
planning)

VICTORY
(1) - You win if all of the opponent's units are out of the map or destroyed
(2) - or if the Indian camp is destroyed
(3) - or if the US has no more HQ on the map (the cavalrymen then leave...)

If someone has more question contact me

Ciao

Pietro

********************************
*     Pietro Cremona
*   "Old hand" Wargamer
*   Cesena (FO) - ITALY
* E-Mail : asterix@linknet.it
* Phone  : ++ 39 547-335121
********************************