The redesigned and recapitalized GameFix magazine, now called
Competitive Edge arrived the other day and I had a chance to peruse its
game, Edson's Ridge (company-level Guadalcanal) although since I
haven't played it, I'll just comment on its rules and graphics.

I think Jon Compton and his staff have done a nice job with this issue,
and I'm speaking as someone who 1) doesn't like games with unmounted
counters, and 2) thought this redesign would "tilt" the magazine toward
newcomers to the hobby versus grognards.  Happily, the latter isn't true
as the balance seems just right.

Compton outlined his plans for the future of the magazine in greater detail
in this issue.  It also includes an overview of hobby news and gossip by
Tim Kutta and Alan Emrich and a new skirmish for Rebel Yell.  Compton
also includes an almost-amusing tirade against "Net Nazis" who nit-pick
new designs.

The seven pages of rules are written for newcomers in the recognizable
GameFix style with symbology, definitions, examples, setup and victory
conditions set apart from the rules in a separate column.  The map of
Edson's Ridge and surrounding jungle, Lunga River, and Henderson Field
is functional and clear and takes up one page within the center of the
magazine.  This is one game that may be possible to play without taking
the map out of the mag (although the map for the Rebel Yell skirmish is on
the back), as the opposite page contains the charts necessary for play
(including what must be the most colorful (in graphics) CRT ever.)  The
fronts and backs of the counters are printed in multi-colors on thin
high-quality cardboard. One is instructed to glue them together, aligning
the edges and slice them out with an Xacto knife.  Make sure that knife is
plenty sharp as there's no room for error.  Unit counters make use of
ever bit of space and contain: unit designation, nationality (flags),
company designation, combat factor, proficiency rating, movement
factor, and in what must be a first for counters anywhere... BOTH a
NATO unit type symbol and little man, tent, tank or gun icon.    There are
other functional counters to mark Banzai attacks, reserves, leaders, US
aircraft, and improved positions in addition to the tanks, arty, Hqs and
flavors of infantry.

Each hex is 200 yds and a turn represents 4 hours.  2 units can stack in
a hex. ZOCs are semi-rigid.  Sequence of play phases go: Japanese
Reserve; Move; Combat; Exploit then US Reserve; Move; Combat; Exploit
and mutual recordkeeping during which arty fire & banzais are tracked
(arty fire allowed once per turn and banzais once per game per unit.)
Combat is pretty traditional with a step-loss or retreat CRT.

Rule highlights: Units designated as reserves during that phase can
move during a friendly Exploit phase or an enemy move phase.  Only
Japanese can attack during Night turns (6 of 11 turns are night) if a
non-arty unit rolls equal or less to its proficiency rating.  Proficiency
ratings don't appear to do much else unless one uses an advanced rule
to compare ratings in combat with the difference used as a DRM.  Other
advanced rules cover Improved Positions, Random Events and Banzai
charges.  Appears to be a decent beer-and-pretzels design.

Future issues: #11: Cybernaut, a Joe Miranda design when you "play
cyber-revolutionaries vying for control of the 'Net and government "NSA"
members trying to stop them."
Issue #12: Der Kessel, a solitaire Stalingrad design;
Issue #13: Space Explorers, a card game that is "a spoof on many of
today's popular science fiction television shows."
Issue #14: Because It's There, a card game "about climbing Mt. Everest
for one-to-four players.
Also upcoming: GameBooks, a game in a stitch book format that must be
assembled to play.  The first one will be called Fox One, a card game of
modern air combat; the second: Peace in Our Time, is a strategic level
game of WWII to be published in two parts: one covering the ETO and the
other the PTO.

Doug "Net Spasi" Murphy