From: Andrew Fairnie Subject: Re: Gulfstrike - LONG Maigret asked:- > Anyone out there who could give me opinions/pointers concerning GULFSTRIKE (Victory Games) ? > I am considering to program a computer version for myself or some sort of assistant/wizard ... > > Merci ! Ah bonjour - hows the detective business? I've got Gulfstrike the updated 1988 version plus Desert Shield (anyone know if theres more?). I've just dug it out, the Desert Shield stuff is unpunched - guess it was all over before I got that far! The game is big - very big, but breaks down into manageable scenarios (mostly!). Its a multi-level affair - strategic and operational maps. It was originally designed with the Iran-Iraq conflict as the main focus (the DS add on was done before Desert Storm, more as a marketing thing probably - it certainly did not simulate the actual events - see below). Therefore most of the scenarios are interesting only from the point of how utterly ludicrous they have become over time. To wit - Scenario 6 contains a variant wherein the Allied Player (Iraq???) gets the entire US OB to command in a reprisal strike on Iran after Iranian terrorists bomb a World Series football game. You get a 60 page rules book, about 1000 counters (mostly divisional, corps level) a 16 pages of tables (!), a strategic map and 2 ops maps. 1 hex on the strat map is 280 klicks and 1 on the ops maps is 28 klicks. The turn sequence (also known as the Mother of all turn sequences :-)) which takes over 5 pages to list, goes something like: Strategic Stage; Unit Assignment Stage; Initiative determination; 1st Action; 2nd Action; 3rd Action; and End Stage. If I tell you I missed out something like 24 subsections then you'll get an idea how complex it can get. My notes from a simulated UN versus Iraq Desert Storm home made scenario show that by Day 3 the Iraqi's had broken the Saudi/Allied line at MinaSaud but were held at Wafra by allied Arab forces. The air war had given some Iraqi ground forces (HQ's and supply) a pounding, but lost 18 Hornets and Tornado's, plus 6 F-111's. The BUFF force at Diego Garcia had caved in Basra and the Iraqi airbase there at the price of 6 ships downed (!) and 130 human shield hostages (can't remember if this was one of my more grim home made rulings!). NAVAIR seemed to be of little impact in the CAS role - don't for chrissakes tell 'em :-). However the BIG bummer was the loss of the allied key air and supply base at Dharan in a massive SCUD carried gas attack (yipes!) This seemed to really screw up the UN supply situation and meant NAVAIR resources were switched to the CAP role instead of strikes. I suppose I enjoyed it, but in hindsight the learning curve makes it too complex to play just for the fun of it, and you aren't gonna learn anything historically from it. Maybe the LIST'll point you in the right direction. Bon nuit! Andrew.