From: Roberto Chiavini Subject: more reviews La Campaigne de la Loire (Vae Victis 14) This time our French friends from Vae Victis give us an operational game on a phase of the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, the late campaign by the French army trying to save Chartres and Orleans, doomed to a compleat defeat. The system is better for two players (there are particular rules for dummy counters, snipers and cavalry screen better suited for a two players game) and, having tried it once in solitaire, I don't think it to be very interesting, as it stands, in this version. Anyway, here is my review of this game, as objective as possible, as always. The units are up to the usual standard for the magazine, very colorful and very easily identifiable for the coloured band on the top of each counters (different for the various corps present in the game). Each combat unit is rated for strength, morale and movement, while the HQ units are rated for initiative, artillery support and movement. The sniper and cavalry reconaissance units have not a combat value, only morale and movement. Each turn (there are 12 for the complete game), starting with the French player, is divided in various sub-phase, the most important being movement and combat. Movement is standard (with special rules for strategic and forced march), while combat is a little more elaborated (with several different modifiers, based on terrain, weapons comparations, artillery support and even suicidal French general), in particular with a rule that consent to the defender to put in the battle units distant up to three hexes from the battlefield, marching to the sound of the guns. Other rules, most of them affecting the French player, are for the crisis government, national morale, provisional reinforcements and other theaters of war. In my experience, the situation is interesting enough for several different strategical choices in a two player game (impossible to recreate in a solo game). There aren't many "real" units on the map (about 15 for the Prussian, up to 30 for the French player), but using dummy, sniper and cavalry screen add to the tension of the game. The French aim is to take back Chartres and Orleans, defending at the same is crisis government in Tours. The Prussian starts with only one corp on the map, but in 3 turns he has all he needs on the map. The French player may have up to three corps against Orleans early in the game, with several possible reinforcements in the following turns. So, the situation seems interesting, really, for a two player tense match. Solitaire, alas, is not so appetising, and it seems that the French army, as in real history, could't take back her two cities from the hands of the enemy. I rate this game 5 « out of 10 for solo play, while possibly could be 7 or even 7 « in a face to face match.